Category: Week 1

Mountain West Football: Players Of The Month For August/September

With the first several chapters of the 2023 season in the books, who have been Mountain West football’s biggest standouts so far?

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Mountain West Football: Players of the Month For August/September

With the first several chapters of the 2023 season in the books, who have been Mountain West football’s biggest standouts so far?

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The small-sample elite.

Note: Players below are presented in alphabetical order.

Offensive Players of the Month

1. Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB, New Mexico

The Lobos’ lead running back has a strong case as the biggest individual surprise of the young season, posting 420 rushing yards at 6.77 yards per carry with seven touchdowns in five games. According to Pro Football Focus, he also ranks second among Mountain West running backs with 26 missed tackles forced on just 62 attempts and first with a 92.1 overall grade. He’s a definite keeper.

2. Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State

Horton has picked up where he left off last season in a big way, leading the nation with 11.3 receptions and 135 receiving yards per game through four contests. He’s also scored six times in the last three games and posted an overall PFF grade of 90.0, second among conference pass catchers, helping establish the Rams’ offensive potency with a new quarterback and emerging playmakers in tow.

3. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State

Perhaps no player in the conference has meant as much to his offense as the sophomore Texan means to the Broncos. He currently leads the Mountain West with 165.3 all-purpose yards per game and the entire FBS with 12 total touchdowns in just five games, so while Boise State clearly has a number of issues to sort out, getting the ball to #2 should remain a priority while they do so.

4. Zac Larrier, QB, Air Force

Through five games, Larrier has achieved a rare combination of efficiency and explosiveness, especially among Falcons quarterbacks of recent vintage. His 362 rushing yards currently rank fifth among all players in the Mountain West and first among FBS QBs, but he’s also connected on 14-of-19 throws for 410 yards, a staggering 21.6 yards per attempt, and accounted for six total touchdowns (three rushing, three passing). It’s little wonder, then, that PFF has given him the highest grade among all Mountain West quarterbacks to date at 82.6.

Defensive Players of the Month

1. Mohamed Kamara, DE, Colorado State

Kamara entered 2023 as arguably the conference’s premier pass rusher and nothing he’s done in four games has dissuaded anyone of that notion. Besides leading the Mountain West with 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss and forcing two fumbles, PFF credits Kamara with 13 quarterback hurries (third in the conference) and 12 stops for good measure.

2. Ike Larsen, S, Utah State

Larsen has continued to be a man of impeccable timing in the young season. His 36 total tackles put him in a tie for second among Mountain West defensive backs, but it’s the highlight plays — the pick-six against Idaho State and the two blocked kicks, including the game-saving play in a Week 5 road win over UConn — that have made him one of the most valuable defenders anywhere in the conference from day one.

3. Bo Richter, DE, Air Force

The Mountain West’s best defense has shined on every front thus far, but few individuals have stood out like Richter. Though he’s tallied 14 total tackles, PFF credits the senior with 16 quarterback hurries, seventh among all FBS defenders, and only one missed fumble to go along with his 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble.

4. Noah Tumblin, CB, San Diego State

The Aztecs secondary has been busy throughout 2023 to date, so you might be forgiven for not noticing that Tumblin is in the midst of a breakout season. Not only does he lead all Mountain West defensive backs with a 85.5 overall PFF grade and a 88.7 grade in coverage, Tumblin currently paces the conference with ten passes defended (eight pass breakups, two interceptions) and has only missed one tackle in six games.

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New Mexico vs. Tennessee Tech: Preview, How To Livestream, Odds

The Lobos host the Eagles in a key home opener. Here’s how to watch and what to watch for.

New Mexico vs. Tennessee Tech: Preview, How To Livestream, Odds

Lobos looking for its first win

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New Mexico has its home opener

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Week 2: Tennessee Tech at New Mexico 

Where: University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico

When: 6:00 P.M. MT

TV: Mountain West Network (Mountain West app on iOS and Google Play, and on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Android TV devices)

Broadcast: Jeff Siembieda and George Carter 

Radio: KKOB (77AM/96.3 FM

Game Notes: Tennessee Tech | New Mexico

Odds: No Line

UNM will face the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in Albuquerque on Saturday at University Stadium in the Land of Enchantment. 

The Lobos enter this game at 0-1 with a 52-10 loss to 23rd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies in front of a nationally televised audience at College Station on ESPN.

The Eagles are coming off a loss to Furman 45-10 last week in a game where they turned the ball over six times to an excellent Furman Defense. 

Tennessee Tech had over 212 passing yards and just 79 rushing yards on offense, but their defense gave up 190 passing yards and 194 rushing yards to the Furman Paladins. 

How To Watch Week 2 Of Mountain West Football

The Golden Eagles are 2-37 all-time in FBS matchups dating back to the 1978 Division I split and are 0-3 against members of the Mountain West Conference all-time, which includes then-member TCU in 2010.

