Air Force (6-2) at New Mexico
(5-2)
Versus, 9:00 PM Versus Why to Watch: When the
schedules were announced months
ago, very few people figured
this would have title
implications, but her are the
Mountain West’s two one-loss
teams (BYU is 3-0) taking aim at
second place – and perhaps even
the top spot – in the MWC in
Albuquerque. This is a classic
confrontation of a great ground
attack (Air Force) and a stingy
run defense (New Mexico), with
the team able to impose its will
likely to prevail. Expect a
relatively quick game since both
teams feature strong runners and
tough defenses that don’t
surrender too many points. Why Air Force Might Win:
When you have the nation’s
sixth-best ground attack and a
variety of ways to implement it
through an option offense that
is extremely difficult to
prepare for in just one week,
there is always a good chance of
victory. That’s how the Falcons
have been doing it this year,
and New Mexico will find out
whether its success against the
run this year is a factor of
having played teams which throw
more than they rush the
football. The Falcon defense has
been strong against the pass and
should be able to keep UNM’s hot
passer Donovan Porterie in
check. Most importantly, the
Falcons aren’t letting teams
close the deal, having
surrendered just 17.6 points per
game. A lot of that is due to a
predatory secondary that
features Carson Bird, who’s
second nationally with six
interceptions, and Bobby
Giannini, who forced two fumbles
last week and returned one 85
yards for a score. Why New Mexico Might Win:
This isn’t a dominant team, but
it does just about everything
well, particularly on the
defensive end, where it is
allowing just 17.4 points per
game. The Lobos are 16th against
the run and solid against the
pass, despite not having any
particular standouts on defense.
The Lobo special teams are also
outstanding, thanks to kicker
John Sullivan (15-of-17 field
goal tries) and a stingy punt
coverage unit. Porterie has been
solid throwing the football, and
Rodney Ferguson has 727 rushing
yards and nine touchdowns. Who to Watch: It has been
a huge three weeks for Air Force
senior Chad Hall, who has rushed
for 592 yards and six scores
during that span. He has been so
good that last week’s 167 yards
against Wyoming were the lowest
total of the three. He had 256
yards and four scores against
Colorado State and 169 yards and
two TDs versus San Diego State.
Air Force wants to spread it
around, but it’s hard to share
when you have someone like Hall
on such a roll. What Will Happen: The
Falcons can run it all right,
but they’ll have trouble against
New Mexico’s front seven and
will struggle to contain the
Lobo ground game. CFN Prediction:
New Mexico
23 … Air Force 20
...
Line: Air Force -6 Must See Rating: (5
America's Most Smartest Model -
1 Marie Osmond on DTWS) ...
3
Mountain West Saturday, Oct. 27
UNLV (2-6) at Wyoming (4-3) 2:06 p.m. Why to Watch: Neither
team is in the upper reaches of
the MWC standings, but Wyoming
is still in the mix for a bowl
if it can reverse its field and
start scoring some points again.
It will be interesting to see
whether the Rebels can turn
their own ship around after four
straight losses and some trouble
at the QB spot, after an injury
to starter Travis Dixon (ankle).
Wyoming needs this will to show
that it truly is one of the
league’s better teams, while
UNLV is desperate for any sort
of respect win. Why UNLV Might Win: When
a team scores only 15 points in
two weeks, it is generally in
trouble offensively, and that’s
good news for the Rebels, who
are trying to tighten things up
after struggling for a few
weeks. UNLV LB Beau Bell will
have plenty of chances to get
after Wyoming back Devin Moore
and help shut down the sagging
Wyoming passing attack, along
with emerging star CB Quinton
Pointer, who no doubt has been
told Cowboy QB Karsten Sween has
tossed eight interceptions in
his last four games. When the
Rebs have the ball, they’ll rely
on Frank Summers, while either
Dixon or Omar Clayton handle the
UNLV spread attack and its
run-pass permutations. Why Wyoming Might Win:
Let’s face it, any team which
loses to winless Colorado State
– and falls in a 24-3 first-half
hole in the process – is
vulnerable. That’s what happened
to the Rebels, and if they
insist on turning it over as
much as they did last week, the
stingy (number eight
overall) Wyoming defense will be
happy to take the gifts while
bringing its trademark pressure.
Moore rushed for 105 yards
against Air Force last week and
has four 100-plus games this
year. Who to Watch: Dixon
(ankle) may play this week, but
if he doesn’t, expect some
fireworks from Clayton. The
freshman threw for 304 yards and
ran for 115 last week,
triggering an offense that
produced 559 total yards. He
also had two interceptions
returned for touchdowns. Clayton
is a walk-on who sat out last
year and wasn’t expected to do
much this year. But with Dixon
down, he stepped up big last
week. What Will Happen:
Wyoming’s defense is too much
for the Rebels, while the
Cowboys find the end zone just
enough to win. CFN Prediction: Wyoming
20 …
UNLV 13
...
Line: Wyoming -12 Must See Rating: (5
America's Most Smartest Model -
1 Marie Osmond on DTWS) ...
2
Utah (5-3) at Colorado State
(1-6)
5:30 p.m. Why to Watch: With games
remaining against both New
Mexico and BYU, two of the teams
ahead of them in the MWC
standings, the Utes aren’t out
of anything yet, especially
since they have won four in a
row and are playing better each
week, thanks to the continued
health of QB Brian Johnson.
Colorado State, meanwhile, is
basking in the glow of its win
over UNLV last week, the team’s
first in13 games and 378 days.
Another reason to tune in is
that the late fall is cranking
up in the mountains, and one
never knows what might happen in
Fort Collins, witness last
week’s 50 mph winds that played
havoc with the kicking game. Why Utah Might Win: The
Utes have a solid one-two punch
on offense, with Johnson’s
dual-threat ability under center
and the steady performance of
running back Darrell Mack, who
has topped 100 yards in four
straight games and has five such
efforts on the year. Johnson is
improving steadily and runs the
Utah spread quite well; plus, he
takes care of the ball. That’s a
big reason for the team’s
plus-five turnover margin. And
since UNLV piled up 559 yards of
total offense last week, even in
a loss, expect the Utes to roll
up some numbers. They’ll also
make it hard for the Ram passing
attack to get rolling, thanks to
the nation’s 11th-best pass
defense. Why Colorado State Might Win:
Through all of its misfortune
this year, the Rams never got
too low, because with few
exceptions, they weren’t blown
out. Last week’s win gives them
some confidence and could be a
catapult. It helps that Gartrell
Johnson, last week’s MWC
Offensive Player of the Week
will helping to launch that
catapult. He has more than 300
yards in the past two games and
has emerged as a big-time
threat. The Rams were also far
more aggressive defensively last
week and returned two passes for
touchdowns, something which
should give Utah reason for
concern. Who to Watch: Two weeks
ago, in what some considered a
winnable game against Air Force,
Caleb Hanie threw four
interceptions and was a big
reason the Rams fell into a huge
first-half hole. Last week, he
rebounded nicely, completing
13-of-19 throws for 218 yards, a
score and zero picks in some
tough weather conditions. The
senior has had some troubles
with interceptions this year,
but he’s a good passer and
strong leader. What Will Happen: The
Rams’ good feelings can only
take them so far, and then
defense takes over. That will be
a problem against the improving
Utes.
CFN Prediction:
Utah
23 … Colorado State 14
...
Line: Utah -7 Must See Rating: (5
America's Most Smartest Model -
1 Marie Osmond on DTWS) ...
2
