Courtesy: Fresno State

VERIZON WIRELESS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE - Boise State running back Doug Martin, a sophomore from Stockton, Calif. (St. Mary's HS), rushed for a career-high 121 yards on 13 carries and scored a career-high four touchdowns in Boise State's 52-21 win at Utah State.  He averaged 9.3 yards per carry and also caught one pass for six yards in the game.

DEFENSIVE - Fresno State linebacker Ben Jacobs, a junior from Las Vegas, Nev. (Silverado HS), tied an NCAA record by forcing three fumbles in Fresno State's 30-28 win over Louisiana tech.  Jacobs recovered two of the fumbles and returned one 21 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.  He also had a team-high eight tackles (6 solo), including 1.5 for a loss of four yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Fresno State placekicker Kevin Goessling, a sophomore from Placentia, Calif. (Servite HS), was perfect on kicks last week making all three field goals and all three of his extra point attempts against Louisiana Tech.  Trailing 28-24 in the fourth quarter, Goessling made two field goals including the game-winner from 35 yards out with no time on the clock.

Others nominated on offense:
Seyi Ajirotutu, Sr., WR, Fresno State - caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in the win over Louisiana Tech.
Shane Austin, So., QB, Hawai'i - made his first career start and was 28-of-46 for 299 yards with no interceptions in an overtime win at San Jose State.  He also scored on a three-yard run.
Luke Lippincott, Sr., RB, Nevada - rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the win at New Mexico State.  He became the third Nevada player to rush for 1,000 yards this season, setting an NCAA record.

Also nominated on defense:
Shea McCellin, So., DL, Boise State - had four tackles and made his first career interception in the win at Utah State.  He had two tackles for loss including one sack.
Tuika Tufaga, Sr., DL, Hawai'i - made five tackles including two for a loss (1 sack) and also forced a fumble in the final minute of the game with the score tied at 10 and the Spartans driving in UH territory.
Ryan Coulson, Jr., DE, Nevada - recorded five tackles, including 1.5 for a loss, in the win at New Mexico State.
Pompey Festejo, Jr., LB, San Jose State - had a career-high 15 tackles, including two for a loss (1 sack) in the game against Hawai'i.
Bobby Wagner, So., LB, Utah State - tied a career-high with 13 tackles, including one for a loss, in the game against Boise State.

Additional special teams nominations:
Kyle Brotzman, Jr., PK/P, Boise State - made a career-long 52-yard field goal, all seven of his extra point attempts and averaged 50.7 yards on three punts against Utah State.
Ricky Drake, Jr., PK, Nevada - made all eight extra point attempts.

UNDEFEATED TEAMS BATTLE IN BOISE - Boise State hosts Nevada on Friday night in a game between two teams undefeated in WAC play.  Nevada at 7-0 would clinch the outright WAC title with a victory, while Boise State would earn at least a share of the title as it still has a game against New Mexico State on Dec. 5.  Boise State has won or shared six WAC titles since joining the conference in 2001.  The only shared title for the Broncos was in 2005 when both Boise State and Nevada finished 7-1.  It is Nevada's only WAC title since joining the conference in 2000.

FRESNO STATE WITH TWO ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS - Fresno State junior offensive lineman Andrew Jackson was named a first-team ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-America on Tuesday.  He is the first Fresno State player to ever be named to the first team and the first WAC player since Nevada's Erick Streelman in 2002.  Jackson is a Business Administration Management major with a 3.92 Grade Point Average. Senior punter Robert Malone was named to the second team.  Malone is a Kinesiology major with a 3.51 GPA. Malone is averaging 45.4 yards per punt this season, which would rank second in the NCAA statistics if he had enough punt attempts to quality. Fresno State's net punt unit has been ranked in the Top 5 in the NCAA for most of this season.  To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at their current institution and be nominated by the school's sports information director.

IUPATI NAMED OUTLAND TROPHY FINALIST - Idaho guard Mike Iupati was named one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy, awarded to the best interior lineman in the nation.  Iupati joins Oklahoma State tackle Russell Okung and Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.  The last WAC player to win the award was BYU's Mohammed Elewonibi in 1989.  This year's winner will be announced on Dec. 10.

HARRIS ONE OF 16 FINALISTS FOR THE CAMPBELL TROPHY - Fresno State safety Moses Harris was named to the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class in late October.  Each member of the class receives an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship and becomes a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy which recognizes the top scholar-athlete in the nation.

