Boise State football has mostly avoided injuries so far. What’s the latest?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Boise State cleared QB Maddux Madsen and RB Sire Gaines to play vs. App State
- Backup QB Max Cutforth received more reps after Madsen's brief injury vs. Air Force
- Mountain West injury reports exclude non-conference games like this week's matchup
Boise State football entered the week with some injury concerns to key players, including redshirt junior quarterback Maddux Madsen and redshirt freshman running back Sire Gaines.
Madsen exited Boise State’s game against Air Force last weekend with an ankle injury on the first drive. He missed one series before returning to play the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Gaines had just three carries against the Falcons because injury issues had limited his practice availability.
The good news for Bronco fans? Head coach Spencer Danielson and running backs coach James Montgomery confirmed that both players are good to go against App State this weekend at Albertsons Stadium.
“(Madsen) is doing good. He was able to practice a good amount this week,” Danielson said. “He was not able to completely give all the team reps, but was able to practice a good amount today. ... He’ll be ready to roll.”
Madsen has been seen wearing a boot on his left foot and ankle as a precaution while he rehabs and gets ready for Saturday’s game.
In Madsen’s brief absence against Air Force, redshirt sophomore Max Cutforth led the Broncos on a 75-yard touchdown drive, completing three passes for 34 yards. Danielson said Thursday that Cutforth got more practice reps this week just in case.
“(Cutforth) did a really good job,” Danielson said. “And obviously, Maddux is our guy for a reason, but Max, we saw it on that drive he came in against Air Force. That built the confidence of our team with Max, and if something happens and we’ve got to go with him, we have a lot of confidence in him.”
Meanwhile, Montgomery said that Gaines is firing on all cylinders and will be ready to play against App State. Danielson also confirmed earlier in the week that Gaines was “ready to roll.”
Gaines had 109 all-purpose yards against Eastern Washington two weeks ago, but was banged up after the game and couldn’t fully participate in practice Tuesday or Wednesday ahead of the Air Force game. He practiced fully by Thursday, but Montgomery said Gaines isn’t experienced enough to miss out on practices and still see a ton of snaps in that week’s game.
“Tuesday and Wednesday are work days,” Montgomery said. “If you’re kind of battling back from something on Tuesday and Wednesday, you’re going to be in a more limited role, because you’re going to get slow-speed reps and then limited reps on Friday, because those are the only times we ramp it up.”
Gaines averaged 11.3 yards per carry in his limited action against the Falcons. He and fellow running backs will be hoping for a similar performance against an App State run defense that ranks 8th in the nation.
How the injury availability report works
The Mountain West introduced availability reports this year, requiring teams to submit an injury list approximately 48 hours before the game and then again 2-3 hours before the game.
The report is required only for conference games, meaning Boise State wasn’t required to release a report this week and also won’t have to next week ahead of the Notre Dame game.
However, Danielson shed some light on how his staff is handling the report after some confusion around Gaines, who wasn’t listed last week despite not fully participating in practices early in the week.
“Using the Sire example, last Thursday, when you put these (reports) up, he was full go at practice (that day),” Danielson said. “So if someone’s full go at practice, then he’s not questionable to play in the game.
“We’re not trying to use smoke and mirrors. I’m trying to just be very open about where we’re at, and if guys are questionable, that means we’re going to need more time to figure out if they’re playing.”
Boise State vs. App State
- When: 5:30 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Albertsons Stadium (33,000, turf)
- TV: FS1 (Noah Reed, Robert Smith)
- Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
- Records: Boise State 2-1; App State 2-1
- Series: Boise State leads 1-0
- Vegas betting line: Boise State by 15.5
- Weather: 83 degrees, sunny, 0% chance of rain
This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 3:22 PM.
