Mountain West Football Report, Sept. 10

FRESNO STATE BLOODIED, BUT LOOKS TO GET SWAGGER BACK

The road to another Mountain West football championship figured to be a difficult one for Fresno State because of its personnel losses.

But this hard?

The Bulldogs were blasted 52-13 at Southern California to open the season, then beaten 59-27 Saturday at Utah.

Sure, it’s not Mountain West play, but still two eye-opening defeats that don’t bode well.

“When you get punched in the nose twice, you’ve got to respond,” Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter said Monday at his weekly news conference. “Last year, we didn’t have a whole lot of adversity. We had some tough games, but not to where you have to re-evaluate what you’re doing.

“That’s why you have to go out there every single day like someone’s chasing you. As soon as you start feeling comfortable, as soon as you start feeling like you’ve arrived, it’s over. Our coaches don’t feel that way. I don’t think our players feel that way. But it’s a different challenge.”

Fresno State was picked by the conference media to repeat as the West Division champion. Even though the Bulldogs lost quarterback Derek Carr and a host of playmakers, the general thinking was they were replacing talent with talent and still would be tough to beat.

Maybe the Bulldogs will get it together and prove such thinking right, but they certainly aren’t on the right track now.

Replacing Carr, now the rookie starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders, isn’t so easy, but that’s not the Bulldogs’ only problem. They have given up 692 yards passing.

“Clearly, our pass defense has got to get better,” DeRuyter said. “We’re giving up too many easy plays that are chunk plays (large gainers) that get you discouraged. ... We’re deficient right now in a couple of positions that we’ve got to correct, and we’re looking at all possibilities.”

AROUND THE MOUNTAIN WEST

Air Force fullback Shayne Devern is out at least six weeks because of a knee injury. ... Boise State ended its 37-24 victory over Colorado State without four of its top five cornerbacks, but two are expected back this week. ... Colorado State was outscored by its first two opponents 52-24 in the first two quarters, but the Rams had a 31-0 advantage in the fourth. ... Hawaii running back Joey Iosefa is out four to six weeks with a broken right ankle. Iosefa scored four of the Rainbow Warriors’ five touchdowns this season. They also lost linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams for the season to a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. ... New Mexico should get back quarterback Cole Gautsche (hamstring), widereceiver/kick returner Carlos Wiggins (thigh) and cornerback Cranston Jones (elbow). ... San Diego State lost to North Carolina despite having a 509-394 edge in yards, but the Aztecs committed three turnovers. “We didn’t lose because they were better than us,” Aztecs coach Rocky Long told the UT-San Diego. “We lost because we made more mistakes than they did.” ... UNLV wide receiver Marcus Sullivan (leg) is doubtful, as is defensive end Najee Johnson (arm). Listed as questionable are safety Peni Vea and defensive tackle Sonny Sanitoa, who both have injured fingers. ... Utah State already has lost four players for the season to injuries.

POWER RANKINGS

1. San Diego State (1-1, 0-0 MW). Last game: Lost to North Carolina 31-27. Next game: at Oregon State, Sept. 20. Last meeting: Lost 34-30 in 2013. Line: N/A.

2. Boise State (1-1, 1-0). Last game: Defeated Colorado State 37-24. Next game: at Connecticut, Saturday. First meeting. Line: Off.

3. Utah State (1-1, 0-0). Last game: Defeated Idaho State 40-20. Next game: vs. Wake Forest, Saturday. First meeting. Line: Utah State -14.

4. Colorado State (1-1, 0-1). Last game: Lost to Boise State 37-24. Next game: vs. UC Davis, Saturday. First meeting. Line: N/A.

5. UNR (2-0, 0-0). Last game: Defeated Washington State 24-13. Next game: at Arizona, Saturday. Last meeting: Lost 49-48 in 2012. Line: Arizona -15.

6. Wyoming (2-0, 1-0). Last game: Defeated Air Force 17-13. Next game: at Oregon, Saturday. First meeting. Line: Oregon -43½.

7. Air Force (1-1, 0-1). Last game: Lost to Wyoming 17-13. Next game: at Georgia State, Saturday. First meeting. Line: Air Force -11½.

8. Hawaii (0-2, 0-0). Last game: Lost to Oregon State 38-30. Next game: vs. Northern Iowa, Saturday. First meeting. Line: N/A.

9. Fresno State (0-2, 0-0). Last game: Lost to Utah 59-27. Next game: vs. Nebraska, Saturday. Last meeting: Lost 42-29 in 2011. Line: Nebraska -10.

10. San Jose State (1-1, 0-0). Last game: Lost to Auburn 59-13. Next game: at Minnesota, Sept. 20. Last meeting: Lost 43-24 in 2013. Line: N/A.

11. UNLV (1-1, 0-0). Last game: Defeated Northern Colorado 13-12. Next game: vs. Northern Illinois, Saturday. Last meeting: Lost 62-14 in 1995. Line: Northern Illinois -9½.

12. New Mexico (0-2, 0-0). Last game: Lost to Arizona State 58-23. Next game: at New Mexico State, Sept. 20. Last meeting: Won 66-17 in 2013. Line: N/A.

GAME OF THE WEEK

UNR at Arizona. This is an interesting game for comparison’s sake, since UNLV was blown out 58-13 by the Wildcats two weeks ago. The Wolf Pack are off to a surprisingly strong start, and if they can at least give Arizona a tough game, that will signal they are legitimate West Division contenders. And that the Fremont Cannon might be turning blue in a couple of months.

MARK ANDERSON/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL