(Photos: Icon Sportswire: Kenneth Rutt)
With the Irish on a roll, could Boise State, in its first ever meeting with ND, be a trap game for the Irish?
A CFP participant last year, Boise opened 2025 with a surprisingly lopsided 34-7 loss at South Florida. Since then, the Broncos have rebounded with three straight wins, scoring in bunches — 51-14 over Eastern Washington, 49-37 over Air Force, and 47-14 over Appalachian State.
Spencer Danielson, in his third year as head coach, leads a team returning seven starters on offense and seven on defense from last year’s playoff squad. The Broncos boast one of the nation’s most balanced offenses, ranking 9th in total offense (520 yds/game), they are 20th in both rushing (221 yds/game) and passing (299 yds/game), with the 22nd scoring offense (38.5 PPG).
Quarterback Maddux Madsen, in his second full season as starter, is on the smallish side at 5-10, 201 pounds, but don’t let his size fool you — he has put up outstanding numbers through his career. In 2025 so far, he has thrown for 1,129 yards and 9 touchdowns, with 1 interception, and added 66 rushing yards and 1 rushing touchdown. He has been sacked just twice. In 2024, he threw for 3,018 yards, 23 touchdowns, with 6 interceptions, and rushed for 221 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Boise State’s running game is a key strength, led by Dylan Riley (360 yds, 4 TDs, 6.0 ypc) and joined by Sire Gaines (245 yds, 1 TD, 6.4 ypc) and Malik Sherrod (198 yds, 2 TDs, 5.8 ypc.) — giving the Broncos a three-headed rushing attack capable of wearing down defenses. The passing game features WR Latrell Caples (240 yds, 2 TDs), Chris Marshall (216 yds, 1 TD), and Ben Ford (193 yds, 3 TD), along with an athletic TE Matt Lauter (13 catches), giving Madsen multiple reliable options through the air.
On the other side of the ball, Boise State ranks 56th in total defense (338 yds/game). The pass defense is solid (42nd, 185.5 yds/game), but the rush defense has been vulnerable (81st, 152.8 yds/game). The pass rush has been disruptive, and they look to generate pressure by employing al kinds of line stunts and twists and blitzes from all over the field. this approach has generated 11 sacks through four games, led by edge rusher Braxton Fely (3.5 sacks). The team has a positive turnover margin (+0.75), and DB Ty Benefield leads the team with 33 tackles and 1 interception. Boise converted two pick-6 plays last week against Appalachian State.
Red zone execution and special teams remain concerns. Boise ranks 127th in red zone offense and 119th in red zone defense, with kickoff returns (125th) and punt returns (99th) providing little help. Penalties are another issue, with the Broncos outside the top 100 in both counts and yards per game.
In short, Boise State combines an explosive, balanced offense with a pressure-generating defense, but has red zone struggles, special teams issues, and commits a lot of penalties, leaving questions as they prepare for their first ever matchup with Notre Dame. Notre Dame was all but unstoppable last week and are likely to continue that trend in Notre Dame Stadium, but Boise is a culture driven program use to winning and they are on a bit of a roll themselves. This has the feel of a grind it out game for the Irish. One they should control from start to finish but the points for the Irish may be a little lower than the last two weeks.
Notre Dame is a 19.5 point favorite and the over/under is 64.5.
The Fighting Irish Preview Pick: Notre Dame 42 Boise State 21