Presented by ZAMZOWS.
Wednesday Weekly…November 26, 2025.
There’s an overly simple comparison when you size up the Boise State-Utah State Friday afternoon in Logan. The Aggies have an experienced quarterback, and the Broncos do not. Bryson Barnes, the one-time Utah Ute, has averaged 228 yards passing with 18 touchdowns and four interceptions. Barnes has also rushed for 59 yards per game. Boise State’s Max Cutforth, in his three games as the primary QB, has averaged 149 passing yards and has one TD against two picks. Cutforth is also losing 17 yards per game in sacks. USU gets really creative, too, witness the touchdown pass Barnes caught—not threw, but caught—in the win at Fresno State last week. The Aggies snuck backup QB Anthony Garcia onto the field. Garcia actually threw two trick-play scoring passes.
But everybody who said, “Let’s just see what Cutforth can do when he’s included in a game plan,” have to feel vindicated. On the very first snap of the 49-21 rout of Colorado State last Saturday, Cutforth threw. It was incomplete, but you saw where the Broncos were going. Cutforth had an outstanding first half—and for the game he was 22-of-34 for 239 yards and zero interceptions, numbers that would have been better without four drops.
USING THE FULL ARSENAL
Two things took the pressure off Cutforth in the 49-21 rout of Colorado State last Saturday. One was the re-emergence of the running game, as the Broncos rushed for 279 yards. Sire Gaines staked his claim to the yo-yo known as RB1 at Boise State with a career-high 149 yards, putting him at 700 yards on the button for the year. But Dylan Riley’s still right there—he had 72 yards and now needs 104 for a 1,000-yard season. The other was the Broncos getting the tight ends involved again, as Matt Lauter and Matt Wagner combined for seven catches for 70 yards—and what could have been two touchdowns had each guy not been stopped just short of the goal line. It’ll take a village at Utah State, and those two facets would be huge.
REIGNITING THE OLD MOJO
Things to note from the Colorado State game—and the difference between that and the ugly San Diego State experience. The Broncos showed that 98-yard touchdown drives can be demoralizing. They had one of those bridging the first and second quarters to take the lead for good. And then the killer instinct thing—did Boise State start to get it back? After Jeremiah Earby’s fumble recovery, the Broncos got the ball with 3:28 left in the first half, and that’s when they pulled out an old-fashioned double-pass. Boise State finished with a TD—then the defense got a three-and-out, and the Broncos took possession again with 1:09 left. And instead of sitting on it like they did at Snapdragon Stadium, they aggressively moved the ball down the field and got a Colton Boomer with six seconds left.
ZOOMING IN ON A BAD DEED
Props to the fans who turned out for the Boise State-Colorado State game after two straight demoralizing losses by the Broncos. There weren’t that many no-shows in the announced crowd of 32,819 as the team put the lickin’ on the Rams. But those watching at home were privy to something fans in attendance weren’t. They got up-close-and-personal replays of CSU quarterback Darius Curry spitting on Jayden Virgin-Morgan. In person, it was tough to tell why Virgin-Morgan was so upset after the fourth-quarter play. And very unfortunate that the officials didn’t see it. CSU ended up justifiably suspending Curry for its season finale against Air Force, as well as offensive lineman Liam Wortmann for the same thing (not sure who he spit on).
MOMENTARY THANKS
Utah State did Boise State a favor by rallying past Fresno State last week. That means the Broncos go to the Mountain West title game if they’re able to get past the Aggies—and if San Diego State beats New Mexico Friday. If Boise State wins and the Aztecs fall to the Lobos, then chaos ensues in the computers via a possible four-way tie for first, and I don’t know many people who are optimistic about the Broncos in that scenario. Just getting to the championship tilt would be an accomplishment after the Broncos’ two-game faceplant earlier this month.
