Mountain West Conference News and Notes
Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) –
AIR FORCE: The Falcons scored the first points of the game against Notre Dame on Saturday, thanks to a 10-yard TD run by Colton Huntsman, and trailed only 14-10 early in the second quarter before being blown out in a 45-10 final at home. Thanks to Huntsman the Falcons kept their string alive of consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, now numbering 55 in a row, but other than that there was very little to cheer about for the Academy. Starting quarterback Nate Romine converted 6-of-10 passes for 37 yards, and Karson Roberts hit both of his attempts for 12 yards, but that made little difference when you consider Air Force is one of the top rushing teams in the country and produced a solid 290 yards on 65 carries. Nevertheless, Air Force lost for the seventh straight time since opening the season with a victory over Colgate. The Falcons are again playing out of conference this coming weekend as they tangle with the Army Black Knights in the second part of their Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy competition. Army won the most recent encounter last season by a score of 41-21, but the series is still owned by the Falcons, 32-14-1.
BOISE STATE: The Broncos went into last Friday’s meeting against BYU in Provo with a 50-game win streak in contests held during the month of October, but that all came to an end as Boise State suffered a 37-20 setback to the Cougars. The Broncos defense was both hot and cold in the first quarter, giving up more yards than it had during the entire meeting between the teams a season ago, but at the same time permitting just seven points. In the end, BSU surrendered 568 yards on 91 plays run by the Cougars. Offensively, Grant Hedrick made his first career start at quarterback and converted 25-of-42 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown, but he was sacked twice and intercepted once. Running back Jay Ajayi was responsible for a game-high 151 yards on 23 carries, but all of that mattered little as the visitors suffered three lost fumbles and turned the ball over on downs a total of three times as well. Boise State, which had won 21 consecutive games against opponents from the state of Utah, now have three regular-season defeats for the first time since 2005 when the squad opened with back-to-back setbacks to Georgia and Oregon State and then fell to Fresno State in league play in November. Back on a Saturday schedule this coming week, the Broncos will be catching up with fellow MWC member Colorado State in Fort Collins. Boise State has won both previous encounters with the Rams, including a 42-14 victory just last season.
COLORADO STATE: Kapri Bibbs ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns as the Colorado State Rams held on to defeat the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, 35-28, in Mountain West Conference action at Aloha Stadium. Bibbs carried the ball a career-high 33 times for the Rams, who notched their second straight win and the third in the last four outings overall. Quarterback Garrett Grayson converted 15-of-26 passes for 177 yards and a score as well. Colorado State has now won back-to-back conference road games for the first time since 2002, with much of the credit going to Bibbs who now has 12 rushing TDs on the season, tied for the fifth most in a single season for a CSU player. Also having a big game in Honolulu was linebacker Max Morgan who complemented his 15 tackles with a 73-yard fumble return for a touchdown. The Rams are set to play the first of consecutive home games this week, entertaining the Boise State Broncos in conference action at Hughes Stadium. Colorado State trails the all-time series by a count of 2-0 after bowing to mighty BSU a year ago, 42-14.
FRESNO STATE: It wasn’t pretty by any means, but when the final gun went off the Bulldogs found themselves as one of only eight remaining undefeated teams in the FBS as they slipped by San Diego State, 35-28, in overtime at Qualcomm Stadium. For a team that is used to posting big points the Bulldogs, who are now ranked 16th in the most recent AP Poll, had only one touchdown in the first half and needed a minor miracle at the end of regulation when SDSU failed on what would have been a game-winning field goal. Derek Carr may have come up with 298 yards and two touchdowns on 35-of-57 pass attempts, but for the first 30 minutes of action he was pretty much held in-check by the Aztecs. Nevertheless, Carr has now thrown at least one TD pass in 27 straight games, the longest active streak in the nation, as the team went to 7-0 for the first time in more than two decades. Davante Adams reeled in a game-high 12 passes for 87 yards and those two scores from Carr in the triumph as well. The Bulldogs are back at home this weekend against a familiar foe in Nevada. Both former members of the Western Athletic Conference, the teams have a considerable history against each other, one that shows Fresno State ahead in the all-time series by a count of 25-18-1. The Bulldogs dominated the meeting last season, 52-36, in Reno.
HAWAII: The Rainbow Warriors held visiting Colorado State scoreless in the second half on Saturday night, but the damage had already been done through the first 30 minutes of action when the Rams posted 35 points, enough for CSU to pull out a seven-point win at Aloha Stadium. Sean Schroeder tried to give the hosts a fighting chance as he converted 28-of-49 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns, but he was sacked three times, tossed one interception and failed on a last-second Hail Mary at the end of the game. Chris Gant was the top receiver for Hawaii with his eight catches for 159 yards and a score, but while the Rainbow Warriors were generating 418 yards of total offense, they managed a mere 32 net rushing yards as they remained winless on the campaign. The Rainbow Warriors head to the mainland for the first of two consecutive road games this weekend, charged with taking on the Utah State Aggies in conference play. Back in 2011, when both programs were part of the Western Athletic Conference, USU posted a 35-31 win over Hawaii, locking up the all- time series at six games apiece in the process.
