Notes Around the MW

MW TEAMS IN THE RANKINGS
Boise State was No. 9 and UNLV No. 24 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, marking the second time the MW has had two teams in the final CFP rankings and the first since 2018, when Fresno State finished No. 21 and Boise State finished No. 25.

The Broncos finished No. 8 in the Associated Press and No. 9 in the US LBM Coaches (AFCA) poll, while the Rebels finished No. 23 and No. 24, respectively. The Broncos are 124-21 (.855) 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).

ALL-AMERICA HONORS
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, the Maxwell Award, Doak Walker Award and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award winner and Heisman Trophy runner-up, and San José State wide receiver Nick Nash, a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, both earned first-team All-America honors from the AFCA, The Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News and Walter Camp, as the duo became the sixth and seventh players in MW history to earn unanimous All-America honors. Jeanty was the lone unanimous selection on the AP team.

Boise State offensive lineman Kage Casey claimed second-team honors on the Walter Camp team, Colorado State center Jacob Gardner and UNLV safety Jalen Catalon earned third-team honors from the AP and UNLV linebacker Jackson Woodard took second-team distinction from the FWAA.

JEANTY’S DOMINANCE
Boise State junior running back Ashton Jeanty put together one of the best seasons in FBS history and finished at or near the top in the FBS in several categories:

  • all-purpose yards per game (196.43, 1st)
  • rushing yards (2,601, 1st)
  • rushing yards per game (185.8, 1st)
  • rushing touchdowns (29, 2nd)
  • scoring (12.9, 2nd)
  • total points scored (180, 2nd)
  • total touchdowns (30, 2nd)
  • rush yards per carry (6.95, 5th)

With a MW-record 2,601 rushing yards, Jeanty finished second in FBS history for rushing yards in a season, trailing only Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (2,628 in 1988). 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 finished the season 2,750 all-purpose yards, good for second in MW history and just 224 back of Penny’s mark of 2,974 from 2017.

Jeanty had five TD runs of at least 70 yards this year, eight of at least 60 yards and 10 of 50 yards or more, all of which led the FBS and were MW records in a season. With 29 total TD runs this season, he finished just two back of the MW single-season record set by CSU’s Kapri Bibbs in 2013.

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Utah State junior Ike Larsen was one of three winners of the Comeback Player of the Year Award as selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) and The AP in association with the Fiesta Bowl Organization.

Larsen has become a champion for mental health after overcoming his own challenges. In 2021, with his family deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Larsen battled depression and suicidal thoughts, seeking help through therapy and other learned coping tools.

DANIELSON AMONG COTY FINALISTS
Boise State coach Spencer Danielson, the AFCA Region 5 Coach of the Year, was a finalist for the George Munger College Coach of the Year Award and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award.

NASH’S TRIPLE CROWN
One of three Biletnikoff Award finalists, San José State receiver Nick Nash was just the fourth player to earn the FBS college football receiving triple crown in the regular season, as he finished leading the country in receptions (a school-record 104), receiving yards (1,382), and receiving touchdowns (16). He also finished his season leading the FBS in receptions per game (8.7) and receiving yards per game (115.2). After opting out of SJSU’s bowl game, he finished leading the FBS in receiving TDS and second in the other categories.

Nash finished tied for third in MW history in single-season TD catches and fifth in receptions. He 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 annals. Nash was the first Mountain West player to have at least 10 receiving touchdowns and two passing touchdowns in a season.

MAN OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE
Boise State defensive end Ahmed Hassanein was one of three finalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award. The award recognizes exemplary leadership both on and off the field.

MW OWNED THE RUN GAME
For the first time, four MW squads finished in the top 10 in the FBS in rushing, led by New Mexico in second at 253.6. UNLV was No. 7 with 243.5, Boise State was No. 8 at 240.4 and Air Force was No. 10 with 224.0 per game.

There were 27 200-yard individual rushing efforts this season, and nine of them came from MW players, including six by Jeanty.

