Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 OCT. 4, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: BOISE STATE with Madsen in his second season as the starter, but it's generally way more of the former. The 5-10, 207-pound player from Utah is a gamer. An "absolute warrior," per Danielson. In his mind, the Broncos can get right back to the CFP. To him, it's where they belong. "Last year, it was pure belief, of like, 'We can do that, we can do that,'" Mad- sen said in the offseason. "Well, this year it's one of those things of, we've al- ready done that. We know exactly what it takes, how we can get ourselves to get to that point." The blueprint didn't involve a loss to an unranked team in the season opener a year ago, though. So, this Boise State season is already unlike 2024. But the belief in the group isn't waning. Dan- ielson and the players he's coached for the better part of the last three years have way too much belief in themselves to lie down and give up on the season. They've got way too much belief they can kick off and win every game they play in. Three Things To Know About Boise State 1. It Takes Three To Replace Ashton Jeanty Running back Ashton Jeanty did a lot of work in getting Boise State into the College Football Playoff last season. The Broncos couldn't replace the Heisman Trophy runner-up's production (374 carries for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns) with just one workhorse this season. They've used three running backs to help power their offense to start the 2025 campaign. Sophomore Dylan Riley made a strong case to become Boise State's lead back with a dominant performance at Air Force. He rushed 19 times for 171 yards and 4 touchdowns and also caught 2 passes for 84 yards and 1 touchdown. Riley led the Broncos in carries (32), rushing yards (314) and rushing touchdowns (5) through the first three games. Redshirt freshman Sire Gaines and sixth-year senior Malik Sherrod produced at a pretty similar rate to each other in the first three games. Gaines rushed 26 times for 176 yards and 1 touchdown. Sherrod rushed 25 times for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. There might not be a future first-round NFL Draft pick in the trio, but the group is good enough to put opposing defenses in binds. 2. Boise State Has A 'War Daddy' On Defensive Line Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson made certain to highlight the performance of senior defensive tackle Braxton Fely following Boise State's win over Air Force. "He's not going to get maybe some of the credit that is given to people in this day and age," Danielson told reporters. "He deserves every bit of it. He's out there as a war daddy for our defensive front." Fely recorded just 1 tackle against Air Force, but he took on a lot of blocks to help disrupt the offense and provided some pressure against the pass. The 6-foot-1, 296-pound Fely totaled 9 total stops, 2 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in the first three games of the season. All but two of those tackles came against South Florida in the season opener. Fely, a 12-game starter last season, was one of 10 Preseason All- Mountain West selections from Boise State. He was joined by four other defensive players: defensive end Jayden Virgin-Morgan, linebacker Marco Notarainni, safety Ty Benefield and cornerback A'Marion McCoy. 3. Jaden Mickey's Role Remains Unclear Former Irish cornerback Jaden Mickey landed at Boise State earlier this year after graduating from Notre Dame. But his first of two remaining seasons of eligibility started with uncertainty as to how he fits in Boise State's defense. Mickey played just one defensive snap in the season opener and none against Air Force. But between those two games, he recorded 7 tackles, with 1 tackle for loss, and recovered a fumble he forced against Eastern Washington. Mickey played nickel back against the Eagles for 39 snaps. "I like how he comes to work every day," Danielson said of Mickey. "I like how he preps. Very, very smart football player. He understands de- fensive play, he understands adjustments and he understands leverage." How much Mickey will get to play beyond special teams in his return to Notre Dame Stadium will be worth monitoring. — Tyler James Former Notre Dame cornerback Jaden Mickey is spending the first of his last two seasons of eligibility at Boise State. PHOTO COURTESY BOISE STATE ATHLETICS