Philadelphia, PA -- (Sports Network) - BOISE STATE: The Broncos scored three touchdowns in both the first and second quarters on Saturday as they ripped apart the Idaho Vandals with a 63-25 win at home on the blue turf. Kellen Moore was again flawless as he converted 22- of-32 passes for 299 yards and five touchdowns, with Austin Pettis reeling in eight of those passes for 123 yards and four touchdowns in the romp. Boise State, which remained at the sixth position in the latest AP Poll, did give up more than 500 yards of offense to the Vandals, but BSU also came up with five interceptions, with Kyle Wilson returning one of those 71 yards for a score to start the second half. The Broncos hit the road for the last time in the regular season this week, challenging the Utah State Aggies in Logan on Friday night. Last season, BSU picked up an easy 49-14 win versus USU, which means Boise now leads the series by an 11-4 margin.
FRESNO STATE: Up against the top rushing attack in the country, the Bulldogs themselves sixth in the nation with 237 ypg on the ground, were limited to just 112 yards on 35 attempts in their 52-14 loss to Nevada on the road Saturday. Ryan Mathews, the nation's leading rusher now with an average of close to 150 ypg, was held to a mere 32 yards on eight attempts in the setback that snapped the team's five-game win streak. Quarterback Ryan Colburn converted 24-of-35 for 362 yards and a couple of touchdowns, but he was picked off once and sacked six times. The final home game of the season takes place this weekend for the Bulldogs as they welcome Louisiana Tech to town. FSU owns a 7-3 advantage in the series, but it was the bayou version of the canines that captured a 38-35 win last year.
HAWAII: Despite lacking consistency this season, the Warriors still managed to come up with their second straight win on Saturday with a 24-6 decision against New Mexico State at home. Running back Leon Wright-Jackson recorded a pair of touchdown runs in the first quarter for Hawaii, while Bryant Moniz converted 20-of-38 passes for 294 yards. Backup Shane Austin tossed a 12-yard TD pass to Greg Salas in the fourth quarter, the receiver finishing the contest with a staggering 16 catches for 196 yards for the victors. The Warriors hit the road for one last time in the regular season this weekend as they drop in on San Jose State. Last year, Hawaii had a seven-game win streak in the series snapped with a 20-17 loss at home, a decision that allowed the Spartans to take a slim 16-15-1 lead in the series.
IDAHO: Against any other opponent, posting 514 yards of total offense would probably put the Vandals into the win column, but the foe on Saturday was sixth-ranked Boise State and the Broncos were far from gracious hosts with their 63-25 decision. DeMaundray Woolridge handled the ball 24 times coming out of the backfield for Idaho, generating a game-high 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground, while Brian Reader hit on 17-of-27 passes to his own teammates for 305 yards and a touchdown. However, Reader also tossed five interceptions, one of which was returned 71 yards for a score early in the third quarter. The Vandals are the only WAC team not in action this week, giving them extra time to prepare for the arrival of Utah State for the regular-season finale on November 28th. Against the Aggies, Idaho trails in the all-time series by a scant 17-16-2 count and has lost back-to-back contests since putting up a 41-21 win on the road in 2006. Last season, the Vandals were handed an ugly 42-17 loss by USU.
LOUISIANA TECH: Against the ninth-ranked program in the nation and in-state rival LSU, the Bulldogs stayed close before losing 24-16 on the road in Baton Rouge. So well did LaTech play, the Tigers actually dropped a spot in the recent AP Poll down to 10th. Quarterback Ross Jenkins converted 16-of-31 passes for 143 yards and survived five sacks, while the running game for the Bulldogs generated 178 yards on 51 attempts in an effort to keep the LSU offense off the field for as long as possible. Kicker Matt Nelson booted three field goals for the Bulldogs and running back Daniel Porter tossed a one-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Moore for the only trip into the end zone for the visitors. The Bulldogs get back to the business of WAC action this weekend as they make the trip to California to face those other Bulldogs from Fresno State. FSU owns a 7-3 edge in the all-time series, but it was LaTech that captured a 38-35 win in the most recent meeting last season at home.
NEVADA: Another week and another Wolf Pack rout as the team demolished Fresno State at home by a final of 52-14. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick attempted just 12 passes in the outing, hitting on six for a mere 45 yards while the nation's top rushing attack was at it again with a staggering 461 yards and seven touchdowns on 50 chances. Kaepernick took two balls into the end zone himself, while Luke Lippincott accounted for 149 yards and three touchdowns on 10 attempts. Vai Taua topped the rushing list for the team with his game-high 179 yards and two TDs on 17 attempts. With the lopsided effort Nevada, which lost the first three games of the season but is now riding a seven-game win streak, paces the entire nation in rushing with a staggering 353.1 ypg and is second on the country in total offense with 520.6 ypg. The Wolf Pack plays the first of two straight road games to close out the regular season this weekend, heading to Las Cruces for a date with New Mexico State. Nevada leads the all- time series by a 10-2 count and is a perfect 5-0 on the road versus NMSU. Last season, the Pack logged a 35-21 victory in Reno, the sixth consecutive win in the series for the program.
NEW MEXICO STATE: The offense continues to fall flat for the Aggies as they came up with just six points in a 24-6 loss to Hawaii at Aloha Stadium on Saturday night. NMSU has failed to score in double digits in each of the last four games (all loses) and has combined for a mere 16 points in those outings. As a result, the Aggies come in last in all of college football with just 234 ypg of offense and a mere 11.2 ppg. Quarterback Jeff Fleming converted 12- of-21 passes for 111 yards and two interceptions, while being sacked two times in the contest. The only points for New Mexico State came on a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown by Davon House, yet the squad failed on a two-point conversion. This coming weekend the Aggies host Nevada in Las Cruces, the final home game of the season for NMSU. The Aggies have not had much luck in this series, losing six in a row and 10 of the 12 all-time meetings. Last year Nevada captured a 35-21 win at Mackay Stadium in Reno.
SAN JOSE STATE: Lamon Muldrow's two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the only trip into the end zone for the Spartans on Saturday, but with a failed two-point conversion SJSU was on its way to a 24-9 loss to Utah State in Logan. Muldrow was the leading rusher for the visitors with his 46 yards on 14 carries, the team coming up with just 56 yards on 27 attempts. Quarterback Jordan La Secla converted 18-of-34 passes for 216 yards, but he was sacked three times by a USU defense that allowed just 15 first downs and 301 yards of total offense to a team that has dropped five consecutive outings and all eight games versus opponents from the Football Bowl Subdivision. Next up for the Spartans is a home date against the Hawaii Warriors this coming weekend. Dating back to 1936, SJSU holds a narrow 16-15-1 edge in the all-time series as the team snapped what had become a seven-game slide versus Hawaii with a 20-17 triumph on the road last season. In breaking news, it was reported that head coach Dick Tomey plans to retire at the conclusion of the season. The former Hawaii and Arizona head coach is in his fifth year with SJSU and his 29th overall as a head coach of a major school.
UTAH STATE: The Aggies snapped a two-game slide and came up with just their third win of the season on Saturday as they limited San Jose State to a mere nine points in a 15-point victory at home. Robert Turbin had touchdown runs in both the first and second quarters for USU and finished with a staggering 190 yards on 24 attempts for a team that logged 381 yards and three touchdowns on 52 collective carries. Diondre Borel had a weak showing at the quarterback position as he completed just seven of his 18 pass attempts for 50 yards and he was sacked twice. The Aggies have a short week this time around as they get ready for Boise State at home on Friday night. Last season, the Broncos crushed USU in a 49-14 final, which means BSU now leads the all-time series by an 11-4 count.
