Mountain West Conference News and Notes

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) –

AIR FORCE: Jon Lee and Broam Hart both ran for a pair of touchdowns and more than 100 yards as the Falcons dismissed Colgate, 38-13, at home on Saturday afternoon. Less finished with 130 yards on the ground and Hart 101, making them the first tandem to reach the 100-yard plateau in the same game for the Falcons since 2009. As a group, Air Force ran for 409 yards and five touchdowns, while quarterbacks Jaleel Awini and Kale Pearson combined to hit 7-of-11 passes for 72 yards as well. The Falcons, who were second in the nation in rushing last season with 316.2 ypg, kick off the MWC portion of their schedule this coming weekend as they host the Utah State Aggies. The Academy won the only previous meeting between the squads, a 38-13 decision back in 1969. Potential bad news for the Falcons has Pearson listed as doubtful for this coming weekend due to a knee injury.

BOISE STATE: Favored to win the Mountain West Conference title and ranked 19th in the nation entering the first week of action, the Broncos looked anything but a competent program as the squad stumbled to a 38-6 loss at Washington on Saturday night. In last year’s Las Vegas Bowl, BSU was able to hold on for a 28-26 triumph over the Huskies, but the team appeared out of sync on both sides of the ball in the 2013 opener as quarterback Joe Southwick converted 25-of-40 pass attempts but for just 152 yards. A hectic, high-paced contest to say the least, Boise State ran 88 plays but generated only 346 yards of total offense, while the defense surrendered a hefty 592 yards to the hosts as the Huskies returned to their home stadium following a lengthy refurbishing. The only points of the night for the visitors came on a pair of field goals by Dan Goodale, who also had his first attempt of the season blocked in the first quarter. It was the first time since a 58-0 loss to Washington State back in 1997 that the Broncos failed to score a touchdown. The Broncos get tossed a softball for their home opener this coming weekend, taking on first-time foe UT-Martin.

COLORADO STATE: With the Centennial Cup up for grabs, the Rams found themselves overmatched on Sunday as they fell to the Colorado Buffaloes in Denver, 41-27. Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain waited until just prior to the start of the contest to name Garrett Grayson as the starting quarterback for the Rams, the signal-caller finishing the outing 22-of-39 for 201 yards. Kapri Bibbs led the rushing attack with 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the rest of the squad combined to generate only 24 net rushing yards as well. In addition to a couple of field goals by Jared Roberts, the other scoring for the Rams came from Joe Hansley who returned a punt 74 yards for a touchdown early in the second half. The Rams have a bit of a short week as they prepare to battle Tulsa on the road this coming weekend. The Golden Hurricane owns a slim 4-3 edge in the all-time series, but it was CSU that won the most recent clash in 1998 by a score of 34-7.

FRESNO STATE: A failed two-point conversion by Rutgers in overtime left the Fresno State Bulldogs with a thrilling 52-51 win over the Scarlet Knights in non-conference action at Bulldog Stadium. A see-saw battle throughout, Fresno State took the lead in overtime when quarterback Derek Carr floated a pass over the top of the defense and into the waiting hands of Greg Watson on the first play of the bonus frame. Rutgers countered with a TD, but the Knights opted to try for a two-point conversion instead of the PAT. Carr matched a career high with five passing touchdowns, setting new personal bests and Mountain West Conference records for pass attempts (74) and completions (53) in the meeting. His yardage total of 470 was second only to the 536 yards passing he logged against San Diego State last season. Carr threw passes to eight different receivers, with Davante Adams (14 receptions), Josh Harper (14) and Isaiah Burse (13) combining to generate 360 yards. The Bulldogs are back at home and playing on Saturday this time around as they prepare for the arrival of Cal Poly. A familiar California-based foe for the Bulldogs, the Mustangs lost the most recent meeting between the programs three years ago, 38-17, which means the all-time series now stands at 31-10-2 for FSU.

HAWAII: Against the team for which he was once the offensive coordinator, Hawaii head coach Norm Chow came up short versus 24th-ranked USC last Thursday night in a 30-13 final in Honolulu. The Rainbow Warriors actually led by a 5-3 score in the second quarter, thanks in part to a sack in the end zone by Art Laurel, but the Trojans pretty much dominated the rest of the way. Hawaii did get into the end zone in the final minute of regulation on a 60-yard pass play between Taylor Graham and Keith Kirkwood, but it was too little, too late. Under pressure the entire game, Graham converted just 16-of-41 passes for 208 yards, was sacked seven times and had four passes picked off. The Warriors head to the mainland for the first time this season, taking on another squad from the Pac-12 in Oregon State this weekend. The Beavers crushed Hawaii in their last matchup, 45-7, in 2008, and own a 5-3 edge in the all-time series.

NEVADA: The Brian Polian era in Reno got off to a rough start on Saturday night, as the Wolf Pack got blown out by 21st-ranked UCLA, 58-20. Polian, who has taken over for the legendary Chris Ault on the Nevada sidelines, watched his squad average just 4.1 yards per play, compared to almost eight yards per snap for the Bruins, a team which lost 93 yards due to 12 penalties and still cruised to the comfortable victory. Nevada quarterback Cody Fajardo again showed his versatility as he not only completed 19-of-32 passes for 164 yards, he led the Pack in rushing as well with 106 yards and two TDs on 22 carries. Nevada finished with 171 yards on the ground, compared to a massive 345 yards and five TDs for UCLA. On deck for the Pack is another team from the Golden State in UC Davis. Nevada owns a 28-21-3 advantage in the all-time series, but it was UCD that posted a 24-17 win in the most recent matchup back in 1989.

