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LOGAN -- The schools of the WAC conference compiled a 3-3 record during the past week. Both Idaho and San Jose State had the week off as the other games all features thrilling finishes. This week, there are three conference games Nevada travels to New Mexico State, Hawaii visits Idaho, and Louisiana Tech hosts San Jose State.
Utah State and Fresno State have a bye week.
Here is a look at this week's WAC Conference news:
Fresno State: The Bulldogs couldn't quite complete the comeback as they fell to Nevada 45-38 on the road.
Derek Carr completed 20 of 37 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns while Robbie Rouse 24 times for 167 yards and two scores. Devon Wylie had five receptions for 108 yards while Jalen Saunders caught four balls for 76 yards and a score.
The defense gave up 581 yards of offense to the Wolf Pack on the night.
Rouse, safety Zak Hill, and tight end Marcel Jensen were given honorable mentions for the WAC Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively.
As of this week, Fresno State ranks 48th nationally in the passing game with a 247.5 yards per game average while ranking 66th in the run game at 144.1 yards per game. The Bulldogs average 28.6 points per game, good enough for 63rd nationally. However, the scoring defense ranks among the bottom of all FBS college football at 35.6 points against per game which is 112th nationally.
The Bulldogs' record is now 3-5 on the season, including a 2-1 record in WAC conference play. FSU is currently in fifth place overall in the conference standings. Fresno State has wins against Idaho, Utah State and FCS North Dakota and losses against Nebraska, California, Ole Miss, Boise State, and Nevada.
Fresno State has a bye week before welcoming Louisiana Tech for an all-Bulldog tilt on Nov. 5th.
Hawaii: The Warriors rebounded from their loss to San Jose State last week with a 45-34 shootout victory against New Mexico State.
Bryant Moniz completed 24 of 39 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns on the night while Joey Iosefa ran 13 times for 90 yards and two scores.
Sterling Jackson also rushed 11 times for 75 yards for the Warriors. Justin Clapp caught five passes for 57 yards and a touchdown as well.
Moniz, linebacker Aaron Brown, and defensive back John Hardy-Tuliau were all given honorable mentions for the WAC Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively.
The vaunted Hawaii passing game ranks 8th in the nation at 328.0 yards per game, which explains the Warriors' 36.9 points per game average, good enough for 22nd overall. Hawaii's rushing attack struggles overall as they average 114.9 yards per game on the ground, which is 101st nationally. Hawaii's defense sits in the middle of the pack, giving up 28.4 points per game for a ranking of 76th overall.
Hawaii now sits with a 4-3 overall record, including a 2-1 record in conference play while ranking second overall in the WAC. The Warriors have wins over UC-Davis, Colorado, Louisiana Tech, and New Mexico State with losses coming against San Jose State, Washington and UNLV.
The Warriors will travel once again to the mainland this week as they will face the Idaho Vandals on Saturday at the Kibbie Dome.
Idaho: The Vandals had a much needed week off as they prepare to face the Hawaii Warriors at home on Saturday.
The Vandals passing game ranks near the middle of the pack at 75th overall with 215.6 yards per game. However, the rushing attack continues to be a major problem as Idaho ranks 118th nationally at 76.1 yards per game, which is two spots from the bottom of FBS college football. The offense ranks in the lower third tier in scoring at 20.7 points per game, which is a ranking of 103rd overall, while the defense is slightly higher at 29.6 points against per game, a ranking of 81st overall.
Idaho's record stands at 1-6 on the season, including 0-3 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, and Louisiana Tech with their only victory coming against FCS North Dakota.
Louisiana Tech: The Bulldogs came out on top of a see-saw game with a 24-17 victory over the Utah State Aggies on the road.
Starting quarterback Nick Isham only 10 of 22 passes for 63 yards before being replaced by backup Colby Cameron. Cameron finished four of six passing for 38 yards. Lennon Creer ran 17 times for 82 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulldogs limited the vaunted Aggies rushing attack to just 166 yards on the night, well below their average of 306 yards per game prior to the contest.
Linebacker Adrien Cole was given the WAC Defensive Player of the Week award for his work against Utah State. Cole had 14 tackles (9 solo) including two for a loss of six yards and broke up a pass in the win. His biggest stop came on a fourth-down play when he stopped Aggie quarterback Chuckie Keeton one-yard shy of a first down to seal the win for the Bulldogs.
Punter Ryan Allen also hit the proverbial jackpot as he was given the WAC Special Teams Player of the Week award for his performance against the Aggies. Allen averaged 52.2-yards on eight punts in the victory. None of his punts went into the end zone and seven were downed inside the 20-yard line, including five in the second half of the game. Five of his eight punts went over 50 yards including a game-best 66-yarder that ranks as the eighth- longest in school history.
Louisiana Tech ranks right near the middle of the pack for most statistical categories including passing yards (229.4 per game, 65th overall), rushing yards (138.3 per game, 76th overall), scoring offense (27.6 points per game, 68th overall) and scoring defense (27.7 points against per game, 70th nationally).
Louisiana Tech's record stands at 3-4, including a 2-1 mark in conference play, good enough for third place overall in the WAC. The Bulldogs have losses to Southern Miss, Mississippi State, Houston, and Hawaii with wins against Idaho, Utah State, and Central Arkansas.
