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Wednesday Weekly: March 25, 2026.
Maddux Madsen got a hearty warmup for spring football Tuesday at Pro Day, throwing to the receivers who were under the microscope. Thursday, the real drills begin at Boise State. Everyone knows the narrative on Madsen: the struggles against Power 4 opponents. In four games, he has completed just 54 percent of his throws, with three touchdowns and nine interceptions. And Madsen’s one shot this year is right out of the gate at Oregon. But the big picture for Mad Dog will be getting to the Pac-12 championship game in December, just like he did in the Mountain West. The numbers that have to rise from last year are Madsen’s completion percentage of 58 percent and his pass efficiency rating of 137. A reminder: 130 is average, 150 is good, and 170 is excellent.
No decisions will likely be made coming out of spring, but with Madsen the presumed starter next season, who is QB2? Max Cutforth did an admirable job last year, leading the Broncos to wins over Colorado State and Utah State, but his pass efficiency rating was a sub-par 112, with four TD passes and five interceptions. Highly-touted true freshmen Cash Herrera and Jackson Taylor both graduated early from high school in order to join the program in January, and here’s hoping the Boise State staff turns them loose this spring. Who isn’t anxious to see what Herrera and Taylor can do?
O-LINEMEN ON THE SPRING OUTS
There’s always an injury list for spring ball, and four of the eight players missing spring ball are offensive linemen: Daylon Metoyer, Roger Carreon, Jake Steele and Kyle Cox. Metoyer, Carreon and Steele are known quantities, but this is unfortunate for Cox, who would like his hat to be in the ring at the open left tackle spot (he can also play guard). He’s the one who started at left tackle when Casey opted out of the LA Bowl last December.
PRO DAY SPOTLIGHT
The scouts have filed their reports, and Pro Day is in the books at Boise State. Two of the stars of the day were defensive tackle Braxton Fely and safety Zion Washington. Fely put up an amazing 38 reps on the bench press (for comparison’s sake, Kage Casey had 20). At the very least, Fely ensured himself an undrafted free agent opportunity a month from now. Washington uncorked a 41.5-inch vertical leap. And Casey, listed as a left tackle, worked out at center for scouts. Casey doesn’t care where he’s listed as long as he gets a shot in the draft.
THE ‘NET’ EFFECT
Bottom line, with Utah State and Gonzaga now done in the NCAA Tournament: the Pac-12’s future is bright. The combined NET ranking this season of the schools that will make up the new Pac-12 was 103.4—Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News did the math—while this year’s Mountain West wasn’t that much lower at 113.7. But the new Pac-12 won’t have the San Jose State and Air Force metrics to drag it down (I know, Bronco Nation cringes when we mention the Spartans). Likewise, Gonzaga won’t have Portland, San Diego and Pepperdine affecting its NET ranking (and yes, Zags fans wince when we mention Portland). At any rate, Pac-12 teams should lift each other up to ensure it’s consistently a three-bid league in the NCAA Tournament in the coming years.
A FEW THOUGHTS ON FEW
Hard to believe Mark Few is taking hot seat heat from Gonzaga fans after the Zags’ Round of 32 loss to Texas. To be sure, it’s a tiny minority making that noise. And make no mistake, Gonzaga is not damaged goods as it enters the Pac-12 next season. Few has been head coach of the Bulldogs the past 27 seasons. He has made 27 NCAA Tournaments, including 12 Sweet Sixteens, three Elite Eights and one national championship. Sounds like a guy you want in your conference.
Boise State calls its 20-12 season a blip. For Few, Leon Rice’s best bud, his season truly is, as Gonzaga had to navigate the Big Dance without leading scorer Braden Huff (out with a knee injury). This is a classic “be careful what you wish” for situation. Those old enough to remember the Zags before the Dan Monson/Mark Few era know how easy it would be to fall back to the pack from whence they came.
