Just for the hell of it, while I'm playing the Wyoming game, some score updates to pass along.
Early 2nd quarter, Marshall leads Southern Miss 14-7.
Early 2nd quarter, Fresno State leads Hawaii 7-0.
Air Force-Boise State never showed up on the ticker, so I'm still completely in the dark on how that game is going right now.
All the big games are later in the day, with West Virginia-Texas at 3:30, Ohio State-Michigan at 3:30 and South Carolina-Clemson at 7.
Another score update.
Early 3rd quarter, Fresno State leads Hawaii 17-0.
Early 3rd quarter, Marshall leads Southern Miss 24-20.
Still have yet to see a single update on Air Force-Boise State.
Hooray for score updates.
Late 3rd quarter, Fresno State leads Hawaii 20-0.
Early 4th quarter, Marshall leads Southern Miss 38-28.
And still not a single goddamn update from Air Force-Boise State. Apparently this damn game is intentionally trying to piss me off.
Fuck!Originally Posted by SmoothPancakes
Yet another score update.
Very late 4th quarter, Fresno State leads Hawaii 20-13 as the Rainbows have made a second half comeback.
Meanwhile it has gone final, Marshall defeats Southern Miss 52-31.
And still not a single sighting of an update on Air Force-Boise State. What a crock.
Game Twelve
Game Story
--- This was it, another regular season come to its conclusion. This regular season finale would see more importance thrust upon it as both Utah State and Air Force battled their separate opponents to try and claim the Mountain Division title. For Utah State, that opponent would be rival Wyoming, as both teams closed out their seasons with another edition of Bridger’s Battle. While Utah State would be playing for the hopes of a division title, Wyoming would be playing to ruin the hopes of their rival, as Wyoming entered with little to play for, having only won two games all season. If Wyoming wanted to pull off the upset, it would take one hell of a performance to do so, as they entered the game with one of the worst offenses and defenses in the nation. Their highest ranked offensive category was passing offense, at #98 in the nation. On defense, they were highest ranked on rushing defense, at #96 in the nation. Everything else was #112, #124 or #125 ranked. Wyoming won the coin toss and surprisingly elected to receive first, a 7 MPH wind blowing from one end zone to the other.
A wind aided kickoff would sail into the end zone for a touchback, giving Wyoming the ball at their 25 yard line. Kyle Franklin would fake a handoff on first down and elected to keep the ball himself, only to end up lit up and tackled in the backfield for a three yard loss on the play, a poor start to the game for the Cowboys. Wyoming’s shotgun running game would again leave them moving backwards as a second down carry by Matt Sims would result in another three yard loss, bringing up third and 16. The air would be a different story as a mix up by our secondary would allow Nathan Jenkins to go up for a cakewalk catch of 18 yards and a first down at the 37 yard line. A first down carry by Sims would pick up three yards. Going into the air on second down, the pass intended for Ryan Goddard was almost intercepted by cornerback Lawrence Coker, but he wasn’t able to hold on, resulting in an incomplete pass and third and 7. What should have been two sacks would turn into a shovel pass to Sims, who would plow right over three different defenders on his way to a 17 yard reception and a first down at our 43 yard line, twice now this drive that our defense has completely blown it when they should have made the stop. Franklin would take off running on his own on first down, sprinting to an 8 yard gain on the play, before a reverse handoff to Jenkins on second down would get blown up for a loss of four yards, leaving Wyoming with third and 6. Another third down, another failure by our defense as Franklin lobbed a pass to a wide open Brandon McDonald for a 27 yard gain and yet another first down at our 12 yard line. A first down rush by Sims would gain four yards, followed by a failed option play that would see Franklin tackled for a two yard loss, leaving third and 8. FINALLY, we would catch a break on third down as Sean Austin dropped a pass that had hit him square in the hands, the incompletion finally bringing to an end a drive that should have been over 10 plays ago. A 27 yard chip shot field goal by Jeff Jones would give Wyoming a 3-0 lead with 6:19 left in the first quarter.
A 19 yard kickoff return by Leonard Hart would give us the ball to start at our 28 yard line. Starting our drive on the ground, Brian Paris would get the ball on first down, powering his way to a four yard gain around the right tackle, followed by a second four yard rush to leave us facing third and two. We would leave things in the hands of Paris on third down, just managing a three yard gain to get the first down. Paris would keep plugging along on first down, using an outside blitz by Wyoming to dive up the middle for a 5 yard gain, followed by a big 6 yard carry to move the chains to the Wyoming 49 yard line. Paris would keep working his magic on first down, fighting for a gain of four yards on the play. Trying to catch Wyoming sleeping on second down, we came out running a play action pass, but the Cowboys wouldn’t bite and Jason Barnes had to get rid of the ball, leaving third and 6. Coming out in the shotgun on third down, Barnes would manage to connect with Aaron Allen for a completion of 15 yards, giving us a new set of downs at the 30 yard line. Calling an audible at the line of scrimmage, Barnes would take advantage of the showed blitz and instead of handing the ball off to Paris, he would fake the handoff, roll out and dump the ball off to fullback Raymond Watson for a four yard completion. Lining up in the shotgun on second down, Barnes would throw a missile to David Douglas over the middle, good for a 15 yard gain and a first down at the 11 yard line. Turning the duties back over to Paris, he would only manage a three yard gain on the first down carry. Another carry on second down would gain 5 yards, leaving us looking at third and two from the three yard line. Leaving it in the hands of Paris on third down, he would take the ball and dive straight ahead, but he would only be able to gain one yard on the play to bring up fourth and one. Settling for three points, Doug Marcus would drive the 19 yard field goal through the uprights, tying the game at 3-3 with 1:08 left in the first quarter.
Another wind aided kickoff would result in a touchback for Wyoming. A blown tackle would allow Sims to turn what would have been a two yard loss into a 14 yard gain on first down, as our defense AGAIN continued to screw their own selves up the ass. The defense would answer on the next play, this time tackling Sims for a three yard loss. Another three yard loss on a second down carry by Sims would leave Wyoming facing third and 16. Going five wide on third down, this time our defense would finish the job, as cornerback Leonard Hart went up and intercepted an errant pass, giving us the ball at the Wyoming 41 yard line.
Taking over in Wyoming territory following the interception, we would get one play off before the clock expired, as Paris would be flattened for a one yard loss, ending the first quarter deadlocked at 3-3.
Opening up the second quarter, we would get lined up on second and 11, coming out in the shotgun on the play. Barnes would manage to connect with Allen in the flats, good for an 8 yard gain to leave us looking at third and three. Taking a chance with Paris, he would get the ball and fight for a gain of four yards, picking up the first down at the 30 yard line. Keeping it on the ground on first down, Paris would only pick up two yards, as the Wyoming defense continued to blitz nearly every play. Lining up under center on second down, Barnes would drop back and fire a pass up the middle to tight end Jack Long, picking up 12 yards on the completion and a new set of downs at the 16 yard line. Turning back to Paris on first down, he would rush for a 7 yard gain, followed by a four yard carry that would give us first and goal from the 5 yard line. Paris would keep driving on first down, driven forward by a defender for a three yard gain. Second and goal would see Paris almost impossibly not score a touchdown, picking up two yards on the play, from the two yard line, meaning nothing but mere inches separated him from the end zone. Lining up on third and goal from literally inches outside the goal line, Paris would not be denied, diving into the end zone for a 1 yard touchdown, giving us a 10-3 lead with 6:29 left in the second quarter.
A 34 yard kickoff return, helped by us kicking off into the wind, as well as the son of a bitch breaking seven goddamn tackles, would give Wyoming the ball at their 41 yard line. Sims would get the drive started with a three yard rush. Franklin would drop back to pass on second down, but would end up sacked for a loss of 7 yards by our blitz, leaving Wyoming facing third and 14. Naturally, our defense would screw up again, giving up a 15 yard reception to Austin, when at most he should have only gained 7, thus giving Wyoming a first down at our 48 yard line and again extending their drive when it should have already ended. Franklin would follow that up with a 13 yard rush of his own and another first down at our 35. Sims would get the ball on first down, but would end up dragged down from behind in the backfield, resulting in a two yard loss on the play. Sims would get a delayed handoff from Franklin, rushing up the middle for a gain of 5 yards, bringing up third and 7. Finally, the drive would end as a pass nearly completed to Sims would be broken up thanks to a well timed hit by the cornerback, leaving fourth down. Despite sitting on our 32 yard line, with a 7 MPH wind aiding them, Wyoming would elect not to attempt the long field goal and instead would punt the ball. As a result, the 32 yard punt would sail clean out of the end zone for a touchback.
