Boise State tops Oregon State 46-41 to clinch hosting the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Texas State holds off Fresno State 37-35 to stake a claim to second place.
San Diego State rolls over Utah State 30-13
Washington State send Colorado State to the slaughter house, demolishing the Rams 73-7
Once again, the lead game featured Boise State locking horns with Oregon State in a ESPN College Game day selection. This was the first time since 2010 that College Game Day was in Boise. The Broncos are worth the attention,
and this game looked to be pretty tight, with Boise holding a 4.5 point advantage. With the over/under at 62.5, experts looked to see alot of points scored. Even they misjudged the offense the teams put together, as Boise State held off the Beavers 46-41. The Broncos (9-1, 6-0 Pac-12) were looking to claim their share of the Pac-12 Championship game, which they will now host on their home field on December 4. Oregon State (5-5, 3-3 Pac-12) has been a Jekyll and Hyde type of team, sometimes looking dominant and others like a pussycat. They were looking to become bowl eligible, but will have to wait another week. Together the teams managed to produce over 1,000 yards of total offense while mirroring similar stats. 35,084 fans in Albertsons Stadium saw some dramatics as Bronco wide receiver Rasean Jones caught 11 passes for 230 yards and three scores as he helped the Broncos to the victory. Quarterback Maddux Madsen was 23 of 32 passing for a career-best 372 yards and four touchdowns to help the Broncos win their ninth straight game since the season’s opening loss at Oregon.
Coach Danielson spoke of Jones’ performance when he said, “That’s one of the best performances I’ve seen from a receiver in the 10 years I’ve been here. Every catch was needed, every yard was needed.”
Boise State fans camped out overnight for “College Gameday” with a loud and raucous presence. Boise State is considered the heavy favorite to be the Group of Six selection for the College Football Playoff. Oregon State did not make this easy as they matched Boise State score for score. Oregon State’s Jesse Legree and Jones are two of the top receivers in the country. Legree was his productive self as he has 12 catches for 140 yards and a score. Oregon State needed to rely on backup quarterback Maalik Murphy to step in for injured starter Braden Atkinson. He responded with a career game, completing 31 of 39 passes for 396 yards, three scores and an interception. Broncos running back Dylan Riley was held in check, garnering a season low 50 yards on 14 carries. Next week Oregon State travels to Utah State in their quest to become bowl eligible. Boise State hosts San Diego State in an attempt to continue to improve their overall resume.
Texas State holds off Fresno State 37-35
The Bobcats were back home in the rain in front of 15,226 fans taking on Fresno State looking to become bowl eligible. The outcome was not certain until the last minute in a highly entertaining game. Bobcat quarterback Brad Jackson threw for 355 yards on 25 of 33 passing and three scores. They also rushed for 195 yards while holding Fresno state to only 60 yards on the ground. The Bobcats continued to thrive on offense as they accounted for another 550 yards on offense. They had 600 yards the previous week against Boise State. Running Back Davian Jackson scored from two yards out with a minute left to give the Bobcats (6-4, 4-2 Pac-12) the victory over the visiting Bulldogs (5-5, 2-4 Pac-12) With the win, the Bobcats became the second team in the Pac-12 to become bowl eligible. Fresno State, meanwhile, is stuck with five wins, needing one more win. Fortunately for them, they play at home against Colorado State next weekend. It’s a possibility that the Bulldog Stadium scoreboard might be looking at triple digits as the hapless Rams gave up 73 points to Washington State last night.
Back to the Bobcats. Receiver Beau Sparks caught nine balls for 115 yards while Chris Dawn Jr. added 99 yards and a score and speedster Zechariah Sample had two scores and 95 yards. Fresno State pulled to within three late in the third quarter and took the lead when Bryson Donelson scored on a 2-yard run giving the Bulldogs a 35-31 lead. The Bobcats managed to put together the game winning drive late in the game. Fresno State quarterback Jayuden Mandal was 20 of 34 passing for 250 yards and a score and an interception. Running Back Rayshon Luke had a 100-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. They also scored on a fake field goal when kicker Ryan Kobzeff took a toss and ran 19 yards for the score. Wide out Josiah Freeman was held in check with six catches for 69 yards. For the Bobcats, running back Torrance Burgess, Jr. had 21 carries for 107 yards to help balance out the offense production for the Bobcats. As mentioned, next week the Bulldogs take on Colorado State in the Video game of the week prediction Texas State will host Washington State next weekend.
