Boise State Overwhelms UConn 49–20 In Conference Play

Keith Groller, The Stateline Gazette

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — Boise State didn’t need long to establish control.

By the end of the first quarter Saturday, the Broncos had already built a two-touchdown lead. By halftime, the outcome felt largely decided.

Boise State leaned on its explosive passing game to pull away early and never looked back, rolling past UConn 49–20 behind a dominant performance from quarterback Maddux Madsen and wide receiver Latrell Caples.

The Broncos finished with 596 yards of offense, including 460 through the air, and scored touchdowns on seven of their first nine meaningful possessions. Boise led 21–7 after the first quarter, extended the margin to 28–10 by halftime, and continued to apply pressure throughout the second half.

“We came in with a lot of respect for UConn, but we knew if we played our game, the pressure would show,” Boise State head coach Devin Grade said. “When we’re efficient and aggressive, we’re hard to slow down.”

Madsen was the catalyst, completing 29 of 34 passes for 460 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted three times, but Boise consistently erased mistakes with chunk plays downfield and quick responses on subsequent drives.

Caples was at the center of nearly every explosive moment. The junior wide receiver caught 12 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, repeatedly separating from coverage and turning intermediate throws into game-breaking gains. His 78-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter pushed Boise’s lead to 28–10 and punctuated a dominant first half.

“We trusted the matchup,” Grade said. “Latrell earned every one of those yards.”

Boise also found balance on the ground. Dylan Riley rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown and added a receiving score, while Malik Sherrod contributed 84 receiving yards out of the backfield. The Broncos led 35–17 after three quarters before pulling away further in the fourth.

UConn showed flashes offensively but struggled to sustain drives or protect the football. Quarterback Joe Fagnano threw for 334 yards on 27-of-41 passing and connected with Skyler Bell for a 118-yard night that included a second-quarter touchdown.

Three interceptions, however, halted promising possessions, and the Huskies managed just seven rushing yards as a team.

“That’s not winning football,” UConn head coach Kyle Bojda said. “When you’re one-dimensional against a team like that, you’re asking for trouble.”

Despite the loss, Bojda credited his team’s early competitiveness and his quarterback’s toughness.

“We competed,” Bojda said. “But Boise is elite right now, and our margin for error has to be smaller.”

Boise State improved to 5–0, reinforcing its position atop the Stateline Conference standings. UConn fell to 1–4, still searching for consistency as conference play deepens.

For Grade, the takeaway was clear.

“We’re not chasing style points,” he said. “We’re chasing standards — and tonight, we played to them.”

Statistics

Boise State—596 total yards (136 rushing, 460 passing).

UConn—341 total yards (7 rushing, 334 passing).

Individual statistics

Passing—Boise State, Madsen 29-34-460, 4 TD, 3 INT. UConn, Fagnano 27-41-334, TD, 3 INT.

Rushing—Boise State, Riley 8-71, TD; Sherrod 4-34; Madsen 4-31. UConn, Edwards 6-12; Fagnano 5-minus 5.

Receiving—Boise State, Caples 12-275, 2 TD; Sherrod 6-84; Riley 3-33, TD; Wagner 4-28, TD; Marshall 2-28; Lauter 2-12. UConn, Bell 5-118, TD; Neider 6-87; Murphy 4-51; Vereen 5-39; Edwards 6-40; Porter 1-minus 1.