No. 24 Boise State Beats Oregon State 46-41 as Jones Catches 230 Yards, Three TDs

No. 24 Boise State beat Oregon State 46-41 on Saturday at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, as freshman wide receiver Rasean Jones caught 11 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Maddux Madsen threw for a career-best 371 yards in front of ESPN's College GameDay.

Key Points

• No. 24 Boise State beat Oregon State 46-41 on Saturday, 14 November 2026, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise.
• Freshman wide receiver Rasean Jones caught 11 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, scoring from 19, 16 and 26 yards.
• Quarterback Maddux Madsen, back from the injury that kept him out of the previous game, went 23 of 32 for a career-best 371 yards and four touchdowns.
• Travis Anderson returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
• The win is Boise State's ninth in a row, lifts the Broncos to 9-1 and 6-0 in the Pac-12, and clinches Albertsons Stadium as host of the Pac-12 title game on Friday, 4 December.

What Happened

The teams traded blows all afternoon on the blue turf, but the Broncos always had an answer, and Jones was the answer most often. The freshman scored on touchdown catches of 19, 16 and 26 yards, and his third score, with 6:16 left, stretched the lead to 46-34 and looked like it had settled the contest.

Oregon State refused to go away. Backup quarterback Maalik Murphy threw for 396 yards (31 of 39), and Jesse Legree had 12 catches for 140 yards. Eric Olsen's 20-yard touchdown catch with 4:25 left closed the gap to 46-41.

Boise State did what good teams do with a late lead: the Broncos ran out the clock. The tone had been set early, when Travis Anderson returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, and from there the game became a shootout, with both quarterbacks piling up yardage.

Background: Boise State's Run to the Pac-12 Title Game

Boise State arrived having won eight straight, and the season has been defined by resilience. Two weeks earlier, on 31 October, the Broncos needed a late comeback to beat Texas State 46-45, with backup quarterback Max Cutforth throwing three touchdown passes in the final seven minutes after Madsen left with a left knee injury. That 46-45 win over Texas State kept the streak alive.

Madsen's return was the story within the story. He missed the previous game with that knee injury, and his comeback could hardly have gone better: 23 of 32 passing, a career-best 371 yards and four touchdowns.

ESPN's College GameDay was in Boise, and the famous blue turf staged a contest that would decide who hosts the Pac-12 championship game. Boise State's 6-0 conference record makes that simple: the title game comes to Albertsons Stadium on Friday, 4 December. Oregon State, at 5-5 and 3-3, leaves Boise still needing one more win for bowl eligibility.

Boise State 46-41 Oregon State: Jones' 230 Yards and Madsen's 371 Seal the Win

The numbers tell the story of two offences that could not be stopped. Jones' 11 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns were the headline, but Madsen's career-best 371 yards were just as important, and Oregon State had no answer, even when the Beavers knew the ball was going to the freshman.

Jones is a freshman, which makes the performance all the more striking: a 230-yard, three-touchdown afternoon with College GameDay in town and a championship-game host spot on the line is the kind of day that makes a young player a name every college football fan knows. His three scores came from 19, 16 and 26 yards.

Madsen's day was a personal best and a statement about his recovery: the quarterback who left the Texas State game on crutches, with an ice bag on his knee, returned to throw for 371 yards and four touchdowns. Oregon State's attack deserves credit too: Murphy's 396 yards topped Madsen's total, and Legree's 12 catches for 140 yards gave the Beavers a star of their own. The two quarterbacks combined for 767 passing yards.

Reactions and Quotes

No post-game quotes from either team were included in the early reports, so the clearest reaction is written in the result and the standings. A five-point win, a ninth straight victory and a championship game coming to Boise: the Broncos celebrated knowing their biggest home game of the season is still to come.

For Oregon State, the reaction is frustration mixed with pride. The Beavers scored 41 points on the road against a ranked team, got 396 yards from their backup quarterback and closed to within five points late. They did almost everything needed to win, and still left Boise with a loss.

Why It Matters

This result decides where the Pac-12 championship will be played. Boise State will host the title game on Friday, 4 December, at Albertsons Stadium, a reward for a 9-1 season and a perfect 6-0 conference record. Home-field advantage in a championship game is a real edge, and the Broncos have earned it.

It matters, too, because of what it says about Boise State's season. Nine straight wins, a quarterback back from injury and playing the best football of his career, and a freshman producing a 230-yard, three-touchdown game on the biggest stage: this is a team peaking at the right time. Boise State at 9-1 is firmly in the conversation for the biggest prizes of the season. Elsewhere on Saturday, Utah edged Arizona 40-39 and BYU beat Baylor 28-7.

What Happens Next

Boise State now turns to the Pac-12 championship game on Friday, 4 December, at Albertsons Stadium. The opponent is yet to be decided, but the Broncos will be at home, on the blue turf, with a conference title on the line.

For Jones, the next step is to show Saturday was not a one-off: a freshman who catches 11 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns will now be the player every defence plans for. Oregon State, at 5-5, still needs one more win for bowl eligibility, and will take encouragement from how close it ran Boise State.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the final score between Boise State and Oregon State?
No. 24 Boise State beat Oregon State 46-41 on Saturday, 14 November 2026, at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.

How many yards and touchdowns did Rasean Jones have?
Jones, a freshman wide receiver, caught 11 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, scoring from 19, 16 and 26 yards.

How did Maddux Madsen play in his return from injury?
Madsen went 23 of 32 for a career-best 371 yards and four touchdowns, in his first game back after the knee injury that kept him out of the previous game.

What did the win clinch for Boise State?
The win, Boise State's ninth in a row, clinched Albertsons Stadium as host of the Pac-12 championship game on Friday, 4 December, and lifted the Broncos to 9-1 and 6-0 in the Pac-12.

How did Oregon State stay in the game?
Backup quarterback Maalik Murphy threw for 396 yards, Jesse Legree caught 12 passes for 140 yards, and Eric Olsen's 20-yard touchdown catch with 4:25 left made it 46-41 before Boise State ran out the clock.