Western Athletic Conference News And NotesPOSTED: 5:45 am HST November 2, 2009 Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - BOISE STATE: The Broncos started out slow in their home meeting with San Jose State on Saturday afternoon, but the squad then scored 31 points over the course of the second and third quarters as they cruised to the 45-7 win. Kellen Moore converted 21-of-33 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, hitting three different receivers for those scores. BSU, which moved up to fifth in the AP Poll on Sunday, finished up with 430 yards of total offense and limited the visitors to a mere 223 yards. Kyle Wilson recorded his first interception of the season and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown as well in the third quarter. The Broncos now prepare for their trip to Louisiana where they will contend with the LaTech Bulldogs in a special Friday night WAC affair. BSU has taken seven straight meetings from the Bulldogs, including a 38-3 rout at home last season to kick off its conference slate at the start of October.FRESNO STATE: Ryan Mathews ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns as he led the Fresno State Bulldogs to a 31-27 win over the Utah State Aggies in Western Athletic Conference action at Bulldog Stadium. Mathews, who entered the week as the nation's leading rusher, carried the ball 23 times for the Bulldogs as they won their fourth straight outing. Ryan Colburn converted 17-of-27 passes for 256 yards and a score as well. The Bulldogs head to Moscow where they will shoot for their seventh straight win over the Idaho Vandals. Last season FSU posted a 45-32 triumph at home, which means Idaho has not come out on the winning side of this meeting since a 30-14 victory back in 1967. HAWAII: Behind Bryant Moniz and his two touchdown passes in the first quarter, the Warriors appeared to be on their way to an upset win against a surging Nevada squad on the mainland, but it wasn't meant to be as Hawaii ended up falling by a score of 31-21 in Reno. Moniz tried to keep the visitors in the mix with his 29-of-49 for 374 yards and three touchdowns, but he also tossed a couple of interceptions and was sacked twice in the defeat. Like most Nevada opponents the last few seasons, Hawaii was unable to keep tabs on Colin Kaepernick who had his hand in four touchdowns and nearly 300 yards of offense for the home team. The Warriors settle in to Aloha Stadium this weekend as they welcome the Utah State Aggies for a Western Athletic Conference bout. Last season Hawaii bowed in a 30-14 decision, which means the school now trails in the all-time series by a count of 5-4, even though the Warriors are 3-2 out on the island versus USU. IDAHO: DeMaundray Woolridge scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with under a minute to play, as the Idaho Vandals came back to defeat Louisiana Tech, 35-34, in Western Athletic Conference action at the Kibbie Dome. Woolridge carried the ball just six times for the Vandals and finished up with a mere 11 yards, yet still saved the day for Idaho as the team strengthened its stance for postseason play. Quarterback Nathan Enderle converted 25-of-45 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns and also managed to survive a pair of interceptions and three sacks as the squad won for the sixth time in seven games. The Vandals are home for the second time in as many weeks as they prepare for the arrival of the Fresno State Bulldogs on Saturday. In this series Idaho has won just three times in 11 tries and the last victory for the team came back in 1967 by a score of 30-14. LOUISIANA TECH: The Bulldogs were led by Ross Jenkins who converted 17-of-30 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns, while fellow signal-caller Colby Cameron converted 10-of-16 for another 105 yards through the air, but all of that wasn't enough as the team bowed by just a single point on the road versus Idaho, 35-34. Cruz Williams accounted for four catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns as the squad lost for the third time in four games. LaTech snapped the ball a total of 94 times and ended with 547 yards of offense, but the squad could not adequately combat 13 penalties which set the team back 105 yards. The Bulldogs have a short week this time around as they welcome Boise State to Ruston. BSU leads the all-time series by a count of 7-4, thanks to a 38-3 decision a season ago. LaTech began this series back in 1973 and won the first four encounters before dropping the last seven to the Broncos. NEVADA: Off to a bit of a slow start on Saturday afternoon, the Wolf Pack had to come back from a 14-point deficit in order to claim a 31-21 win over the Hawaii Warriors at home in Reno. Star quarterback Colin Kaepernick continued to pick up the pace for Nevada as he completed 12-of-21 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns, not to mention carrying the ball 13 times for 114 yards and another two TDs. Vai Taua contributed a game-high 127 yards on 19 rushing attempts as well. The squad, which entered the week leading the nation in rushing, accounted for 312 yards on 49 attempts and 496 yards of total offense overall. Nevada packs up and heads to California this weekend for a special Sunday meeting against San Jose State. The Wolf Pack has won six of the last seven meetings between the two programs, putting up a 41-17 win in Reno last season, giving Nevada a 13-8-2 edge in the all-time series. NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies took a break from Western Athletic Conference play on Saturday and the team's offense took the day off altogether in a 45-0 loss to 17th-ranked Ohio State on the road. The Aggies managed a mere two first downs and a pitiful 62 yards of total offense stemming from 40 yards on the ground and a mere 22 through the air. Jeff Fleming converted 6-of-13 passes for those 22 yards and was intercepted once, the signal-caller also led the squad with his 31 yards on the ground. The Aggies now take a short respite before heading back out on the road in two weeks when they will return to WAC play and face the Hawaii Warriors in Honolulu. NMSU has had no luck against the team from the islands, losing all five of the previous meetings, bowing in a 42-30 decision a year ago at home in Las Cruces. SAN JOSE STATE: An 11-yard touchdown pass from Jordan La Secla to Marquis Avery tied the meeting with Boise State at 7-7 in the second quarter, but from there the SJSU offense disappeared in what became a 45-7 setback on the road. La Secla converted 10-of-20 for 79 yards, was sacked once and intercepted one time. Backup Kyle Reed entered the game late and hit 6-of-12 for another 52 yards, but it made little difference in the lopsided setback. The Spartans are back home this weekend getting ready to welcome the Nevada Wolf Pack for a special Sunday edition of Western Athletic Conference football. SJSU trails the all-time series, which dates back to 1899, by a count of 13-8-2, having lost last season by a score of 41-17. The Spartans have won just once in the last seven meetings with the Pack, capturing a 27-24 decision the last time they played at home in 2007. UTAH STATE: The Aggies, losers of four of the last five, were paced by Diondre Borel who hit on 20-of-31 passes for 240 yards and a score, adding another 105 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, and still the team lost to Fresno State on the road in a 31-27 final on Saturday afternoon. Robert Turbin turned in a strong outing with his 19 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown. Utah State, which converted 11-of-19 on third down, generated 503 yards of total offense as it posted 24 more offensive plays than Fresno State. Out on the road for the second straight week, the Aggies make the long trip to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu where they will challenge the Hawaii Warriors in league action. USU leads the all-time series by a count of 5-4, capturing a 30-14 triumph last season. Copyright 2009 Courtesy of The Sports Network. |