Lining up at our 20 yard line following the punt, Paris would get us underway with a 7 yard rush, followed by a four yard carry to pick up a new first down at the 31. Paris would try to keep it going on frist down, but he would be quickly hit for a gain of just two yards. Running a play action pass on second down, the defense would bite hook, line and sinker, as tight end Gerald Woods was left WIDE open and completely uncovered, allowing him to pull in the lobbed pass from Barnes and race up the sideline for a 41 yard gain before being chased down from behind, giving us a first down at the Wyoming 26 yard line. Returning to the ground game, Paris would rush for a gain of 6 yards on first down, followed by an 11 yard sprint by Benjamin Silva, setting up first and goal from the 10 yard line. Paris would return on first down, fighting his way to a 5 yard gain. Lining up on second and goal, we would get tagged with a false start penalty, putting us right back where we started on the 10 yard line. This time Paris would only gain two yards on the carry, leaving us facing third and goal from the 8 yard line. Lining up in the shotgun on third down, going five wide, Paris would end up being left completely uncovered by the defense, apparently a safety left responsible for him. That would leave him the perfect target as Barnes took the snap, dropped back two steps and rifled a pass to Paris before the safety could get near him, good for an 8 yard touchdown to give us a 17-3 lead with 22 seconds left before halftime.
The kickoff would make it into the end zone this time, taken for a touchback to give Wyoming the ball at their 25 yard line. The Cowboys would come on running the ball on first down, as Sims raced up the middle for a 9 yard gain, followed by Wyoming quickly calling their first timeout with 17 seconds left. Dropping back to pass on second down, Franklin would end up taking off scrambling to avoid the pass rush, tackled for a three yard gain on the play. While it would get Wyoming a first down at the 37 yard line, they would be forced to call their second time out with 11 seconds to play. Dropping back to pass in a five wide formation, Franklin would completely blow the pass and overthrow his receiver, leaving 7 seconds to go. Lining up in the shotgun on second down, Franklin would feel the pressure and move up in the pocket, but instead of throwing the ball or taking off running, he would just stand there bouncing on his feet while a defender came rushing at him from 10 yards away, ending up sacked for a 0 yard loss with the clock on zero. That would send us into halftime, holding a 17-3 lead over Wyoming.
Opening up the second half, Douglas would field the kickoff around the 5 yard line and return it 15 yards, before a blatantly missed block by our return team left him a sitting duck for a Wyoming player, leaving us starting from our 19 yard line to begin the third quarter. Starting our drive on the ground, Paris would get us off and running with gains of four and 6 yards to pick up a quick first down. After a three yard carry by Paris, we would attempt a play action pass on second down, but throw intended for Long would be dropped near the first down marker, leaving us with third down. Lining up in the shotgun on third down, we would manage to extend our drive as Barnes connected with Allen in the flats, good for a 9 yard gain and a first down at the 42 yard line. Paris would pick right back up where he left off, following a gaping hole for a 9 yard carry, followed by a two yard dash to pick up the first down at the Wyoming 47 yard line. A 6 yard carry by Paris on first down would be followed by a 5 yard second down rush by Silva, moving the chains once more to the Wyoming 36 yard line. A pair of carries by Paris would go for gains of four and three yards, leaving us looking at third and three. Paris would try and keep the drive moving, but he would be stood up right at the first down marker, credited with a three yard gain, but leaving us facing fourth and inches at the 27 yard line. Settling for three points, the 44 yard field goal by Marcus would sail through the uprights to give us a 20-3 lead with 5:48 left in the third quarter.
The wind aided kickoff would sail out of the end zone for a touchback, giving Wyoming the ball at their 25 yard line. Sims would come out running for the Cowboys on the first two plays, picking up gains of four and three yards. But the drive would come crashing to a sudden end for Wyoming as a pass intended for Jenkins on third and three would be dropped as he went to turn up the field, the incomplete pass forcing Wyoming to dejectedly bring out their punt team. An 18 yard return by Jesse Breedlove on the 35 yard punt would give us the ball right at the 50 yard line.
Taking over at midfield thanks to a solid punt return, this time we would change it up and come out passing, as Barnes dropped back from the shotgun and tried to thread the needle over the middle to Washington. While the pass would hit Washington in the hands, he would be unable to hold on to it while being sandwiched by two defenders, leaving second down after the incompletion. A risky pass up the middle on second down would find its target, as Long would pull in the ball just before being lit up by the safety, good for a gain of 26 yards and a first down at the Wyoming 23 yard line. Lining up under center on first down, Barnes would try to connect with Douglas along the left sideline, but the pass would be nearly intercepted by the outside linebacker with a well timed leap underneath, leaving second down. Coming out in the shotgun on second down, Barnes would launch a quick pass to Allen on a streak route, good to pick up 17 yards and set us up with first and goal from the Wyoming 7 yard line. Paris would get the call on first down, fighting his way to a four yard carry on the play, before diving into the end zone on second down for a three yard touchdown, extending our lead to 27-3 with 3:42 left in the third quarter.
Another wind aided kickback would sail out of the end zone untouched, Wyoming again starting from their 25 yard line. Bringing a heavy blitz on first down, it would pay off as Franklin dropped back to pass, only to instantly throw the ball away to avoid an impending sack. It wouldn’t matter however as a complete meltdown on second down by our secondary would leave Jenkins completely uncovered up the left sideline, pulling in the pass from Franklin and racing 58 yards down the field before being ankle tackled for a first down at our 17 yard line. Sims would get the ball on first down, rushing for a three yard gain on the play, followed by a one yard carry by Franklin to leave Wyoming facing third and 6. Sims would pretty much power his way right over three different defenders on his way to a 13 yard carry, setting up first and goal at our one yard line. Cory Ryan would finish the drive off on the next play with a one yard touchdown run. Wyoming would attempt to go for a two point conversion, but Sims would never make it past the three yard line before being tackled, to keep our lead at 27-9 with 2:17 left in the third quarter.
A huge 50 yard kickoff return by Hart, fielded at our 8 yard line would give us beautiful field position, starting our drive at the Wyoming 42 yard line. Paris would start our drive off again with a 5 yard carry up the middle, followed by a two yard rush around the left side, leaving us with third and three. Paris would get those three yards on third down, but the refs would mark him short officially, leaving us facing fourth and one (technically inches) at the Wyoming 32 yard line. With a 7 MPH wind still backing us up for one more minute, we elected to go for the three points, the 49 yard field goal by Marcus splitting the uprights to increase our lead to 30-9 with 50 seconds left in the third quarter.
Another wind aided touchback would start Wyoming again from their 25 yard line. Sims would get things started with a 6 yard run up the middle, followed by a 12 yard gain through a massive gaping hole, easily picking up a first down at the 43 yard line. One final 5 yard rush by Sims would run out the clock, ending the third quarter with our lead 30-9.
Opening up the fourth quarter, a very heavy blitz would force Franklin to throw the ball away, leaving third and 5. Sims would get the handoff on third down, and should have been tackled for no gain, but apparently with the left arm of the Hulk, he would stiff arm two defenders and still drive forward for a 7 yard gain, giving Wyoming a first down at our 45 yard line. A first down pass over the middle would end up incomplete thanks to a well timed hit by our safety, but the Cowboys would come right back on second down with a 19 yard completion to Austin, picking up the first down regardless at our 26 yard line. Sims would get the ball on first down, only to be quickly tackled for no gain on the play, followed by a poorly thrown incomplete pass that would leave Wyoming lining up on third and 10. Of course, a pass from Franklin, thrown across his body, would perfectly land in the hands of Jenkins, surrounded by three different defenders, for a miraculous 16 yard completion, giving Wyoming first and a goal at our 10 yard line. Sims would start things off with a two yard run, followed by a three yard carry by Ryan, leaving third and goal from the 5 yard line. Franklin would never have a chance to get the third down pass off as we blitzed seven, resulting in a sack for a loss of 7 yards. Wyoming would elect to go for it on fourth and goal, lining up at the 12 yard line. In a game of inches, Franklin would launch a quick pass to McDonald near the two yard line, who was quickly swarmed by four different defenders in zone coverage. Despite falling towards the end zone, McDonald would be ruled down before he cross the goal line, a 12 yard completion that would result in a turnover on downs inside the one yard line.
While we had made the defensive stop and forced the turnover on downs, now our offense was forced to line up just inches away from our own goal line. Paris would get the handoff on first down, and thanks to some friendly fire in the secondary, would be able to race into the heart of the defense for a 7 yard carry. Another rush by Paris would pick up a solid 5 yards, giving us a first down at the 12 yard line and giving us some much needed breathing room. Paris would continue plugging right along, picking up gains of 6 and two yards, leaving us facing third and two. Silva would get the call on third down, fighting his way to a 6 yard gain to move the chains to the 26 yard line. Running a play action pass on first down, the throw intended for Woods was nearly intercepted by the outside linebacker, leaving second down. Coming out in the shotgun on second down, Barnes would rifle a pass over the middle to Douglas, who would get damn near decleated, but would hold onto the ball for a gain of 20 yards and a first down at the 46 yard line. Paris would again get the call on first down, fighting his way to a 5 yard gain, followed by a four yard rush to leave us with third and one. An 8 yard rush by Paris would keep our drive alive, moving the ball down to the Wyoming 37 yard line. Silva would take over in the backfield on first down, picking up two yards on the play, followed by a 5 yard gain to bring up third and three. A 6 yard rush by Silva would give us a first down at the 24 yard line, all but cementing our ability to just run out the clock with 2:35 remaining. Of course, as soon as that is said, a momentary loss of focus would result in the play clock expiring before snapping the ball, the 5 yard delay of game penalty leaving us with first and 15. Silva would take the ball on first down, following a pair of blockers on his way to a 9 yard carry, followed by a three yard gain to set up third and three. Silva would get the call on third down, but would be stood up for a one yard gain, leaving fourth and two at the 16 yard line, an 8 second difference between the play and game clocks. Snapping the ball with one second left on the play clock, Marcus would send the 33 yard field goal sailing through the uprights, increasing our lead to 33-9 with 7 seconds left in the game.
