Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
IDAHO: The Vandals were disappointed yet again on Saturday as they came up
short against Bowling Green in a 21-13 final on the road. The outing
represented the debut of quarterback Dominique Blackman who completed 30-of-37
passes for 352 yards and a score in the losing cause. A bit of a nomad given
that he initially signed on to play at Washington out of high school, but
instead attended Los Angeles Harbor College in 2009 and then moved on to Old
Dominion where he was redshirted in 2010 before making the move to Moscow,
Blackman threw for 3,711 yards and 35 TDs as he completed 63 percent of his
pass attempts at LA Harbor, which means the Vandals expect big things from him
moving forward. After two games, the squad ranks 119th in the country in
scoring with just eight points per outing. Next up for the Vandals is a trip
to the Bayou this Saturday where they will tangle with the LSU Tigers, the
third-ranked team in the land.
LOUISIANA TECH: Finally getting their season off the ground after having their
opener against Texas A&M postponed due to Hurricane Isaac, the Bulldogs opened
with a bang on Saturday night as they slipped by Houston on the road in a
56-49 final. Tevin King ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns for the
visitors as the rushing attack generated 245 yards and five scores overall.
Quarterback Colby Cameron converted 34-of-52 passes for 353 yards and three
TDs as he spread the ball to nine different teammates. The pass defense for
the Bulldogs was exposed as the unit surrendered a monstrous 580 yards and
four TDs through the air, but the bottom line is that LaTech still managed to
pick up the win. Next up for the Bulldogs is a meeting with the Rice Owls in
the home opener this Saturday.
NEW MEXICO STATE: Coming off an impressive 49-19 win over Sacramento State in
the opener on Aug. 30, the Aggies had to be feeling good as they transitioned
into their matchup against Ohio University on the road this past Saturday.
Unfortunately, the team simply couldn't get the job done against a more
formidable opponent as NMSU bowed to the Bobcats in a 51-24 final. The Aggies
managed just 206 yards of total offense, compared to 584 yards for the hosts,
as quarterback Andrew Manley hit on 12-of-24 passes for 132 yards and a score,
but he was picked off once and sacked four times. Altogether, the Aggies
allowed six sacks which brought the team's rushing net down to only 71 yards
on 30 carries. On tap for New Mexico State is another road test, this one in
Texas where they will challenge a familiar foe in the UTEP Miners on Saturday.
SAN JOSE STATE: The Spartans fell behind UC Davis on Saturday night in the
first quarter, 7-0, but over the final three periods SJSU dominated en route
to a 45-13 triumph at home. De'Leon Eskridge scored a pair of rushing
touchdowns in the second quarter and finished with three overall as he ran for
130 yards on 16 carries in the blowout. Quarterback David Fales converted 23-
of-32 passes for 277 yards and a score and the lone completion for Blake
Jurich also resulted in a TD. Jurich made the most of his opportunities as he
scored on an 11-yard run, his lone carry of the outing, as the Spartans
generated better than 500 yards of total offense as they moved to 1-1 on the
campaign. Colorado State steps up as the next opponent for the team this week.
TEXAS STATE: New to the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Bobcats won their
opener against Houston on Sept. 1, but the team was in store for a much
different outcome this past Saturday when it hosted Texas Tech in San Marcos
and was blown away by the Red Raiders in a 58-10 final. Before the hosts knew
what happened, they were down 21-0 heading into the second quarter and were
behind by four touchdowns before they were able to get on the scoreboard
themselves. Tyler Arndt finished the meeting 12-of-22 for 130 yards and a
touchdown, while Shaun Rutherford completed just one of his nine pass attempts
for 11 yards and like Arndt, was picked off once. Rutherford did lead the way
on the ground with 35 yards, but the defense simply could not keep up with a
Texas Tech squad that generated close to 600 yards of total offense in the
lopsided decision. Perhaps the Bobcats will have more favorable results in two
weeks when they take on their third straight opponent from the Lone Star
State, FCS member Stephen F. Austin.
TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO: The Roadrunners made it two in a row to kick off the 2012
campaign as they followed up a victory over South Alabama with a 27-16 triumph
versus Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday. UTSA led by a 24-3 score at the break,
which means the squad let the visitors battle back to some degree before
picking up the win. David Glasco II ran for a game-high 58 yards and two
touchdowns for the hosts, while Eric Soza converted 12-of-22 passes for 159
yards and a score. While the level of competition certainly has to be taken
into consideration, it was still a positive sign to see the Roadrunners limit
TXA&M-Commerce to just 16 net rushing yards on 22 attempts. Next up for UTSA
is a meeting with Georgia State on the road this coming weekend.
UTAH STATE: The Aggies registered 13 unanswered points in the first quarter of
their meeting against in-state rival Utah last Friday night, but the squad had
to go to overtime in order to complete the upset bid with a 27-20 victory at
home. The win was the first for USU against the Utes since 1997, the team
moving to a perfect 2-0 start to kick off a campaign for the first time since
that same season as well. The oldest football rival for the Aggies, Utah had
trouble keeping USU quarterback Chuckie Keeton contained as he completed 22-
of-32 passes for 216 yards, adding another 86 yards on the ground. Kerwynn
Williams, who scored the game-winner on a one-yard run in overtime, finished
with 17 carries for 95 yards for the Aggies. Utah State is now set to play
four of its next five games on the road, beginning with a date versus
Wisconsin this coming weekend in Madison.
The Sports Network