WAC Round-up: Week 7

San Jose State-28 Hawaii-27

Only one word could describe this sloppy, scrappy Friday night affair in the San Francisco Bay Area. Turnover. There were 12 of them in the Warriors’ first conference loss of the season, six of them coming from interceptions. Following an early Hawaii touchdown, the Spartans would take over and control the second quarter, scoring 20 points from two touchdown runs from Chandler Jones and two field goals. Hawaii ruled the third, and took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter. Hawaii’s Joey Iosefa extended the visitors’ lead to seven but SJSU was determined to give the Spartan fans good reason to celebrate on Homecoming. SJSU’s Duke Ihenacho blocked the PAT and ran it back for two points, which would leave the Spartans at a five-point disadvantage. Jones and quarterback Matt Faulkner hooked up for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds remaining to give SJSU a one-point lead. The clock ticked down to zero and the Spartan faithful stormed the field following SJSU’s second WAC win of the year, one more than they won throughout the entirety of conference play last season.

 

Nevada-49 University of New Mexico-7

It didn’t take long for Mackay Stadium in Reno to turn into a slaughterhouse Saturday, and the host Wolf Pack manhandled the winless Lobos. Nevada’s rushing game took command early on and the Wolf Pack found themselves ahead 14-0 in the first quarter after rushing touchdowns from Lampford Mark and Stefphon Jefferson. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw for 200 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception but the freshman rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Despite only 39 yards, Mark went for three touchdowns and the Wolf Pack offense had almost 600 total offensive yards against a helpless New Mexico squad. The Lobos didn’t score until late in the fourth quarter when Tarean Austin ran it in for a 17-yard touchdown. UNM quarterback B.R. Holbrook was held to 62 passing yards and he completed 40 percent of his passes. At .500, the Wolf Pack are 1-0 in the WAC and host Fresno State next weekend.

 

Fresno State-31 Utah State-21

The Bulldogs remain perfect in the WAC and overcame an early drought against a potent Utah State team on Saturday. Fresno State were victim to two long touchdowns early in the first quarter, a 47-yard touchdown pass to Michael Smith from Chuckie Keeton and a 57-yard touchdown run from Robert Turbin. Bulldog quarterback Derek Carr answered back with a 23-yard touchdown pass to Isiah Burse and a one-yard touchdown run, which set the teams even at 14. The lead would change twice more but Carr and Fresno were able to retain it in the fourth quarter following the sophomore’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Saunders. Robbie Rouse’s touchdown run extended the lead to 10 and USU were unable to threaten offensively in the fourth quarter, which would ultimately lead to a loss in their conference opener.

Volleyball unable to finish in Las Cruces

Theo Lawson

Photo by Zach Edwards

Despite winning a decisive second set, the Idaho volleyball team came up short Thursday night in Las Cruces against WAC foe New Mexico State. The Vandals dropped the first set 18-25, dominated in the second 25-14 but were unable to finish in the third and fourth losing 22-25 and 23-25.

Idaho, now 1-2 in the WAC and 6-9 overall, were led by two double-double performances, one from sophomore Allison Walker, who had 14 kills and 10 digs and the other coming from Jenny Feicht, who had 32 assists and 10 digs.

A dramatic third set saw six ties and four-lead changes. After the hosts allowed the Vandals four consecutive points, and the score sat at 24-23, NMSU were able to close out the set victory. Idaho competed in the fourth set and closed another gap to come within one point once again, but at 23-22, the Aggies would clinch the final two points and second WAC win of the season.

“This one is on us,” coach Debbie Buchanan said. “We outplayed New Mexico State in a lot of ways. We just committed too many errors. The one game  we won we only gave up five errors, but we’ve got to be better and we need to have a higher expectation. We’ve played at a high level for the last three months. Hopefully we learned something from this and we get better. There’s no way that we’re going to win when our outsides have 32 kills but 24 errors. That’s not going to win matches.”

The Vandals close out their two-game roadtrip Saturday in Ruston, La., when they square off with another WAC opponent, Louisiana Tech. The match starts at 12:00 P.T.