Look for offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent to run the ball right at the Golden Eagles with an offensive line that averages over 300lb a position. 

The Lobos were reasonably effective in spots against the Aggies from Texas A&M, and the Eagles, being an FCS opponent, will have more than they can handle with a balanced offense. 

New Mexico runs the version of the zone read, and the offensive line coached by Cam Blankenship held their own last week despite two potential NFL tackles for the Aggies. 

Look for the Lobos to ground and pound in this game and go deep in the running back room, where they have a plethora of talent itching to touch the ball. 

Back up running back Dorian Lewis and Appalachian State Quarterback transfer DC Tapscott came late in the game. 

Jacory Croskey-Merritt (AKA “Bill), who scored the Lobos’s lone touchdown, led the Lobos’s offense on the rushing side. 

Bill finished with 11 carries and 50 yards for 4.5 yards per carry. 

Lewis carried the ball five times for 19 yards for an impressive 3.8 yards, so watch for a game like this matchup where the Lobos go deeper into the lineup.

Week 1 Mountain West Football Power Rankings

Players To Watch: 

Quarterback 6-2 Ethan Roberts leads the offense for the Golden Eagles, making his first career start, completed 25 of his 38 passes for 204 yards, throwing a touchdown pass to Willie Miller in the second quarter. 

Roberts engineered several great drives, including an 11-play, 75-yard series for the touchdown and a 13-play, 54-yard narrative with Hayden Olsen knocking through a 38-yard field goal.  

For the Lobos UAB transfer, Dylan Hopkins was very good in his first start for UNM, going 16-for-25 with 115 yards. 

Hopkins showed great poise in the pocket for the Lobos last week against a very talented SEC 23rd-ranked opponent. 

Lobo receiver Jeremiah Hixon played just three quarters and had six catches for 42 yards, and DJ Washington was also solid with four catches for 42 yards.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt led the rushing attack with 50 yards on 11 carries and showed how physically a runner he is against the Aggies; he is the real deal when you watch him on film. 

On the defensive side of the ball, the Lobos’ Tavian Combs showed he is back from his injury last year with 11 tackles, seven solos, and four assists and blocked a field goal before the end of the first half. 

He has impressive closing speed and reads what the opposing offense tries to do in the second super-fast. 

Another Lobo that stands out and shows why this writer picked him first-team all-Mountain West Conference is Donte Martin. 

Martin is the Lobos lockdown corner with some pass breakups against the wide receivers from Texas A&M, who will play on Sundays. 

Martin finished the game with eight solo tackles, one forced fumble, and two passes defended. 

On Saturday, he graded a team-best 73.7 in 35 coverage snaps with two pass breakups.

Despite giving up 52 points, the Lobo defense did a good job, not so much on secondary (gave 277 total pass yards) up big plays but their run-stop defense, limiting the Aggies to 124 yards. 

The Lobos are 8-0 In its last eight games against FCS opponents, Saturday’s game is its first against a team from the Volunteer State since a 35-21 loss to Tennessee in September 1986. 

Predict the Lobos running back will overwhelm the Golden Eagles, and the run will set up the pass led by Dylan Hopkins. 

New Mexico has some big-time receivers that will score on deep routes, and Coach Vincent will spread the ball the offensive wealth as the Lobos turn the corner, and it will show Saturday.

Combing that with a swarming 3-3-5 with more size up front, look for the Lobos to get some sacks and turnovers in this game. 

The Lobos have too much on the line, with its arch-rival from down south, the New Mexico State Aggies, coming into Albuquerque the following week. 

So that makes this a statement game. The Lobos under Danny Gonzales are the real deal this year. 

Prediction

UNM Lobos 35 Tennessee Tech 10 

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Mountain West Football: Week 1 Winners And Losers

Things weren’t often pretty for the Mountain West in Week 1, but some heroes emerge in the season’s first full slate of games.

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Mountain West Football: Week 1 Winners And Losers

Who came out ahead and who left something to be desired across the Mountain West in Week 1 of the college football season?

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Encouragements and letdowns from the week that was.

Week 1 has come and gone and, folks, college football is back. For a lot of Mountain West fanbases, however, the results of the first full weekend of college football action surely left a sour taste in the mouth while a lucky couple found a way to get things against Power 5 opponents.

Here are Mountain West football’s winners and losers for Week 1.

Winners

1. Wyoming

You might be forgiven for writing off the Cowboys after they fell behind 17-0 by the end of the first quarter, but they clawed their way back out of the huge hole one Texas Tech mistake at a time: A second-quarter Tyler Shough interception turned into a Caleb Driskell touchdown reception; a blocked field goal in the third quarter, one of three Red Raider misfires, turned into three more Cowboys points; a dinged-up Andrew Peasley ran for four first downs and a touchdown after halftime.

