Best In The West: Week 10
Best in the West is The Aggship's weekly Mountain West football round-up.
Boise State 56, San Diego State 24
A week after defeating UNLV and taking control of its path to the Mountain West title game – and potentially the playoff – Boise State didn’t leave anything up to chance against San Diego State. The Broncos added to their impressive resume with a statement against an Aztec team that had just started to figure some things out.
San Diego State didn’t have an answer for anything Boise State had, as the Broncos got out to an early lead and just kept piling on. They led 21-0 after the first frame and added another touchdown early in the second quarter before the Aztecs finally kicked a field goal to make it 28-3, adding a touchdown not too long after. The next three scores, all touchdowns, belonged to Boise State, though, which pulled away completely in the early stages of the fourth period.
Once again, the hard work of Ashton Jeanty can’t be ignored. The Heisman hopeful had 31 carries for 149 yards and two touchdowns. After proving themselves last week against the Rebels, the supporting cast for Boise State also continued to produce, led by quarterback Maddux Madsen. He hit 24 of 32 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 25 yards. Latrell Caples was the star on the receiving end of Madsen’s night and had six catches for 90 yards and three touchdowns. At 7-1 (4-0), the Broncos remain in a strong position atop the conference and the Group of Five with Nevada coming to town next.
Danny O’Neil has been putting together a solid debut season for SDSU but looked like a freshman against Boise State, completing 14 of 30 passes for 155 yards and two scores while throwing two picks and taking three sacks. Marquez Cooper had some success running the ball with 94 yards on 16 carries, but his one touchdown wasn’t enough to keep the game close. The Aztecs have an easier task ahead of them and will host New Mexico this week in a great opportunity to improve on their 3-5 (2-1) record and keep alive realistic hopes of reaching a bowl in Sean Lewis' first season at the helm.
Colorado State 38, Nevada 21
Nevada has been surprisingly competitive this season but couldn’t hang around with Colorado State, falling into an early deficit and eventually dropping out of the game entirely.
For the Wolf Pack, an ill-timed special teams blunder essentially gave the Rams an 11-point play and a 28-point lead in the third quarter – after a field goal gave the Rams a 20-0 advantage, they kicked off to the Wolf Pack, who let the ball bounce to the 1-yard line before realizing it was a live ball. That realization came too late, as the Rams had already tracked down the ball and were pouncing on it in the end zone. The offense came out to complete a two-point conversion and put the game out of reach.
Backed against the wall, Nevada responded admirably starting with a 95-yard drive to score on the ensuing possession, but its flurry of offense that scored 21 points the rest of the way wasn’t enough. The Wolf Pack outgained the Rams 441-327, but couldn’t overcome their own mistakes and ultimately fell short.
There is some solace for Nevada: Brendon Lewis had a stellar game and was responsible for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, completing 20 of his 28 attempts for 252 yards and a touchdown while rushing the ball 14 times for 109 yards and another two touchdowns.
Opposite Lewis, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi threw for 157 yards on nine completions. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass, but he didn’t need to, as special teams and the rushing attack for Colorado State did the heavy lifting. Avery Morrow had two scores and Justin Marshall added another as the two combined for 144 yards on 31 carries.
The last thing you want to see on a three-game losing streak is Boise State up next on your schedule, but that's exactly the situation Nevada finds itself in. At 3-7 (0-4), Nevada has already made a marked improvement over last year, but bowl eligibly appears to be at least another year away.
Colorado State is now 6-3 overall with a perfect 4-0 record in Mountain West play, and has somehow taken a commanding spot in the conference. The opportunistic Rams have capitalized on a favorable schedule and taken care of business when they needed to for a chance to play for a title down the stretch. The Border War is up next, then the Rams close the season with bouts against Fresno State and Utah State.
Hawaii 21, Fresno State 20
Hawaii mounted a heroic comeback to spoil Fresno State’s night and postseason goals. Fresno State, with renewed title hopes after a win over San Jose State, had its season outlooked changed drastically as the Rainbow Warriors stormed back from a 20-7 deficit and stole the game with 15 seconds left.
