Courtesy: US Presswire

AVERIZON WIRELESS PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE - Louisiana Tech running back Daniel Porter, a senior from Baton Rouge, La. (Istrouma HS), rushed for a career-high 199 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries in Louisiana Tech's 55-20 win over San Jose State. It was the first time a Bulldog back had rushed for three touchdowns in a game since Ryan Moats in 2004. He became the school's all-time rushing leader by just 10 yards, concluding his career with 3,352 yards.

DEFENSIVE - Louisiana Tech safety Tank Calais, a junior from Patterson, La. (Patterson HS), made nine tackles (4 solo), and his second career interception in the win over San Jose State. Calais picked off a pass at the Bulldog's 4-yard line in the fourth quarter and returned it a school-record 96 yards for a touchdown. He also had an assisted tackle for a loss in the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Hawai'i punter Alex Dunnachie, a freshman from Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia (Marcellin College), punted six times for a 49.2-yard average in the game against Hawai'i. He had four punts of at least 55 yards including a season-best 66-yarder in the first quarter. Two of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard line and three were returned for a total of just eight yards.

Others nominated on offense:
Doug Martin, So., RB, Boise State - rushed for 83 yards and four touchdowns on just eight carries in the win over New Mexico State.
Ryan Mathews, Jr., RB, Fresno State - ran for 173 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries in the win at Illinois.
Seth Smith, Jr., RB, New Mexico State - rushed for 114 yards on 35 carries in the game at Boise State.  Also caught a pass for 12 yards.

Also nominated on defense:
JC Percy, Fr., LB, Boise State - had a team-high nine tackles and a fumble recovery in the win over New Mexico State.
Phillip Thomas, Fr., S, Fresno State - made two tackles and intercepted two passes returning one 21 yards for his first career touchdown at Illinois.

Additional special teams nominations:
Marlon Moore, Sr., KR, Fresno State - returned five kicks for 116 yards with a long of 36 that led to a touchdown in the game at Illinois.
Tonny  Glynn, Sr., KR, New Mexico State - returned three kicks for 86 yards in the game at Boise State.

WAC SENDS FOUR TO POSTSEASON BOWLS - For the third time in four seasons, the WAC is sending a team to a BCS bowl game. Boise State is making a return trip to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4 where it will face TCU. The teams met in last year's Poinsettia Bowl. The Broncos' first appearance in the Fiesta Bowl was in 2007 where they beat Oklahoma, 43-42, in overtime, while Hawai'i played in the 2008 Sugar Bowl.  Boise State is making its eighth consecutive bowl appearance.  The bowl season opens for the WAC with Fresno State versus Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 19.  It is the second straight appearance in the game for the Bulldogs and 10th bowl in the last 11 years for Fresno State.  Nevada makes its fifth consecutive bowl appearance, playing in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl against SMU on Dec. 24. The Wolf Pack's last appearance in the game was in 2005 when it beat Central Florida in overtime, 49-48.  Idaho is going to a bowl for the first time since 1998. The Vandals will face Bowling Green in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 30. Idaho's only previous bowl game was in the 1998 Humanitarian Bowl where it beat Southern Mississippi, 42-35.

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 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS - As voted upon by the WAC's nine head coaches, Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore was named the Offensive Player of the Year, Nevada defensive end Dontay Moch earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Nevada wide receiver Brandon Wimberly was named the Freshman of the Year.  Boise State's Chris Petersen was voted the WAC's Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

ALL-WAC TEAMS - Boise State led the league with seven first-team all-WAC honorees, while Fresno State placed six on the first team and Hawai'i, Louisiana Tech and Nevada each placed three. All nine schools were represented on the first team..  Hawai'i's John Estes made the first team for the third consecutive year. Other repeat first team all-WAC selections from last season include Nevada running back Vai Taua, Boise State defensive lineman Ryan Winterswyk, Louisiana Tech defensive lineman D'Anthony Smith, Boise State defensive back Kyle Wilson and San Jose State defensive back Duke Ihenacho. Nevada placed a WAC-high seven players on the second team while Boise State, Fresno State and Idaho had four apiece.

BOISE STATE WINS OUTRIGHT wac TITLE - Boise State beat New Mexico State on Saturday, 42-7, to win the WAC's outright title.  The Broncos have won six outright titles since joining the WAC in 2001 and shared a title with Nevada in 2005.  Boise State was a perfect 8-0 in WAC play for the sixth time.  From 1989-2001, only one WAC team was perfect in conference play (BYU in 1996).  There have been seven perfect teams since 2002 (Boise State-6; Hawai'i-1).

BOISE STATE 6TH IN FINAL BCS RANKINGS -  In the eighth and final BCS rankings, Boise State remained 6th.  The Broncos had an average computer ranking of 6th as they were ranked 6th by Anderson & Hester, 6th by Billingsley, 7th by Colley, 7th by Massey, 7th by Sagarin and 6th 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.  The Broncos' ranking of fourth in the first rankings this season was the highest a non-BCS team had ever been ranked (tied a couple of weeks later by TCU).  WAC teams have been ranked in the final BCS poll seven times since the inception of the poll in 1998.