When Sam Scott scored the two-point conversion that sealed the win in double overtime, he finished a comeback that came about despite Wyoming getting outgained on a per-play basis, 5.4 yards per play to 4.1. That was a product of strong defense (three sacks, nine pass breakups) and timely third-down production (2-of-7 in the first half, 4-of-8 in the second half and OT), exactly the formula Craig Bohl must hope his team can replicate more consistently in the weeks to come.

2. Fresno State quarterback Mikey Keene

Power 5 opponent on the road? Check. Absorbed some punishing hits, enough to be sidelined briefly? Check. Balling out of his mind, anyway? Check. Keene’s Fresno State debut had more than a few shades of Jake Haener’s now-legendary performance at UCLA in 2021.

The Bulldogs quarterback set personal bests by completing 31 of 44 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns against one interception, rallying the road team from a 28-17 deficit just after halftime to secure a season-opening win over Purdue. He was particularly potent on Fresno State’s final drive with 4:30 left in the fourth quarterback, going 6-of-6 for 76 yards with the game-winning 22-yard connection to Erik Brooks.

3. The San Diego State secondary

The Aztecs may have taken their foot off the gas just a touch in the second half of their home win against Idaho State, but position coaches Kyle Hoke and Demetrius Sumler should be pleased with the way their cornerbacks and safeties took care of business. Dezjhon Malone led the way with an interception and four pass breakups, Cedarious Barfield added another interception, and the pass defense held the Bengals to a combined 47.6% completion rate and 4.9 yards per attempt. Things will get tougher in the coming weeks against UCLA and Oregon State, but that’ll play.

Losers

1. Any Mountain West team playing against the Pac-12

Well, that wasn’t pretty at all. Not only did the Mountain West finish Week 1 with a 0-5 record against Pac-12 opponents, the conference got outscored by an average margin of 50.2 to 19.6. No one was immune to getting pasted, either: Nevada, unsurprisingly, allowed 66 points to USC, Colorado State got bullied for 50, and Boise State allowed Washington to score 28 points in the second quarter and 21 more in the fourth quarter.

There are still a few weeks left to right to right this particular ship, but at least Mountain West fans can take solace that they didn’t get the Portland State treatment.

2. Utah State’s banged-up defense

The Aggies aren’t here for the usual reasons but because they battled the Iowa Hawkeyes to a ten-point loss while dealing with some pretty heavy losses on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive tackle Hale Motu’apuaka didn’t play while young linebacker Max Alford may have suffered a season-ending injury, but Utah State held Iowa to 4.1 yards per play and got reasonably successful debuts from the likes of Anthony Switzer, Jaiden Francois, and Bronson Olevao Jr.

There’s plenty of season left, but the Aggies will have to hope they don’t need to dig too far down the depth chart too soon.

3. Colorado State’s offensive line

The more things changed in the trenches, the more they stayed the same for the Rams in Week 1. Much of the attention after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Washington State focused on Clay Millen’s underwhelming stat line but it’s worth noting that, according to Pro Football Focus, among the 14 Mountain West quarterbacks who have at least ten dropbacks in the young season, Millen and Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi are 13th and 12th, respectively, in time to throw per attempt (2.40 and 2.41 seconds).

New starting tackles Saveyon Henderson and Drew Moss combined to allow six quarterback hurries and nine pressures on 43 pass-blocking snaps. Run blocking wasn’t much better against Washington State as Avery Morrow and Kobe Johnson combined to average 2.5 yards per carry. The Rams have two weeks to fix all of this in preparation for the suddenly resurgent Colorado Buffaloes in the Rocky Mountain Showdown, but if the improvement doesn’t start up front then the rest may not matter.

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Week 1 Mountain West Football Highlights

Week 1 Mountain West Football Highlights Get caught up on games you may have missed. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Some may watch and some may want to stay away There is still one game left in the extended Week 1 play of Mountain West with …

Week 1 Mountain West Football Highlights

Get caught up on games you may have missed.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Some may watch and some may want to stay away

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There is still one game left in the extended Week 1 play of Mountain West with San Jose State hosting Oregon State. In the meantime, here are the scores and highlights of Week 1.

Stanford 37, Hawaii 24

Wyoming 35, Texas Tech 33

San Diego State36, Idaho State 28

USC 66, Nevada 14

Fresno State 39, Purdue 35

Washington 56, Boise State 19

Iowa 24, Utah State 14

UNLV 44, Bryant 14

Air Force 42, Robert Morris 7

Washington State 50, Colorado State 24

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Utah State vs. Iowa: Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

Utah State vs. Iowa: Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction Aggies go to Big Ten country Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Can USU get an upset? Utah State travels to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes and lets begin with these two gems regarding …

Utah State vs. Iowa: Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

Aggies go to Big Ten country

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Can USU get an upset?

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Utah State travels to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes and lets begin with these two gems regarding the Hawkeyes program from head coach Kirk Ferentz.

