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Wednesday Weekly: September 9, 2026.
There’s a lot of talk at Boise State of “playing to the standard.” Last season, despite a third straight conference championship, was not the standard. Too many mistakes, too many dropped passes, too many stupid penalties, too many missed tackles, too many lapses of concentration. Last Saturday’s game was a 34-27 loss at Oregon, but you can say the Broncos got back to the standard—playing with aggression and with a chip on their shoulders. I think back to the opener at South Florida last year. Those “too manys” I just described? They were all there. Boise State didn’t play with much joy last season. That changed in Eugene. The Broncos’ unbridled boogie to “Shout” at the end of the third quarter was something to behold. The culture never left, but the chemistry is back.
WIDE RECEIVERS VERDICT: TBD
The Boise State wide receivers room was not going to be judged on what happened against an all-world secondary at Oregon. And that’s the case. Highly-touted JC transfer Akeem Wright went without a catch on two targets, but let’s see what happens from here. What can you say about Rasean Jones, though? The freshman from Rocky Mountain had one of the most replayed highlights in the country with his one-handed grab in the fourth quarter, one of his team-leading four catches for 76 yards. The hype that started at the beginning of spring football and continued through fall camp isn’t going away anytime soon. The only other three receptions by wideouts in the game came from veterans Cam Bates, who had two, including the first touchdown, and Ben Ford, who had one in his return from a torn ACL.
MAD DOG MADE IT WORK
You couldn’t ask much more of Maddux Madsen at Oregon. His 52 percent completion rate could have been higher, but he threw for three touchdowns with no interceptions on 29 attempts. Madsen was at his game-managing best on what might be the top two long drives of his career—the opening one that produced the TD to Bates, and the late third quarter march that ended in the super catch by Matt Wagner on fourth down. Madsen has taken so much heat the past year, but (cliché alert), it’s a team game, and at Autzen Stadium he did his one-eleventh. If he does at least that in Saturday’s pivotal home opener against Memphis, that should be enough.
HEARD ON THE CONCOURSE AT AUTZEN
The best prod I heard as fans filed into Autzen Stadium last Saturday was, “You don’t have Jeanty to save you this time!” That would be an interesting sidebar, as the best player in Boise State history indeed had the Broncos on the cusp of a victory over Oregon two years ago. In 2026, it was a total team effort that saw them go toe-to-toe with the Ducks. The other concourse comment I liked was right after the game, when a Boise State fan blurted, “Another quality loss to the Ducks!” Painful, but that’s exactly what it was. All the way through the summer, the narrative had been that if the Broncos could put up a good showing at Oregon, it could boost them the way the 2024 loss did. And so you have the perfect setup for what is seen as a Group of 6 showdown against Memphis on Saturday.
MEMPHIS HAS THE CHOPS
It’s funny how this game against Memphis has fallen right into place. The Tigers have wins over UNLV and Arkansas State to generate Group of 6 College Football Playoff talk, and Boise State was the favorite going in, magnifying that with a close call at Oregon. Those who dismissed Memphis because it has a new coach and lost a ton to the transfer portal are paying attention now. First-year head man Charles Huff was hired away after a one-season turnaround at Southern Miss and brought in a reported 81 newcomers, including 61 transfers last winter. They have jelled quickly. And the Tigers have invested in their program. They have a five-year, $25 million NIL commitment from FedEx, so they have top-drawer potential in the G6.
ABOUT THAT FIRST TIME VS. THE TIGERS
These teams have played once before—in 2023 when Boise State lost 35-32 in Memphis. It was one of those games that permeated the Andy Avalos era. The Broncos bounced out to a 17-0 lead in the second quarter. And Jeanty, with George Holani injured, was making his presence known, scoring three touchdowns. Madsen came off the bench to go 11-for-14 for 175 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Boise State had 519 total yards. But late in the third quarter, when they were trying to go back up by six points, disaster struck in the form of a blocked 24-yard field goal attempt. It was returned 80 yards for a TD, and the Tigers went ahead for good. The Broncos still have six players and a bunch of coaches from that game. That’s probably still a sour taste.