The ‘Bows scored first, but quickly gave up the lead as Fresno State scored 20 consecutive points over the next three quarters. When the fourth quarter arrived, the Bulldogs had possession and led comfortably. They stalled out and punted, but the defense stood tall enough to force a fourth-and-9 situation, needing just one more stop to effectively end the game. Fresno State forced an incompletion, but a targeting call on the play moved the chains for the Rainbow Warriors, and Brayden Schager cashed in the opportunity three plays later on a nine-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle.
Still leading by six, Fresno State punted again and gave the Warriors a shot to claim the lead, but after driving 60 yards, Cenacle fumbled the ball back to the Bulldogs. It was a gift for Fresno State, but it was squandered. On third-and-9, Mikey Keene was sacked for a loss of 14 yards, and the Bulldogs were forced to punt the ball over to Hawaii with a minute and a half left on the clock.
The Rainbow Warriors once again found themselves in trouble, this time in a fourth-and-10 situation, and once again, the Bulldogs pitched in to help. An incomplete pass wouldn’t matter due to pass interference, and Hawaii survived to play another snap. Two incomplete passes later, with Hawaii facing third-and-goal on the 3-yard line, Schager found Cenacle to tie the game, setting up Kansei Matsuzawa to kick the winning extra point.
The Rainbow Warriors allowed only 19 rushing yards in the affair and blocked a PAT attempt in the second quarter, which would end up paying dividends. Schager rushed for 15 yards and threw for 244 with three touchdowns. Keene threw for 157 yards and a touchdown.
With the victory, Hawaii drew one step closer to bowl eligibility, a goal that seems much more possible after this upset win. At 4-5 (2-2), the Rainbow Warriors need two more wins. They have another chance to play spoiler against UNLV coming up, but if that doesn’t work out, they close out the season with games against Utah State and New Mexico.
The Bulldogs slid to 5-4 (3-2) with the loss. They not only failed to reach bowl eligibility, but with two conference losses, they are all but eliminated from title contention. They still have a shot to reach bowl eligibility, and should do so against Air Force, but it's hard not to feel that this Fresno State team has fallen well short of its expectations.
Wyoming 49, New Mexico 45
New Mexico’s offense bounced back and Wyoming’s woke up as the two teams put on an offensive showcase in Albuquerque. Wyoming came out on top and earned its second win of the season, snapping a three-game losing streak.
The Cowboy offense had a couple of catalysts sparking its surge. As it turns out, picking a quarterback and sticking with him was key for Wyoming's attack, which had been marred by inconsistency behind center all season. Redshirt freshman Kaden Anderson got the nod and quickly proved to be the right choice, completing 20 of his 29 throws for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Also kickstarting the offense was the long-awaited return of standout tailback Harrison Waylee, who missed the first two months of the season with an injury. In his season debut, he ran for 170 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, helping Wyoming to a season-high 49 points, cruising past their previous high of 31.
New Mexico didn’t have an answer on defense, but did its best to keep up the only way it can this year – with its offense. That worked pretty well, and the teams moved in lockstep all game. The Lobos even led by 10 at the start of the final stanza, but saw that lead evaporate after Wrook Brown took an interception to the house and Wyoming marched down the field for another score on its next offensive series. New Mexico's last-chance drive ended with a fumble on third-and-14, and Wyoming ran out the clock on a hard-fought win.
The victory puts Wyoming at 2-7 (2-3), and the Cowboys will be looking to pit their new-look offense against Colorado State next, with hopes of spoiling the Rams' title aspirations. New Mexico falls to 3-6 (2-3), meanwhile, and will head next to San Diego State.
Army 20, Air Force 3
Air Force is having its worst year in over a decade and Army is having one of its best in a similar time frame. That's... not a friendly combination for the Falcons. Air Force's defense started strong against an Army attack playing without starting quarterback Bryson Daily, but couldn’t hold up without any real support from its offense. At the half, the Falcons had successfully kept the Black Knights out of the end zone and had only allowed 50 rushing yards, but by the end of the game, Army had added a pair of touchdowns and had gained 255 yards, 207 of which came on the ground.
The loss ensured that the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy (currently in Army’s possession) will stay somewhere on the East Coast this year. This is the first time since 2017 that Air Force lost to both Navy and Army in the same year, and only the fifth time since 1978. The Falcons are 1-7 (0-4) and will host a talented but floundering Fresno State team this week.