This is a very Iowa quote

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The jokes right themselves about Iowa football. They were the punching bag last year with an elite defense but no offense to speak of whatsoever.

There is actually a clause in Brian Ferentz’s contract as the offensive coordinator hat he must score at least 25 points per game to keep his job.

For reference, the Hawkeyes scored just 17.7 points per game. So, one of two things could happen: the offense will stink as usual, or the Hawkeyes will try to run it up against a non-Big Ten opponent.

GAME DETAILS

Game: Utah State at Iowa

Where: Kinnick Stadium; Iowa City, Iowa

When: 12 p.m. ET 

TV: FS1

Streaming: Fubo TV with a free trial

Radio: KSL Sports Zone

Series Record: Iowa 2-0

Game Notes: Iowa | Utah State

Odds: Iowa (-23)

Make no mistake. This will be a difficult game for Utah State. The Aggies lost so many transfers in the portal this past year with a lot going to power conferences such as the Big 12.

Head coach Blake Anderson understands that challenge with so many new players on the roster which include 39 new scholarship players. The Aggies also lost well over 30 to the portal.

“With us being as new as we are,” Anderson said on KSL Sports Zone, “We’re still trying to figure out our guys. The challenge to go play in this environment against this team would be tough regardless. Considering the amount of new bodies and new staff, it makes it more of a challenge for us.”

The staff line is interesting as Anderson is not only the head coach but also the offensive coordinator and will call plays, plus he is the quarterbacks coach. He has a lot on his plate this year.

For Utah State, their key player to look for is quarterback Cooper Legas. Most people remember him subbing in for Logan Bonner who got injured in the Jimmy Kimmel Bowl.

His first play was a deep touchdown pass.

Legas played in 10 games, with eight starts, as Bonner had another serious injury. He has experience but the quarterback will be the starter going into the season and taken all the reps.

That is great news as this Iowa defense is elite and a potential defensive back All-American candidate with Cooper DeJean. Legas will need to be aware of Dejan but many other defenders on this team.

The Hawkeyes return six starters from a team that allowed 10 points or fewer nine times. Iowa’s defense held opponents to 270.8 yards and 13.3 points per game, ranking second in the country in both categories.

Other players to watch on defense from the Iowa side of the ball is a pair of defensive lineman in Joe Evans and Logan Lee. That two have 40 career starts but Evans is a bit better with 6.5 sacks from last season.

So, how can Utah State make a move against this great defense. It will be very difficult but one thing about Legas is that he is level-headed and a calm player in the pocket.

He will need that to help everyone else stay calm if thins start to get hairy. The Aggies want to play with tempo and run a lot of plays. One key player in that is wide receiver in Terrell Vaughn who had 56 catches and five touchdowns. Watch for him to likely match up with Dejan for a very difficult matchup.

Helping go fast and staying fresh is a trio of backs this year with Robert Briggs, Davon Booth and Rahsul Faison. If those three can have some solid success then that will definitely help keep the pace going.

As for Iowa’s offense, their quarterback situation is not great. The starter is Michigan transfer Cade McNamara but he is not exactly healthy.

“My intention and my goal is to play as many games as I possibly can,” he said. “And I mean, of course, I want to be out there with my teammates. … It’s just kinda down to how the coaches feel and how the medical staff feels.”

Do not expect McNamara who is fairly mobile but do not expect him to be as mobile as usual on Saturday. Not that the Hawkeyes are a team that uses a mobile quarterback but McNamara having that skill would go a long way.

There are two key players outside of QB for the Hawkeyes that will be key for Iowa beating Utah State.

Running back Kaleb Johnson set a freshman record with 779 yards with six touchdowns, Plus, he was named to the Doak Walker watch list this fall. Johnson is a real threat for this Utah State defense.

Another key player is WR Seth Anderson who transferred in from Charleston Southern where he was named the most outstanding offensive player of the year with seven touchdowns and 42 catches.

This offense should be better than last year and if that’s the case then Utah State could be in trouble in this game. However, with a banged up quarterback and an head coach who literally hates offense could be a net positive for the Aggies to at the very least cover the 23-point spread.

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https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/iowa/football/2023/08/29/iowa-football-quarterback-cade-mcnamara-returns-to-practice-hawkeyes-utah-state/70709557007/

Wyoming vs. Texas Tech: Preview, Livestream, Odds, Prediction

Wyoming vs. Texas Tech: Preview, Livestream, Odds, Prediction Can the Cowboy win one over the Red Raiders? Contact/Follow @MWCwire Big 12 team comes to Wyoming The Wyoming Cowboys kick off the 2023 College Football season on Saturday as they welcome …

Wyoming vs. Texas Tech: Preview, Livestream, Odds, Prediction

Can the Cowboy win one over the Red Raiders?

