MWC final: Boise State downs UNLV for 3rd straight title

Field Level Media|published: Sat 6th December, 24:12 2025

Boise State Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson yells out to his team as they play the Penn State Nittany Lions during their Vrbo Fiesta Bowl matchup at State Farm Stadium on Dec. 31, 2024.

Maddux Madsen threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score as host Boise State completed a Mountain West Conference championship game three-peat with a 38-21 victory over UNLV on Friday night.

Madsen completed 17 of 31 passes for 289 yards for Boise State (9-4), which jumped out to a 21-0 first-half lead en route to its seventh Mountain West title. It was the 11th straight win over the Rebels for the Broncos, who also improved to 8-0 all-time against UNLV on their blue home turf.

Anthony Colandrea, the Mountain West's Offensive Player of the Year, completed 18 of 38 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown and rushed 12 times for a team-high 66 yards and another TD for UNLV (10-3).

Madsen, who missed the final three regular-season games with a right leg injury, showed no ill effects from the injury, rushing 10 yards for a touchdown to make it 7-0 and then tossing scoring passes of 9 yards to Dylan Riley and 7 yards to Cameron Bates to extend the lead to 21-0 midway through the second quarter.

Colandrea cut the lead to 21-7 with a 5-yard touchdown run by Colandrea but the Broncos answered with a 39-yard touchdown toss from Madsen to Malik Sherrod. Colandrea hit Troy Omeire with a 11-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds left in the half to make it 28-14.

UNLV got as close as 28-21 on a 7-yard touchdown run by JoJo Earle late in the third but the Broncos answered with a 10-play, 78-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Sire Gaines early in the fourth.

Boise State's Colton Boomer booted a 50-yard field goal with 3:13 left to finish the scoring.

--Field Level Media

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