A 10 yard return by Terrance Hill on the squib kick would give Wyoming the ball at their 44 yard line, lining up with four seconds left on the clock. A first down screen pass to Sims would end in a dropped pass with no time left on the clock, ending the game and our 33-9 victory over Wyoming.
With the win, we improve to 9-3, 7-1 in Mountain West action. With the loss, Wyoming ends their season 2-10, 1-7 in Mountain West play. Up next, we wait to see if we will somehow slip into the Mountain West conference championship game. And if that doesn’t happen, we then wait to see what bowl game we will play in and who our opponent will be.
Final Score
9
Stats of the Game:
Utah State Offense - A pretty solid day for Barnes, going 11-16 for 175 yards and 1 touchdown. Rushing, Paris led the way with 175 yards and two touchdowns on 44 carries, setting the single season rushing record in the process, breaking the previous record by nearly 90 yards. Silva would end his day with 49 yards on 9 carries. Receiving, Allen would again be top receiver in both yards and catches, ending with 49 yards on four catches. Paris had the only receiving touchdown on a single 8 yard catch. In all, six receivers caught at least one pass today, four of them would end with double digit receiving yards.
Utah State Defense/Special Teams – Despite the blowout score, a horrible day. So many bloody times, Wyoming was able to keep extending drives because the defense that played so damn well on first and second downs, would just shove their heads up their collective asses on third down and let Wyoming do whatever they wanted to get a new set of downs. With the way things were going, we're lucky Wyoming didn't end up scoring 30, because they certainly had the chances.
Utah State Kicking – Another perfect day for Marcus, going 4-4 in field goal with kicks of a 19, 33, 44 and 49 yards, while also going 3-3 in extra points. Whether or not it will be enough for him to reclaim first place in the Groza remains to be seen.
Scoring Summary
Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score 3 14 13 3 33 3 0 6 0 9
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 6:19 Field Goal J. Jones, 26 yard field goal 1:08 Field Goal D. Marcus, 19 yard field goal TIED 3-3 Second Quarter 6:29 Touchdown B. Paris, 1 yard run (D. Marcus kick) 0:22 Touchdown B. Paris, 8 yard pass from J. Barnes (D. Marcus kick) Third Quarter 5:48 Field Goal D. Marcus, 44 yard field goal 3:42 Touchdown B. Paris, 3 yard run (D. Marcus kick) 2:17 Touchdown C. Ryan, 1 yard run (2-Pt failed) 0:50 Field Goal D. Marcus, 49 yard field goal Fourth Quarter 0:07 Field Goal D. Marcus, 33 yard field goal
Game Stats
Utah State Stat Wyoming 33 Score 9 21 First Downs 13 399 Total Offense 269 53 - 224 - 2 Rushes - Yards - TD 32 - 87 - 1 11 - 16 - 1 Comp - Att - TD 8 - 19 - 0 175 Passing Yards 182 0 Times Sacked 3 9 - 13 (69%) 3rd Down Conversion 7 - 12 (58%) 0 - 0 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 0 - 1 (0%) 0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 1 (0%) 5 - 3 - 2 (100%) Red Zone - TD - FG 3 - 1 - 1 (66%) 0 Turnovers 1 0 Fumbles Lost 0 0 Intercepted 1 18 Punt Return Yards 0 81 Kick Return Yards 44 498 Total Yards 313 0 –0.0 Punts - Average 2 - 34.0 2 - 10 Penalties 0 - 0 25:45 Time of Possession 14:15
Utah State Coach Goals
Goal XP Reward Completed Win a Game 100 x1 Score a Touchdown 25 x3 Force a Turnover 25 x1 45+ Yard Field Goal 10 x1 Rush for 100 Yards 25 x1 3+ Sacks 50 x1 Opponent Under 10 Points 75 x1 Opponent Under 150 Rush Yards 50 x1 Beat a Rival School 50 x1 Opponent Under 300 Pass Yards 50 x1 Pass Completion Over 50% 30 x1 100% Red Zone Efficiency 50 x1 Score 21 or More Points 50 x1 350+ Offensive Yards 50 x1 10+ First Downs 50 x1 50 Touchdowns (Season) 250 x1 4+ 3rd Down Conversions 25 x1 School Record: Rush Yds/Season (1670) 300 x1
Utah State Contract Goals Update
Goal Expectations Progress Target Wins Per Season 8 9
Job Security Status
100%
Taking a look around the nation, in the Top 25, #1 South Carolina massacred #22 Clemson 73-31. #2 Ohio State survived #3 Michigan 21-14. #4 Fresno State outlasted Hawaii 20-13. #5 Oklahoma topped #25 TCU 38-28. #6 West Virginia slipped past #11 Texas 38-31. #7 Ole Miss routed Mississippi State 45-26. Virginia knocked off #9 Virginia Tech 31-24. #10 Cincinnati evaded East Carolina 41-34.
#21 Baylor stunned #12 Kansas State 45-35. #13 Louisiana Lafayette survived Arkansas State 37-35. #14 Arizona topped Arizona State 33-21. #15 Georgia Tech got by Georgia 25-21. #16 Auburn smoked Alabama 40-13. #17 Miami defeated Pittsburgh 37-27. #18 Florida State beat Florida 34-27. LSU shocked #19 Arkansas 49-39. #23 Michigan State topped Maryland 31-17. And #24 Ohio hammered Miami University 56-24.
For our readers, JeffHCross, #2 Ohio State improves to 12-0 (9-0 Big Ten) with a 21-14 win over #3 Michigan. Morsdraconis, #6 West Virginia improves to 10-1 (7-1 Big 12) with a 38-31 win over #11 Texas. Souljahbill, Southern Miss drops to 6-5 (5-3 C-USA) with a 52-31 loss to Marshall. Jaymo, Arizona State finishes 3-9 (2-7 Pac-12) with a 33-21 loss to #14 Arizona. LeeSO, #16 Auburn improves to 10-2 (7-2 SEC) with a 40-13 win over Alabama. SCClassof93, #1 South Carolina improves to 12-0 (9-0 SEC) with a 73-31 violation of #22 Clemson. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State drops to 7-4 (4-3 Sun Belt) with a 37-35 loss to #13 Louisiana Lafayette. Florida International finishes 5-7 (5-3 C-USA) with a 27-10 win over Florida Atlantic. Navy improves to 8-3 (6-3 American) with a 28-27 overtime win at Tulane. Tulsa finishes 3-9 (2-7 American) with a 38-17 loss at SMU.
In Mountain West action, #4 Fresno State beat Hawaii 20-13. Utah State topped Wyoming 33-9. Boise State shattered the hopes and dreams of Air Force 52-21. Colorado State hammered New Mexico 28-7. San Diego State routed UNLV 38-13. And Nevada blew San Jose State's bowl hopes, 35-21.
With those results, looking at the latest conference standings, in the Mountain Division, Utah State (7-1) miraculously claims the Mountain Division title as Air Force (6-2) is left looking up from second place thanks to Boise State's 52-21 whooping in week 14! In the West Division, #4 Fresno State (8-0) has clinched the division and a spot in the conference title game.
So that sets up the Mountain West Conference Championship Game. It will be Utah State (9-3, 7-1) at #4 Fresno State (12-0, 8-0).
Looking at undefeated teams left, #3 Michigan lost this week, dropping our number of undefeated teams to 3. #1 South Carolina (12-0), #2 Ohio State (12-0) and #4 Fresno State (12-0) all remain with an unblemished record this season.
Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There are 0 teams still looking for their first win this season.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, South Carolina (36 first place votes) remains #1, Ohio State (23 votes) remains #2, Fresno State (2 votes) climbs one to #3, Oklahoma jumps one to #4 and West Virginia moves up one to #5. Ole Miss climbs one to #6, Michigan drops four to #7, UCLA remains #8, Cincinnati climbs one to #9 and Louisiana Lafayette leaps three to #10. Arizona jumps three to #11, Georgia Tech moves up three to #12, Auburn climbs three to #13, Miami jumps three to #14 and Texas drops four to #15. Florida State moves up two to #16, Baylor jumps four to #17, Stanford climbs two to #18, Michigan State rises four to #19 and Ohio jumps four to #20. Virginia Tech plummets twelve spots to #21, Kansas State falls ten to #22, Utah State enters the poll at #23, Navy enters the poll at #24 and SMU (305 points) enters the poll at #25. Dropping out of the poll this week was Arkansas (from #19), Clemson (from #22) and TCU (from #25). Looking at Others Receiving Points, Clemson (299 points) is #26, followed by USC (229), Boise State (157), South Florida (155) and Texas State (130) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting points this week include Iowa State (127), UTSA (91) and Marshall (34).
