Around the Mountain: Can Aztecs Stay in Title Hunt?

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., -- Here's this weeks news and notes from around the Mountain West Conference.

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WEEK 9 ACTION
Eight Mountain West teams are in action in Week 9, starting with Boise State visiting Nevada on CBSSN on Friday. New Mexico hosts Utah State on the Mountain West Network and Altitude on Saturday, followed by San Diego State at Fresno State on FS1 and Colorado State at Wyoming for the Border War on CBSSN.

BOWL ELIGIBILITY
UNLV is bowl eligible for the third straight season. … Hawai‘i downed Colorado State in Week 8 to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2021. … With a win over Nevada on Friday, Boise State (5-2) would become bowl eligible for the 28th consecutive season. … Either Fresno State (5-2) or San Diego State (5-1) will become bowl eligible in Week 9 when they square off. The Bulldogs are looking for their fifth straight bowl bid, while the Aztecs are seeking their first bowl berth since 2022.

MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Five MW players earned spots on The Associated Press Midseason All-America football teams, including a pair of first-team selections. Hawai‘i senior kicker Kansei Matsuzawa and San Diego State senior defensive back Chris Johnson earned first-team nods. San José State sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero, Colorado State sophomore linebacker Owen Long and UNLV senior defensive back Aamaris Brown were named to the second team. The MW’s two first-team selections are as many as the other non-autonomous conferences combined, while the Conference’s five total selections surpassed the combined total of its peer leagues.

MW SCORING IN BUNCHES
Mountain West teams have combined to average 31.8 points per game in conference play this season, the highest average of any FBS conference.

AZTECS' STIFLING DEFENSE
San Diego State is fifth in the FBS in scoring defense at 12.2 points allowed per game and is ninth nationally in total defense with 259.7 yards allowed per game. The Aztecs have held three opponents to three points or fewer this season, with a pair of shutouts. … No opposing receiver has recorded 100 or more yards in any of San Diego State’s last 23 games, dating back to October 2023. That’s the longest such streak in MW history and the longest by any FBS team since Kentucky (28 straight) from 2017 to 2019.

UNLV'S MAGIC NUMBER
UNLV has scored at least 20 points in each of its last 29 regular-season games (excluding MW championship games), marking the second-longest active such streak in the FBS, behind only Memphis (43 straight). The Rebels are 24-5 over that stretch.

KINNARD'S RECORD NIGHT
Colorado State's Javion Kinnard’s 91-yard punt return touchdown against Hawai‘i in Week 8 tied for the longest punt return TD in MW history, matching fellow Ram Robert Ruiz (Nov. 26, 2016, at San Diego State). Kinnard's return was also a MW freshman record for longest punt return.

ALL-AROUND PRODUCTIVE DAY
Utah State's Anthony Garcia became the third player in conference history to have a game with 100-plus receiving yards, 10-plus rushing yards and a completed pass in a Week 8 win over San José State, joining Boise State’s Thomas Sperbeck (2015) and Wyoming’s Jovon Bouknight (once in both 2004 and 2005). No FBS player other than Garcia has had such a game over the last nine seasons.

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Know Wyoming's Foe: Colorado State Rams

* PODCAST: Bizarre Border War Up Ahead?

* What Will Wyoming's Offense Look Like Under Jovon Bouknight?

* BREAKING: Jay Johnson Out as Offensive Coordinator at Wyoming

* Colorado State Notebook: Sawvel Looking For Border War 'Jolt'

* Tuck's Take: Crucial Mistakes Racking up for Wyoming Offense

* Costly Fourth-Quarter Interceptions Derail Pokes at Air Force

* Turning Point, Unsung Hero and What's Next for UW Football

* LIVE FILE: Air Force 24, Wyoming 21

* Rants and Raves: Air Force Edition

CENTURY-MARK RUSHING STREAKS
The two longest active streaks for games with at least 100 rushing yards by an FBS team are both by Mountain West teams. Air Force has done so in 92 consecutive games and Boise State is on a 45-game run.

SZARKA ON A ROLL
Air Force sophomore Liam Szarka has rushed for 100 or more yards in five straight games, the longest active streak in the FBS. It’s also the longest 100-yard rush streak by any quarterback in Mountain West history.

