What We Learned After Week 1 Of Mountain West Play
A quick synopsis of this week’s games.
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A solid week for the Mountain West
Each week we will take a look at each Mountain West team and point out one item from each game that sparked our interest.
The league as a whole this week did really good by winning four against Power Five teams if you include Hawaii from last week. Utah State probably should have topped Wake Forest and Fresno State had chances vs. USC so winning six was a real possibility.
Air Force – The Falcons passed the ball just one time in its easy win over Colgate, 48-7. Quarterback play was to be possibly a two-headed monster but Troy Calhoun went with Donald Hammond III as the starter and he proved his worth by moving the offense with great precision and on his five carries had three touchdowns. There was just one pass all game as Isiah Sanders came in the second half and it was a nice 41-yard pass.
Boise State – What is there to say? Boise State crushed the spirit of Florida State by overcoming and 18-point deficit to win the game. Quarterback Hank Bachmeier might just be the best freshman ever in the Mountain West. His first start which had so many hurdles such as moving the game to the home of Florida State and playing a Power 5 team. He 30 of 51 for 407 yards with a touchdown and a pick.
Colorado State – Passing game is good, the defense still a work in progress. The loss to Colorado was fairly close, 52-31. Collin Hill’s torn ACL looks to no longer be a concern by completing 31 of 47 passes and had three touchdowns. He also spread the ball well with nine different players catching a pass. The pass defense held the very talented wide receiver Laviska Shenault to just three catches for 48. The rush defense was the concern by allowing 6.1 yards per carry. The defense does seem a touch improved.
Fresno State – Ball control needs to be better. The final offensive play of the game was an interception by QB Jorge Reyna. That was not the only turnover issue as the Bulldogs had a pair of fumbles with one leading to a touchdown. With the game being just an eight-point difference, those turnovers are a key reason Fresno State could not defeat the Trojans.
Nevada – Kicking game is clutch. Brandon Talton nailed a 56-yarder for the win over Purdue.
Also, quarterback play seems just fine with Carson Strong who was 30 of 51 for 295 yards and three touchdowns. Having a solid running attack will help the ground game of Toa Taua playe well, and hopefully next week Taua will have more than just 56 yards.
New Mexico – The explosiveness in the running game might be back in town as Ahmari Davis had 107 yards and a huge 53-yard play on the ground. Also, New Mexico has a passing game? Better believe it as Brandt Hughes and Sheriron Jones combined to go 18 of 40 but while the completion percentage was not great they did throw for 340 yards, The important news is that head coach Bob Davie was sent to the hospital with a “serious medical incident.”
San Diego State – The new look offense was just dreadful in the 6-0 win over Weber State. Not much went right for San Diego State as QB Ryan Agnew threw 16 of 30 for 108 yards which comes out to 3.6 yards per attempt. Also, star running back Juwan Washington had 55 yards on 22 carries.
San Jose State – The Spartans were in control over the whole game and while that may not sound as being positive it really is There were too many times last year they would just play poorl against FCS team. Josh Love showed why he could be an above average quarterback in the Mountain West. In the opener he completed 21 of 31 passes for two touchdowns.
UNLV – The offense is ticking on all cylinders. The Rebels offense was suppose to be be its strength when healthy, and while they mopped up an FCS team it was good to see quarterback Armani Rogers have a great day in passing and running the ball with 258 yards of total offense.
Wyoming – QB Sean Chambers he had that amazing stiff arm that led to a touchdown and had 120 yards on the ground. However, 75 came on that one place and his arm is still a question mark by completing only 6 of 16 passes.
Utah State – Oh boy… we learned refs are human and the Aggies very likely should be 1-0. However, had Utah State finished drives when they made their way to the red zone then the outcome would have been different and no reason to complain about the officials. Also, quarterback Jordan Love has to be better and not have a triplet of picks.
