Wyoming beat Air Force on Friday, and by Saturday night the Falcons weren’t the only contender with a problem to solve. New Mexico needed another defensive touchdown to get past North Dakota State. Hawai‘i finally put together a complete offensive game, and San José State spent three quarters struggling to move the ball against Reno.
Here are my biggest takeaways from Week 8.
1. Tyler Hughes has Wyoming playing a different kind of football
Tyler Hughes ran 68 yards for a touchdown on Wyoming’s second offensive play Friday.
Hughes finished with 146 rushing yards and two touchdown passes in Wyoming’s 28-14 win over Air Force. He also ran for 183 yards and four touchdowns against Northern Illinois the previous week, despite injuries along Wyoming’s offensive line.
He isn’t waiting for the pocket to collapse before taking off, either. Wyoming is using his legs as a regular part of the offense, and defenses have to decide whether to respect the quarterback run or give him favorable looks in the passing game. They also scored on a hook-and-ladder just before halftime, with Hughes finding Eric Richardson before the lateral to Samuel Harris.
There’s a caution attached to this win. Air Force outgained Wyoming 387-301, ran for 304 yards and had the ball for almost 38 minutes. Three Falcons fumbles were a bigger factor in the final margin than anything Wyoming did defensively.
Wyoming is 4-1 in conference play, but that 28-0 loss to NDSU hasn’t disappeared. Hughes has given the Cowboys a way to win games they weren’t winning a month ago.
Wyoming gets a bye, then goes to UNLV on November 7. That should be a much better test of how far this offense has come.
2. Air Force’s turnovers hurt. Losing Medders would hurt much more
Air Force went 554 consecutive offensive plays without a fumble. It lost three against Wyoming, including two with a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
Josh Johnson lost the first at the Wyoming 10-yard line with the Falcons trailing 21-14. Air Force’s defense forced a punt, only for Johnson to lose another fumble on the next possession. Wyoming eventually scored to make it 28-14.
The more serious concern is Evan Medders, who left after the third quarter with an injury. He ran for 115 yards against Wyoming, one week after rushing for 152 yards and three touchdowns against UNLV. His decisions on the option had become a big part of why Air Force was so hard to stop.
Calhoun said Medders didn’t suffer a fracture but couldn’t say how long he might be out. Liam Szarka is already out for the season. The Falcons found a productive replacement once; now they may have to do it again, with two Mountain West losses already on the books. Medders directed a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the second half against Wyoming, and Air Force cut the deficit to seven. The offense was functioning before he left.
Johnson and Howard Fisher IV saw action Friday, but executing this offense requires more than knowing the plays.
The Falcons play UConn and Army outside the conference before closing league play against San José State, UTEP and New Mexico. That gives Calhoun time to sort out the position. It doesn’t guarantee he’ll have Medders back.
3. New Mexico keeps asking its defense to finish the job
New Mexico’s opening drive against North Dakota State covered 75 yards in six plays. Kiefer Sibley broke a 29-yard touchdown run, and the Lobos looked ready to take control.
Instead, New Mexico needed a defensive touchdown to escape with a 21-16 win. Scottre Humphrey added a score before halftime, but the Lobos produced just 14 points on offense. Two missed field goals kept NDSU close. The Bison gained just 74 yards in the first half and still went into the fourth quarter with a realistic chance to win. New Mexico should have had that game settled much earlier.
Austin Brawley’s 56-yard interception return early in the fourth quarter turned a narrow lead into a 21-9 advantage. NDSU answered with another touchdown and got the ball back late, but New Mexico’s defense held.
The Lobos have forced at least two turnovers in every game, totaling 23 in seven contests. Hawai‘i shut New Mexico out in the first half the previous Saturday.
Jack Layne and James Laubstein are both out for the season, leaving freshman Toa Fa‘avae with more responsibility than Eck planned to put on him. Injuries at receiver haven’t helped. Without a passing threat, defenses can crowd the line.
New Mexico is 3-0 in conference play and has earned every win. The next stretch includes San José State on the road, UNLV at home and Wyoming on the road. A defense this good gives the Lobos a chance in each one. It shouldn’t have to supply the deciding touchdown every week.
4. Nathan Hayes keeps giving away the ball in NDSU’s biggest games
North Dakota State’s defense held New Mexico to 14 offensive points. Hayes and the Bison offense couldn’t take advantage.
Nathan Hayes threw two interceptions, and the one Austin Brawley returned for a touchdown made the difference. Hayes completed 17 of 33 passes for 198 yards and two scores, but NDSU couldn’t finish its last chance to win. He also briefly left the game injured before returning. NDSU pulled within 21-16 on a late touchdown pass to Mekhi Collins, then got another possession. A touchdown would have flipped the result, but the Bison couldn’t finish the drive.
