Former Husker coach hired as Nevada’s offensive coordinator

It’s time for the next stop for a former Husker coach!

A former Nebraska Offensive Coordinator has been hired for the same position at Nevada. Former coach Matt Lubick was announced as the team’s offensive coordinator by head coach Jeff Choate on Monday.

Lubick was only a wide receiver coach and offensive coordinator with the Huskers for the 2020 and 2021 seasons before being dismissed. Prior to arriving in Lincoln, he had spent two seasons at Washington and the four seasons before that at Oregon, where he coached with Scott Frost.

For the last couple of seasons, Lubick has been a senior analyst at Kansas. He was diagnosed with leukemia last October and has been undergoing treatment.

Nevada head coach Jeff Choate is excited to see his new coordinator emerge from a tough battle.

“Matt has obviously had a long battle, and it’s really gratifying to see him come out the other end. One of the things he talked about with our team was gratitude, how grateful he was for the opportunity to coach at Nevada. And I can say the same thing—I’m extremely grateful that Matt is going to be our offensive coordinator. We’re very excited to have him in a position where he can engage with us now. Matt’s an extremely accomplished coach and an even better person, and I’m looking forward to what he’s able to bring.”

Choate will be entering his first season at Nevada after serving as Texas’ defensive coordinator for the last three years.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released

Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released The Mountain West revised its college football schedule to include games against wayward Oregon State and Washington State. Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire What’s new? The vagaries of …

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Mountain West Football’s Updated 2024 Matchups Released


The Mountain West revised its college football schedule to include games against wayward Oregon State and Washington State.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

What’s new?

The vagaries of college football realignment didn’t directly impact the Mountain West Conference over the last calendar year, but the shockwaves of moves across the country resulted today in a revised slate of matchups that includes the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars, the two Pac-12 programs left behind by their conference mates’ exodus.

When it was announced that the conference would do away with the Mountain and West divisions in 2022, the conference announced a rotation that would protect two games for each team and extend through the 2025 season. A multitude of Power 5 programs had other plans, however, and when the Big 12, Big Ten, and ACC raided the Pac-12 for ten of its teams throughout 2023, it left Oregon State and Washington State standing alone.

Here are the home and away games that the Mountain West had previously unveiled for 2024:

Air Force, Nevada, and San Diego State will host the Beavers while Boise State, Fresno State, and New Mexico will do the same for the Cougars. Conversely, Colorado State, San Jose State, and UNLV will travel to Corvallis; Hawaii, Utah State, and Wyoming will head to Pullman. None of the games will count as part of the conference standings, however, meaning that each Mountain West team will have seven conference games rather than the usual eight.

The changes, as you might expect, have differing impacts on every Mountain West team’s pre-existing schedule. Air Force, for instance, will get to face Oregon State at home instead of Hawaii, but Colorado State now travels to Oregon State and Nevada rather than Boise and San Diego. As DNVR Sports’s Justin Michael noted, it will be the first time since 2010 that the Rams and Broncos do not face each other. Similarly, Wyoming will now host San Diego State and Utah State rather than Nevada and UNLV.

One interesting twist is that the two teams who played in the Mountain West championship game this month, Boise State and UNLV, are now set to square off at Allegiant Stadium rather than Albertsons Stadium next year. Exact dates for the Mountain West schedule will be released at a later time, but next year’s title game is slated for Saturday, December 7, 2024.

