Pac-12 teams begin to separate from each other.

AGGIES DROP COUGARS

BEAVERS CHOP UP AZTECS LIKE KINDLING

BOISE STATE BEATS OUT FRESNO STATE

Boise State and Oregon State look to be the premier teams in the newly formed Pac-12

Aggies pull out win against the Cougars

Utah State (2-4, 1-1 Pac-12) ripped off the life support cords Friday night, scoring fourteen unanswered points against Washington State (1-5, 0-2 Pac-12) to defeat the Cougars 17-16 in Logan Utah in front of 20,806 fans. Utah State was held to three points in the first half and all indications were the sad-sack Aggies would go quietly down to yet another defeat. Quarterback Grady Brosterhous had something else to say as he threw for 150 yards and a score, while Javen Jacobs rushed for 62 yards and a score and the Aggies completely throttled the Cougars in the second half. The Aggies took advantage of two Cougar fumbles by turning them into the 14 points. A short field helped as their drives went for 39 and 19 yards. Brosterhous hit Eli Wood in the end zone from 27 yards out with 7:08 left in the third quarter. Jacobs 2-yard score with 6:22 left in the fourth was due to a fumble by Washington State Tight End Jack Pederson. The hapless Cougars could only muster 64 yards in the second half. Receiver Wood would wind up with six catches for 84 yards. Cougar quarterback Caden Pinnick was 23 of 36 for 156 yards and a fumble. Leo Pulalasi finished with 60 yards rushing and a score for the Cougars who have now lost three straight games. The teams were fairly evenly matched on the stat page, but a few stood out. Cougar penalties amounted to 13 for 113 yards vs. 8 for 87 for Utah State. Time of possession came down in favor of Washington State 35:40 to 24:20. TOP doesn’t always work in your favor if you give the ball up and lose opportunities through penalties. Of note are the Aggies who only had three players catch passes. Their offense revolves around Brosterhous who is not a standout passer, but he will carry the ball. While he didn’t rack up yards, he keeps the plays going. The Aggies will need to find out more players to become engaged. The Cougars by all intents should have won, but for the turnovers, it’s back to the drawing b oafd. Next week Washington State is at former Pac-12 partner Oregon State. The Beavers have turned into an offensive juggernaut. Utah State travels to Texas State in two weeks for a matchup in San Marcos, Texas.

Oregon State absolutely crushes San Diego State

The Beavers (4-2, 2-0 Pac-12) and the tandem of quarterback Braden Atkinson and Receiver Jesse Legree absolutely threw the Aztecs (2-4, 1-1 Pac-12) down as sacrificial victims with a dominating 66-14 performance in front of a raucous crowd of 37,361 fans.

The Beavers were dominant from the beginning as they were up 14-0 after the first quarter. An Atkinson pass to Maalik Murphy for two yards opened the scoring. This was followed up by a 27 yard run by AJ Newberry. The Beavers used 19 plays and 155 yards for those two drives. The second quarter was the proverbial knife as the Beavers continued to apply pressure. Atkinson connected to Jesse Legree for his first score for 11 yards and a 21-0 lead. One minute later, Cornell Hatcher Jr. powered in from one yard out. Two minutes later the Beavers were on board again as Atkinson passed to DeCorion Temple for 12 yards and a comfortable 35-0 lead. The Aztecs would answer on a pass from Jayden Denegal to Jacob Bostick from 11 yards out. The Beavers would close out the scoring with a 53 yard field goal to end the half.

It was more of the same for the Beavers in the third quarter as they continued to pound the Aztecs into submission. It was the Atkinson to Legree show as they connected on a 71 yard scoring strike. Just two minutes later, it was more of the same this time for 31 yards. Next up was a one yard run by Jake Reichle. On the ensuing kickoff Azgtecs Jaylon Hawkins would return the kickoff for 97 yards. This was his third return of the season. The score at this point was 59-14 and the Beavers would have one more score in them as backup quarterback Maalik Murphy would hit Eddie Freauff for seven yards and a 66-14 lead that would wind up the final.

Atkinson would continue his blistering pace of leading the country in passing going 29-38 for 4090 yards and 5 scores without a turnover. The running game would account for 189 yards with eight players touching the ball. The receiving would fourteen players touch the ball led by Jesse Legree with 10 catches for 191 yards and three scores. He has strongly made the case to be the best receiver in the country. The Aztecs meanwhile, who saw every rusher and receiver have his first name start with J, struggled with futility. Quarterback Jayden Denegal was 5/19 passing for 78 yards and one score. No one else figured in the game with the exception of Jaylon Hawkins who had the one return score and one catch for 43 yards.