The interceptions are becoming difficult to overlook. Hayes threw three against UNLV two weeks ago. NDSU scored seven points in that loss and 16 at New Mexico. When the Bison face a defense capable of matching their physicality, the offense hasn’t been dependable enough.
There are legitimate personnel issues. NDSU has lost contributors at receiver, running back and along its offensive line. Those losses make it harder to protect Hayes and get receivers open. They don’t excuse the turnovers.
NDSU has already beaten Wyoming 28-0 and Air Force 38-32. But at 3-2 in Mountain West play, the Bison have little room left. Their remaining league games are against UTEP, Hawai‘i and Northern Illinois; the finale at San José State is nonconference.
Even winning out would leave NDSU at 6-2. The Bison need other results to go their way, and Hayes needs to start protecting the ball.
5. Hawai‘i finally got the big plays it’s been missing
After weeks of stalled drives, Hawai‘i scored 56 points at Northern Illinois.
Micah Alejado threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns. DeVon Rice rushed for three scores, and Hawai‘i finished with 504 yards in a 56-21 win. After NIU tied it at 14 early in the second quarter, Hawai‘i scored the next 35 points.
The passing game was the biggest improvement. Alejado hit four completions of at least 40 yards and found receivers downfield instead of settling for short throws. Frank Abreu caught two touchdown passes, Josiah Fetui scored from 44 yards out, and Audric Harris finished with 90 receiving yards. Twelve players caught a pass despite injuries that have limited the receiving corps. Cam Barfield turned one reception into a 62-yard gain, Hawai‘i’s longest play from scrimmage this season. Rice also broke a 33-yard touchdown run, giving the offense another way to score without relying on Alejado to throw every time.
The defense contributed, too. Northern Illinois turned it over five times and gained just 266 yards.
NIU is 0-7, and that has to be part of the evaluation. The Huskies have allowed 97 points over their last two games, after giving up 41 to Wyoming a week earlier.
Still, the Rainbow Warriors led New Mexico at halftime the previous week before losing, and this time they played well beyond the first half. At 2-6, it’s too late to pretend they’re in the championship race, but Chang finally saw the offensive production he’d been waiting for.
6. Reno had one healthy plan at quarterback. San José State tried three
With Carter Jones and AJ Bianco unavailable, Reno started Luke Duncan and used freshman Reeve Slone sparingly.
Duncan threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns, and Reno won 28-13. Marshaun Brown caught a touchdown and threw a 32-yard score to Herschel Turner Jr. on a trick play. The Wolf Pack held possession for 38:18, converted nine third downs and avoided the disasters that cost them at NDSU the previous week.
San José State was another matter. The Spartans had 29 yards in the first half and 70 through three quarters. They converted one of 14 third downs, punted 11 times and finished with nine first downs.
Ken Niumatalolo used three quarterbacks. Daniel Rolovich started and didn’t complete a pass. Robert McDaniel went 6-for-13 for 48 yards. Luke Weaver, returning from injury, managed 91 yards after entering in the fourth quarter. The trio combined for 139 passing yards and no touchdowns.
Reno’s Dylan LaBarbera had two sacks and three tackles for loss, and the Wolf Pack defense broke up 10 passes. San José State couldn’t protect its quarterbacks or get Viliami Teu going after his 156-yard rushing game against UTEP.
Reno also got a 90-yard kickoff return from Ky Woods to set up a fourth-quarter touchdown when the Spartans briefly cut the deficit. Both teams still have quarterback questions, but Reno had a workable plan for the afternoon. San José State never settled down, and New Mexico’s defense is coming to town next.
7. UNLV got help on its bye week. Now comes the hard part
UNLV’s players were off this weekend, but the Rebels’ championship chances improved. North Dakota State lost to New Mexico, and Air Force lost to Wyoming. UNLV already beat NDSU 13-7, giving the Rebels an important head-to-head result against a team now carrying two conference losses.
Air Force’s loss helps, too, although the Rebels still have to live with what happened in Colorado Springs. They allowed 430 rushing yards and gave up 21 straight fourth-quarter points in a 41-31 defeat. The bye gave Dan Mullen and Paul Guenther time to work on it. The tackling and assignments must improve. UNLV doesn’t need to look any farther than the film of Hughes against Air Force to see the next challenge. One missed fit can turn a routine quarterback run into a touchdown.
Northern Illinois visits Allegiant Stadium on Halloween. Wyoming comes to Las Vegas on November 7, followed by UNLV’s trip to New Mexico on November 14. San José State and Reno close the regular season.
Beat NIU, San José State and Reno, and the Rebels reach five conference victories. Beat Wyoming and New Mexico as well, and they finish 7-1 with head-to-head wins over three championship contenders.
Lose to Wyoming, and the Rebels will be back to chasing results elsewhere. Saturday’s losses around the league were valuable, but those results won’t mean much if UNLV can’t protect its home field.
UNLV got the weekend it wanted without playing. Now the Rebels have to do something with it.
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