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Media Poll, Ohio State (37 first place votes) climbs one to retake #1, South Carolina (24 votes) drops one to #2, Fresno State (4 votes) moves up one to #3, West Virginia climbs one to #4 and Oklahoma jumps one to #5. UCLA climbs one to #6, Michigan drops four to #7, Ole Miss moves up one to #8, Cincinnati climbs one to #9 and Arizona jumps one to #10. Georgia Tech leaps three to #11, Louisiana Lafayette jumps three to #12, Auburn climbs three to #13, Miami moves up three to #14 and Baylor jumps six to #15. Texas drops four to #16, Florida State climbs two to #17, Stanford jumps five to #18, Ohio climbs three to #19 and Virginia Tech plummets twelve to #20. Michigan State jumps four to #21, Navy enters the poll at #22, Kansas State drops ten to #23, Utah State enters the poll at #24 and Clemson (335 points) falls five to #25. Dropping out of the poll this week was Arkansas (from #18) and TCU (from #24). Looking at Others Receiving Votes, SMU (289 points) is #26, followed by Boise State (213), South Florida (205), USC (189) and Iowa State (151) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting points this week include Texas State (112), UTSA (100), Marshall (43) and Kentucky (39).
In the newest BCS rankings: #1 South Carolina (0.997), #2 Ohio State (0.997), #3 Fresno State (0.989), #4 Oklahoma (0.981), #5 West Virginia (0.981), #6 Ole Miss (0.968), #7 Michigan (0.968), #8 UCLA (0.968), #9 Cincinnati (0.954) and #10 Arizona (0.950). Others: #12 Louisiana Lafayette (0.928), #13 Auburn (0.928), #23 Utah State (0.837), #24 Navy (0.834).
A look at the Heisman race, Fresno State HB Chris Vincent is #1 (LW: #1), Ohio State QB Jordan Watkins is #2 (LW: #2), Texas QB Justin Jones is #3 (LW: #3), Michigan QB Brian Brewster is #4 (LW: #3) and Ole Miss QB Jason Davis is #5 (LW: #4). No one fell off the watch list this week.
Taking a glance at Award Finalists, Utah State cornerback Leonard Hart is first for the Bednarik, cornerback Jesse Breedlove is twelfth for the Bednarik, halfback Benjamin Silva is eighth for the Walker, halfback Brian Paris is tenth for the Walker, defensive end Steve Jones is ninth for the Lombardi, cornerback Leonard Hart is fourth for the Thorpe, cornerback Jesse Breedlove is eleventh for the Thorpe, kicker Doug Marcus is first for the Groza, and wide receiver David Douglas is fifth for Best Returner.
Looking at the bowl picture, 12 teams punched their tickets this week, giving us 67 teams that have reached the 6 win plateau. 17 teams saw their bowl hopes end, leaving 3 teams still having a chance (however small it may be) of getting there, to leave 70 teams total fighting for 68 bowl slots.
Looking at the newest bowl projections, if they hold out, it's a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl for Utah State fans, taking on USC (8-4, 5-4) out of the Pac-12. The New Orleans Bowl would feature Southern Miss (6-5, 5-3 C-USA) vs Texas State (8-3, 6-1 Sun Belt). The Armed Forces Bowl would see Western Kentucky (8-4, 6-2 C-USA) take on #24 Navy (8-3, 6-3 American). The Capital One Bowl would feature #13 Auburn (10-2, 7-2 SEC) vs #7 Michigan (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten). And the GoDaddy.com Bowl would see Toledo (8-4, 7-2 MAC) take on Arkansas State (7-4, 4-3 Sun Belt)
The Fiesta Bowl would feature #5 West Virginia (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) vs #10 Louisiana Lafayette (10-1, 7-0 Sun Belt). The Sugar Bowl would see #3 Fresno State (12-0, 8-0 Mountain West) against #6 Ole Miss (11-1, 8-1 SEC). And the BCS National Championship Game would feature a showdown between #2 Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) and #1 South Carolina (12-0, 9-0 SEC).
Looking at the BCS projections, the Rose Bowl would feature #4 Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) against #11 Arizona (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12). The Fiesta Bowl has #5 West Virginia (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) matching up with #10 Louisiana Lafayette (10-1, 7-0 Sun Belt). The Sugar Bowl has #3 Fresno State (12-0, 8-0 Mountain West) matching up with #6 Ole Miss (11-1, 8-1 SEC). The Orange Bowl features a battle between #21 Virginia Tech (9-3, 7-2 ACC) and #9 Cincinnati (11-1, 8-1 American). And in the national championship game, #2 Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) takes on #1 South Carolina (12-0, 9-0 SEC).
Thank you Boise State you goddamn marvelous beautiful sons of bitches you!!!
After coming SOOOOOOOO goddamn close to making it to the Mountain West title game in 2020 and 2022, FINALLY, thanks to those goddamn beautiful sons of bitches in Boise, Utah State is going to the conference championship game!
Last edited by SmoothPancakes; 08-20-2015 at 03:47 PM.
On a bye week this week, so lets get to it!
Taking a look around the nation, in the Top 25, there are no words to describe the unholy violations that #5 West Virginia inflicted upon TCU in a 81-42 horsefucking of epic proportions, going WAY above and beyond what horrible things South Carolina had achieved against Clemson just the week before. West Virginia had 56 points by HALFTIME!
Elsewhere, Oklahoma State stunned #4 Oklahoma 45-44. #10 Louisiana Lafayette handled Louisiana Monroe 43-21. #15 Texas escaped Texas Tech 41-38. #17 Baylor routed Kansas 35-3. #22 Kansas State topped Iowa State 35-28. And #24 Navy slipped past Army 31-28.
For our readers, JeffHCross, #2 Ohio State remains 12-0 (9-0 Big Ten) with a bye week. Morsdraconis, #5 West Virginia improves to 11-1 (8-1 Big 12) with an unholy 81-42 win over TCU. Souljahbill, Southern Miss improves to 7-5 (5-3 C-USA) with a 37-10 win over Ball State. Jaymo, Arizona State finishes 3-9 (2-7 Pac-12) with bye week. LeeSO, #13 Auburn remains 10-2 (7-2 SEC) with a bye week. SCClassof93, #1 South Carolina remains 12-0 (9-0 SEC) with a bye week. Other teams of interest, Arkansas State improves to 8-4 (5-3 Sun Belt) with a 27-3 win over Texas State. Florida International finishes 5-7 (5-3 C-USA) with a bye week. Navy improves to 9-3 (6-3 American) with a 31-28 win over Army. Tulsa finishes 3-9 (2-7 American) with a bye week.
In Mountain West action, no games were played this week.
With those results, looking at the latest conference standings, in the Mountain Division, Utah State (7-1) miraculously claims the Mountain Division title as Air Force (6-2) is left looking up from second place thanks to Boise State's 52-21 whooping in week 14! In the West Division, #4 Fresno State (8-0) has clinched the division and a spot in the conference title game.
So that sets up the Mountain West Conference Championship Game. It will be Utah State (9-3, 7-1) at #4 Fresno State (12-0, 8-0).
Looking at undefeated teams left, no one lost this week, leaving our number of undefeated teams at 3. #1 South Carolina (12-0), #2 Ohio State (12-0) and #4 Fresno State (12-0) all remain with an unblemished record this season.
Turning to a more sadistic watch, who is still winless. There are 0 teams still looking for their first win this season.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Coaches Poll, South Carolina (40 first place votes) remains #1, Ohio State (21 votes) remains #2, Fresno State remains #3, West Virginia climbs one to #4 and Ole Miss moves up one to #5. Michigan climbs one to #6, UCLA jumps one to #7, Cincinnati moves up one to #8, Louisiana Lafayette climbs one to #9 and Arizona jumps one to #10. Georgia Tech climbs one to #11, Auburn jumps one to #12, Miami moves up one to #13, Oklahoma plummets ten to #14 and Texas remains #15. Florida State remains #16, Baylor remains #17, Stanford remains #18, Michigan State remains #19 and Ohio remains #20. Virginia Tech remains #21, Kansas State remains #22, Utah State remains #23, Navy remains #24 and SMU (285 points) remains #25. No one dropped out of the poll this week. Looking at Others Receiving Votes, Clemson (254 points) is #26, followed by USC (212), Boise State (175), South Florida (138) and UTSA (36) to round out the Top 30.
Taking a look at the new Top 25 Media Poll, South Carolina (37 first place votes) climbs one to retake #1, Ohio State (27 votes) drops one to #2, Fresno State (1 vote) remains #3, West Virginia remains #4 and UCLA climbs one to #5. Michigan moves up one to #6, Ole Miss climbs one to #7, Cincinnati jumps one to #8, Arizona moves up one to #9 and Georgia Tech climbs one to #10. Louisiana Lafayette climbs one to #11, Auburn jumps one to #12, Miami moves up one to #13, Oklahoma falls nine to #14 and Texas jumps one to #15. Baylor drops one to #16, Florida State remains #17, Stanford remains #18, Ohio remains #19 and Virginia Tech remains #20. Michigan State remains #21, Navy remains #22, Kansas State remains #23, Utah State remains #24 and Clemson (319 points) remains #25. No one dropped out of the poll this week. Looking at Others Receiving Votes, SMU (278 points) is #26, followed by Boise State (243), South Florida (208), USC (174) and UTSA (80) to round out the Top 30. Other teams getting points this week include Marshall (48) and Arkansas State (46).