FOUR NAMED TO WUERFFEL TROPHY WATCH LIST - Earlier this month, Boise State fullback Richie Brockel, Fresno State safety Moses Harris, San Jose State linebacker Travis Jones and Utah State receiver Nnamdi Gwacham were named to the Wuerffel Trophy watch list.  The Wuerffel Trophy is presented annually to the Football Bowl Subdivision player that best combines exemplary community service, with academic and athletic achievement.

SJSU'S TOMEY ANNOUNCES RETIRMENT - Following the completion of his fifth season at San Jose State on December 5, Dick Tomey will retire from coaching. His retirement will be effective January 15, 2010. The 71-year-old head coach - with 46 years in the coaching profession - made the announcement at the university's weekly football press conference.  Since Tomey took the Spartans' reins in December 2004, the team won the 2006 inaugural New Mexico Bowl, was bowl-eligible twice (2006, 2008), had the third best win-loss record in the Western Athletic Conference over a 39-game span from the end of 2005 through the 2008 season (22-17) and produced a .500 win-loss percentage in conference road games from 2006 to 2008. The Spartans also picked up their first win over a Pacific-10 Conference opponent, Stanford, in six years in 2006 and first victory in 31 years over San Diego State that same season. With three games remaining in 2009, Tomey has a 24-33 win-loss record as San Jose State's head coach.  Overall, Tomey is completing a 29-year college football head-coaching career and has a current coaching record of 182-143-7. A consistent winner, his teams never experienced two straight losing seasons.  All 332 games he has coached were with FBS schools: Hawaii (1977-1986), Arizona (1987-2000) and San Jose State (2005-2009). Tomey is the only coach who ranks in the top 10 in the WAC and Pac-10 for conference coaching victories.

WAC WITH FOUR BOWL ELIGIBLE TEAMS - The WAC has four bowl eligible teams in Boise State, Fresno State, Idaho and Nevada.  Hawai'i could still become bowl eligible if it wins its final two games of the season (both at home).

BOISE STATE 6TH IN BCS RANKINGS -  In the sixth BCS rankings, Boise State remained 6th after winning at Utah State, 52-21.  The Broncos have an average computer ranking of 7th as they are ranked 7th by Anderson & Hester, 6th by Billingsley, 8th by Colley, 8th by Massey, 8th by Sagarin and 7th by Wolfe.  The BCS poll throws out the best and worst computer ranking to get the average and factors in the USA Today and Harris polls to calculate the BCS rankings.  Boise State earns an automatic bid into one of the BCS bowls if it is the highest ranked non-BCS team ranked in the top 12 of the BCS poll at the end of the regular season or if ranked in the top 16 and is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.  The Broncos' ranking of fourth five weeks ago was the highest a non-BCS team has ever been ranked (tied by TCU three weeks ago).

BRONCOS RANKED IN TOP 10 - Following its win at Utah State, Boise State remained 6th in the three major polls.  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 (59 consecutive polls).

BOISE STATE LAST WAC UNDEFEATED TEAM - Boise State is one of six teams in the nation without a loss and one of two from non-automatic BCS qualifying conferences (TCU).  The Broncos beat Utah State last week to improve to 11-0 on the season.  It's the fourth time since the 2004 season that Boise State has started a season 11-0.  The previous three times, the Broncos went on to finish the regular season undefeated (2004, 2006 and 2008).

IDAHO TIED WITH NATION'S BEST IMPROVEMENT - With seven victories this season, Idaho currently is tied for the nation's best turnaround.  The Vandals were 2-10 last year and have recorded five more wins this year.  SMU has also recorded five more wins than last year.  Idaho was picked last in the WAC preseason coaches' poll and is currently fourth with a 4-2 record in conference play.

PETERSEN, AKEY NAMED TO BRYANT WATCH LIST - Boise State's Chris Petersen and Idaho's Robb Akey were named to the Bryant Watch List, an award that goes to the national coach of the year.  Petersen is a past winner of the award (2006).

NEVADA, MATHEWS LEAD NATION IN RUSHING - Fresno State junior running back Ryan Mathews missed last week due to an injury but continues to lead the nation in rushing with 149.1 yards per game.  Mathews leads UTEP's Donald Buckram who is averaging 142.6 yards per contest.  As a team, Nevada leads the nation in rushing with 373.2 yards per game, 59 yards better than the next best team, Georgia Tech (314.1).  The WAC features two teams in the top 10 in rushing as Fresno State is seventh with 231.5 yards per contest.