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Big 12 team comes to Wyoming

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The Wyoming Cowboys kick off the 2023 College Football season on Saturday as they welcome the Texas Tech Red Raiders to War Memorial Stadium and 7220 feet. This season also kicks off Craig Bohl’s 10th season as the Head Coach for the Cowboys, making him the longest tenured coach in Wyoming Football history. The Cowboys are coming off of a 7 win season that ended in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Ohio in the Arizona Bowl.

How To Watch Week 1 Of Mountain West Football

The Red Raiders are led by second year Head Coach Joey McGuire, who in his first season as the Head Coach for the Red Raiders led the team to an 8-5 record with wins over perennial Big XII powers Texas and Oklahoma. The Red Raiders have high expectations for the year and have been called out as possibly even being a dark horse to win the Big XII Conference.

The Red Raiders and Cowboys have met 5 times previously with Wyoming holding the series advantage 3-2. The last meeting between these two teams was in 1992 in Lubbock, TX. This is only the second time in program history that the Red Raiders are playing in Laramie, with the only other time coming in 1991 when the Cowboys beat the visiting Red Raiders 22-17.

WEEK 1: Wyoming Cowboys vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders

WHEN: Saturday, September 2 — 7 p.m. ET 5 p.m. MT

WHERE: War Memorial Stadium; Laramie, Wyoming

WEATHER: High of 81, mostly sunny

TV: CBS

STREAMING: Fans can sign up to receive a free one-week trial of Fubo, which includes CBS, by following this link.

SERIES RECORD: Wyoming leads 3-2

LAST GAME: 1992 in Lubbock; Texas Tech won 49-32

GAME NOTES (PDF): Texas Tech | Wyoming

ODDS: Texas Tech -14

SP+ PROJECTION: Texas Tech by 18.4 with 86% win probability

FEI PROJECTION: Texas Tech by 9.9

There will be a very stark difference between these two teams stylistically on Saturday. Wyoming under Craig Bohl has become known for their extremely physical, smash mouth, ground and pound style of play, relying heavily on wearing teams out in the trenches, and letting their stellar defense take over. Texas Tech runs the Air Raid offense pioneered by former Head Coach (and Wyoming Native) Mike Leach. The Red Raiders are the prototypical spread offense and they can burn anyone through the air. 

The Red Raiders will be led on offense by Quarterback Tyler Shough who is 8-1 over the last two seasons as the Starter for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are also extremely deep and talented at wide receiver, with five different receivers with over 30 receptions.

If that wasn’t enough the Red Raiders also have incoming transfer Drae McCray, who had 75 receptions for 1021 yards and 9 touchdowns with Austin Peay last season. The Red Raiders defense is led by Defensive Tackle Jaylon Hutchings who was recently named to the preseason all-conference team for the Big XII.  Hutchings is a disruptive and explosive defender who wreaks havoc in the backfield.

The Cowboys are anchored by their Defense, a defense who returns 10 out of 11 starters, and is anchored by a stout defensive line as well as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Easton Gibbs. It isn’t an exaggeration to think that the Cowboys could have not only the best defense in the conference, but in all the Group of 5 conferences this season.

On offense, the Cowboys have a lot of questions to answer, last season and for several prior seasons the Cowboys have had an anemic passing attack, and have been carried by their run game. However, coming into this opener with Texas Tech, the Cowboys normally deep running back room looks a little thin. Incoming Transfer Harrison Waylee is recovering from an off season surgery, and presumed starter Dawaiian McNeely tore his ACL during fall camp and will miss the season. Jamari Ferrell has been named the starter for Week 1.

2023 Week 1 Mountain West Football Picks

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Oregon State vs. San Jose State: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

Oregon State vs. San Jose State: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction The Spartans face off with another tough Pac-12 foe in front of a national audience. Here’s how to watch and what to watch for. Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire A …

Oregon State vs. San Jose State: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction

The Spartans face off with another tough Pac-12 foe in front of a national audience. Here’s how to watch and what to watch for.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

A big-time contest in the South Bay.

WEEK 1: Oregon State Beavers vs. San Jose State Spartans (0-1)

WHEN: Sunday, September 3 — 12:30 PM PT/1:30 PM MT

WHERE: CEFCU Stadium; San Jose, CA

WEATHER: Mostly sunny, high of 76 degrees

TV: CBS

STREAMING: Fans can sign up to receive a free one-week trial of Fubo, which includes CBS, by following this link.

RADIO: The Oregon State broadcast can be found on the affiliates of the Beaver Sports Radio Network, including flagship NewsRadio 1190 in Portland. The San Jose State broadcast can be found on the Spartan Radio Network, including flagship 860 AM (KTRB).

SERIES RECORD: Oregon State leads the all-time series, 4-2. In the last meeting on September 19, 2015, the Beavers defeated the Spartans, 35-21, in Corvallis.