The Bulldogs will welcome San Jose State to Joe Aillet Stadium on Saturday in Ruston, La.
Nevada: The Wolf Pack closed out a wild game against Fresno State on Saturday with a 45-38 victory.
Cody Fajardo completed 19 of 27 passes for 313 yards and one touchdown while also running 17 times for 61 yards and a score.
Rishard Matthews had seven catches for 148 yards while Shane Anderson caught six passes for 90 yards.
Matthews and safety Duke Williams were given an honorable mention for the WAC Special Teams and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
Mike Ball had 216 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns on the night. He rushed for a career-high 198 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries and added two catches for 18 yards and another score. He had rushes of 35 and 41 yards, the two longest runs by any Nevada player this year.
For his efforts, Ball was given the WAC Offensive Player of the Week award.
Nevada's passing game ranks near the middle of the standings at 250.0 yards per game, good enough for 44th overall. The run game continues to be a force as the Wolf Pack churn out an average 251.6 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 10th nationally. The offense averages 30.3 points per game on average for a ranking of 47th overall while the defense improved averages 27.6 points against per game, which ranks 69th overall.
With the win, Nevada moves to 4-3 on the season, including 2-0 in conference play, which ranks first overall within the WAC. The Wolf Pack has losses against Oregon, Texas Tech, and Boise State and wins against New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, and Fresno State.
Nevada will now face WAC opponent New Mexico State this week on the road.
New Mexico State: The Aggies couldn't keep up with the high powered offense of Hawaii as they fell to the Warriors 45-34. Matt Christian completed 18 of 34 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns while Kenny Turner rumbled for 119 yards on 17 carries with one score for the Aggies.
Taveon Rogers caught three passes for 64 yards and two scores with teammate Turner collecting seven catches for 61 yards.
Turner and defensive back Darien Johnson were given an honorable mention for WAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
New Mexico State ranks near the top tier of passing offense in the nation, hauling in 273.1 yards per game through the air, a ranking of 30th overall. The rushing game has struggled however, as the Aggies average 131.7 yards per game on the ground which ranks 82nd nationally. NMSU's scoring offense averages 27.6 points per game, good enough for 68th overall while the scoring defense averages 30.3 points against per game, which ranks 83rd nationally.
The Aggies record drops to 3-4 on the season, including a 1-2 mark in WAC conference play. New Mexico State has losses to San Jose State, Ohio, UTEP, and Hawaii with victories coming against Idaho, Minnesota and New Mexico. NMSU ranks sixth in the WAC standings currently.
New Mexico State will welcome the league-leading Nevada Wolf Pack to Las Cruces on Saturday.
San Jose State: The Spartans had the week off as they prepared to face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on the road this Saturday.
The Spartans best national ranking is in the passing game, which is 55th overall with an average of 235.3 yards per game while the run game ranks 84th overall at 129.6 yards per game. SJSU's scoring offense averages 21.4 points per game, 98th overall, while the defense gives up 30.3 points per game which ranks 83rd nationally.
San Jose State record stands at 3-4 on the season, including a 2-1 mark in conference play, good enough for fourth overall in the WAC. SJSU has wins against Hawaii, New Mexico State, and Colorado State and losses to UCLA, Nevada, Stanford, and BYU.
Utah State: The Aggies could never really get into the game as they blew a lead once again in the fourth quarter in a 24-17 loss against Louisiana Tech.
Chuckie Keeton completed 16 of 24 passes for 128 yards and one interception. The interception, a pick-six, was Keeton's first of the season, making him the last remaining starting quarterback in FBS college football to hit that category.
Robert Turbin had 81 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. It was his first game since the opener against Auburn where he failed to hit 100 yards on the ground. Turbin also caught three passes for 60 yards.
Kerwynn Williams also ran seven times for 31 yards while Travis Van Leeuwen caught three passes for 25 yards.
The Aggies limited Louisiana Tech to just 232 total yards but somehow found yet another way to lose the game. USU only managed 166 yards on the ground against the Bulldogs and 294 yards overall on offense.
Turbin was given an honorable mention for WAC Offensive Player of the Week while linebacker Bobby Wagner, who collected a career-high 20 tackles, received an honorable mention for WAC Defensive Player of the Week. Williams collected an honorable mention for WAC Special Teams Player of the Week as well.
The Utah State run game is near the top of the national leaderboard, despite the poor outing, at 278.4 yards per game, which ranks 6th overall. The passing game ranks 104th overall at 171.6 yards per game while the Aggies' offense is 24th best in the nation, scoring 35.9 points per game, while the defense ranks near the middle of the pack at 27.9 points against per game, which ranks 71st nationally.
Utah State's record falls to 2-5 with the loss against the Bulldogs, including a 0-2 mark in conference play which places them in seventh place in the WAC standings. The Aggies have beaten Wyoming and FCS Weber State and have losses against Fresno State, Auburn, Colorado State, BYU, and Louisiana Tech.
USU has a bye week as they prepare to face the Hawaii Warriors on the road on Nov. 5th.
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