December 1, 2025

Article By Nick Wade

The colder the air gets in Boise, the louder the echoes of history become inside Albertsons Stadium, and this week, those echoes are beginning to sound like something close to destiny. Boise State stands on the precipice of a moment the Mountain West Conference has never witnessed in its quarter-century of existence. Back-to-back-to-back championships. A three-peat. A sendoff unmatched by any departing program in league history. And all that stands between the Broncos and their final coronation is a 10–2 UNLV team arriving on The Blue this Friday night on FOX, carrying both its own ambitions and the memory of a 56–31 defeat delivered earlier in the season by the very team waiting for them under the lights. A rematch steeped in meaning, pressure, and consequence. An ending fit for a season that has demanded everything of Boise State and now demands even more.

The Broncos enter the championship 8–4 overall and 6–2 in conference, carrying not just momentum but purpose. For a year that began with questions, reshuffling, untimely injuries, and the unpredictable turbulence of modern college football, Boise State now finds itself where championship culture always seems to lead. Right back in the spotlight. Right back on the stage. Right back at home with everything on the line. Friday will mark the third consecutive season that the Mountain West title will be contested between Boise State and UNLV, a rivalry that has grown sharper with each meeting and now feels like a tradition forged by competition rather than scheduling. Yet for all the history and all the storylines, one truth towers above the rest: this night, this game, this opportunity is Boise State’s to seize.

What will define the evening is not who the Broncos were in September or October but who they have become by December. And perhaps the clearest representation of that growth came early in championship week when head coach Spencer Danielson stepped to the podium and made an announcement that rippled across Bronco Nation: Maddux Madsen will start at quarterback. After weeks of uncertainty, recovery, internal competition, and the rise of Max Cutforth, the decision is now finalized. And Danielson was unequivocal in explaining why. “We are getting his returning leadership, decision-making capability, and making the plays when needed. The moment isn’t too big for Maddux.” There is no hesitation in that statement because there has been no hesitation in Madsen’s career. Nineteen wins. Five losses. Eighth all-time in passing yards at Boise State. Only 359 yards shy of climbing to seventh. A quarterback who has weathered pressure and expectation yet still plays with the grounded confidence of someone who understands exactly what it means to start a championship game on The Blue.

His numbers tell a story of consistency and command. A 152-for-255 passing line, 1,994 yards, 15 touchdowns, seven interceptions, a 59.6 percent completion rate, and a 139.2 passer rating. While Cutforth’s effort to keep the Broncos afloat during Madsen’s absence was nothing short of admirable—80-for-140, 857 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 112.8 rating while going 2–1 as a starter—there is a reason the coaching staff turned back to their veteran leader. A team playing for a three-peat does not simply need accuracy. It needs presence. It needs experience. It needs the player who has lived in these moments before and thrived. 

Yet the coaching staff’s faith in Madsen is not a dismissal of Max Cutforth. Far from it. His performance against Utah State earned him Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, and he has proven himself reliable and resilient. But championship games are not exercises in sentiment—they are declarations of identity. And the identity of this team has always been tied to Maddux’s command, his poise, and his instinct for rising to the situation when the season is at stake.

The offense around him must match that intensity, especially on a night where winning all three phases will determine everything. Boise State’s running game remains the engine of its identity, and if this season has taught anything about how the Broncos operate at their highest level, it is that the play-action attack thrives only when the ground game forces defenses to commit bodies they would rather keep elsewhere. Dylan Riley continues to be the pulse of that strategy, a 1,000-yard rusher now with 1,016 yards on 164 carries and ten touchdowns, including a long of 77 yards that showed exactly how devastating he can be once he clears the first wave. Sire Gaines has been the perfect complement, grinding for 731 yards on 144 carries with seven touchdowns and a long of 46, providing the kind of punch Boise State needs against UNLV’s shifting fronts. Together they represent a backfield built for December football: tough, explosive, and able to turn short gains into game-changing momentum.  Together they provide a rushing identity that forces defenses into conflict. Their success opens the door for the play-action attack that allows Madsen to hit Chris Marshall, Latrell Caples, Matt Lauter, Chase Penry, Wags, and the rest of the receiving corps in stride.

The return of Madsen makes their jobs even more important. The stronger the run game starts, the more devastating the play-action becomes, and UNLV knows firsthand what a fully operational Boise State offense looks like. The last time these teams met, the Broncos hung 56 points on the Rebels and it was Madsen’s control of rhythm and spacing that made everything click.  Despite last week’s minimal performance for Chris Marshall, he has emerged as the program’s next great downfield threat with 467 yards on 24 catches and 2 touchdowns. Caples remains the steady, reliable veteran with 43 catches for 515 yards and 3 scores. Lauter adds 286 yards and a touchdown. Penry has chipped in 267 yards, and Malik Sherrod—whose offensive contributions come in addition to his special teams presence—has added receiving impact as well. The balance and unpredictability of the passing game are only as strong as the ground game that forces safeties to creep forward and linebackers to hesitate. Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines hold the key to everything Boise State hopes to accomplish on Friday night, because a strong running game is what turns a pressure-heavy UNLV front into a guessing defense—one they can dismantle with layered play-action reads.

But offense alone cannot win this matchup. Every championship game is defined by the battle in the trenches, by the swing moments that tilt momentum through turnovers, penalties, and field position. Boise State must win the turnover battle. They must dominate both fronts. They must eliminate penalties that stall drives or extend those of UNLV. These are not philosophical keys—they are the difference between a ring and regret.

