Photo courtesy of Louisiana Tech Athletics
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) -
IDAHO: The Vandals were better off staying at home last weekend as they were crushed by the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in a 70-28 final in Ruston. Idaho managed a mere 47 yards rushing, partly because quarterback Dominique Blackman was sacked three times as he converted 20-of-35 passes for 199 yards and a score. Idaho, which saw both Najee Lovett and Michael LaGrone reel in aerial scores, adding a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Todd Handley, failed to convert a single third-down on 11 chances and was limited to only 304 yards of total offense. On the defensive side, Idaho was mauled by the Bulldogs as the hosts ran for 408 yards and eight touchdowns and added another 431 yards and a couple of scores through the air as well in the onslaught The Vandals, losers of two straight and just one of eight games so far this season, are set for some time off this coming week, giving them a chance to prepare even more for the arrival of San Jose State on Nov. 3.
LOUISIANA TECH: The Bulldogs offensive machine marched on and over Idaho Saturday at home as they delivered a resounding 70-28 victory, the sixth in seven tries this season. In scoring an incredible 56 points in the first half alone Louisiana Tech, which is again back in the national rankings this week, tied a WAC record. The 70 points for LaTech was the most since the team dropped 77 on Louisiana-Lafayette back in 1998, even without the team scoring a single point in the fourth quarter. Still the top-scoring team in the FBS with an astounding 56.1 ppg, the Bulldogs were led by Kenneth Dixon who ran for 232 yards and six touchdowns, giving him 16 scores on the season to establish a new program record. Quarterback Colby Cameron threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns as the team rolled up a school-record 839 yards of total offense, the highest output of any FBS team so far this season. The next moving target for the Bulldogs is New Mexico State on the road this coming weekend. Louisiana Tech has posted seven wins in 11 all-time meetings with the Aggies, and that includes a 44-0 romp in the most recent encounter last season. The Bulldogs have won five in a row in the series.
NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies saw their losing streak reach six in a row over the weekend, tying them for the second-longest drought in the FBS, as they stumbled against Utah State in conference play, 41-7, on the road in Logan. Andrew Manley had his ups and downs for NMSU as he completed 19-of-37 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked three times and intercepted once by Utah State. Austin Franklin captured eight passes for 84 yards and a score and is now third in the country in receiving yards per game with 118.0. Defensively, New Mexico State was torched for 516 yards, an average of more than eight yards per snap by the hosts. The Aggies are back home this coming weekend as they host the high-scoring Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in conference action. New Mexico State was crushed in the most recent meeting last season, 44-0, has dropped five straight in the relationship, and now trails in the all-time series by a count of 7-4.
SAN JOSE STATE: For the second week in a row David Fales threw three touchdown passes, but this time he wasn't a tackling dummy for the opposition as he remained upright throughout San Jose State's 52-24 win over Texas-San Antonio at the Alamodome on Saturday. Fales, who was sacked 13 times by Utah State a week prior, converted 17-of-26 passes for 279 yards as Noel Grigsby collected four passes for 110 yards and a score for the visitors as they notched their fifth win in six tries. Defensively, Bene Benwikere not only tied for the team lead with 11 tackles, he also logged a pair of stops behind the line of scrimmage, forced one fumble, recovered one and returned an interception 30 yards in the easy victory. Not to be overlooked were Chris Kearney who recovered a fumble in the end zone for a score and Tyler Ervin who returned a kickoff 92 yards for another touchdown in the romp. Cullen Newsome added a pair of fumble recoveries of his own as well. Next up for the Spartans is a meeting with one of the newest additions to the WAC, the Texas State Bobcats at home this Saturday. The matchup marks the first-ever on the football field between the two schools.
TEXAS STATE: With half the season now in the books, the Bobcats find themselves at the .500 mark with a 3-3 record, capturing a win in their first WAC outing back on Oct. 13 versus Idaho. However, of the victories that Texas State has managed to post, all have come against competitors who are currently under .500 themselves, and in the three defeats the team has averaged just 15 ppg, compared to more than 36 ppg in the victories. The Bobcats hit the road this coming weekend as they drop in on the San Jose State Spartans for a WAC matchup that is also the first-ever between the programs.
TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO: Even before they knew what hit them, the Roadrunners found themselves trailing by 31 points early in the second quarter against San Jose State at home on Saturday and never recovered as they suffered a 52-24 conference loss in the Alamodome. Since winning five straight games to open the 2012 campaign, UTSA has now dropped back-to-back contests and permitted a combined 86 points in those setbacks, compared to just 78 points allowed during the win streak. Ryan Polite converted 20-of-32 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns for the hosts, but he was also sacked twice and had an interception. Unfortunately for the Roadrunners, they turned the ball over six times in the outing and that prevented them from keeping up with the Spartans. Although, UTSA did get one back as Steven Kurfehs returned a fumble 50 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but after the outcome had all but been decided. The Roadrunners settle in at home this weekend as they tangle with visiting Utah State in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
UTAH STATE: For the second straight year the Aggies became bowl eligible, doing so this time by crushing the New Mexico State Aggies in a 41-7 final at home over the weekend. Winners of two straight and four of the last five overall, USU has scored at least 31 points in each of those triumphs and leaned heavily on quarterback Chuckie Keeton once more as he threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 yards and a pair of scores as the team moved to 6-2 on the campaign and 2-0 in conference play. Kerwynn Williams scored the first points of the day with a 76-yard TD catch, finishing with 94 yards through the air to go along with 82 yards and a touchdown on 13 rushing attempts. On the defensive side of the ball, USU now ranks seventh in the country and first in the conference with just 13.9 ppg allowed. Getting their first-ever look at one of the newest additions to the WAC, the Aggies get after Texas-San Antonio this coming weekend on the road.