OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Nevada running back Mike Ball, a freshman from Las Vegas, Nev. (Desert Pines HS), rushed for 184 yards and five touchdowns in Nevada's 63-28 win over UNLV on Saturday.  He scored on an 89-yard run in the fourth quarter, the fourth longest touchdown run by any player in the nation this season.  The five rushing touchdowns were the most by a WAC player since Boise State's Ian Johnson had five versus Oregon State on Sept. 7, 2006.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Idaho safety Shiloh Keo, a junior from Everett, Wash. (Archbishop Murphy HS), made 15 tackles (12 solo) and intercepted a pass in Idaho's 31-29 victory over Colorado State.  The interception came with just over a minute left in the game with the Rams needing just a field goal to win the game.  Keo picked off the pass at the Colorado State 34-yard line to seal the win for the Vandals.  The 15 tackles tie for the most by any WAC player in a game this year.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK - Idaho placekicker Trey Farquhar, a freshman from Redlands, Calif. (Redlands East Valley HS), made all four extra points and hit a 47-yard field goal in the win over Colorado State.  The field goal came at the end of the first half with the Vandals trailing 20-7.  It is tied for the second longest made attempt by a WAC player this year.  Farquhar also averaged 67.7 yards on six kickoffs during the game.

Others nominated on offense:
Austin Pettis, Jr., WR, Boise State - caught a career-high 10 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns in the win over UC Davis.
Max Komar, Sr., WR, Idaho - had a career-high 12 receptions for 152 yards and a touchdown in the win over Colorado State.
Daniel Porter, Sr., RB, Louisiana Tech- rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns against Hawai'i.  He also caught two passes for 11 yards in the victory.
Todd Lee, So., WR, New Mexico State - had three catches for a season-high 67 yards and his first career touchdown against San Diego State.

Also nominated on defense:
Jeron Johnson, Jr., S, Boise State - made seven tackles and broke up two passes against UC Davis.
D'Anthony Smith, Sr., DL, Louisiana Tech - had two sacks for a loss of eight yards in the game against Hawai'i.
Dontay Moch, Jr., DE, Nevada - recorded six tackles including 4.5 for a loss of 18 yards (1 sack) in helping to hold UNLV to just 70 yards rushing in the game.
Davon House, Jr., DB, New Mexico State - made seven tackles and intercepted a pass in the game at San Diego State.
Rajric Coleman, Jr., CB, Utah State - had a career-high 13 tackles (6 solo) and his first career interception in the game at BYU.

Additional special teams nominations:
Kyle Brotzman, Jr., PK/P, Boise State - made both field goal attempts (22, 34), all four PATs and punted twice for a 47.5-yard average against UC Davis.
Albert Rosette, Fr., Nevada - blocked a punt that led to Nevada's first touchdown in the win over UNLV.
Tonny Glynn, Sr., KR, New Mexico State - returned seven kickoffs for 140 yards in the game at San Diego State.
Peter Caldwell, Jr., P, Utah State - punted five times for a 49.2-yard average, including three over 50 yards in the game at BYU.  He had two punts downed inside the 5-yard line.

BRONCOS RANKED IN TOP 10 -  Following its win against UC Davis on Saturday, Boise State dropped one spot in both the AP and USA Today coaches' polls to 6th and remained fifth in the Harris poll.  Boise State opened the season 14th in the AP poll, the highest a WAC team has been ranked in the preseason since Brigham Young was 10th in 1985 following its national championship season.  The Broncos have been ranked in the top 25 at least once in each of the last eight seasons.  At least one team from the WAC has been in the polls every week since Sept. 17, 2006 (52 consecutive polls).

BOISE STATE LAST WAC UNDEFEATED TEAM - Boise State is one of 13 teams in the nation without a loss and one of two from non-automatic BCS qualifying conferences (TCU).  The Broncos beat UC Davis last Saturday night to improve to 5-0 on the season.  It's the fourth time since the 2004 season that Boise State has started a season 5-0.  The previous three times, the Broncos went on to finish the regular season undefeated (2004, 2006 and 2008).

FULL CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS - For the first time this year, the WAC schedule this week is full of just conference games.  The week begins on Friday night when Nevada hosts Louisiana Tech in a game that will be shown on ESPN.  On Saturday, Utah State travels to New Mexico State, San Jose State hosts Idaho and Fresno State is at Hawai'i.  Boise State is off this weekend as it prepares for a game at Tulsa on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

COACHES MOVING UP RECORD LISTS - A couple of WAC coaches are working their way up the NCAA coaching record lists. Nevada head coach Chris Ault is in his 25th season as a head coach and is 199-94-1, the sixth winningest active coach in FBS. San Jose State's Dick Tomey is the seventh winningest active coach as he is in his sixth year with the Spartans and 29th overall with a record of 182-138-7. Tomey previously won 63 games at Hawai'i from 1977-86 and 95 games at Arizona from 1987-2000. Tomey has coached 327 games, the fourth most among active coaches. In WAC games only, Fresno State head coach Pat Hill has 64 conference victories, the fourth most in league history while Tomey has 48 WAC wins, the sixth most.

