A look at the schools that are overlooked by the ESPNs of the world.


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

MWC News and Notes: 9/19/12


Air Force:
AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Air Force coach Troy Calhoun isn't one to fall for a trap, and he's not expecting the Nevada-Las Vegas football team to be playing with basketballs when his Falcons open their Mountain West season Saturday night against the Rebels at Sam Boyd Stadium.
With UNLV showing three straight home losses to start the season, some reports out of Las Vegas contend the school's faithful already have turned their attention to basketball, in which the Rebels usually have a strong team. But instead, Calhoun is looking for a rigorous test on the football field, especially for an inexperienced defensive unit.
"This week," Calhoun answered when asked if his defenders are doing a better job making stops in the open field. "We'll find out this week. As good as they (UNLV) are at running the football, we'll make some discoveries Saturday night."

Boise State:
Two games into the 2012 season, the Boise State Bronco with the second-most snaps at quarterback is … wide receiver Chris Potter?
Potter, a senior who was an option quarterback in high school in California, took six snaps running the wildcat Saturday against Miami (Ohio).
Those plays generated 36 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown for tailback D.J. Harper.

Colorado State:
FORT COLLINS -- Coach Jim McElwain wants his team thinking about every game as a business trip, and to that end, he has the players arriving in suits.
But when the Rams are coming to the table for that Saturday meeting, that firm handshake is coming up a little week. So is the one after the break, and it's clear to see in the charts.
The Rams have yielded 30 first-quarter points in losses the past two weeks, with only one touchdown to show for their offensive efforts. And while they've only allowed 10 third-quarter points in those defeats, the offense has yet to put up a point in defense of themselves.
For one, they can't put a drive together. For another, the defense can't stop the other team as North Dakota State and San Jose State have held the ball for a combined 24:39 in the third quarter.

Fresno State:
Turns out, the memorable, record-setting night wasn't reserved just for Fresno State running back Robbie Rouse.
The entire Bulldogs team decided to join the fun while providing maybe the most dominating first-half performance in Fresno State history.
Rouse surpassed Ron Rivers as the Bulldogs' career rushing leader and tied another school record in the process.
And Fresno State scored 55 in the first half alone to set a Mountain West record for points in a half en route to a 69-14 walloping of the Pac-12's Colorado on Saturday before an announced crowd of 27,513 at Bulldog Stadium.

Hawaii:
University of Hawaii football coach Norm Chow said he was encouraged by the turnout of 1,803 students for the Warriors' home opener Saturday.
"It was nice to see a bunch of students having some fun," Chow said on today's Mountain West Conference coaches' teleconference. "We obviously would like to see some more Saturday."
UH plays Nevada Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the MWC opener.
The average turnout for 2011, the first full season since the adoption of the mandatory student athletic fee, was 1,047.

Nevada:
Safety Duke Williams has played in 41 games as a member of the Nevada football team.
After the Wolf Pack’s 45-34 win on Saturday over Northwestern State of the Football Championship Subdivision, Williams was shocked at his team’s defensive performance, especially in coverage situations.
“What we displayed out there, our secondary was nothing like I’ve seen before,” he said. “We need to just step it up in the secondary. We have a lot of issues that need to get fixed.”

New Mexico:
The University of New Mexico football team concludes its three-week road trip with a stop in Las Cruces, N.M. to take on in-state rival New Mexico State.
As of Tuesday, we cannot determine whether the game will be televised on Comcast channel 77. The game will NOT be televised on Aggie Vision, according to New Mexico State University. It will be broadcast online on ESPN3. Trey Bender will handle play-by-play duties; Jay Taylor will serve as analyst. The game also will air on the Lobo Radio Network with play-by-play announcer Scott Galetti and analyst Greg Remington. ESPN Deportes (KRZY-AM 1450) will broadcast the game in Spanish with play-by-play announcer Javier Misiego and analyst Paco Pocorro.
The Lobos and Aggies will meet for the 104th time. NMSU seeks its fourth straight victory in the series, which would match its four-game winning streak from 1965-68 as the Aggies' longest in the series. The game also is worth three points in the Rio Grande Rivalry between the schools (see page 5 for more on the rivalry).
The team's seasons have mirrored each other. After feel-good, season-opening wins over Football Championship Subdivision schools, both UNM and NMSU have struggled the last two weeks. Big 12 schools Texas and Texas Tech outscored the Lobos by a combined 94-14. Ohio and UTEP combined to outslug the Aggies 92-52.

San Diego State:
San Diego State released a new depth chart Tuesday, in preparation Tuesday for this week’s game against San Jose State.
One of the most eye-grabbing changes was at the placekicker position, where freshman St. Augustine alum Seamus McMorrow is now listed ahead of senior Chance Marden and transfer Wes Feer.
Over the last two games, McMorrow has earned his spot as the Aztecs’ go-to punter and kickoff specialist.
But until this week, he’d been listed behind Marden on the depth chart as placekicker.
Marden was perfect (7-of-7) on extra points last week against North Dakota, but failed to convert a 40-yard field goal. He is now 0-for-3 on field goals this year.

UNLV:
UNLV football coach Bobby Hauck announced Monday that sophomore running back Dionza Bradford has left the program to return home to California to attend to a family matter.
It’s the second time Bradford has left the team, also returning home last spring for the same reason. He returned in August and rushed seven times for 23 yards in UNLV’s initial three games this fall.
“There are other responsibilities outside of football and he’s just got to go do that," Hauck said at Monday afternoon's press conference. "He’s tried to be able to overcome it and he can’t. We obviously wish him well, he’s a good guy. We hope good things happen for him."

Wyoming:
Uso Olive is a 6-foot-1, 305-pound freshman who can play both defensive end and tackle. He rotates with Wyoming’s starters during practice, and his coaches say he is strong, tough and physical.
But in an ideal world, Olive wouldn’t play in one game this year.
“He’s a kid who is on the bubble still,” Wyoming coach Dave Christensen said last week. “If he doesn’t play, probably by Game Five or Six, then we’ll probably redshirt him.”

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