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Seven Cougars Selected All-MWC 2009

sroufe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:12:15 -0000

BYU's Jan Jorgensen tackles CSU's Leonard Mason on Sept. 26th. Jorgensen, the "Hammer from Helper", is the MWC all-time sack leader with 29. He has recorded 6.5 sacks and 56 tackles in 2009. (AP Photo/George Frey)

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Jan Jorgensen, Dennis Pitta, Matt Reynolds, and Harvey Unga were awarded All-Conference First-Team honors today. Andrew George, Max Hall, and Andrew Rich were selected to the All-MWC Second-Team. Additionally, six Cougars earned Honorable Mention status: Coleby Clawson, Brett Denney, Scott Johnson, Brian Logan, Riley Stephenson and R.J. Willing. Johnson and Matt Bauman were named Academic All-Americans last week as well. Congratulations to each of these student-athletes!

It should also be noted that Pitta was one of only three players (Jeremy Kerley and Jerry Hughes, TCU) in the conference to be a unanimous selection. For Pitta and Jorgensen this was their third time on the All-MWC First-Team.

TCU had an incredible 15 selections between the 1st and 2nd teams and nearly swept the player/coach of the year awards. The Utes also finished with six players on the All-MWC First-Team.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB;Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

2009 Mountain West All-Conference Football Team Announced

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:54:10 -0000

As expected TCU lead the way with all-conference selections, but they ran away with 15 first and second team selections which more then doubles second place BYU with seven spots. The Horned Frogs also took home three of four player of the year awards, and coach of the year -- the one loss was freshman of the year which went to Wyoming's QB Austyn Carta-Samuels.

Some irony in the list is that New Mexico had the first team punter; he did have the most chances to impress. A choice that was not expected when the season started was Utah RB Eddie Wide who ran for over 1,000 yards but was to be the back up before Matt Asiata tore his ACL in the Louisville game.

The offensive player of the year award went to TCU's QB Andy Dalton while the defensive award went to TCU's DE Jerry Hughes. The rest of the awards are after the jump.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB; Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

What We Learned in Week Twelve of Mountain West Football

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:57:04 -0000

Air Force

Their season is over with a 7-5 record and a bowl berth most likely in the Texas Bowl. For some reason Air Force has struggle for nearly the entire decade against BYU. The opposite is true when Air Force plays Utah and also TCU where they have been able to challenge those teams.

The Falcons are hoping Tim Jefferson is able recover from the hit he took from the back in time for their bowl game. Jefferson is the cog in the Falcon offense and their is a drop off from him to the other quarterbacks. There is no news on the severity of Jefferson's injury, but since he at least tried to re-enter the game he should be good to go for a bowl game.

Also, what happened to the Air Force defense that was supposed to be good?

BYU

The passing offense was there for BYU this week, and part of that should be attributed to Air Force not running a scheme around stud TE Dennis Pitta who burned the Falcons for 111 yards. Memo to Utah and defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake do something to try to slow down the Cougar tight end duo. Max Hall blew up with 377 yards and five scores and so did the offense that boat raced the Falcons for a early 24-0 lead in the game. The Cougars picked apart the supposedly good secondary that the Falcons had. Turnovers were sloppy with three and will hurt them if they continue that against Utah next week.

Colorado State

Hey! What happened! That is what head coach Steve Fairchild must be thinking after the Rams lost to previously winless New Mexico. The Rams have now lost eight in a row with their final matchup against rival Wyoming. The Rams switched quarterback with Jon Eastman getting the nod while benching previous starter Grant Stucker. The running game picked back up again with John Mossure rushing for 177 yards, but the real question that has been haunting the Rams all year. Where is RaShaun Greer who has zero touchdowns on the year.

New Mexico

They finally get a win and the former goat -- kicker James Aho -- is now the player of the week after he hit two field goals in the fourth quarter to push the Lobos to their first victory. New Mexico had their highest yardage output of the season with 467 total yards. Their running game actually showed signs of life with freshman Demmond Dennis who ran for 177 yards on the ground. The Lobos are still a bad team but it is good for them to finally get a win.

San Diego State

They really, really missed WR Vincent Brown. Ever since he has been out they Aztec passing game has dropped off quite a bit which is pushing them more toward the 2008 version then the 2009 team which was showing improvement. QB Ryan LIndley's most passing yards since Brown was out was 257 yards which was against New Mexico, but besides that he has thrown for 164, 200, and 207 yards all loses.