WAC TRIO WITH 233 WINS - Boise State, Hawai'i and Fresno State have combined for 233 victories since the 2001 season. That total is tied for the third most of any FBS conference's top trio.

TEAMS RACK UP VICTORIES - Since the 2001 football season, the WAC's top teams have established themselves as some of the most successful programs west of the Mississippi River. Boise State has won 93 games over the last nine years while Hawai'i has 73 wins and Fresno State has 67. No other team has won as many games as Boise State. There are 53 Division IA programs west of the Mississippi that include all of the teams from the WAC, Big 12, Mountain West and Pac-10 and several teams from the Big Ten, Conference USA, SEC and Sun Belt.

2009 BOWL LINEUP -  The WAC is affiliated with three bowl games this season. WAC teams will play in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M. against a Mountain West opponent, the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl in Honolulu against a Conference USA opponent and in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho versus another team from the Mountain West.  The WAC also has an agreement for this season with the San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl that if the Pac-10 cannot fill its contracted spot in the bowl game, then the WAC will provide a team.  The opponent is also a team from the Mountain West.

WAC SIGNS DEALS WITH POINSETTIA AND EMERALD BOWLS - Beginning with the next four-year bowl cycle, the WAC has inked deals with both the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and Emerald Bowl.  In 2010 and 2013, the WAC will send a team to the Emerald Bowl to play against a Pac-10 team, while in 2011 and 2012, the WAC will be represented in the Poinsettia Bowl against the Mountain West.  The WAC will have backup agreements in all four years should Army (2011-Emerald; 2013 Poinsettia) or Navy (2010-Poinsettia; 2012-Emerald) not be eligible in their respective years.  The agreements give the conference four guaranteed bowl slots through the 2013 season.

BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES -  Since 1997, the WAC has been an official part of the Bowl Championship Series.  The WAC's champion will receive an automatic berth in one of the five BCS bowl games if ranked in the top 12 of the BCS Standings (and is the highest ranked team from a conference without an automatic bid) or if ranked in the top 16 of the BCS Standings and its ranking is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls. The BCS Standings are determined by a formula involving polls and computer rankings. This year's National Championship Game will be played in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 7, 2010.

WAC FOURTH IN NATION IN ALL-TIME BOWL RECORDS - The WAC's nine teams have an all-time record of 34-31-2 (.522) in bowl games. That winning percentage is one of just four above .500 among all FBS conferences.  The Pac-10 is first at .533, the SEC is second (.531) and the ACC is third (.524).

WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

(6/6) Boise State Broncos (5-0, 1-0 WAC)
Sophomore QB Kellen Moore completed 70.9 percent of his passes (22-of-31) against UC Davis and has completed more than 60 percent in 18 straight games ... he is second in the nation in passing efficiency (176.6) and has thrown 13 touchdowns with just two interceptions ... has been held scoreless in the first quarter in two straight games for the first time since 2005 ... its 40 wins since 2006 and 113 wins since 1999 are the most in the nation ... has won 52 consecutive regular season home games ... its active 22-game home winning streak is currently the second longest in the nation ... has won 67 of its last 69 games (including bowl games) at home ... is the highest scoring team in the nation since 2000 averaging 40.43 points over 120 games.

Fresno State Bulldogs (1-3, 0-1 WAC)
Held the ball for 43:42 in the game at Cincinnati ... Ryan Mathews' 38 carries in that game are the second most for any player in the nation this year ... the Bulldogs' three losses are against teams with a combined record of 15-0 with two of those teams currently in the top 10 (Boise State and Cincinnati) ... kick returner A.J. Jefferson is second in the nation among active players in average yards per kickoff return (30.75) ... the Bulldogs have 45 blocked kicks since 2002, the most in the nation in that time ... has 14 BCS wins since 2000, the second most among non-BCS teams during that time ... with trips to Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Hawai'i and Illinois, the Dogs will have traveled 23,354 miles when the regular season ends.

