The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Week Zero

Week zero may not have been filled with many “sexy” matchups, but we had football nonetheless. It was a weekend of mixed results for the Mountain West. Some teams struggled, while some might be ahead of where we expected. Let’s take a look at the good, bad, and ugly performances of week zero.

The Good:

UNLV

The Rebels may have been playing an FCS team in Idaho State, but they looked like a different team. The defense was sharp and the offense looked completely different. Marcus Arroyo may have finally found his quarterback in Doug Brumfield. This team has the ability to squeak into a bowl game if they can be consistent.

Nevada

It wasn’t a pretty performance, but the Wolf Pack left Las Cruces with a victory. The Wolf Pack appeared to make strides in the running game, but the passing game has a long way to go. The defense put up a valiant effort against a New Mexico State offense that likes to put the ball in the air. The Wolf Pack aren’t where they were a year ago, but they are ahead of where I expected them to be after last season’s mass exodus.

The Bad:

Utah State

I keep hearing “A win is a win.” Yes, that is true, but there were plenty of red flags in Utah State’s victory against UConn. The Aggie defense gave up a ton of yards on the ground and benefited from a few timely calls. Watching the game, it did seem like Anderson was more concerned with establishing a run game than winning in convincing fashion. The Aggies offense is going to put up numbers, but I am not sold on them having a defense that will allow them to repeat as conference champions.

The Ugly:

Wyoming

It was the same old issue for the Cowboy offense. The running game was fine, but 30 passing yards on 20 attempts is not going to cut it. This team does not have an offensive identity and is going to struggle most of the season. On the defensive side of the ball, it was shocking to see a Craig Bohl team struggle to finish tackles. Hopefully for the Cowboys, these are just some opening weekend issues that they can work through. If not, Cowboys fans are in for a long season.

Hawaii

I knew that the Rainbow Warriors were in for a rebuilding season, but I did not expect things to be this bad. Hawaii was absolutely trounced by the worst team in the SEC in Vanderbilt. Hawaii struggled on both sides of the ball, but they were completely awful on defense. Be patient Hawaii fans; I think Timmy Chang has the recipe for success, but it is going to take time.

That’s it for this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.” What stood out to you from week zero? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.