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Mountain West Conference News and Notes

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -

AIR FORCE: The Falcons caught a dose of their own medicine over the weekend as they watched Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson score on runs of 79 and 58 yards as the Academy bowed to the Wolverines in a 31-25 final on the road. The Falcons did their best to keep pace as Cody Getz ran for 130 yards and three TDs of his own for the visitors, the squad generating 290 yards on 71 rushing attempts, but it just wasn't enough to hold off the hosts. Quarterback Connor Dietz managed to convert 10-of-19 passes for 127 yards for a team that, after two weeks of action, leads the nation in rushing with 387.0 ypg. The Falcons catch an early break in the schedule and will now be off until they visit UNLV for the conference opener on Sept. 22.

BOISE STATE: With plenty of time to prepare since clashing with Michigan State in East Lansing back on Aug. 31, the Broncos now welcome Miami-Ohio to Idaho for the first home game of the season this Saturday. It will be just the second meeting all-time between the two schools on the football field, with BSU roasting Miami in a 48-0 decision back in 2009. Because of the loss to the Spartans, the Broncos find themselves out of the AP Poll for the first time in nearly four years. The last time the team took the field and was not ranked in the Top-25 was in September of 2008.

COLORADO STATE: The Rams kicked off the 2012 campaign in style with their win over rival Colorado in Denver, but the team fell back to reality on Saturday when it suffered an ugly 22-7 setback at home to North Dakota State. Colorado State scored the first points of the game on a 69-yard TD strike from Garrett Grayson to Crockett Gilmore less than two minutes into the contest, but after that the offense fell silent. Grayson finished 13-of-24 for 171 yards, was intercepted once and sacked four times, which brought the team's net rushing total down to a mere 72 yards on 24 attempts. After two games, CSU now ranks 118th in the FBS in total offense with just 231.0 ypg. The first true road game of the season for the Rams takes place this weekend as the team drops in on the San Jose State Spartans for a non-conference matchup. CSU owns a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series, but it was SJSU that captured a 38-31 win in last year's encounter.

FRESNO STATE: It wasn't that long ago that former Fresno State head coach Pat Hill was willing to play any team, anytime, anywhere, which might be why the Bulldogs were pitted against nationally-ranked Oregon on Saturday. Fortunately for Hill, he's no longer around to watch FSU to suffer a 42-25 setback to the Ducks on the road. Fresno State had only a pair of field goals through the first 30 minutes of action and while Robbie Rouse was able to log a team-best 115 yards and a score on 27 carries, it in no way matched up to Oregon which ran for 366 yards and five TDs on 58 attempts. Quarterback Derek Carr converted 29-of-47 passes for 234 yards and a TD, but he was also sacked three times as the Bulldogs fell to 1-1 on the season. FSU is back home this weekend as it hosts the Colorado Buffaloes in non-conference play. It has been more than a decade since the two schools last met, with the Bulldogs winning the most recent clash in 2001 by a narrow score of 24-22.

HAWAII: The Warriors did not hit the field this past weekend, following their lopsided loss to top-ranked USC. The team is however ready to resume play on Saturday night as it hosts the Lamar Cardinals for a first-ever meeting. This game marks the first of two new opponents for Hawaii this season, the other being South Alabama which will land in Honolulu on Dec. 1 to close out the regular season.

NEVADA: The Wolf Pack rattled off three touchdowns in the first half against USF on Saturday afternoon, but after that the squad managed just 10 more en route to a disappointing 32-31 setback against the Bulls at home in Mackay Stadium. Quarterback Cody Fajardo tried to shoulder the load as he converted 27-of-38 passes for 271 yards and a score, adding another 134 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but it simply wasn't enough as the Nevada pass defense gave up 363 yards and three TDs to B.J. Daniels. Turnovers proved to be quite costly for the Pack as they lost possession of three of their four fumbles in the meeting. Next up for the Wolf Pack is a meeting against Northwestern State at home this coming weekend. Nevada has won both of the previous contests between the two squads, including a 45-14 romp in the most recent battle back in 1991.

NEW MEXICO: The Lobos experienced perhaps the widest extremes of any team in recent memory as they went from crushing Southern in the opener, 66-21, to being shut down by nationally-ranked Texas on the road on Saturday, 45-0. New Mexico's so-called passing attack was nowhere to be found as three signal- callers combined to convert a mere 6-of-16 attempts for 35 yards versus a hungry Longhorn defense. The running game managed to produce 206 yards for the Lobos on 47 attempts, but still the squad could not break through on the scoreboard. Because of the horrendous effort in the pocket, UNM now ranks 119th in the country in passing after two games with just 52.5 ypg. The second of three straight road tests takes place this weekend for the Lobos as they drop in on Texas Tech for a non-conference battle. The Red Raiders have dominated the all-time series against UNM (36-6-2), and crushed the Lobos in Albuquerque last season by a score of 59-13.

SAN DIEGO STATE: The Aztecs posted four rushing touchdowns as the team beat the Army Black Knights at their own game with a 42-7 victory in non-conference play at Qualcomm Stadium on Saturday. Adam Muema carried the ball 15 times and finished with 98 yards and a score for the Aztecs, while Walter Kazee accounted for 51 yards and two TDs on seven carries for the hosts. Quarterback Ryan Katz hit 14-of-21 passes for 215 yards and a TD as well. SDSU's defense recovered one fumble and made a pair of interceptions and yet the squad still allowed the visitors to generate 282 rushing yards in the outing. On a more positive note, through two games the SDSU pass defense ranks first in the conference and 11th in the nation with just 136.0 ypg permitted. The second of three consecutive home dates arrives this Saturday for the Aztecs as they entertain North Dakota, marking the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

UNLV: The Rebels scored touchdowns in both the first and second quarters on Saturday night, giving them a 14-0 halftime lead versus visiting Northern Arizona, but the UNLV offense was never heard from again as the Lumberjacks squeezed out a 17-14 victory thanks to a 33-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining in regulation at Sam Boyd Stadium. Tim Cornett put the hosts on top with a 42-yard TD run early in the first frame, finishing with a game-high 141 yards on 25 attempts, but it simply wasn't enough to keep the Rebels from suffering their seventh consecutive loss dating back to last season. Nick Sherry tried to keep the Rebels in the mix with 16-of-29 passing for 239 yards, but he was also sacked three times. The lengthy home stand to kick off the season continues for the Rebels this week as the team entertains the Washington State Cougars on Friday night. Unfortunately, UNLV has lost all five previous encounters with the Cougars, including a 59-7 thrashing last year.

WYOMING: Quarterback Brett Smith threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for another 62 yards, but even that effort was not enough to keep the Cowboys from bowing to Toledo in their home opener on Saturday, 34-31. Wyoming, which has now lost three straight dating back to last season, generated a hefty 526 yards of total offense, with 401 of those coming from Smith as he set a new career high. In addition to catching six passes for 77 yards, Chris McNeill also tossed a three-yard TD to Riley Lange late in the game to give the Pokes a fighting chance. The second of back-to-back first- time opponents for the Cowboys arrives in Laramie this Saturday, as they prepare to take on FCS foe Cal Poly.

09/10 10:53:06 ET