Hawai'i Warriors (2-2, 0-1 WAC)
Scored six points at Louisiana Tech, the fewest for the Warriors since scoring three against Boise State in 2004 ... senior QB Greg Alexander was injured late in the third quarter against LA Tech and will miss the rest of the season due to ligament damage in his left knee ... junior WR Greg Salas had his fourth consecutive 100-yard receiving game with six catches for 122 yards ... he leads the nation in receiving 150.2 yards per game ... finished last season with a non-losing record for the eighth time in the last 10 years ... for the first time since 1998, UH did not have a 3,000-yard passer last season ... UH is 24-0 when scoring 40 or more points since 2005 ... is celebrating its 100th anniversary of its first football team.

Idaho Vandals (4-1, 1-0 WAC)
Trailed 20-10 in the game against Colorado State at halftime before scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions ... Jeromy Jones blocked CSU's extra point attempt in the second quarter which turned out to be the difference as the Rams had to go for two late in the fourth quarter and were stopped by the Vandals' defense ... Nate Enderle was 25-of-38 for 333 yards and three touchdowns ... has four wins against FBS schools in the same season for the first time since 2006 ... has won two road games for the first time since 2000 ... is 4-1 for the first time since starting the 1994 season at 7-0 ... the Kibbie Dome underwent significant renovation this summer with the replacement of the west end wall with translucent panels.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-2, 1-0 WAC)
Held UH without a touchdown for the first time in 63 games ... recorded seven sacks, the most by LA Tech since 2004 ... DB Antonio Baker had seven tackles against Hawai'i  and now has 331 for his career, the third most of any active player in the nation ... Daniel Porter's 160 rushing yards versus Hawai'i leaves him 828 yards shy of tying the school's career record of 3,342 yards held by Jason Cooper (1991-94) ... junior Phillip Livas has caught a pass in 27 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... he has scored multiple touchdowns four different ways: reception (4), rush (3), kickoff return (2) and punt return (3) ... Derek Dooley is the only individual to hold the dual role of both athletic director and head football coach in the FBS.

Nevada Wolf Pack (1-3, 0-0 WAC)
With the win over UNLV, head coach Chris Ault is one win shy of reaching 200 for his career ... racked up 773 yards of total offense, the most by a WAC team since San Jose State had 849 against Nevada on Nov. 10, 2001 ... the 559 rushing yards were the most by a WAC team since Rice had 570 against San Jose State on Oct. 2, 2004 ... the Pack fumbled four times against UNLV, including three straight possessions in the second quarter ... Luke Lippincott's 170 rushing yards against UNLV gave him his 12th 100-yard rushing game of his career ... Chris Wellington did not have a catch in the game against UNLV, snapping a streak of 16 consecutive games with at least one reception.

New Mexico State Aggies (2-3, 0-1 WAC)
Tied the game at 17 early in the fourth quarter at San Diego State on a 16-yard pass from Trevor Walls to Todd Lee before allowing the Aztecs to score 17 unanswered points in the final 8:01 ... committed four turnovers (2 fumbles, 2 interceptions) ... held the ball for over 39 minutes in the game ... Lee, who missed the previous game due to an injury, led the Aggies with three catches for 67 yards while Walls was 8-of-12 for 103 yards and an interception ... Walls came into the game with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter trailing 17-7 and led the Aggies on two scoring drives ... Seth Smith had 118 yards in positive rushing yards, but lost 29 yards in part due to a fumble and ended up with 89 on 31 attempts.

San Jose State Spartans (1-3, 0-0 WAC)
Gained 242 yards rushing in its last game against Cal Poly, more than in their last seven games combined (163) ... recovered a fumble in that game and is tied for third in the nation with eight on the season ... Lamon Muldrow's 184 yards on the ground against Cal Poly were more than three times the Spartans' rushing total for the first three games ... Kevin Jurovich surpassed 100 receiving yards for the third time this season and eighth time in his career ... he finished the game with seven catches for 108 yards ... signed a four-year deal with Army and will host the Black Knights in 2018 and 2020 and will travel to West Point in 2019 and 2021 ... head coach Dick Tomey is the president of the AFCA for 2009.

Utah State Aggies (1-3, 0-0 WAC)
Junior QB Diondre Borel scored on a six-yard run on the Aggies' first drive of the game at BYU after the Cougars fumbled their opening possession ... Borel has now scored a rushing TD in six-straight games ... it was Borel's ninth rushing TD of his career ... he was 20-of-28 for 213 yards passing and added 38 rushing yards on 16 carries ... Robert Turbin rushed for 47 yards on 17 carries, the first time this year he hadn't reached the 100-yard rushing mark ... Omar Sawyer led the Aggies with four catches or 58 yards ... had three players with double-digit tackles: Rajric Coleman (13), Bobby Wagner (12) and James Brindley (11) ... has topped the 300-yard total offense mark in 10 straight games.