LAST GAME: Oregon State defeated Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl, 30-3, while San Jose State lost to Eastern Michigan, 41-27, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

WEBSITES: OSUBeavers.com, the official Oregon State athletics website | SJSUSpartans.com, the official San Jose State athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): Oregon State | San Jose State

ODDS: Oregon State -16.5

SP+ PROJECTION: Oregon State by 21.6 (89% win probability)

FEI PROJECTION: Oregon State by 11.5

PARKER FLEMING PROJECTION: Oregon State 58.76% win probability (31.34-20.99)

Mountain West football will span across three days in Week 1, culminating on Sunday afternoon with a big showdown between the Oregon State Beavers and San Jose State Spartans.

The Spartans put up a good fight in a season-opening loss against USC, but the Beavers could prove to be just as tough after a ten-win 2022 campaign in which they combined a punishing rushing game with a solid defense. However, with lingering questions at quarterback and on that reloading defense, San Jose State might be in a position to do the unexpected and finish what they couldn’t against the Trojans in Week 0.

Three Keys to a San Jose State State Victory

1. Make D.J. Uiagalelei uncomfortable.

Getting pressure on USC’s Caleb Williams was always going to be a tough assignment, but the Spartans acquitted themselves reasonably well with two sacks thanks to Tre Smith and Bryun Parham. Oregon State could be just as tough to beat up front, though their veteran ranks were thinned in fall camp when multi-year starting guard Marco Brewer was lost for the season with an injury.

The Spartans will need to produce more, though, to put the Clemson transfer Uiagalelei on his heels. Last year with the Tigers, Pro Football Focus noted that he had only 2.50 seconds to throw on average, the lowest figure of any ACC quarterback, which may help explain why his pressure-to-sack ratio increased from 2021 to 2022 (16.3% to 18.9%) while other measures stagnated. Should Smith, Parham, and the rest of the front seven build off of their opening performance, that will be key to building an upset bid.

2. Stop the run.

Uiagalelei is the big-name transfer on offense, but the Beavers will ultimately go as far as running backs Damien Martinez, Deshaun Fenwick, and Isaiah Newell can take them. Last season, the trio combined to average 5.57 yards per carry and score 16 touchdowns; that could be bad news for San Jose State since, after adjusting for sack yardage, the Spartans allowed 5.7 yards per carry to USC in Week 0.

Granted, SJSU allowed only four big chunk plays, totaling 78 rushing yards, against the Trojans, but they can’t afford to allow Oregon State to dictate the terms of the game in the trenches for too long.

3. If he’s available, get Justin Lockhart involved early.

One of the big surprises from Week 0 was that Lockhart, a preseason all-Mountain West selection, didn’t see the field at all. Nick Nash did most of the heavy lifting in Lockhart’s stead and six different Spartans saw at least three targets, but there’s little doubt the Spartans can only get better if their young star is ready to go.

As it happens, the first half was when Lockhart did most of his damage last year: He snagged 26 of his 36 total receptions in the first and second quarters and averaged 17.2 yards per catch in doing so. Oregon State’s projected starters at cornerback, Jaden Robinson and Tyrice Ivy Jr., won’t be intimidated, but Lockhart should have plenty of chances to put the fear in them

Prediction

This marks the biggest game at CEFCU Stadium in at least a few years, but San Jose State showed enough in Week 0 to think that they won’t shy away from a 12-round bout if Oregon State elects to lean on what carried them to double-digit victories last fall. It’s hard to say if the defense is up to the challenge of containing the Beavers for 60 minutes, though, and that’s likely to be the difference that keeps them at arm’s length.

Oregon State 30, San Jose State 20

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PODCAST: Week 1 Mountain West Football Preview

PODCAST: Week 1 Mountain West Football Preview First full slate of games! Contact/Follow @MWCwire TWELVE GAMES We are back for a full slate of games with 12 on the docket. Games start Friday night with Hawaii hosting Stanford and going through …

PODCAST: Week 1 Mountain West Football Preview

First full slate of games!

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

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TWELVE GAMES

We are back for a full slate of games with 12 on the docket. Games start Friday night with Hawaii hosting Stanford and going through Sunday with San Jose State hosting a ranked Oregon State team.

There are some FCS teams in the mix, Power 5 but more importantly, all teams are in action for the first full week of Mountain West play.

You can find the Mountain West Wire podcast below or subscribe to the show via Stitcher Radio, TuneIn, Spotify, iTunes, and more. Listen in, subscribe and rate it and let us know what you think!

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2023 Week 1 Mountain West Football Picks

2023 Week 1 Mountain West Football Picks Who is our staff picking today? Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Game Week! FRIDAY Stanford at Hawaii (+3.5), 9 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network, or stream for free with a FuboTV trial Jeremy: ATS: …

2023 Week 1 Mountain West Football Picks

Who is our staff picking today?

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Game Week!