 

 

WAC Round-up: Week 4

San Jose State- 34 New Mexico State- 24

Despite only one win in their first four games, San Jose State has proven they may be a contender in the WAC this season. Led by a pair of seniors, quarterback Matt Faulkner and running back Brandon Rutley, the Spartans amassed 450 total offensive yards, handing the Aggies their third loss of the 2011 season. Following a 78-yard touchdown run from NMSU’s Kenny Turner which would put the Aggies up 24-17, the Spartan defense clamped down, while the offense thrived. Two consecutive SJSU touchdowns, followed by a field goal gave them a 34-24 advantage and the Spartans wouldn’t look back from there. Rutley rushed for 209 yards and two touchdowns while Faulkner threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas Tech- 35 Nevada- 34

The Wolf Pack staged a raid of their own on Saturday, but couldn’t contain the Texas Tech. offense in the second half. The Red Raiders clinched the win with 36 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter when quarterback Eric Ward hooked up with Seth Doege. Nevada led by two touchdowns in the third quarter but only managed two field goals in the fourth, while the Raiders converted two touchdowns. Doege was 22 for 38 with two touchdown passes and 222 passing yards. Nevada quarterbacks Tyler Lantrip and Cody Fajardo combined for 250 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Wolf Pack (1-2) take on No. 4 Boise State next Saturday with hopes to upset the Broncos for the second straight year.

Hawaii- 56 UC Davis- 14

Quarterback Bryant Moniz tossed seven touchdowns in the first half and the Rainbow Warriors steamrolled a subpar Aggie team. The Hawaii defense prevented UC Davis from scoring until midway through the third quarter when the Warriors were already leading 49-0. The hosts had a chance to see four quarterbacks take snaps, although Moniz would be the only one to complete a touchdown pass. The senior racked up 424 total passing yards, completing 75 percent of his passes. Davis were held to less than 200 total offensive yards while the Warriors posted 637. Hawaii are now 2-2 and open up WAC play next week in Ruston, La., against Louisiana Tech.

Mississippi State- 26 Louisiana Tech- 20

An overtime period was necessary to decide which Bulldogs squad would come out on top of a dogfight that lacked any kind of offense whatsoever. After a La. Tech field goal put the game at a 20-20 with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, both defenses held their own, forcing overtime. Quarterback Chris Relf connected with LaDarius Perkins for a 17-yard touchdown pass and the Miss. St. Bulldogs earned their second win of the season. Three interceptions were thrown and four field goals were converted in a defensive battle between two sides who have struggled to prove themselves thus far.

Colorado State- 35 Utah State- 34

Another example of the WAC falling to a rival conference in overtime, but this time double overtime would be required to settle things. The Rams tied it up with 42 seconds remaining and would each score during the first overtime. The second overtime saw Colorado State punch it in first but Utah State would respond with a touchdown of their own. Aggie coach Gary Anderson opted for the win and a two-point conversion but the Rams denied the attempt from running back Robert Turbin and walked away with the victory. Turbin led the Aggies with four touchdowns and 115 total rushing yards, but the passing game failed to show any consistency as USU quarterback Chuckie Keeton only completed nine passes for 86 yards. Ram CSU sophomore Chris Nwoke ran for 85 yards and two touchdowns, including one in the second overtime.

WAC Round-up: Week 2

Idaho-44  North Dakota-14:

When the Fighting Sioux went up 14-3, Vandal fans questioned coach Robb Akey and his reasons for leaving quarterback Brian Reader in the game.  Akey’s faith in Reader proved to be beneficial for Idaho’s success and the senior completed 15 consecutive passes in the second and third quarter. Idaho closed the gap to 14-10 at halftime and went up when Reader and Marsel Posey hooked up early in the third.  Freshman Bradley Njoku notched a pick six in the fourth quarter and the Vandals rolled to their first win of the season. Reader threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns; Vandal fans can now breathe. 

 

Oregon-69  Nevada-20

Darron Thomas and the Ducks flew high over the Wolfpack defense, and the junior quarterback threw for 295 yards, while tying the school record for touchdowns in a game (6).  Wolfpack quarterbacks Tyler Lantrip and Cody Fajardo combined for three interceptions and Nevada didn’t score until late in the first half, already down 34-0. Ducks freshman DeAnthony Thomas made up for two fumbles in last week’s loss to LSU by rushing for 81 yards on eight carries and receiving for 93 yards on two receptions and two touchdowns. End result- Nevada without Colin Kaepernick.

 

New Mexico State-28  Minnesota-21

The Aggies beat the Big-Ten! The Aggies beat the Big-Ten! Believe it or not but it did happen. The toilet team of the WAC upset the Golden Gophers in a game that saw NMSU up by two touchdownson two occasions. In terms of total offensive yards, the Aggies tallied just two more than the Gophers and each forced two turnovers.  Andrew Manley’s 288 passing yards and three touchdown passes made the difference in this one, despite his two intereptions.  NMSU will take advantage of the momentum going into three winnable games against UTEP, San Jose State and New Mexico.