BRONCOS RANKED IN TOP 10 - Following the regular season, 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 (61 consecutive polls).

BOISE STATE UNDEFEATED AGAIN - Boise State is one of five teams in the nation without a loss and one of two from non-automatic BCS qualifying conferences (TCU).  The Broncos finished the regular season with a 13-0 record.  Boise State has posted undefeated regular season records in four of the last six years (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009) and was the only undefeated team in the nation in 2006 following the bowl games.

2009 BOWL LINEUP -  The WAC was affiliated with three bowl games this season. WAC teams will play in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M., the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl in Honolulu and in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho.  The WAC also had a couple of backup agreements with the San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl and GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

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.

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

NEVADA, MATHEWS LEAD NATION IN RUSHING - Fresno State junior running back Ryan Mathews continues to lead the nation in rushing with 151.3 yards per game.  Mathews leads Stanford's Toby Gerhart who is averaging 144.7 yards per contest.  As a team, Nevada leads the nation in rushing with 362.3 yards per game, 55.1 yards per game better than the next best team, Georgia Tech (307.2).  The WAC features two teams in the top 10 in rushing as Fresno State is seventh with 231.6 yards per contest.

MATHEWS, MOORE LOOK TO FINISH IN NATIONAL LEAD - Fresno State junior running back Ryan Mathews and Boise State sophomore quarterback Kellen Moore are trying to finish the season leading the nation in a couple of major statistical categories.  Mathews' 151.3 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 167.4 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.

NON-CONFERENCE - The WAC is 19-20 (.487) in non-conference games this season. WAC teams have competed against the Big East (0-1), Big Ten (1-3), Big 12 (0-2), Conference USA (1-1), Great West (4-0), FBS Independents (1-2), MAC (3-0), Mountain West (4-6), Pac-10 (2-3), SEC (0-2), Southland (2-0) and SWAC (1-0).  The WAC is 1-8 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.

IUPATI NAMED AFCA ALL-AMERICAN - Idaho senior guard Mike Iupati was one of 24 players selected as an AFCA All-American.  He is Idaho's first AFCA All-American since Ryan Phillips in 1995 and the Vandals' first since they moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) in 1996.  During Idaho's 7-5 regular-season campaign, Iupati played 807 snaps and had 49 knockdowns, 21 pancakes, allowed only five pressures and no sacks.

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.

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 in early December.  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 45.1 yards per punt this season, which would rank fifth in the NCAA statistics if he had enough punt attempts to quality. Fresno State's net punt unit has been ranked in the top 10 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.

FOUR NAMED FINALISTS FOR rUDY AWARD - The WAC has four players named candidates for the Rudy Award which honors student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their collegiate football teams.  The players are New Mexico State's Jamar Cotton, Utah State's Josh Flores, Nevada's Luke Lippincott and San Jose State's Phllip Knight.  Three finalists will be selected and a winner chosen on Jan. 11.

MOORE ONE OF 10 FINALISTS FOR manning award - Boise State sophomore Kellen Moore is one of 10 finalists for the Manning Award presented annually to the top quarterback in the nation.  The winner will be announced on Jan. 14.

ESTES ONE OF SIX FINALISTS FOR RIMINGTON TROPHY- Hawai'i senior John Estes is one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy which goes to the nation's top center.  The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from four existing All-America Teams: AFCA, Walter Camp, The Sporting News and FWAA.

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.

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).

HARSIN FINALIST FOR BROYLES AWARD - Boise State offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award given annually to the top assistant coach in college football.  Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart won the award on Dec. 8.

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

SJSU'S TOMEY ANNOUNCES RETIRMENT - San Jose State head coach Dick Tomey announced that he will retire 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 on Nov. 9.  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. Tomey had a 25-35 win-loss record as San Jose State's head coach.  Overall, Tomey completed a 29-year college football head-coaching career and had a coaching record of 183-145-7. A consistent winner, his teams never experienced two straight losing seasons.  All 3354 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.

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 206-95-1, the sixth winningest active coach in FBS. San Jose State's Dick Tomey is the seventh winningest active coach as he completed his fifth year with the Spartans and 29th overall with a record of 183-145-7. Tomey previously won 63 games at Hawai'i from 1977-86 and 95 games at Arizona from 1987-2000. Tomey coached 335 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 49 WAC wins, the sixth most.

WAC TRIO WITH 252 WINS - Boise State, Hawai'i and Fresno State have combined for 252 victories since the 2001 season. That total is 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 101 games over the last nine years while Hawai'i has 77 wins and Fresno State has 74. 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.

WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

(6/6) Boise State Broncos (13-0, 8-0 WAC)
Sophomore QB Kellen Moore's 39 touchdown passes to three interceptions are on pace to set an NCAA record ratio ...  he is 25-1 as a starter with a one-point loss against TCU as the only blemish ... Titus Young has caught a pass in 29 straight games, the longest active streak in the WAC ... its 48 wins since 2006 are the most in the nation ... has won 111 games this decade, the most by any team in any decade since 1900 ... has won 56 consecutive regular season home games ... its active 26-game home winning streak is currently the second longest in the nation ... has won 71 of its last 73 games (including bowl games) at home ... is the highest scoring team in the nation this decade averaging 40.82 points over 128 games.

Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4, 6-2 WAC)
In the game at Illinois, following a Jamel Hamler receiving touchdown where he stretched across the goal line with two seconds remaining, offensive lineman Devan Cunningham caught a deflected pass for a two-point conversion giving the Bulldogs a 53-52 win ... the win was the 100th career victory for head coach Pat Hill ... Ryan Mathews scored his 36th career touchdown setting a new school record ... Kevin Goessling made one field goal at Illinois and has made a school-record 15 in a row (15-of-16 for the season) ... the Bulldogs have 48 blocked kicks since 2002, the most in the nation in that time ... has 15 BCS wins since 2000, the second most among non-BCS teams during that time ... the 'Dogs traveled 23,354 miles during the regular season.

Hawai'i Warriors (6-7, 3-5 WAC)
Had its four-game winning streak snapped in the regular season finale against Wisconsin ... junior Greg Salas finished with 106 receptions (tied for the fourth most in a season in WAC history) and 1,590 receiving yards (fourth most in WAC history) ... he has caught at least one pass in 27 straight games ... C John Estes has started 54 straight games, the longest active streak in the nation ... UH is 25-0 when scoring 40 or more points since 2005 ... is second in the nation in punt return yardage defense (1.67-yard average on nine returns) ... celebrated its 100th anniversary of its first football team this season ... senior RB Inoke Funaki is one of 30 student-athletes selected to attend the NCAA Football Coaches Academy, Jan. 10-12.

Idaho Vandals (7-5, 4-4 WAC)
Lost four of its last five games after a 6-1 start ... in its regular season finale against Utah State, trailed 31-7 in the second quarter, took the lead, 42-38, before losing 52-49 ... Nathan Enderle returned to action after missing two games and was 16-of-25 for 262 yards with three touchdowns ... he re-injured his shoulder and Brian Reader came in to throw for 113 yards and two touchdowns ... Max Komar caught five passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns ... it was his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the year ... his 1,036 receiving yards are the most for a Vandal since Chris Lacy had 1,045 in 2001 ... has seven wins against FBS schools in the same season for the first time since 1998 ... won three road games for the first time since 1999.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (4-8, 3-5 WAC)
Scored 31 points in the second quarter against San Jose State ... senior RB Daniel Porter's 199 rushing yards against San Jose State gave him 3,352 for his career, setting a new school record by just 10 yards ... Deon Young returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown against SJSU, giving him his 10th career interception ... senior DB Antonio Baker's 352 career tackles are the most of any active player in the WAC and seventh most in the nation ... 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 (8-4, 7-1 WAC)
Nevada has kicked off to begin every game this season ... had its school record (FBS) eight-game winning streak snapped against Boise State ... was held to 242 rushing yards, 120 below its season average ... has had five different players rush for more than 100 yards 22 times this season ... Luke Lippincott will miss the bowl game after undergoing surgery for a broken toe sustained in the game against New Mexico State ... both Colin 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.

New Mexico State Aggies (3-10, 1-7 WAC)
Junior Seth Smith rushed for 114 yards in the season finale at Boise State ... it was his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season and gave him 1,016 for the season, the most for an Aggie since Chris Barnes had 1,131 in 2000 ... he became the fourth Aggie running back since 1967 to rush for 1,000 yards in a season ... quarterback Trevor Walls scored the team's only touchdown at Boise State on a one-yard run late in the fourth quarter ... it was the first points scored by the Aggies against Boise State in three games, getting outscored 149-7 in those three contests ... senior Tonny Glynn became New Mexico State's record holder for kickoff returns in a season (35) and kickoff return yardage in a season (778).

San Jose State Spartans (2-10, 1-7 WAC)
Marquis Avery caught seven passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the season finale at Louisiana Tech ... he was the only Spartan to have two touchdowns receptions in a game this season and the 147 receiving yards were the most by a San Jose State player this year ... Kyle Reed was 12-of-12 for 97 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter ... Lamon Muldrow rushed for 57 yards in the game while seven other backs combined for -30 ... senior WR Kevin Jurovich caught at least one pass in all 26 games he played in since switching from the defensive backfield prior to the 2007 season ... he is the school's all-time leader in pass receptions (160) ... head coach Dick Tomey is the president of the AFCA for 2009.

Utah State Aggies (4-8, 3-5 WAC)
Won its most games since going 4-7 in 2002 ... has increased its win total by one in each of the past three years since winning one game in 2006 ... scored 52 points against Idaho in its season finale, the most for the Aggies against an FBS opponent since beating Idaho, 63-17 in 1997 ... sophomore RB Robert Turbin's five TDs against Idaho matched the school-record set in 1956 by Jack Hill ... the Aggies rushed for 2,311 yards on the season, the most since gaining 2,364 n 1962 ... set a new school-record for total offense with 5,272 yards ... was 3-2 at home this year, the Aggies' first winning record at home since 2003 (3-2) ... named the field in Romney Stadium 'Merlin Olsen Field' to honor one of its most decorated football players in school history.