The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Week 13

The Good:

UNLV

The Rebels had every right to lose this game. They had nothing to play for but pride, but it turns out that was enough. Even a 38-35 win over San Jose State was not enough to save Tony Sanchez. Who will lead the Rebels into a new era? I don’t think Butch Jones or Houston Nutt are the answer.

Air Force

A dominating second half lands the Falcons in the “Good” category. Air Force may not end up winning the Mountain West, but they are definitely the most improved team. Donald Hammond III had his best game of the year and accounted for five total touchdowns. Who knew Air Force was capable of putting over 300 yards up through the air?

Wyoming

It wasn’t pretty, but it never is for the Cowboys. Xazavian Valladay had another great outing with 27 carries for 154 yards. We also saw the debut of true freshman Levi Williams who looks like he can be a nice weapon for Wyoming.

Boise State

The Broncos have come to play in games where they were questioned. Experts doubted the Broncos against Air Force, Hawaii, and Utah State, and those were probably the best performances the Broncos had this year. True freshman George Holani finished the game with 16 carries for 178 yards and barely saw the field in the second half. Great performance by the Broncos and a great game plan by the coaches.

Nevada

I’m not going to lie, I thought the Wolf Pack were going to have a down year. This team has showed a ton of heart and has come back from some horrendous losses. They won’t play in the championship game, but this has, without a doubt, been a respectable season for Nevada.

Hawaii

It wasn’t pretty, and it definitely wasn’t the way you expected the Rainbow Warriors to come away with the win. But, it was a win nonetheless. Nick Rolovich pulled Cole McDonald in favor of Chevan Cordeiro in the second half. Cordeiro used his legs to lead Hawaii to a touchdown. Congratulations to the Rainbow Warriors for their West Division Championship. They will finish the season against Army before traveling to Boise for the Mountain West Championship.

The Bad:

San Jose State

The Spartans had everything to play for; they entered the game 4-6 and had a shot at becoming bowl eligible. Their offense came to play, and Josh Love showed why he will likely be a first team all-conference selection, finishing the game with 465 yards and three passing touchdowns. Unfortunately for Love, his defense couldn’t get the job done. UNLV gashed SJSU for 252 yards on the ground.

Fresno State

Most of us thought the Bulldogs were going to unload, but boy are they rebuilding. Quarterback play has been a struggle, and outside of Ronnie Rivers, there hasn’t been a lot to be excited about. The craziest part is that the defense hasn’t been much better, which is shocking from a Jeff Tedford coached team.

The Ugly:

New Mexico

New Mexico was able to establish a solid run game and looked like they were ready to compete with Air Force. But, their defense was bad, really bad. They gave up 327 yards through the air to Air Force. Didn’t see that coming. It was also the last straw for Bob Davie.

Colorado State

Rams offense...meet the Cowboys’ defense. The Rams struggled all night to move the ball and finish drives. The offense used to be the strength of the team. The defense has improved, but the offense has regressed. Will Mike Bobo be coaching his last game in Fort Collins this week?

Utah State

The Aggies had all of the momentum heading into this game. Many experts were picking them to win, and they had an NFL quarterback going against Boise State’s third string quarterback. The Aggies struggled on both ends of the field and looked completely over-matched.

San Diego State

The Aztecs had the Rainbow Warriors right where they wanted them. They were able to hold a Hawaii team that is know for its offense to 14 points and still found a way to lose. This team has been held back by their offense for a long time, and it wasn’t any different Saturday night.

That’s it for this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” What were some moments from week 13 that stuck out to you?