MATHEWS, MOORE, SALAS LOOK TO FINISH IN NATIONAL LEAD - Fresno State junior running back Ryan Mathews, Boise State sophomore quarterback Kellen Moore and Hawai'i junior wide receiver Greg Salas are trying to finish the season leading the nation in a couple of major statistical categories.  Mathews' 149.1 rushing yards per game are tops in the nation.  The last WAC player to lead the nation in rushing was Nevada's Chance Kretschmer in 2001 (157.5 yards per game).  WAC running backs have led the nation in rushing six times previously.  Moore leads the nation in passing efficiency with a 168.8 rating.  The last WAC player to lead the nation in passing efficiency was Hawai'i's Colt Brennan in 2006.  WAC quarterbacks have led the nation in passing efficiency six times previously.  Salas is second in the nation with 128.4 receiving yards per game.  The last WAC player to do so was New Mexico State's Chris Williams in 2006.

NON-CONFERENCE - The WAC is 17-19 (.472) in non-conference games this season. WAC teams have competed against the Big East (0-1), Big Ten (0-2), Big 12 (0-2), Conference USA (1-1), Great West (4-0), FBS Independents (0-2), MAC (3-0), Mountain West (4-6), Pac-10 (2-3), SEC (0-2), Southland (2-0) and SWAC (1-0).  The WAC is 1-7 versus AP top-25 non-conference opponents as Boise State beat No. 16 Oregon on Sept. 3, Utah State lost at No. 19 Utah on Sept. 3, Nevada lost at No. 23 Notre Dame on Sept. 5, San Jose State lost at No. 4 USC on Sept. 5, San Jose State lost to No. 17 Utah on Sept. 12, Fresno State lost at No. 14 Cincinnati on Sept. 26, Utah State lost at No. 20 BYU on Oct. 2, New Mexico State lost at No. 17 Ohio State on Oct. 31, and Louisiana Tech lost to No. 9 LSU on Nov. 14.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT - A total of seven WAC football players were named to the 2009 first-team College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District teams.  Members of CoSIDA voted on the selections.  To be eligible for the teams, a player must have at least a 3.20 GPA and play in 50 percent of his team's games.  Those named will now move on to the Academic All-American ballot which will be released later this month.

Academic All-District First Team Members
Richie Brockel, Sr., RB, Boise State
Vince Pascoe, Jr., TE, Fresno State
Andrew Jackson, Jr., OL, Fresno State
Kevin Goessling, So., PK, Fresno State
Moses Harris, Sr., DB, Fresno State
Aaron Lavarias, Jr., DL, Idaho
Robert Malone, Sr., P, Fresno State

WAC TRIO WITH 248 WINS - Boise State, Hawai'i and Fresno State have combined for 248 victories since the 2001 season. That total is the third most of any FBS conference's top trio.

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 206-94-1, 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 182-144-7. Tomey previously won 63 games at Hawai'i from 1977-86 and 95 games at Arizona from 1987-2000. Tomey has coached 333 games, the fourth most among active coaches. In WAC games only, Fresno State head coach Pat Hill has 70 conference victories, the fourth most in league history while Tomey has 48 WAC wins, the sixth most.

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 99 games over the last nine years while Hawai'i has 76 wins and Fresno State has 73. Only Texas 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 (11-0, 6-0 WAC)
Sophomore QB Kellen Moore is first in the nation in passing efficiency (168.85) and has thrown 33 touchdowns with just three interceptions ... he is 23-1 as a starter ... junior Austin Pettis has caught a pass in 32 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... its 46 wins since 2006 are the most in the nation ... has won 109 games this decade, tying Florida State (1990s) for the third most in a decade in NCAA history ... has won 54 consecutive regular season home games ... its active 24-game home winning streak is currently the second longest in the nation ... has won 69 of its last 71 games (including bowl games) at home ... is the highest scoring team in the nation since 2000 averaging 40.79 points over 126 games.

Fresno State Bulldogs (7-4, 6-2 WAC)
Ryan Mathews, the nation's leading rusher, missed last week's game after suffering a concussion two weeks ago ... senior Lonyae Miller rushed for 55 yards to surpass 2,000 for his career ... Kevin Goessling made three field goals against Louisiana Tech and has made a school-record 14 in a row (14-of-15 for the season) ... the Bulldogs' four losses are against teams with a combined record of 37-6 with two of those teams currently in the top 10 (Boise State and Cincinnati) ... the Bulldogs have 48 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 ... the 'Dogs will have traveled 23,354 miles when the regular season ends.

