Philadelphia, PA (Best E Casino) - AIR FORCE: The Falcons had a chance to knock off nationally-ranked Utah at home on Saturday, but in the final moments the Air Force defense allowed the Utes to get the best of them in a 30-23 final. The Falcon offense was limited to a mere 53 yards rushing on 42 attempts, although the passing attack, which failed to make a single completion last week, responded by going 7-of-13 for 138 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons have off this coming week, but on October 4th they begin their run for the annual Commander-in-Chief Trophy when they host the Navy Midshipmen. Despite losing to the Middies last season, 31-20, Air Force still maintains a 25-15 advantage in the all-time series.
BYU: Now ranked 11th in the country, the Cougars continued to extend the nation's longest winning streak, pushing it to 14 in a row as they crushed the Wyoming Cowboys in a 44-0 thumping in Provo on Saturday. Quarterback Max Hall ended up 16-of-27 for 189 yards and three more touchdowns, while Harvey Unga produced 95 yards and a TD on 19 carries coming out of the backfield. The defense for the Cougars also got in on the scoring as Scott Johnson opened the game with a 64-yard fumble recovery return for a TD and David Nixon brought back an interception 19 yards for the score in the third frame. The Cougars catch a break in the action this week, giving them more time to prepare for their trip to Utah State on October 3rd. Against the Aggies, BYU has a record of 41-33-3 and defeated USU in the most recent meeting, 38-0, two seasons ago.
COLORADO STATE: The Rams completely dominated the time-of-possession portion of their meeting with Houston on Saturday, controlling the ball for more than 37 minutes, yet the team still had to hold on for the 28-25 victory nonetheless. Quarterback Billy Farris started the contest with a 79-yard TD pass to Dion Morton less than a minute into the festivities and finished the day 24-of-33 for 276 yards and a pair of TDs for the home team. Both Gartrell Johnson and Kyle Bell both scored touchdowns on the ground as well for the victors. The Rams head back out on the road this coming weekend for the first time since the opener versus the Buffaloes, traveling outside the state of Colorado for the first time in 2008 to face the California Golden Bears. Last season Cal picked up a 34-28 decision against CSU to even the all-time series at one game apiece.
NEW MEXICO: By the time the Lobos had scored their first points of the game on Saturday, the team was already trailing by 42 points to Tulsa, eventually losing on the road in a messy 56-14 outing. Quarterback Donovan Porterie converted 11-of-13 passes for 92 yards and an interception, while Brad Gruner stepped in and tossed three of his 12 passing chances into the waiting hands of the Golden Hurricane as well. Porterie left the game at the end of the first half with a knee injury and it is likely he is lost for the season. On a positive note, running back Rodney Ferguson rolled up a team-best 122 yards and a score on 27 carries for the visitors. Bragging rights in the Land of Enchantment are up for grabs this coming Saturday as the Lobos make the trip to Las Cruces to face New Mexico State. UNM took the meeting last season by a score of 44-34, which boosted the team's all-time mark versus the Aggies to 65-28-5.
SAN DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs had a bye this past week after losing three straight games to begin the 2008 campaign. The squad first bowed to in-state rival Cal Poly at home by a score of 29-27 and then followed that with setbacks to both Notre Dame (21-13) and San Jose State (35-10). The Aztecs go up against Idaho this coming weekend at Qualcomm Stadium, the first time the teams have met since the Vandals posted a 48-38 win in 2002 to even the all- time series at 1-1.
TCU: The Horned Frogs became the third team in the Mountain West to be part of the AP's Top-25 on Sunday, a day after they defeated SMU on the road in Dallas by a final of 48-7. TCU, which joins both BYU and Utah as MWC representatives in the poll, was led by Marcus Jackson who ran for 115 yards and a touchdown and also passed for a score in the victory Saturday. From a defensive standpoint, the Frogs held SMU to minus-eight yards rushing and saw Jerry Hughes return an interception 24 yards for a score in the first quarter. The Horned Frogs face their final non-conference opponent of the season on Saturday as they bang heads with nationally-ranked Oklahoma in Norman. TCU stunned the Sooners three years ago with a 17-10 victory, which means OU now leads the all-time series by just two games, 6-4.
UNLV: Winners of just two games in each of the last three seasons, the Rebels advanced to 3-1 after four games with their second straight overtime victory, this time against Iowa State, 34-31. Quarterback Omar Clayton passed for 235 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another as the team produced 454 yards of total offense. Clayton's 25-yard TD strike to Phillip Payne in the overtime session provided UNLV with the victory at home. The Rebels face their final non-conference opponent of the regular season this coming weekend, albeit against a familiar foe in the Nevada Wolf Pack. UNLV bowed to its in-state rival a season ago by a score of 27-20 as it again battled for the Fremont Cannon, which means the Pack now owns an 18-15 edge in the all-time series.
UTAH: Darrell Mack took the ball and ran nine yards into the end zone with less than a minute remaining in regulation to provide the Utes, now ranked 17th in the nation, with a thrilling 30-23 win over MWC foe Air Force on Saturday. Mack scored three second-half touchdowns, finishing with 101 yards on the ground, while fellow running back Matt Asiata collected 116 yards rushing. Despite entering the game with the nation's second-best running attack (358 ypg), the Falcons had Utah clamp down in the trenches and allow just 53 yards on the day. Next on the hit list for the Utes is Weber State, against which Utah has won both previous meetings, including a 52-16 decision in the most recent encounter back in 1984.
WYOMING: Like so many opponents of the BYU Cougars in recent years, the Cowboys had absolutely no control over the meeting between the two squads on Saturday, as the Pokes bowed in the 44-0 shutout. Because of the ineffectiveness of the Wyoming offense, head coach Joe Glenn had four different players attempt a pass in the contest, with backup Karsten Sween having the most difficulty when one of his three pass attempts fell into the hands of the BYU defense. Adding insult to injury, the Cowboys turned the ball over a total of six times (three INTs, three fumbles). The Cowboys face their final non-conference opponent of the season this coming weekend as they entertain the Bowling Green Falcons in the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