TCU

The Horned Frogs had a little scare in the first half against Wyoming, but after the game was tied 10-10 they ran of 35 straight points to win the game going away. TCU has a plethora of running backs and this weeks turn was freshman Matthew Tucker who had 134 yards and two scores; those yards were almost double his season high. TCU just has too many weapons for New Mexico next or any team they play in their expected BCS berth.

UNLV

The bye week was not all good as the schools all-world WR Ryan Wolfe ended his career by breaking his foot in practice last week; so now it is off to Sunday's the next time Wolfe hits the field. The coaching names are pretty big for UNLV with the latest being former New Mexico, Alabama, Texas A&M, and TCU coach Dennis Franchione.

Utah

The Utes have their quarterback in the future with true freshman Jordan Wynn. The big game this week against BYU will be his second big road game in three weeks. The San Diego State win was the schools first game where they started off hot instead of their traditional slow starts this year.

Wyoming

The Pokes love to tease the nation against the really good teams. First there was the Texas game where Wyoming hung around for a half and now the TCU game where they did the same. Wyoming will be a dangerous team next year, but they still need to beat their rival free falling Colorado State on Friday to reach a bowl win.

Mizzou Links, 11-16-09

Bill C. — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:48:51 -0000

Thanks to yesterday's epic set of links, we don't have a ton to share today...

K-State Wrap-up Links

The Trib (Dave Matter): Emptying the Notebook

With another brilliant game, Danario Alexander is making a case for the most outstanding season by a Missouri wide receiver. Yes, better than Jeremy Maclin’s All-American campaigns in 2007-08, when, don’t forget, Maclin was honored as an all-purpose player for his return game contributions, too.
Somehow, though, Alexander was not included among the 10 finalists for the Biletnikoff Award, a list that was compiled almost a month ago. (Which, in itself, makes no sense.) The 10 finalists includes these three players: Minnesota’s Eric Decker, a fantastic receiver but one whose season ended with a foot injury after eight games; San Diego State’s Vincent Brown, who’s missed the last three games with a thumb injury; and Syracuse’s Mike Williams, another gifted and prolific receiver, but one whose rocky career at Syracuse probably ended earlier this month when he inexplicably quit the team, after seven games.

Surely, then, there must be room for Alexander on the list. Right? I’ve left messages with a spokesman for the Biletnikoff, as has Missouri’s media relations department, to see if the finalists list will be updated. No response, yet.

I mentioned this on Varsity Numbers a couple of weeks ago, but ... why in the hell do we still have "semifinalist" lists and "finalist" lists? Wasn't the whole concept of those lists because it was too hard to keep up with all players, so they limited the number as the season progressed? Isn't this the internet age, where you can track just about every good player in the country with ESPN 360 and ChannelSurfing.net? Never mind why Danario's not on the Biletnikoff list ... why the hell does the list still exist?

The Missourian: MIssouri football win against Kansas State about more than one game

KOMU.com: Second Half Spark
KOMU.com: Smooch Into the Stands

Manhattan Mercury: Red zone turns into dead zone for cats
Manhattan Mercury: Wildcats too conservative in loss
Manhattan Mercury: Danario Alexander too much for KSU defense

Big 12 Links

Corn Nation: Husker Report Card: Nebraska 31, Kansas 17

Waco Tribune: Baylor still sighting bowl appearance

BASKETBALL!!

MUtigers.com: It Gets Started Tuesday

Mizzou played improved defense in the second half of their two exhibition games, as the Tigers outscored both Truman State and Northwest Missouri State by a combined 84-to-36 in the final 20 minutes of play ... MU limited Truman State to just one second-half field goal and 5.9 percent shooting in its 96-33 victory and held Northwest Missouri to just 37 percent shooting in the 83-60 win.

Missouri has typically been a strong second-half club under the watch of Mike Anderson ... In 2008-09 MU outscored its opposition 44.4-to-35.8 in the final period and out-ran opponents 45.8-to-33.9 in the second half of homes games.

Preview: Wyoming at San Diego State

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:28:09 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

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The biggest game in the MWC this weekend that everyone will be watching is Utah and TCU, but the second biggest game in the MWC this weekend will be Wyoming at San Diego State. With Utah, BYU, TCU, and Air Force locking up bowl berths, likely only one more MWC team will be bowl eligible.

