If so, they are surely going to be wiped out after Saturday night's game.
Homecoming for the Broncos was an example in offensive efficiency as 21st-ranked Boise State opened Mountain West Conference play with a 62-30 victory over the Utah State Aggies.
Ashton Jeanty and company had their way all night, with the Broncos totaling 599 yards of offense. A punishing rushing attack again showed off depth with the team totaling 296 yards on the ground. Breezy Dubar, as the main backup to Jeanty and who had his best game of the season, finished with nine carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Boise State had issues on defense (especially in the first half), allowing 337 yards, including 262 in the air, most of which came on two big plays by Utah State. The second half wasn't a whole lot better, though the Broncos did tighten up with a slew of different players seeing the field.
Utah State finished with 507 total yards of offense. Quarterback Spencer Petras passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Jalen Royals did most of his damage in the first half and finished with nine catches for 211 yards and two scores. Running back Rahsul Faison went for 109 yards on the ground, scoring a fourth quarter touchdown.
Even with the leaks on defense, Boise State (4-1) was never truly threatened in this game, with three standouts leading the way.
Ashton Jeanty
On the first snap for Boise State's offense, Jeanty cemented his status as a top contender for the Heisman Trophy. The junior running back rumbled to the house, scoring on a 63-yard touchdown run.
Later added a 75-yard touchdown scamper, his fourth 70+ yard score of the season and finished with 13 carries for 186 yards and three touchdowns in only two quarters of action.
Jeanty passed the 1000-yard mark in the fifth game, tied with seven other players as fastest to do so in a season. Though if you want to get technical, Jeanty has really played only four games, based off quarters played, having sat out the second half in two games this season.
Bouncing off and breaking tackles is Jeanty's specialty, and he again showed that off Saturday night. Even with more changes on the offensive line, the unit also opens big holes for Jeanty, who takes advantage with ease.
Jeanty now has 1031 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns, and averages 11 yards per carry.
Maddux Madsen
Through four games, Maddux Madsen faced outside scrutiny with inconsistent play. Nothing egregious on the field, mind you, as he mostly took care of the ball and avoided sacks.
In game five of the '24 season, Madsen had his best performance. Though he had at least one near-interception, Madsen was on point. He finished 21-25 for 256 yards and three touchdowns, most of it coming in the first half.
Madsen played the first series of the second half and later replaced Malachi Nelson for a series (this after Nelson threw an interception). All told, it was a nice mix of short and intermediate throws by Madsen pacing the passing game.
Nelson saw action in the first half for a play after Madsen had to leave after being shaken up. After the interception in the second half, Nelson was a mere 1 for 3 on pass attempts.
Broncos coaches let him throw after coming back and Nelson converted on his last four pass attempts, finishing 5-7 for 47 yards.
Boise State receivers
Okay, I cheated on this one, as too many players for the Boise State Broncos had an excellent game to simple narrow it down to one.
Ten different players caught a pass, with Madsen and Nelson using the whole stable of familiar Boise State names. Cameron Camper topped the list with five catches for 59 yards. Tight end Matt Lauter, who has been locked in the last three weeks, secured three for 33 yards.
Austin Bolt burst through with one of his best games as a Bronco. Bolt had four catches, 24 yards and a touchdown, while Prince Strachan had four receptions for 58 yards. Chase Penry also had four receptions (74 yards) and Latrell Caples returned to the field. In limited action, Caples had one catch for 14 yards.
Honorable mentions go to Dylan Riley, who returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. Herbert Gums, who had more snaps with Sheldon Newton out, finished with six tackles. And placekicker Jonah Dalmas became the Boise State record holder in points and Mountain West career leader in field goals after kicking eight extra points and two field goals.
After what seems like a decade of somewhat stagnant offense at Boise State, it is a pleasure to watch this team put up big numbers again. More work can be done in the passing game but this week was a huge step forward. And if Jeanty, who is on his way to a 2000-yard season on the ground, keeps pounding, opposing defenses are going to have to dig in for the long haul.
Boise State heads to the islands next, playing the Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors on 10/12 at 9 p.m. (MT) on CBS
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