Much has been talked about with Coach Lewis and his staff for their offensive ineptness. It might be the time to seriously consider ejecting Offensive Coordinator Matt Johnson for a replacement. Face it, it couldn’t get any worse. They are averaging slightly less than 23 points in a game, but have had games where they have scored 14, 10, 13 and 16. Their schedule includes home against Fresno State next week and Boise State later in the season. The Bulldog defense is the best in the conference so most people are not optimistic that the Aztecs can improve upon their performance tonight. Oregon State, meanwhile, is getting much deserved press for their season turnaround. Tight losses against Houston and Texas Tech have been followed by impressive wins in dominating fashion. Last week they beat Colorado State by 30 and San Diego State by 52. That’s crazy to read that as the Aztecs had been pretty stout on defense. As mentioned, the Aztecs are back home against Fresno State next week and Oregon State is hosting Washington State. The Cougars were losers to cellar dweller Utah State. It could be another offensive fireworks for the Banging Beavers next week.

Boise State pulls out win over Fresno State

The Broncos, behind running back Dylan Riley, held off Fresno State to rise to the top of the Pac-12 Conference alongside Oregon State. Riley ran for 150 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and scored on a 44-yard pass to help push No. 23 ranked Boise State over Fresno State 38-31. This ended a three-game losing streak against the Bulldogs in the Milk Can rivalry game. 43,086 fans were in Valley Children’s Stadium last night to welcome this heated rivalry. Boise State was coming in with a four-game winning streak and was looking to cement themselves as the conference leaders.

“This was a huge win for our program,” Boise State coach Spencer Danielson said. “Coach Matt Entz and Fresno State do a phenomenal ob. It’s been a long time since we beat them.”

On Boise’s second play from scrimmage, Riley broke free on a 72-yard run, setting the tone for the rest of the game as Fresno State worked to play catchup. Riley was leading the FBS with 685 yards rushing and would continue to add to his lead. Boise State chose to go for two points as Zeke Martinez had an open lane behind his center. Broncos Quarterback Maddux Madsen was an efficient 23-of-34 passing for 238 yards and two scores. Boise’s running game was solidified by the return of Sire Gaines who added 120 yards and a score on 20 carries. The tandem of Riley and Gaines is likely the best tandem in all of college football.

Coach Danielson said, “Our running backs ran really hard tonight – Dylan Riley, Sire Gaines. Our offensive line did a really, really good job. Outright ends blocked their tails off. I think Matt Wagner is one of the better tight ends around.”

Boise State ran up 512 total yards and scored on seven of their eight drives. Offensive efficiency has always been a Boise State hallmark. Boise State rushed for 274 yards and 6.1 yards per carry and controlled the ball for 38:58, effectively tiring out Fresno State’s defense. Fresno opened the scoring on a Jayden Mandal 8 yard run. Boise State followed with the run by Riley and a 22 yard pass from Madsen to Terrious Favors. Fresno State answered with a 59 yard pass from Khristian Martin to Ezekiel Avit. With the score, Boise State led 15-13 after one quarter. The second quarter saw Sire Gaines score from two yards out followed by Avit on a 10 yard pass from Mandal. Canaan Moore would add a 49 yard field goal near the end of the half. Moore would add a 38 yard field goal for the only scoring of the third quarter and a 28-20 Bronco lead. The Broncos added another score on a 44 yard pass from Madsen to Riley. The Broncos would counter with a 15 yard pass from Mandal to Gavin Correia from 15 yards out. The Bulldogs went for two and converted to bring the lead to 35-28 Boise. Both teams would trade field goals and Boise would run out the clock for the final. Fresno Quarterback Jayden Mandal wound up 19-33 passing for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. Ezekiel Avit would account for 6 catches and 96 yards. The Bulldogs rushing was really cut down by the Broncos, only accounting for 69 yards.

Next Saturday the Bulldogs travel to face in-state rival San Diego State at Snapdragon Stadium. The Broncos have the week off before they return to play at Washington State on October 24.

A look over at the Mountain West

The docket in the Mountain West included some key games. Wyoming took San Jose State to overtime, defeating them 16-13 on Friday night. Nevada held off UTEP 30-13 while Air force took care of Northern Illinois 28-7. UNLV and their defense shut down previously undefeated North Dakota State 13-7, while Hawaii dropped a non-conference matchup against Arizona State 30-12. New Mexico had a bye, so the standings show UNLV on the top of the conference with a 2-0 record, followed by the Lobos at 1-0. The Rebels and Lobos face off on November 14. If each team continues their ways, that game might decide the Conference champion.

Pac-12 Standings

Things have sorted themselves out a bit and after two weeks we see the cream rising to the top.

1. Boise State (5-1, 2-0)
2. Oregon State (4-2, 2-0)
3. Fresno State (4-2, 1-1)
4. San Diego State (3-3, 1-1)
5. Utah State (2-4, 1-1)
6. Colorado State (2-3, 0-1)
7. Texas State (2-3, 0-1)
8. Washington State (1-5, 0-2)