MW TEAMS IN THE RANKINGS
Boise State is No. 12 and UNLV is No. 24 in the Nov. 19 College Football Playoff rankings. The Broncos are projected as the No. 4 seed in the CFP field. This marks the sixth time that two MW schools have been ranked by the CFP in the same week and the first since Fresno State was No. 23 and San Diego State was No. 24 in the Nov. 2, 2021, edition of the rankings.
Boise State is No. 11 in the Associated Press and US LBM Coaches (AFCA) polls this week, while UNLV is No. 21 in both polls. The Broncos are 121-21 (.852) all-time while being ranked in the AP Top 25. That’s the best record of any team while ranked over the last 40 seasons (min. 50 games as ranked team).
GOING BOWLING
Five MW teams are bowl eligible in 2024. UNLV is bowling in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. Boise State is bowl eligible for the 27th consecutive season, the second-longest active streak behind Georgia’s current 28-season run. Colorado State is bowl eligible for the first time since 2017, Fresno State is bowl eligible for the fourth year in a year and San José State is bowl eligible for the third straight season. New Mexico would join the ranks with a win at Hawai‘i on Saturday.
NATIONAL HONORS
Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes was named to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 and a Manning Award Star of the Week after accounting for 332 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in the Aggies’ 41-20 win over San Diego State in Week 13. Barnes threw for 139 yards and three TDs and ran for a career-best 193 and a score despite entering the game midway through the second quarter.
Barnes became the first MW player to have a game with three passing touchdowns and 190-plus rushing yards. Over the last five seasons, the only other FBS players to do that were Heisman winner Jayden Daniels in 2023 (vs. Florida) and Louisville’s Malik Cunningham in 2021 (at Duke).
JEANTY FOR HEI2MAN
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty‘s Heisman campaign rolls on. The junior is at or near the top in the FBS in several categories:
With 2,062 yards this season, Jeanty is the third MW player to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a single season, joining San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey (2,133 in 2016) and Rashaad Penny (2,248 in 2017). Jeanty is the first FBS player to reach 2,000 rushing yards in his team’s first 11 games of a season since Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon III in 2014.
Jeanty has rushed for at least 125 yards in all 11 games this season and is the first FBS player to have 125-plus rushing yards in his first 11 games of a season since Iowa State’s Troy Davis in 1996.
Jeanty has two games this season with at least 250 rushing yards and four-plus rushing TDs, while no other FBS player has a single such game this season. He has three games with at least 200 rushing yards and three rushing TDs, tied for the most in a season in MW history with Colorado State’s Kapri Bibbs (2013). Since 1996, only two FBS players have done that four times in a season: Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor (2018) and Ron Dayne (1996).
Jeanty has four TD runs of at least 70 yards this year, the most in a season in MW history, and seven of at least 60 yards, matching the MW record set by San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny in 2017. His nine TD runs of 50 yards or more this season lead the FBS and match the MW record set by Penny in 2017.
MW OWNS THE RUN GAME
It’s not just Jeanty. The Mountain West on the whole has dominated the run game across the FBS this season. Three MW squads are in the top 10 in the FBS in rushing, led by Boise State at No. 5 with 252.0 yards per game. New Mexico is sixth at 248.9 per contest and UNLV is seventh at 245.3. The MW has had three teams finish in the top 10 in the category twice, in 2012 and 2016.
New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier leads the FBS in yards per carry at 7.72, while the Lobos as a team lead the FBS at 6.73, followed by Boise State at 6.45 at No. 2 nationally. Dampier, who is third in the MW with 1,065 rushing yards this season, is the first Lobo quarterback to ever surpass 1,000 yards rushing in a season. His rushing total is the most by a MW quarterback in a season since Nevada’s Cody Fajardo in 2012 (1,121).
Boise State has outrushed its opponent in 10 games this season, with Tennessee (11) the only FBS team to do so more.
Colorado State is averaging 181.3 rushing yards per game this season compared to 92.8 per game in 2023, the sixth-largest increase by any FBS team (+88.5) and largest by any MW team. The Rams have also gone from 10 rushing touchdowns last season to 18 in 2024.
There have been 22 200-yard individual rushing efforts this season, and seven of them have come from MW players, including four by Jeanty. Only one other league, the ACC, has produced more than two.