 

Washington-40  Hawaii-32:

The Rainbow Warriors proved too feeble away from the island and Husky quarterback Keith Price made the most of his second start for the Holuday Bowl Champions. Hawaii’s slow start led to three unanswered touchdowns from UW, two of those coming from Price and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, who only hooked up twice. Hawaii received a late second quarter boost from Richard Torres’ 99-yard interception return but Price took over once again, connecting with Devin Aguilar to put UW up by two touchdowns.  Price finished with 315 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception. 

 

Nebraska-42  Fresno State-29

Nearly a miracle in Lincoln on Saturday. The Bulldogs took a three-point lead into halftime and added to it following an early third quarter field goal.  Cornhusker quarterback Taylor Martinez led the game in rushing touchdowns with two but the sophomore’s passing TD to Quincy Enunwa would give the hosts the lead and Nebraska wouldn’t look back from there.  Fresno State staged a late comeback effort that saw them down by two, but a 100-yard kickoff return sealed the deal for the No. 10 Cornhuskers.  With tough battles against Cal and Nebraska, the Bulldogs look for a much easier challenege against North Dakota next weekend. 

 

Louisiana Tech-48  Central Arkansas-42

La. Tech were less than impressive against their Southland Conference opponents but came away with the win in overtime to give the Bulldogs their second win of the season. Down 42-35 late in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs relied on their ground game and a rushing touchdown from Ray Holley, followed by one from Lennon Creer in overtime.  The Bulldogs survived a career night from Bears quarterback Nathan Dick, who completed 29 passes and amassed 370 yards while throwing for four touchdowns. 

 

Utah State- 54  Weber State- 17

After a four-point loss to last year’s national champion Auburn Tigers, the Aggies achieved the revenge they were seeking, against in-state rival Weber State. Robert Turbin led an upbeat Aggie squad with 180 rushing yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns.  The Wildcats posted a second quarter threat to the hosts when a touchdown pass and field goal gave Weber St. a seven point lead.  Turbin’s 14-yard touchdown run set the game at a 17-17 deadlock but Utah St. stormed out in the second half to shut the Wildcats out and score five unanswered touchdowns.

 

UCLA-27  San Jose State-17

The Spartans had Bruins fans worried heading into the fourth quarter, when San Jose State’s Brandon Rutley ran for a 65-yard touchdown, tying the game at 17-17 late in the third.  UCLA held their own in the fourth, scoring twice to help the Bruins to their first 2011 victory.  SJSU, still winless, couldn’t find an offensive rhythm and quarterback Dasmen Stewart was 15 for 31 with 111 yards and one interception.  Derrick Coleman and Jonathan Franklin combined for two rushing touchdowns and over 200 rushing yards for the Bruins, ultimately making the difference in this one.

The roundup: Nov 5

Morning to one and all. It’s…well, it’s actually a pretty darn cruddy-looking day on the palouse, which is perfect reason to get inside and enjoy some women’s basketball action! The Vandal women are back in action after a nine-month hiatus and hit the hardwood in the Memorial Gym tonight at 6 p.m. for their first and only exhibition game of the season against Lewis-Clark State College. Be there!

Plenty of news abroad about the Vandals, mainly in football. Enjoy Vandal fans!

Football

• Catch my write up of what the Vandals face this Saturday right here on Vandal Nation.
• Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal says to expect plenty of flags on Saturday.
• Sports Illustrated expects plenty of points Saturday, but questions Idaho’s lack of running game.
• Gregg Xenakes of The Sports Networkexpects Idaho’s running defense to get a workout during Saturday’s game.
• Nick Jezierny and Chadd Cripe of the Idaho Statesman correctly point out how frighteningly unkind the month of November has been to the Vandals.
• Fan videos are always great, and a recent UI grad created this call to action for Vandal fans. Three cheers!
• Students from the UI Sports Broadcast Journalism class took a close look at Vandal football player Kama Bailey in a video spotlight.

Volleyball

• The Vandals outlasted the Nevada Wolf Pack in five sets.
• Students form the UI Sports Broadcast Journalism class took a time out to chat with redshirt freshmen Allison Walker, who has been tearing up the hardwood.

Men’s basketball

• UI Argonaut writer Pierce Beigh has a write-up of the Vandals final pre-season tune up this weekend.

That’s all for another round-up folks. Get out and support your Vandals this weekend, grab your Akey bobble head dolls form the football game, and come cheer on basketball!

