Around the Mountain West Week 8: New Mexico Holds Firm, Wyoming Keeps Climbing
Austin Brawley's pick-six protected New Mexico's unbeaten conference record, Wyoming won its third straight, and Nevada and Hawaii earned decisive victories.
By Jaden Del Guercio · Published
New Mexico protected a narrow lead against North Dakota State, and Wyoming turned Air Force's late mistakes into a third consecutive victory. Those results kept both winners well positioned in the Mountain West while adding a second conference loss to two opponents that had arrived with strong overall records.
Nevada and Hawaii supplied the more comfortable finishes. The Wolf Pack smothered San Jose State's offense, while Hawaii broke a 14–14 tie with 35 consecutive points against Northern Illinois. Takeaways, return yardage and third-down stops repeatedly gave the winning offenses additional opportunities to score.
Hughes Starts Fast, Wyoming Finishes With the Ball
Wyoming 28, Air Force 14
Tyler Hughes gave Wyoming an immediate advantage with a 68-yard touchdown run on its second offensive play. The Cowboys built a 21–6 halftime lead, then relied on late takeaways to withstand an Air Force offense that controlled possession and produced more total yardage.
Hughes rushed for 146 yards on 12 carries and also threw two touchdown passes. One found Jake Wilson from four yards out; another scoring play used a catch and lateral involving Eric Richardson and Samuel Harris. Wyoming's ability to create substantial gains without extended possessions gave it a lead while Air Force spent much more time moving the ball.
The Falcons finished with 304 rushing yards, 387 total yards and 37:45 of possession. Their third-quarter touchdown drive consumed 8:07, ending with Evan Medders' five-yard pass to Grant Wayne and a successful two-point conversion that narrowed the score to 21–14. Medders rushed for 115 yards on 21 carries before an injury forced him out late in the third quarter.
Air Force could not convert its subsequent opportunities into another score. Josh Johnson lost a fumble after the Falcons reached the Wyoming 10, then lost another near midfield on a fourth-down play. Those giveaways were part of a three-fumble day and prevented the Falcons' rushing advantage from becoming a completed comeback. Johnson and Howard Fisher IV handled quarterback work after Medders departed.
Markell Holman's one-yard touchdown run with 3:04 remaining gave Wyoming a two-score cushion. Freshman Steven Perez finished with 17 tackles, including 10 solo stops, helping a defense that spent much of the game responding to Air Force's sustained running attack.
Wyoming improved to 5–3 overall and 4–1 in the Mountain West. Air Force fell to 5–2 and 3–2. The Falcons' offensive volume had given them a route back into the game, but losing their starting quarterback and then losing possession twice at critical moments left that route unfinished. Wyoming took advantage by turning its early explosive production into a lead it could protect.
Nevada Leaves San Jose State Looking for First Downs
Nevada 28, San Jose State 13
Nevada's defense made the score look closer than the underlying offensive contest. San Jose State finished with 204 yards, but it had only 29 at halftime and 70 through three quarters. The Spartans went three-and-out 10 times and converted one of 14 third downs, leaving themselves little opportunity to establish a sustainable response.
Luke Duncan made his second start for Nevada and completed 18 of 29 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Marshaun Brown caught five passes for 52 yards and a score, then added a 32-yard touchdown pass to Herschel Turner. Trace Estes supplied another touchdown reception, giving the Wolf Pack several ways to finish possessions while the defense repeatedly returned the ball.
Special teams added another short scoring opportunity. Ky Woods' 90-yard kickoff return set up Dominic Kelley's touchdown, helping Nevada extend its lead to 28–10. That return mattered because San Jose State had finally started adding points; the Spartans' recovery immediately required another defensive stop before it could gain momentum.
Nevada converted nine of 18 third downs and held possession for 38:18. Its four sacks included two from Dylan LaBarbera, who also recorded three tackles for loss. San Jose State finished with 65 rushing yards, keeping its passing game responsible for moving the offense out of repeated difficult situations.
The Spartans used Daniel Rolovich, Robert McDaniel and Luke Weaver at quarterback. Weaver threw for 91 yards in the fourth quarter, accounting for much of the late improvement in the team's passing total. That production reduced the statistical gap without erasing the possessions that had already ended before the offense could develop any continuity.
Nevada improved to 3–4 overall and 2–2 in conference play. San Jose State dropped to 4–4 and 2–2. For the Wolf Pack, the result combined encouraging work from an inexperienced starter with a defense that consistently won third down. For the Spartans, the late yardage left the more immediate problem untouched: too many early possessions had produced neither field position nor points.
