Photo courtesy of Boise State Athletics
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network) -
AIR FORCE: For the third time this season the Falcons ran for more than 450 yards, this time using that effort to record an unexpected 48-31 win over visiting Nevada in the first-ever meeting between the new conference mates on Friday night. Not only did Air Force roll up 461 yards and four touchdowns on 82 rushing attempts, but the second-best running team in the country entering the week also recorded a pair of aerial scores as well thanks to Connor Dietz who completed 6-of-7 passes for 139 yards. Wes Cobb ran for a career-high 152 yards and scored once in place of the injured Cody Getz. Defensively, the Falcons surrendered 380 yards, but at the same time held the nation's top rusher well below his season average and weathered the attack mounted by the nation's six-best offense. Back on a regular Saturday schedule this week, the Falcons prepare for the second half of the Commander-In-Chief Trophy series as they challenge the Army Black Knights on the road. Air Force won last year's meeting, 24-14, which means the squad now owns a 32-13-1 advantage in the all- time series.
BOISE STATE: The Broncos continued their dominance in the month of October on Saturday as they ripped through Wyoming for a 45-14 victory in Laramie. Not only was the win the seventh in a row for the nationally-ranked program, it also moved BSU to a perfect 7-0 in the series with Wyoming, a team which it has outscored 96-20 in the last two matchups in Laramie. D.J. Harper scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground, producing a game-high 105 yards on 19 attempts, while Joe Southwick converted 20-of-28 passes for 198 yards in the triumph as well. Backup signal-caller Grant Hedrick scored on a one-yard run in the third frame while eight minutes prior Corey Bell scored on a 19-yard fumble return for the visitors as well. In one of their final home games of the season, the Broncos entertain the San Diego State Aztecs in Mountain West Conference action this coming weekend. Boise State, now ranked 19th in the latest AP Poll, won the only previous matchup between the squads last year in a 52-35 final.
COLORADO STATE: For the first time since the season opener against Colorado, the Rams came out on the right side of a decision on Saturday as they topped Hawaii at home, 42-27. Scoring a season high in points, the Rams leaned on running back Chris Nwoke who not only produced a game-high 115 yards and scored once on 19 rushing attempts, but he turned his lone 27-yard reception into a touchdown as well. Quarterback Conner Smith converted 10-of-17 passes for 115 yards and a score, but he was also picked off twice. The defense for the Rams came alive by posting four sacks and three interceptions, with both DeAndre Elliott and Jasen Oden returning picks for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Hitting the road again this coming weekend, the Rams are on their way to Laramie where they will tangle with the Wyoming Cowboys in MWC action. The Pokes won last season's meeting, 22-19, but overall the Rams are still in control of the series by a count of 54-43-5.
FRESNO STATE: Derek Carr threw for 416 yards and four touchdowns as he helped bring Fresno State back from a 21-point deficit in order to claim a 49-32 win over the New Mexico Lobos in Mountain West Conference play at University Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Carr completed 31-of-44 passes, was picked off once and sacked two times as the Bulldogs secured their second straight win and the fourth in the last five outings overall. Davante Adams caught nine passes for 198 yards and a couple of scores, while Robbie Rouse posted 120 yards and a touchdown on 18 rushing attempts. Carr has now thrown at least three touchdowns in four of the last five games and has a total of 26 on the season, easily overcoming his mere five interceptions on 367 attempts. Former Western Athletic Conference foes clash as reunited league enemies in the MWC this weekend as the Bulldogs tangle with the Hawaii Warriors in California. Fresno State claimed a 24-21 win in the most recent meeting last season, which means the Bulldogs cling to a 22-21-1 advantage in the all-time series.
HAWAII: Back in action after a break in the schedule, the Warriors were handed their fifth straight loss and the sixth in seven games this season with a 42-27 setback versus Colorado State in Mountain West Conference action in Fort Collins over the weekend. Sean Schroeder was roughed up quite a bit as he converted a meager 19-of-46 passes for 200 yards and a single touchdown, suffering four sacks and three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Joey Iosefa managed to come up with 106 yards rushing on 22 attempts as the team delivered 393 yards of total offense, and yet the program is still ranked last in the conference and 114th in the nation with an average of just 302.4 ypg. Back on the mainland again this coming weekend, the Warriors mix it up with the Fresno State Bulldogs, two teams that made the move from the WAC to the Mountain West this season. Hawaii bowed in last year's meeting, 24-21, and because of that now trails in the all-time series by a single game, 22-21-1.
