They Stormed The Field In ABQ
Bronco Mendenhall's New Mexico is one win away from a bowl bid
At risk of turning this into a New Mexico Lobos Substack it would be remiss of me not to address the weekend in Albuquerque.
New Mexico shocked once-beaten Washington State 38-35, a win that keeps the Lobos’ bowl hopes alive. A victory at Hawaii would put New Mexico in position for its first bowl bid since 2016.
Perhaps more impressive was the fact that this was New Mexico’s first win over a ranked team since 2003.
A reminder that I did write about Lobo quarterback Devon Dampier last week.
Dampier continued his brilliant season by rushing for 193 yards and three touchdowns and throwing for 174 yards and a score. His 1-yard run with 21 seconds left pretty much eliminated Washington State from the national playoff.
Championship Game Update
Better to be lucky than good, right? Okay that’s a bit harsh on Colorado State, which has improved in head coach Jay Norvell’s third season.
But the Rams, unbeaten in league play, are two wins from the Mountain West title game without having to play the two best teams in the conference.
That quirk in the schedule has meant Norvell’s crew has avoided 6-0 Boise State and 5-1 UNLV. The Rebels’ only league loss is a 29-24 defeat to the Broncos.
So if the Rams can beat Fresno State and Utah State, they will more than likely head to Boise for a shot at the Broncos.
Should CSU drop one of those games, then it will more than likely be a UNLV vs Boise State rematch in the championship game.
Week 12 Surprise Meter
“Holy Sh—”
New Mexico 38 Washington State 35: (see above)
Utah State 55 Hawaii 10: Okay, it was the third coldest game in Hawaii’s history but that only partially explains giving up 580 yards of offense (321 on the ground!) to the Aggies.
“Slightly Raised Eybrows”
Boise State 42 San Jose State 21: Spartans were in this one at halftime and outgained the Broncos (483 yards to 456), but Madsen and Jeanty were just too good.
Air Force 28 Oregon State 0: Falcons are finally getting it together – and the Beavers are terrible – but I’m not sure anyone expected a shutout.
“Business As Usual”
Colorado State 24 Wyoming 10: Rams cruising towards their best season in years, Wyoming sputtering to one of its worst.
UNLV 41 San Diego State 20: Rebels have just two losses, to Syracuse in OT and to Boise State by five.
Week 13 Preview
UNLV (8-2, 4-1) at San Jose State (6-4, 4-3)
State of play: Both teams are bowl eligible, UNLV needs to win out and hope for a Colorado State loss to make the MWC title game.
Fun Fact: Rebels have not beaten the Spartans since 2019.
San Diego State (3-7, 2-3) at Utah State (3-7, 2-3)
State of play: Aztecs have lost four in a row, Aggies have won two of their last three after a six-game losing streak.
Fun Fact: In five tries, Utah State has never beaten SDSU in Logan.
Boise State (9-1, 6-0) at Wyoming (2-8, 2-4)
State of play: Broncos have won eight in a row after the loss to Oregon, Cowboys on track for a two-win season.
Fun Fact: Boise is 17-1 vs Wyoming, with the Cowboys’ only win coming in 2016.
Air Force (3-7, 1-4) at Nevada (3-8, 0-5)
State of play: Falcons have won two in a row, Wolfpack have lost four in a row.
Fun Fact: The last six meeting have been decided by three points or less.
Colorado State (7-3, 5-0) at Fresno State (5-5, 3-3)
State of play: Rams have won five in a row, Bulldogs need one win to become bowl eligible.
Fun Fact: Haven’t played each other since 2020.
Byes
Hawaii (4-7, 2-4), New Mexico (5-6, 3-3)