Air Force

Home – Colorado State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Oregon State
Away – Nevada, New Mexico, San Diego State, Wyoming

Boise State

Home – Nevada, San Diego State, Utah State, Washington State
Away – Hawaii, San Jose State, UNLV, Wyoming

Colorado State

Home – New Mexico, San Jose State, Utah State, Wyoming
Away – Air Force, Fresno State, Nevada, Oregon State

Fresno State

Home – Colorado State, Hawaii, San Jose State, Washington State
Away – Air Force, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV

Hawaii

Home – Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV
Away – Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Washington State

Nevada

Home – Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State
Away – Boise State, Hawaii, San Jose State, UNLV

New Mexico

Home – Air Force, Fresno State, Wyoming, Washington State
Away – Colorado State, Hawai‘i, San Diego State, Utah State

San Diego State

Home – Air Force, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon State
Away – Boise State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming

San Jose State

Home – Boise State, Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming
Away – Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Oregon State

UNLV

Home – Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada, San Diego State
Away – Hawaii, San Jose State, Utah State, Oregon State

Utah State

Home – Hawaii, New Mexico, San Diego State, UNLV
Away – Boise State, Colorado State, Wyoming, Washington State

Wyoming

Home – Air Force, Boise State, San Diego State, Utah State
Away – Colorado State, New Mexico, San Jose State, Washington State

Oregon State

Home – Colorado State, San Jose State, UNLV
Away – Air Force, Nevada, San Diego State

Washington State

Home – Hawaii, Utah State, Wyoming
Away – Boise State, Fresno State, New Mexico

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Nevada Football: Jeff Choate Named Head Coach

After underperforming the last two years, the Wolf Pack introduce a new leader with defensive chops and head coaching success on his resume.

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Nevada Football: Jeff Choate Named Head Coach


After underperforming the last two seasons, the Wolf Pack introduce a new leader with defensive chops on his resume.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

A new chapter begins in Reno.

Three days after firing Ken Wilson, the Nevada Wolf Pack introduced Jeff Choate as its new head football coach this afternoon. The news was first broken yesterday by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.

Choate has spent the last three seasons as the co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Texas Longhorns, where he’s overseen a unit that, by Bill Connelly’s SP+ metric, has improved from 86th in 2021 to 15th in 2022 to 10th this season, following last Saturday’s Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma State. Under his recent tutelage, Jaylen Ford has been named a first-team all-Big 12 performer in each of the last two years.

He isn’t an unfamiliar name in the Mountain West, either. Choate spent 2002-04 at Utah State and 2006-11 at Boise State, serving as a position coach and special teams coordinator at both stops. He later spent four years as the head coach at FCS Montana State, from 2016 to 2019. In that stint, he guided the Bobcats from 4-7 in his first year to back-to-back playoff appearances, reaching the semifinals in his final year before electing to leave for Austin in January 2021. He posted an overall record of 28-22.

His defensive pedigree, which includes the development of stars like Troy Andersen, Danny Shelton, and Ford, and previous success as a head coach are almost certainly the calling cards that Nevada is hoping to draw upon after allowing 6.89 yards per play (last in FBS) and 2.64 points per drive (106th) this season.

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Mountain West Wire’s 2023 Postseason All-Conference Football Team

Who did our staff pick as the best of the best in Mountain West football this season?

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Mountain West Wire Presents Its 2023 Postseason All-Mountain West Football Teams


Our staff has made its selections for the best of Mountain West football as we close out the 2023 season.


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Only the best of the best make the cut.

Mountain West Wire’s 2023 postseason honors:

All-Conference Teams | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Player of the YearFreshman of the Year | Newcomer of the Year | Coach of the Year | Coordinator of the Year

With the Mountain West’s regular season in the books and the conference championship game just one day away, our staff here at Mountain West Wire has once again put its collective heads together to create our fifth annual postseason all-Mountain West football team.

If you’re interested in seeing how these selections stack up against our preseason picks, click here. Alternatively, you can click the following links to find our postseason honorees from 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.

As always, our all-conference roster goes four deep and attempts to best reflect the variety of offenses and defenses we see week in and week out throughout the conference:

  • We vote for a Defensive Flex player to better reflect that some units — like Boise State, San Diego State, and Wyoming — often operate with five defensive backs or a nickelback/linebacker hybrid in their 3-3-5 or 4-2-5.
  • We split our linebacker selections into two, inside and outside, as we’d previously differentiated between centers, guards, and tackles on the offensive lines and between interior linemen and edge rushers on defense.
  • We vote for three wide receivers instead of two.

