Week 11 is shaping up to be an intriguing set of games for the Mountain West Conference. Although all the games should provide fans with much excitement, the game of the week is surely Air Force v. Notre Dame.
Air Force at Notre Dame
Even though Notre Dame’s ‘07 campaign has been nothing short of disappointing, having a Mountain West team on such a national stage is always a good opportunity. Air Force should dominate on offense with ease, judging that going into today, they had the #4 ranked rushing attack with 272.8 yds/game. This rushing attack is led by Chad Hall who is 16th in the nation with 1,122 yds and 12 td’s. This staggering yardage total means time of possession domination. Notre Dame will have trouble thwarting this rushing juggernaut. Furthermore, with the Falcons converting over 40% of their 1st downs, this is a nasty combination. If the Irish can muster some sort of rushing stall, they can isolate the Falcons one glaring weakness in the passing attack. Air Force has a dismal passing attack that ranks #119 with an average of 122.4 yds/game. However, the Falcons can counter that weakness with a daunting pass defense led by Carson Bird who is t-2nd in the country with 6 int’s.
New Mexico at Colorado State
This game could be the upset of the week with the Rams playing for pride at this point. Although the Rams have mustered only a single win this year, their one win did come on the road, at the expense of the UNLV Running Rebels. It is notable that the Rebels are nearly identical in: total offense, 1st downs per game, penalties against, and 3rd down conversions as New Mexico. Furthermore, since the Rams’ snatched their victory on the road and in such a convincing fashion (48-23 v. UNLV), the Lobos should expect a fight.
Utah at Wyoming
This game could also be quite the surprise as well. An interesting dual between Ute’s QB stud Brian Johnson (currently #31 nationwide for QB rating) and the Cowboys shark Julius Stinson (4 int’s this year). Wyoming is only a game behind the Ute’s and is looking to improve. However, Utah is looking to reclaim their dominance of the Cowboys since Utah has won the last 4 of 5 meetings of the two, despite Wyoming winning the last contest by a score of 31-15 at home.
San Diego State at UNLV
This should be a hard fought battle for both teams since statistically the Aztecs are neck and neck with the Running Rebels on offense. However, if UNLV can establish the run early, their season average of 35 more yards on the ground than the Aztecs could prove to be the difference. SDSU are looking to continue their dominance of UNLV since the Aztecs have won the past 4 out of 5 contests. The one loss in 2005 did come did come on the road for the Aztecs so recent history does favor the Rebels. However the x-factor in the game will be San Diego’s secondary. Aaron Moore and Vonnie Holmes both have 4 int’s for the season and both look to improve upon that mark.
-Steve Dalton