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BOISE STATE: The Broncos held on to the third spot in the most recent AP poll
by defeating the Wyoming Cowboys in a convincing 51-6 final on Saturday night
in Laramie. Kellen Moore threw for 370 yards and a pair of scores before
taking a seat on the sidelines for Boise State, while the rushing attack
generated another 275 yards and three TDs on 55 attempts as well. BSU
controlled the ball for almost 38 minutes against a Wyoming squad that was
still mourning the loss of freshman linebacker Ruben Narcisse, who was killed
in a car accident in Colorado on September 6th. The Broncos get their final
true non-conference test of the regular season this weekend as they welcome
Oregon State to Idaho. The Beavers actually hold a 4-2 advantage in the all-
time series with BSU, yet it was the Broncos who captured the 42-14 win in the
most recent encounter back in 2006 when the team ran the table and finished a
perfect 13-0 following its thrilling overtime win against Oklahoma in the
Fiesta Bowl.
FRESNO STATE: A.J. Ellis ran for 165 yards and scored three touchdowns as the
Bulldogs defeated the Utah State Aggies in the Western Athletic Conference
opener, 41-24, on Saturday night at Romney Stadium. Ellis carried the ball 29
times and tallied a pair of rushing TDs, adding a 10-yard receiving score in
the second quarter as well to put away USU on the road. Quarterback Ryan
Colburn hit 15-of-23 passes for 149 yards as the visitors closed out the
contest on a 24-0 scoring run. The Bulldogs hit the road for the second time
in as many weeks as they head to Ole Miss to challenge the Rebels in a non-
conference showdown this Saturday. The game marks the first-ever matchup
between the two schools on the gridiron.
HAWAII: The Warriors scored on a seven-yard TD pass from Bryant Moniz to
Kealoha Pilares in the first quarter and led by a score of 10-0 at the break
over Colorado in Boulder, but from there the visitors fell apart and
eventually suffered the 31-13 loss in non-conference play. Hawaii gained a
mere seven yards on the ground, while Moniz completed 27-of-41 passes for 330
yards and an interception. Pilares generated a game-high 117 yards on six
catches and Greg Salas collected a game-high nine balls for another 94 yards
in the losing effort. Next up for the Warriors is a home date against
Charleston Southern from the Big South Conference (FCS). The Buccaneers played
in Honolulu once before and had their heads handed to them by a score of 66-10
back in 2007.
IDAHO: Trey Farquhar booted a trio of field goals and Deonte Jackson logged a
pair of one-yard touchdown runs as the Vandals dismissed the visiting UNLV
Rebels rather easily on Saturday night, 30-7. Jackson carried the ball 11
times for a mere 21 yards, while quarterback Nathan Enderle converted 15-of-27
passes for 210 yards and a score in the win. Defensively, the Vandals limited
UNLV to a mere 187 yards of total offense and registered six sacks on the
night. For the second time in as many weeks the Vandals square off against a
member of the Mountain West Conference, this time clashing with Colorado State
on the road this Saturday.
LOUISIANA TECH: The Bulldogs put up 20 points in the second quarter against a
visiting Navy squad on Saturday, but Tech failed to score a single point in
the second half of a 37-23 setback at home. Quarterback Colby Cameron
completed 31-of-43 passes for 251 yards and a touchdown, but he was also
sacked twice and tossed a pair of interceptions in the losing cause. Taulib
Ikharo reeled in a game-high 10 passes for 88 yards and a score, his total
catches outpacing the entire academy by two. The defense for the Bulldogs
could do little to stop the Navy rushing attack which put up 297 yards and
four touchdowns. The Bulldogs are at home again this week as they prepare for
the arrival of Southern Miss for their fourth and final non-conference matchup
of the season. In a series that dates back to 1935, USM maintains a 28-13
advantage over the Bulldogs and won the most recent meeting in 1992 by a score
of 16-13.
NEVADA: In a game that came up with close to 1,000 yards in total offense, the
Wolf Pack prevailed against California on Friday night by a final of 52-31.
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick ran for three scores and threw for two more as
Nevada moved to 3-0 for the first time since joining the Division I ranks
(FBS) in 1992, and is off to its best start since going a perfect 12-0 in
1991. Kaepernick, who finished with 148 yards on 17 carries and also converted
10-of-15 passes for another 181 yards, is now seventh on the all-time NCAA
list for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 45. Vai Taua accounted for a
team-best 151 yards and scored once on 25 carries out of the pistol offense,
which means he and Kaepernick have now gone over the 100-yard mark in the same
game nine times during their tenure in Reno. The Pack squares off against
another non-conference opponent this week in BYU. The Cougars own a 4-1-2 edge
in a series that dates back to 1929. Most recently the schools clashed in 2002
in Reno, with Nevada claiming a 31-28 triumph.
NEW MEXICO STATE: Matt Christian completed 21-of-40 passes for 200 yards, but
by no means was his effort even in the same ballpark as that of the UTEP
quarterback as the Aggies bowed in a 42-10 decision on the road on Saturday
night. New Mexico State's defense, particularly the secondary, was helpless as
the Miners generated 495 yards of offense and opposing quarterback Trevor
Vittatoe saw five of his 19 completions reach the end zone. Seth Smith scored
the only touchdown for NMSU on a three-yard run in the second quarter but he
finished with just 46 rushing yards and the team 96 on 24 attempts. The next
opponent for the Aggies will be the Kansas Jayhawks on the road in Lawrence
this weekend. The teams have split their two previous encounters, with Kansas
capturing a lopsided 54-14 win at home back in 1991.
SAN JOSE STATE: In what should have been a relatively easy outing, the
Spartans barely got by Southern Utah at home on Saturday, 16-11. San Jose
State logged just 250 yards of total offense, compared to 334 yards for the
visitors, as quarterback Jordan La Secla converted 24-of-35 passes for 193
yards. Running back Brandon Rutley and Lamon Muldrow each tallied rushing
scores as the Spartans benefited from the opposition being flagged a total of
14 times for a loss of 132 yards. The Spartans make their way to Salt Lake
City this coming weekend where they will contend with the Utah Utes in a non-
conference showdown at Rice-Eccles Stadium. SJSU trails the all-time series by
a count of 5-1 after losing a 24-14 decision last year at home. The lone
victory for the Spartans over the Utes came in 1974 on the road by a score of
24-6.
UTAH STATE: Diondre Borel threw for 106 yards and a touchdown and also posted
another 66 yards and a score on 17 rushing attempts for the Aggies on Saturday
night, but it wasn't nearly enough as USU dropped the Western Athletic
Conference opener at home to Fresno State, 41-24, in Logan. Borel converted
just 11-of-23 passes and was sacked two times in the setback, while the
running game for the Aggies stirred up 205 yards and two TDs on 45 attempts.
Next on the schedule for the Aggies are the San Diego State Aztecs at Qualcomm
Stadium on Saturday night. The teams have not met since 1977 when SDSU posted
a 19-0 victory and moved to a commanding 9-1 advantage in the series.