If you disagree with our choices, feel free to let us know what you’d have done differently on Twitter or Facebook.

First Team

Offense

QB – Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State
RB – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
RB – Jacory Croskey-Merritt, New Mexico
RB – Kairee Robinson, San Jose State
WR – Tory Horton, Colorado State
WR – Ricky White, UNLV
WR – Jalen Royals, Utah State
TE – Dallin Holker, Colorado State
C – Thor Paglialong, Air Force
G – Mark Hiestand, Air Force
G – Wesley Ndago, Air Force
T – Adam Karas, Air Force
T – Cade Beresford, Boise State

Defense

DT – Jordan Bertagnole, Wyoming
DT – Payton Zdroik, Air Force
DE – Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
DE – Ahmed Hassanein, Boise State
OLB – Jackson Woodard, UNLV
OLB – Bo Richter, Air Force
ILB – Easton Gibbs, Wyoming
ILB – MJ Tafisi, Utah State
CB – Cameron Oliver, UNLV
CB – Jay’Vion Cole, San Jose State
CB – Carlton Johnson, Fresno State
S – Ike Larsen, Utah State
S – Wyatt Ekeler, Wyoming
FLEX – Morice Norris Jr., Fresno State

Special Teams

K – Jose Pizano, UNLV
P – James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State
KR – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV
PR – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV

Second Team

Offense

QB – Jayden Maiava, UNLV
RB – Malik Sherrod, Fresno State
RB – Emmanuel Michel, Air Force
WR – Steven McBride, Hawaii
WR – Terrell Vaughn, Utah State
WR – Pofele Ashlock, Hawaii
TE – Mark Redman, San Diego State
C – Jacob Gardner, Colorado State
G – Mose Vavao, Fresno State
G – Wes King, Wyoming
T – Frank Crum, Wyoming
T – Kage Casey, Boise State

Defense

DT – Soane Toia, San Jose State
DT – Cole Godbout, Wyoming
DE – P.J. Ramsey, Air Force
DE – Tre Smith, San Jose State
OLB – Levelle Bailey, Fresno State
OLB – Andrew Simpson, Boise State
ILB – Alec Mock, Air Force
ILB – Bryun Parham, San Jose State
CB – Noah Tumblin, San Diego State
CB – Donte Martin, New Mexico
S – Trey Taylor, Air Force
S – Jack Howell, Colorado State
FLEX – Seyi Oladipo, Boise State

Special Teams

K – Jonah Dalmas, Boise State
P – Marshall Nichols, UNLV
KR – Jaelen Gill, Fresno State
PR – Tory Horton, Colorado State

Nevada expected to hire Texas assistant Jeff Choate as head coach

Texas assistant Jeff Choate appears to be the next head coach for Nevada.

Texas could be losing an assistant from head coach Steve Sarkisian’s strong coaching staff. Longhorns co-defensive coordinator and linebacker coach Jeff Choate is expected to become the next head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Choate has certainly earned head coach consideration after a strong three seasons in Austin. While he has head coaching experience dating back to his time at Montana State, it’s his linebacker development at Texas that commands perhaps the most recognition.

The Longhorns’ assistant has helped develop on of the better linebackers in college football in Jaylan Ford. Several other players have benefitted from his guidance. Veteran linebacker David Gbenda is on an upward trend while freshman linebacker Anthony Hill has come into his own for the Texas defense.

Undoubtedly, Choate’s absence will be felt should he depart west to coach Nevada. Even so, he’s played an integral role in building a high IQ defense that should have staying power for the foreseeable future.

Nevada Football: Head Coach Ken Wilson Fired

The Wolf Pack are on the hunt for a new leader after Wilson couldn’t get the program out of its current hole.