Blasphemous Rumours: Reactions to the WACsplosion

With two weeks to go before college football kicks off, the sudden disintegration of the Western Athletic Conference has woken up sportswriters and bloggers from their fall camp reverie. We’ve got a compilation of the best (and bizarrest) writing on the WACsplosion.

• The latest-breaking development? Utah State confirms it, too, was approached by the MWC and offered membership — before either Fresno State or Nevada. But with honor and commitment, the Aggies refused to betray the WAC. Everyone left in the conference should consider USU their heroes. They rejected self-interested sabotage, and I hope they, and we, come out ahead for it.

• Sam Wasson’s BleedCrimson.net has a great rundown of this morning’s press conference with Karl Benson.

• SWX has a story on Idaho Athletic Director Rob Spear’s press conference this afternoon. In short, Idaho is “committed” to staying with the WAC, come hell and high water. KXLY’s Ben Kaplan provides his take, too.

• ESPN’s Pat Forde examines the brutal history of the MWC and WAC’s “conference cannibalism.” Ray Ratto has similar thoughts at CBSSports.com.

• San Jose State is left in limbo, Jon Wilner writes in the Mercury News. Join the club, says Louisiana Tech — most damningly, the Bulldogs’ AD all but invites his program to be poached by another conference, preferably C-USA. Stephen Tsai of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser says Hawaii should quit the WAC and go independent.

• Whither BYU? Good question, as Cougar AD Tom Holmoe provides only cryptic answers to the Deseret News. “Things are playing out” indeed.

• Could Sacramento State and UC Davis save the WAC? That’s what the Sacramento Bee’s John Schumacher is wondering. The more Aggies the merrier, I suppose.

• Nevada got an offer it couldn’t refuse, or so says Scott Sonner. Yet Utah State did refuse it. Hmm.

• Silver and Blue Sports has a report on Nevada’s move up to the MWC. The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Chris Murray examines how the move might affect Wolf Pack programs.

• The Fresno Bee’s Dan Lyght and Bryant-Jon Anteola have a whole slew of stories on the Bulldogs’ jump to the MWC.

Good Afternoon Vandal Nation: WAC Tournament Day 2

RENO, Nev. — We’re back in the Lawlor Events Center for the second day of quarterfinal action in the 2010 Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament.

The bracket for the men’s quarterfinals looks like this:

(1) Utah State vs. (8) Boise State — noon

(4) Louisiana Tech vs. (5) Fresno State — 2:30 p.m.

(2) Nevada vs. (7) Idaho — 6 p.m.

(3) New Mexico State vs. (6) San Jose State — 8:30 p.m.

We’ll have complete liveblog coverage of the Vandals/Wolf Pack showdown, with pregame analysis starting at 5:30 p.m., tip at 6.

The winners will play Friday in the semifinals, with the 1/8 and 4/5 winners squaring off in one matchup, the 2/7 and 3/6 winners in the other.

Yesterday, Idaho’s women made history, becoming the first Vandal team to reach the semifinals in any WAC basketball tournament since Idaho joined the conference in 2005. They defeated New Mexico State, 75-63, and will play the No. 1 seeded Fresno State Bulldogs on Friday at noon.

Men’s basketball

• For a complete rundown on the day’s conference tournament action across the mid-major leagues, check out The Mid-Majority’s Tourney Central.

• Follow us on Twitter — @VandalNation — for live courtside scoring updates throughout the WAC Tournament.

• The Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright has a game preview of this evening’s Idaho/Nevada showdown.

• Nick Jezierny of the Idaho Statesman looks at Boise State’s final chance to make something of a disappointing season. Nick also checks in with a quicky on Idaho’s win over NMSU and storylines to watch this week.

• The Nevada Sagebrush is all over the WAC Tournament.

• Idaho’s “sneaky” squad could pose a threat to the Wolf Pack’s NCAA Tournament hopes — at least, so says the Reno Gazette-Journal’s Chris Murray.

• Kraig Williams, a very good friend of the Vandal Nation, is liveblogging everything for Rush the Court. (h/t to Parsing the WAC.)

• Also check out the Las Cruces Bulletin’s courtside coverage.

Good Morning Vandal Nation: WAC Tournament Day 1

RENO, Nev. — A light dusting of snow fell on the Washoe Valley last night, as the eight Western Athletic Conference women’s basketball teams which qualified for the tournament get ready to play this afternoon. Four of their NCAA Tournament dreams will end today.

The bracket for the women’s tourney looks like this:

(1) Fresno State vs. (8) Hawaii — noon

(4) Idaho vs. (5) New Mexico State — 2:30 p.m.

