Maddux Madsen first entered the college football consciousness when he was the quarterback handing the ball off to Ashton Jeanty at Boise State.
But when Jeanty left for the NFL, this became Madsen's team, and that remains true this season. He entered Saturday against Texas State leading yet another strong year for the Broncos.
By the end of Saturday, though, everything had changed for Madsen and Boise State. He left with an injury and didn't return, and it may not be good for the weeks ahead for Madsen.
That forces the Broncos into trusting a backup quarterback with big games ahead. It'll force Boise State into that classic football mentality of "next man up."
Madsen was putting together a strong game before he was injured midway through the fourth quarter.
He was hit low near his left knee and needed help getting off the field.
Madsen eventually emerged from the medical tent on crutches to watch the remainder of the game.
He also had a large pack, potentially ice, around his left knee.
There wasn't any major update after the game, so it'll be a waiting game to see what happens in Boise State going forward.
The Broncos had to turn to Max Cutforth to close out the game.
Cutforth threw three touchdowns in the final 6 minutes and 15 seconds of the game.
The Athletic's Stewart Mandel described it like this:
"Pac-12 After Dark came back in a big way late Saturday, as No. 20 Boise State (7-1, 4-0 Pac-12) built a 28-3 halftime lead against Texas State (4-4, 2-2), then allowed 36 unanswered points, then reclaimed the lead, then lost it again, before finally winning the game 46-45. After Broncos QB Maddux Madsen went out with an injury in the fourth quarter, Max Cutforth came off the bench and threw three touchdowns in the last 6:15. He may be the guy for the foreseeable future, with Madsen ending the night on crutches on the sideline."
The Idaho Press described in its postgame story how Cutforth had struggled in relief of an injured Madsen exactly 364 days earlier.
This time around, Cutforth was ready.
"Playing last year, I got a lot of experience and I felt comfortable," Cutforth told reporters after the game, via the Idaho Press. "The game slows down, I took big steps in learning how to be a backup, so I'm always ready to go."
Boise State is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Colorado State. They also host Oregon State and then San Diego State to close out the regular season.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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