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FRIDAY

Stanford at Hawaii (+3.5), 9 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network, or stream for free with a FuboTV trial

Jeremy: ATS: Hawaii | SU: Hawaii

Matt K.: ATS: Hawaii | SU: Hawaii

TJ: ATS: Stanford | SU: Stanford

Erik: ATS: Hawaii | SU: Hawaii

Phil: ATS: Hawaii | SU: Stanford

Michael: ATS: Stanford | SU: Stanford 

LaMarr: ATS: Stanford | Stanford

SATURDAY

Utah State at Iowa (-25), 12 p.m. ET, TV: FS1 or or stream for free with a FuboTV trial

Jeremy: ATS: Utah State | SU: Iowa

Matt K.: ATS: Iowa | SU: Iowa

TJ: ATS: Utah State | SU: Iowa

Erik: ATS: Utah State | SU: Iowa

Phil:  ATS: Utah State | SU: Iowa

Michael: ATS: Utah State | SU: Utah State

LaMarr: ATS: Iowa | SU Iowa

Fresno State at Purdue (-3.5), 12 p.m. ET, TV: BigTen Network or stream for free with a FuboTV trial

Jeremy: ATS: Fresno State | SU: Fresno State

Matt K.: ATS: Fresno State | SU: Fresno State

TJ: ATS: Fresno State | SU: Fresno State

Erik: ATS: Fresno State | SU: Fresno State

Phil: ATS: Fresno State | SU: Purdue

Michael: ATS: Fresno State | SU: Fresno State

LaMarr: ATS: Fresno State | SU: Fresno State

Robert Morris at Air Force (NL), 1 p.m. ET, TV: Altitude Sport or Mountain West Network

Jeremy: Air Force

Matt K.: SU: Air Force

TJ: SU: Air Force

Erik: Air Force

Phil: Air Force

Michael: Air Force 

LaMarr: Air Force

Boise State at Washington (-14.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, TV: ABC or stream for free with a FuboTV trial

Jeremy: ATS: Boise State | SU: Washington 

Matt K.: ATS: Washington | SU: Washington

TJ: ATS: Boise State | SU: Washington 

Erik: ATS: Boise State | SU: Boise State

Phil: ATS: Boise State | SU: Washington

Michael: ATS: Washington | SU: Washington 

LaMarr: ATS: Washington | SU: Washington

Nevada at USC (-38), 6:30 p.m. ET, TV: Pac-12 Network or stream for free with a FuboTV trial

Jeremy: ATS: USC | SU: USC

Matt K.: ATS: USC | SU: USC

TJ: ATS: USC | SU: USC

Erik: ATS: USC | SU: USC

Phil: ATS: USC | SU: USC

Michael: Nevada | SU: USC 

LaMarr: ATS: USC | SU: USC

Washington State at Colorado State (-12), 7 p.m. ET, TV CBS Sports Network or stream for free with a FuboTV trial

Jeremy: ATS: Colorado State | SU: Washington State

Matt K.: ATS: Colorado State | SU: Washington State

TJ: ATS: Washington State | SU: Washington State

Erik: ATS: Washington State | SU: Washington State

Phil.: ATS: Colorado State | SU: Washington State

Michael: ATS: Colorado State | SU: Washington State

LaMarr ATS: Colorado State | SU: Washington State

New Mexico at Texas A&M (-38), 7 p.m. ET, TV: ESPN or stream for free with a FuboTV trial.

Jeremy: ATS: New Mexico | SU: Texas A&M 

Matt K.: ATS: New Mexico | SU: Texas A&M 

TJ: ATS: Texas A&M| SU: Texas A&M

Erik: ATS: New Mexico | SU: Texas A&M

Phil: ATS: New Mexico | SU: Texas A&M 

Michael: ATS: New Mexico | SU: Texas A&M

LaMarr: ATS: New Mexico | SU: Texas A&M

Idaho State at San Diego State (NL), 10:30 p.m. ET, TV CBS Sports Network or stream for free with a FuboTV trial,

Jeremy: San Diego State

Matt K.: SU: San Diego State

TJ: San Diego State

Erik: San Diego State

Phil: San Diego State

Michael: San Diego State

LaMarr: Sand Deigo State

Oregon State at San Jose State (+16.5), 3:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS or stream for free with a FuboTV trial

Jeremy: ATS: San Jose State | SU: Oregon State

Matt K.: ATS: San Jose State | SU: Oregon State

TJ: ATS: San Jose State | SU: Oregon State

Erik: ATS: Oregon State | SU: Oregon State

Phil:  ATS: San Jose State | SU: Oregon State

Michael: ATS: San Jose State | SU: Oregon State 

LaMarr: ATS: San Jose State | SU: Oregon State

Bryant at UNLV (NL), 4 p.m. ET, TV: Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network or The Mountain West Network

