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LOGAN - The schools of the WAC conference compiled a 3-4 record during the past week in college football.
This week, there are three conference games San Jose State travels to Fresno State, New Mexico State visits Louisiana Tech, and Utah State hosts Nevada.
There is only one non-conference game this week as the Tulane Green Wave will visit Hawaii on Saturday.
Idaho is the only WAC team with the week off, as they will prepare to face Nevada on Dec. 3.
Here is a look at this week's WAC Conference news:
Fresno State: Fresno State put an end to their three-game losing skid with a 24-21 victory over Hawaii on the road this past Saturday.
Derek Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns while Robbie Rouse ran for a season-high 176 yards and a score as well.
Josh Harper had three receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown while Jalen Saunders had three catches for 67 yards and a score.
The Bulldogs controlled the clock by hanging onto the football for 38:15 total game time. Fresno State limited Hawaii to 305 yards of total offense.
Rouse and linebacker Travis Brown both received honorable mentions for WAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
This past week, Fresno State defensive coordinator Randy Stewart stepped down from his role and was replaced by linebackers coach Tim Skipper. Head coach Pat Hill said that a change was needed to fix the issues with the Bulldogs defense.
As of this week, Fresno State ranks 31st nationally in the passing game with a 266.5 yards per game average while ranking 75th in the run game at 144.5 yards per game. The Bulldogs average 29.0 points per game, good enough for 55th nationally. However, the scoring defense ranks among the bottom of all FBS college football at 35.9 points against per game which is 110th nationally.
The Bulldogs' record improves to 4-7 on the season, including a 3-3 record in WAC conference play. With the win, Fresno State moves up two spots in the WAC standings to fourth overall. Fresno State has wins against Idaho, Utah State, FCS North Dakota, and Hawaii and losses against Nebraska, California, Ole Miss, Boise State, Nevada, Louisiana Tech, and New Mexico State.
Fresno State will return home this week for an all- California matchup as they host the San Jose State Spartans on Saturday.
Hawaii: Hawaii fell to Fresno State 24-21 at home this past Saturday.
Backup quarterback David Graves completed 13 of 27 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns for the Warriors, while also rushing 11 times for 33 yards and a score.
Joey Iosefa had only four rushing attempts for 27 yards. Billy Ray Stutzmann had eight receptions for 136 yards and a score while Royce Pollard caught three balls for 50 yards and a touchdown.
The Warriors gave up 488 yards of total offense and 24 first downs to the Bulldogs.
Hawaii's passing attack ranks 13th in the nation at 306.7 yards per game. The scoring offense continues to be a strength as the Warriors average 32.3 points per game, a ranking of 36th overall. Hawaii's rushing attack struggles overall as they average 99.9 yards per game on the ground, which is 112th nationally. Hawaii's defense continues to sit in the middle of the pack, giving up 28.5 points per game for a ranking of 77th overall.
Hawaii drops to a 5-6 overall record with the loss, including a 3-4 mark in conference play while ranking fifth overall in the WAC. The Warriors have wins over UC- Davis, Colorado, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, and Idaho with losses coming against San Jose State, Washington, UNLV, Utah State, Nevada, and Fresno State.
The Warriors host the Tulane Green Wave this Saturday at Aloha Stadium.
Idaho: Idaho couldn't hang on late in the game and fell 49-42 in double overtime at home to Utah State.
Brian Reader completed 27 of 39 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown with an interception in his final game at home as a Vandal.
Kama Bailey rushed 23 times for 110 yards and had five receptions for 49 yards while Princeton McCarty gained 27 yards on nine attempts.
Short-yardage back Korey Toomer, who also plays linebacker, had eight attempts for 15 yards and three touchdowns for the Vandals.
Michael LaGrone had three receptions for 63 yards while Mike Scott caught six balls for 59 yards and a touchdown.
The Vandals passing game continues to struggle as it now ranks 92nd overall with a 189.2 yards per game average. The rushing attack continues to be a major problem as Idaho ranks 102nd nationally at 111.9 yards per game. The offense ranks near the bottom in scoring at 21.8 points per game overall, which is 97th overall as well. The defense gives up 31.2 points per game, a ranking of 91st overall.
