* Mountain West Conference press release

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., -- Here is this week's Around the Mountain West as Nevada opens the league slate Friday night at Air Force:

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  • Dating back to the 2019 season, the Mountain West has won 19 games against autonomous-5 opponents, including 16 against the Pac-12. This is the most wins in that time span amongst all non-autonomous-5 conferences.

 

  • In the past 18 years, the Mountain West has been the top non-autonomous-5 conference 10 times and second five times.

 

  • The Mountain West produced the first non-automatic-qualifying FBS team into a BCS bowl game (Utah - 2005 Fiesta Bowl) and into the College Football Playoff (Boise State - 2014 Fiesta Bowl).

 

  • The Mountain West has had at least two teams nationally ranked in each of the last six seasons.

 

  • After Wyoming’s double-overtime victory over Tulsa on Sept. 3, the Mountain West now has a 16-11 record against opponents from the American Athletic Conference.

 

  • Fresno State senior QB Jake Haener, who was named 2022 MW Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 22 consecutive games, beginning on Oct. 24, 2019. This is tied as the third-longest stretch in Conference history. Carson Strong (Nevada) and Derek Carr (Fresno State) hold the league record with a touchdown pass in 26 straight games, while Haener is tied with Andy Dalton (TCU).

 

  • UNLV defeated North Texas 58-27 on Sept. 17, recording its largest victory over a FBS opponent since Sept. 25, 2010 (45-10 vs. New Mexico). QB Doug Brumfield was honored as one of just eight Manning Award Stars of the Week and a Davey O'Brien Great 8 QB after throwing for 211 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for another 100 yards and two scores.

 

  • Rebels junior RB Aidan Robbins rushed for 227 yards against North Texas on Sept. 17, the second-most rushing yards in a single game in 2022. Since the beginning of the 2020 Mountain West season, there has been three 200-yard rushing performance, all by UNLV running backs - Charles Williams twice in 2021; Robbins in 2022.

 

  • Over the last 18 seasons, the MW has captured the Bowl Challenge Cup five times and owns the third-best win percentage in bowl games among the 10 FBS conferences (.583), trailing only the SEC (.621) and Sun Belt (.593).

MOUNTAIN WEST PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

UNLV junior running back Aidan Robbins has been tabbed the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week, while New Mexico senior linebacker Reco Hannah was named MW Defensive Player of the Week. Boise State junior place-kicker Jonah Dalmas earned MW Special Teams Player of the Week honors, while Lobos safety A.J. Haulcy was selected as MW Freshman of the Week.

It is the second career MW weekly honor for Dalmas and first for Robbins, Hannah and Haulcy.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

AIDAN ROBBINS, UNLV

Junior, Running Back, Louisville, Kentucky / Louisville

  • Led UNLV to a 58-27 victory over North Texas, rushing for a career-high 227 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries.
  • The 227 rushing yards are the eighth-most in single-game UNLV history and the second-most by a FBS player this season.
  • Averaged 7.8 yards per carry.
  • Also caught one pass.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

RECO HANNAH, NEW MEXICO

Senior, Linebacker, Wedowee, Alabama / Highland CC

  • Tallied three tackles, one interception and a forced fumble in New Mexico’s 27-10 victory over UTEP.
  • Returned interception 22 yards for a score, giving the Lobos a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
  • In the fourth quarter, stripped a UTEP receiver at the Miner’s 41-yard line and had a critical third-down tackle.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

JONAH DALMAS, BOISE STATE

Junior, Place-Kicker, Meridian, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS

  • Was a perfect three-for-three on field-goal attempts and three-for-free on PATs, scoring 12 points in Boise State’s 30-7 victory over UT Martin.
  • Tied a season long with a 48-yard field goal in the second quarter.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

A.J. HAULCY, NEW MEXICO

True Freshman, Safety, Missouri City, Texas / Fort Bend Marshall HS

  • In New Mexico’s 27-10 victory over UTEP, recorded two tackles, one interception and a forced fumble.
  • The interception ended a UTEP drive inside Lobo territory, while the forced fumble prevented a Miner touchdown as the loose ball hit the pylon for a New Mexico touchback.

Just The Facts: Size Doesn't Matter For Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium

Did you know it would take the populations of Gillette (32,857), Laramie (32,381), Rock Springs (23,319), Sheridan (17,844) and Wright (1,200) to create a sellout inside Michigan's famed 107,601-seat Big House, the largest college football stadium in the nation?

For those of you not familiar with the Cowboy State, those are Wyoming's third through sixth most inhabited cities, along with the small mining town in Campbell County.

- Just The Facts: Size Doesn't Matter For Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium

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