Boise State’s season opener started with promise but ended in disappointment as the Broncos fell 34–7 to South Florida on Thursday night. Quarterback Maddux Madsen connected with Chris Marshall for an early touchdown, but after that spark, the offense stalled and the Bulls took control.
Boise State’s backfield felt the absence of 2024 Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty, with running backs Sire Gaines, Malik Sherrod and Dylan Riley only averaging 3.4 yards per carry, down from Jeanty’s 7.0 yards per carry. Madsen struggled as well, completing only 54.4% of his passes.
“We didn’t have a good game plan,” Boise State fan Trent Missamore said of the game. “We also had an issue with moving the ball downfield.”
The Broncos outgained the Bulls in yardage (378 to 372) and first downs (25-15), but coughed up 3 fumbles and went 2-6 on fourth down, including 0-3 in Bulls territory.
The Bronco defense had 3.5 sacks, but was plagued by missed tackles and penalties. The team struggled with Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown, leaving open running lanes and allowing him to run for 43 rushing yards on 14 attempts and 2 touchdowns. Brown also went 16/24 through the air for 210 yards. He also had a 39-yard rushing touchdown where he broke multiple tackles called back due to a holding penalty.
“It felt like everything went wrong. Offensively, the playcalling felt way too pass-heavy when they were running the ball decently in the first half,” said Boise State fan Jonah Link. “The two fumbles early on killed any sort of momentum. Discipline was lacking and the roughing the passer penalty on third-and-17 was the momentum shift.”
With 8 minutes and 18 seconds left in the third quarter on a fourth-and-6 from Boise State’s 45, the Bulls sent out Backup Quarterback Locklan Hewlett for a fake punt, who created momentum by throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Locklan Hewlett, putting the team up 17-7.
The Broncos look to get back on track at their home opener against Eastern Washington at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 5.
“We’re a really good team, but right now we’re 0-1,” Boise State Head Coach Spencer Danielson said during the postgame press conference. “I believe in the leadership of this team and I’m excited about where we’re going to grow from here.”