UNLV is not arriving as a passive participant. This is a 10-win team that believes it can change the meaning of its own legacy on Friday night, and they have the personnel to make it difficult. Anthony Colandrea has taken massive strides since the last meeting, delivering a 238-for-349 season for 3,050 yards, 22 touchdowns, eight interceptions, a 68.2 percent completion rate, and a 157.8 rating. His growth alone has turned UNLV’s offense into one capable of punishing any defense that hesitates even for a moment.  Jet Thomas brings nearly 1,000 yards on 127 carries with 12 touchdowns and a long 70-yarder that showed his ability to turn a single crease into instant danger. Jaden Bradley, their senior receiver, has been Colandrea’s most reliable target, pulling in 51 receptions for 834 yards and four touchdowns with explosive ability downfield. Tunmise Adeleye at defensive end has recorded 40 tackles and six sacks, while senior linebacker Marsel McDuffie commands the middle with 94 tackles and two sacks. There is nothing accidental about UNLV’s record. They come to Boise equipped, experienced, and confident.

The matchup with UNLV is something Boise State knows well. The 56–31 victory earlier in the season was decisive but also revealing. Anthony Colandrea threw for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18-for-30 passing while tossing one interception, and the Rebels ran for 261 yards with Jaylon Glover breaking loose for 112 on only six carries. They have speed, versatility, and explosiveness that can stretch a defense thin. But that Boise State defense is not the same unit that began the year, even though its season ranking sits firmly at No. 30 in the nation—a placement I predicted back in August as the benchmark of a playoff-worthy defense. They are faster now, more connected, more disruptive, and their depth has matured in meaningful ways.  Boise State does indeed hold the strongest counterpunch in the matchup: a legitimate defense ranked 30th nationally, the exact benchmark I knew the unit would need by season’s end, and one that has steadily risen into a group worthy of playoff-caliber respect. What makes the Broncos dangerous is not merely their overall ranking but the precision of their secondary, now recognized as the eleventh-best pass defense in the country. At a time when spread offenses and deep-shot attacks dominate college football, Boise State fields a defensive backfield built to suffocate opposing momentum.

Buck Benefield has been the heartbeat of the defense with 90 tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble, patrolling space with instincts that only come through experience. Bo Phelps adds 54 tackles and an interception returned for a momentum-swinging 33-yard touchdown. Jeremiah Earby’s ability to read routes has produced four interceptions and half a sack, while Jaden Mickey continues to be one of the most relentless perimeter defenders on the roster with 28 tackles, a sack, and two forced fumbles. Zion Washington contributes 56 tackles and an interception, Derek Ganter Jr. holds his ground with 26 tackles, and even though A’Marion McCoy remains sidelined, his four interceptions and two touchdowns from earlier in the season remain part of the defensive identity that shaped Boise State’s rise.

But perhaps the biggest revelation is Sherrod Smith. Tasked with filling the void left by McCoy’s injury, Smith has exceeded every expectation. His explosive hit against Utah State to break up a key pass became an instant highlight of the season, and Coach Danielson did not hold back when describing him. “Sherrod Smith is a phenomenal competitor who has been on the rise and is going to be one of the better corners we’ve ever seen here.” That is not praise lightly given. That is a standard being set.

The front seven must match that standard Friday night. Braxton Fely has emerged as one of the most disruptive forces up front with 5.5 sacks among his 20 tackles. Jayden Virgin-Morgan continues to produce impactful performances with 50 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. Marco Notarainni remains the steady enforcer with 63 tackles and 1.5 sacks. This is a defensive unit forged by depth, speed, and intelligence. They know how to win and they know exactly what is required to stop a quarterback playing the best football of his career.

The stakes require perfection across offense, defense, and special teams. The turnover battle will likely decide the winner before the fourth quarter even arrives. Penalties cannot become drive-killers or free yardage for a UNLV offense that thrives in rhythm. Boise State must control the clock, dictate tempo, and take the game into its own hands rather than reacting to the Rebels. Dominating the trenches on both sides of the ball is not optional—it is mandatory. This is championship football, where every inch becomes a negotiation and every mistake becomes a scar.

And yet, no phase, no player, no statistic, and no coaching adjustment will matter as much as the presence of Bronco Nation inside Albertsons Stadium on Friday night. The stadium must be full. Blitz the Tee Dog will be playing his last game of his career.  It must be deafening. It must become an extension of the team itself. This is the last Mountain West Championship Boise State will ever play in. The final chapter of an era. The opportunity to leave not simply as champions but as three-peat champions, a distinction so rare it has never been accomplished in conference history. This is the kind of night that demands a sellout. This is the kind of team that deserves one. Tickets are available. The chance to make history is here.

And as strange as the journey has been, as winding, unpredictable, and pressure-filled as this season turned out to be, it all comes down to a cold Friday night on The Blue where the air will bite, the lights will sharpen, and the echoes of thousands will thunder against the cold metal of the stadium. The moment will not be too big for Maddux Madsen, as Danielson said. And the moment must not be too big for the fanbase that has shaped Boise State football into a national identity.

If the Broncos execute, if they match discipline with heart, if they win the turnover battle, run the ball, hit their play-action windows, and let their defense define the tone the way it has all year, then history is waiting to be made.

Because a long strange trip it’s been, this team stands now on the doorstep of something unforgettable.

And on Friday night, The Blue will decide the rest.