The Pac-12 standings already have a couple of early front-runners, and both of them put on a show Saturday.
Oregon State set the tone first, turning Reser Stadium into a blowout from the opening stretch and rolling past San Diego State 66-14. The Beavers finished with 651 yards of total offense, owned the first-down count 35-6 and left the Aztecs buried under a lopsided afternoon that featured big plays everywhere.
Braden Atkinson was electric for Oregon State, finishing 29 of 38 for 409 yards with five touchdowns and no turnovers. Jesse Legree matched the moment with 10 catches for 191 yards and three scores, giving the Beavers exactly the kind of one-two punch that can wreck a defense in a hurry.
“Our O-line did a great job giving our quarterback time and security back there so that he could deliver the ball over and over again,” Oregon State head coach JaMarcus Shephard said. “Our offense tends to get a lot of the TV time.
But our defense, they don’t get a lot of TV time because they were getting three-and-outs today. They were getting off the field.”
No. 23 Boise State followed with a different kind of statement, surviving the road and outlasting Fresno State 38-31. The Broncos piled up 512 yards of offense in a rivalry game they needed to grind through, and they did it despite Fresno State having won the previous three meetings.
“Just proud of our entire staff, players, going out and executing and finding a way to get a tough road win against a really good opponent,” Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson said.
Dylan Riley gave Boise State a huge lift with 19 carries for 150 yards, four receptions for 64 yards and two total touchdowns. Sire Gaines added 20 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown, while Maddux Madsen threw for 238 yards and two scores.
After those results, Boise State and Oregon State sit on top of the Pac-12 standings through two weeks of conference play.
Friday night brought a sharp reversal for Washington State, which let a 16-3 halftime lead slip away in a 17-16 loss at Utah State. The Aggies took advantage of two Cougars fumbles and turned both into second-half touchdowns.
“Players took over at halftime,” Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Assistant coaches took over.
They were taking accountability. Players, peer-to-peer, correcting players.
And they just had enough of some of the antics.”
Washington State looked more organized early with Kirby Moore calling the offensive plays for the first time this season, but the second half was a different story. The Cougars managed only 64 yards of offense after the break.
Caden Pinnick’s season line against FBS opponents has been rough, and the numbers show it: in five games, he is 93 of 156 passing for 756 yards, with one touchdown and seven turnovers.
Colorado State and Texas State were off this week after both teams entered at 2-3 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
In Other News...
Boise State Just Lost A Key Weapon For Fresno State
Boise State heads into its matchup with Fresno State dealing with a thinner-than-usual receiver room, and the biggest absence is a familiar one for anyone who watched last weeks win over Utah State. True freshman wideout Rasean Jones will not play after leaving that game following a helmet-to-helmet hit, taking away one of the Broncos more dynamic first-year contributors at an inconvenient time.
Jones has become a key piece in Boise States passing game as a true freshman, so his absence changes the look of the offense even before the ball is snapped. The Broncos are also dealing with several other players who have already been ruled out or listed as unavailable, though there is better news in the backfield, where running backs Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines are expected to be available after recent injuries. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Just Found Passing Game Help In An Unexpected Place
Boise States 38-31 win over Fresno State offered a glimpse of where the passing game might be headed if the Broncos have to keep piecing things together on the fly. Underclassmen Terrious Favors, Qumonte Williams Jr. and Quinton Brown all stepped into bigger roles and combined for six catches and 55 yards, while quarterback Maddux Madsen spread the ball to nine different teammates in a game that looked a lot less top-heavy than Boise States offense has sometimes been.
The urgency behind that shift was obvious, too, with the Broncos leaning on younger receivers because of injuries to key starters. Head coach Spencer Danielson and Madsen both came away encouraged by what they saw from that group, and the performance gave Boise State something it has been searching for as the season moves along: a little more confidence that the next wave of pass catchers can handle real snaps when the game asks for them. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Enters Fresno State Rivalry With One Big Concern
Boise State heads into its Milk Can rivalry game with Fresno State in a familiar spot: highly ranked in the Mountain West chase, favored by 8.5 points at DraftKings Sportsbook and tied with the Bulldogs at 4-1. The timing also adds a little extra weight, with UNLV hosting North Dakota State in another game that could help shape the league picture while Boise State and Fresno State renew a rivalry that usually carries more than bragging rights.
The bigger issue for the Broncos is availability, because they will be without starting wide receivers Rasean Jones and Cam Bates, along with left guard Carson Rasmussen. Jones has been the teams most productive target so far, and losing that kind of production on the perimeter changes how Boise State can approach a game that already demands clean execution up front and enough balance to keep Fresno State from keying on one side of the offense. [Read more 🡒]