BOISE STATE HANDLES WASHINGTON STATE 31-10
TEXAS STATE HOLDS OFF UTAH STATE 20-17
Top teams still intact with Boise State, Oregon State and Texas State all in position at the precipice of the conference standings
Rams and Aztecs put on offensive show in Fort Collins in front of 33,720 fans
Colorado State knew how to rack up the points Saturday night. Having been victims of 66 and 56 points already this season, it was their turn to lay the hurt on San Diego State. The Aztecs are no stranger to yielding
large volumes of points, having given up 66 themselves earlier this season. This time, both teams continued to deliver knock out blows, only achieving a knockout in the final minute. Not only with the combined 105 points, the two teams put together 1,114 total yards including 702 yards passing. Colorado State (3-4, 1-2 Pac-12) was welcoming quarterback Hauss Hejny back from injury, while San Diego State (3-5, 2-2 Pac-12) had freshman Stone Saunders starting his first game. Both quarterbacks were the key to the game for both teams, continuing their success with Hejny and possibly previewing the quarterback in the future for San Diego State with Saunders. Hejny was 24-31 for 333 yards and three scores with one interception. He also ran 11 times for 85 yards and two scores. Saunders, meanwhile, was a near mirror 23-33 passing for 369 yards, two scores and two interceptions. Saunders doesn’t have the mobility that Hejny has, but he showed maturity and poise standing in the pocket.
The Rams had lost four in a row giving up an average of 55.5 points a game. So much for an Aztec team noted for their defensive prowess. They have given up 289 points on the season, second from the bottom in the Conference ahead of Colorado State. On the other side of the ball, the last time the Aztecs scored at least 49 points was back in 2017 against San Jose State in a 52-7 victory. Quite a few players on both sides of the ball were human highlight reels with their offensive stats. Besides the aforementioned quarterbacks, Aztecs running back Lucky Sutton ran for 98 yards while fellow back added another 94 yards with both adding two touchdowns each. Wide out Jaylon Hawkins added six receptions for 164 yards and a score. Rams running back Durell Robinson had 86 yards on 19 carries and two scores while receiver Tommy Maher caught six balls for 108 and two scores. The Rams took a 35-24 lead into halftime and stretched the lead several times in the second half. With 8:43 left in the fourth quarter, Hejny took off on a quarterback draw 30 yards to paydirt putting the Rams up fourteen points. The Aztecs scored once more on a Lucky Sutton sevenyard run, but failed to recover the onside kick and the Rams ran out the clock. The Aztecs return to action next week at home on Saturday with a game against bottom dweller Washington State. With only three wins on the season, the Aztecs will be hard pressed to reach the six wins to be bowl eligible. They have three games remaining plus the flex game. It’s possible they might have a rematch against the Rams. They might need to make sure there are extra batteries for the stadium clock if they play again.
Boise State takes care of business against the Cougars
Boise State still is the cream of the crop of the Group of Six schools as they used a powerful ground game to grind the Cougars into the Pallous. The Broncos (6-1, 3-0 Pac-12) used dynamo back Dylan Riley and his 128 yards on the ground to pull away from the pesky Cougars (1-7, 0-4 Pac-12). Washington State stayed around as both teams were tied at 17 after three quarters. The fourth quarter would be all Broncos as they tallied three touchdowns to record the victory. Cam Bates had a six yard pass from Maddux Madsen to break the tie at 17-10. Two minutes later Dylan Riley took off on a 33 yard score to up the score to 24-10 and he scored again on a dynamic 72 yard run with 6:26 remaining for the 31-10 final. Quarterback Madsen was efficient going 14-23 passing for 149 yards and a score. The Broncos rushed 37 tines for 258 yards and three touchdowns. Washington State was led by quarterback Owen Eshelman who was 21-40 passing for 191 yards with an interception. Their lone touchdown came on a Kirby Vorhees one yard score in the second quarter to tie the game at seven. Boise State held a slight 10-7 lead going into halftime against Washington State whose only win this season was against FCS Duquesne 48-7. They’ve endured tight losses against Washington, Arizona and Utah State, but struggle to get the dynamic play.
The Cougars travel to San Diego State next week against the Aztecs. Gametime is Saturday October 31 at 4:00 Pacific time with a broadcast on CBS Sports Network. Boise State returns home for an intriguing matchup against new conference member Texas State for a 7:00 kickoff on Saturday. That game will be broadcast on the CW. The Broncos are already bowl eligible and look to be the top candidate for the playoffs from the Group of Six schools. All eyes are looking at the November 14 matchup against Oregon State as a key game to determine who will advance. New Mexico in the Mountain West might have something to say about that as they are also 6-1 and a nationally recognized defense. They look like they could run the table and could be 12-1 with their only loss, a close 14-6 defeat against Oklahoma. They beat North Dakota State last night 21-16 and have the inside track for the Mountain West championship.
Texas State beats Utah State in a tight game 20-17
Texas State needed placekicker Jacob Bonilla’s 37 yard field goal with less than two minutes left to defeat the visiting Utah State Aggies 20-17. A last second 48 yard attempt by Utah State (2-5, 1-2 Pac-12) kicker Kian Afrookhteh missed, going wide left. The Bobcats (4-3, 2-1 Pac-12) seemed a bit hungover from the previous week’s offense explosion. It’s possible there was some recovering from their 66-27 beatdown of Colorado State. A slow start for the Bobcats put the Aggies in front 9-7 at halftime. The only touchdown was a Jaylen Jenkins 100 yard kickoff return to answer the Aggies field goal. It looked like fireworks, but those ideas were quickly doused with defenses on both sides slowing down any offensive ideas. In the third quarter, Quarterback Brad Jackson managed a three yard score and two field goals of 51 and 37 yards by Jacob Bonilla would be all the Bobcats would need this evening. Utah State would finally answer in the fourth quarter on a 6 yard pass from Grady Brosterhous to Kaina Watson for the touchdown and a two-point conversion from Brosterhous to Jaaven Jacobs would tie the game at 17. Set the stage for the heroics of Bonilla’s field goal and the Bobcats will move on with the win. Jackson would wind up 27-37 passing for 167 yards and rushing 12 times for 15 yards. The Aggies were able to throttle his running ability, which was key to keeping the Bobcats under control. Brosterhous was 21-36 passing for 206 yards and added 27 yards on the ground. The Bobcats managed 250 yards of total offense, a far cry from the previous weeks 711 yards. The Aggies had 285 yards. Utah State will be home next Saturday for a Halloween game against Colorado State at 12:30 on the USA Network. Texas State travels to Boise State in what might be a very entertaining game. Boise knows they need to control Jackson. If they do, they will have control of the game.
What happened in the Mountain West
Wyoming has surprised many and continued their winning ways, defeating Air Force 28-14. Hawaii found their offense, trouncing Northern Illinois 56-21. Nevada and its stout defense shut down San Jose State 28-13. Many Spartan fans are questioning the coaching staff and their decisions. Stay tuned. Finally, New Mexico took care of North Dakota State 21-16, solidifying their lead over Wyoming in the conference. A matchup on November 21 looms between those two teams.
Pac-12 Standings
Gridlock at the top two spots will be settled with Oregon State and Boise State meet. Texas State lurks behind at third. The rest of the games, with the exception of Washington State and Utah State, will fight for bowl eligibility.
- Boise State (6-1, 3-0)
- Oregon State (5-2, 3-0)
- Texas State (4-3, 2-1)
- San Diego State (3-5, 2-2)
- Fresno State (4-3, 1-2)
- Colorado State (3-4, 1-2)
- Utah State (2-5, 1-2)
- Washington State (1-7, 0-4)
