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LAS VEGAS — The Spartans are showing that they are a team to be reckoned with in the Mountain West.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Spartans held a 20-10 lead over the Rebels and looked to leave with an easy victory. The Rebels forced a fumble after punting back to the Spartans and four plays later scored on an Andrew Price 25-yard touchdown reception.
After forcing a Spartan punt, the Rebels came right back to score a touchdown, taking a 24-20 lead. The Spartans came back to take the lead on a touchdown, leading 27-24. The Rebels came out slinging, kicking in a field goal to tie the game and forcing overtime.
The Spartans won the toss and deferred to go second, which proved to be critical. The Rebels were unable to get a first down and settled for a field goal attempt that was blocked by Isaiah Irving. On the ensuing Spartan possession, they gave it to their dominant running back, Tyler Ervin, four times, and he found the end zone for the 33-27 overtime victory.
The Spartans (3-3, 2-1) prepare for the Aztecs next week as the Rebels (2-4, 1-1) will travel to Fresno to take on the Bulldogs.
The Aggies (3-2, 2-0) went into Fresno and dominated the Bulldogs (1-5, 0-3) 56-14.
Here are the results from the other four games in the Mountain West:
No. 25 Boise State (5-1, 2-0) 41, Colorado State (2-4, 0-2) 10
The Broncos, once again, dominated in conference play. They were led by quarterback Brett Rypien, who finished the night 22-25 for 339 yards passing and a touchdown. Running back Jeremy McNichols has a solid game with 17 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Thomas Sperbeck had five receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns as well. The Broncos were back to their ways of trickery as wide receiver Shane Williams-Rhodes threw a 53-yard touchdown to Sperbeck.
The Rams had a tough time moving the ball against the stout Bronco defense. The Rams played two quarterbacks, Nick Stevens and Coleman Key, although neither of the two played well.
The Broncos will take their undefeated conference record to Logan to play the also undefeated Aggies in conference play, and the Rams will host the Falcons.
Nevada (3-3, 1-1) 35, New Mexico (3-3, 1-1) 17
Nevada quarterback Tyler Stewart had a solid day throwing the ball, going 16-19 for 166 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 57 yards and two more touchdowns to lead the Wolf Pack to the win. Stewart did have one error in the game when he fumbled and the Lobos recovered it and ran it back 77 yards for a Lobo touchdown.
Wolf Pack running back Don Jackson had a great day, finishing 22 carries for 152 yards rushing, and wide receiver Jerico Richardson played well, catching nine balls for 121 yards and a touchdown.
Other than the fumble return for the touchdown, not much went well for the Lobos. The only bright spot offensively for the Lobos was running back Teriyon Gipson, who finished with 11 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown.
The Lobos will host the Warriors in Week 7 as the Wolf Pack will travel to Wyoming to take on the Cowboys.
Air Force (3-3, 2-0) 31, Wyoming (0-6, 0-2) 17
The Falcons' dominant rushing attack was on display again Saturday as they combined for 299 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The Falcons were led by junior running back Shayne Davern, who finished with 13 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys have yet to see a win this season, but they have shown signs of improvement. Quarterback Cameron Coffman finished the game going 15-28 for 192 yards with two touchdowns (both to receiver Jake Maulhardt) and two interceptions. Running back Brian Hill continues to be the Cowboys' best playmaker as he finished with 24 carries for 128 yards.
San Diego State (3-3, 2-0) 28, Hawaii (2-4, 0-2) 14
The Aztecs ran the ball down the throat of the Warrior defense in Week 6. Running back Donnel Pumphrey ran wild, finishing with 30 carries for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Eric Judge hauled in four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Hawaii couldn't get much going offensively against the Aztecs as quarterback Max Wittek only went 14-34 for 179 yards and two interceptions. Wittek did rush for a touchdown. Running back Melvin Davis only rushed 11 times but finished with 52 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Harker is a sports writing intern currently enrolled at Brigham Young University majoring in broadcast journalism. Nathan can be reached at nathan.harker32@gmail.com or via Twitter @nharker3207.
