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Wednesday Weekly…October 1, 2025.
Boise State is going to have to score serious points Saturday at Notre Dame, because the Fighting Irish are likely to. If one of three Broncos running backs can have some early success, that will keep Nate Potter’s options open. Potter was elevated from tight ends coach to offensive coordinator during the offseason, and some of his best calls so far have involved the tight ends. Often they’re quick-hitters, such as the one to Matt Lauter on 3rd-and-9 in the third quarter against Appalachian State that took the Broncos 20 yards downfield, or the 24-yard seam route to Matt Wagner at Air Force (that would have been a touchdown were it not for a turf snake). With Boise State’s wide receivers unlikely to get the separation against defenders that they did against App State, creativity will be king.
THERE IS RESIDUAL CONFIDENCE
With that said, when a quarterback completes passes to 10 different receivers, he’s rightly saluted. That’s what Maddux Madsen did in the 47-14 Boise State romp over Appalachian State. But it’s worth diving a little deeper here. Included in the 10 were all three running backs and both primary tight ends, as Sire Gaines, Malik Sherrod and Dylan Riley combined for six catches and Lauter and Wagner had another six. That’s another positive checkmark on Potter’s development. The wide receivers were on point. Latrell Caples scored two touchdowns on his five receptions, Chris Marshall offset a bad drop on third down with a circus catch that set up a field goal, and Quinton Brown brought the house down with his amazing (and bloody) 29-yard TD catch.
THE GUESSING GAME VS. NOTRE DAME
Boise State has no doubt self-scouted this week, hoping to anticipate how Notre Dame will attack. The Broncos see the right side of their offensive line, where right guard Roger Carreon was helped off the field with a leg injury against Appalachian State. If the Fighting Irish notice a replacement at that spot, combined with the still-evolving right tackle spot manned by Daylon Metoyer, it might be something Boise State has to compensate for. On the defensive side, the Broncos have to judge where they made the most progress last week—and where they didn’t. Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr hit full-stride last week in the 56-13 humbling of Arkansas, throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns. And the Irish have their own two-headed monster at running back, Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.
HUGE POINT SPREAD, BY BRONCOS STANDARDS
In evaluating Boise State’s situation against Notre Dame, you don’t have to go back too far for a comparison. The Fiesta Bowl against Penn State, a 31-14 loss, gave the Broncos experience on the biggest stage—and demonstrated how hard it is for a Group of 5 team to compete against an elite Power 5 program these days. Boise State has lost eight straight games to P5 schools, dating all the way back to the Florida State game in 2019. Notre Dame has the most deceiving 2-2 record in the country, with its two losses coming by a combined four points to top 15 teams. There’s a reason the Broncos are 20-point underdogs.
MICKEY GETS TO BE THERE
Thank God the tests on Jaden Mickey, the Broncos’ defender who was injured in the third quarter last Saturday, have come up negative. Mickey was down for a long time and was finally taken off the field on a cart. But Mickey was released from St. Luke’s within hours and reportedly has normal use of all extremities. He remains in concussion protocol—you wouldn’t expect him to play at Notre Dame, but it’s not impossible. The big thing is: Mickey will get to travel with the Broncos to South Bend, where he spent three seasons.
EXPANDING DOWN INSTEAD OF UP?
Nathan Burk, Boise State’s Senior Associate Athletic Director for Operations and the guy who’s overseeing the revamp of the north end zone at Albertsons Stadium, had an intriguing post Saturday night. It was a drone shot of the teams running on the field, taken high above the south end zone, providing a gorgeous scenic backdrop. Burk’s caption: “This view right here is a prime reason why there will never be an upper deck in the NEZ! The stadium should fit the community. Preserving views of the Greenbelt, Downtown, and Foothills are incredibly important to us. More capacity coming to the lower bowl soon?” Hadn’t heard that kind of declaration before about no upper deck. Is that an official stance? And have they figured out a way to dig down on the west and east sides to add more seating down low? Hmmm…
TEXTBOOK ASHTON JEANTY
Ashton Jeanty is prepping for his next game—it’s on the road, but he’ll have plenty of support when the Las Vegas Raiders take on the Indianapolis Colts. A good number of Boise State fans will head up to Indy to root him on the day after the Broncos’ visit to South Bend. And the timing would seem to be good, as Jeanty really got off the schneid last week, rushing for 138 yards and scoring all three Raiders touchdowns. He looked himself on his 64-yard touchdown run. However, it was a 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears. “Feels alright, I guess,” Jeanty told reporters after the game. “To me, it’s all about winning, not personal performance. I’m more about winning and putting W’s on the stat sheet than my own stats.” Just as you’d expect.
GEM STATE POTPOURRI
Idaho has a bye after last week’s 41-30 loss in a rockin’ house at Montana. The Vandals are the best 2-3 team in the FCS, though. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies go on the road now, and the destination is Idaho State. The Bengals are coming off a 26-18 win at Northern Colorado, and they did it on the ground, with Dason Brooks going off for 161 of their 289 rushing yards. The passing game will have to rally to stay with the Griz, though—Jordan Cooke and Davis Harsin combined to go just 14-of-41 versus UNC. Also, College of Idaho’s fourth quarter rally fell short last week at No. 6 Montana Tech, and the Yotes dropped their first game of the year 27-24. Wide receiver Travis Marieiro was otherworldly for C of I, with 10 catches for 21 yards. The Yotes are on the road again Saturday at Simpson University.
BOISE’S HOME AGAIN NOW
Okay, I admit my mouth dropped when I saw the post last Thursday. Former Boise State star Coby Karl is back home in the Broncos men’s basketball program as the new Assistant to the Head Coach for Player Personnel and Pro Relations. Wow. Karl’s been a regular visitor to practice at Boise State, his alma mater. But considering his resume, I didn’t expect this. Karl spent the past two seasons on the Philadelphia 76ers staff after seven years as a head coach in the NBA G League. He was a shooting guard for Boise State from 2004-07 and had a cup of coffee as a player in the NBA. And we don’t have to tell you who Coby Karl’s dad is. A big get for coach Leon Rice.
BOISE RESIDENT COPLEY LEADS THE KINGS
The ice was down early this year in Idaho Central Arena, and the Utah Mammoth and L.A. Kings made use of it Tuesday in Boise’s first NHL preseason game since 2022. The Kings, with Boise resident and rookie goalie Pheonix Copley between the pipes, nabbed a 3-2 win over the Mammoth. Copley, L.A.’s third-string netminder in the preseason, made 23 saves. Next up is Idaho Steelheads training camp this weekend, with their home exhibition game against the Utah Grizzlies set for a week from Friday night. The regular season opens on the road at Tahoe on October 17.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by LIGHTING ON DEMAND…illuminating the future!
October 1, 2005, 20 years ago today: One of the wildest games in Boise State history happens halfway across the Pacific Ocean. The Broncos erased a 20-7 halftime deficit with a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown, a 69-yard return of a blocked field goal for a TD, and a rare defensive two-point conversion on a return of a blocked extra point to stun Hawaii 44-41. Quinton Jones had the school-record punt return, while Daryn Colledge knocked down both kicks and Orlando Scandrick scored on both runbacks. The victory at Aloha Stadium was Boise State’s 27th in a row in the WAC.
(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.)
