2024 MW Football Weekly Release - Week 13

MW TEAMS IN THE RANKINGS
Boise State is No. 13 in the Nov. 12 College Football Playoff rankings. The Broncos were projected as the No. 12 seed in the CFP field after the Nov. 12 rankings. New rankings are released each Tuesday.

Boise State is No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and No. 13 in the US LBM Coaches (AFCA) poll this week. The Broncos are 120-21 (.851) 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 returned to the AP and AFCA polls at No. 23 this week.

LEAGUE STRENGTH
The MW is one of three FBS conferences with multiple teams that are undefeated in conference play this season, joining the AAC and Big Ten. Only two MW teams don’t have multiple conference wins, which is tied for the fewest such teams by any FBS conference.

GOING BOWLING
Four MW teams are going bowling so far. 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. San José State dropped Oregon State in Week 11 to become bowl eligible for the third straight season. Fresno State (5-5) would join the ranks with a win over Colorado State this week.

NATIONAL HONORS
New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier earned a slew of national awards for his performance in the Lobos’ 38-35 win over No. 18 Washington State in Week 12. Dampier, who was named the MW Offensive Player of the Week, was named the Associated Press National Player of the Week, one of the Davey O’Brien Great 8, and a Manning Award Star of the Week after accounting for 367 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. The sophomore led UNM to its first win over a ranked opponent in 21 years and its first over a nonconference ranked opponent in 84 years.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty earned honorable mention for the AP weekly award.

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:

• all-purpose yards per game (199.1, 1st)
• rushing touchdowns (26, 1st)
• rushing yards (1,893, 1st)
• rushing yards per game (189.3, 1st)
• scoring (16.2, 1st)
• total points scored (162, 1st)
• total touchdowns (27, 1st)
• rush yards per carry (7.39, 3rd)

Jeanty has rushed for at least 125 yards in all 10 games this season and is the first FBS player to have 125-plus rushing yards in his first 10 games of a season since Iowa State’s Troy Davis in 1996 (first 11).

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 in 2018 and the Badgers’ Ron Dayne in 1996.

Jeanty 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 and are one shy of the MW record for a season, set by San Diego State’s Rashaad 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. 3 with 258.7 yards per game. UNLV is sixth at 249.1 per contest and New Mexico is seventh at 248.9.

New Mexico quarterback Devon Dampier leads the FBS in yards per carry at 7.72, while Boise State is second in the team rankings at 6.47. Dampier is second in the MW with 1,065 rushing yards this season (behind Jeanty) and 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 nine games this season, with Tennessee (10) being the only FBS team to do so more.

Colorado State is averaging 187.4 rushing yards per game this season compared to 92.8 per game in 2023, the fourth-largest increase by any FBS team (+94.6) and largest by any MW team. The Rams have also gone from 10 rushing touchdowns last season to 16 in 2024.

There have been 20 200-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 4,918 yards. With 97 yards in a Week 12 setback at UNLV, Cooper surpassed 1,000 for the season and became the first player in FBS history with 1,000 yards at three different institutions. He also hit the hallowed mark at Kent State in 2021 and 2022 and at Ball State in 2023.

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 88.2 (90-for-102), Dalmas is fifth in FBS history in that category.

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 95), receptions per game (9.5), receiving touchdowns (14), and receiving yards per game (128.2) and is second in receiving yards (1,282).

He is just one TD catch away and seven receptions from entering the MW’s single-season top five in those categories. Nash has a receiving TD in 10 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the FBS and the second-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.

SACK CENTRAL
Boise State is second in the FBS in sacks with 4.10. The Aztecs’ Trey White is third in the FBS this season in sacks per game (1.15), total sacks (11.5), tackles for loss (16.5) and TFLs per game (1.7).

OTHER NATIONAL LEADERS
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 leads the nation in made field goals (22) and field goals per game (2.20) and has matched the MW freshman record for makes held by San Diego State’s Matt Araiza (2019). Nevada cornerback Michael Coats Jr. paces the FBS with 17 passes defended and 1.5 per game.

WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
San José State (16) and UNLV (16) rank fourth in the FBS in passes intercepted, with the Spartans fourth with 23 turnovers gained and the Rebels fourth in turnover margin at 1.30.

UNLV has committed just six turnovers and Boise State just seven to rank second and eighth, respectively, in the FBS. The Rebels have committed no more than one turnover in any of their 10 games this season. The only MW team to ever have a longer such streak to begin a season was San José State in 2022 (11).

Six MW players rank in the top 10 in interceptions, paced by Fresno State’s Cam Lockridge and UNLV’s Jalen Catalon tied for second with five each. Boise State’s Andrew Simpson and Fresno State’s Korey Foreman are tied for eighth with 0.33 forced fumbles per game.

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 just nine FBS QBs with more than 15 passing TDs and more than five rushing TDs this season.

SCORING IN BUNCHES
Boise State ranks third in the FBS in points per game this season (43.6), while UNLV is tied for sixth in the category (39.9). The last MW team to finish in the top six nationally in points per game was Utah State in 2018 (second), while the MW has never had two teams finish in the top six in the same season.

Boise State has won six games this season by 20-plus points, with Ohio State and Oregon being the only FBS teams with more this season (seven each).

STELLAR QB PLAY
Boise State’s Maddux Madsen has thrown for 12 touchdowns against MW teams while throwing just one interception. The only other FBS player with 12+ TD passes and no more than one pick in conference play this season is Miami-Ohio’s Brett Gabbert.

In Week 12, Colorado State’s Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi became the first MW player to have a game with a TD catch and an 80.0% completion percentage (min. 15 atts). The last four FBS players to do that prior to Fowler-Nicolosi were all selected in the NFL Draft – Jordan Travis, Bo Nix, Jalen Hurts and Brandon Doughty.