HAVE RUN GAME, WILL TRAVEL
Continuing the running theme, San Diego State’s Marquez Cooper is the active career rushing leader in the FBS with 5,036 yards. He is just the 23rd player in FBS history to surpass 5,000 career rushing yards and is the first player in FBS history with 1,000-yard seasons at three different institutions. In addition to his 1,180 this year, he also hit the mark at Kent State in 2021 and 2022 and at Ball State in 2023.
DALMAS NEARING FBS RECORDS
Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas has 91 career field goals to his credit, good for fourth in FBS history and just six back of the FBS record of 97, held by NC State’s Christopher Dunn (2018-22).
UNLV 3-1 AGAINST A4 COMPETITION
UNLV has beaten Big 12 teams Houston (27-7) and Kansas (23-20) this season, becoming the first nonconference team ever to have multiple road wins against Big 12 competition in the same season. UNLV’s 27-7 win at Houston in Week 1 was the largest for a MW school against a Big 12 opponent since Utah’s 68-27 win at Iowa State in 2010. Those are the only two times a Mountain West team has won a road game against a Big 12 school by 20-plus points. The Rebels fell in overtime to Syracuse in Week 6 before beating Oregon State in Week 8, 33-25.
NASH RECEIVING PRAISE
This season, San José State receiver Nick Nash leads all FBS players in receptions (a school-record 96), receptions per game (8.7) and receiving touchdowns (14) and is second in receiving yards (1,291) and receiving yards per game (117.4).
He is just one TD catch away and six receptions from entering the MW’s single-season top five in those categories. Nash had a receiving TD in 10 consecutive games to open the season, the second-longest streak in MW history and the longest such streak to start a season in league history. Nash is the first Mountain West player to have at least 10 receiving touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in a season.
SACK CENTRAL
Boise State is second in the FBS in sacks with 3.91. The Aztecs’ Trey White is third in the FBS this season in sacks per game (1.14) and total sacks (12.5).
REBEL SPECIAL TEAMS
UNLV leads the FBS this season in blocked punts (5), with Rebel All-American wide receiver Ricky White III leading the FBS with four blocked kicks (all punts). UNLV freshman placekicker Caden Chittenden is second in the nation in made field goals (24) and field goals per game (2.18). His 24 makes are a MW freshman record and just five back of the overall MW single-season record of 29 set by New Mexico’s John Sullivan in 2007.
WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
San José State (17) and UNLV (16) rank second and sixth, respectively, in the FBS in passes intercepted, with the Spartans fifth with 24 turnovers gained and the Rebels third in turnover margin at 1.18.
UNLV and Boise State have both committed just seven turnovers to rank fourth in the FBS. The Rebels have committed no more than one turnover in any of their 11 games this season, matching San José State’s 2022 run as the longest to start a season in MW history.
Six MW players rank in the top 15 in interceptions, paced by Fresno State’s Cam Lockridge and UNLV’s Jalen Catalon tied for third with five each. Boise State’s Andrew Simpson and Fresno State’s Korey Foreman are tied for ninth with three forced fumbles.
DUAL THREATS
New Mexico’s Devon Dampier has three games this season with 175-plus passing yards and 100-plus rushing yards, matching the MW record in a season held by Wyoming’s Brett Smith (2013), Nevada’s Cody Fajardo (2012) and Colorado State’s Bradlee Van Pelt (2003). UNLV’s Hajj-Malik Williams has two such games this season. Hawai‘i’s Brayden Schager is one of 11 FBS QBs with at least 2,500 passing yards and 250 rushing yards this season.
SCORING IN BUNCHES
Boise State ranks third in the FBS in points per game this season (41.2), while UNLV is eighth at 38.7. The Broncos have won six games this season by 20-plus points, with just four teams – Ohio State (8), Miami (7), Notre Dame (7) and Oregon (7) – the only FBS teams with more this season.
STINGY DEFENSE
UNLV held San José State to just 112 total yards in its 27-16 win in Week 13, the third-fewest ever allowed by a MW team in a road conference game. That mark trails only Colorado State’s 79 yards allowed at New Mexico in 2021 and Wyoming’s 83 allowed in 2018, also at New Mexico.
ROAD REBS
UNLV has won a school-record eight straight road games dating back to last season.
NO PASSING GAME NEEDED
Air Force became the first FBS team this season to win a game without completing a pass when it topped Nevada, 22-19, in Week 13. The Falcons, who instead topped 300 yards in rushing for the third time this season (318), did not complete a pass for the first time since 2002.
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