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Nevada Football: Head Coach Ken Wilson Fired


The Wolf Pack are on the hunt for a new leader after Wilson couldn’t get the program out of its current hole.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The next chapter begins soon.

After leading the Nevada Wolf Pack to back-to-back 2-10 seasons, head coach Ken Wilson has been fired.

The news, first reported by Matt Zenitz of On3Sports and confirmed by Chris Murray of Nevada Sports Net, doesn’t necessarily come as a shock. Nevada failed to turn the page after previous head coach Jay Norvell left the program for Colorado State in December 2021, a move that launched a substantial transfer portal exodus which may have ultimately defined Wilson’s tenure in Reno.

He won his first two games as head coach in the 2022 season, but the Wolf Pack then suffered a 16-game losing streak that extended into 2023. After another pair of consecutive victories against San Diego State and New Mexico in October, the team lost its last four games, sealing Wilson’s fate.

Despite starting with significant holes on the roster, the Wolf Pack never found many long-term solutions on either side of the ball after two seasons. By Brian Fremeau’s FEI efficiency metric, Nevada fell from 53rd in 2021 to 124th last year and 128th this season; by Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, they dropped from 67th to 125th to 131st. The Wolf Pack are also the only team in the Mountain West to average fewer than 20 points per game in each of the last two years, a period in which they also finished either next-to-last or last in the conference by yards per play on offense and yards per play allowed on defense.

As Murray noted, Wilson’s 24-game stint as head coach is the program’s shortest since Jeff Horton’s infamous Red Defection to UNLV in 1993.

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Postseason All-Conference Team, Individual Honors Announced

The regular season is in the books. Here are the all-Mountain West teams, players of the year, and coach of the year.

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Mountain West Football: 2023 Postseason All-Conference Team, Individual Honors Announced


The regular season is in the books. Here are the all-Mountain West teams, players of the year, and coach of the year.


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Only the best of the best.

The Mountain West football season is nearly complete, but before Saturday’s championship tilt between Boise State and UNLV and bowl games after that, the conference media announced its selections for the all-Mountain West two-deep and individual awards.

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty earned the nod as the Mountain West’s offensive player of the year, becoming the first sophomore to do so since Nevada’s Carson Strong in 2020. Though he was limited to just ten games because of injury, the Broncos’ super sophomore led the conference with 110.9 rushing yards per game and 164.6 all-purpose yards per game and finished second with 18 total touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, Jeanty’s 92.4 overall grade also led the Mountain West and ranked third among all FBS running backs.

Colorado State’s Mohamed Kamara was tabbed as the Mountain West’s defensive player of the year, the first Ram to be decorated as such since Shaquil Barrett in 2013. His 13 sacks and 17 tackles for loss both paced the conference, as did the 35 quarterback hurries for which he was credited by PFF, while his 83.2 overall grade is third-best among all Mountain West defenders.

Meanwhile, UNLV kicker Jose Pizano stepped up to win the conference’s special teams player of the year award. After transferring in from Missouri State, Pizano led the Mountain West in connecting on 23-of-25 field goals, including a perfect 16-of-16 inside of 40 yards, and finished second overall with 119 total points. That made him just the second Rebel to crack the century mark dating back to 2009.

UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava was named the conference’s freshman of the year, becoming the fourth Rebel in the last seven seasons to earn the honor. He stepped into a difficult situation when incumbent starter Doug Brumfield was sidelined by injury in September, but the Vegas native stepped up and finished the regular season with a 64.1% completion rate, 2,626 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and a 2.1% interception rate. More than any of the other individual awards, this one may have been a foregone conclusion after Maiava had already earned freshman of the week five times throughout 2023, a conference first.

