‘Extremely talented’: Notre Dame coach says Boise State will bring challenges
No. 21 Notre Dame and head coach Marcus Freeman have faced some stiff competition, including back-to-back games against Miami and Texas A&M to start the 2025 season.
Both of those opponents emerged victorious and are still undefeated heading into Week 6 of the college football season. The Fighting Irish have since rebounded with blowout wins over Purdue and Arkansas.
For their fifth game, a program outside the Power Four conferences comes to town, but Freeman knows that doesn’t mean much. That’s because the program is Boise State, which is coming off a College Football Playoff berth and knows all about taking on and beating the big boys.
Having already seen formidable adversaries this fall, Freeman was nothing but complimentary about the Broncos ahead of Saturday afternoon’s matchup between the teams — their first-ever meeting.
“I think they’re extremely talented,” Freeman said Thursday during a press conference, referring specifically to the Boise State offense. “They will use every motion and shift to try to get your defense off-balance.”
After a disappointing season-opening performance in a 34-7 loss at South Florida, in which the offense produced just 378 yards, Boise State has come alive. The Broncos have averaged 567.3 total yards the past three games, scoring an average of 49 points.
Freeman described the Broncos as having “eye candy” on multiple occasions this week, and said his defense will have to be wary of the BSU running backs turning what look like short runs into 10-yard gains — and more.
“It’s a great challenge for our defense,” Freeman said. “But I think that’s what gives defenses issues, is that they know what the play is, but they’re able to try to confuse the defense by their shifts and motions.”
Freeman also gave special mention to redshirt junior quarterback Maddux Madsen, saying that he has the “it factor” and “confidence.”
“Sometimes I look at a throw he makes, and I go, ‘Oh, I don’t know if he should have thrown it there,’ and he puts it right where it needs to be, and it’s a completion,” Freeman said. “And that sometimes overcomes always making the exact perfect decision, is having confidence in your decision, and he’s definitely that.”
Madsen has been a steady and consistent presence for the Broncos, throwing for 1,129 yards and nine touchdowns, with just one interception. He also has a rushing TD, and he has completed 60% of his passes while being sacked just twice.
Madsen is entering his second season as Boise State’s starter, coming off a year in which he threw for 3,018 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions — and three of those picks came late in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Penn State in the playoffs.
Freeman said he also has been paying close attention to Boise State’s defensive line, which will have the assignment of slowing Notre Dame redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr.
Carr looks steady for an underclassman who’s made just four starts, but he threw an interception in each of Notre Dame’s losses and was sacked a total of five times in those two games. The Broncos likely will make it a point of emphasis to try to put Carr under pressure.
“This is going to be a really good challenge for our offense to recognize the tells that they give us, to pick up the pressures in the pass game and the run game,” Freeman said. “And then you’ve got to win your one-on-one battles versus this defense.
“There’s not going to be huge holes. We’re going to have to beat some guys in one-on-one opportunities.”
Boise State at No. 21 Notre Dame
- When: 1:30 p.m. Mountain time Saturday
- Where: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795, turf), South Bend, Indiana
- TV: NBC (Dan Hicks, Jason Garrett)
- Radio: KBOI 670 AM/KTIK 93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
- Records: Boise State 3-1; Notre Dame 2-2
- Series: First meeting
- Vegas betting line: Notre Dame by 19.5
- Weather: 87 degrees, sunny, 3% chance of rain
