Week 5 is officially in the books, and we were able to learn a lot about the Western 20 this last weekend.
Let’s take a look at last week’s results.
Western Kentucky vs. New Mexico State
Final | New Mexico State 34, Western Kentucky 13
Western Kentucky traveled to Las Cruces and New Mexico State welcomed them in force by blowing them out 34-13. While both teams have had disappointing seasons so far, the Aggies showed signs of life that they had yet to show against FBS competition.
Aggie quarterback Adam Damante made his first start of the season in place of Trey Hedden, the season-opening quarterback who struggled mightily in New Mexico State’s previous two games. He threw for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 15-of-26 passing.
Cornerback De’Marcus Peters recorded his first interception of the season, a 45-yard pick-six midway through the second quarter. The interception was Peters’ first at the FBS level after spending his first three years of college at Division II Texas A&M-Kingsville.
The win over the Hilltoppers was the Aggies’ first FBS win since winning at UTEP on November 22, 2025. New Mexico State is now tied for first in Conference USA.
New Mexico State, now 2-3, next travels to Florida International for the first of three straight Wednesday night games on October 7.
Navy vs. Air Force
Final | Air Force 14, Navy 9
In the first matchup between service academies this season, Air Force jumped ahead in the race for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy by defeating Navy at home 14-9.
The Falcons never trailed in the game. Quarterback Liam Szarka rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns to provide the only scoring punch. He also threw for 82 yards and two interceptions.
Navy was able to muster 253 yards of total offense. The Midshipmen scored a touchdown on their first drive of the second half, but the Falcons limited them to three punts and a fumble on their four other second-half possessions.
Air Force now sits at 3-1 on the season, with its only loss coming at home to undefeated North Dakota State in Week 2. The Falcons travel to Mountain West newcomer Northern Illinois this Saturday for their third conference game of the season.
Cal vs. UNLV
Final | UNLV 39, Cal 31
The Rebels welcomed the Golden Bears in the only P4 vs. G6 matchup of the week. UNLV was able to escape with a 39-31 victory after a second half that saw Cal come back from a 17-point deficit.
UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold threw for 177 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 110 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The five-touchdown game was the best of the season for Arnold, an Oklahoma and Auburn transfer.
The Rebel defense recorded four sacks and an interception against the combination of Cal quarterbacks Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Jackson Brousseau. Brousseau entered the game in the second half after Sagapolutele was shaken up on a hit late in the first half.
After trailing 24-7 going into halftime, Cal took a 25-24 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter on an Ashten Emory seven-yard touchdown run. Arnold then led the Rebels on two straight touchdown drives before a late Cal touchdown brought the score within eight.
UNLV has another tough test coming, with Mountain West leader North Dakota State traveling to Vegas on Saturday.
Wyoming vs. North Dakota State
Final | North Dakota State 28, Wyoming 0
In the first-ever Battle of the Basins, North Dakota State shut out Wyoming in the first-ever Mountain West Conference home game for the Bison.
The Bison started out strong with Donovan Woolen intercepting Wyoming’s Tyler Hughes. North Dakota State quarterback Nathan Hayes got the first of his two rushing touchdowns on the ensuing drive. Hayes ran for 79 yards while also passing for 187.
Defensive end Kelton McCaslin feasted against the Wyoming offense with 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss. McCaslin is now tied for first among Mountain West players with four sacks this season.
Wyoming was shut out for the second time this season after managing just 162 yards of offense. No receiver recorded more than one reception. Wyoming punter Bart Edmiston netted 308 yards on seven punts, pushing his season average to 46.8 yards per punt, second best among Mountain West punters.
Next, North Dakota State travels to UNLV in an effort to go 6-0. Wyoming will travel to San Jose State for its second straight conference road game.
UTEP vs. New Mexico
Final | New Mexico 61, UTEP 7
UTEP, currently ranked No. 132 out of 138 in Elevation Change’s FBS rankings, traveled to Elevation Change No. 54 New Mexico, and the results were about what you’d expect. New Mexico opened with 44 unanswered points to cruise to an easy 61-7 victory.
New Mexico, now on the national radar for a potential CFP appearance, outgained the Miners 492 yards to 270 while also showing why the Lobos are a serious contender in the Mountain West race.
New Mexico quarterback Toa Fa’avae threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns. The Lobos also ran for 230 yards. Running back Cameron Matthews led the way with 108 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
The Miners were led by quarterback Raymond Moore III, who came in in relief of starter EJ Colson Jr. Moore finished with only 34 yards on 1-of-5 passing with two interceptions, including a pick-six, but he also carried the ball 11 times for 134 yards, capped off by an 86-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
New Mexico moves to 4-1 on the season after its Mountain West opener. UTEP drops to 1-4.
UTEP heads back to El Paso to take on Nevada on Saturday, October 10, while New Mexico will be on bye before a road trip to Hawai’i on October 17.