NEVADA: Cody Fajardo went into the matchup against UNLV with a streak of 187 straight pass attempts without an interception, a Mountain West Conference record and the second-longest active streak in the country, but he ended up tossing one pick as Nevada bowed to the visiting Rebels, 27-22, on Saturday night in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon. Fajardo connected on 24-of-40 passes for 357 yards and two scores, one each to Richy Turner and Aaron Bradley, the former posting eight receptions for a game-high 149 yards as the team saw an eight-game series win streak against UNLV come to an end. The Pack managed to produce a solid 487 yards of total offense on the evening, but at the same time the team was flagged for 13 penalties, amounting to 105 yards, compared to the Rebels who were charged with only three infractions for 35 yards. The Pack heads out for consecutive road games beginning this weekend, with a stop at Fresno State on the itinerary. Last season, Nevada was crushed by the Bulldogs, 52-36, pushing the lead in the all-time series to 25-18-1 for FSU.
NEW MEXICO: The Lobos get back to playing football this coming weekend when they travel to the Golden State to challenge the San Diego State Aztecs in Mountain West Conference action. Despite being members of the same league, the teams did not get together in 2012, rather the latest meeting took place in 2011 with New Mexico coming up short in a 35-7 final. With the defeat, the Lobos fell behind in the all-time series by a margin of 23-15.
SAN DIEGO STATE: With more than two weeks to prepare for the arrival of nationally-ranked Fresno State last weekend, the Aztecs appeared to have done their homework as they held one of the highest-scoring teams in the country to only seven points in the first half, but it was the SDSU offense that eventually let the hosts down in a 35-28 overtime defeat at Qualcomm Stadium. Owners of a three-game win streak, the Aztecs appeared to be heading for the win at the end of regulation, but a 37-yard field goal attempt by Seamus McMorrow was blocked, giving the Bulldogs life in overtime and the visitors took full advantage of the opportunity. Quarterback Quinn Kaehler converted 21-of-39 passes for 337 yards and an interception, with Ezell Ruffin delivering on 10 catches for 181 yards. Running back Adam Muema accounted for 111 yards and two TDs on the ground in the losing effort. The Aztecs play their second straight home game this coming weekend as they host the New Mexico Lobos in league action. San Diego State leads the all-time series 23-15, in part due to a 35-7 romp over UNM in the latest meeting two seasons ago.
SAN JOSE STATE: David Fales erupted for 482 passing yards and a total of six touchdowns, including the game-winner with eight seconds remaining, as the San Jose State Spartans bounced back to claim a 51-44 victory over the Wyoming Cowboys in Mountain West Conference action at Spartan Stadium. Fales converted 27-of-37 passes, leading to five touchdowns for the Spartans as they captured their third straight win. The quarterback also scored a rushing touchdown in the meeting, even though he was credited with negative eight rushing yards on seven carries. San Jose State, which generated 642 yards of total offense, survived despite converting just 5-of-14 third-down opportunities. The teams combined for a staggering 1,241 yards of offense. Sin City is the next destination for the Spartans this coming weekend as they tangle with the UNLV Rebels at Sam Boyd Stadium. Now members of the same conference, this is the first meeting between the squads since 1997 when SJSU posted a 55-48 win and moved to 11-5-1 in the all-time series.
UNLV: Caleb Herring threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns as he guided the UNLV Rebels to a thrilling 27-22 win over the Nevada Wolf Pack in the Battle for the Fremont Cannon at Mackay Stadium. Herring converted 29-of-42 passes, with eight of those completions going to Devante Davis who turned them into 121 yards and two touchdowns as the Rebels won for the fifth time in the last six outings. Running back Tim Cornett, who was questionable for the game due to injury, contributed a game-high 122 yards and a score on 26 carries. Despite picking up their fifth win of the campaign, the Rebels are still shooting for their first winning regular season since 2000 when they produced a 7-5 mark and finished 8-5 for head coach John Robinson after posting a 31-14 triumph over Arkansas in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Rebels are set to play the first of back-to-back home games this coming weekend as they host the San Jose State Spartans in conference play. The teams are getting together for the first time in more than 15 years, following a 55-48 victory for the Spartans back in 1997. As a result, UNLV trails the all-time series by an 11-5-1 margin.
UTAH STATE: After a lengthy break, the Aggies continue the final stretch for 2013 with the first of four November outings coming up against Hawaii at home on Saturday. Two years ago when the teams were members of the Western Athletic Conference, USU captured a 35-31 win over the Rainbow Warriors, knotting the all-time series at six games apiece in the process.
WYOMING: The Cowboys, losers of two straight and three of the last four overall, were led by Brett Smith who converted 22-of-34 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, while Shaun Wick delivered a game-high 234 yards and a score on 17 rushing attempts on Saturday, but still the Pokes came up short in a 51-44 decision versus San Jose State. The team as a whole ran for a staggering 332 yards, averaging close to eight yards per snap, but that mattered little as the defense surrendered a massive 642 yards to the Spartans. The teams combined for an incredible 1,241 yards of offense, one of the highest totals in FBS history. Robert Herron turned five receptions into 149 yards and a TD as well. The Cowboys are set for yet another break in the action this week and will be back on the field Nov. 9 when they host the Fresno State Bulldogs in conference play.
Categorized in: NCAA Football