This game will most likely determine who that fifth and final team will be. Both teams are coming off blowouts by the hands of one of the big three; Wyoming by BYU and San Diego State by TCU. Both teams have identical records and need to win 2 of their last 3 to finish at .500 and have bowl eligibility. After this weekend, both teams have a game against one of the big 3 and a game against one of the bottom 3. Wyoming is vs. TCU and @ CSU, San Diego State is @ Utah and @ UNLV. Since nobody excepts Utah or TCU to lose, this is a must win game for both teams and that is why it is the second biggest MWC game this week.

Next Game

Wyoming Cowboys
@ San Diego St. Aztecs

Saturday, Nov 14, 2009, 7:00 PM PST
Qualcomm Stadium

TV: The Mtn HD

Complete Coverage >

Wyoming has a weapon in QB Austyn Carta-Samuels and will need to use him to their advantage on Saturday. The Aztecs are still learning Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defense and haven't yet faced a mobile type QB like Carta-Samuels yet this season. The already suspect Aztec defense will likely have trouble with him, especially if Wyoming can complement him with a running game. However, Wyoming will have to step it up on offense if they want to win. SDSU's defense is awful, but BYU's strength is definitely NOT their defense; getting shut-out at home against BYU cannot be good for your offensive moral.

I'm positive coach Dave Christensen will have the Cowboys ready to play but SDSU was able to put up 28 points and the Cougars and 12 points on a TCU team that had allowed almost that same amount (13) in its last three games combined. This game is most likely going to be a shootout and the Cowboys will have to outscore the Aztecs on offense to win.

San Diego State is also coming off an embarrassing home loss, the Aztecs to TCU. The defense still cannot stop anybody, especially on the ground. Against teams other than the big 3 however, they will still give up yards but are competent enough in the 3-3-5 to be able to make some big turnovers and sacks. They will have to adjust to stop Carta-Samuels though. Even without star WR Vincent Brown, Ryan Lindley is still racking up the yards and touchdowns and tied the MWC record last week for most consecutive games with a TD pass.

In the absence of Brown, Lindley's favorite targets have become WR Demarco Sampson and TE Alston Umuolo. The Aztecs air attack is among the best in the nation, but the running attack is among the worst in the nation. Surprisingly though, RB Brandon Sullivan is finally healthy and had probably his best game of the season last Saturday against TCU. The offensive line also played surprising well on pass and run blocking. Brady Hoke will have them ready to play but a lack of spectators deprive the Aztecs of a real home-field advantage; who knows if this will affect the players or not.

Like I said, I'm going to predict a shootout. Both teams have equal records and probably pretty similar talent levels. I'd probably say that SDSU has the better offense and Wyoming has the better defense so it will come out pretty evenly. My prediction is that Ryan Lindley's pass attack will be too much for Wyoming to handle and the Aztecs will come out on top in the seniors last home game of their careers. Aztecs win 35-27.

Poll

Who will win the game?

SDSU in a close game.

13 votes

SDSU in a blowout.

8 votes

Wyoming in a close game.

9 votes

Wyoming in a blowout.

2 votes

32 votes | Poll has closed

Preview: #6 TCU @ San Diego State 11/07/2009

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:11:57 -0000

More photos » by Andrew Shurtleff - AP

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Next Game

TCU Horned Frogs
@ San Diego St. Aztecs

Saturday, Nov 7, 2009, 1:00 PM PST
Qualcomm Stadium

Television: Versus HD

Series: TCU leads, 4-0

Complete Coverage >

TCU coach Gary Patterson thought it would be nice to reward his team for all their hard work this season with a nice trip to San Diego to relax and get ready for their match-up with Utah. Oh wait, they're coming for a football game? That's right, the Horned Frogs (8-0) are coming to play the Aztecs (4-4) who are .500 for the first time since 2003. Since joining the MWC, TCU and SDSU have matched up 4 times, and 4 times the Frogs have come out on top. However, the two games at Qualcomm have been much closer that the other two; TCU had to come back from a 17 point deficit in their last game at Qualcomm.

There might be ONE thing going for the Aztecs. Ladanian Tomlinson is in New York getting ready to face the Giants. Why does this matter? Over the past 5 seasons, TCU is undefeated at Qualcomm stadium (including bowl games) and over the past 5 seasons, LT has been on their sideline cheering them on.

Click the jump for more.

The Aztecs, who are playing .500 ball and riding a two game win streak for the first time in a long time, will face their toughest opponent all season. Since they probably aren't going to win, I'd say the Aztecs have two goals for this game.

