MW Talking Points
- Nine Mountain West programs are in action in Week 4, highlighted by Fresno State and New Mexico opening MW play and San José State visiting Washington State.
- The Mountain West has the strongest nonconference schedule in the FBS. MW teams have 35 nonconference games scheduled this season against Autonomous 4 opponents, the most of any FBS league (counting Notre Dame, Oregon State and Washington State as A4 teams), with the next-closest totaling 27. The MW has four (4) games against the ACC, eight (8) against the Big 12, six (6) against the Big Ten and two (2) against the SEC in addition to 15 contests against Oregon State and Washington State, most of which are part of a scheduling agreement that will see all 12 MW schools face either the Beavers or Cougars. Fifteen of the MW’s games against Autonomous 4 opponents this season will be played at home.
- It’s a new era for the College Football Playoff in 2024, as the five highest-ranked FBS conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked at-large teams will earn spots in the 12-team postseason playoff. With unprecedented access to the CFP, the Mountain West will be well-positioned to earn a shot at competing for a national title.
- UNLV jumped into the national rankings at No. 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll this week, while Boise State and San José State are receiving votes. BSU and UNLV are receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25, as well.
- Mountain West squads have a total of 20 nonconference games this season against teams that have been ranked or receiving votes at the time of the game or future opponents who or are currently ranked or receiving votes in the US LBM (AFCA) and/or AP top-25 polls, including eight at home.
- Since 2018, the MW has the best winning percentage over Autonomous 5 teams (26.72) among its peer conferences. MW teams have collected 31 wins over such teams in that span, also the most among its peer conferences.
UNLV MAKING HISTORY
UNLV has beaten Big 12 teams Houston (27-7) and Kansas (23-20) this season, both on the road. The Rebels are 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 are also making program history, jumping into the national rankings for the first time this week at No. 25 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
SCORING BLITZ
UNLV downed Utah Tech 72-14 in Week 2, matching the fifth-most points scored in a game in MW history. The Rebels rolled up a school-record 695 yards of total offense and rushed for 504, the third-most in program history.
JEANTY FOR HEI2MAN
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty leads the FBS in all-purpose yards per game (235.5), rush yards per carry (10.2), rushing touchdowns (nine), total touchdowns (nine), rushing yards per game (229.5) and scoring (27.0 points per game). He is second in the FBS in points responsible for per game (27.0), rushing yards (459) and total points scored (54). His nine rushing TDs through two games are the most in MW history and the most in the FBS since Ricky Williams had nine in Texas’s first two games in 1998. Jeanty has three TD runs of at least 70 yards this year, which tie for the most in a season in MW history.
RUSHING LEADERS
Idle in Week 3, Boise State leads FBS in yards per rush this season at 8.7 (592/68). It’s the highest average through two team games of a season by any team in Mountain West history.
ROAD BRONCOS
Boise State has scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive road games, the longest such streak in MW history, surpassing Fresno State’s seven-game streak spanning the 2012-13 seasons.
MW CAREER SCORING LEADER
In a Week 1 win at Georgia Southern, Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas became the MW’s career scoring leader. He kicked six extra points on the day to move past former TCU kicker Ross Evans, who had 407 points from 2008-11. Dalmas, who now has 420 career points, needs just one field goal to tie former Nevada kicker Brandon Talton (2019-23) for first in MW history with 83.
NASH RECEIVING PRAISE
This season, San José State receiver Nick Nash leads all FBS players outright in receptions (34), receiving yards (485) and receiving touchdowns (six). He is the second FBS player this century to hit those marks in his team’s first three games of a season (Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree in 2007). Nash also leads the FBS this season in receiving yards per game (161.7) and receptions per game (11.3). His 17 receptions against Kennesaw State in Week 3 are tied for four-most in a game in MW history and match the SJSU regular-season record.
SPARTAN TAKEAWAYS
San José State has forced 10 turnovers this season, tied with Cal, Maryland and Oklahoma for most in FBS this season. Only two MW teams have forced more TOs through three games of a season in league history – Fresno State in 2018 (12) and Nevada in 2022 (11).
FAST START
Ken Niumatalolo is the first San José State coach to win each of his first three games as head coach of the school since Lynn Stiles in 1976.
