The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Biggest Surprises in the Mountain Division

The 2021 Mountain West season was filled with unexpected results and surprising starts. This edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly,” is going to focus on the biggest surprises of the 2021 football season within the Mountain Division. Sometimes players exceed expectations, while others fail to meet them. Let’s take a look at how some players stacked up.

The Good

Logan Bonner (Utah State)

The Arkansas State transfer came in without much fanfare, but boy did he make an impact. Bonner passed for over 3600 yards and will be a trendy pick for offensive player of the year this season. Bonner’s presence helped to propel the Aggies from a fringe bowl team to Mountain West Champions.

Jonah Dalmas (Boise State)

The former walk-on became an all-conference kicker. Dalmas was an invaluable asset to a Boise State team that struggled to finish drives in opponent territory. Dalmas’ ability to make kicks when the offense struggled allowed Boise State to salvage what could have been a catastrophic season.

Brad Roberts (Air Force)

The Mountain West’s leading rusher was an absolute beast. You know you make a huge impact carrying the ball when you manage to rush for over 1,000 yards in an Air Force offense that relies on sharing the wealth and running the clock. It will be interesting to see if Roberts can build on the success of this past season in 2022.

Chad Muma (Wyoming)

142 tackles and three interceptions. Muma was the glue that held together a Wyoming defense that struggled at times. Muma is an intriguing prospect at the next level. It will be interesting to see where he lands.

Trey McBride (Colorado State)

It might seem like a stretch to call McBride a “surprise.” Everyone who follows the Mountain West knew that McBride was destined for greatness, but I can’t recall ever seeing a tight end carry an offense like McBride did for the Rams. McBride had 90 catches and was even seen making plays on special teams.

The Bad

Dante Wright (Colorado State)

Wright is one of the most versatile weapons in the Mountain West and was criminally underused this past season. Wright did miss some games because of injury, but even when he was active he did not have the ball in his hands nearly enough.

Aaron Dumas (New Mexico)

Dumas wasn’t necessarily a disappointment, but the Lobos probably should have given him the ball more when they had the chance. The true freshman running back rushed for over 600 yards and will be doing it in a different uniform this fall. Dumas entered the transfer portal and is headed to Washington.

Riley Whimpey (Boise State)

I’m going to get destroyed by Boise State fans for this, but Riley Whimpey never developed into the player that many fans thought he would become. The linebacker group proved to be the weakest link on an otherwise talented Boise State defense.

The Ugly

Sean Chambers (Wyoming)

Over the course of the last few years, we constantly heard about how talented Sean Chambers was and how he was going to be the next great quarterback for Wyoming. Chambers was plagued with injuries during his time in Laramie but struggled to be an effective passer when he was healthy. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact he can make at the FCS level.

That’s it for this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” Which player from the Mountain Division surprised you? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.