The Mountain West’s second official week of conference play produced another strong group of individual performances, but North Dakota State once again proved to be the biggest story.
The Bison went on the road and defeated Air Force 38-32 in their first-ever Mountain West game, improving to 3-0 on the season. Quarterback Nathan Hayes led the way offensively, while senior kicker Drew Klein delivered one of the most impressive special teams performances of the season.
Hawai’i linebacker Jamih Otis also
came up with a game-changing performance in the Warriors’ first victory of the season.
Here are the Mountain West’s Week 2 Players of the Week.
Offensive Player of the Week: Nathan Hayes, North Dakota State
For the second time this season, North Dakota State has produced the Mountain West’s Offensive Player of the Week. Also for the second time, it was senior quarterback Nathan Hayes.
Hayes helped lead the Bison to a 38-32 road victory over Air Force, completing 15 of 23 passes for a career-high 228 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a 17-yard rushing touchdown.
The numbers don’t fully capture how efficiently Hayes operated the Bison offense. He completed passes to eight different receivers and produced four plays of at least 20 yards. His biggest completion was a season-long 51-yard pass, which set up a one-yard touchdown just before halftime.
Air Force entered the game with one of the most difficult defenses and most unique offensive systems with the triple option in the Mountain West. North Dakota State nevertheless controlled much of the game and built a 35-13 lead entering the fourth quarter before the Falcons mounted a late comeback attempt.
Hayes has now helped the Bison start their first Mountain West season 3-0, and after he also won the conference’s Week 0 Offensive Player of the Week award, he’s quickly becoming one of the most important players in the league’s new-look quarterback race.
Defensive Player of the Week: Jamih Otis, Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i finally picked up its first win of the season, and senior linebacker Jamih Otis played a major role.
Otis recorded a team-high six tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery as the Rainbow Warriors defeated New Mexico State 29-19.
More importantly, both of his turnovers came at crucial moments. Otis recovered a fumble on New Mexico State’s opening drive, setting up a Hawai‘i touchdown. Then, with only four minutes remaining and the Warriors protecting a 10-point lead, he intercepted an Aggies pass inside Hawai‘i territory to help seal the victory.
Hawai‘i also shut out New Mexico State in the second half. After allowing the Aggies to score 19 points before halftime, the Warriors’ defense completely changed the game after the break, forcing multiple turnovers and preventing New Mexico State from scoring another offensive touchdown.
For a Hawai‘i team that entered the weekend 0-2, it was a desperately needed defensive performance.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Drew Klein, North Dakota State
This might be the most impressive individual special teams performance of the week.
North Dakota State senior kicker Drew Klein made his lone field-goal attempt, and it was a big one. Klein connected on a school-record 56-yard field goal, breaking a record that had stood since 1997.
He also converted all five of his extra-point attempts and sent all seven of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. That gives Klein two Mountain West weekly awards already this season, as he also earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors during Week 0.
The 56-yarder was obviously the highlight, but the kickoff performance shouldn’t be overlooked. Seven touchbacks meant Air Force never had an opportunity to generate meaningful field position on a kickoff return.
Other Week 2 Performances Worth Mentioning
Scottre Humphrey, RB, New Mexico: Humphrey helped New Mexico cruise past Mercyhurst 70-7, rushing for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. The Lobos finished with 287 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns as a team.
Jabari Bates, RB, San José State: Bates continued his strong start to the season with 163 rushing yards in San José State’s 30-20 victory over Cal Poly. The Spartans finished with 255 rushing yards.
Luke Weaver, QB, San José State: Weaver threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns against Cal Poly, giving him six touchdown passes through the first two weeks of the season.
E.J. Colson, QB, UTEP: Colson threw for 239 yards and four touchdowns as UTEP bounced back from its Week 1 shutout against Oklahoma with a 51-10 victory over Texas Southern.
DeVon Rice, RB, Hawai‘i: Rice scored two touchdowns in Hawai‘i’s comeback victory over New Mexico State, helping provide balance for an offense that also received a huge passing performance from Micah Alejado.
The Takeaway
Week 2 reinforced something that was already becoming apparent after the opening weekend: North Dakota State does not need time to adjust in the Mountain West. The Bison are one of the conference’s best teams.
NDSU is now 3-0 after wins over Jacksonville State, Fordham and Air Force, and its first conference victory came on the road against one of the Mountain West’s most established programs.
The Bison are getting veteran-level production from key positions while also receiving contributions from young players like Myles Mitchell. Their transition into the Mountain West has been about as successful as possible through three games.
Meanwhile, Hawai‘i finally got itself into the win column, New Mexico continued to dominate inferior competition and San José State continues to stack up points.
But for Week 2, North Dakota State owned the Mountain West.