In the newest BCS rankings: #1 South Carolina (1.000), #2 Ohio State (0.995), #3 Fresno State (0.989), #4 West Virginia (0.984), #5 UCLA (0.974), #6 Michigan (0.974), #7 Ole Miss (0.974), #8 Cincinnati (0.962), #9 Arizona (0.955) and #10 Georgia Tech (0.943). Others: #11 Louisiana Lafayette (0.936), #12 Auburn (0.936), #23 Utah State (0.837), #24 Navy (0.833).
A look at the Heisman race, Texas QB Justin Jones is #1 (LW: #3), Fresno State HB Chris Vincent is #2 (LW: #1), Ohio State QB Jordan Watkins is #3 (LW: #2), Michigan QB Brian Brewster is #4 (LW: #4) and West Virginia WR Michael McNeil is #5 (LW: NR). Falling off the watch list this week was Ole Miss QB Jason Davis (LW: #5).
Taking a glance at Award Finalists, Utah State cornerback Leonard Hart is first for the Bednarik, cornerback Jesse Breedlove is twelfth for the Bednarik, halfback Benjamin Silva is eighth for the Walker, halfback Brian Paris is tenth for the Walker, defensive end Steve Jones is ninth for the Lombardi, cornerback Leonard Hart is fourth for the Thorpe, cornerback Jesse Breedlove is eleventh for the Thorpe, kicker Doug Marcus is first for the Groza, and wide receiver David Douglas is fifth for Best Returner.
Looking at the bowl picture, 2 teams punched their tickets this week, giving us 69 teams that have reached the 6 win plateau. 1 teams saw their bowl hopes end. That leaves 69 teams total fighting for 68 bowl slots. One team will be getting screwed!
Looking at the newest bowl projections, if they hold out, it's a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl for Utah State fans, taking on California (6-6, 5-4) out of the Pac-12. The New Orleans Bowl would feature Southern Miss (7-5, 5-3 C-USA) vs Texas State (8-4, 6-2 Sun Belt). The Armed Forces Bowl would see Western Kentucky (8-4, 6-2 C-USA) take on #24 Navy (9-3, 6-3 American). The Outback Bowl would feature #12 Auburn (10-2, 7-2 SEC) vs Wisconsin (6-6, 5-4 Big Ten). And the GoDaddy.com Bowl would see Toledo (8-4, 7-2 MAC) take on Arkansas State (8-4, 5-3 Sun Belt).
The Fiesta Bowl would feature #4 West Virginia (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) vs #9 Louisiana Lafayette (11-1, 8-0 Sun Belt). The Sugar Bowl would see #3 Fresno State (12-0, 8-0 Mountain West) against #7 UCLA (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12). And the BCS National Championship Game would feature a showdown between #2 Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) and #1 South Carolina (12-0, 9-0 SEC).
Looking at the BCS projections, the Rose Bowl would feature #6 Michigan (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) against #10 Arizona (10-2, 8-1 Pac-12). The Fiesta Bowl has #4 West Virginia (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) matching up with #9 Louisiana Lafayette (11-1, 8-0 Sun Belt). The Sugar Bowl has #3 Fresno State (12-0, 8-0 Mountain West) matching up with #7 UCLA (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12). The Orange Bowl features a battle between #21 Virginia Tech (9-3, 7-2 ACC) and #8 Cincinnati (11-1, 8-1 American). And in the national championship game, #2 Ohio State (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) takes on #1 South Carolina (12-0, 9-0 SEC).
And that will have to do it for now. It's already getting well into the evening, and I still have to eat dinner and find time to go into work for a couple hours. If I'm awake enough and feel up for attempting a whole new game later tonight when I get home, I'll give it a shot. Otherwise, the CCG will have to wait until tomorrow.
While I am happy as hell to finally crack the Mountain West title game (and my first conference title game since 2016 with Tulsa when they were still in Conference USA), man this is destroying my schedule. I had hoped to spend the rest of tonight and tomorrow working on the Pre-Bowl Games Update and all the stuff between Week 15 and the bowl games. I was going to find the time tomorrow to play my bowl game. And then I would have all day Saturday and Sunday to work everything from post-bowl games through the off-season and into the preseason of the 2024 season. Now everything is being thrown off and pushed back due to the extra game added with the CCG.
I'm still really pushing for Sunday night to be done with the off-season as I have to be up at 5am for work every morning next week, so my gaming chances are going to be minimal. I'm just not sure I'm going to make it.
Mountain West Conference Championship Game
#23
Game Story
--- After three previous failed tries, Coach Ramius and Utah State had finally reached the promised land, the Mountain West Conference championship game. Their reward, a trip to Fresno, California to take on the 12-0 and #3 ranked Fresno State Bulldogs. The good news, Ramius holds a 2-1 record against the Bulldogs, defeating Fresno State 35-25 in 2022, losing to the Bulldogs 62-38 in 2021 and beating Fresno State 27-24 in overtime in 2016 while head coach at Tulsa. Not very much of a history to aid predictions, other than try your damnedest to hold Fresno State to 25 points or less for a chance to win.
Unlike our previous two opponents, this one had an offense and had one hell of a defense. Fresno State would come roaring into the game with the #3 rushing offense. The good news for us is that would be their only offense, as they also sported the #124 passing offense. On the flip side, we would have to find a way to overcome the best defense we had ever faced. Fresno State not only held the #1 defense in the nation, they held the #4 rushing defense and the #1 passing defense in the entire country. This was a team that not only put up nearly 300 yards a game rushing, but would then turn around to hold opponents to only 240 yards a game of total offense. We would have to find some way, any way, to overcome the single best defense in the entire country if we were to hope to win today. Fresno State won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A 29 yard kickoff return by David Douglas would get us off and running from our 29 yard line. Brian Paris would get things started with a four yard dash outside toward the right sideline, followed by a four yard plunge up the middle to leave third and two. Thanks to some great blocking, Paris would be able to find a hole and sprint through it for an 8 yard carry, giving us a first down at the 46 yard line. After a first down rush by Paris that resulted in no gain on the play, he would manage to do some spinning and juking in the heart of the defense and fight his way down to a 6 yard carry, somehow, to leave us facing third and four. Dropping back to pass on third down, Jason Barnes was able to just avoid the blitz and get a pass off to Aaron Allen, good for a gain of 14 yard and a new set of downs at the Fresno State 34 yard line. Thankfully Fresno State hadn’t found a way to block us yet, as Paris continued to rumble along on first down for an 8 yard gain, followed up with a four yard carry to move the chains to the 23. Bringing a first down blitz that was loaded to the left side would be a fatal mistake for the Bulldogs, as Paris got the ball and found a plethora of green field in front of him with a designed run to the right, following blockers and a giant hole all the way for an 11 yard rush and a first down at the 12 yard line. Paris would keep us moving with a three yard carry on first down, before being lit up in the backfield for a one yard loss, leaving us facing third and 8. Dropping back into the shotgun on third down, Paris would rifle a perfectly timed pass through the defense and into the hands of Adam Washington for a 10 yard touchdown, giving us a 7-0 lead with 5:20 left in the first quarter.
A wind aided kickoff would sail out of the end zone for a touchback, Fresno State lining up from their 25 yard line for their first drive of the game. A first down option keeper by Justin Corbett would result in a one yard loss and a rough start for the Bulldogs offense. That would ALLLL change on second down as another option keeper, this time to the left side, would see Corbett break into the open and race 40 yards down the left sideline before being shoved out of bounds at our 36 yard line. A designed run by Corbett would again see the Bulldogs move backwards thanks to a two yard loss on the play. Another blown up option play would result in a one yard loss to leave Fresno State with third and 13. Justin Greer would take a standard handoff straight up the middle, but would only gain two yards on the play to bring up fourth and 11. The 36 yard punt would sail into the end zone for a touchback.
Taking over at our 20 yard line following the touchback, we would again turn to Paris to get us off and running. It would be a good choice as he would find a huge hole straight through the middle for an 8 yard gain, followed by a 7 yard rush for a first down at the 34. A 5 yard first down rush would be followed up with a big 10 yard sprint, moving the chains once more to the 49 yard line. From there we would start to find trouble running, as Paris could only pick up three yards on a first down carry, before being absolutely flattened by the Fresno State defense for a three yard loss, leaving us facing third and 10. Dropping back in the shotgun on third down, Barnes would be forced to take off scrambling to avoid a sack. While he would nearly get the first down himself with a 9 yard scramble, he would be forced out of bounds before he could cross the line, leaving us punting on fourth and one. The 41 yard wind aided punt would sail into the end zone for a touchback.
