San Jose State 28, Hawaii 27
Only one word could describe this sloppy, scrappy Friday night affair in the San Francisco Bay Area — turnover. There were 12 in the Warriors’ first conference loss of the season, six of them from interceptions. Following an early Hawaii touchdown, the Spartans controlled the second quarter, scoring 20 points off two touchdown runs from Chandler Jones and two field goals. Hawaii ruled the third, and took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter. Hawaii’s Joey Iosefa extended the Warriors’ lead to seven but San Jose State was determined to give Spartan fans a reason to celebrate on Homecoming. San Jose State’s Duke Ihenacho blocked the PAT and ran it back for two points, leaving the Spartans at a 5-point disadvantage. Jones and quarterback Matt Faulkner hooked up for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds remaining to give San Jose State a 1-point lead. The clock ticked down to zero and the Spartan faithful stormed the field following San Jose State’s second WAC win of the year, one more than they won throughout the entirety of last season.
Nevada 49, New Mexico 7
It didn’t take long for Mackay Stadium in Reno to turn into a slaughterhouse Saturday, as the host Wolf Pack manhandled the winless Lobos. Nevada’s rushing game took command early on and the Wolf Pack found themselves ahead 14-0 in the first quarter after rushing touchdowns from Lampford Mark and Stefphon Jefferson. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw for 200 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception but the freshman rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Despite only 39 yards, Mark went for three touchdowns and the Wolf Pack offense had almost 600 total offensive yards against a helpless New Mexico squad. The Lobos didn’t score until late in the fourth quarter when Tarean Austin ran it in for a 17-yard touchdown. UNM quarterback B.R. Holbrook was held to 62 passing yards and only completed 40 percent of his passes. At .500, the Wolf Pack are 1-0 in the WAC and host Fresno State next weekend.
Fresno State 31, Utah State 21
The Bulldogs remain perfect in the WAC and overcame an early drought against a potent Utah State team Saturday. Fresno State fell victim to two long touchdowns early in the first quarter, a 47-yard touchdown pass to Michael Smith from Chuckie Keeton and a 57-yard touchdown run from Robert Turbin. Bulldog quarterback Derek Carr answered with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Isiah Burse and a one-yard touchdown run, which set the teams even at 14. The lead would change twice more but Carr and Fresno were able to retain it in the fourth quarter following the sophomore’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Saunders. Robbie Rouse’s touchdown run extended the lead to 10 and Utah State was unable to threaten offensively in the fourth quarter, which would ultimately lead to a loss in their conference opener.