Best In The West: Week 11

Best in the West is The Aggship's weekly Mountain West football round-up.

Hawaii 38, San Diego State 6

San Diego State came into this game as the most dominant team in the league. The Aztecs were 7-1 on the season and 4-0 in conference play with an average margin of victory of 24.8 points. Their defense was allowing just 9.3 points per game, and had given up 10 or fewer points in three straight games, including a 23-0 shutout against Fresno State.

But that was all before they went to the island, where Timmy Chang and his Rainbow Warriors made quick work of the Aztecs, shaking up the already chaotic Mountain West title race in the process.

San Diego State’s first drive went for just two yards, but an interception on Hawaii’s first drive led to great field position for the Aztecs, which they would need as they advanced only one yard before kicking a field goal. Hawaii responded by driving 75 yards for a touchdown, even after losing 13 yards on a first-play sack. After a two-yard drive and a one-yard drive, San Diego State’s next possession was even worse, as the Aztecs were driven back 15 yards before punting. Hawaii again took advantage, marching down the field for another score.

After three drives each, Hawaii had 14 points and San Diego State had minus-12 yards. Hawaii outscored the Aztecs 14-3 in the first quarter and 10-3 in the second to take a 24-6 edge into the break.

After the half, the Warriors shut SDSU down completely. In the third frame, they added another 14 points for good measure, sealing a dominant 38-6 victory.

Hawaii is causing all sorts of problems for visiting teams and is now 5-1 at home this year. With Chang at the helm, Hawaii is enjoying its best season in years. The Rainbow Warriors already reached bowl eligibility for the first time since 2021 with a week eight win over Colorado State, but they have now secured their best season since a 10-5 campaign in 2019.

Even with the loss, San Diego State is in a good position, but it is no longer the leader of the pack. Just a week after taking sole possession of first place, San Diego State tied itself back up with Boise State. The two leaders are both 4-1 in conference play, while Hawaii is in a crowded race behind them. Two-loss teams in the conference include Fresno State, Hawaii, New Mexico, UNLV and Utah State. Hawaii has an extra game and is the only one of the bunch to be 4-2, while the rest are 3-2.

This upcoming weekend should provide some clarity on that front, at least at the top of the league. San Diego State plays host to Boise State on Saturday night, while Hawaii gets a bye before heading to Las Vegas for a bout with UNLV next week.

UNLV 42, Colorado State 10

Taking advantage of a well-timed bout with one of the conference’s bottom teams, UNLV bounced back from two consecutive losses with a 42-10 rout of Colorado State to improve to 7-2 (3-2) on the year.

The Rams did get on the board first with a touchdown, then, after UNLV matched, they led 10-7 when they added a field goal early in the second quarter.

From there, the Rams were outscored 35-0. The Rebels used their game-tying touchdown as a springboard, and after CSU retook the 10-7 lead, they added another touchdown, forced a turnover on downs, and found the end zone again. UNLV added two more touchdowns in the third quarter and hit the 42-point mark early in the fourth quarter to set the final margin.

Anthony Colandrea was 15 of 22 for 251 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran four times for 33 yards and two more touchdowns. In total, the offense moved 571 yards, nearly double Colorado State's 292 yards. On the ground, Jai’Den Thomas accounted for 131 yards and a touchdown, and Jaylon Glover added 99 yards and a touchdown.

Colorado State’s Jackson Brousseau was 13-of-22 passing for 153 yards, a touchdown and three sacks, and Darius Curry was 4 of 6 for 36 yards and an interception off the bench. The Rams only committed one turnover, an interception in the fourth, but missed a field goal and gave the ball away on downs twice. Outside of that, it was a game with lots of playing time for Bryan Hansen, CSU’s punter.

UNLV will host Utah State in a battle of two-loss teams in the MWC standings this Saturday. Colorado State, now 2-7 (1-4) is headed to Albuquerque to square off with another two-loss team in the league, New Mexico, on Saturday afternoon.

Air Force 26, San Jose State 16

After squandering the first half of the season for the second year in a row, Air Force is still fighting to salvage this year’s campaign. Losing to Army last week didn’t help, but the Falcons got a big win over San Jose State to keep their bowl hopes alive, improving to 3-6 (2-4) with this victory.

Air Force’s defense, despite giving up 435 yards, had a great game. It made winning plays early and put the Falcons in a position to dominate the first half. Air Force fell behind 3-0 in the first quarter when Denis Lynch hit a 31-yard field goal on SJSU’s first drive of the game. The Spartans fumbled the ball away on their second drive, and though it didn’t give the Falcons prime field position, they drove the ball 81 yards and converted the turnover into a 7-3 lead.

The Falcons were equally opportunistic on the ensuing Spartan drive when Jaylin Reese picked off Walker Eget. Air Force turned this giveaway into a 14-3 lead. On the next San Jose State drive, Air Force grabbed another interception. This time it was Levi Brown who came down with Eget’s ball. The Falcons didn’t convert this turnover, but when they punted it back to San Jose State, they got the job done, pinning SJSU deep. Eget completed a pass to Lamar Radcliffe on first down, and he was met by Payton Zdroik and taken down in the end zone for a safety to establish a 16-3 halftime difference.

The Spartans added three points early in the third and cut the lead to three when they scored a touchdown less than a minute into the fourth, but the final frame ended in a push as both teams added 10 points.

Bowl eligibility is still on the table for the Falcons, who are playing at UConn this week. After that, they have games against New Mexico and Colorado State, and will need to be perfect to close out the season to make a bowl. The Spartans (3-6, 2-3) could still make a bowl as well, but also have to be perfect to end the season. They will likely get one step closer this week when they play Nevada, but games against San Diego State and Fresno State make the path trickier.