Starting their next drive at their own 20 yard line, Corbett would get started with a big 16 yard option keeper for a first down at the 36 yard line. A perfectly tossed option pitch would see Chris Vincent race up field for a 10 yard carry and a new first down. Another pitch to Vincent would this time be defended properly, as Vincent would end up tackled for a two yard loss on the play. That would be the last play as the clock ran out, bringing the first quarter to an end with our lead at 7-0.
Opening up the second quarter, Fresno State lined up facing second and 12, an option keeper by Corbett picking up three yards to set up third and 9. Going into the air on third down, Corbett would try to connect with Marvin Williams in the flats, but the underthrown pass would sail right into the back of the head of our cornerback for an incomplete pass, forcing Fresno State to punt on fourth down. Sweet mother of god, Fresno State would run a fake punt run, and it would decimate our defense, as Greer would break out of three tackles and sprint down the field for a 48 yard rush before being ankle tackled from behind, giving Fresno State first and goal from our 6 yard line.Vincent would get the ball on first down, but would be quickly tackled for no gain on the play. The Bulldogs would finish it off on the next play as Corbett would run the option keeper to perfection and drive into the end zone for a 6 yard touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 with 8:48 left in the second quarter.
A 30 yard kickoff return by Douglas would start our next drive from our 24 yard line. Paris would get the call on first down, racing through the defense for a 9 yard gain, before being lit up by the blitzing defense for no gain on the play, leaving third and one. Paris would just extend our drive with a three yard rush, moving the chains to the 36 yard line. Paris would find better success on first down with a 7 yard carry around the right side, followed by a gain of 9 yards and a first down at the Fresno State 49 yard line. The first down carry by Paris would see a gain of just two yards on the play, followed by a three yard carry by Benjamin Silva to leave us with third and 5. Taking a shot with a play action pass on third down, the Fresno State defense would bite completely, leaving tight end Gerald Woods completely uncovered in the flats, the pass from Barnes good for a 21 yard gain and a first down at the 23 yard line. Paris would get the call again on first down, only to be immediately met and driven backwards for a two yard loss on the play. Going into the air on second and 12, the pass intended for Douglas would be nearly intercepted by the middle linebacker, leaving us facing third and long. Taking a shot into the end zone, the pass intended for Jon Morris would likewise be nearly intercepted, bringing our drive to an end on fourth and 12. Settling for a 41 yard field goal, the kick by Doug Marcus would sail through the uprights to give us a 10-7 lead with 5:01 left in the second quarter.
Fresno State would field the kickoff in the end zone and drop to a knee to take the touchback. Lining up from their 25 yard line, Fresno State would predictably come out running the ball, as an option keeper by Corbett would go for gain of 14 yards and an immediate first down at the 39 yard line. A first down carry by Vincent would gain just one yard on the play, followed with a 5 yard keeper by Corbett to bring up third and four. Dropping back to pass on third down, Corbett would be indecisive in the pocket, not choosing whether to throw it or scramble, and that would lead to him being sacked for a three yard loss on the play, forcing another Fresno State punt on fourth and 7. A solid 20 yard return by Jesse Breedlove on the 42 yard punt would start our drive from the 36 yard line.
Lining up at the 36, Paris would again be called on for first down, only to be blown up in the backfield for a three yard loss on the play, leaving second and 13. Abandoning the run this drive, we would turn to the shotgun on second down, but the pass intended for Washington would be broken up to leave third down. Another shotgun pass would see Barnes overthrow Allen in a rushed pass, forcing us to punt on fourth and long. A mediocre 36 yard punt would sail out of bound at the Fresno State 30 yard line.
Taking over on first down from their 30 yard line, the Bulldogs would come out running with an 8 yard keeper by Corbett on first down. Another keeper would see Corbett gain two yards, just enough for the first down at the 41 yard line. Corbett would leave the game with an injury after that play, suffering a dislocated thumb that would leave him sidelined for the rest of the game. With their starting quarterback lost for the rest of the game, it would be understandable if the Fresno State offense starting missing a beat, but instead, backup quarterback Cedric Clark would come in on first down and immediately torch our defense with his own running skills, breaking free on an option keeper for a 31 yard gain and a first down at our 28 yard line. Clark would drop back to pass on first down, but with a heavy blitz coming to try and contain the option, Clark would be left nothing but a sitting duck, ultimately sacked on the play for a 6 yard loss to leave second and 16. Clark would launch up a pass toward the left corner of the end zone, only to have the pass intercepted by cornerback Breedlove, giving us the ball at our 6 yard line.
Taking over in the shadows of our own goalposts after the interception, we would come out passing on first down with just a minute and a half left on the clock. Barnes would drop back on first down and connect with Washington for a quick 8 yard completion, followed by a 23 yard strike to a wide open Morris, giving us a first down at the 36 yard line. A quick pass to an uncovered tight end Jack Long would go for a 15 yard gain. That would be followed up by a 14 yard completion to Allen, giving us a first down at the Fresno State 34 yard line, our first timeout called with 37 seconds left until halftime. A perfectly played coverage by the outside linebacker would see a completion to Douglas instead nearly turn into a gift wrapped interception, the incomplete pass leaving second down. We would keep the drive moving on second down as Barnes was able to connect with Douglas this time around for an 11 yard gain to the 23 yard line. That would be followed up with a perfectly thrown pass over the middle through the heart of the defense and into the hands of Washington for a 20 yard completion, giving us first and goal at the three yard line, our second timeout called with 19 seconds remaining. With only one chance at the end zone, we would try out luck on the ground, but Paris would only be able to fight his way for a two yard gain, leaving us with second and goal from the one yard line, our third and final timeout called with three seconds left. Marcus would easily make the 18 yard field goal with no time left, sending us into halftime with a 13-7 lead.
Opening up the second half, a touchback on the kickoff would give Fresno State the ball at their 25 yard line to start the third quarter. Clark would start things off with an option keeper for a gain of 10 yards and a quick first down. Another keeper by Clark would gain 9 yards, followed by a four yard carry by Williams to get the first down at the 48 yard line. Clark would nearly break free for a touchdown on first down, but a belly flopping ankle tackle by a defensive end would trip Clark up for only a 16 yard gain, still picking up a first down however at our 36 yard line. Clark would keep the ball on first down, only gaining three yards on the play, followed by a blown option that would see Clark tackled for a two yard loss, leaving third and 9 for the Bulldogs. Dropping back to pass on third down, Clark would get lit up while throwing for an incomplete pass to leave fourth and 9. Fresno State would take a shot on fourth down, but Clark would also be as indecisive as Corbett in the middle of a collapsing pocket, ultimately sacked for a 7 yard loss to force the turnover on downs.
Taking over at our own 41 yard line following the turnover on downs, Paris would try to get us off and moving on first down, managing only a two yard gain on the play, However, we would end up going backwards as a holding penalty was called on left tackle Derek Smith on the play, leaving us facing first and 20 from the 31 yard line. Paris would try to pick up some quick yard for us, gaining 5 yards on the carry. Lining up under center on second down, Barnes would connect with tight end Sam Livingston for a 9 yard completion, leaving us with third and 6. Dropping back into the shotgun, Barnes would never get the pass off as he would end up sacked for a 6 yard loss, forcing us to punt on fourth and 12. The booming kick would land at the 10 yard line and bounce into the end zone for a touchback.
Fresno State would start their next drive at their 20 yard line following the touchback, where Vincent would get them off and running with a four yard carry on first down. Clark would make a mistake on second down, pitching the ball instead of keeping it, turning what would have been a 5 yard gain into a gain of only three yards, leaving third and three for the Bulldogs. Clark would make up for his mistake on third down, picking up those three yards and then some with a 10 yard rush straight up the middle, giving Fresno State a first down at the 37 yard line. Another first down rush by Vincent would go for a three yard gain around the left side, followed by a failed second down option that would see Clark lose two yards on the play, forcing third and 9. This time around, the Bulldogs would successfully go into the air, as Clark connected with Jeremy Fleming in the middle of traffic over the middle, good for a 27 yard completion and a first down at our 35 yard line. From there it would be right back to the option game as Clark would keep the ball for a four yard gain, followed by another failed play that would see Clark tackled for a two yard loss, leaving third and 8. The third down pass toward the left corner of the end zone, intended for Terrance Green would be nearly intercepted by the cornerback, forcing Fresno State to again gamble and go for it on fourth down. Our defense would catch a HUGE break on fourth down, as Clark launched a pass into the end zone to a wide open Green, only to see Green fail to catch the ball and instead bobble and drop it, the dropped pass forcing a turnover on downs.
Retaking possession at our 34 yard line following the turnover on downs, Paris would only manage a single yard on first down. Running a play action pass on second down, the defense would fail to pick up the fake, resulting in Long being left wide open near the sideline for a 25 yard completion, giving us a first down at the Fresno State 40 yard line. Paris would finally find more success on the ground with a 7 yard carry on first down, before being dropped for a gain of two yards, leaving us facing third and one. Barnes would try and keep the ball on third down, but he would be trapped in the backfield with nowhere to go, tackled for a loss of two yards to leave fourth and three. With a 5 MPH wind behind us, we would line up for the field goal, the 50 yard kick by Marcus splitting the uprights to give us a 16-7 lead with 43 seconds left in the third quarter.