San Diego moves closer to bowl eligibility with a convincing 30-13 victory over Utah State
Defense was on display as the Aztecs and Aggies fought it out in San Diego on Saturday night in front of an announced crowd of 21,231 at Snapdragon Stadium. Both teams have used thor defenses throughout the season to garner wins. Tonight would be similar as they fought to a 10-7 Aztec lead at halftime. The Aztecs (5-5, 4-2 Pac-12) were just a bit better at offense as they accumulated 410 yards of offense while they held the Aggies (4-6, 3-3, Pac-12) to a total of 200 yards including only 61 yards rushing on 29 attempts for a paltry 2.1 yard per rush average. The Aztecs managed to ground and pound the ball on the ground, accounting for 200 yards rushing. Once again, place kicker Cooper DiLeva was in the spotlight as he accounted for three field goals as well as throwing a touchdown pass off of a fake field goal. Both the Aztecs and Fresno State pulled off trick fake field goals for scores in their games last night. The Aztecs used a strong running game to control momentum. Javion Kinnard ran for 113 yards on 19 carries. Lucky Sutton added another 96 yards on 21 carries including two scores for the Aztecs who have won three of its last four games.
Midway through the third quarter, DiLeva lined up for what looked to be a simple 38-yard field goal attempt. The holder took the snap and tossed it over his shoulder to DiLeva who rolled right and tossed a pass to wide-open linebacker Kai Wallin who ran into the endzone unscathed giving the Aztecs a 17-7 lead. That seemed to be the play that broke the Aggies back. McCae Hillstead, the Aggies quarterback, was 17 of 34 passing for 139 yards and one score, this one a five-yard toss to Anthony Garcia with 1:10 left in the game. The Aztecs were plagued by yellow flag syndrome as they committed 10 infractions for 100 yards in penalties. They will need to clean those up as they will travel to Boise State next week in a game they need to become bowl eligible. Utah State meanwhile, travels to Oregon State to face the reeling Beavers. Both games are on Saturday.
Washington State absolutely vaporizes Colorado State 73-7.
The Cougars started scoring early and often and never relented as they pounded the Rams (3-7, 1-5 Pac-12 Conference) 73-7 in a laughfest. In a battle between the two cellar dwellers, the Cougars (2-8, 1-5 Pac-2 Conference) finally managed to win a conference game. The Cougars dominated in all aspects of the game outgaining the Rams 674 to 274 in total yards, 535 to 61 yards rushing and 37:19 to 22:41 in time of possession. Cougars quarterback Owen Eshelman was an efficient 13 of 14 passing for 135 yards, never needing to throw as the Cougars rushed for 58 plays. The Rams were able to muster only 50 total plays on the night. They could never get a ground game going, rushing only 24 times for 61 yards. Quarterback Hauss Hejny was 14 of 24 for 199 yards and an interception. The Rams were able to get several long pass plays of 35 yards three times but could only settle for an RJ Vick one yard run with :38 seconds left in the second quarter. The night belonged to Vorhees as he rushed for scores of 3 yards, 98 yards, 14 yards, and 10 yards. Eshelman also added three scores on runs of 4 yards, 9 yards and 1 yard. The Cougars went deep into their depth chart withbackup running backs all getting carries. This momentum might be just what the Cougars needed as they wind up a disappointing season in the revised Pac-12 Conference. Next week they travel to San Marcos, Texas to take on the exciting and dangerous Texas State Bobcats. If they’re not careful they might wind up taking a dunk in the San Marcos River, which runs along the edge of the campus, in what many say is one of the most beautiful campus settings in the Conference.
Colorado State, meanwhile, travels to Fresno State, fresh off a loss to the aforementioned Bobcats. The Bulldogs have the capability of scoring and have no issues on running up scores on undermanned opponents. The Rams won last season’s matchup 49-21 so expect the Bulldogs to be reminded of that.
Checking in on the Mountain West
The hammer fell on New Mexico last night as they suffered their first conference loss at the hand of UNLV 21-17. This will effectively end consideration for them into the College Football Playoffs. It also drops them a half game behind Wyoming in the race for the Conference title. The Cowboys were 27-15 winners at UTEP. Nevada beat Northern Illinois 28-7, while Air Force shot down a sinking San Jose State team 24-3. Expect coaching changes in Sparta in the off season. In the final game last night, North Dakota State took care of Hawaii 21-13 in the Islands. The Mountain West has five bowl eligible teams: Wyoming, New Mexico, North Dakota State, Air force and UNLV. It doesn’t appear that any other team will rise enough to win six and be considered. Next Friday night will be an important game, with Wyoming travelling to New Mexico. The winner will jump into the outright lead.
Pac-12 Standings
Most teams have played seven games. The conference standings continue to shuffle, but odds are on Boise State and Oregon State down to the wire.
- Boise State (9-1, 6-0)
- San Diego State (5-5, 4-2)
- Texas State (6-4, 4-2)
- Oregon State (5-5, 3-3)
- Utah State (4-6, 3-3)
- Fresno State (5-5, 2-4)
- Washington State (2-8, 1-5)
- Colorado State (3-7, 1-5)
San Diego State has the tie-breaker with Texas State. The Bobcats are three points away from an undefeated conference play, losing by one to Boise State and two to the Aztecs. Oregon State might yet get bowl eligibility. They would be a draw to see their offense play. Fresno State should also get bowl eligibility as they play Colorado State. Boise State will play either San Diego State or Texas State in the Conference Championship. I’m rooting for a Bobcat/Bronco rematch.