Jeremy: UNLV

Matt K.: SU: UNLV

TJ: UNLV

Erik: UNLV

Phil: UNLV

Michael: UNLV

LaMarr: UNLV

SUNDAY

Texas Tech at Wyoming (+14), 7:30 p.m. ET, TV: CBS, or stream for free with a FuboTV trial

Jeremy: ATS: Wyoming | SU: Texas Tech

Matt K.: ATS: Wyoming | SU: Texas Tech

TJ: ATS:  Texas Tech | SU: Texas Tech

Erik: ATS:  Texas Tech | SU: Texas Tech

Phil: ATS:  Wyoming | SU: Texas Tech

Michael: ATS: Texas Tech | SU: Texas Tech 

LaMarr: ATS: Texas Tech | Texas Tech

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Stanford vs. Hawaii: Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Picks

Stanford vs. Hawaii: Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Picks Warriors at home vs. the Cardinal Contact/Follow @MWCwire Is an upset brewing? The Hawaii Warriors should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve, won. But damn, that was exciting. Hawaii made a few crucial …

Stanford vs. Hawaii: Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Picks

Warriors at home vs. the Cardinal

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Is an upset brewing?

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The Hawaii Warriors should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve, won. But damn, that was exciting. Hawaii made a few crucial errors that led to them falling just short to the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday night. Usually after a close loss with so many pivotal plays going against the Warriors I feel disappointed and frustrated, but after the game on Saturday I felt hopeful and excited for what is to come.

The Warriors surprised even the biggest diehards when they showed how far the program has come in year two of the Timmy Chang era. They went from a 63-10 blow out loss in last year’s season opener at home, to having a chance at a game tying drive on the road in Nashville last Saturday. A few plays go in the favor of the Bows instead of the way it played out and we could’ve been looking at a 1-0 team heading into this week’s match up with the Stanford Cardinal out of the mighty PAC4 (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself).

Head Coach Troy Taylor made the jump from Sacramento State and took over the Cardinal program after a commendable twelve year run by David Shaw. The days of the Stanford clock controlling power-run scheme are gone. Taylor brings his up-tempo, balanced, spread attack to Stanford but the biggest question is, does he have the personnel to run the scheme? 

On the depth chart released this week, all offensive skill position starters were listed with an “or”. Currently sophomores Ashton Daniels, Justin Lamson and junior Ari Patu are all listed as co-starters at quarterback and none of them have significant playing experience.

Game: Stanford (0-0) at Hawaii (0-1)

Where: Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex

When: 9 p.m. ET

TV: CBS Sports Network

Streaming: Fubo TV with a free trial

Radio: ESPN Radio 1420

Series Record: Stanford 3-0

Game Notes: Hawaii | Stanford

Odds: Stanford (-3)

Patu was the back-up to Tanner Mckee last season but because of the coaching staff change, his experience in the program is not as significant anymore. Daniels played as a freshman last year but he had more rushing attempts (25) than passing attempts (6). Lamson was the backup quarterback at Syracuse last season. Taylor rotated multiple quarterbacks at Sacramento State and found surprising success. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Patu handling passing duties and Daniels being the running quarterback.

Casey Filkins led the Cardinals in rushing with 478 yards and 5 touchdowns. Filkins and EJ Smith are listed as the top two backs. Smith is the son of legendary running back Emmit Smith.

The receivers are relatively unproven but that may be due to the scheme they were in last season. The leading returning receiver is tight end Benjamin Yurosek. Yurosek had 445 yards and a touchdown last season after recording 630 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2021. Look for him to attack the seams and be the number one target for whoever is under center.

The Cardinals are big up front. They are known as being dominant at the line of scrimmage although the last couple years have been down years for the position group. Simione Pale is listed as a starter as a true freshman and the other starters are all upperclassmen.

The Cardinals new defensive coordinator Bobby April brings an attacking 4-2-5 scheme from Wisconsin where he served as the outside linebackers coach. He helped to develop local Saint Louis alum Nick Herbig into a 2022 fourth round draft pick. Now April gets to work with an experienced Stanford defense that returns most of the front seven and is led in the backend by another local product in Punahou’s Alakai Gilman. The Cardinals struggled on defense last season but it sounds like the addition of Coach April has injected some juice and excitement into the unit.

The Warriors played with great effort last week fighting all the way to the final whistle. If they can continue to play with that kind of effort, move the ball offensively consistently, be tough and aggressive on defense and clean up the special teams coverage issues, they have a chance to spoil Coach Taylor’s Stanford debut.

Coach Chang mentioned in his epic post game speech last week that the rest of the schedule is on alert. I’m sure the Cardinals saw what the Warriors did last week and will not take them lightly. You can feel the excitement building because you can tell that the Warriors are just a couple plays away from being a good football team. Let’s see if they take a couple steps closer this week. It’s time to pack T.C. Ching and get loud for the home team.

Let’s go Bows!

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