Another touchback on the kickoff would give Fresno State the ball at their 25 yard line. A first down keeper by Clark would go for a gain of just two yards. He would more than make up for that on second down as he would run another option keeper to the left, this time finding space and racing up the sideline for a huge 57 yard gain before finally being shoved out of bounds at our 16 yard line. Fresno State would fail to get the snap off before the clock ran out, bringing the third quarter to an end, with us very surprisingly holding a 16-7 lead.
Opening up the fourth quarter, Vincent would keep the Bulldogs moving with an 8 yard option rush on first down, followed by a three yard gain on the option pitch to give Fresno State first and goal at our 6 yard line. The Bulldogs would waste no time in ending the drive as our defense would get destroyed by the option keeper, allowing Clark to slowly trot into the end zone for a 6 yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 16-14 with 9:29 left in the game.
Douglas would come through for us with a huge, badly needed 60 yard kickoff return, giving our offense the ball to start at the Fresno State 45 yard line and a great chance to try and put this game away. Paris would get us off and running with an 8 yard gain on the first down play, before being tackled for no gain on the second down carry, leaving us facing third and two. A two yard rush by Paris would get us very near the first down, but we would still be marked short, left facing fourth and inches at the 36 yard line. Looking for any points we could get, despite kicking into a 5 MPH wind, Marcus would nail the 53 yard field goal, giving us a 19-14 lead with 7:59 left in the game.
A touchback on the kickoff would start Fresno State from their 25 yard line. Clark again would get the Bulldogs quickly moving down the field as he would take off on first down with an option keeper, using the sideline and a wall of blockers to rush for a big 36 yard gain and a first down at our 39 yard line. Keeping the ball on first down, this time Clark would be limited to just a two yard gain, followed by a carry of only one yard, leaving the Bulldogs lining up on third and 7. Even after dropping back to pass on third down, Clark would still torch our defense as he would take off scrambling, easily picking up 18 yards before anyone on our defense could bring him down, giving Fresno State a first down at our 18 yard line. Another option keeper by Clark would go for a gain of a 11 yards, setting up Fresno State with first and goal from our 7 yard line. Shockingly, Fresno State would line up showing option, only for Clark to take two steps back from under center and launch a blazingly quick pass over the middle to Green on a slant route, giving Fresno State a 7 yard touchdown. Fresno State would go for the two point conversion, and would get it as Clark would keep the ball on an option run, trotting into the end zone untouched to give the Bulldogs a 22-19 lead with 6:13 left in the game.
A booming kickoff would sail out of the end zone for a touchback, forcing us to start at our 25 yard line. Paris would get the call to start our drive on the ground, but he would only be able to pick up two yards before a reenergized defense would swarm him. Trying to run a play action pass on second down, disaster would strike as the pass intended for Woods would be intercepted by cornerback Daniel Matthews and returned 7 yards, giving Fresno State the ball at our 32 yard line.
Taking over following the interception, Fresno State would come out running as Clark would pitch the ball to Vincent for a 7 yard gain. A second down option keeper by Clark would leave him running for an easy 11 yard gain and a first down at our 14 yard line. Bringing damn near the entire defense, we would finally manage to contain Clark and tackle him for a two yard loss on first down. Fresno State would try and pass on second down, but with bringing half the house on a blitz, Clark would be forced to throw the ball away, leaving the Bulldogs with third and 12. Clark would again drop back to pass on third down, only to end up sacked for a 7 yard loss. Apparently with no viable field goal kicker, the Bulldogs would entirely skip the 39 yard field goal and instead elect to go for it on fourth and 19. That would be a mistake for Fresno State as the pass from Clark, intended for Green, would be intercepted by cornerback Mike Moses near the end zone and returned 21 yards out to our 25 yard line.
Lining up on offense after the interception, this time we would come out passing on first down, as Barnes would line up in the shotgun and fire a pass off to Douglas for a gain of 12 and a quick first down. Another pass to Douglas would be broken up this time on a comeback route, leaving us with second down. The second down pass intended for Tristan Muhammad would likewise end up broken up and incomplete, bringing up third and 10. Throwing up a quick pass to Paris, who had spread out to join the 5 wide, he would pull in the throw from Barnes for a gain of 19 yards to extend our drive at the Fresno State 44 yard line. Lining up under center on first down, Barnes would drop back and sling a pass to fullback Raymond Watson, good for a gain of 10 yards and another first down at the 34 yard line. Returning to the ground on first down, Paris would fight his way to a four yard gain on the play, followed by a 5 yard rush that would leave us with third and one. Silva would get the call on the third down play, barely getting three yards, but enough for a new set of downs at the 22 yard line. Silva would keep at it on first down with a four yard rush, followed by a three yard carry to leave us with third and three. A two yard rush would be all Silva would manage, bringing up fourth and one from the 13 yard line. Settling for a game tying field goal, we would let the play clock run all the way down, calling our first timeout of the half to stop the game clock with four seconds left in the game. Fresno State would then proceed to burn through all three of their timeouts to try and freeze our kicker. After that process was finally over, we lined up on fourth and one with four seconds left. Marcus would coolly boot the football up and straight through the middle of the uprights for a 30 yard field goal, tying the game at 22-22 with two seconds left in the game.
A 14 yard return by Michael Whitaker on a squibbed kickoff would kill the remaining time on the clock, sending us into overtime tied at 22-22.
At the start of overtime, we would win the coin toss and elected to go on defense first. Starting at their 25 yard line, Fresno State would begin on the ground as a handoff to Greer would go for a gain of 6 yards, followed by a two yard rush that would leave third and two. Lining up in the shotgun on third down, Clark would fake the option keeper to draw in our blitzing linebacker, and then dump it at the last second to Vincent, who would proceed to race across the first down line for a gain of 5 yards and a new set of downs at the 12 yard line. Clark would try to keep the ball on first down, only to be tackled for a three yard loss on the play. Greer would get the ball on second down, fighting his way through four different tackles on his way to a 10 yard rush, leaving third and three at the 5 yard line. Despite blitzing nearly the entire defense, Clark would keep the ball, turn up the field around his left tackle and walk into the end zone untouched for a 5 yard touchdown, giving Fresno State a 29-22 lead.
Coming out for our turn on offense, lining up at the 25 yard line, we too would turn to our running game to start the drive as Silva got the ball on first down, fighting his way to a two yard gain. Attempting a play action pass on second down, the toss to Watson would be complete for a four yard gain, leaving us with third and four. Lining up in the shotgun on third down, Barnes would drop back and fire a pass to Allen, only to have it ripped right out of his hands and intercepted by outside linebacker Mark Grant, killing our hopes right there on the spot as Fresno State would escape with a 29-22 overtime victory.
With the loss, we drop to 9-4, 7-2 in Mountain West action. With the win, #3 Fresno State improves to 13-0, 9-0 in Mountain West play and are your 2023 Mountain West champions. Up next, we wait to see what bowl game we will play in and who our opponent will be.
Final Score
#329, #23
Stats of the Game:
Utah State Offense - A decent day for Barnes, going 15-24 for 216 yards (his highest yardage in ages) for one touchdown, but also two interceptions. Rushing, Paris was held in check as he would get only 137 yards on 35 carries. Silva would gain only 17 yards on 6 rushes. Receiving, Washington would lead in most catches at three, to go along with 39 yards and one touchdown. Long would claim most yards, with 40 yards on two catches. In all, nine different receivers would catch a pass today, eight of them ending the day with double digit receiving yards as the rock was shared around plenty.
Utah State Defense/Special Teams – Another pretty bad performance by the defense. While they were incredible against the pass, allowing just three completions and only 39 yards through the air, that mattered almost nothing as they turned around and gave up a team history worst 398 yards rushing. Clark, who came in as a bloody backup and only played three quarters would end with 201 yards rushin, Corbett, who only played the first quarter, finished with 87, Greer had 68, Vincent had 38 and Williams had four. Clark would rack up his 201 yards on just 25 carries, good for an 8.0 average. Corbett finished with a 7.2 average as he got his 87 yards on 12 rushes. Greer finished with an absurd 13.6 average as his 68 yards came on only 5 carries.
Special team, Douglas was the lone returner today, ending with 117 yards on three kick returns, including a big 60 yard return that would unfortunately end with only a field goal.
Utah State Kicking – It would be another perfect day for Marcus, who even despite kicking into a 5 MPH wind for two quarters, would go 5-5 with field goals of 18, 30, 41, 50 and 53 yards, to go along with a perfect 1-1 on extra points. Those five field goals would also help Marcus break the NCAA record for most field goals made in a season, his 34 field goals this season breaking the previous record of 31 set by Georgia kicker Billy Bennett back in 2003.
