BOISE, Idaho — Boise State football put a bow on its first spring under head coach Spencer Danielson and made its 2024 debut on Saturday with the annual scrimmage on The Blue.
Bronco Nation returned to Albertsons Stadium in full force, filing into surrounding parking lots early to see a pair of former five-star prospects, new coordinators on the controls and veterans from a squad coming off a Mountain West title. The crowd of 7,137 fans more than doubled last year's spring game attendance.
The quarterback room took center stage Saturday afternoon with USC transfer Malachi Nelson's public introduction to Boise State. Maddux Madsen remains limited to individual and 7-on-7 drills following knee surgery, so he worked the sidelines with a headset during the scrimmage.
Nelson delivered with a deep ball on the move for the first score of the game, connecting with Chase Penry on a 32-yard strike in the end zone in traffic.
On his first pass of the day, Nelson found fellow transfer Chris Marshall, who posted 35 yards on three grabs. The California native also connected with Latrell Caples and Prince Strachan on his second scoring drive, which Ashton Jeanty capped off with a touchdown carry.
Nelson finished the day 9-of-16 for 137 passing yards and the touchdown. CJ Tiller completed 3-of-9 passes for 17 yards with an interception, while Colt Fulton went 7-of-12 for 50 yards and Max Cutforth was 2-of-6. Nelson was the only quarterback to not be sacked.
"(Nelson's) the only guy in that quarterback room that had to learn a completely new offense," Danielson said after the game. "So, seeing him go from point A, to where he's at right now – obviously still a lot of growth, a lot of development needed on his end – but excited to where he's grown to … There's been a lot of growth and development. Wasn't perfect today, a lot to clean up, made some big throws. He's done a really good job escaping the pocket using his feet."
Jeanty averaged 10.8 yards per carry in the spring game, turning five runs into 54 yards and a score. Saturday's giveaways included "HEI2MAN" t-shirts and posters promoting the star running back's hopes of flirting with the Heisman Trophy this fall.
Freshman running back Sire Gaines compiled 45 yards on five carries with a fumble, forced by former Borah standout Trevor McKenna. Sophomore Jambres Dubar also rushed for a touchdown.
After trailing 20-3, the Boise State defense forced five consecutive three-and-outs to make it 20-19 using the unique scrimmage scoring system. The unit was also rewarded with points for things like sacks, turnovers and fourth-down stops.
Redshirt senior Gabe Hunter, who had a pair of interceptions in 2022 as a walk-on, stepped up with a pick of Tiller on the first drive of the spring game. He took the turnover back 33 yards, setting the tone for the defense.
"It was dope. We were joking with him like, 'bro you gotta score that,' but that's what happens when you just do your job every single play," Andrew Simpson said. "He's a guy that works hard, comes in every day with the same mentality, so it's good to see him rewarded with something like that. Gabe's always been reliable. Even the times two years ago when he did play, it wasn't expected, he was just ready when his number was called. Now we just have so much depth at so many different positions it feels like."
The Boise State defense ultimately claimed a 47-29 victory Saturday, totaling five sacks to go along with Hunter's interception and McKenna's forced fumble.
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jake Ripp led the way with four total tackles and a sack. Defensive backs A'Marion McCoy, Rodney Robinson and Treyvon Tolmaire each broke up a pass.
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