(3) Nevada vs. (6) Boise State — 6 p.m.

(2) Louisiana Tech vs. (7) Utah State — 8:30 p.m.

The 1/4 game winner and the 2/3 game winner will play Friday in the semifinals.

We’ll go live from courtside at 2 p.m. for pregame coverage of the Idaho/New Mexico State matchup.

Men’s basketball

• Jared Eborn reports on Utah State coach Stew Morrill getting a slap on the wrist from WAC commish Karl Benson. Apparently, he said something naughty to NMSU guard Jahmar Young, who had just been T’ed up. (h/t to Parsing the WAC)

• Continuing the trend, Eborn talks to Stew about the Aggies’ NCAA chances. Unsurprisingly, he thinks USU should be in. (So do we, by the way.)

• The Lewiston Tribune’s Dale Grummert has more on the Kashif Watson kerfuffle, noting that the suspended guard has now protected his Twitter page.

• The Wall Street Journal has a brutal take on the Mid-American Conference’s competitive woes.

• The Mid-Majority talks to court-rushing gurus Marco Anskis and Eric “Extra P” Angeline in TMM’s Second Annual Floor-Storming Symposium. (Someone needs to get a Ph.D in post-game celebrations.)

Good Afternoon Vandal Nation: Jan. 14, 2010

Between sickness and a new semester, we’ve been lax about posting this last week — it all started with a trip to the hospital on Monday morning. We’ll try to get back on schedule today.

It’s been a depressing week all around for Idaho sports, as the Vandal men were swept at home in WAC play, giving the lie to preseason predictions of glory. Sure, Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State are among the best in the conference — but we’ve got to beat the best in the conference to win the conference.

Also, the women lost last night at Hawaii — after shooting just 25 percent from the field. Yikes.

Basketball

• It’s the Battle of the Bone tonight, and unexpectedly, it’s a fight between the two best teams in the WAC. Louisiana Tech and Fresno State collide in Ruston, and as the Daily Leader reports, the 4-0 Tech Dogs can go a long way toward securing a conference crown by beating the 3-0 Fresno Dogs.

• Utah State went into Reno and upended the Wolf Pack in overtime last night, a thriller that was shown live nationally on ESPN2. The Aggies lost their first two WAC games on the road, but are now on a two-game win streak.

• The Vandals have just one conference win on the season — over the woeful Rainbow Warriors, who just lost to Utah State by 44 points. Now Hawaii is looking to bounce back.

• The Idaho Press-Tribune’s Jake Alger takes a closer look at the Vandals’ woes — and concludes they start with a lack of ‘stoppers.’

• Boise State is off to its worst season in WAC history — 0-4. The Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny looks at their battle in San Jose tonight to try and avoid a devastating 0-5 start.

Good Afternoon Vandal Nation: Morning-After-H-Bowl Edition

BOISE — The snow is falling again on the Treasure Valley, and we’re at the Boise Airport waiting for our flight home after a wonderful weekend for Vandal sports.

To recap:

• On Tuesday night in the Qwest Arena, it was time for hoops to shine, as the Vandals crushed Lewis-Clark State to go to 7-4 on the season heading into Western Athletic Conference play.
• Then last night, Akey’s Army pulled off the unthinkable, beating Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl with a two-point conversion in the final seconds.

There’s news and notes aplenty, so let’s get right to them.

• There’s a ton of other game stories, of course. Nick Jezierny has an overview for the Idaho Statesman, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News’ Sandra Kelly called it the Miracle in Boise, the Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright says it was a remarkable rally, the Idaho Press-Tribune’s Tom Fox said it was “memora-bowl” and the Lewiston Tribune’s Jesse Baumgartner summed the game up best: “It was bonkers.”

• We’ve got a bunch of postgame video interviews. The whole batch can be found here, or click names for individual clips — Robb Akey, Max Komar, JoJo Dickson, Nate Enderle, Shiloh Keo and Preston Davis, Aaron Lavarias and Brian Reader.

• The Idaho Statesman’s Brian Murphy writes about “Akey’s gutsy decision” to go for the game-winning (or losing) two-point conversion.

• GoVandals.net has postgame thoughts, a look at the stat leaders and a slew of great photos.

• Reporters and pundits across the country are calling the Humanitarian Bowl one of the best games of the year. As CNATI.com’s C. Trent Rosecrans wrote, “The Humanitarian Bowl: exactly why I’ll never complain about too many bowl games.”

• CollegeFootballNews.com breaks down the game, and Matt Zemek gives Vandal Nation’s live coverage a shoutout.

