Mountain West football roundup: Conference bounces back in Week 2

UNLV, Fresno State score impressive victories; Boise State erupts

Fresno State Bulldogs head coach Matt Entz. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

After a poor showing in Week 1 of the college football season, the Mountain West roared back this week with multiple notable victories. 

UNLV improved to 3-0 with a 30-23 win over Big Ten opponent UCLA at Allegiant Stadium. The Rebels jumped out to a 23-0 lead and held on late to defeat the Bruins and highly-touted transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava. 

“What a great team win for everybody,” first-year UNLV head coach Dan Mullen said. “Couldn’t be more proud of our guys.”

Fresno State took advantage of several Oregon State miscues to pick up a 36-27 road victory. 

The Bulldogs (2-1) lost the total yardage battle 544-320 but benefited from six botched long snaps on special teams — yes, that is correct — by the Beavers. Jakari Embry sealed the win with a late 45-yard pick-six. 

Sep 6, 2025; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs defensive back Ryan Wilson (37) celebrates an interception late in the 4th quarter by defensive back Jakari Embry (1) against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

“There is no such thing as a bad win,” first-year Bulldogs coach Matt Entz said. “There’s ugly wins, but never a bad win. Special teams, being opportunistic. Penalties, limiting our penalties. They had a ton of administrative penalties over the course of the game, probably six or seven false starts.

“First road win for these young men in here against a team that we’re going to be playing yearly and coming to a place that traditionally has great environment and loud noise. … The resilience of this group. We could have probably folded in a couple times; we just kept believing and swinging.”

Boise State regrouped from a Week 1 blowout loss at South Florida with a commanding 51-14 rout of Eastern Washington.

Boise State Broncos offensive lineman Kage Casey (77). | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Broncos (1-1) piled up 637 total yards of offense in a dominant performance at Albertsons Stadium. Boise State ran for 328 yards on 39 carries, averaging 8.4 yards per attempt. 

“Establishing a run game is a non-negotiable for us as an offense, as a team,” Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson said. “And our guys came out with a high-level mentality and the running backs did a really good job. I’m so proud of how we were able to start that.”

Colorado State needed a late rushing touchdown from quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to escape with a 21-17 victory over FCS Northern Colorado. The Bears appeared to connect on a game-winning touchdown with eight seconds remaining, but the call was mysteriously overturned following a replay review. 

Replay of the Touchdown by Northern Colorado that was Overturned. This touchdown would’ve given UNC their first official win over CSU. pic.twitter.com/IMdwbwk6xT

— Mile High Minute🏔 (@mhmdenver) September 7, 2025

Northern Colorado entered the game as a 34.5-point underdog. 

San Jose State (0-2), which suffered a stunning Week 1 loss to Central Michigan, committed four turnovers in a 38-7 loss to No. 7 Texas. 

Utah State (1-1) fared better at No. 19 Texas A&M, falling 44-22. 

New Mexico (1-1) secured its first victory of the Jason Eck era by storming back in the fourth quarter to defeat Idaho State, 32-22. 

Hawaii (2-1), Nevada (1-1) and Wyoming (2-0) all picked up victories on Saturday while San Diego State (1-1) stumbled at Washington State.