‘He’s a warrior.’ Back from injury, Boise State’s Madsen makes league history
Maddux Madsen took a knee, letting the clock run out on the 2025 Mountain West championship football game.
Boise State’s redshirt junior quarterback then bolted down the field toward the south end zone — his previously injured ankle not a hindrance — allowing fans to surround him in celebration.
It was exactly the moment he had been waiting for.
Madsen was named the game’s offensive MVP as Boise State defeated UNLV 38-21 for its third straight Mountain West championship Friday night at Albertsons Stadium. The Broncos’ three consecutive conference titles mark just the 10th time in FBS history that has happened.
“Someone on our sideline was like, ‘I hope they don’t rush the field,’” Madsen said. “And I said, ‘No, that’s not true. I hope they do rush the field.’ That’s the best feeling. These fans, they give everything to Boise State. It’s their pride and joy, and that’s a lot of the reason why we do what we do. It’s awesome to kind of be able to have them here for that moment as well.”
Madsen set a Mountain West championship game record with four touchdowns in the first half, including the game’s first score on a 10-yard scramble where he dove past two UNLV defenders and landed in the end zone with 6:40 left in the first quarter.
It was Madsen’s first game back since an injury against Fresno State on Nov. 1, but it was hard to tell. The Lehi, Utah, native went 17-for-31 through the air for 289 yards and three touchdowns. His 289 yards were the fifth-most in a MW title game, and his three TD passes tied for the second most.
“I felt pretty slow,” Madsen said of his touchdown run. “But it was pretty cool to be sliding through the puddles on my back. It was a great feeling.”
While Madsen was sidelined with an injury, the Broncos lost back-to-back games to Fresno State and San Diego State, leaving their hopes of a conference three-peat in jeopardy. But they rallied for wins over Colorado State and Utah State to close out the season behind backup QB Max Cutforth, and ended up hosting the title game after a four-way tie for first between the Broncos, UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State was sorted out through computer rankings.
The unlikely journey left Madsen beaming as he took the podium after the win over UNLV on Friday. He pulled a championship T-shirt over his head and threw on a baseball cap. Then head coach Spencer Danielson came in for a big hug.
“He’s a warrior. He’s an absolute warrior,” Danielson said of Madsen. “He did everything in practice. We’re going through ball security circuit, and I see Maddux rolling around the ground, and guys are punching at the ball because he’s a part of the team. It’s not, ‘Well, that’s one of our best players, so keep him safe.’
“No, our best players practice the hardest, and that’s a testament to Maddux.”
Madsen threw touchdowns passes of 9, 7 and 39 yards in the first half, when the Broncos built leads of 21-0 and 28-7 before settling for a two-TD advantage at the break. He also had five passes go for 15 or more yards, four of which came on crucial third-down situations.
He launched a 46-yarder to Chase Penry on third-and-17 in the first quarter, a 21-yarder to Malik Sherrod on third-and-3 early in the third, another 46-yarder to Penry on third-and-3 early in the fourth and finally a 17-yard toss to Latrell Caples on third-and-5 with 7:18 to play in the fourth.
“Just being out there with those guys, this group of guys that I just love so dearly, to be able to go out and win the conference championship is a huge deal to me,” Madsen said. “I know it’s going to be a fun night for the boys and celebrating this championship win.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 12:32 AM.
