Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - BOISE STATE: The Broncos started off the 2008 campaign with a resounding 49-7 win over Idaho State, but this past weekend the team had an early bye which allowed some additional time to prepare for the arrival of Bowling Green this coming Saturday. The meeting represents just the second ever between the two programs, with the Broncos having handed out a 48-20 thrashing of the Falcons three seasons ago.
FRESNO STATE: The Bulldogs, who had off this past weekend after defeating Rutgers on the road in the opener, continue to hunt down the bigger programs in the BCS Conferences, this time taking on the Wisconsin Badgers at home this coming Saturday night. This is just the third meeting ever between the squads, with each having recorded a victory previously. In 2002, the Badgers posted a narrow 23-21 triumph at home after being defeated the season before at Camp Randall, 32-20.
HAWAII: Down by 10 points at the break against Weber State on Saturday night, the Warriors turned to senior quarterback Tyler Graunke to lead them to a 36-17 victory over the visitors at Aloha Stadium. Graunke, who replaced starter Inoke Funaki in the second half, hit on 13-of-20 passes for 218 yards and tied a career high with three TD connections. Aaron Bain collected four receptions for 35 yards and made it into the end zone twice. This coming weekend the Warriors take on Oregon State on the mainland. This is the first- ever meeting for the two teams outside of the seven contests played in Honolulu over the years. The most recent of those meetings took place two seasons ago, with OSU posting a narrow 35-32 victory to assume a 4-3 lead in the all-time series.
IDAHO: The Vandals scored early and often versus Idaho State on Saturday, ending up with a decisive 42-27 victory at home. Quarterback Nathan Enderle converted 8-of-12 passing in the contest, leading to 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while working through four sacks. Deonte Jackson produced a game- high 100 yards rushing on 12 attempts and made it into the end zone once for Idaho, as the team generated 235 yards on the ground alone. The team's point total was the highest since defeating Arkansas State in 2004, 45-31, and the most in a home opener in more than a decade. The Vandals now focus their efforts on Western Michigan as the Broncos stop into the Kibbie Dome this weekend. This is just the second meeting between the two programs, with WMU posting a 27-16 victory at home back in 1976.
LOUISIANA TECH: Against the 14th-ranked program in the nation, the Bulldogs stalled on offense and allowed Kansas to post a convincing 29-0 win at home in Lawrence. LaTech produced just 12 first downs in the contest and 267 yards of total offense. The Bulldogs controlled the ball for less than 25 minutes, including a mere 4:22 in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Taylor Bennett converted just 12-of-33 passes for 119 yards and was picked off once in the setback. Patrick Jackson led the squad with 13 carries, but with the Jayhawks keying on him he ended up with only 19 yards on the ground. The Bulldogs take off this coming week and prepare for the arrival of Southeastern Louisiana on September 20th.
NEVADA: The Wolf Pack put up 488 yards of offense, compared to 421 yards by Texas Tech, yet Nevada still could not get over the hump in what ended up being a 35-19 home loss on Saturday night. Making a bid for WAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, Brett Jaekle converted four of his six field goal attempts, which means the Nevada offense sputtered far too often. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick not only ran for a team-high 92 yards on 17 carries, he also converted 24-of-35 passes for 264 yards and a score, but was picked off once and sacked four times. On a positive note, the Nevada defense held one of the nation's top passers, Graham Harrell, to just 19-of-46 passing for 297 yards and a score, while picking him off twice. The Pack takes on another Big 12 Conference opponent this coming weekend as they play the first of three straight road tests versus sixth-ranked Missouri at Faurot Field in Columbia. This marks the first-ever meeting between the teams.
NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies finally get their season off the ground this weekend as they travel to Lincoln to challenge the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Last week's season-opening meeting with Nicholls State was postponed due to impending weather concerns, leaving NMSU inactive until this coming Saturday. The Huskers won both previous meetings against New Mexico State. To make up for the canceled game against Nicholls State, the Aggies have now scheduled a meeting with Alcorn State to fill in, slated for October 4th in Las Cruces.
SAN JOSE STATE: The Spartans scored the first points of the game in the meeting with Nebraska on Saturday afternoon, but a failed PAT should have been an indication of things to come in the team's 35-12 loss in Lincoln. Quarterback Myles Eden and Kyle Reed combined to hit 19-of-33 passes for 216 yards, the former converting just one of his seven attempts. Reed finished with 32 rushing yards on 15 chances, just behind Yonus Davis who was held to 58 yards on seven attempts on the day. This coming weekend SJSU entertains San Diego State at Spartan Stadium. With their 31-10 win in the most recent meeting two seasons ago, the Spartans eased out to a 17-15-2 advantage in the all-time series.
UTAH STATE: The Aggies were completely overmatched against 18th-ranked Oregon on Saturday afternoon, bowing in a 66-24 decision on the road. Diondre Borel again showed some spark for USU with a team-best 31 yards rushing and 16-of-24 passing for 157 yards and two scores, but it simply wasn't enough against an unstoppable Oregon squad that was allowed to generate an incredible 688 yards of total offense, more than twice what the Aggies (306) managed on 66 offensive plays. USU faces off against a familiar foe this coming weekend, challenging Utah at Romney Stadium. In a rivalry that dates back more than a century, the Utes maintain a 75-28-4 mark versus the Aggies, posting a 34-18 win last season.