1. Score points. TCU has outscored its last three opponents by a 123-13 margin. The Aztecs, even without Vincent Brown, have a pretty high flying air attack; they will try to find a weak link in the TCU defense.

2. Keep the streak going. Of course, they probably won't keep the winning streak going, but I'm talking about other streaks.

Ryan Lindley extended his consecutive games with a TD pass to 14 this past weekend against New Mexico. Lindley's streak is the longest current streak in the MWC and ranks tied for second all-time in league history. If he throws a TD pass on Saturday, he will tie the MWC record with John Beck of BYU. Also, the Aztecs have a really good punter.

The Frogs are undefeated and marching towards the BCS while stomping any team in their path. They have the top-ranked defense in the nation and are also putting up huge numbers on offense. They are trying to take the MWC to a BCS game for the second season in a row. They should be able to put up plenty of points on a suspect SDSU defense. On defense,

SDSU has little or no rushing game and the Frogs should be able to force Lindley to throw the ball and make mistakes. Coach Patterson has said that he is taking this game seriously, but the Frogs have plenty of experience winning at Qualcomm stadium and shouldn't have much of a problem winning a warm-up game before the big match-up with Utah.

What We Learned from Week Eight Of Mountain West Football

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:42:05 -0000

Air Force

The Falcons are a much, much better team when QB Tim Jefferson is running the show. Jefferson is more of a passing threat then Connor Diets, and it showed as Jefferson tossed two touchdown passes. Air Force has five wins on the year and should become bowl eligible when ESPN GameDay comes to Colorado Springs as they take on the other service academy Army.

BYU

The Cougs used the bye week to get healthy and get WR McKay Jacobson back in the lineup, and BYU still insists on executing their plays and saying that will work. One word: 'speed' which is what Utah will bring on defense at the end of the year.

Colorado State

Tailspin anyone? The Rams are a mess they are losers of six in a row and one more loss takes them out of bowl consideration. Coach Fairchild insists that Grant Stucker is the starter this week, but I see Jon Eastman getting some snaps. Their defense needs to hold somone, and also maybe inform the team there is a second half of football.

New Mexico

Can I pass? The Lobos came the closest to victory with a three point loss to San Diego State. This week is not any easier as they take on Utah on the road. Maybe last weeks game gave them some confidence?

San Diego State

Aztecs are .500 and have a legit shot at making their first bowl game since joining the Mountain West. The bad news is that stud WR Vincent Brown is out for the year with thumb surgery, however DeMarco Sampson has stepped up in his place quite nicely the past few games.

TCU

The past three games TCU has outscored their last three opponents by 133-13, and the BCS is in reach. The Aztecs have one more tune up against San Diego State before they welcome in Utah to Fort Worth for the MWC crowne.

UNLV

Oh the how the Rebels deceive us with their preseason hype. UNLV's supposed offense is stagnent as they got shut out by TCU and look terrible on both sides of the ball. UNLV may have to eat the three years left on his deal, but all could be somewhat forgiven if they can somehow beat Colorado State.

Utah

Jordan Wynn or Terrance Cain? That is the question o' the week as to who will be the starter. It obviously will be Jordan Wynn, while his stats were not impressive he brings in a more diverse passing game then Terrance Cain who relied on slants to David Reed and then run the ball. Wynn is not the athlete to run, but the Utes have Luke Matthews, former QB DeVonte Christopher, Eddie Wide, and Shaky Smitheson to take a direct snap in the running game. It is New Mexico but it will be a test for Jordan Wynn to see how he does in a full game.

Wyoming

The Poke had their chances against Utah with a dropped sure pick six that could have won them the game. Dave Christensen is the best new coach in the league, but does not quite yet have the athletes to run his system. QB Austyn Carta-Samuels is the future for Wyoming and it looks promising. They are on track for a bowl berth which would be huge for Wyoming. WR David Leonard is quietly having a great season with 52 catches and 452 yards, and more then triples the next closest Wyoming receiver in receptions.

Making The Rounds: 10/31/2009

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:15:13 -0000

The college football season goes by so fast, but yet the off season drags, and drags along. There is still a lot of football left to be played so enjoy these mussing from around the web:

Air Force

A pair of knee surgeries has kept highly touted sophomore RB Paul Weatheroy from meeting his potential, but he is still hopeful to make an impact. Falcons will ignore the Colorado State scouting reports that shows the Rams are weak against the pass, but Air Force will still run the ball.