RIDIN’ HIGH IN POCATELLO
Speaking of accomplishments, Idaho State’s .500 season qualifies. And the Bengals got there the best way possible for them, with their 37-16 thumping of the Vandals in the Kibbie Dome, ISU’s first win in Moscow since 1981. Jordan Cooke, only a junior, threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more. But the big picture is the 6-6 record, Idaho State’s first non-losing season since 2018. The Bengals have had only two winning seasons in the last 21 years and haven’t been to the FCS Playoffs since 1983. But coach Cody Hawkins is poised to achieve both goals, as he has a lot coming back next year and has built a culture reminiscent of the one his dad, Dan, engineered at Boise State 20-plus years ago.
YOTES HOST A PERENNIAL POWER
College of Idaho goes for its 10th win of the season Saturday as it hosts Morningside of Iowa in the second round of the NAIA Playoffs. The Coyotes will be rested after earning a first-round bye with their 9-1 record and their title in the West Division of the Frontier Conference. The Yotes’ Mike Moroski was named Frontier Conference Coach of the Year, and six C of I players were first team all-conference, including running back Rylie Byington of Meridian High, defensive lineman Tucker French of Capital High and defensive back Tanner Steele of Vale. Morningside is a longtime NAIA power and won national championships with undefeated seasons in 2018, 2019 and 2021. The Mustangs are 9-2 this year.
BRONCOS TAKE A RESUME HIT
These are games that Boise State needs to win, but doesn’t win often. The Broncos are 0-2 at their first Maui Invitational following losses to USC and No. 23 North Carolina State. They had a bad, bad offensive day Tuesday, and the result was an 81-70 loss to No. 23 North Carolina State in the second round of the tournament. Boise State shot only 34 percent from the field and missed 11 free throws. Just as glaring was the Broncos’ inability to take care of the ball—the Wolfpack stripped Boise State of any momentum it would build, making 13 steals. It was by far Dylan Andrews’ best game, though—he had 26 points with five three-pointers. The Broncos will try to salvage a win in Maui in the seventh-place game against Chaminade late tonight.
Boise State went back-and-forth with USC in the first round Monday, and the game went back for good with less than three minutes as the Trojans won it 70-67. Coach Leon Rice pointed to turnovers at crucial times—one by Dylan Andrews with 52 seconds left and Boise State down by three was the dagger. The three-pointers weren’t falling, as the Broncos went 5-for-25 from deep. But they had a monster game in the paint, outscoring USC 40-16. The good news for Boise State: Peanut came out of his shell. Pearson “Peanut” Carmichael had 14 points and seven rebounds, with some big buckets in the second half. The Broncos are on the floor right now in Lahaina against No. 23 North Carolina State.
HOLIDAY HOOPS CLASSIC
About six weeks after their exhibition loss to Boise State, the Idaho Vandals are back in Idaho Central Arena to host the Holiday Hoops Classic, joined by Idaho State this week. The Vandals, with a 3-2 record that includes an upset of Washington State, face CSUN (we used to know them as Cal State Northridge) tonight at 7:00. The Bengals, 3-3 with a victory over the University of San Diego, take on Sam Houston State in the first game at 4:30. On Friday, it’s Idaho against SHSU and ISU versus CSUN.
STEELIES START TO SIZZLE
The Idaho Steelheads are getting on a roll, having taken six of their last seven games after sweeping three from the Allen Americans last week. The Steelheads have thus climbed into a first-place tie with Tahoe in the ECHL’s Mountain Division. Last Saturday’s 5-2 win was an example of the pressure Idaho’s putting on opposing netminders. The Steelheads outshot Allen 49-21, with Jade Miller tallying twice. The Steelies now face the Rapid City Rush for the first time this season as a three-game series opens tonight in South Dakota.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by POOL SCOUTS…perfect spas, scout’s honor!
November 26, 2005, 20 years ago today: On one of the more wacky days in the WAC, Boise State begins the afternoon in second place and finishes its regular season with a 30-13 win at Louisiana Tech. Then, while the Broncos were in the air on the charter flight home, Nevada stunned conference leader Fresno State 38-35, giving Boise State a share of the WAC championship—its fourth straight crown. Fresno had appeared to be on a beeline for an outright title after breaking the Broncos’ 31-game conference winning streak with a 27-7 victory two weeks earlier, but the Bulldogs lost their final four games of the season following that win.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
