Uneven, unexciting performance leaves Boise State with tough loss at Notre Dame
In the end, Boise State just didn’t do nearly enough to pull off an upset at Notre Dame.
The defense didn’t force a turnover or sack redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr a single time, but the Broncos’ Maddux Madsen spent much of the game running for his life and threw four interceptions.
The offense couldn’t sustain a running game (34 carries for 100 yards, for a 2.9 average) or keep drives going, and the defense struggled to stop the running back tandem of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price (24 carries for 186 yards).
Boise State had just five plays that covered 10 yards or more, while Notre Dame had 11.
About the only thing Boise State had enough of was penalties — 13 of them for 112 yards.
The result Saturday afternoon was a 28-7 loss to the Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. It was the first-ever meeting between the teams, and it was a mistake-filled game that wore out the officials’ arms as they threw flag after flag — 24 penalties were accepted, for 224 yards.
“I’m proud of how our team battled tonight,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said. “I feel way different than after the loss in game one of the season against South Florida. ... I really felt like we battled, I felt like our team never quit.
“... Obviously some self-inflicted stuff happened in regards to penalties or, you know, mistakes on our end that we’ve got to fix.”
Neither team did all that much to impress the College Football Playoff committee, but Notre Dame (3-2) did enough to keep its at-large hopes alive. The Broncos (3-2), who lost that opener at USF 34-7, could have put a huge feather in their helmets with a win; the loss means they can’t afford to drop a Mountain West game if they want a chance to return to the playoffs as the Group of Five representative.
Madsen (22-of-37 for 215 yards) struggled as he was under almost relentless pressure. He was sacked four times and hurried into several throws on the run. He ran for Boise State’s only score, fooling the defense with a keeper that he rolled out to the left, allowing him to trot in for a one-yard score that gave the Broncos a 7-6 lead in the second quarter.
“It definitely makes it tough when we barely finish our route and the quarterback is in (a) scramble drill,” wide receiver Latrell Caples said.
Riding a pair of fourth-down stops on defense, including a goal-line stand, and the 72-yard touchdown drive capped by Madsen, Boise State headed into halftime trailing just 14-7. But they never got close again. Notre Dame had a 79-yard TD drive in the third quarter and a 52-yarder in the fourth to put the game away. The last score was a 49-yard run from Price that saw him break five tackles on the way to the end zone.
Love had a 100-yard game for the Irish, finishing with 103 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Carr was 15-of-23 for 189 yards and a TD, and he didn’t turn the ball over. He also rushed for 25 yards on three carries.
Madsen, conversely, had 13 rushing attempts — only one of which was planned. The rest were scrambles as he zigged and zagged to elude the persistent Irish pass rush.
The Broncos had the ball a lot, running 71 plays and holding a more than 11-minute advantage in time of possession, but they finished with just 315 yards of offense. Six of their 10 drives were seven plays or fewer, with three of those six ending in punts and three in Madsen turnovers.
“I know Maddux is a competitor. He’s beat himself up, but this is a team,” Danielson said. “I mean, we didn’t lose the game tonight because Maddux Madsen had some interceptions.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2025 at 1:14 PM.