Lastly, UNLV’s Barry Odom became the first Rebels head coach since John Robinson in 2000 to be named the Mountain West’s coach of the year. After taking over from Marcus Arroyo, Odom shepherded the Rebels to a 9-3 record, the team’s highest single-season win total since 1984, engineering an offense that led the conference with 35.5 points per game and a defense that tied for first with 22 total giveaways and led the way in allowing a 34.6% third-down conversion rate.

As for the all-conference teams, every program has at least one player on this year’s postseason honor roll. UNLV leads the way with six first-team selections, while three players — Wyoming’s Easton Gibbs and Colorado State’s Jack Howell and Tory Horton — each earned their second postseason first-team appearance.

2023 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST TEAM

Offense

QB – Chevan Cordeiro, San Jose State
WR – Tory Horton, Colorado State
WR – Ricky White, UNLV
WR – Jalen Royals, Utah State
RB – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
RB – Kairee Robinson, San Jose State
TE – Dallin Holker, Colorado State
OL – Thor Paglialong, Air Force
OL – Cade Beresford, Boise State
OL – JC Davis, New Mexico
OL – Tiger Shanks, UNLV
OL – Frank Crum, Wyoming
PK – Jose Pizano, UNLV
KR – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV

Defense

DL – PJ Ramsey, Air Force
DL – Ahmed Hassanein, Boise State
DL – Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
DL – Tre Smith, San Jose State
LB – Bo Richter, Air Force
LB – Jackson Woodard, UNLV
LB – MJ Tafisi, Utah State
LB – Easton Gibbs, Wyoming
DB – Trey Taylor, Air Force
DB – Jack Howell, Colorado State
DB – Emany Johnson, Nevada
DB – Ike Larsen, Utah State
P – James Ferguson-Reynolds, Boise State
PR – Jacob De Jesus, UNLV

2023 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM

Offense

QB – Jayden Maiava, UNLV
WR – Steven McBride, Hawaii
WR – Nick Nash, San Jose State
WR – Terrell Vaughn, Utah State
RB – Emmanuel Michel, Air Force
RB – Jacory Croskey-Merritt, New Mexico
TE – Mark Redman, San Diego State
OL – Adam Karas, Air Force
OL – Kage Casey, Boise State
OL – Jacob Gardner, Colorado State
OL – Mose Vavao, Fresno State
OL – Cade Barnett, San Diego State
PK – Jonah Dalmas, Boise State
KR – Terrell Vaughn, Utah State

Defense

DL – Jalen Dixon, UNLV
DL – Devo Bridges, Fresno State
DL – Soane Toia, San Jose State
DL – Jordan Bertagnole, Wyoming
LB – Alec Mock, Air Force
LB – Andrew Simpson, Boise State
LB – Chase Wilson, Colorado State
LB – Levelle Bailey, Fresno State
DB – Carlton Johnson, Fresno State
DB – Morice Norris Jr., Fresno State
DB – Noah Tumblin, San Diego State
DB – Cameron Oliver, UNLV
P – Jack Browning, San Diego State
PR – Tory Horton, Colorado State

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Mountain West Football: 2023-24 Transfer Tracker

Mountain West Football: 2022-23 Transfer Tracker College football’s transfer is open for business in the new academic year. We’ll keep track of who’s leaving and who’s coming to the Mountain West. Contact/Follow @MWCwire Who is the league losing and …

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Mountain West Football: 2022-23 Transfer Tracker


College football’s transfer is open for business in the new academic year. We’ll keep track of who’s leaving and who’s coming to the Mountain West.


Contact/Follow @MWCwire

Who is the league losing and adding?

College football’s regular season is underway, but transfer portal season is never really over.

Since the new year officially began on August 1, football players from the Mountain West and beyond have announced their intention to find new places to play. Check back here periodically as we keep an eye on who is arriving and who’s heading out from the conference in the days, weeks, and months to come.