• ESPN’s Graham Watson has her “instant analysis” of the H-Bowl, crediting Robb Akey with going for the gusto. Football analyst, ex-Vandal star and huge Vandal fan Mark “Stink” Schlereth showed up on SportsCenter to break down his alma mater’s victory.

• The Spokesman-Review’s John Blanchette talks about the “Gamblin’ Vandals” and Josh Wright has some more postgame thoughts.

• For a look at the bowl from the Falcons’ perspective, check out Andrew Harner’s report for the BG News. Harner also celebrates receiver Freddie Barnes’ record-breaking performance and says that despite Bowling Green’s loss, the game was a showcase for both schools. Sean Shapiro examines the costly blocked field goal that could have given the Falcons a winning margin.

• From goat to hero — there’s a bunch of good stuff on senior receiver Max Komar, who grabbed a nifty touchdown catch to set up the winning conversion. The IP-T’s Jake Alger says it was the “biggest play” of the game. ESPN’s SportsNation is asking its readers whether Komar really came up with the ball — and the readers are answering with a resounding yes. The Statesman’s Brian Murphy reports that one catch was all Komar needed.

• KREM 2 News’ Tim Lewis was at the game and blogged about the experience.

Good Afternoon Vandal Nation: Dec. 10, 2009

Well, it was a disheartening evening in Pullman last night, as the Vandals got blown up by the Cougars.

Finals week is upon us, so posting will be rather light right about now. We’ll have a practice report from hoops tomorrow, and a preview of Saturday’s game against Eastern Oregon.

Football is back to practicing in anticipation of the Humanitarian Bowl!

Now for the links, an all-roundball affair today:

Basketball

• The Vandals were thoroughly ‘whupped’ by Washington State, as coach Don Verlin admitted. We’ve got a complete game report from the carnage including video of Verlin’s very candid postgame thoughts. Vince Grippi of the Spokesman-Review has a game story, too. Larry Johnson of GoVandals.net has a photo gallery. Braulio Perez of the Daily Evergreen chimes in with the Cougs’ perspective.

• Hawaii overcame a 17-point halftime deficit to crush D-II Chaminade’s upset hopes. With the gamer is Dayton Morinaga of the Honolulu Advertiser.

• Another WAC/Pac-10 upset attempt went awry, as Arizona managed to beat back and then disassemble Louisiana Tech. The Arizona Daily Wildcat’s Kevin Zimmerman has the scoop.

• It took overtime to do it, but the San Jose State Spartans managed to beat Cal State-Bakersfield in a game the Mercury News reports was a close battle all the way.

• Ike Okoye powered Boise State to a road win over Idaho State, as the Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny reports.

Good Afternoon Vandal Nation: Dec. 7, 2009

History was made last night in Memorial Gym, as the Vandal men knocked off #25 Portland and football coach Robb Akey stepped to the floor at halftime and announced Idaho’s acceptance of a berth in the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl. It’s been a banner year for Idaho sports already, and we’re just at the halfway mark.

Here’s the links for today:

Basketball

• With their best defensive performance of the year, the Vandal men captured their first win over a nationally-ranked team since 1982 by crushing #25 Portland, 68-48. We’ve got complete coverage with a game recap/video interviews and photos from Nick Groff. Stat guru John Gasaway wonders what happened to the Pilots while SWX Right Now has video highlights. The Arg’s Jennifer Schlake has a story, too.

• It wasn’t such a great night for Idaho’s women, as they fell to Saint Mary’s in the Sunday matinee. A hot start and big lead were once again squandered, Ilya Pinchuk writes.

• The rest of the WAC finally had a good day, too, as Fresno State manhandled San Diego and Hawaii beat Lamar in a total team performance, fueled by 20 points and 20 rebounds from Petrus Balocka. (h/t on both of these to Parsing the WAC)

• The New Mexico State Aggies are having an awful season, just 1-5 against Division I opponents and staring down the barrel of two tough road games. Jason Groves of the Las Cruces Sun-News looks at the Aggies’ total lack of offense.

• Idaho stays No. 1 in Chris Murray’s WAC Power Rankings, and the Reno Gazette-Journal writer says the 5-2 Vandals are off to the best start in the conference.

Football

• The Vandals accepted their first bowl bid in more than a decade, and will play Bowling Green on Dec. 30 in the Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl, the Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright reports. The Lewiston Tribune’s Jesse Baumgartner has more notes-n-quotes. The Toledo Blade’s Donald Emmons has a look from the Falcons’ perspective. We were tied up with basketball coverage during the press conference, but rest assured we’ll have some analysis of the upcoming game this week and next.