Idaho's record drops to 2-9 on the season, including 1-5 in WAC conference play and a ranking of dead last in the conference. The Vandals have losses to New Mexico State, Bowling Green, Fresno State, Texas A&M, Virginia, Louisiana Tech, Hawaii, BYU, and Utah State with victories coming against FCS North Dakota and San Jose State.
The Vandals have the week off before facing the Nevada Wolf Pack on the road on Dec. 3.
Louisiana Tech: Louisiana Tech has won their sixth straight game after beating Nevada 24-20 in Reno this past Saturday.
The Bulldogs had to make a comeback of epic proportions as they trailed 20-3 with 13:01 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Colby Cameron completed 25 of 45 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns, all of which came in the fourth quarter, while Hunter Lee ran seven times for 30 yards.
Quinton Patton had seven receptions for 162 yards and a score. Taulib Ikharo had eight receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown as well.
Cameron and punter Ryan Allen were given honorable mentions for WAC Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively.
Linebacker Adrien Cole was named WAC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Nevada. He recorded a career high 17 tackles, including 15 solo stops, in the win. Cole had two tackles for a loss of 15 total yards and a sack on the last play of the game as time expired. He helped the Bulldogs defense in holding Nevada to just 40 yards on 21 plays in the fourth quarter alone.
Allen was not alone in receiving honors as he was named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's best punter. Ranked fourth in the nation with an average of 46.4 yards per punt, Allen leads the nation in both punts inside the 20 (36) and punts inside the 10 (19). Allen has averaged 47 or more yards per punt in six games this year while averaging more than 50 yards in two games this year.
The Salem, Ore. Native has recorded better stats than the other two finalists for the award in several punting categories this year, including number of punts, total punting yardage, punting average per game, longest punt of the season, more punts inside the 20, more punts inside the 10, more 50-plus yard punts than the other two finalists.
Louisiana Tech continues to be fairly consistent in the major statistical categories. The Bulldogs rank 42nd overall in passing yards at 249.8 yards per game while collecting 145.7 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 74th. Louisiana Tech averages 29.4 points per game on offense, a mark of 51st overall while the defense allows 24.5 points per game, a ranking of 51st overall.
Louisiana Tech's record moves to 7-4, including a 5-1 mark in conference play, good enough for first place overall in the WAC. The Bulldogs have losses to Southern Miss, Mississippi State, Houston, and Hawaii with wins against Idaho, Utah State, Central Arkansas, San Jose State, Fresno State, Ole Miss, and Nevada.
The Bulldogs return home this week for their senior day game and regular season finale against New Mexico State. A win would ensure at least a share of the WAC conference championship and would be the first championship since the 2001 season.
Nevada: Nevada was stunned by three fourth-quarter touchdowns and fell at home against Louisiana Tech 24-20.
Cody Fajardo completed 23 of 32 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown with an interception while also rushing 22 times for 110 yards.
Lampford Mark had 28 carries for 109 yards while Rishard Matthews caught eight passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Nevada held onto the football for an astounding 39:35 total game time, nearly two-thirds of the entire game.
Mark and kicker/punter Jake Hurst were given honorable mentions as WAC Offensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively.
Nevada ranks 36th overall in passing yards at 257.6 yards per game while the rushing attack drops to 9th overall, averaging 261.1 yards per game. The Wolf Pack also ranks 35th overall in scoring offense at 32.2 points per game. The lone lower ranking comes as a result of their scoring defense, which stands at 70th overall with a 27.9 points against average.
Nevada falls to 6-4 on the season, including 4-1 in conference play, which ranks second overall within the WAC. The Wolf Pack has losses against Oregon, Texas Tech, Boise State, and Louisiana Tech and wins against New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Fresno State, New Mexico State, and Hawaii.
Nevada travels to Logan this weekend for a very important matchup against the Utah State Aggies.
New Mexico State: New Mexico State held with BYU for one quarter before falling 42-7 on the road this past Saturday.
Matt Christian struggled against the Cougars, completing 12 of 23 passes for only 98 yards and a touchdown while Kenny Turner rushed 16 times for 61 yards.
