This is the Depth Dossier: the Boise State Broncos, Week 9.

Boise State needed a backup quarterback to bail out a 25-point lead it nearly gave away, escaping Texas State 46 to 45 after leading 28 to 3 at the half and trailing 39 to 28 in the fourth quarter.

Let's start with the quick version. Quarterback Maddux Madsen was nearly perfect in the first half, going 24 for 33 for 236 yards with two rushing touchdowns, and that 28 to 3 lead looked like a blowout in the making. Then everything fell apart. Texas State ripped off 36 unanswered points, Madsen threw his first interception of the season, which got returned for a touchdown, and he left the game with a knee injury. That put backup quarterback Max Cutforth in charge, and he answered with three touchdown passes in the final seven minutes, capped by an 18-yard strike to wide receiver Akeem Wright with two minutes and 40 seconds left. A fourth-down stop by the defense sealed it. Wide receiver Rasean Jones caught all three of Cutforth's touchdowns and had a career night.

Now, what actually happened underneath that final score? This was really two different games. In the first half, Boise State controlled the clock, running the ball 40 times and converting 9 of 16 third downs, while outgaining Texas State 291 yards to 117. In the second half, Texas State stopped trying to grind out drives and started throwing deep, hitting touchdown passes of 67, 44 and 72 yards. Boise State held the ball longer for the whole game and still nearly lost, which tells you how much damage a few explosive plays can do.

The turning point was that interception. It was Madsen's first all season, and it got returned 20 yards for a touchdown, flipping the game into a 39 to 28 deficit right before he left with the knee injury. From there, Cutforth took over and was sharp, completing 8 of 13 passes for 131 yards with all three touchdowns coming in that final seven-minute stretch. Jones was his go-to guy, catching 9 passes for 117 yards and three scores, all career highs, with Wright right behind him at 8 catches for 116 yards, including the game-winner.

A couple other details worth keeping. Running back Dylan Riley quietly ground out 86 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown, which pushed him past 1,000 rushing yards for a second straight season, making him the tenth Bronco to do that in back-to-back years. And the third quarter was basically dead for Boise State's offense, just punts and a turnover on downs while Texas State scored almost at will.

Now let's get into the depth chart fallout, because the injury situation is the biggest story heading into next week. Madsen left with a left knee injury, came out of the medical tent with an ice pack on it, and was still considered day-to-day afterward. Head coach Spencer Danielson said he's expected back, quote, "sooner rather than later." Nothing suggests a long absence, but Boise State now has fresh game tape of Cutforth handling real pressure, which matters if Madsen needs even a series off.

Tight end Matt Wagner was spotted in a boot on his right foot. That's worth watching, though nothing has been confirmed about how serious it is. Running back Sire Gaines was already out before the game after being questionable, and he didn't play at all.

The performance side matters just as much as the health news. Cutforth didn't just hold things together, he won the game, and Jones proved he's the clear top target if Cutforth's back under center again. Riley's workload isn't changing, he's still the lead back at 25 carries a game. So heading into next week, the one real open question for Boise State is simply who's playing quarterback.

This was the depth dossier. For everything college football, be it depth charts, data or dossiers, head over to C F B Depth dot com. We will be back next week. This was an AI-generated podcast from content developed by real human beings passionate about college football.