BYU

WR McKay Jacobson might be back next week against New Mexico. Cougars could have used him against TCU. Taking the off week to recover and evaluate rest of the season.

Colorado State

Why is biggest lineman playing weak side? Huge snow storm expected for tomorrows game. Injury report for the weekends game.

New Mexico

Players may have quit on interim coach against UNLV which was a terrible game. Lobos face former coach Rocky Long this weekend.

San Diego State

Local Poinsettia Bowl is hoping to get the home town team in their bowl. WR Vincent Brown is out for two to three weeks with surgery on his right thumb. Rocky Long --former New Mexico head coach-- current Aztec defensive coordinator has not shared his former teams secrets with SDSU.

TCU

DE Jerry Hughes is also a star off the field. How about a Texas vs. TCU game for the Texas state title, I am game. TCU needs the fans more then ever.

UNLV

QB Omar Clayton looks to be on track for TCU game. Can the Rebels hang with TCU? 20 game road MWC losing streak came to an end against New Mexico last week. Video preview of the UNLV/TCU game and offense is a concern.

Utah

WR Jereme Brooks is all healed up after a tough Air Force game. Hoop news, forward Jay Wakins out four to six weeks with a sress fracture. Haloween spirit is going around the football team. Young lineman are helping the defense

Wyoming

Center for the hoops team Adam Wadell is out for a few weeks with a knee injury. Ute running game is still productive no matter who runs the ball. Wyoming quarterbacks need to be aware of Ute DB Robert Johnson

Preview: New Mexico @ San Diego State on Halloween 10/31

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:04:49 -0000

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

3 months ago: San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley (14) throws a pass with protection from teammate Brandon Sullivan (23) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Southern Utah Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Next Game

New Mexico Lobos
@ San Diego St. Aztecs

Saturday, Oct 31, 2009, 4:30 PM PDT
Qualcomm Stadium

Preview: New Mexico @ San Diego State on Halloween 10/31

posted by Sam (sdsuaztec4) 16 minutes ago

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San Diego State defensive coordinator Rocky Long makes his first appearance against his former team, the New Mexico Lobos. San Diego State looks to move to .500 on the year as New Mexico is still searching for its first win of the season. Although the Lobos have yet to win a game this year, the Aztecs are taking them very seriously. Find out why after the jump.

The good news for the Lobos is that today, Coach Hoke has ruled star WR Vincent Brown OUT for the game on Halloween.

Series: SDSU leads 20-15

Time: 4:34 PST

TV: CBS College Sports HD (Yes, I can watch it!)

The Lobos have beaten the Aztecs 8 straight games, including the last 6 at Qualcomm and winning 70-7 last season at New Mexico. In fact, that was the last game the Lobos won.

The Aztecs will be looking to snap a bunch of streaks this week even after they snapped a bunch of streaks last week, where the Aztecs snapped a 10 game road losing streak, not to mention surpassed last year's win total. The Aztecs look to win back to back games for the first time since 2007 and look to reach .500 for the first time since finishing 6-6 in the 2003 season. With Vincent Brown out, the Aztecs will have to rely on Demarco Sampson, Roberto Wallace, Dominique Sandifer, and freshman Preston King. The Aztecs will once again try to get the running game going.

The Lobos will have coach Locksley back for the first game after his suspension, where he had a tough time away from football. They will also have to face former head coach Rocky Long, after he resigned last season. It should be an emotional game for both sides. Rocky Long has said he has not given any special information about his former team in preparation for this game. The Lobos haven't lost at Qualcomm stadium in 14 years and since the WAC days. As you can imagine at 0-7, not much is going right for the Lobos. The will have to stop the weak Aztec running game and force them to go to the air and try to get Ryan Lindley to make mistakes. SDSU has to contain quarterback Donovan Porterie. In the past four games, he’s scored six TDs and completed 60 percent of his passes. The defense of the Aztecs is definitely much weaker than the offense.

What We Learned from Week Seven Of Mountain West Football

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:50:32 -0000

Air Force

The Falcons lost a heart breaker to Utah on the road and falls to 4-4, and is still just a step below the top three teams in the league. A bowl berth is still realistic with games against Army, Colorado State, and UNLV, so getting to seven wins is a real chance. QB Connor Dietz looks to be firmly entrenched as the starter while QB Tim Jefferson is now the backup. The Falcon defense which is ranked eighth nationally, but those numbers are deceiving because the Air Force offense holds the ball so often opposing teams are not able to gain yards.

