MW Talking Points
- Ten Mountain West teams take the field in Week 11, with San Diego State hosting New Mexico on Friday to kick things off. No. 14/12 Boise State hosts Nevada on FOX on Saturday, while Utah State visits No. 20/20 Washington State in nonconference action. Hawai‘i welcomes UNLV, Fresno State visits Air Force and San José State heads to Oregon State to round out the schedule.
- Boise State is ranked for the seventh straight week, sitting at No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and No. 14 into the US LBM Coaches (AFCA) poll. UNLV is receiving votes in both polls.
- With Boise State, Colorado State and UNLV already bowl eligible, two more MW teams can join them in Week 11, as Fresno State and San José State are both sitting on five wins.
- 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.
- MW teams have played 11 one-possession games against A4 opponents this season, with four of those games settled in overtime or on the final play of regulation.
- Since 2018, the MW has the best winning percentage over Autonomous 5 teams (27.20) among its peer conferences. MW teams have collected 34 wins over such teams in that span, also the most among its peer conferences.
- 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.
- Mountain West squads have a total of 21 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.
MW TEAMS IN THE RANKINGS
Boise State is No. 12 in this week’s Associated Press poll and No. 14 in the US LBM Coaches (AFCA) poll. The Broncos are 118-21 (.849) 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). UNLV entered the national rankings for the first time in school history this season, spending three weeks in the AFCA poll and one week in the AP poll. The Rebels are receiving votes in both polls this week.
GOING BOWLING
UNLV topped Oregon State for its sixth win of the season in Week 8 and will be going bowling in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. Boise State downed UNLV in Week 9 to become bowl eligible for the 27th consecutive season, the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Georgia’s current 28-season run. Colorado State defeated Nevada 38-21 in Week 10 to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2017.
JEANTY FOR HEI2MAN
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty‘s Heisman campaign rolls on. The junior is either first or second in the FBS in several categories:
- all-purpose yards per game (200.75, 1st)
- rushing touchdowns (20, 1st)
- rushing yards (1,525, 1st)
- rushing yards per game (190.6, 1st)
- total points scored (126, 1st)
- total touchdowns (21, 1st)
- rush yards per carry (8.03, 2nd)
- scoring (15.8, 2nd)
Jeanty has is the first player with at least 20 rushing touchdowns and 1,500 rushing yards through his team’s first eight games of a season since Texas’ Ricky Williams in 1998. Across the FBS, there are 107 teams that have not reached 20 rushing TDs this season and 91 teams that haven’t hit 1,500 net rushing yards
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 also has four TD runs of at least 70 yards this year, the most in a season in MW history. His eight TD runs of 50 yards or more this season lead the FBS.
MW OWNS THE RUN GAME
Jeanty’s rushing prowess has been well-documented, but 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 fourth with 267.9 yards per game. UNLV is sixth at 243.5 per contest and New Mexico is eighth at 230.9. Together, MW teams are averaging a combined 168.6 rushing yards per game this season, the most by any FBS conference with more than two teams.
Colorado State is averaging 180.7 rushing yards per game this season compared to 92.8 per game in 2023, the sixth-largest increase by any FBS team and largest by any MW team. The Rams have also gone from 10 rushing touchdowns last season to 15 already in 2024.
There have been 18 200-yard individual rushing efforts this season, and six of them have come from MW players, including three by Jeanty. No other league has produced more than two.
Against Wyoming in Week 10, New Mexico’s Devon Dampier (207) and Eli Sanders (205) became the first FBS QB/RB teammate duo to each have 200-plus rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns in the same game since West Virginia’s Pat White and Steve Slaton in November 2006 at Pitt.
BRONCOS DOMINANT ON THE BLUE
Boise State has won all four of its home games this season by at least 20 points, the longest active streak in the FBS. The last MW team to win each of its first five home games by 20-plus points was TCU in 2010, who finished that season 13-0.
DALMAS NEARING FBS RECORDS
Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas has 90 career field goals to his credit, good for fourth in FBS history and just seven back of the FBS record of 97, held by NC State’s Christopher Dunn (2018-22). With a career field-goal percentage of 89.1 (90-for-10), Dalmas is second in FBS history in that category, trailing only Nebraska’s Alex Henery, who converted at an 89.5-percent clip (68-for-76) from 2007-10.
ROAD REBS
UNLV has won a school-record six straight road games dating back to last season. The Rebels are 4-0 on the road this year and have outscored their opponents 133-86 in those contests. UNLV visits Hawai‘i in Week 11.
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 (80), receptions per game (10.0) and receiving touchdowns (12) and is second in receiving yards (995) and receiving yards per game (124.4).