AGGIES WILL JUST FIND ANOTHER ONE
The bounce rate in the head coach’s seat at Utah State is still a thing. Jerrod Calhoun, who led the Aggies for two very successful seasons (par for the course), is off to Cincinnati. USU is now in its fifth coaching search in seven years. This is not just upward mobility for Calhoun, as he is a Cincy alumnus and was a one-time Bearcats student assistant under Bob Huggins. Calhoun’s going-away present for the Mountain West: two “units” of NCAA Tournament money worth a total of $4.2 million, spread over six years. That money does not roll over to the Pac-12.
NO ONE’S BEING FORCED TO WATCH
Topic of the week: the NCAA Tournament isn’t what it used to be, with 13 of the 32 games in the first round decided by 20 or more points, and the Sweet 16 made up entirely of power conference teams for the second straight year. Everyone points to a combination of NIL and the transfer portal, which go hand in hand, as the roots of all evil. Is college hoops ruined? Hey, is college football ruined? Well, nothing will change as long as TV ratings are high, and that part of the equation hasn’t changed. People are still watching. Roughly two-thirds of revenue for power conference programs now comes from TV rights. If ratings go down, the events aren’t worth as much to advertisers, and the rights fees aren’t worth as much to the networks and streamers. It’s always been that way. Supply and demand.
VANDALS REWIND
Well, it started okay last Thursday for Idaho, as the 15th-seeded Vandals crafted a 12-9 lead over Houston six minutes into their first round NCAA Tournament game. But then reality set in, as the second-seeded Cougars went on a 24-3 run over the next 6½ minutes and didn’t look back in a 78-47 victory. This Idaho team will be remembered for its Cinderella status—not in the Big Dance, but in the Big Sky Tournament, where it won four games in four days as the No. 7 seed to win the title for the first time in 36 years. The Vandals will also be remembered for their Idahoans. Meridian High’s Brody Rowbury, Owyhee High’s Jack Payne and Jackson Rasmussen, and Lake City High’s Kolton Mitchell were all mainstays for a program that is no longer downtrodden under coach Alex Pribble.
SPEAKING OF IDAHOANS…
Props to former Boise High star Avery Howell, whose season ended Sunday night with 14 points and eight rebounds in a 62-59 overtime loss at TCU in the NCAA Tournament. That came after Howell poured in 30 points, including seven three-pointers, and added nine boards in the Huskies’ first-round win over South Dakota State. The two-time Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year was honorable mention All-Big Ten this season. A year ago we were watching Howell play as a true freshman for USC in March Madness before she transferred to UW. She finished the campaign averaging 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and she shot 43 percent from three-point range.
THE COUNTDOWN GETS REAL
The first home game in Athletic Club Boise franchise history is 10 days away in the reinvented AC Boise Stadium (formerly Les Bois Park). ACB is now 1-1 after falling 3-2 Sunday at Union Omaha. AC Boise yielded an own goal in the 22nd minute but tied the game on a penalty kick from Luan Figueiroa Brito midway through the first half. AC Boise needed another equalizer on a long-range goal from Philip Mayaka in the 81st minute. But Union Omaha struck with the game-winner two minutes later. ACB now uses another long layoff to zero in on the Spokane Velocity for the home opener.
THEY’RE THE STEELHEADS AGAIN
After spending a much-celebrated week as the Boise Bigfoot, the Idaho Steelheads are themselves again. It hasn’t mattered much on the scoreboard, as the Steelheads continue to struggle. They’ve lost 10 of their last 15 games dating back to Valentine’s Day after dropping two of three to the Tulsa Oilers as the Bigfoot. But the Steelies are still in good shape for the Kelly Cup Playoffs going into their three-game home series beginning tonight against the South Carolina Stingrays. With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Idaho needs five points in the standings to clinch a spot in the postseason.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by BACON BOISE…fresh breakfast and brunch every day!
March 25, 1961, 65 years ago today: Ohio State, the favorite to win the national championship, features All-American Jerry Lucas and a kid named Bobby Knight, but Cincinnati upsets the Buckeyes 70-65 in overtime to win the NCAA Tournament final. The same two teams would meet for the 1962 title, with the Bearcats winning again 71-59. Lucas would go on to become a seven-time NBA All-Star, and Knight’s legacy would be a combination of fame and infamy as head coach at Indiana.
(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.)
