Rocky Start for Mountain West
Derek Carr led the Fresno State Bulldogs to a riotous win over Rutgers.
The Mountain West Conference got off to a rocky start this past weekend with only three of its 12 representatives earning a victory.
Two of the three victorious sides picked up wins against FCS opposition, while the San Diego State Spartans, ranked fourth in the conference heading into play, soundly lost to Eastern Illinois of the FCS’s Ohio Valley Conference.
The game of the weekend came at Bulldog Stadium in Fresno, Calif., where the Fresno State Bulldogs hosted the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. The Knights, playing in the American Athletic Conference for one season before joining the Big Ten in 2014, entered the game as a 10-point underdog but this one was far closer than the bookmakers expected.
The Bulldogs overcame a 20-7 deficit to take a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime before trading scores for the entirety of the second half. It took a two-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Josh Harper and a Colin McGuire extra point conversion for the Bulldogs to tie the game with just 0:38 left on the clock. Rutgers kicker Kyle Federico then missed a 43-yard field goal attempt on the last play of regulation.
Tim DeRuyter’s team scored the opening touchdown of overtime, with McGuire again converting the extra point. Rutgers reached the end zone on the ensuing drive but instead of kicking the extra point, head coach Kyle Flood went for the win. Quarterback Gary Nova, who threw five touchdowns in the game, passed to receiver Brandon Coleman, who saw the ball tip off his fingers and fall incomplete, leaving Fresno State to escape with a wild 52-51 win.
The Air Force Falcons picked up a win in their season opener against Colgate of the Patriot League. The 38-13 win wasn’t quite enough for the side from Colorado Springs, Colo., to cover the 26-point spread.
The Mountain West’s only other winner on the weekend came in the form of the San Jose State Spartans. The conference newcomers made short work of Sacramento State of the FCS’s Big Sky Conference, shutting out the Hornets 24-0.
Results weren’t so good for the conference’s other newcomer. A year ago, the Utah State Aggies, the final WAC champions, managed to upset the Utah Utes in the Battle of Brothers, snapping the Utes’ 12-game winning streak. This year the Aggies came up short, falling 30-26 to their arch rivals on Thursday night.
Boise State suffered its biggest loss under Chris Petersen.
Favored to win the Mountain West again this year, Boise State hit a roadblock in its opening game, succumbing to a barrage by the Washington Huskies. The 38-6 defeat in Seattle, Wash., was the Broncos’ worst loss under Head Coach Chris Petersen. 100/1 to win the BCS National Championship coming into the season, the loss saw leading sportsbook Bovada pull the team off the board completely. It also saw the team tumble out of the AP Top 25, having occupied the No. 19 spot to start the season. Fortunately, the Broncos face FCS competition this coming weekend.
Elsewhere in the conference, the Colorado State Rams lost the latest installment of the Rocky Mountain Showdown, losing 41-27 to the Colorado Buffalos at Sports Authority Field in Denver on Sunday.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors also came up short against Pac-12 opposition, losing at home to the USC Trojans. However, the side from Honolulu did manage to cover the spread in this one.
In a fourth matchup between Mountain West and Pac-12 schools, the Nevada Wolf Pack was routed by No. 21 UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. The Pack trailed 17-13 at the half but a 41-point offering from the Bruins in the second half proved more than decisive. The Bruins were bumped up to No. 18 in the wake of the victory.
The Wyoming Cowboys gave No. 18 Nebraska a scare, scoring two touchdowns in the final 6:02, before ultimately coming up three points short. The result saw the Cornhuskers drop to No. 22 in the rankings.
The New Mexico Lobos lost a close game to the UTSA Roadrunners, playing their first game as a member of Conference USA. The UNLV Rebels meanwhile were thrashed by the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Looking ahead to Week 2, San Jose State will face a tough trip to No. 5 Stanford, playing for the first time this season and looking to cash in on its status as one of the BCS favorites. The Cardinall has won five straight and nine of ten against the Spartans.
Meanwhile, San Diego State could begin the season 0-2 with a trip to No. 3 Ohio State on the calendar. The Buckeyes, who are 3-0 all-time in the head-to-head, fell one spot in the AP poll this week despite winning, which could spell trouble for the Aztecs.
Conference play kicks off on Saturday as Utah State travels to Air Force, while Fresno State, Nevada and Boise State all face FCS opposition. Week 2’s schedule in full can be seen below.
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Mountain West Results (Week 1)
Thursday
UNLV 23, Minnesota 51
Utah State 26, Utah 30
Sacramento State 0, San Jose State 24
Rutgers 51, Fresno State 52
No. 24 USC 30, Hawaii 13
Saturday
Colgate 13, Air Force 38
Eastern Illinois 40, San Diego State 19
UTSA 21, New Mexico 13
Wyoming 34, No. 18 Nebraska 37
Nevada 20, No. 21 UCLA 58
No. 19 Boise State 6, Washington 38
Sunday
Colorado 41, Colorado State 27
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Mountain West Schedule (Week 2)
Saturday, Sept. 7
Tennessee-Martin (1-0, 0-0 OVC) at Boise State (0-1, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)
*Utah State (0-1, 0-0 MWC) at Air Force (1-0, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)
San Diego State (0-1, 0-0 MWC) at No. 3 Ohio State (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) (matchup)
Idaho (0-1) at Wyoming (0-1, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)
Colorado State (0-1, 0-0 MWC) at Tulsa (0-1, 0-0 C-USA) (matchup)
New Mexico (0-1) at UTEP (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) (matchup)
Hawaii (0-1, 0-0 MWC) at Oregon State (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12) (matchup)
UC Davis (0-1, 0-0 Big Sky) at Nevada (0-1, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)
Cal Poly (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky) at Fresno State (1-0, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)
Arizona (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) at UNLV (0-1, 0-0 MWC) (matchup)
San Jose State (1-0, 0-0 MWC) at No. 4 Stanford (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) (matchup)
*Denotes intra-conference game
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