DALMAS IN FBS RECORD BOOK
Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas finished his career with 93 field goals, good for third in FBS history and just four back of the FBS record. He finished second in FBS history in kicking points with 508, 39 back of the record.

UNLV 4-1 AGAINST A4 COMPETITION
UNLV beat 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. The Rebels fell in overtime to Syracuse in Week 6 before beating Oregon State in Week 8, 33-25. The Rebels capped their 2024 campaign with a 24-13 win over the ACC’s Cal in the Art of Sport LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk.

SCORING IN BUNCHES
Boise State ranked fifth in the FBS in points per game this season (37.3). The Broncos won six games this season by 20-plus points, with just eight FBS teams – Ohio State (10), Oregon (8), Army (7), Indiana (7), Miami (7), Ole Miss (7), Notre Dame (7) and SMU (7) – with more this season.

SACK CENTRAL
Boise State finished second in the FBS in sacks with 3.93 per game and 12th in sacks allowed at 1.07. New Mexico led the FBS at just 0.42 allowed per game, Colorado State was fourth at 0.77 and San José State was eighth at 0.92.

REBEL SPECIAL TEAMS
UNLV led the FBS this season in blocked punts (5), with Rebel wide receiver Ricky White III leading the FBS with four. White, the MW Special Teams Player of the Year, became the first player in MW history to have a season with more than 10 receiving touchdowns and at least one return TD.

Placekicker Caden Chittenden, the MW Freshman of the Year, finished second in the nation in made field goals with a MW freshman-record 26 and field goals per game (1.86). He finished just three 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 (21) and UNLV (17) ranked third and seventh, respectively, in the FBS in passes intercepted, with the Spartans fifth with 28 turnovers gained and the Rebels sixth in turnover margin at 1.00.

UNLV and San Diego State each lost just nine turnovers to rank third in the FBS. The Rebels committed no more than one turnover in any of their 14 games this season. That is five games longer than the next-longest active such streak by any FBS team and is the longest streak in MW history.

RUSHING RAMS
Colorado State averaged 168.2 rushing yards per game this season compared to 92.8 per game in 2023, the seventh-largest increase by any FBS team (+75.4) and largest by any MW team. The Rams also went from 10 rushing touchdowns last season to 20 in 2024.

NFL HONORS
A pair of MW football alums earned NFL honors this season, with former Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) claiming MVP, Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award and FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Year honors and former San Diego State quarterback Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings) named the NFL Coach of the Year.

NFL COACHES
Former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore was named the head coach of the New Orleans Saints on Feb. 11, giving the MW three former players, all quarterbacks, among the ranks of NFL head coaches. Moore joins SDSU’s Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota) and UNLV’s Shane Steichen (Indianapolis). Only the SEC (six) and Big Ten (four) can claim more NFL head coaches among their current membership.

COACHING MOVES
Fresno State hired Matt Entz as its new head coach on Dec. 4. Entz served as the assistant head coach for defense and linebackers coach at USC in 2024 after a five-year stint as the head coach at North Dakota State, where he led the Bison to a pair of FCS championships and was a two-time FCS National Coach of the Year. … Utah State hired New Mexico’s Bronco Mendenhall on Dec. 6. Mendenhall, who led the Lobos to a 5-7 record in his lone season at the helm, returns to his home state, where he led BYU for 11 seasons and earned MW Coach of the Year honors in 2006. … On Dec. 12, UNLV announced former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen would take the reins for the Rebels. Mullen spent the last three seasons as an ESPN college football analyst. … On Dec. 14, New Mexico announced Jason Eck as its new head coach. Eck spent the previous three seasons at Idaho, leading the Vandals to FCS national rankings and playoff berths each season.

SMITH OFFICIALLY ENSHRINED
Former Utah quarterback Alex Smith, the MW Offensive Player of the Year and a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2004, was officially inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Foundation Awards Dinner on Tuesday, Dec. 12.