PICKED OFF
Two of the five FBS players with at least three interceptions play in the Mountain West – Fresno State’s Cam Lockridge and UNLV’s Jalen Catalon (each with three). For his college career, Lockridge has 12 interceptions, the second most by any active FBS player, behind only Quincy Riley’s 14 with MTSU and Louisville. Both Lockridge and Catalon had picks in Week 3, with Lockridge snagging two in a shutout win over New Mexico State and Catalon one in a win over Kansas.
FRESNO STATE’S STINGY DEFENSE
Fresno State blanked New Mexico State 48-0 in Week 3, marking its fourth straight season with a shutout. Before the win over the Aggies, the Bulldogs’ last shutout came almost exactly a year prior, when they beat Arizona State 29-0 on Sept. 16, 2023.
RAY’S 8
Three MW punters were among the Ray Guy Award’s Ray’s 8 for Week 3. Colorado State’s Paddy Turner, Hawai‘i’s Lucas Borrow and UNLV’s Marshall Nichols were all honored for their performances on the week.
HORTON IN RAREFIED AIR
Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton is one of two FBS players this century with at least 25 receiving touchdowns, three punt return touchdowns and a passing touchdown in his college career. The other was current Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed for Western Michigan and Michigan State.
ELITE RETURN MAN
Hawai‘i’s Tylan Hines is one of two FBS players with at least 100 kick return yards and 75 punt return yards this season, along with UCF’s Xavier Townsend. Hines leads the MW in kick return yards (119) and is third in punt return yards (88).
NEW CAREER LEADER IN LARAMIE
Wyoming senior kicker John Hoyland booted a pair of field goals in a Week 2 loss to Idaho, connecting from 48 and 22 yards to move past Cooper Rothe for the Cowboys’ career record. With 60 in his career, Hoyland is now fourth in MW history.
NEW LEADERSHIP
Eight of the 12 MW programs are under new leadership this season.
Boise State’s Spencer Danielson enters his first full season for the Broncos after serving as their interim coach for the final four games of the season, while Fresno State’s Tim Skipper, who served as acting coach for the Bulldogs in their win in the Isleta New Mexico Bowl last season, will serve as Fresno State’s interim coach this season after former coach Jeff Tedford stepped down in July. Jeff Choate (Nevada), Bronco Mendenhall (New Mexico), Sean Lewis (San Diego State), Ken Niumatalolo (San José State), Nate Dreiling (Utah State, interim) and Jay Sawvel (Wyoming) enter their first seasons at the helms of their respective programs.
Mendenhall, the 2006 MW Coach of the Year, was the head coach at BYU from 2005-10, while Sawvel served on former Pokes coach Craig Bohl‘s staff since 2020 as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Niumatalolo, who was a three-time American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year during a successful 15-year run at Navy, served as an assistant coach in the MW at UNLV from 1999-2001 and played (1987-89) and coached (1990-94) at Hawai‘i before the Rainbow Warriors joined the league.
NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
The Mountain West has had three players earn a national player of the year award in a three-season span. Air Force safety Trey Taylor won the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, finishing the season with 74 tackles (40 solo), half a sack and three interceptions, including one for a touchdown. He anchored a Falcon defense that ranked sixth in the FBS in total defense (277.7) and rushing defense (90.8), 12th in scoring defense (18.2) and 20th in passing defense (186.8). Taylor joins a group of recent national players of the year that includes Colorado State’s Trey McBride, who won the 2021 John Mackey Award (best tight end) and San Diego State’s Matt Araiza, who won the 2021 Ray Guy Trophy (top punter).
| Friday, Sept. 20 | Time | Network | National Radio |
| RV/– San José State at RV/RV Washington State | 7 p.m. PT | The CW | |
| Saturday, Sept. 21 | Time | Network | National Radio |
| Utah State at Temple | 2 p.m. ET | ESPN+ | SiriusXM |
| Eastern Washington at Nevada | 12 p.m. PT | Mountain West Network | SiriusXM |
| UTEP at Colorado State | 3 p.m. MT | truTV/Max | SiriusXM channel 384 |
| Wyoming at North Texas | 6 p.m. CT | ESPN+ | SiriusXM |
| Fresno State at New Mexico* | 6:30 p.m. MT | truTV/Max | SiriusXM (FS broadcast) SiriusXM channel 381 (UNM broadcast) |
| Portland State at RV/RV Boise State | 7:45 p.m. MT | FS1 | SiriusXM channel 380 |
| Northern Iowa at Hawai‘i | 6 p.m. HT | Spectrum/T1Sports |
