Mountain West Football: Week 7 Winners And Losers
Who came out ahead and who left something to be desired across the Mountain West in Week 7 of the college football season?
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Encouragements and letdowns from the week that was.
Conference play was in full swing on Friday night and Saturday and who knew that college football and spooky season would have so much in common? Six Mountain West clashes begat four results decided by eight or fewer points, leaving just about everyone on the edge of their seats all weekend long.
Who’s living with the horrors in the aftermath, though? Here are the winners and losers from Week 7 of Mountain West football.
Winners
1. Air Force
If any questions existed about whether the Falcons were the class of the Mountain West, they were silenced until further notice on Saturday with a hard-fought 34-27 victory at home against Wyoming.
The Cowboys had been widely considered Air Force’s toughest opponent to date and they did jump out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but after the Falcons went three-and-out on their first possession, they would score on five straight drives and later overcome two fumbles in a row to get their biggest play of the game when they needed it most, a 58-yard John Lee Eldridge III touchdown to give the Falcons a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with about two minutes left in the game.
Now one of only two undefeated teams in Mountain West play, Air Force controls its destiny headed into the first leg of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy round-robin next Saturday. Perhaps it’s fitting for a team that already plays its home games a mile above sea level, but the sky is now the limit for Troy Calhoun’s cadets.
2. UNLV
For a college athlete, few things must feel better than pasting a bitter rival on their home field. That’s exactly what the Rebels did on Saturday in a 45-27 pasting of the Nevada Wolf Pack, just the second time since 2005 that the program has won back-to-back contests in the Silver State clash.
Though UNLV has made huge strides throughout the season thanks to a deep stable of running backs, Week 7 was Donovyn Lester’s time to shine with touchdown runs of one, 16, and 66 yards on just ten carries. Freshman quarterback Jayden Maiava also had the best overall game of his young career by completing 20-of-25 throws for 257 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense generated three sacks, five three-and-outs and three takeaways. It was a total team effort for the team’s biggest Fremont Cannon victory in nearly two decades, and they aren’t done yet.
3. Colorado State
When Dallin Holker scooped the tip drill into his hands mere inches above the end zone turf to seal the Rams’ stunning 31-30 comeback victory over Boise State, the program’s first-ever win against the Broncos exorcised a wealth of demons.
While the furious fourth-quarter rally deservedly received attention in the aftermath, it took the entire second half to erase deficits of 17-0 and 30-10 and seal the deal. The defense stiffened, forcing two key three-and-outs and limiting the Broncos to 4.3 yards per play after giving up 7.0 YPP in the first two quarters. The offense, meanwhile, came to life and managed 7.2 YPP in the last 30 minutes after wasting three first-half Boise State turnovers.
Does this mean the program has finally turned a corner under head coach Jay Norvell? It’s hard to say, but perhaps they’re learning to play more effectively under pressure since CSU is now 2-1 on the year in games decided by eight or fewer points. Regardless of what happens from here, fans in Fort Collins are going to remember this one for a long time.
Losers
1. Boise State
Then again, you might say the same of the blue and orange faithful for the opposite reason. The two-quarterback gambit didn’t work as effectively as it did against San Jose State in Week 6 because Maddux Madsen and Taylen Green combined to finish 16-of-25 for 140 yards with two interceptions. Ashton Jeanty had another Herculean performance (254 all-purpose yards, three touchdowns), but the Broncos offense doesn’t appear to have any consistently reliable options outside of him and Jonah Dalmas.
The defense, though. After holding Colorado State to five three-and-outs on their first six offensive possessions, they had few answers for Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi down the stretch: He finished the game by completing 11 of his last 17 attempts, including four explosive pass plays totaling 116 yards, and three touchdowns in the last six minutes. It was the latest evidence of something systemic we haven’t seen before in Boise, evidenced by another ten missed tackles (according to Pro Football Focus), and it may not be the kind of thing this coaching staff can solve in time to salvage the 2023 campaign.
2. Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang
Facing a ten-point deficit at your opponent’s 30-yard line with one minute left in the game, do you push for the end zone or settle for three points and hope for a lucky bounce? In Chang’s case, he opted for the latter; while Matthew Shipley was true from 47 yards, Hawaii never got the ball back and suffered a 41-34 at home to San Diego State.
Chang was apologetic about the decision-making during his post-game press conference, but social media reactions were divided about whether he needed to be. Making the decision on second down rather than rolling the dice, especially after quarterback Brayden Schager had completed back-to-back 17- and 21-yard passes, didn’t sit well with many fans, serving as a reminder that the role of head coach can often be a very difficult one.
3. New Mexico defensive coordinator Troy Reffett
It was always going to be a tall order replacing both Rocky Long and the defensive talent that left the program through the transfer portal last off-season, but the Lobos appear to be regressing badly here after a 52-24 shellacking by San Jose State.
The Spartans mustered 10.8 yards per play, the highest average by a New Mexico opponent since 2016, thanks to 15 explosive plays that added up to a whopping 472 yards. Two defensive holding and two pass interference calls didn’t help matters, either, so unless they can find some answers quickly, the bounceback hoped for by UNM supporters may not materialize this fall.
