Baseball was king at Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen’s house when he was growing up in Utah.
Madsen’s father, Eric, was a longtime baseball coach, and he and his wife, Jessica, named all of their children after former Major League Baseball stars: Mick (Mickey Mantle), Macee Jo (Joe DiMaggio), McGwire (Mark McGwire), Mays (Willie Mays), and Murphy (Dale Murphy).
Madsen is named after former Atlanta Braves pitcher and Hall of Famer Greg Maddux. Fittingly, Eric and Jessica sat in a hospital room and watched Maddux shut out the Dodgers the night Madsen was born.
Madsen shares more than a name with one of the greatest pitchers in MLB history, though. They also share a nickname, “Mad Dog”, and, more importantly, a mentality that makes them fierce competitors.
Maddux’s resume reads as one would expect. He’s a World Series champion and a four-time Cy Young Award winner. He won 18 Gold Glove Awards, and he’s the only pitcher in MLB history to win at least 15 games for 17 straight seasons.
Still, he was seen as a relic for much of his career – an ace who relied more on precise accuracy than power in an era where many of the game’s top pitchers were throwing 100-mph fastballs. He was an underdog, but he used all of his doubters to fuel a Hall of Fame career.
There’s plenty of similarities with Boise State’s quarterback.
A Superhuman Sized Chip
Madsen adopted that very same underdog mentality at an early age, and it’s part of what has made him into the quarterback he is today. He has also been doubted, in part because he’s 5-foot-10 and barely 200 pounds.
He only had two scholarship offers coming out of high school: Boise State and New Mexico. But all that doubt did was create a superhuman sized chip on his shoulder that he carries into every game.
“I really need that,” Madsen said. “It makes a huge difference. You’re not worried about getting caught from behind because you’re working forward for something.”
The kid who was too small to play for a lot of programs leads No. 15-ranked Boise State (6-1, 3-0 Mountain West) against visiting San Diego State (3-4, 2-0) on Friday. A win keeps the Broncos on top of the conference and in the race for one of five guaranteed spots in the College Football Playoff.
Overcoming The Odds
Madsen isn’t supposed to be starting at Boise State, according to just about everyone outside of the Broncos’ locker room. The team added former five-star recruit Malachi Nelson from USC this year. He was supposed to be the one powering the Broncos’ potent offense, but Madsen, who only got three stars from recruiting services, earned the starting job in fall camp.
Madsen has started every game this season and thrown for 1,482 yards, 13 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Nelson has trotted onto the field for mop-up duty in two games and completed 10 of 15 passes for 113 yards.
“Making this decision has been hard, but when I look at it throughout fall camp, Maddux gives us the better opportunity to win,” Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said after naming Madsen the starter in August.
This isn’t the first time Madsen has beaten out a quarterback that many experts believed he didn’t even belong on the same field with. Taylen Green opened last season as Boise State’s starter, but Madsen beat him out for the job late in the year. Unfortunately for Madsen, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first start, opening the door for Green to finish the year.
Green then transferred to Arkansas, where he won the starting job and has thrown for 2,056 yards and totaled 16 touchdowns (11 passing and five rushing) this season.
Madsen may never be the biggest or fastest quarterback on the field, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t the quarterback the Broncos need right now. It also means he has to lean into what he does well – just like Greg Maddux did in 1995 when he went 19-2, posted a 1.62 ERA, and led the Braves to a World Series title.
For more Group of Five coverage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
It’s Not All About The Fastball
Just like the Hall of Famer he’s named after, Madsen uses precision and efficiency to get the better of stronger and faster opponents.
Madsen is completing 62.2% of his passes this season, he has completed at least 70% of his throws in three games, and he hasn’t thrown an interception since the Broncos’ win over Washington State on Sept. 28. In three Mountain West games, he has thrown six touchdowns and no interceptions, registering an efficiency rating of 146.8.
“He has a lot of equity with this team,” Danielson said. “You talk about a guy that is humble and hungry, low ego and high output, that’s Maddux Madsen.”
Madsen has also shown a willingness to use his legs in key situations. He scored a crucial rushing touchdown late in the first half against UNLV last week, and he converted a key fourth down with his legs late in the Broncos’ 29-24 win over the Rebels.
He might not lead the Mountain West in passing yards or touchdowns, but Madsen has shown he can make plays when the team needs them and he’s not often going to make mistakes that lead to losses. That’s exactly what the Broncos need from him, especially when he has a Heisman Trophy contender in running back Ashton Jeanty to lean on.
