No. 22 Boise State Blanks Western Michigan, Turns to Pac-12 Slate
The short version
- No. 22 Boise State shut out Western Michigan at Waldo Stadium, with the score running through 22-0, 25-0 and 32-0.
- Maddux Madsen went 16-of-23 for 204 yards and three TDs; he has 10 total touchdowns and no interceptions through four games.
- Boise State is 3-1, with its only loss a close defeat at Oregon and wins over Memphis and Western Michigan.
- Pac-12 play begins this week; Oregon State visits Albertsons Stadium on Nov. 14.
Boise State improved to 3-1 with a shutout of Western Michigan in Kalamazoo and opens Pac-12 play this week, with Oregon State waiting Nov. 14 in Boise.
No. 22 Boise State shut out Western Michigan at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, pulling away through scores of 22-0, 25-0 and 32-0 in a game it controlled from the opening drive. The win ran the Broncos' record to 3-1 and kept their College Football Playoff push on track heading into conference play.
Boise State converted a two-point try on the game's first scoring drive, while Western Michigan's opening possession lost four yards and an early field goal attempt missed the mark. An eight-minute Broncos march later stretched the lead to 15. Western Michigan had chances to respond, but dropped passes in the end zone forced fourth-down attempts that came up empty on all three tries.
Senior quarterback Maddux Madsen completed 16 of 23 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Boise State also held a clear size advantage in the trenches and more explosiveness at the skill positions. Western Michigan, viewed as a Mid-American Conference title contender, never reached the end zone.
Madsen is producing the best numbers of his career in his final season, with 814 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, 10 total scores and zero interceptions through four games. Boise State's only loss came in a close game at Oregon in Eugene, and its wins include Memphis, a home victory over an FCS opponent and the road result at Western Michigan. The start closely mirrors the 2024 season built around running back Ashton Jeanty, when the Broncos won a comparable September road game against Georgia Southern.
Boise State sits 22nd in the latest AP Poll with 221 votes. The only other Group of Six programs receiving votes are James Madison, with 10 votes for 36th, and North Dakota State, with six votes for 39th.
Western Michigan entered the matchup as this season's Group of Six story after leading Michigan until the final second in Ann Arbor before the Wolverines pulled out the win, then posting two straight victories. Boise State, though, gave the home crowd little to build on and settled any question about which program set the standard.
Coach Spencer Danielson's team opens Pac-12 play this week, beginning the stretch that will decide whether Boise State returns to the College Football Playoff.
No Pac-12 team has established itself as a clear front-runner. Fresno State beat Rice by 14 points, Washington State has shown stretches of solid play without sustaining it for a full 60 minutes, and Texas State remains on the fringe. Colorado State opened the season well but has lost two in a row, while San Diego State is coming off a defeat against Toledo and has struggled to put up points.
Oregon State (2-2) shapes up as the most serious obstacle to Boise State's playoff return. Both Beavers losses came against Big 12 title contenders and stayed competitive deep into the second half, with quarterback Braden Atkinson throwing for 1,423 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions and freshman receiver Jesse Legree averaging 146.3 yards per game with six total touchdowns. The two sides meet on Nov. 14 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise.
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