Mountain West: Week 2 Recap

Saturday saw San Diego State run ragged by Ohio State.

After a dismal start to the season, things picked up for the Mountain West in Week 2, to a degree at least. Five more schools recorded their first win of the season, joining the three that were successful last weekend, leaving four schools without a win.

Fresno State (2-0, 0-0 MWC) picked up a 41-25 victory over FCS side Cal Poly (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky) to remain unbeaten on the season, the only Mountain West school that can make that particular claim. The Bulldogs got a solid outing from WR Isaiah Burse, who returned a pair of punts for touchdowns and caught a third. QB Derek Carr passed for three TDs without an interception and looks to be the class of the conference.

Boise State (1-1, 0-0 MWC), favored to win the conference this year, rebounded from last week’s loss to Washington by making short work of Tennessee-Martin (1-1, 0-0 OVC). QB Joe Southwick threw five touchdowns to four different receivers while his FCS counterpart, Dylan Favre, tallied three interceptions and just one touchdown.

Utah State (1-1, 1-0 MWC) became the first Mountain West team to pick up a conference win this season, thrashing Air Force (1-1, 0-1 MWC) 52-20. QB Chuckie Keeton had a star turn for the Aggies, completing 32 of 40 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns. A near-perfect line was marred by a solitary interception. The Falcons started Jaleel Awini at quarterback in place of the injured Kale Pearson (knee). Awini, who accounted for just 61 yards through the air, was replaced in the third quarter by Karson Roberts.

Having come up short against FCS opposition last week, San Diego State (0-2, 0-0 MWC) hoped to at least make a showing for itself in Saturday’s game against No. 3 Ohio State (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten). The Buckeyes had other ideas though, putting the Aztecs through the wringer despite Heisman hopeful Braxton Miller (knee) sitting out three quarters. The Buckeyes held a 42-0 lead late in the third thanks to backup QB Kenny Guiton, who threw for two TDs and ran another in. Only Quin Kaehler’s 2-yard TD pass to Chad Young later in the quarter kept the Aztecs from being shutout.

The Aztecs have a week off before facing another AQ opponent in the form of Oregon State (1-1, 0-0 Pac-12). Rocky Long’s side faces the very real prospect of beginning the year 0-3 for the first time since 2008.

Speaking of Oregon State, the Beavers picked up their first win of the new campaign with a 33-14 win over Hawaii (0-2, 0-0 MWC). The Pac-12 side held the ball for almost twice as long as the Rainbow Warriors, beating the Honolulu-based school 508-239 in yards gained, including 451-170 in passing yards. Hawaii will welcome this week’s bye with open arms.

UNLV (0-2, 0-0 MWC) also found itself on the receiving end of a Pac-12 rout. The Rebels came undone against an Arizona (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) side looking to prove its worth in the Pac-12’s South Division. The Wildcats had three different players score a rushing touchdown, including two apiece for B.J. Denker and Ka’Deem Carey, while two pick sixes helped inflate a very lopsided 58-13 final score. The Rebels managed just one touchdown in the first three quarters before Shaquille Murray-Lawrence’s 79-yard scoring run at least put the school in double digits.

San Jose State (1-1, 0-0 MWC) made it a hat trick of Pac-12 losses for the Mountain West, falling 34-13 to No. 5 Stanford (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12). The Cardinal’s edge in the running game, where it tallied 197 yards to the Spartans’ 35, proved to be the big difference. Up next for the Spartans will be a trip to Minnesota (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) a week on Saturday.

Elsewhere in the conference, Nevada (1-1, 0-0 MWC) secured its first win of the year with a defeat of UC Davis (0-2, 0-0 Big Sky). New Mexico (1-1, 0-0 MWC) got the best of a high-scoring affair, handing UTEP (0-1, 0-0 C-USA) a 42-35 defeat to join the winning ranks. Wyoming (1-1, 0-0 MWC) meanwhile convincingly defeated Idaho (0-2) for its first win.

Colorado State (0-2, 0-0 MWC) joins Hawaii, San Diego State, and UNLV in the parade of the winless having blown a 27-17 third quarter lead against Tulsa (1-1, 0-0 C-USA). A Carl Salazar 34-yard field goal as time expired proved the difference in this one.

Looking ahead to Week 3, Friday night sees Boise State host Air Force in an intra-conference game. The Broncos defeated the Falcons 37-26 in the only other meeting between the schools (Oct. 2011), and opened as a 24-point favorite in this one.

Fresno State will look to remain unbeaten on the season, but a trip to Colorado (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) could prove difficult to navigate. The Buffalos thumped the Mountain West’s Colorado State in Week 1 and owns a 3-2 head-to-head advantage over the Bulldogs. That being said, it was Fresno State that emerged victorious the last time the schools met (Aug. 2001). Fresno State opens as a 10-point favorite.

Nevada (1-1, 0-0 MWC) draws the short straw this week and faces No. 10 Florida State (1-0, 1-0 ACC) in Tallahassee. The Seminoles are one of the favorites to win the Atlantic Coast Conference and open as a 31-point favorite. However, in recent years the school has struggled following a bye week, which means the Wolf Pack might be worth backing against the spread in this first meeting between the schools.

For a full list of Week 3’s Mountain West fixtures, see below.

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MOUNTAIN WEST RESULTS (Week 2)

Tennessee-Martin 14, Boise State 63

Utah State 52, Air Force 20

San Diego State 7, No. 3 Ohio State 42

Idaho 10, Wyoming 42

Colorado State 27, Tulsa 30

Hawaii 14, Oregon State 33

New Mexico 42, UTEP 35

UC Davis 7, Nevada 36

Cal Poly 25, Fresno State 41

Arizona 58, UNLV 13

San Jose State 13, No. 5 Stanford 34

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MOUNTAIN WEST SCHEDULE (Week 3)

(All times ET)

Friday, Sept. 13

8:00 Air Force (1-1, 0-1 MWC) at Boise State (1-1, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)

Saturday, Sept. 14

12:30 New Mexico (1-1, 0-0 MWC) at Pittsburgh (0-1, 0-1 ACC) (matchup)

2:00 Fresno State (2-0, 0-0 MWC) at Colorado (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) (matchup)

3:30 Cal Poly (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky) at Colorado State (0-2, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)

3:30 Nevada (1-1, 0-0 MWC) at No. 10 Florida State (1-0, 0-0 ACC) (matchup)

4:00 Northern Colorado (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky) at Wyoming (1-1, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)

8:00 Weber State (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky) at Utah State (1-1, 1-0 MWC) (matchup)

10:00 Central Michigan (1-1, 0-0 MAC) at UNLV (0-2, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)

For a comprehensive list of College Football odds, click here.

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