MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL

CONFERENCE STANDINGS

The Mountain West from top to bottom:

Brigham Young (3-2, 2-0 Mountain West) at UNLV (2-4, 1-1): Cougars are 6-0 at UNLV.

Wyoming (4-1, 1-0) vs. New Mexico (3-2, 0-1): Cowboys have won nine of past 12 games, dating to last season.

San Diego State (2-3, 1-0) at Utah (3-3, 0-2): Aztecs intercepted seven passes over past three games.

Air Force (4-2, 3-1) at Colorado State (0-5, 0-2): In six games, Falcons have had five different backs lead them in rushing.

UNLV (2-4, 1-1) vs. BYU (3-2, 2-0): Tailback Frank Summers will attempt to become first Rebel since 2000 to rush for 100 yards four games in a row.

Texas Christian (3-3, 1-2) at Stanford (2-3): Horned Frogs have allowed just three first-quarter touchdowns over past 24 games.

New Mexico (3-2, 0-1) at Wyoming (4-1, 1-0): Lobos haven’t lost consecutive MWC road games since 2000.

Utah (3-3, 0-2) vs. San Diego State (2-3, 1-0): Utes averaging 350.3 yards per game, second lowest in conference behind TCU’s 339.7

Colorado State (0-5, 0-2) vs. Air Force (4-2, 3-1): Rams have allowed 175.2 yards rushing per game, last in the MWC.

FIVE BEST PLAYERS

1. Max Hall, QB, BYU: Averaging 352 yards passing per game.

2. Beau Bell, LB, UNLV: A dominant defender, but he drops after two subpar games.

3. Devin Moore, RB, Wyoming: With a 6.6-yard average per carry, he is the league’s most explosive back.

4. Rodney Ferguson, RB, New Mexico: Has rushed for MWC-high eight touchdowns.

5. Brian Johnson, QB, Utah: Utes are a different team with him back, as evidenced by 312-yard passing effort at Louisville.

THEY WROTE IT …

Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) columnist Brad Rock, on Utah’s ups and downs: “For a week or so following Utah’s Sept. 22 loss to UNLV, much was made of coach Kyle Whittingham’s allowance that he didn’t entirely know what’s been going on with his team. Guess what? He doesn’t know now, either. Who does? Certainly not anyone who has ever met the Utes this season. Even as they upset Louisville 44-35 Friday, they remained as strange and mysterious as time travel. Next up: San Diego State. Don’t laugh. It might just turn the Aztecs into the second coming of the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Team Enigma at your service.”

Salt Lake Tribune columnist Gordon Monson, on the Utes: “Let’s say it all plain and clear here: The Utes are horribly confused. They are The Three Faces of Eve in helmets and pads. They are Sybil in cleats. They are righteous. They are evil. Their record is a perfect symbol of conflict: 3-3. They are an argument with themselves. Actually, that’s all a lie. No, it’s not. Yes, it is. No. Yes. The real woman upon whom Sally Field’s infamous Sybil character was based — who incidentally lived out her life in Kentucky — supposedly had 16 different personalities. Utah has two. Real good and real bad. “

Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette columnist David Ramsey, on Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney: “At Monday’s team meeting (last week), Air Force first-year coach Troy Calhoun made a stern announcement. He looked straight at quarterback Shaun Carney, who, along with his teammates, had struggled through consecutive losses. ‘The next seven weeks, you have to play the best games of your life,’ Calhoun said. With all his teammates watching, Carney didn’t flinch. ‘I was thinking the same thing,’ he said. Carney rose to Calhoun’s challenge Saturday night in a 31-14 victory over UNLV.”

THEY SAID IT …

San Diego State quarterback Kevin O’Connell, on his winning touchdown with 43 seconds left in a 24-20 victory over Colorado State after the Rams scored with 2:29 remaining: “I just tried to tell our guys that (Colorado State) left us too much time. We had the better part of two minutes left, and we had two timeouts. It was just a matter of staying calm and having confidence that we could do it. It was what we came here for, and it was time to finish it.”

Colorado State defensive tackle Blake Smith, on the Rams’ 12th consecutive loss: “I don’t know why we’re in this position. We’d like to just win for Coach (Sonny) Lubick. He deserves better than that, and that’s all that matters to me.”

Utah’s Johnson, after a 44-35 victory over Louisville, on his inconsistent team: “We have a lot of character and heart, and guys have to continue to fight. We have to find ways to get motivated each week.”

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