BYU

The Cougars are who we thought they were! BYU yet again was taken out by the speedier TCU Horned Frogs, and lost a conference home game for the first time since the 2005 season. The same story for BYU is that their coacheing staff does not make adjustments, even though they said they had plans A, B, and C this year. Big games are not the norm for BYU to win -- Oklahoma the exception -- and are 10-13 since 2005 in games against BCS opponents, bowl games, and against Utah or TCU. Now, the conference title is essentially out of reach but the Cougars still have a chance at eleven wins if they win out.

Colorado State

Where to start, the Rams started off hot with three straight wins and getting some votes for the top 25, but since then they lost five straight. Now three of those were against the top of the league BYU, TCU, Utah, and a respectable lose to a solid Idah team, but the loss to San Diego State fulfilled the tailspin. All is not lost for the Rams, because they finish the season against four winnable games with Air Force, Wyoming, New Mexico and UNLV; so a bowl win a potential seven win regular season is in reach. The Rams defense just needs to step up and be able to protect a lead. Not sure if the Rams just gave up in the last game, but San Diego State needed to pass since they were behind and ended up marching at will down the field.

New Mexico

Coach Locksley fulfilled his suspension which did not matter as they lost to UNLV for their seventh in a row. The tow main problems on the field for the Lobos are that they have little to no running game, and they keep turning the ball over. If they were to be decent in both categories then they might have at least a couple wins on the year.

San Diego State

Aztecs going bowlin'? That is a possibility with games left against UNLV, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Now those games are not going to be easy but are all winnable. Last weeks come from behind victory against Colorado State was the first time in a long time that the Aztecs came from behind from that margin to win. Not only did the Aztecs come back but they dominated the Rams and lead the nation in passing and receiving yards; oh and those receiving yards were not by star WR Vincent Brown, but back up DeMarco Sampson. The Aztec defense also did their part by stopping a Ram defense that worked them pretty good in the first half. Head Coach Bradhy Hoke finally looks to have the Aztecs moving in the right direction and could surpass expectations if somehow were to get to a bowl game in his first year.

TCU

Four sacks against BYU is becoming the norm for the Horned Frogs, and they now look to be in the drives seat for a BCS game after jumping Boise State in the latest BCS standings. They still have two tough games left by traveling to Wyoming and then Utah in Fort Worth. There is a little talk of the national title game, but a lot needs to happen for that, but I am sure that Coach Gary Patterson will take his first appearance to a BCS game as a consolation prize. For all the people who say TCU does not have a good offense then they are not watching this team. The Horned Frogs may not have a dominant numbers guy, but they spread the ball out to a lot different players which make them hard to defend.

UNLV

Playing New Mexico can help solve problems in the short term, but UNLV is still a massive under achiever yet again under Mike Sanford. The real question is if this win over the hapless Lobos can somehow spring board the Rebels to an improbable bowl berth? I am going to say no, even though there are some winnable games on the schedule. This offense should be better with possibly the best receiver in the league in Ryan Wolfe and touchdown magnenet Phillip Payne, but the offense is not good enough to outscore opponents. Defense is sitll a mess and gives up too many big play, points, and yards. Another long bowl-less off seasnon awaits the new coach -- oh I mean Mike Sanford.

Utah

The Utes were lucky to defeat Air Force this past weekend. QB Terrance Cain has not been running as he has in the past, and that could be from a lingering ankle injury; that ankle also could be the reason for him putting the ball on the turf as well. Playing Air Force is tough, but the Ute defense made the plays it needed to hold off the Falcons. Even though the Utah defense is not as dominant as expected they are still getting the job done; however that may not be enough when they travel to TCU. One question surrounding the program is if/when Coach Whittingham will burn the Jordan Wynn's redshirt and replace him for the struggling Cain. My opinion is that if Wynn was not a true frosh then he would be seeing time, but with the Utes at 6-1 and the conference title in reach Wynn will keep the redshirt unless Cain is significantly injured.

Wyoming

The Pokes took a much needed bye week and are sitting pretty at 4-3, and took the off week to prepare for Utah. The inevitable 4-4 is waiting, but some players are on this team that played in Salt Lake in 2007 where the Utes recovered an onside kick while being up 50-0, and that lead to former coach Joe Glenn bringing out the one finger victory salute. So, there could be some players that want some revenge for that gesture by the Utes.