After hosting ESPN’s College GameDay, Boise State’s passing attack put on a show in Saturday’s Pac-12 matchup with Oregon State. 

Maddux Madsen and Rasean Jones both had career days as the 24th-ranked Broncos (9-1, 6-0) survived a 46-41 shootout with Oregon State (5-5, 3-3) at Albertsons Stadium.

Coming off a one-week absence, Madsen returned to the lineup from injury and completed 23 of 32 passes for a career-best 371 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers. 

Jones, a true freshman, set new career highs for catches (11), yards (230) and touchdowns (three). The 230 yards were the fifth-highest total in program history and the second-most nationally for a freshman this season behind Oregon State’s Jesse Legree, who had 240 yards against Texas Tech.

Legree also had a big game on Saturday with 12 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown as backup quarterback Maalik Murphy torched Boise State for 396 yards and three touchdowns. 

It was the ninth straight win for the Broncos, who locked up home-field advantage for the Pac-12 championship game. 

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s shootout on The Blue. 

1. Passing game shines in Madsen’s return

With an uncoverable Jones leading the way, Boise State’s passing attack was on fire in Madsen’s return. 

Madsen missed on his first three attempts before connecting with Terrious Favors for a 44-yard gain. Madsen then hit Jones for a 19-yard touchdown to make it a 7-7 game late in the opening period.

Early in the second quarter, Jones hauled in a 49-yard reception followed by a 16-yard catch-and-run touchdown. He added a 32-yarder late in the half to set up a four-yard Sire Gaines TD run that extended the lead to 29-13. 

After Oregon State mounted a comeback, Madsen went back to Jones for a key 35-yard gain late in the third quarter. Madsen finished off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown strike to Matt Wagner for a 39-27 lead. 

Jones had the play of the game midway through the fourth quarter. The Baker City, Oregon native caught a short pass on fourth-and-two, slipped a tackle and dragged multiple defenders with him into the end zone for a 26-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 46-34. 

Facing a key third-and-12 in the final minutes, Madsen went right back to Jones for a 17-yard gain to move the chains. Jones sealed the win with a nine-yard fly sweep on third-and-seven to cap a historic performance. 

With Boise State’s rushing attack limited to 149 yards on 34 carries, Madsen and Jones dragged the Broncos across the finish line as the defense surrendered chunk play after chunk play.

2. Boise State’s secondary struggles against backup quarterback

Oregon State’s passing game didn’t skip a beat with Murphy behind center. 

Murphy, a former four-star recruit who previously played at Texas and Duke, fired a 15-yard touchdown to Legree on the opening drive. Later in the first quarter, Murphy threw up an ill-advised heave to Legree that was intercepted by Travis Anderson and returned for a 58-yard touchdown. 

Murphy shook off the bad decision to complete 31 of 39 passes for a career-high 396 yards. He connected on 11 throws of 15 or more yards against a helpless Boise State secondary. 

The Beavers scored touchdowns on their final four drives but were let down by their defense. 

Star Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson, who entered the week as the nation’s leading passer with 3,169 yards and 27 total touchdowns to three interceptions, missed the game due to a hand injury. The second-year sophomore’s status moving forward is unknown. 

3. Home-field advantage clinched

Saturday’s victory clinched home-field advantage for Boise State in the Pac-12 championship game. 

The Broncos will wrap up Pac-12 play next Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. Mountain time home game against San Diego State before flex week. The Pac-12 championship game will be held on Friday, Dec. 4 at Albertsons Stadium. 

Boise State defeated UNLV in the 2024 and 2025 Mountain West championship games on The Blue and upended the Rebels at Allegiant Stadium in the 2023 title game. Fresno State took down the Broncos at Albertsons Stadium to win the 2022 MWC championship. 

If Boise State keeps winning en route to a fourth consecutive conference championship, the Broncos should be back in the College Football Playoff for the second time in three seasons.