• Amazingly, absurdly, coach Robb Akey was denied WAC Coach of the Year honors. Unbelievable. However, NFL-bound Mike Iupati and safety Shiloh Keo were deserving First Team All-WAC selections. Max Komar, JoJo Dickson, Irv Stevens, Aaron Lavarias and Trey Farquhar got Second Team nods.

• John Feinstein utterly destroys the BCS in his Washington Post column.

• ESPN’s Graham Watson breaks down all four of the WAC’s bowl matchups: Idaho vs. Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl, Boise State vs. TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, Fresno State vs. Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl and Nevada vs. SMU in the Hawaii Bowl.

Good Evening Vandal Nation: Dec. 4, 2009

As the semester winds down and academics heat up, we’re hitting the evening before we have a chance to get these posts up. Our apologies, but we do want to graduate eventually!

Last night featured a pair of disappointments for Idaho hoops — the men fell on the road to Cal State-Northridge, while the women lost at home against Wyoming. Both games saw the Vandals lead in the second half, but in neither case were they able to hang on for the win.

Today’s a day off for all the WAC men’s teams — for the first day in awhile, there’s nothing on the hardwood.

Sunday, of course, will be an Idaho basketball doubleheader in Memorial Gym. The women tip off against Saint Mary’s at noon, while the men face #25 Portland at 5 p.m. We’ll have Vandal Nation Live courtside coverage for both games. Look for our game preview tomorrow, along with a Vandal Spotlight on Jeff Ledbetter.

Basketball

• The Vandal men built a 14-point lead in the second half against Cal State-Northridge, but blew it all down the stretch and fell, 95-93. We’ve got a game wrap and Don Verlin isn’t pleased. Gilberto Manzano of the Northridge Daily Sundial has a story from the Matador perspective.

• Idaho’s women dropped another one at home, once again squandering a lead against Wyoming to lose, 61-55. Ilya Pinchuk’s got the story for us, including a video interview with Jon Newlee. Gaylen Wood has the story for GoVandals.net, too.

• Storming the Floor has a great look at West Coast hoops in pictures.

• With a matchup preview of the Wolf Pack’s battle against Pacific, it’s the prolific Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal.

• Tomorrow’s rivalry battle between New Mexico State and New Mexico is a must-win if the Aggies want to salvage their non-conference season, says the Las Cruces Sun-News’ Jason Groves.

Football

• Previewing tomorrow’s WAC battle between Boise State and New Mexico State, Sam Wasson of BleedCrimson.net has a Know The Foe with OBNUG.

• Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Advertiser says Hawaii is expecting 40,000 fans in the stands for the Warriors’ pivotal game against Wisconsin. Hawaii must win to secure a bowl berth.

• In the day’s third WAC game, Louisiana Tech plays host to San Jose State, and as the Spartan Daily’s Ryan Buchan reports, the Spartans will be looking to send retiring coach Dick Tomey out with a victory.

• ESPN’s Graham Watson has a few things to watch for this weekend, particularly the street fight for the WAC’s bowl bids.

Good Afternoon Vandal Nation: Dec. 3, 2009

Today’s been packed with academic stuff, so we’ve gone to an afternoon edition again.

We’ve got two big games tonight in hoops-land: the women are at home against the Wyoming Cowgirls, while the men are down in the San Fernando Valley, taking on the Cal State-Northridge Matadors. Both games tip off at 7 p.m. Because we have class tonight, we won’t be doing a play-by-play liveblog — however, we will have regular scoring updates on Twitter.

The other big news today: standout offensive lineman Mike Iupati was named an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. He’s the only WAC player on the list, and one of just three from non-BCS schools.

Basketball

• We go Inside Cal State-Northridge for a look at their fast-paced offensive style and bench struggles, and chat with Don Verlin about the game. Gilberto Manzano of the Daily Sundial has a look from the Matador perspective. The Spokesman-Review’s Josh Wright chimes in as well. Idaho is the only WAC men’s team in action tonight.

• Myself and Sam Wasson have this week’s edition of Checking in on the WAC for Rush the Court. We look at all nine WAC teams and break down their week to come.

• Before a packed and insanely-rocking house in Logan, the Utah State Aggies stretched their ridiculous home winning streak to 38 games by knocking off BYU in the Spectrum, the Herald-Journal’s Shawn Harrison reports. Jared Quayle led the charge back for the Aggies, Wesley Meacham says. Check out the awesome signage the students brought to bear in the rivalry battle, too.