Scoring Summary
Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Overtime Final Score 7 6 3 6 0 22 0 7 0 15 7 29
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 5:20 Touchdown A. Washington, 10 yard pass from J. Barnes (D. Marcus kick) Second Quarter 8:48 Touchdown J. Corbett, 6 yard run (A. Browne kick) TIED 7-7 5:01 Field Goal D. Marcus, 41 yard field goal 0:00 Field Goal D. Marcus, 18 yard field goal Third Quarter 0:46 Field Goal D. Marcus, 50 yard field goal Fourth Quarter 9:29 Touchdown C. Clark, 6 yard run (A. Browne kick) 7:59 Field Goal D. Marcus, 53 yard field goal 6:13 Touchdown T. Green, 7 yard pass from C. Clark (2-Pt good) 0:02 Field Goal D. Marcus, 30 yard field goal TIED 22-22 Overtime --- Touchdown C. Clark, 5 yard run (A. Browne kick)
Game Stats
Utah State Stat Fresno State 22 Score 29 19 First Downs 19 372 Total Offense 437 44 - 156 - 0 Rushes - Yards - TD 53 - 398 - 3 15 - 24 - 1 Comp - Att - TD 3 - 10 - 1 216 Passing Yards 39 1 Times Sacked 4 7 - 15 (46%) 3rd Down Conversion 5 - 11 (45%) 0 - 0 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 1 - 4 (25%) 0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 1 - 1 (100%) 4 - 1 - 2 (75%) Red Zone - TD - FG 5 - 4 - 0 (80%) 2 Turnovers 2 0 Fumbles Lost 0 2 Intercepted 2 20 Punt Return Yards 0 117 Kick Return Yards 14 509 Total Yards 451 3 –45.7 Punts - Average 2 - 39.0 1 - 10 Penalties 0 - 0 22:28 Time of Possession 17:32
Utah State Coach Goals
Goal XP Reward Completed Score a Touchdown 25 x1 Force a Turnover 25 x2 45+ Yard Field Goal 10 x2 Rush for 100 Yards 25 x1 3+ Sacks 50 x1 Play in an ESPN Classic Game 75 x1 Opponent Under 300 Pass Yards 50 x1 Pass Completion Over 50% 30 x1 Score 21 or More Points 50 x1 350+ Offensive Yards 50 x1 10+ First Downs 50 x1 4+ 3rd Down Conversions 25 x1 NCAA Record: Field Goals Made/Season (34) 500 x1
Utah State Contract Goals Update
Goal Expectations Progress Target Wins Per Season 8 9
Job Security Status
100%
If Madden did a ticker and league score updates it would totally change the immerssion. All NCAA did was sim the games FIRST rather than last. Why can Madden not do the same???
Heard a rumour today in the Utah Free Press that Coach Pancakes is getting serious consideration from the 5 power conferences. Any truth that you may be looking at a bigger and better school in the offseason???
Conference Championship Week
Conference Winning Team Record Score Losing Team Record 10-3 (8-2) 24-17 (21) 9-4 (7-3) (8) 12-1 (9-1) 44-17 (25) 8-5 (7-3) (2) 13-0 (10-0) 35-28 6-7 (5-5) 10-3 (8-1) 34-30 9-4 (6-3) (20) 11-2 (8-2) 35-19 8-5 (7-3) (3) 13-0 (8-0) 29-22 OT (23) 9-4 (7-2) (10) 11-2 (9-1) 28-17 (18) 9-4 (6-4) (1) 13-0 (10-0) 41-24 (5) 11-2 (8-2)
Yeah, I like being able to see how games are going on the ticker while I play. It definitely adds to the immersion as you go through a season, knowing what else is going on around you.
According to an athletic department spokesman, Coach Ramius has no comment on any future plans at this time. He said he is looking forward to seeing where the team will be heading for their bowl game and getting his team prepared for their eventual opponent.
2023 Conference Champions
Conference Team Record Conference Record CCG Loser Record Conference Record 10-3 8-2 9-4 7-3 12-1 9-1 8-5 7-3 11-1 8-1 13-0 10-0 6-7 5-5 10-3 8-1 9-4 6-3 11-2 8-2 8-5 7-3 13-0 9-0 9-4 7-2 11-2 9-1 9-4 6-4 13-0 10-0 11-2 8-2 11-1 8-0
At least in the virtual world, Southern Miss is contending. And how 'bout them Cajuns? Geaux Cajuns!
2023 Bowl Season Rundown
Bowl Game Conference Record Team Team Record Conference Date/Result 6-6 (4-5) vs. 6-6 (4-5) 12/15 - 12:30 PM 6-6 (6-3) vs. 8-4 (6-3) 12/15 - 4:30 PM 6-6 (3-6) vs. 8-4 (6-2) 12/20 - 8:00 PM 6-6 (4-4) vs. 7-5 (4-5) 12/21 - 7:30 PM 7-5 (5-3) vs. 8-4 (6-2) 12/22 - 12:00 PM 6-6 (5-4) vs. 9-4 (7-2) 12/22 - 3:30 PM 8-4 (6-2) vs. (23) 8-4 (5-3) 12/24 - 8:00 PM 6-6 (4-5) vs. 8-5 (7-3) 12/26 - 7:30 PM 8-4 (6-3) vs. 6-6 (4-4) 12/27 - 3:30 PM 8-4 (5-4) (20) vs. (24) 9-4 (6-4) 12/27 - 3:30 PM 7-5 (6-3) vs. 6-6 (3-6) 12/27 - 6:00 PM 8-5 (7-3) vs. 6-6 (5-4) 12/28 - 2:00 PM 6-6 (3-6) vs. 9-4 (7-3) 12/28 - 6:00 PM 6-6 (4-5) vs. 6-6 (5-4) 12/28 - 9:00 PM 9-4 (6-3) vs. (22) 9-3 (6-3) 12/29 - 12:00 PM 8-4 (6-3) vs. 6-6 (4-5) 12/29 - 4:30 PM 9-3 (6-3) (17) vs. 7-5 (6-3) 12/29 - 7:00 PM 9-3 (6-3) (15) vs. 6-7 (5-5) 12/29 - 10:00 PM 7-5 (4-5) vs. (16) 9-3 (6-3) 12/31 - 12:00 PM 8-4 (5-4) (25) vs. (14) 9-3 (6-3) 12/31 - 2:00 PM 
6-6 (4-5) vs. 10-3 (8-1) 12/31 - 3:30 PM 7-5 (4-5) vs. (10) 10-2 (7-2) 12/31 - 7:30 PM 7-5 (5-4) vs. 7-5 (4-5) 1/1 - 12:00 PM :TaxSlayer_Gator: 6-6 (4-5) vs. 6-6 (5-4) 1/1 - 12:00 PM 11-2 (8-2) (9) vs. (18) 9-3 (6-3) 1/1 - 12:30 PM 10-2 (7-2) (12) vs. 6-6 (5-4) 1/1 - 12:30 PM 7-5 (5-4) vs. (13) 10-2 (7-2) 1/3 - 8:00 PM 7-5 (5-4) vs. 6-6 (4-4) 1/4 - 12:30 PM 11-2 (8-2) (19) vs. 8-4 (5-3) 1/5 - 9:00 PM
2023 BCS Bowls
Bowl Game Conference Record Team Team Record Conference Date/Result 11-1 (8-1) (5) vs. (8) 11-2 (9-1) 1/1 - 4:30 PM 11-1 (8-1) (4) vs. (7) 12-1 (9-1) 1/1 - 8:00 PM 13-0 (9-0) (3) vs. (6) 11-1 (8-1) 1/2 - 8:00 PM 10-3 (8-2) (21) vs. (11) 11-1 (8-0) 1/3 - 8:00 PM 13-0 (10-0) (2) vs. (1) 13-0 (10-0) 1/6 - 8:00 PM
So there you have it. Utah State will return to the Las Vegas Bowl for the second straight year, tangling with another Pac-12 opponent, this time the California Golden Bears.
Elsewhere, Southern Miss faces Texas State in the New Orleans Bowl, #22 Navy battles Marshall in the Armed Forces Bowl, #12 Auburn is relegated to the Outback Bowl and a match-up with Purdue, #4 West Virginia's Big 12 title gives them a Fiesta Bowl showdown with #7 Cincinnati, #3 Fresno State carries a perfect season into the Sugar Bowl and a game against #6 UCLA and #11 Louisiana Lafayette makes another BCS crash with a trip to the Orange Bowl against #21 Clemson.
Finally, it's a reader vs. reader battle royale as #2 Ohio State, going for their fourth straight national title, collides with #1 South Carolina in a battle of unbeatens for the National Championship game. Ohio State enters the game on a historical best 55 game winning streak! Can they make it 56 or will South Carolina be known as the school that broke the streak?
In terms of bowl numbers, the SEC has the most of any conference with 10 teams getting into a bowl game, followed closely by the Big Ten and Pac-12 (9 teams) and the Big 12 (8 teams). The conference with the fewest teams getting into a bowl game (other than the Independents and their zero) was the Mountain West Conference with just a pitiful four teams out of twelve making it bowl eligible this year, followed closely by Conference USA who would get just five teams into a bowl game.
Looking through the standings, 69 teams made it bowl eligible with only 68 slots. One team got screwed this year.
And a look at who got screwed out of a bowl game this year:
MAC
- (6-6)
So there you go. Despite winning their final three games of the season just to even make it to 6-6 and become bowl eligible, Akron ends up getting the shaft as a 6-7 Big Ten title game losing Wisconsin team slips into the final bowl slot ahead of them.
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