Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
IDAHO: Trey Farquhar knocked through three field goals for the Vandals during
their meeting with nationally-ranked Utah State on Saturday. Unfortunately
that was the extent of Idaho's scoring in a 36-point road loss in Logan. In a
season that has seen head coach Robb Akey let go midway through, the Vandals
closed out with just 210 yards of total offense in their sixth straight
setback and the 11th in 12 tries overall. The squad posted just one win in six
tries versus the rest of the WAC and was winless on the road overall in seven
attempts. Quarterback Taylor Davis completed 10-of-23 passes for a mere 49
yards and three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Running back Ryan Bass has one of his better games of the season as he gained
95 yards on 21 attempts, but it didn't make any difference in the lopsided
final.
LOUISIANA TECH: Just a few weeks ago the Bulldogs were the talk of the WAC,
nationally ranked and putting up incredible offensive numbers, but the team
not only failed to defend their conference crown from last season, but they
dropped two straight to close out the campaign as they bowed to San Jose State
on the road in a 52-43 final on Saturday night. The top-scoring offense in the
nation (51.5 ppg) with the top overall production (577.9 ypg), the team
generated 541 yards against San Jose State, but quarterback Colby Cameron went
from having two interceptions a week earlier against Utah State to issuing
three picks. Cameron did finish the outing 38-of-59 for 468 yards and three
touchdowns, with Quinton Patton recording two scores on 10 catches for 125
yards. Aside from the turnovers, the team failed to make much of its running
game as it logged just 58 yards on 22 attempts, although Cameron and Kenneth
Dixon did make it into the end zone. The close of the regular season for the
Bulldogs has them with a 9-3 record overall and a 4-2 mark in conference play.
NEW MEXICO STATE: With just six possessions in the first half on Saturday, the
Aggies didn't have enough scoring chances to keep up with BYU and eventually
bowed to the Cougars in non-conference action, 50-14, in Las Cruces. The loss
was the 10th straight for NMSU, the fifth in as many tries in WAC play as
well. Quarterback Andrew Manley finished the outing 13-of-24 for 158 yards and
two touchdowns, but he was also sacked five times, which left the Aggies with
a mere 29 net rushing yards on 27 attempts. Kemonte Bateman caught four balls
for 93 yards and a score, but it was the defense for the Aggies that simply
could not keep up with BYU as the visitors rolled up more than 500 yards of
total offense. Most disappointing was NMSU's inability to slow down BYU
receiver Cody Hoffman who caught 12 balls for 182 yards and five touchdowns.
The Aggies still have one last game left on their schedule for this season, a
date against Texas State this coming weekend in San Marcos, Texas.
SAN JOSE STATE: Overall, the Spartans defense was a bit porous against
Louisiana Tech on Saturday, but cornerback Bene Benwikere certainly made a
name for himself as he tied a San Jose State single-game record with three
second-half interceptions to help push the team to a 52-43 win over the
Bulldogs at home. The victory was the sixth in a row for the program as it
finished 10-2 overall and 5-1 in league play for its first 10-win campaign
since 1987. Also having a big game for the Spartans was De'Leon Eskridge who
ran for a career-high 217 yards and three touchdowns on 28 attempts, while
quarterback David Fales hit on 25-of-37 passes for 367 yards and three TDs of
his own. Noel Grigsby caught seven passes for 127 yards which means he's
averaging just over six receptions per game to rank third in the league as the
Spartans await news of a postseason invitation. Eskridge, who has run for more
than 100 yards just three times this season for a team that is ranked 101st in
the nation with only 124.2 ypg on the ground, came up eight yards shy of 1,000
for the regular season.
TEXAS STATE: On the road against the other new member of the Western Athletic
Conference, the Bobcats knew they'd be in for a fight versus Texas-San
Antonio, and in a game that sported nearly 900 yards of offense, Texas State
ended up on the short end of a 38-31 final at the Alamodome. Shaun Rutherford
tried to keep his team close as he tossed touchdowns in the first and fourth
quarters, but being under constant pressure and being brought down for five
sacks is more than most signal-callers can take. Rutherford finished the
outing 31-of-42 for 324 yards, with seven receptions being recorded by Isaiah
Battle who turned them into a game-high 119 yards and one score. Rutherford
also ran for 42 yards and another score as he carried the ball 18 times for a
TSU squad that has now dropped five straight and is just 1-4 against league
foes. The season is not quite over for the Bobcats though, as they host New
Mexico State in league play this coming weekend in San Marcos,
TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO: The Roadrunners erupted for 17 points in the first quarter
on Saturday, but down the stretch the team had to hold on in order to claim
the 38-31 victory over Texas State in WAC action at the Alamodome. Quarterback
Eric Soza converted half of his 30 pass attempts for 200 yards and three
touchdowns, but he also tossed a pair of interceptions which prevented UTSA
from cruising to a comfortable win. Soza, who spread the ball around to seven
different receivers, also led the team in rushing with his 97 yards, leading
to another score on nine attempts. The defense for the Roadrunners recorded
five sacks and nine tackles for loss overall, yet still allowed close to 400
yards of offense in the final game of the season. The victory, the third
straight for the Roadrunners, made the team an even 3-3 in conference play and
8-4 overall after opening 2012 with five straight triumphs.
UTAH STATE: For the first time in program history, the Aggies finished a
season with at least 10 victories as the squad dominated Idaho at Romney
Stadium over the weekend, 45-9. Not only did Utah State close out the regular
season with six straight wins and eight in the last nine outings, the team
also finished WAC play a perfect 6-0 and captured its first outright
conference title since doing so as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic
Conference back in 1936. USU generated only 250 yards of total offense, but
the defense had a standout effort as it limited the Vandals to a mere 158
yards, only 52 through the air which was the fewest since the squad permitted
45 yards passing to North Texas back in 1998. Kerwynn Williams ran for a team-
best 110 yards and a score versus the Vandals, adding another 39 yards and a
TD on four receptions, while Chuckie Keeton connected on 17-of-25 passes for
133 yards and two TDs, but was sacked twice and had a pair of passes picked
off. Now ranked 20th in the latest AP poll, for the second straight year Utah
State will appear in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against a member of the Mid-
American Conference to be determined.
The Sports Network