Hawai'i Warriors (5-6, 3-5 WAC)
Beat San Jose State to even the all-time series at 16-16-1 ... improved to 7-2 in overtime and won its fourth straight overtime game dating back to 2007 (all on the road) ... the 17 points were the least amount of points in a UH win since a 13-10 decision at San Jose State in 2003 ... Lametrius Davis picked off two Spartan passes to give him three interceptions on the season ... is 13-1 in the month of November since the 2006 season ... C John Estes has started 52 straight games, the longest active streak in the nation ... UH is 25-0 when scoring 40 or more points since 2005 ... has committed at least one turnover in 35 consecutive games ... is celebrating its 100th anniversary of its first football team.

Idaho Vandals (7-4, 4-3 WAC)
In its last game two weeks ago against Boise State, committed seven turnovers that led to four touchdowns including on its first two series of the game ... sophomore Brian Reader started his second straight game for the injured junior Nathan Enderle and was 17-of-27 for 305 yards and a touchdown with five interceptions ... Daniel Hardy caught four passes for a career-high 119 yards ... senior running back DeMaundray Woolridge rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in the game ... his 16 touchdowns this season are the second most in the WAC ... has seven wins against FBS schools in the same season for the first time since 1998 ... has won three road games for the first time since 1999.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-8, 2-5 WAC)
Dismissed linebacker Dominique Faust from the team due to a violation of team rules ... Dennis Morris became the first Bulldog player to record three touchdown catches in a game since James Jordan did so against Southern California on Nov. 26, 1999 ... senior DB Antonio Baker's 352 career tackles are  the fifth most of any active player in the nation ... Daniel Porter's 137 rushing yards at LSU gave him 3,153 for his career, the second most in Tech history ... junior Phillip Livas has scored multiple TDs four different ways: reception (4), rush (3), kickoff return (3) 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 (8-3, 7-0 WAC)
Has won eight games in a row, its longest streak as an FBS member ... is averaging 51.6 points and 445.6 rushing yards per game during its winning streak ... has had five different players rush for more than 100 yards 21 times this season ... against New Mexico State, Vai Taua, Colin Kaepernick and Luke Lippincott  all topped the 100-yard rushing mark for the second time this season ... both Kaepernick and Lippincott have rushed for a touchdown, thrown a touchdown pass and caught a touchdown pass this season ... defensive linemen Dontay Moch and Kevin Basped have both recorded 40.5 career tackles for loss, the most of any active players in the WAC ... guaranteed itself a bowl game as it will finish in the top two in the WAC standings.

New Mexico State Aggies (3-8, 1-5 WAC)
Trailed 63-6 before sophomore quarterback Jeff Fleming connected with junior wide receiver Marcus Allen for two passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter of the loss against Nevada ... it was the first offensive touchdowns for the Aggies in 21 quarters ... Fleming was 8-of-19 for 77 yards and two interceptions ... he completed passes to two players: Allen (5 for 52 yards) and Marcus Anderson (3 for 25) ... both linebacker Ross Conner and free safety Stephon Hatchett recorded 13 tackles apiece in the game ... sophomore PK Kyle Hughes made both extra point attempts and is now a perfect 45-of-45 in his career ... New Mexico State has not won more than four games in a season since joining the WAC in 2006.

San Jose State Spartans (1-9, 0-6 WAC)
Recovered two more fumbles in the game against Hawai'i to increase its season total to a WAC-best 14 ... held Hawai'i to 3.5 yards per rush, the lowest for a Spartan opponent this year ... Kyle Reed came off the bench and was 14-of-22 for 131 yards and one interception ... he replaced Jordan La Secla who was 1-for-3 for 14 yards and two interceptions ... Kevin Jurovich has caught at least one pass in 24 consecutive games played since switching from the defensive backfield to wide receiver prior to the 2007 season ... he is the school's all-time leader in pass receptions (154) ... Carl Ihenacho is third in the nation in fumbles recovered (0.38/game) ... head coach Dick Tomey is the president of the AFCA for 2009.

Utah State Aggies (3-8, 2-5 WAC)
Has rushed for 2,148 yards on the season, the first time that Utah State has rushed for more than 2,000 yards since 1975  (2,028) ... the Aggies' 4,733 yards of total offense are the most since 1997 (4,943) ... Robert Turbin's 1,183 rushing yards are the most ever for an Aggie sophomore, breaking the record of 1,135 set by Rick Parros in 1977 ... Turbin's 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter tied the Boise State game at 14 ... Bobby Wagner had 13 tackles in the game against Boise State to give him 106 on the season ... it's the third year in a row that the Aggies have had a 100-tackle linebacker ... was 3-2 at home this year, the Aggies' first winning record at home since 2003 (3-2) ... the loss on Friday was its 16th consecutive in non-Saturday games.