NEW MEXICO: The Lobos jumped out to a 13-0 lead over Texas-San Antonio over the weekend in Albuquerque, but the team was never heard from again as it suffered a 21-13 setback at home. Quarterback Cole Gautsche converted just four of his 12 pass attempts for 65 yards and a score, adding a game-high 118 rushing yards on 16 carries for the hosts, but that still wasn’t enough. The Lobos as a group ran for 193 yards, a solid number if not for the fact that they were fifth in the nation last season with an average of 301.3 ypg on the ground. New Mexico has now dropped seven in a row dating back to last season. The Lobos hit the road for the first time this coming weekend as they clash with the Miners of Texas-El Paso. UTEP won the most recent meeting back in 2010 by a score of 38-20, but UNM is still ahead in the all-time series, 42-31-3.

SAN DIEGO STATE: In a game that generated close to 1,000 yards of offense, the Aztecs were easily handled by Eastern Illinois in the opener by a final of 40-19 at Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday. San Diego State actually led 13-7 after 15 minutes of play, but managed just a pair of field goals the rest of the way by Wes Feer. The kicker knocked through four field goals in total while SDSU converted just 7-of-23 on third down and 1-of-5 on fourth down efforts. Adam Dingwell threw the ball 63 times, converting just 27 of those attempts for 318 yards, and not only was he kept out of the end zone, he was sacked four times and tossed four interceptions. The lone touchdown for SDSU came on a 48-yard run by Colin Lockett, his only carry of the contest. The Aztecs head East for their first road test of 2013 as they battle one of the top-ranked teams in the country in Ohio State. San Diego State has fallen in all three previous meetings with the Buckeyes, the most recent of those being a 27-6 final in 2005.

SAN JOSE STATE: The San Jose State Spartans ran their win streak to eight in a row last Thursday night as they registered a 24-0 victory against Sacramento State in the 2013 season opener. Quarterback David Fales converted half of his 32 pass attempts for 225 yards and two touchdowns, the other TD coming on a 55-yard run by Jason Simpson. Kicker Austin Lopez booted a 37-yard field goal to begin the game’s scoring, his 18th consecutive field goal conversion. Noel Grigsby, who reeled in a 15-yard TD pass, recorded four catches for 51 yards and now leads all active FBS players with 231 career receptions. The annual Bill Walsh Legacy Game is next up for the Spartans, the contest that pits SJSU versus local rival Stanford. The Cardinal lead the all-time series by a count of 51-14-1, but San Jose State nearly pulled off a stunning upset last season before bowing in a 20-17 final.

UNLV: The Rebels scored the first points of the night against Minnesota last Thursday, a 26-yard TD run by Tim Cornett, but a blocked PAT should have been a harbinger of things to come as the team bowed to the Golden Gophers in a 51-23 final at TCF Bank Stadium. Cornett finished with 80 yards, second to Shaquille Murray-Lawrence who ran for 108 yards on just four attempts in the setback. Nick Sherry converted 35-of-50 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns, but he was also picked off twice. In addition to having a PAT blocked, kicker Nolan Kohorst had a 37-yard field goal blocked and missed on a 49-yard effort in the setback as well. The first of three straight home games comes up next for the Rebels as they clash with Arizona. Just the second all- time meeting between the squads, the Wildcats won the first contest 12 years ago by a score of 38-21.

UTAH STATE: The Aggies saw their seven-game win streak come to an end last Thursday night as the squad bowed to in-state rival, Utah, by a final of 30-26 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Aggies, now members of the Mountain West Conference after coming over from the Western Athletic, were paced by Chuckie Keeton who connected on 31-of-40 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns, not to mention running for a game-high 85 yards and another score in the setback. Travis Van Leeuwen accounted for a team-best 107 yards on six catches. USU generated 487 yards of total offense in the meeting, but was also flagged for seven penalties which sent the Aggies back 94 yards. Utah State is now 16-4 in the last 20 games, with those four setbacks coming by a combined 10 points. The Aggies get their first taste of MWC member play this coming weekend as they contend with the Air Force Falcons on the road. USU lost the only previous meeting by a score of 38-13 nearly 45 years ago.

WYOMING: In front of a crowd of more than 91,000 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, the Cowboys scored the first points of the game against Nebraska and then gave the 18th-ranked Cornhuskers all they could handle in a narrow 37-34 setback on Saturday. Wyoming rolled up a staggering 602 yards of total offense, the eighth-highest total ever registered against the Huskers during their notable history, thanks in large part to quarterback Brett Smith who converted 29-of-43 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns, against just a single interception. Receiver Dominic Rufran recorded a game-high 11 catches for 120 yards, while Jalen Claiborne found the end zone twice for the visitors in the hard-fought setback. Smith also accounted for 92 yards on eight rushing plays, his total second only to Shaun Wick who picked up 101 yards and a score on 12 attempts. Up next for the Cowboys is a meeting with the Idaho Vandals in the home opener this weekend. Wyoming owns a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series, thanks in part to a 40-37 victory in overtime last year.

Categorized in: NCAA Football