Austin Franklin caught eight passes for 66 yards and a score while Taveon Rogers had four receptions for 39 yards.
The Aggies managed only 241 yards of total offense and gave up 411 yards to the Cougars.
New Mexico State's still sits in the Top 20 nationally in passing yards as they now rank 17th overall at 289.1 yards per game. The rushing game, however, continues to struggle as it ranks 94th overall at 119.9 yards per game. The Aggies average 27.1 points per game, a ranking of 63rd in the nation while the defense struggles to stop teams from scoring points as they rank 114th overall at 37,3 points against per game, six spots from the bottom.
The Aggies record drops to 4-7 on the season, including a 2-3 mark in WAC conference play. New Mexico State has losses to San Jose State, Ohio, UTEP, Hawaii, Nevada, Georgia, and BYU with victories coming against Idaho, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Fresno State. NMSU falls from fifth to sixth in the WAC standings with the loss.
New Mexico State will play their final road game of the season against Louisiana Tech this Saturday.
San Jose State: San Jose State slowed down the Navy rushing attack and defeated the Midshipmen 27-24 this past Saturday.
Matt Faulkner completed a career-best 33 of 44 passes for 345 yards and a touchdown with an interception while Brandon Rutley rushed 27 times for 132 yards and two scores.
Both Rutley and Ryan Otten caught eight passes for 102 yards apiece.
The victory knocks Navy out of the bowl picture for the first time in eight years.
Jens Alvernik hit two field goals to tie the school record of 16 successful field goals in a season.
Rutley and defensive end Travis Johnson were given honorable mentions for WAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
Alvernik was named the WAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts. He connected on both of his field goal attempts and remained perfect on the season in extra point attempts.
The Spartans continue to do well in the passing game as they rank 29th overall at 269.0 yards per game through the air. However, SJSU ranks 110th nationally in rushing yards at 105.5 yards per game. San Jose State averages only 24.3 points per game overall, an 84th overall ranking while giving up 30.9 points per game, a ranking of 90th overall.
San Jose State record moves to 4-7 on the season, including a 2-4 mark in conference play. SJSU has wins against Hawaii, New Mexico State, Colorado State, and Navy with losses to UCLA, Nevada, Stanford, BYU, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, and Utah State. The Spartans remain in seventh place in the WAC standings.
SJSU will play Fresno State this Saturday on the road.
Utah State: The Aggies won their third game in a row for the first time since 2001 by defeating the pesky Idaho Vandals 49-42 in double overtime.
Adam Kennedy completed 13 of 18 passes for 182 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Robert Turbin had a huge day rushing the football, gaining 208 yards on 24 attempts with three touchdowns. Michael Smith also chipped in 58 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns for the Aggies.
Stanley Morrison extended his WAC-leading receptions streak to 34 games by catching three passes for 83 yards and a score while Travis Van Leeuwen had three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Utah State had the football for only 21:31 total game, a little more than one-third of the game.
Bobby Wagner and kicker Josh Thompson were given honorable mentions for WAC Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively.
Turbin was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week for his outstanding performance. Two of his touchdowns came in the overtime periods while the other was on an 80-yard scamper in the second quarter. His 208 yards rushing is the second most by a WAC player this season and fourth best in the nation during the past weekend.
The Aggies rank 6th overall nationally in rushing yards at 273.9 yards per game. The passing game still ranks near the bottom at 187.7 yards per game, a ranking of 93rd overall. Utah State knows how to score as they average 36.9 points per game, a ranking of 15th overall. The defense sports an 85th overall ranking, allowing 30.1 points per game.
Utah State's record moves to 5-5, including a 3-2 mark in conference play which places them in third place in the WAC standings. The Aggies have beaten FCS Weber State, Wyoming, Hawaii, San Jose State, and Idaho with losses against Fresno State, Auburn, Colorado State, BYU, and Louisiana Tech.
The Aggies will be seeking their first bowl berth in 14 years on Saturday as the face the Nevada Wolf Pack at home in Logan with a chance to move to 6-5 on the season.