RILEY'S EFFICIENT OUTING
Boise State running back Dylan Riley rushed for 201 yards on 15 carries against UNLV in Week 8, becoming the fourth player in MW history to rush for at least 200 yards on 15 or fewer carries. San Diego State's Rashaad Penny did it twice and New Mexico's Devon Dampier and Teriyon Gipson did it once each.

INTERCEPTIONS GALORE
Since the beginning of 2022, UNLV’s defense has an FBS-best 59 interceptions. Notre Dame is next with 58, followed by Texas with 57 and Fresno State and San José State with 53 each.

PLASCENCIA MATCHES MW MARK
San Diego State kicker Gabe Plascencia is 10-for-10 on field goals this season and has hit 22 straight dating back to last season, which is the longest active streak in the FBS, the longest streak in program history and tied for the longest streak in MW history with Air Force's Luke Strebel, who hit 22 straight from 2015-16.

THE TOKYO TOE
Hawai‘i kicker Kansei Matsuzawa is currently 20-for-20 on field-goal attempts this year, setting program and MW records for consecutive made field goals to start a season. He has hit 21 in a row dating back to last season, a program record for consecutive makes and one back of the MW mark held by Plascencia and Strebel. He is tied for the second-longest active streak in the FBS.

HOME (BLUE) FIELD ADVANTAGE
Over the last 26 seasons, Boise State is 145-15 (.906) at home. The 15 losses are tied with Oklahoma for the fewest over that time among teams that have been in the FBS every season since 2000. The Broncos have won 16 straight games at Albertsons Stadium, tied with Alabama for the longest active streak in the FBS.

MW AGAINST THE A4 AT HOME
MW teams went 3-1 against A4 opponents at home this season. Hawai‘i earned the MW's first A4 win of the 2025 season with its 23-20 win over Stanford in Week 0. UNLV made it 2-0 with a 30-23 win over UCLA in Week 2. San Diego State picked up a third MW home win over an A4 when it throttled California 34-0 in Week 4.

MW AGAINST THE A4, PART II
New Mexico outscored UCLA, 21-0, in the fourth quarter of its 35-10 win in Week 3. The 21 points were the most scored by a Mountain West team in the fourth quarter of a win against an ACC/Big Ten/Big 12/SEC opponent since BYU scored 21 at Virginia in a 38-35 overtime win on Sept. 2, 2000. … San Diego State’s 34-0 victory over Cal in Week 4 was the second-largest shutout win ever by a MW team against an autonomous conference school. The only larger such win was BYU’s 59-0 win versus UCLA in 2008.

MW AGAINST THE A4, PART III
MW teams have played 16 autonomous conference opponents in 2025, including three of the four CFP semifinalists from last season (Nevada at Penn State on Aug. 30, San José State at Texas on Sept. 6 and Boise State at Notre Dame on Oct. 4). … Since 2018, the MW has the best winning percentage over Autonomous 5 teams (30.0) among its peer conferences. MW teams have collected 45 wins over such teams in that span, also the most among its peer conferences (the American is second with 39).

CONSISTENT RECEIVING CORPS
Both Hawai‘i and Utah State have had at least one player with five or more receptions in 24 consecutive games, dating back to November 2023. That's the longest active streak in the FBS.

FBS LEADERS
Wyoming shares the FBS lead with four blocked kicks, including two by Aneesh Vyas, who shares the individual lead. … Air Force leads the nation with 20.29 passing yards per completion. … Hawai‘i's Kansei Matsuzawa, San Diego State's Gabe Plascencia and Utah State's Tanner Rinker are among 11 kickers still perfect on field goals this season with Matsuzawa leading the FBS with 20 field goals made, 2.5 field goals made per game and 83 total points scored. … San José State's Danny Scudero leads the FBS with 124.3 receiving yards per game and 870 total receiving yards. … Colorado State's Owen Long leads in tackles (93) and tackles per game (13.3) and Nevada's Dylan Labarbera leads in tackles for loss per game with 2.14. … San Diego State (20-for-20) is one of five FBS programs still perfect in the red zone and one of five without a fumble lost.