Leaving the Mountain West

Air Force

Boise State 

Colorado State

Fresno State

Hawaii

Nevada

New Mexico

San Diego State

San Jose State

UNLV

Utah State

Wyoming

Nevada vs. Colorado State: Keys to a Rams Win, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction

The CSU Rams celebrate Senior Day against the Wolf Pack in Part 2 of the Norvell Bowl. Here’s how the Rams can come out with the win.

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Nevada vs. Colorado State: Keys to a Rams Win, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction


The Rams face the Wolf Pack on Senior Day


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Can the Rams finish their home stand strong?

WEEK 12: Nevada Wolf Pack (2-8, 2-4 MW) vs Colorado State Rams (4-6, 2-4 MW)

WHEN: Saturday, November 18th — 1 p.m. MST / 12 p.m. PST

WHERE: Canvas Stadium; Fort Collins, CO (36,500)

WEATHER: Cloudy, 59 degrees at kickoff

TV: MW Network

RADIO: K99-FM 99.1 / ESPN 1600 AM

SERIES RECORD: This will be the 19th all time matchup between these two schools. Colorado State leads the series 13-5. The Rams won 17-14 in Reno last season.

WEBSITES: NevadaWolfPack.com, the official Nevada athletics website | CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): NevadaColorado State

ODDS: Colorado State -12.5

OVER/UNDER: 46.5

SP+ PROJECTION: Colorado State by 10.5

FEI PROJECTION: Colorado State by 9.3

PARKER FLEMING PROJECTION: Colorado State has a 58.29% win probability (26.89-24.12)

Now to the keys to victory for the Rams.

Keys to a colorado state victory

1. Keep the run game going

Every CSU fan now knows the name Justin Marshall. The freshman RB from Merrillville, Indiana had a breakout game with 18 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. The Rams had 183 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as a team. This is the complement to the air raid passing game head coach Jay Norvell has been looking for all year. If the Rams want to get to a bowl game, they will have to keep this momentum going.

2. No silly mistakes

The Rams are the second-most penalized team in the Mountain West, behind only New Mexico, with 8.2 penalties for 74.1 yards per game. And the majority of those penalties are the bad ones. Too many unsportsmanlike calls setting back the defense. Penalties setting back the offense when getting into red zone territory. This is becoming a worrying trend for the Rams, but something that can be fixed.

3. Stay home on defense

Another run happy team for the defense. Another week of staying home on the edge. Both quarterbacks, AJ Bianco and Brendon Lewis, are dual threats, so the Rams have to keep contain. Nevada’s offense isn’t that good overall, but they have the talent to burn a defense. The Rams will need to stay on assignment to contain this defense.

Prediction

The Rams are still taking this one game at a time. It’s time to celebrate the seniors, but CSU will also take care of business on the field against the Wolf Pack. This is a better CSU squad than last season. And the Rams will show it on the field by not letting this one be close.

Final Score: Colorado State 34, Nevada 17

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Mountain West Football: Week 9 Winners And Losers

Emmanuel Michael, Senika McKie, and Wyoming are among Mountain West football’s biggest winners and losers from Week 9.

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Mountain West Football: Week 9 Winners And Losers


Who came out ahead and who left something to be desired across the Mountain West in Week 9 of the college football season?


Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Encouragements and letdowns from the week that was.

You might as well have called last weekend in Mountain West football “Statement Saturday.”

While there wasn’t a lot of high drama (though they had that covered in the Central Valley almost single-handedly), everyone got a chance to send a message to the rest of the conference: It’s Air Force and it’s everyone else. Boise State isn’t dead yet and neither is Fresno State. Nevada may have found some footing after all.

Because some of those statements were less encouraging than others, however, here are the winners and losers from Week 9.

