In front of a sold-out crowd, the Boise State Broncos defeated the University of Nevada Wolf Pack, 28-21.
The Broncos win on Saturday moves their regular season record to 8-1 and conference record to 5-0.
Saturday’s game marked the first matchup between Boise State and Nevada at Albertsons Stadium since 2021, ending in a 41-31 loss for the Broncos.
On the Broncos first possession, quarterback Maddux Madsen established a connection with tight end Matt Lauter. The duo connected three times on the opening drive, ending in a 11 yard touchdown pass to Lauter in the red zone.
“He’s [Lauter] a matchup nightmare,” Head Coach Spencer Danielson said in a post-game press conference. “I know there’s going to be some things on film that he’s going to want to improve on but Matt Lauter is playing really good football right now.”
The Broncos started out strong on defense, forcing Nevada to go three-and-out on their first two offensive drives.
The Broncos also started out strong offensively, scoring on their first two drives, with running back Ashton Jeanty finding the end zone on a four yard rushing touchdown, putting the Broncos up 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Nevada then responded with a 14-0 run, tying the game at 14-14 going into halftime.
Compared to previous games, this was a narrow defeat for the Broncos. Madsen struggled in the passing game, throwing for a season low of nine completions on 20 passing attempts for a total of 119 yards. Madsen also found some opportunities running the ball, rushing for 58 yards on eight carries.
“This was probably the worst game I’ve played personally,” Madsen said in a post-game press conference. “I’m obviously not happy with it, but at the end of the day, it’s a team sport and when we win the game, I can sit there and smile and say ‘we won the game.’”
The Broncos finished the game with two turnovers, including a fumble by Jeanty at 10:22 in the second quarter, his first of the season.
“We didn’t play our best football consistently tonight, but we found a way to win,” Danielson said. “That’s a testament to [how] our players train and their mentality and we will build more from this game because of the hard fought battle then we would on a blowout.”
On the defensive side, the Broncos made key stops, forcing Nevada running back Sean Dollars to fumble twice, including one at the goal line at 5:28 in the fourth quarter which was recovered by cornerback Jeremiah Earby.
With 2:19 left in the fourth quarter, Nevada scored on a 36 yard touchdown pass, cutting the lead down to one possession. Fullback Tyler Crowe recovered Nevada’s onside kick attempt.
In the end, it was the Heisman hopeful Jeanty who sealed the game for the Broncos with a 10 yard rush for a first down with 1:47 left in the game, totaling his rushing yards to 209.
Jeanty ended the game with three touchdowns on 34 carries, his eighth game this season scoring at least three touchdowns.
“Ashton Jeanty is a warrior,” Danielson said. “He’s banged up, he takes shot after shot after shot and just keeps swinging. [He] stays in it, trusts the coaches, trusts his teammates and finds a way to wear down a defense.”
Boise State’s attendance reached 37,143, the sixth largest crowd in program history. This is also the third time this season Albertsons Stadium has had more than 37,000 in attendance.
As Boise State is set to join the PAC-12 Conference in 2026, this is potentially Nevada’s last game against Boise State on The Blue.
The Broncos next game will be at San Jose State on Nov. 16 at 5 p.m.
BSU stat leaders:
Maddux Madsen: 119 passing yards, 58 rushing yards, one touchdown and one interception
Ashton Jeanty: 34 carries, 209 rushing yards and three touchdowns
Matt Lauter: five receptions, 61 yards and one touchdown
Nevada stat leaders:
Brendon Lewis: 188 passing yards and one touchdown
Sean Dollars: 15 carries and 38 rushing yards
Jaden Smith: four receptions and 57 yards and one touchdown
