What went wrong for Boise State in LA Bowl loss to Washington

Maddux Madsen exits with injury in 38-10 rout

Boise State Broncos quarterback Maddux Madsen. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Boise State was no match for Washington in Saturday’s LA Bowl, falling 38-10 at SoFi Stadium as quarterbacks Maddux Madsen and Max Cutforth combined to throw five interceptions. 

Here are three takeaways from the Broncos’ (9-5) disappointing showing against the Huskies (9-4). 

1. Madsen meltdown

Coming off a stellar performance in the Mountain West championship game against UNLV, Madsen unraveled under the lights at SoFi Stadium.

Madsen finished 7 of 16 passing for 51 yards with two interceptions. He watched the second half from the sideline with a boot on his right foot after reaggravating an injury that kept him out of the final three games of the regular season. 

On Boise State’s third possession of the LA Bowl, Madsen was fooled by a zone blitz and threw the ball directly to linebacker Xe’ree Alexander for an easy interception. 

Madsen then missed a simple third-down throw to Malik Sherrod and was stuffed on a fourth-down scramble attempt. One drive later, Madsen tossed up an ill-advised prayer that was picked off by Rahshawn Clark. Washington cashed in the Clark interception for a 24-3 halftime lead. 

Cutforth took over for Madsen in the second half and was also erratic, completing 15 of 27 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and three picks. 

It was an up-and-down junior year for Madsen, who closed the season 176 of 302 passing for 2,334 yards with 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He missed three games due to injury but returned to lead the Broncos to a third straight MWC title. 

Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson has repeatedly backed his quarterback, but Madsen’s struggles against high-level defenses are undeniable. In five career games — all losses — against Power Four teams, Madsen is 72 of 134 passing (53.7 percent) for 738 yards with two touchdowns and nine interceptions. 

If the Broncos are going to win the Pac-12 in 2026 and make it back to the College Football Playoff, Madsen must become more consistent as a passer. 

2. Patchwork offensive line falters

Boise State entered the LA Bowl without both starting tackles. 

Left tackle Kage Casey opted out of the game to focus on the NFL Draft while right tackle Daylon Metoyer was sidelined with an injury. 

To fill the gaps, Kyle Cox (left tackle) and Jake Steele (right tackle) made their first starts of the season alongside left guard Mason Randolph, center Zach Holmes and right guard Roger Carreon. Carreon suffered an injury in the first quarter was replaced by Jason Steele. 

Playing without three starters for most of the game, Boise State’s offensive line couldn’t hold up against an impressive Washington defensive front. 

The Huskies limited Boise State to 58 rushing yards on 28 carries with three sacks. The pass rush contributed to Washington’s five interceptions of Madsen and Cutforth.

3. Linebackers show up

It wasn’t a good day for the Boise State defense, but linebackers Marco Notarainni and Boen Phelps both turned in strong performances. 

Notarainni, a senior, had a third-down sack on Washington’s opening drive that forced the Huskies into a field goal attempt. On the next drive, Notarainni came through with a big third-down tackle for loss that led to a punt. 

In his final game as a Bronco, Notarainni recorded a team-best nine total tackles (two for loss) and the sack. 

Phelps also had a solid day with five total tackles and a sack. Phelps, a sophomore, is slated to be a defensive leader for the Broncos next year.

Backup linebacker Jake Ripp added a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter.