Mountain West Conference News and Notes
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PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Sports Network)
AIR FORCE: Heading into this past weekend, the Falcons were flying high on a three-game win streak and had already earned enough victories to be considered for the postseason, but the academy still didn't want to go out in a 38-21 loss to nationally-ranked BYU in Provo. The Air Force offense had a tough time staying out on the field because the squad generated just 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 56 rushing attempts. For most other programs that would be a banner effort, but for head coach Troy Calhoun and his bunch is was just another day at the office. Taking most of the snaps for Air Force was Ben Cochran as he completed 5-of-18 passes for 88 yards and a score. Jared Tew accounted for a game-high 82 yards, while Savier Stephens and Jonathan Warzeka were the ones to come up with the ground scores for the academy. Of the five losses this season for the Falcons, two were in overtime and two others by less than a touchdown. The fact that the team played TCU to a 20-17 decision and forced nationally-ranked Utah to overtime should bode well for the squad when it comes time to hand out postseason invitations.
BYU: As they always seem to do, the Cougars turned to the experienced Max Hall to take them into the win column yet again over the weekend and he did that in the 38-21 victory over Air Force. Hall threw for 377 yards and five touchdowns, against two interceptions, as the Cougars won their third straight outing and the seventh in eight games. Dennis Pitta accounted for nine receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns, all of which were game highs versus an opponent that had just five completed passes overall. The final test of the regular season for the Cougars, who took one step forward in the AP Poll to number 18 this week, comes this weekend as the team entertains the Utah Utes for in-state bragging rights. Last season, the Utes crushed BYU in a 48-24 final, which moved Utah to a 50-30-4 advantage in the all-time series.
COLORADO STATE: The Rams saw their losing streak stretched to eight in a row over the weekend as they became the first team this season to bow to New Mexico in a 29-27 decision in Albuquerque. John Mosure tried to keep CSU in the mix by rushing for a game-high 177 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but even that was not enough as the Colorado State defense bent a little too much in the fourth quarter and gave up a pair of field goals, including the game- winner with just 12 seconds remaining, to finally get the Lobos into the win column. Jon Eastman took the majority of the snaps for the Rams, hitting 9- of-12 passes for 145 yards and a score, but his efforts and those of the rest of the CSU roster were not enough. The Rams prepare for a Friday finale versus Wyoming at home, hoping to have a repeat of last year when they posted a 31-20 win against the Cowboys. With that victory CSU, moved to a 53-40-5 advantage in the all-time series.
NEW MEXICO: First-year head coach Mike Locksley can finally smile as his team snapped a 14-game losing streak on Saturday with a 29-27 win against the Colorado State Rams in league action. Quarterback Donovan Porterie had his ups and downs with a pair of passing scores and two interceptions, while Demond Dennis needed just seven carries to come up with 133 yards and a score in the team's first win of the season. The star of the game for the Lobos turned out to be kicker James Aho who knocked through a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter, the first a 37-yard effort at the 10:19 mark and the other a 27-yard boot with just 12 seconds remaining in regulation. The final game of the season for the Lobos comes this weekend as they head to Fort Worth to challenge nationally-ranked TCU. The Horned Frogs own a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series after putting up a 26-3 win in last year's meeting.
SAN DIEGO STATE: For more than three quarters is was as if the San Diego State offense had never even made the trip to Salt Lake City because the unit couldn't even get a sniff of the scoreboard. Eventually a Ryan Lindley 17-yard pass to Dominique Sandifer did get into the end zone, but by then it was too little, too late as the Utes ran away with the 38-7 win at home. San Diego State was held to a mere 55 yards rushing and 262 yards of total offense as Lindley hit on 17-of-37 passes for 207 yards, but was sacked twice and had one of his two interceptions returned 30 yards for a touchdown by Utah's Joe Dale. The last game of the season for the Aztecs, a team that is in the midst of a three-game slide at the moment, takes place this weekend at UNLV. Last year, SDSU doubled-up the Rebels with a 42-21 decision, moving the squad to an 11-7 advantage in the all-time series.
TCU: Fourth-ranked TCU started out a bit slow on Saturday with just a single touchdown in the first quarter, but then the flood gates opened for the visitors to Laramie and 35 points came pouring out over the next two periods, en route to a 45-10 win over Wyoming. Matthew Tucker, who scored the first points of the game, finished with 11 carries for 134 yards and a couple of touchdowns for a TCU running attack that logged 339 yards and four scores on 54 attempts. Joseph Turner produced a pair of running scores, while Andy Dalton settled into the pocket to complete 10-of-19 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown to Jeremy Kerley. The last hurdle for the Horned Frogs on their way to a perfect regular-season comes in the form of New Mexico at home this coming weekend. Last season TCU, which is still fourth in the BCS rankings as of Sunday, posted a 26-3 win against the Lobos to take a 7-3 edge in the all- time series.
UNLV: The Rebels and head coach Mike Sanford watched the action from the sidelines this past weekend as they settled in for a bye after going 4-7 over the first 11 games of the season. The team has won two of the last four contests, but the 45-17 setback versus Air Force back on November 14th ensured that the Rebels would not be sitting by the phone and hoping for a postseason bid. Instead, the team is preparing for life after Sanford as it was announced recently that he would not be returning past this season. The last game of the 2009 campaign for the Rebels finds them hosting the San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday. Last year, Sanford and Co. lost by a score of 42-21 on the road, which leaves the Rebels with an 11-7 deficit in the all-time series.
UTAH: The Utes, who took one step forward in the AP Poll on Sunday and now sits at No. 22, had little trouble turning back the San Diego State Aztecs in a 38-7 final in Salt Lake City. Eddie Wide supplied a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, finishing with a game-high 84 yards for the team in the onslaught. Jordan Wynn hit on 14-of-28 passes for 195 yards and a score, that lone TD pass landing in the hands of Jereme Brooks in the second frame as the Utes built their 38-0 advantage at the break. Defensively the team limited SDSU to only 55 yards on 29 carries. The Utes close out the regular season this weekend when they travel to Provo to contend against the BYU Cougars. Utah doubled up BYU last year in a 48-24 decision, but the Utes still have a 53-33-4 edge in the all-time series.
WYOMING: Against an undefeated TCU team, the Cowboys stood little chance, even at home, of being competitive as they bowed in a 45-10 final on Saturday. The loss was the fourth in the last five games for a Wyoming squad that can still finish an even 6-6 on the season, but doesn't figure on going anywhere after next week even if they do reach .500. The only touchdown for Wyoming came as a 98-yard fumble return by Chris Prosinski in the middle of the second quarter. Aside from an 18-yard field goal by Ian Watts, the Wyoming offense was barely heard from. In fact, three quarterbacks combined to hit just 6-of-19 passes for 94 yards and an interception for a team that was left with only 178 yards of total offense against one of the top defensive groups in the country. The Cowboys have a short week as they prepare for their regular-season finale versus Colorado State in Fort Collins. CSU recorded a 31-20 win in last year's meeting and now holds a 55-40-5 mark in the series.