Nash has a receiving TD in eight consecutive games, the longest active streak in the FBS and tied for the third-longest in MW history. It’s also the longest such streak to start a season in MW history. Nash is the first Mountain West player to have at least 10 receiving touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in a season.
Nash has an FBS-best seven games this season recording at least 90 yards and had at least seven receptions in each of those seven games. The last MW player to have more games with 90-plus receiving yards and seven-plus catches in a single season than Nash was Colorado State’s Rashard Higgins in 2014 (nine).
SACK CENTRAL
Boise State leads the FBS in sacks with 4.75 per game, while San Diego State is fourth at 3.63. Of the 12 FBS teams this season with multiple games having at least six sacks, three play in the MW in Boise State, San Diego State and UNLV, with the Broncos sharing the national lead with Duke and Ole Miss with three such games. The Aztecs’ Trey White continues to lead the FBS this season in sacks per game (1.44), tackles for loss (16.5) and TFLs per game (2.1).
OTHER NATIONAL LEADERS
UNLV leads the FBS this season in blocked punts (4), with Rebel All-American wide receiver Ricky White III leading the FBS with three blocked kicks (all punts). UNLV freshman placekicker Caden Chittenden leads the nation in total made field goals (18) and field goals per game (2.25). Nevada cornerback Michael Coats Jr. paces the FBS with 17 passes defended and 1.7 per game.
WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
San José State (14) is third and Fresno State (13) and UNLV (13) are seventh in the FBS in passes intercepted, with the Spartans ranking third with 19 turnovers gained and the Bulldogs ranking sixth with 18. UNLV ranks fourth in turnover margin at 1.38.
Boise State has four turnovers this season, with only Army (one) having fewer among FBS teams. Dating back to last season, Boise State has gone nine straight games without having multiple TOs and UNLV has gone eight straight. Only Clemson (10 games) has a longer active streak than BSU’s.
Fresno State’s Cam Lockridge is tied for second in the FBS with five interceptions, while Nevada’s Michael Coats Jr., SJSU’s Robert Rahimi and UNLV’s Jalen Catalon and Jackson Woodard are tied for fifth with four INTs apiece. Boise State’s Andrew Simpson, Fresno State’s Korey Foreman, SDSU’s Chris Johnson and Utah State’s DJ Graham II are tied for seventh with three forced fumbles each.
DUAL THREATS
Both New Mexico’s Devon Dampier and UNLV’s Hajj-Malik Williams have two games this season with 175-plus passing yards and 100-plus rushing yards. The MW record in a season is three, by Wyoming’s Brett Smith in 2013, Nevada’s Cody Fajardo in 2012 and Colorado State’s Bradlee Van Pelt in 2003.
Hawai‘i’s Brayden Schager is one of three FBS QBs with more than 15 passing touchdowns and more than five rushing touchdowns this season. The others are Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Washington State’s John Mateer.
HOYLAND SETTING RECORDS IN LARAMIE
Wyoming senior kicker John Hoyland scored seven points in a 49-45 win over New Mexico in Week 10, pushing his career total to 346 points to become the Cowboys’ career leader, passing Cooper Rothe, who had 342 from 2016-19. In Week 2, Hoyland booted a pair of field goals to pass Rothe for the Cowboys’ career record in that category. Now with 67 in his career, Hoyland is third in MW history.
NATIONAL HONORS
On Monday, Wyoming linebacker Shae Suiaunoa was named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, while Boise State Maddux Madsen and Wyoming freshman Kaden Anderson were named Manning Award Stars of the Week. Last week, Madsen and UNLV senior Hajj-Malik Williams were named to the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2024, meaning they are both officially in the running for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. Additionally, UNLV safety Jalen Catalon was named a semifinalist for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which goes annually to the nation’s top defensive back. Utah State senior wide receiver Jalen Royals and UNLV senior wide receiver Ricky White III earned invites to the East-West Shrine Bowl.
| Friday, Nov. 8 | Time | Network | National Radio |
| New Mexico at San Diego State* | 7:30 p.m. PT | FS1 | SiriusXM 384 (UNM feed) SiriusXM 385 (SDSU feed) |
| Saturday, Nov. 9 | Time | Network | National Radio |
| San José State at Oregon State | 12:30 p.m. PT | The CW | |
| Nevada at 14/12 Boise State* | 6 p.m. MT | FOX | SiriusXM 389 (NEV feed) SiriusXM 83 (BSU feed) |
| RV/RV UNLV at Hawai‘i* | 4 p.m. HT | CBSSN | SiriusXM 390 (UNLV feed) |
| Fresno State at Air Force* | 7:45 p.m. MT | FS1 | SiriusXM 391 (FS feed) SiriusXM 392 (AF feed) |
| Utah State at 20/20 Washington State | SiriusXM 380 |