• Louisiana Tech’s Kyle Gibson buried a last-seconds 3-pointer to edge out Louisiana-Monroe, as the Bulldogs’ SID reports. They don’t have any marquee wins yet, but the Bulldogs do have the WAC’s best record at 6-1. (h/t to Parsing the WAC)

• It woulda, coulda, shoulda been a 3-0 sweep for the WAC last night, but the slumping Rainbow Warriors couldn’t get it done against UC Irvine. As Tom Connolly reported for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Anteaters built a 15-point halftime lead on the back of Hawaii’s frightful 27 percent shooting performance in the opening period.

• Kyle Whelliston has a beautiful, insightful and moving look at basketball coaching on The Mid-Majority. It’s the best piece of hoops writing I’ve read all year. You won’t be disappointed.

Football

• As noted, the AFCA named Mike Iupati to its All-America Team. He’s among illustrious company — Colt McCoy, Golden Tate, Ndamukong Suh and Toby Gerhart, to name a few.

• The Reno Gazette-Journal’s Dan Hinxman has some thoughts on what WAC fans should be watching for this weekend.

• Oh, those crazy folks at OBNUG. Somehow, they don’t think Idaho coach Robb Akey’s miracle turnaround season deserves the WAC’s Coach of the Year honors. I get it, I mean, all Akey’s done is win more games than any Vandal team in a decade, and more than triple the number of wins over last season. That’s no big deal. Clearly, Chris Petersen should win the award for doing about as well with the Broncos as everyone expected he’d do.

Good Morning Vandal Nation: Dec. 2, 2009

The day breaks with some local and national props for Idaho’s comeback football season, as ESPN’s Pat Forde and the Idaho Statesman both name Robb Akey their WAC Coach of the Year.

The Vandal women opened a four-game homestand on the wrong foot last night, falling to Colorado State, 65-55. They’ll hit the Memorial Gym hardwood again tomorrow against undefeated Wyoming.

There were two WAC men’s games last night and the conference went oh-fer at home — NMSU folded up like a house of cards against arch-rival UTEP, while Pacific upended Fresno State. A year that started with such promise for WAC hoops is looking grimmer by the day.

Now for the links:

Basketball

• Same old, same old for the Vandal women — a first-half hole was too deep to climb out of against Colorado State, as Ilya Pinchuk reports. SID Spencer Farrin counted 10 missed Idaho layups in a 10-point Idaho loss.

• We talked with Idaho men’s coach Don Verlin about tomorrow’s road trip to Cal State-Northridge, a dangerous squad that took the Vandals to the wire at home last year. We’ll have a complete game preview today.

• Utah State fans love their Aggies. Students have been camping out in line for two days before tonight’s rivalry battle royale against BYU, Jay Patrick of the Logan Herald-Journal reports. Shawn Harrison previews the game, which is Utah State’s oldest rivalry. Of course, The Refraction has its take, too.

• The unexpectedly-slumping New Mexico State Aggies took another body blow, as Sam Wasson of BleedCrimson.net reports on their worst home loss to UTEP since 1963. Shooting a stone-cold 29 percent from the field and 15 percent from downtown… yikes. Jason Groves of the Las Cruces Sun-News has his own take on the debacle.

• Fresno State has now lost four straight, as the Bulldogs couldn’t hold off Pacific. The Fresno Bee’s Marek Warszawski says Steve Cleveland’s offense just couldn’t get in sync.

• Dayton Morinaga of the Honolulu Advertiser previews tonight’s Hawaii/UC Irvine game, which the Rainbow Warriors will have to play short-handed.

• The Idaho Statesman’s Nick Jezierny looks at the big hoops games coming up for the Vandals and the Broncos.

Football

• ESPN’s Pat Forde bestows his WAC Coach of the Year crown on Robb Akey, after the third-year leader of the Vandals brought as many wins to Moscow this year as in the previous three season combined, plus the team’s first bowl since 1998. He also calls the Vandals’ last-minute comeback win over Louisiana Tech the conference’s Game of the Year.

• The Idaho Statesman gets in on the action, saying of the Vandals’ turnaround, “Anyone outside of Moscow who says they saw this coming is lying.” Robb Akey is the Statesman’s WAC Coach of the Year, while NFL-bound guard Mike Iupati and do-everything safety Shiloh Keo get spots on their All-WAC Team.

• First-year New Mexico State coach DeWayne Walker talks to Las Cruces Sun-News writer Teddy Feinberg about his incoming recruiting class.