Hart, Colorado State impress in MW opening weekend


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LOGAN — The opening week was a mixed bag of results for member schools of the Mountain West Conference, where some opened with FCS opponents, others at Power 5 schools with legendary venues. And one team from the base of the Rockies may have announced its presence to the world, while arguably the league's three top returning teams faltered at power conference schools.

Colorado State 31, Colorado 17

Junior running back Dee Hart burst onto the scene in the Rams’ rivalry win over the Buffs, running for 139 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, all career highs for the Alabama transfer. The Orlando, Florida, native who won MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors, rushed for the most yards in a Colorado State opener since 2002.

Senior kicker Jared Roberts also connected on a 52-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, tied for the second-longest of his career and the longest of any FBS kicker in the opening weekend with Bowling Green’s Tyler Tate.

Ole Miss 35, Boise State 13

Mississippi quarterback Bo Wallace (14) runs past Boise State linebacker Mat Boesen (54) in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in Atlanta.
Mississippi quarterback Bo Wallace (14) runs past Boise State linebacker Mat Boesen (54) in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014, in Atlanta. (Photo: AP Photo/John Bazemore)

It’s been awhile since Boise State wasn’t in the discussion as one of the top teams in the Mountain West. And while an early loss to Mississippi won’t eliminate it completely from that talk, the Broncos didn’t do themselves any favors, either.

Bo Wallace threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns for the Rebels, but the real action of this night was in the team’s seven combined interceptions. Boise quarterback Grant Hedrick threw four picks with only one touchdown in the first game under head coach Brian Harsin.

Tennessee 38, Utah State 7

Justin Worley and the Vols offense rolled up 383 yards and the Tennessee defense forced three turnovers to spoil Chuckie Keeton’s return to the Utah State starting lineup on Sunday night in Knoxville.

Like Boise State, Utah State's season did not hinge on a win in Knoxville. But Sunday's performance won't favor the Aggies in any playoff or New Year's Day bowl discussions.

Wyoming 17, Montana 12

The Cowboys put the defensive hurt on the Grizzlies, who consistently rank among the top teams in the FCS Big Sky Conference. Senior linebacker Mark Nzeocha, a native of Neustiz, Germany, led the way with 12 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and three pass breakups in Wyoming’s first win of the Craig Bohl era.

Nzeocha’s standout performance earned him MWC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Nevada 28, Southern Utah 19

Cody Fajardo opened his senior campaign with 303 yards and a touchdown as the Wolf Pack held off the Thunderbirds in Reno, Nevada.

San Diego State 13, Northern Arizona 7

Donnel Pumphrey had 111 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries as the Aztecs blew past the Lumberjacks late Saturday night.

San Jose State 42, North Dakota 10

Tyler Winston had 10 catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns as the Spartans raced past the Fighting Sioux.

Air Force 44, Nichols State 13

Jacobi Owens and the Air Force ground game piled up 539 rushing yards against an overmatched Nichols State team in the win.

Arizona 58, UNLV 13

New quarterback Anu Solomon threw for 425 yards and four touchdowns, and Austin Hill and Samajle Grant each added more than 100 yards and a score on the ground to help the Wildcats rout the Rebels.

Southern California 52, Fresno State 13

Cody Kessler gave head coach Steve Sarkisian his first win with 394 yards and four touchdowns as the Trojans routed the Bulldogs.

UTEP 31, New Mexico 24

The Lobos couldn’t control running back Aaron Jones, who ran for 237 yards and three touchdowns as the Miners held on for the win.

No. 25 Washington 17, Hawaii 16

Jeff Lindquist filled in for suspended Huskies quarterback Cyler Miles with 162 yards and a score to help the Huskies edge the Warriors in head coach Chris Peterson’s Washington debut.

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