Analysis: Boise State QBs ‘having fun’ despite sharing time. They just need to keep winning

Legendary coach and broadcaster John Madden said it best: “If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.”

There have been teams that found success with a two-quarterback system, though. Chris Leak and Tim Tebow shared snaps while leading Florida to the 2006 national championship.

Boise State has won with a two-quarterback system in the past. Brett Rypien and Montell Cozart both played a lot in 2017 — a season in which the Broncos went 11-3 and won the Mountain West championship.

More often than not, though, playing multiple quarterbacks leads to a dysfunctional offense. Plays become predictable, the offensive line struggles to adjust to different cadences and the offense rarely finds its rhythm.

After a loss at Memphis two weeks ago — a game that saw starter Taylen Green get replaced by Maddux Madsen — Boise State coach Andy Avalos said the Broncos planned to move forward with a two-quarterback system.

Last weekend against San Jose State, it was a success.

Green and Madsen each scored a pair of touchdowns to help Boise State erase a 20-point deficit in a 35-27 win that could prove pivotal as the Mountain West race heats up. A loss to the Spartans would have left Boise State behind the 8 ball, especially with Fresno State, Wyoming and Air Force still on the schedule.

Boise State plans to play both quarterbacks again this weekend at Colorado State (7:45 p.m., FS1). Avalos said Monday that Green will start but Madsen will play in certain situations.

Avalos said the team can use both quarterbacks without being predictable. He said Maddux isn’t just going to come in on obvious passing downs and chuck the ball all over the field. Against the Spartans, he ran the ball eight times for 39 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown run that cut San Jose State’s lead to 27-14 heading into halftime.

Green isn’t just going to use his legs, Avalos said. He attempted only eight passes last weekend, but one of his completions was a deep third-down shot to Eric McAlister that kept a scoring drive alive in the third quarter.

“They both do certain things really well, but they both also do the same things well,” Avalos said. “The awesome part of it is we’re putting ourselves in position to be successful based on the look we’re getting from a defense.”

There was a lack of rhythm at times against the Spartans, offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said, but he added that switching quarterbacks is what the Broncos need to do to win right now.

“The rhythm isn’t always going to feel perfect,” he said. “What we have to look at is what does each guy excel at and which situations are they most comfortable with.”

This former Boise State coach will be on the TV call for Broncos’ game at Colorado State

Sharing snaps is foreign territory for both players. That’s especially true for Green, who said Tuesday that the loss to Memphis was the first time in his career that he was taken off the field for anything but an injury.

Green admitted that it was tough when Avalos and Hamdan called him into a meeting last week to let him know he would be sharing playing time, but he has handled the situation with a maturity and grace not possessed by most 20-year-olds.

“I’m just doing whatever it takes to help the team win,” said Green, who was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year last season. “I’m still the leader of this team. People still look to me for energy, so I’m just trying to bring the energy when Maddux scores. We both encourage each other on the sideline.”

Even more difficult for Green is the fact that he’s being asked to change the way he’s played his entire life.

He’s a transcendent athlete, the likes of which Boise State has never seen at quarterback. His long stride makes him a terror to track down when he runs the ball, but standing in the pocket and consistently delivering pinpoint passes is not his strength at this point in his career.

He’s on a similar trajectory as quarterbacks like Robert Griffin III, Vince Young and even Michael Vick — all of whom had to learn that being the best athlete on the field isn’t the same as being the best quarterback on the field.

Hamdan said Green is learning on the fly.

“As competitive as each game has been, there is no training ground,” Hamdan said. “There’s no denying Taylen’s running ability and he’s shown he can throw it. It just takes time and consistency.”

Madsen said Tuesday that he’s having fun, no matter what situation he’s put in.

“I’ve never really experienced switching out in games like that, but working together has definitely helped our relationship grow,” Madsen said. “He supports me and I support him, and I think the whole team started to see that as we came back in the second half.”

The beauty of Boise State’s two-quarterback system is that there’s no animosity between them, even though they’re competing for reps on a daily basis. When Madsen led the Broncos to a touchdown last week, Green was the first player waiting on the sideline to congratulate him. The same was true when Green found the end zone.

The duo even came up with their own celebratory handshake, which Green said they plan to tweak each week.

“We’re definitely having fun with it,” Green said.

The relationship between the quarterbacks made the Broncos’ second-half comeback possible last weekend, Avalos said.

“We’re very fortunate to have these young men, not only because of their abilities and talents, but because of who they are, their humility and how they work together,” Avalos said. “Nothing exemplifies the teamwork that it took the other night more than the quarterbacks celebrating together. You don’t do what we did without it.”

It’s a good thing that Green and Madsen have such a tight bond, because Hamdan said the team needed both of them to beat the Spartans. That’s probably going to be true again this weekend against Colorado State.

“I’m as proud of those two as any quarterbacks I’ve worked with,” Hamdan said.

Boise State’s two-quarterback system seems here to stay. It’s going to be a hot topic on message boards and around water coolers for a while, but it won’t evolve into an actual controversy as long as it leads to wins.

BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE

When: 7:45 p.m. Saturday

Where: Canvas Stadium (36,500, Synthetic PowerBlade Pro System), Fort Collins, Colorado

TV: Fox Sports 1 (Dan Hellie, Dirk Koetter)

Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)

Records: Boise State 3-3, 2-0 MW; Colorado State 2-3, 0-1 MW

Series: Boise State leads the series 12-0, including a 49-10 win last season in Boise

Vegas line: Boise State by 7.5

Weather: High of 58, 6% chance of rain, 8 mph wind