“Explosive” was the word of the day at the Boise State football team’s first practice game of fall camp on Saturday.
“I’m proud of how our guys performed and battled,” Boise State football coach Spencer Danielson said after the practice game, which was closed to the media. “It was a good gauge of where we are. Now it’s about how we progress from practice game No. 1 to practice game No. 2.”
Danielson said the practice game consisted of about 100 plays. The quarterbacks were active and took some hits early on, but were off limits for about 75% of the day. Most of the ball carriers were active all day, but the defense was not allowed to hit running back Ashton Jeanty.
The offense started hot. Maddux Madsen was quarterback on the first drive, which covered 75 yards and ended with a touchdown.
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Danielson did not elaborate on the performance of Madsen and USC transfer Malachi Nelson, but said both quarterbacks got the chance to play in the starting offensive line.
“They’re both competitive, they both made big shots and they both have things we need to continue to work on to improve,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’ll see who played better, but that’s something we’ll keep internal because I don’t want our guys to focus on that. I want them to focus on how they’re developing.”
Danielson said in July he plans to name a starter by Aug. 26, when the Broncos will begin concrete preparations for the Aug. 31 season opener at Georgia Southern. On Saturday, he reiterated that Madsen and Nelson are in competition every day, and he made it clear that he is relying on offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to name a starter.
Koetter was head coach at Boise State from 1998 to 2000 and led the program at Arizona State for several years. He also had success in the NFL. He was offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons, where he coached quarterback Matt Ryan. Koetter also served as head coach of the Buccaneers for a time.
He took over Boise State’s offense on an interim basis in 2022 after former offensive coordinator Tim Plow was fired four games into the season. Koetter was hired full-time in February after Bush Hamdan left for Kentucky.
Danielson said he and Koetter talked about quarterbacks after every practice this fall.
“Every day, everything is planned,” Danielson said. “Dirk Koetter does a great job, and that’s why I trust him so much in this situation. He’s someone who’s been doing this for a long time, and he knows exactly what it takes to not only play the quarterback position, but to win games.”
The passing game was effective on Saturday, regardless of who was making the passes. According to Boise State stats, five different receivers caught touchdown passes: Latrell Caples, Austin Bolt, Cameron Bates, Chris Marshall and Prince Strachan.
Danielson also said that former Eagle star Ben Ford made some great catches. Specific statistics on the quarterbacks were not mentioned.
Sixth-year senior Tyler Crowe stood out among the running backs, Danielson said. The Skyview graduate scored two touchdowns.
“He’s earned every single second he’s been here,” Danielson said. “He’s one of the toughest guys on our team and he’s a guy who’s gotten to where we need to find a way to give him a role. He’s going to play a big role on offense and on special teams.”
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Former wide receiver Kaden Dudley scored a rushing touchdown and Danielson said freshman running back Sire Gaines made some big runs.
The downside of Saturday’s explosive offense is a defense that needs to better contain these big plays, Danielson said.
“These days, you have to eliminate explosive plays,” he said. “Offenses don’t want to run three, four or five yards down the field. They need huge plays to sustain offense.”
Linebacker Marco Natrainni stood out on defense, recording a sack and ending a late drive with an interception. Safety Alexander Teubner recovered a fumble.
The Broncos’ second practice game of fall camp is scheduled for August 17.
NOTE
▪ Danielson said freshman defensive tackle Hayden Hanks suffered a torn Achilles tendon this week and will sit out the season.
