WAC Recap & Notes

The Western Athletic Conference looks like the Boise State Broncos and everybody else. After making to a BCS bowl, the Hawaii Rainbows are not the same team now that June Jones is no longer the head coach after heading back to the mainland for a new job at SMU. Fresno State and Nevada are very good teams that will benefit from a tough early schedule as the season progresses. San Jose State and Louisiana Tech are well-coached are capable of point spread cover or an upset on any given Saturday. New Mexico State and Idaho are the bottom feeders in the conference and bet against teams for the most part.

Boise State Broncos

The Broncos had 10 days to prepare for their non-conference game against the Southern Mississippi. The Broncos are coming off a national televised game that saw them completely dominate a Louisiana Tech team on the blue turf by the score of 38-3. The Broncos backers were expecting a learning curve for their new quarterback, but that has not been the case. Red Shirt Freshman Kellen Moore has jumped right into the saddle and has been impressive. The Broncos are 4-0 on the season, including a 37-32 victory at Oregon. Against the Bulldogs, Moore was sharp completing 20 of 28 passes for 325 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Broncos running game is down a notch but still effective around the goal line. The Broncos could easily be undefeated when they visit Nevada on November 22 with Fresno State the following week in the finale.

Fresno State Bulldogs

The Bulldog’s tough early schedule finally took a toll on the Bulldogs performance. After a 3-1 record that included road games, Rutgers, Toledo, UCLA, and Wisconsin at home, the Rainbows imploded 32-29 to winless Hawaii in last weeks action. All the travel looked to have finally caught up with Bulldogs. In a game full of turnovers and blocked kicks, the Bulldogs fell short in overtime. The Bulldogs racked-up 522 yards but turned the ball over six times. The running game was able to pound the Rainbows for 318 yards but three fumbles killed Fresno State’s chances in this game. The Bulldogs will take it out on Idaho this week and then have a break the following week. The Bulldogs need to stay perfect until they take on Boise State in their last game of the regular schedule.

Nevada Wolf Pack

Nevada improved their record to 3-2 after whipping the Vandals 49-14. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was dominant for the second straight week in the victory. He hit 19 of 24 passes for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. When he was not throwing the ball, he ran five times for 57 yard and a touchdown. Despite having injuries at running back, The Wolf Pack ran for a total of 264 yards in the win. Nevada has two winnable games on deck against New Mexico State and Utah State. If Nevada can pull out a win when they visit the islands to play Hawaii, they should end up back in a bowl.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

The Bulldogs are a respectable 2-2 on this season that includes a victory over the Mississippi State from the SEC. A bye was probably necessary after the 38-3 whipping they took at Boise State. Daniel Porter did play well in the game despite the lopsided outcome. He ran 16 times for 68 yards but was not able to get into the end zone. Quarterback Taylor Bennett continues to disappoint after transferring from Georgia Tech. He completed just nine of 27 passes for 202 yards. If Bennett can become more efficient, the Bulldogs have a chance at six wins and bowl eligibility.

San Jose State Spartans

The Spartans are coming off a bye and have an easy game against the Utah State Aggies. The Spartans are 3-2 on the season after pulling out a 20-17 victory at Hawaii. . Quarterback Kyle Reed was 14-28 for 152 yards and touchdowns. Kicker Jared Strubeck kicked field goals of 47 yards and 50 yards in the final 9:32 of the game for the win. The defense limited Hawaii to just 225 yards of passing. The Spartans should make a bowl game with Utah State, New Mexico State and Idaho still on the schedule.

New Mexico State Aggies

After a postponed game and an early bye, the Aggies have had a late start to the season. The Aggies are 2-2 after an easy 45-10 win over Alcorn State. Quarterback Chase Hoolbrook 20-25 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns. This was suppose to be an easy win for the Aggies, but the real positive was the play of the defense that generated six sacks and stifled the offense for -12 rushing yards. In the previous game against New Mexico, The Aggies gave up 297 yards on the ground. The defense will have to play better if they have any aspirations of improving on their four wins from last season.

Utah State Aggies

The Aggies are coming off a 34-14 loss to BYU. The Aggies did play with some heart to keep the score somewhat respectable. The Aggies were down 34-0 after three quarters and scored 14 points in the final frame to cover the spread. Running back Robert Turbin ran the ball 8 times for 74 yards and scored on a 40-yard dash. The Aggies travel to San Jose State this week and will have to be perfect to have a chance for their second win of the season.

Idaho Vandals

The Vandals are one of the worst teams in the country with a record of 1-5. They have failed to cover the spread in all four lined games. With the rest of the schedule of conference opponents, the chances of getting another win are slim to none. The Wolf Pack trampled the Vandals 49-14 in last week’s action. Receiver Eddie Williams continues to have a great season as he pulled in 10 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the game. The Vandals are a bet against team for the rest of the season.

Hawaii Rainbows

The Rainbows made their season by going into Fresno State and pulled a wild 32-29 victory over the ranked Bulldogs. Quarterback Inoke Funaki completed 17 of 25 passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns. The Rainbows had no business winning this game after giving up over 500 yards of offense. The Bulldogs committed six turnovers to give the Rainbows the victory. Hawaii had 10 penalties in the game and was very sloppy on both sides of the ball. Fresno missed two field goals in overtime to seal their fate. Hawaii’s home field advantage always gives them a chance to pull out a win at home. Another road win will be tough to come by.