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BOISE STATE: The Broncos ran their win streak to 18 with very little trouble on Saturday night as they crushed New Mexico State, 59-0, in a Western Athletic Conference showdown in Las Cruces. Kellen Moore converted 13-of-18 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns before taking a seat on the sidelines and watching his team continue their dominance of the Aggies. Kyle Efaw caught just two passes, but they went for 67 yards and scores, while Doug Martin produced a game-high 94 yards rushing and scored both on the ground and once on a pass play. The Broncos generated a hefty 608 yards of total offense on 63 plays, compared to 208 yards on the same number of snaps for the Aggies. The Broncos, who actually fell one spot to fourth in the most recent AP poll, play the last of their non-conference games this weekend as they host the Toledo Rockets on the blue turf. The battle represents the first-ever meeting between the two institutions on the gridiron.
FRESNO STATE: Ryan Colburn converted 12-of-17 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns as he and the Bulldogs took care of Cal Poly on Saturday, 38-17. The run game for Fresno State accounted for 253 yards, led by Tracy Slocum and Robbie Rouse who posted 71 and 70 yards, respectively, and each tallied a rushing score along the way. Defensive back Desia Dunn was credited with a touchdown when he recovered a blocked punt in the second quarter of the meeting. The Bulldogs get their second taste of WAC action this coming weekend when they host the Hawaii Warriors. Fresno owns a slim 21-20-1 advantage over the Warriors in a series that dates back to 1938. Last year, FSU snapped a three-game slide by posting a 42-17 triumph out in Honolulu.
HAWAII: Bryant Moniz lit up the Honolulu sky on Saturday as he threw for 532 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-21 win over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in Western Athletic Conference play at Aloha Stadium. Moniz, who came close to setting a new school single-game passing mark for yardage, converted 42-of-58 passes and survived a pair of sacks in the attack. Kealoha Pilares reeled in a school-record 18 passes for 217 yards and Greg Salas collected 10 tosses for 197 yards, as both players scored a pair of TDs for the home team as they won their second straight and the third in the last four outings. Moniz has now thrown for 15 TDs and just three picks this season and is closing in on 1,900 yards already. The Warriors head back to the mainland this coming weekend to continue their fight against the rest of the WAC as they challenge the Fresno State Bulldogs. Heading into last year's meeting, Hawaii had won three in a row in the series and had it all tied up at 20-20-1, but that was before the Bulldogs logged a 42-17 decision out on the island.
IDAHO: Nathan Enderle hit 30-of-49 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns as he led the Vandals to a 33-13 win over the Western Michigan Broncos in non- conference action on Saturday afternoon. Enderle survived five sacks and a pair of interceptions as the team won for the second time in the last three outings. Somewhat disappointing was the team's ground attack as it generated just 97 yards on 33 attempts, with one of those runs going for 35 yards to begin with. The Vandals catch a break in the schedule this coming week and won't be back in action until October 16th when they drop in on Louisiana Tech in Ruston for a WAC battle.
LOUISIANA TECH: Ross Jenkins threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday night, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep the Bulldogs competitive with Hawaii in their 41-21 setback in Honolulu. Jenkins converted 19-of-26 passes in the losing cause as the Bulldogs, losers of four in a row, allowed the Warriors to pass for 532 yards and gain 647 yards of total offense on their home turf. Part of the problem was that LaTech controlled the ball for barely 21 minutes in the meeting. Next on deck for the Bulldogs is fellow WAC member Utah State on Saturday afternoon in Ruston. Last year, LaTech was dropped in a 23-21 final by USU on the road, which means the all-time series now stands at 4-3 in favor of the Bulldogs.
NEVADA: Colin Kaepernick got the Wolf Pack off and running in their meeting with UNLV on Saturday night, capturing the Fremont Cannon with a 44-26 victory on the road at Sam Boyd Stadium. The signal-caller converted 13-of-17 passes for 124 yards and a score and also posted 97 yards and a TD on 13 rushing attempts as well. Having a huge game for Nevada was Vai Taua who came away with 188 yards and three touchdowns on just 19 carries for a team that rolled up a hefty 374 yards and five scores on 50 rushing attempts overall. The Wolf Pack, which moved up to 21st in the most recent AP poll, is back home this coming weekend and will open up WAC play against the San Jose State Spartans. Dating back to 1899, Nevada owns a 14-8-2 edge in the all-time series with the Spartans, thanks in part to a 62-7 thrashing of SJSU last year in California.
NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies showed very little on offense, or defense for that matter, on Saturday night as they fell to third-ranked Boise State, 59-0, in Las Cruces. The squad managed a mere 208 yards of offense as quarterback Matt Christian and Tanner Rust combined to hit on only 8-of-22 passes for 90 yards. The so-called rushing attack accounted for 118 yards, averaging less than three yards per attempt, while the defense watched helplessly as the Broncos rolled up 608 yards of offense in the massacre. The Aggies are set for their big in-state rivalry against the New Mexico Lobos this weekend at home in Las Cruces. Dating back to 1894, this is one of the longest rivalries in college football and currently has the Lobos ahead by a count of 67-29-5. UNM had won six in a row heading into last year's meeting, but NMSU managed to slip by with a 20-17 decision in Albuquerque.
SAN JOSE STATE: The Spartans were out to a 13-0 lead at the break against UC Davis on Saturday at home, but the offense stalled in the second half and the defense allowed a couple of touchdowns by the Mustangs, resulting in the 14-13 setback for SJSU. Jordan La Secla hit on 11-of-17 passes for 162 yards for the hosts, but he was also sacked three times, while Matt Faulkner connected on 5- of-7 attempts for 63 yards and a score in the losing effort. Lamon Muldrow tried to keep the team moving in the right direction with his game-high 137 yards on 22 rushing attempts, but it wasn't enough to keep the Spartans from their second straight setback. The Spartans make their way to Nevada this coming weekend to face off against the Wolf Pack in Western Athletic Conference play. Last year, SJSU was completely dominated in a 62-7 final, the most points ever allowed in the series by the Spartans and easily the largest margin of victory. The Spartans have now fallen in two straight and seven of the last eight encounters.
UTAH STATE: Diondre Borel seized the moment on Friday night and put together a solid effort as he and his fellow Aggies snapped a 10-game series slide against BYU and defeated the Cougars by a score of 31-16 at home. Borel showed great touch early in the meeting when he hit Xavier Martin with a 79-yard TD strike to put USU up and into the lead for good. Borel finished the outing 10- of-13 for 192 yards and also placed second on the unit with 68 yards and a score on 10 carries. Derrvin Speight picked his moments coming out of the backfield as well, posting a game-high 91 yards and a pair of scores on 23 attempts for a rushing attack that generated 242 yards on 59 attempts, compared to a mere 65 yards for the visitors. The Aggies, who are now 2-3 after the in-state victory, get an extra day to prepare for their next opponent, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs whom they will challenge in Ruston this coming weekend. Last season USU squeezed out a 23-21 victory at home, but still LaTech owns a 4-3 edge in the all-time series.