Mountain West football roundup: San Diego State scores breakthrough win over California

Outside of two victories over sputtering UCLA, the Mountain West lacked a signature non-conference win entering Week 4 of the college football season. 

San Diego State changed that on Saturday by shutting out California and superstar freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, 34-0, at Snapdragon Stadium. 

The Aztecs (2-1) gained just 323 yards of total offense but held the Golden Bears to 289 while forcing three turnovers. Sagapolutele finished 17 of 38 passing for 208 yards and two interceptions. 

San Diego State, which finished 3-9 last year in Sean Lewis’ first season at the helm, was coming off a bye following a 36-13 loss at Washington State. 

“I’m really freaking proud of them,” Lewis said after the game. “A lot of great emotional toughness that they’ve showed over the past 14 days to respond to coaching, to respond to the situations and to respond to an incredible opportunity that they had tonight that they really capitalized on against a really good football team.” 

Boise State (2-1, 1-0), the MWC’s two-time defending champion, kicked off conference play with a 49-37 road win over Air Force (1-2, 0-2). Sophomore running back Dylan Riley scored five touchdowns in the victory. 

“I’m so proud of Dylan,” Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson said. “We knew going into this game that he was going to have a huge role, and he’s just a team-first guy.”

Fresno State and Hawaii faced off in the week’s other intraconference matchup with the Bulldogs (4-1, 1-0) holding on for a 23-21 road victory. 

Micah Alejado threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Blaze Kamoku with 10 seconds remaining, but the Rainbow Warriors (3-2, 0-1) were unable to convert the game-tying two-point conversion.  

UNLV (4-0) may be the shakiest undefeated team in the country after escaping with a 41-38 victory over Miami Ohio (0-3). The Rebels trailed 24-10 at halftime and 38-24 entering the fourth quarter before rallying back to win on the road. 

Back in Week 0, the Rebels also had to overcome a double-digit halftime deficit to defeat FCS Idaho State. 

UNLV’s four victories are against teams with a combined record of 1-13. 

Utah State (3-1, 1-0) cruised to a 48-7 win over McNeese State while San Jose State (1-2) converted a late field goal to escape against FCS Idaho, 31-28. The Spartans have been the biggest disappointment in the MWC this season. 

Colorado State scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns against UTSA, but the Roadrunners stopped a late two-point conversion and held on for a 17-16 win in Fort Collins. The Rams (1-2) have also failed to live up to preseason expectations. 

Nevada (1-3) and Wyoming (2-2) both suffered losses away from home.