Winners

1. Air Force running back Emmanuel Michel

The battle for the Ram-Falcon Trophy may have turned out to be tougher and snowier than expected for the Mountain-West leading cadets, but Michel’s performance in the second half of Air Force’s 30-13 win over Colorado State helped ensure the road team would hang on rivalry bragging rights. He picked up 113 of his 130 rushing yards after halftime, including a key 53-yard scamper in the third quarter that flipped the field and helped to set the Falcons up with a ten-point lead, and capped the scoring with a five-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

2. Fresno State linebacker Levelle Bailey

The Bulldogs’ senior star has developed a knack for being in the right place at the right time, killing UNLV’s last-gasp rally with a game-sealing interception to secure a 31-24 win over the Rebels.

Most people will immediately point out that isn’t even Bailey’s first game-sealing pick of the season — he did the same thing to Eastern Washington back in September — but it’s also worth mentioning he tied for the team high with eight total tackles, broke up a second pass in the first quarter and, per Pro Football Focus, allowed just 25 total yards on the five times he was targeted in coverage.

3. Nevada cornerback Michael Coats Jr.

Sometimes, it’s just your day. That certainly appeared to be the case for the former East Central Community College transfer on Saturday in a 34-24 win over New Mexico, as the Lobos tested him early and often but, according to PFF, would be repeatedly denied: His second quarter interception would set up a short scoring drive that extended the Wolf Pack lead to 24-0 at that point, but he also broke up two passes and allowed just three receptions on a team-high ten targets. For a team sorely lacking in bright spots in the first half of the season, Coats Jr.’s performance came at just the right time for the Nevada faithful to think things might be headed in the right direction after all.

Losers

1. UNLV wide receiver Senika McKie

Catching a football is sometimes harder than it looks. It’s important to remember that when someone lets a well-placed goal-line fade — far from the easiest play to make on a route tree under most circumstances — slip through their fingers like McKie did on Saturday night in a 31-24 loss to Fresno State.

PFF notes it was the only pass dropped by a Rebels receiver against the Bulldogs, though McKie now has twice as many dropped passes (six) as anyone else on the roster on just 34 targets this season. For the moment, that 27.3% drop rate is the highest among all qualifying Mountain West players; the latest misfortune just happened to come at a moment that many UNLV folks will probably be thinking about for a long time.

2. Wyoming

Cowboy football’s remaining skeptics came away with plenty to talk about on Saturday in the wreckage of a 32-7 defeat on the road to Boise State. The offense was dead on arrival, averaging 2.5 yards per play, finishing 1-of-11 on third downs, and crossing midfield only because Stefan Cobbs muffed a punt return late in the first quarter. On defense, Jay Sawvel’s secondary was simply overmatched by Eric McAlister and couldn’t capitalize on Ashton Jeanty’s limited availability, allowing Maddux Madsen to move through the air seemingly at will while George Holani’s return from injury allowed the Broncos to survive on the ground.

Now effectively eliminated from the Mountain West title chase, the Cowboys are sitting at 5-3 with a -20 point differential after eight games. They were also 5-3 after games in 2022, but the difference is that this was supposed to be the year in which their returning production advantage might finally put them over the top. The more things change, though, the more they seem to stay the same in Laramie.

3. Hawaii

Are Timmy Chang’s Warriors regressing before our eyes? It’s not what you hoped to see on the back half of his second year in charge, but a 35-0 shutout to San Jose State marked the third time in four conference games that Hawaii has lost by at least three touchdowns. Quarterback Brayden Schager never got going, finishing 17-of-29 for 132 yards and one interception before being relieved in the fourth quarter, while punter/kicker Matthew Shipley ended up as the team’s leading rusher with a 17-yard run on a third-quarter fake.

The more serious concern is that the defense has stagnated even more, allowing the Spartans to average 6.9 yards per play through the first three quarters. Perhaps no one is more emblematic of the team’s growing pains than sophomore linebacker Jalen Smith, who collected two of his three tackles for loss on SJSU’s second possession but also picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that enabled to Spartans to extend the drive and, eventually, collect their first points of the game. Patience is probably still a virtue here, but you can’t blame fans for feeling a little angst at blowout after blowout.

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