Brawley Gives New Mexico the Margin It Needs
New Mexico 21, North Dakota State 16
North Dakota State was driving toward a possible lead when Austin Brawley changed both the possession and the score. His 56-yard interception return for a touchdown with 10:57 remaining extended New Mexico's advantage from 14–9 to 21–9. The Bison answered once more, but the Lobos' final defensive stand preserved their unbeaten conference record.
New Mexico built its early lead on the ground. Kiefer Sibley's 29-yard touchdown finished a six-play, 75-yard opening drive. After North Dakota State answered with a field goal, Scottre Humphrey added a two-yard touchdown with 10 seconds remaining before halftime. A Marco Beltran Jr. punt return had helped provide the field position for that late first-half score.
The Lobos rushed for 187 yards and held the Bison to 53. Sibley finished with 91 yards on 13 carries, while Humphrey and Deshaun Buchanan provided additional production. New Mexico's 92 passing yards were enough to accompany that ground game because its defense kept limiting North Dakota State's options.
Nathan Hayes brought the Bison closer with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Reis Kessel in the third quarter, although a blocked extra point left the deficit at five. Brawley's interception return then forced North Dakota State to chase two scores. Hayes found Mekhi Collins for a four-yard touchdown with 6:42 remaining, cutting the margin to 21–16, before New Mexico ended the final comeback opportunity on downs.
Hayes finished with 198 passing yards and two touchdowns but also threw two interceptions. The Bison's restricted rushing production made those passing mistakes especially costly: their offense had little ground support to offset a lost possession or avoid another difficult passing down.
New Mexico improved to 6–1 overall and 3–0 in the Mountain West. North Dakota State fell to 6–2 and 3–2. The Lobos' offensive scoring ended before halftime, but the rushing advantage, two interceptions and final stop gave them enough ways to preserve the result without another offensive touchdown.
Hawaii Turns a Tie Into Five Straight Touchdowns
Hawaii 56, Northern Illinois 21
Northern Illinois stayed level at 14–14 early in the second quarter. Hawaii then scored 35 consecutive points, building a 49–14 advantage and ending a four-game losing streak with its most emphatic response of the night coming after the Huskies had briefly matched it.
Micah Alejado completed 22 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns. Frank Abreu caught two touchdown passes, and Josiah Fetui's 44-yard touchdown reception was his first collegiate score. Cam Barfield supplied a 62-yard catch-and-run and a separate one-yard rushing touchdown. DeVon Rice added 71 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Hawaii finished with 504 total yards and five rushing touchdowns, spreading the production across several contributors.
Northern Illinois had an effective early connection between Taron Dickens and DeAree Rogers. Their touchdown passes covered 49 and 25 yards, and Rogers finished with eight catches for 115 yards and both scores. That production gave the Huskies explosive plays without giving them the sustained offense necessary to stay close once Hawaii began extending its drives and lead.
The Huskies finished with 266 total yards, including 95 rushing, and converted only one of eight third downs. Five turnovers repeatedly interrupted their offense and supplied Hawaii with additional opportunities. The Rainbow Warriors controlled possession for 37:44, leaving Northern Illinois both chasing points and spending extended stretches trying to get the ball back.
Hawaii's scoring run therefore involved more than an accurate passing performance. The ground game finished drives, the defense created changes of possession, and Northern Illinois could not recover through third-down conversions. Once the deficit began expanding, the earlier long touchdown passes were too isolated to sustain a response.
The Rainbow Warriors improved to 2–6 overall and 1–4 in the Mountain West. Northern Illinois remained winless at 0–7 and 0–3. Hawaii's first conference victory came with enough contributions across the offense to matter beyond one individual performance, although the opponent's five giveaways were also central to how quickly the game became one-sided.
Where Week 8 Leaves the Race
New Mexico remained unbeaten in conference play at 3–0, while Wyoming's third consecutive victory moved it to 4–1. Air Force and North Dakota State both stood at 3–2 after missing opportunities to turn substantial stretches of offense into winning finishes.
Nevada and San Jose State emerged at 2–2, and Hawaii finally entered the conference win column at 1–4. Northern Illinois remained 0–3. The week's clearest lesson came from the two closer games: controlling possession or gaining more yards did not remove the need to protect the ball, and the defenses that produced the decisive takeaways gave their offenses a result they could finish.