BLEYMAIER & THE BLUE
The MVS (Most Valuable Spectator) at Saturday’s Boise State-Memphis game will be Gene Bleymaier, Boise State’s athletic director from 1982-2011. It was Bleymaier’s idea to change the aging green carpet at Bronco Stadium with blue turf in 1986, creating the first field of its kind in college football. At first, it was admittedly a gimmick—something to make Boise State stand out. It took almost 15 years for it to become an icon. But when the program took off at the turn of the century, the Blue did, too. The Broncos hardly ever lost on it. When TV viewers in the 2000s were surfing for a game to watch, they’d stop when they saw the blue turf, because they knew they’d be entertained. Bleymaier’s baby grew into something to build a culture around—one of the state’s top attractions.
A TOP 10 FOR YOU
For the 40th anniversary of the Blue, let me cherry-pick 10 top moments in chronological order (you’ll surely think I missed some). 1994: Boise State ends Idaho’s “streak”. 1999: the Broncos’ first Humanitarian Bowl win. 2006: Win over Oregon State launches the first undefeated season. 2009: Oregon (enough said). 2010: ESPN College GameDay on the Blue. 2012: Epic noise in a win over BYU. 2014: the 9-degree game against San Diego State. 2016: Blocked field goal saves another win over BYU. 2017: Cedrick Wilson’s catch to set up the winning TD in the Mountain West title game. And 2024: the win over UNLV for the MW crown, followed by the goal posts going into the Boise River. Discuss.
AROUND THE GRIDIRON HORN
Idaho’s 66-14 loss at Utah last Thursday is one of those that goes into the flush file. Total offense yardage tells you all you need to know—the Utes finished with a 633-225 advantage. The Vandals play their home opener Saturday in the Kibbie Dome against Lamar. Idaho State is just over 100 miles from Utah State and has played the Aggies off and on over the years. But the Bengals had never beaten USU until a 29-17 stunner last Sunday in Logan. ISU is home in the ICCU Dome Saturday to host San Diego. And College of Idaho is off to a rousing start in the 2026 season, adding a 63-3 home pounding of Rocky Mountain to its resume. In two wins, the Yotes have outscored their opponents 100-10. C of I now takes a breath with the first of its two bye weeks.
AC BOISE BRINGS HOME A STREAK
Athletic Club Boise remains a great story in its first season as a USL League One franchise, as it has now leapfrogged Spokane Velocity FC into sole possession of fifth place in the 17-team circuit with eight games remaining. The top eight teams make the USL One Playoffs at the end of October. AC Boise is now unbeaten in its last five games after blanking FC Naples 2-0 last Saturday in Florida, wrapping goals by Nick Moon and Denys Kostyshyn around halftime. With a nod to Thin Lizzy, the boys are finally back in town for the first time in a month Friday night to host the New York Cosmos, who they defeated 2-1 on the road on July 25.
HAWKS SECURE A WINNING SEASON
The Boise Hawks finished their annual Western Idaho Fair road trip with a staggering 36-10 annihilation of Great Falls and, at 48-42, needed just one victory during their final six-game series of the summer to clinch a winning season. Late last week we were beginning to wonder if the Hawks would get it, but they did end up taking one to finish 49-46 (after Sunday night’s finale was wiped out) following a 48-48 even-steven campaign last year. By the way, those 36 runs by the Hawks 10 days ago would have broken a 31-year-old Pioneer League record, were it not for those same Chukars. Idaho Falls put up an unfathomable 40 runs on Great Falls on July 25.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by COMMERCIAL TIRE…employee-owned, customer-driven!
September 9, 2013: After a string of 20 consecutive losing seasons, the longest such streak in major American professional sports, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeat the Texas Rangers 1-0 to record their 82nd victory and clinch a winning record. The Pirates’ last winning season had been in 1992, when they won the National League East for the third straight season and made the NLCS. Pittsburgh would also go on to its first postseason appearance in 21 years, falling to the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Divisional Series.
(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.)
