‘Out there being Max Cutforth’: Boise State QB shows he’s capable in win
Boise State redshirt sophomore quarterback Max Cutforth came into Saturday night’s game against Colorado State with 59 career pass attempts.
The Skyview High School product has played in 10 games for the Broncos since the start of 2024, including as the primary quarterback in three straight games following an injury to starting QB Maddux Madsen in early November.
The problem has been that, despite being on the field a bit, especially in recent games, not many people outside the program really knew what Cutforth was capable of.
That was until Saturday night, when he helped the Broncos (7-4, 5-2 Mountain West) roll to a 49-21 victory over Colorado State (2-9, 1-6). Cutforth threw for 239 yards — nearly all of those in the first half — on a 22-for-34 passing performance to keep the team in the thick of the conference championship game chase.
“He’s absolutely got enough talent and has the skill set to be successful,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said after the game. “... When someone gets hurt, carry the flag, next man up, and I’m proud of him doing that. ... He was out there being Max Cutforth.”
Cutforth became the first Idaho-born player to start and win a game at quarterback for Boise State since 1992, when Meridian High grad Travis Stuart started under center. That was when the program was still in the old Division I-AA, meaning Cutforth is the first to do it, period, with the Broncos as an FBS school.
“It means a lot,” Cutforth said after the game. “I’ve been training youth quarterbacks this last spring into the summer, because I know there’s not a whole lot of help around here, and just giving them hope and just trying to give back a little bit.”
Cutforth has taken snaps here and there for the Broncos since becoming eligible last season. However, he entered the full spotlight three weeks ago when he replaced the injured Madsen in the first quarter of Boise State’s home game with Fresno State.
The Broncos lost that contest 30-7, snapping a long home winning streak. Cutforth threw a pair of interceptions and looked wholly overwhelmed by his sudden responsibility. A rain-soaked game followed in San Diego last week, where the game plan mostly kept the ball out of Cutforth’s hands in terms of passing, and Boise State lost 17-7.
So there were naturally some jitters heading into Saturday’s matchup with Colorado State. But Cutforth was finally given the chance to throw, and he showed off his full repertoire — all without committing any turnovers.
There was a 42-yard dot to sophomore receiver Cam Bates that helped set up a field goal. He made a running bullet pass down the sideline to redshirt senior receiver Chase Penry. And even though he didn’t throw a touchdown, Cutforth was good for a clean toss to Bates for a 2-point conversion late in the game.
He had only 12 incompletions, and the number should not have been that high, but his receivers had four drops.
“It helps you go out there and be like, all right, I’m just playing football,” Cutforth said. “It’s what I do every day at practice. And just those simple, easy completions, and then taking a shot (downfield), those things definitely calm me down.”
Cutforth’s favorite target on the night was sixth-year wide receiver Latrell Caples. Cutforth targeted Caples 10 times and connected with him on seven occasions for 70 yards. But he was happy to share the wealth all night, finding seven different receivers, and five of those had at least three catches.
His 239 passing yards could have topped 300 if not for the drops. Caples had a couple of those himself, and Bates dropped a pass over the middle that looked as if it would go for a long touchdown.
Cutforth’s success in the first half also allowed the rushing game, which struggled in recent losses, to re-emerge. After throwing for 221 yards in the first half, Cutforth completed just two passes for 18 yards in the final two quarters, because that’s all that was needed.
The Broncos ended with 254 passing yards and 279 on the ground, and all six touchdowns came from the running backs: two apiece from Sire Gaines and Malik Sherrod, plus a score each for Dylan Riley and Seth Knothe.
Gaines led the overall rushing effort with 149 yards on 22 carries, while Riley had 72 yards on 14 carries.
“Our offensive line did a great job tonight. We ran the football consistently and when we did want to throw, Max had a really good pocket back there,” Danielson said. “So proud of our offensive line, proud of the plan that our coaches put together.”
