BOISE, Idaho (Interstat) — Maddux Madsen passed for two touchdowns and Sire Gaines ran for two more as Boise State erupted for 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from New Mexico 41-25 on Saturday at Albertsons Stadium.

The Broncos, who improved to 3-2 overall, broke open a tight game by outscoring the Lobos 21-8 in the final period. New Mexico also moved to 3-2 with the loss.

Boise State set the tone early, capitalizing on a New Mexico turnover on the game’s opening drive. On the Lobos’ third play from scrimmage, quarterback Jack Layne was sacked by Jayden Virgin-Morgan and fumbled, with Boise State’s Marco Notarainni recovering at the New Mexico 18. The Broncos’ offense stalled, but Colton Boomer connected on a 24-yard field goal for the game’s first points.

The Broncos extended their lead late in the first quarter with a methodical 13-play, 74-yard drive that consumed nearly five minutes. Gaines capped the possession with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving Boise State a 10-0 advantage.

New Mexico responded instantly to start the second quarter. Damon Bankston fielded the ensuing kickoff and raced 100 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 10-7. The Lobos then took their first lead later in the quarter, driving 58 yards in eight plays. The drive was keyed by a 24-yard completion from Layne to Dorian Thomas, which set up a 1-yard touchdown pass from Layne to Thomas on the next play, putting New Mexico up 14-10.

Boise State answered before halftime. Madsen engineered a 13-play, 74-yard drive, finishing it with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Ben Ford to reclaim a 17-14 lead for the Broncos, which they carried into the break.

The only scoring in the third quarter came from field goals. Boomer nailed a 50-yard kick for Boise State, and Luke Drzewiecki countered with a 29-yard field goal for New Mexico, making the score 20-17 in favor of the Broncos heading into the fourth.

Boise State then seized control. Gaines scored his second touchdown on a 4-yard run to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive, pushing the lead to 27-17. The Broncos then executed a trick play, with punter Oscar Doyle throwing a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Troy Grizzle to extend the advantage to 34-17.

After a New Mexico turnover, Madsen put the game out of reach with his second touchdown pass of the day, a 25-yard strike to Ford that made it 41-17 with just over five minutes remaining.

New Mexico backup quarterback James Laubstein led a late scoring drive, culminating in a 4-yard touchdown pass to Keagan Johnson with 1:16 remaining. Laubstein also ran for the two-point conversion to provide the final margin.

Madsen finished an efficient 21 of 31 for 226 yards and the two scores. Dylan Riley paced the Broncos’ ground game with 101 yards on 18 carries. Defensively, Virgin-Morgan recorded a sack and four quarterback hurries for Boise State.

For New Mexico, Layne completed 7 of 17 passes for 115 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions before being relieved by Laubstein, who went 8 of 11 for 67 yards and a touchdown while adding 13 rushing yards. Bankston was a bright spot, amassing 118 kick return yards, including his 100-yard touchdown. Linebacker Jaxton Eck had a game-high 18 tackles in a losing effort.

The Broncos’ victory defied the pregame spread, which had installed New Mexico as a 15.5-point underdog. The combined score of 66 points also went over the projected over/under line of 58.5.