Boise State lights up Colorado State 64-38
Utah State tops Fresno State 17-10
Texas State thwarts Oregon State 42-21
Boise State starts fast and stays on top of the Rams
No. 20 Boise State put an explanation mark in their quest for a College Football Playoff spot. It was a total team effort as backup quarterback Max Cutforth tossed four touchdowns and scooted in for another on the ground as Boise State ran their winning streak to eight games with a convincing 64-38 win over Colorado State in Fort Collins.
Canvas Stadium was nearly full with 30,587 fans on hand to see yet another Bronco team in action. Boise State (8-1, 5-0 Pac-12) amassed 669 total yards to Colorado State’s(3-6, 1-4 Pac-12) 513, combining for 1,182 total yards of offense. This matched the eighth-most yards in program history.
Cutfort, filling in for injured starter Maddux Madsen was 16 of 19 for 317 yards. The ground game was the focus of attention for the Broncos as they ran for 352 yards. Dylan Riley led the way with 192 yards on 19 carries and two scores. He also added another score and accumulated 88 yards in receptions plus 20 in kick returns for 300 total yards. Riley was on fire early as he took the second play from scrimmage with a swing pass 73 yards for the early score. He has 1,241 rushing yards on the season so far. He should be given consideration for potential Heisman Trophy hype with these types of eye popping numbers. Backup Harry Stewart III rushed nine times for 89 yards and two more scores showing the Broncos depth at running back. Regular backup Sire Gaines did not play due to injury. Rasean Jones added six catches for 116 yards and one touchdown.
The Broncos led 29-10 at halftime and continued to pile on the points in the second half as they expanded their lead to 43-24 after three quarters. The Broncos had big scoring plays as they put up points on plays that went for 73, 42, 15, 35, 29, 31, 43, 6 and 1 yard. Points were easy against a Rams team that leads the FBS in giving up points at 42.4 per contest. The points scored were the most by a Broncos team on the road since a 71-13 win at Chaffey College in 1952 when Boise State was a junior college. . The Rams had some nice offensive showings as well as quarterback Hauss Hejny was 14 of 25 passing for 253 yards and two scores. He also added 69 yards on the ground with an additional score. Tommy Maher had six receptions for 99 yards and a score for the Rams.
Boise State hosts Oregon State next Saturday in a blockbuster of a showdown. This game had earlier conference championship hype until the Beavers were taken down by Texas State. It seems the conference championship game was last week, when Boise State came from behind to top the Bobcats 46-45. Colorado State travels to Washington State in a game of lesser importance.
Utah State defense stuns Fresno State 17-10. The Aggies have won three of their last four games.
The Aggies have made a major turnaround in their season. After dropping their first three games of the season, they have quietly surged in recent weeks to a four team tie for second place in the Pac-12 Conference. Saturday evening’s win over Fresno State (5-4, 2-3 Pac-12) shows the Aggies (4-5, 3-2 Pac-12) have developed a strong defense, capable of winning the close games. Fresno State, coming off of a big win over Oregon State the previous week, struggled to get much of any offense. They punted 7 times and had four three-and-outs all in the first half. They only managed 27 plays and were trailing 14-0. They finally got points on a 32 yard field goal by Manaki Watanabe in the third quarter. Their best drive was an 11 play, 75 yard compilation ending in a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Mandal to Ezekiel Avit late in the fourth quarter. The Aggies, meanwhile, were trading punts with the Bulldogs in the first quarter. Each team’s drives all ended in punts. The Aggies would strike first on a 3-play, 80 yard drive. Quarterback McCae Hillstead hit Wide Receiver Anthony Garcia for 37 yards. He would then rush for 12 yards and after a pass interference penalty Sesi Vailahi ran two yards for a 7-0 Aggie lead. The Aggies next drive would be more conventional as they went eight plays and 46 yards for a Hillstead three yard rush for a score and a 14-0 halftime lead. The Aggies would add a field goal late in the fourth quarter and would hold off the last Bulldogs threat. Mandal wound up 22/39 passing for 262 yards and a touchdown. The ground game never got started as the Bulldogs only managed 16 yards on the evening. Josiah Freeman was nearly all the offense for Fresno State as he had eight catches for 114 yards. Hillstead would go 9/14 passing for 117 yards. He would also lead the team in rushing with 12 carries for 56 yards.
Next Saturday the Bulldogs travel to Texas State for a game against upstart Texas State. Both teams have five wins and need one more win to become bowl eligible. Utah State meanwhile will be at San Diego State. Both the Aggies and Aztecs are at four wins and this is a must win for both teams.
Texas State offense again on full display in their 42-21 victory over Oregon State
The talk is all Texas State (5-4, 3-2 Pac-12) as being the surprise team in the Pac-12. The Bobcats showed they are a team on the rise as they handled Oregon State (5-4, 3-2) in convincing fashion on Saturday evening, 42-21. The Bobcats are now 3-2 in conference play and only three points separates them from the top. They lost 31-29 earlier to San Diego State in a game in which the Bobcats outgained the Aztecs 565 to 239 in yards. Last week they scored 36 unanswered points against Boise State to erase a 25 point deficit only to see them lose the lead and the game late. They earlier had lost a lead to UTSA, but since then have been en fuego, scoring 49, 63, 66 46 and 42 points in recent games. Last night the Bobcats used a punishing ground game to roll past Oregon State. 600 yards of total offense and an amazing 82 plays run and a near 36 minute time of possession.
Torrance Burgess Jr. ran for 196 yards and a score while Davian Jackson ran for three more scores on 107 yards. Quarterback Brad Jackson was 16/20 passing for 214 yards, a score, an interception and 87 more yards on the ground. Oregon State wide out Jesse Legree, who was the nation’s leading receiver in yards and touchdown catches had eight receptions for 99 yards. National leader Braden Atkinson had a mediocre day behind center as he was 20/36 passing for only 192 yards.
Oregon State just a few weeks ago was in the discussion for the College Football Playoff, but after winning five in a row, they have now dropped two games. It doesn’t get any easier as they take on Boise State on The Blue next weekend. They will then be back home for a game against Utah State before their flex game. A nice crowd of 36,714 were in attendance in wet weather to watch an exciting game hoping for a Beaver comeback.
Texas State returns home to take on Fresno State next week followed by a home game against cellar dweller Washington State. The Bobcats could realistically be 7-4 heading into a flex game, potentially against Boise State in a rematch. We will have to wait to see what the conference chooses to do with these games.
Checking in on the Mountain West
New Mexico dominated Nevada 31-3 on Friday night, extending their lead in the conference standings. San Jose State held off Northern Illinois 30-19 to move closer to bowl eligibility. Air Force took down Army 24-21 to win the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy. Hawaii held off UTEP 17-14 in El Paso and Wyoming continued their winning ways, beating UNLV 41-35. The Cowboys are a half game behind the Lobos in the conference. The two teams will play on Friday November 20 for the battle for conference supremacy. The Lobos, Cowboys, North Dakota State and Air Force are all bowl eligible with UNLV and SJSU needing at least one more win.
Pac-12 Standings
The conference is pretty much one team, Boise State. They have risen to the task, as they usually have done in the Mountain West days. Several teams are fighting for bowl eligibility.
Texas State has the inside track to be the second best team in the Pac-12 this season.
- Boise State (8-1, 5-0)
- Texas State (5-4, 3-2)
- Oregon State (5-4, 3-2)
- San Diego State (4-5, 3-2)
- Utah State (4-5, 3-2)
- Fresno State (5-4, 2-3)
- Colorado State (3-6, 1-4)
- Washington State (1-8, 0-5)