NEVADA: Beaten at their own game, the Wolf Pack allowed first-time foe Air Force to run all over them in a 48-31 final on Friday night in Colorado. The Falcons were allowed to run the ball 82 times for a massive 461 yards and four touchdowns, compared to 169 yards and three scores for a Nevada squad that ranked seventh in the country in rushing heading into the week with 272.0 ypg. Quarterback Cody Fajardo ran for 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also converted 15-of-27 passes for 211 yards and a score, but he was intercepted once and sacked three times as the team bowed for the second time in as many outings after beginning the campaign with six wins in seven tries. The nation's leading rusher, Stefphon Jefferson (156.0 ypg) was held to just 93 yards and a TD, only the second time this year he has failed to record at least 100 yards. The Pack catch a break in the schedule this week and is being given extra time to study up for their meeting with Fresno State at home on Nov. 10.
NEW MEXICO: The Lobos held a 21-0 lead over Fresno State on Saturday afternoon and somehow let it all slip away, en route to a 49-32 setback at home. The loss was the second in a row for a New Mexico team that has shown huge signs of improvement this year, but still the breakdown after taking a significant lead was hard to take. The Lobos were paced by Kasey Carrier who registered a game-high 136 yards and landed in the end zone twice on 19 carries, as the team dropped to 4-5 overall and just 1-3 in conference. Quarterbacks B.R. Holbrook and Quinton McCown combined to convert a mere 4-of-15 passes for 45 yards and a score. Joe Stoner contributed with an interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter for the program, but still this is a defense that ranks 104th in the country with 272.2 ypg passing allowed. Next up for the Lobos is a meeting with UNLV this weekend in Sin City. New Mexico clings to a narrow 10-9 edge in the all-time series, thanks to a 21-14 win in the most recent matchup a season ago.
SAN DIEGO STATE: Adam Dingwell got the start for the Aztecs on Saturday and led the team to victory over UNLV, 24-13, as he converted 13-of-26 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. It was San Diego State's fourth straight victory, improving it to 4-1 in league play. Gavin Escobar caught four passes for 108 yards and a score, while Adam Muema and Walter Kazee both ran for more than 100 yards as the Aztecs generated 275 yards on the ground and more than 500 yards of total offense while converting 12-of-18 on third down and a perfect 2-of-2 on fourth-down opportunities. The Aztecs are set to hit the road for this Saturday's conference clash with Boise State Broncos. In last year's inaugural meeting, SDSU suffered a 52-35 setback to the Broncos.
UNLV: The Rebels saw their losing streak reach five games on Saturday night as they bowed to San Diego State on the road in conference play, 24-13. UNLV actually scored the first points of the meeting on a 64-yard run by Tim Cornett less than five minutes into the first quarter, but from there the team scored just once more on a 25-yard TD pass play between Nick Sherry and Devante Davis in the third frame. Sherry hit on 17-of-29 passes for 159 yards and was sacked four times, while Cornett finished with 127 yards rushing on 19 carries as the team fell to 1-3 in conference play. The Rebels return home this weekend for just the second time since Sept. 22 as they clash with the New Mexico Lobos in MWC action. UNLV will be attempting to bounce back from a 21-14 loss to the Lobos last season which ultimately gave UNM a 10-9 advantage in the all-time series.
WYOMING: Going up against the Boise State Broncos in the month of October is already a daunting task for any team, but for Wyoming it meant contending against an opponent that had a perfect 6-0 mark in the all-time series heading in and remained perfect with a convincing 45-14 final at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Losers of four in a row, all of which have come against league opponents, the Cowboys tried to ride quarterback Brett Smith to victory, but the signal-caller ended up 24-of-35 for 216 yards, was sacked four times and failed to throw a touchdown. However, Smith did reach the end zone on a couple of runs to account for his team's TDs in the meeting. Nevertheless, all those sacks left the program with just 54 net rushing yards and less than 300 yards of total offense against one of the better defenses in the nation. The second of back-to-back home games takes place for the Cowboys this Saturday as the team hosts the Colorado State Rams. Wyoming captured a 22-19 win in the annual matchup a season ago, but still the team trails in the all-time series by a 55-43-5 margin.