Oregon State vs. Colorado State
Final | Oregon State 56, Colorado State 26
The Pac-12 opened with a bang as Oregon State dropped a season-high point total in a 56-26 win over Colorado State.
Beaver quarterback Braden Atkinson threw for 427 yards and five touchdowns with a 91% completion rate, while his top receiver, Jesse Legree, finished with five receptions for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Atkinson now leads the country in passing yards with 1,851 and is second in touchdowns with 16.
This is the fifth straight game in which Legree has topped 100 yards, a feat that has him sitting second in the FBS in receiving yards with 744. His three touchdown catches tie him for first in the FBS in receiving touchdowns with nine. He is the third Beaver, and the first since Brandin Cooks in 2013, to record 100 yards receiving in five straight games.
Colorado State quarterback K’Saan Farrar made his second straight start in place of the injured Hauss Hejny. Farrar finished with 178 yards and a touchdown through the air and added a rushing touchdown.
The Rams tied the game at 14-all early in the second quarter after a Beavers fumble, but Oregon State outscored them 42-12 the rest of the way.
During halftime, Colorado State defensive coordinator Tyson Summers was relieved of his play-calling duties. Summers left the game, and according to head coach Jim Mora Jr., he is no longer with the team.
Oregon State returns home to face San Diego State in its first Pac-12 home game, while Colorado State goes on bye. The Rams will travel to Texas State the following week.
Utah State vs. Boise State
Final | Boise State 37, Utah State 18
Boise State hosted Utah State in the inaugural Pac-12 matchup between the two, and then-AP No. 22 Boise was able to come away with a 37-18 victory.
Boise was led by quarterback Maddux Madsen and running back Dylan Riley, both of whom scored two touchdowns on the blue turf. Wide receiver Rasean Jones added 88 yards on five receptions to lead the team.
Utah State has struggled to find its offensive footing this season, but behind 139 yards from running back Javen Jacobs and 102 yards from wide receiver Eli Wood, the Aggies produced their second-highest point total of the season.
Boise stayed in control throughout the game. The Broncos have now won four straight since their season-opening loss at then-No. 2 Oregon.
Utah State continued to struggle, but it has been put through a gauntlet of an opening schedule, with its four losses coming to opponents sitting at a combined record of 15-2.
Boise travels to Fresno State on Saturday, October 10, for the newest edition of Pac-12 After Dark. Utah State stays at home to face Washington State in a Friday night matchup on October 9.
Fresno State vs. Washington State
Final | Fresno State 26, Washington State 6
Fresno State and Washington State played to a quiet 26-6 victory for the Bulldogs.
Fresno State has won four straight since its season-opening loss at then-No. 14 USC. Kicker Manaki Watanabe went 4-of-5 on field goal attempts, every one of them from inside 33 yards, to lead the scoring for the Bulldogs.
Washington State, held to a season-low 30 rushing yards, is off to its worst start since the 2010 season. The Cougars are bottom-10 in the FBS in third-down conversions at 28.9% (13 of 45), and they went 3 of 14 (21.4%) on Saturday against the Bulldogs.
Washington State, one of the two original Pac-12 members alongside Oregon State, is 1-4 and looking for any semblance of offense under first-year head coach Kirby Moore, brother of New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore.
Fresno State will look to extend its win streak when it hosts AP No. 23 Boise State on Saturday. Wazzu will look to right the ship against another struggling team in Utah State on Friday night.
Texas State vs. San Diego State
Final | San Diego State 31, Texas State 29
San Diego State got a much-needed 31-29 win against a good Texas State squad Saturday night.
The short-handed Aztecs were carried by four second-half touchdowns, including a 96-yard kickoff return by Jaylon Hawkins and a 32-yard pick-six by Cameron Cooper.
Cooper’s pick-six came with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter, sealing the game for the Aztecs after Texas State blew a 17-3 halftime lead.
Texas State quarterback Brad Jackson finished with 372 yards and three touchdowns, but two second-half interceptions that led to two Aztec touchdowns hindered the Bobcats’ comeback attempt.
The Aztecs were led on offense by freshman wide receiver Beau Sparks, who stepped in and had 153 yards and a touchdown.
San Diego State was able to make the comeback despite missing 13 players due to an outbreak of the mumps within the program. The Aztecs needed only 239 yards of total offense to secure the win.
Texas State heads home for a bye before hosting Colorado State the following week. San Diego State goes on the road to face a red-hot Oregon State squad coming off a 56-26 drubbing of Colorado State.
San Jose State vs. Hawai’i
Final | San Jose State 20, Hawai’i 16
In the final game of Week 5, the San Jose State Spartans traveled to Honolulu to take on the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors and walked away with a 20-16 win.
The two teams combined for 762 yards despite the low point total. Hawai’i quarterback Micah Alejado led both teams in passing with 341 yards and a touchdown.
The Spartans relied on quarterback Luke Weaver, who threw for 246 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Carson Clark, who finished with five receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Spartan tight end and native Hawaiian Kamaehu Kopa-Kaawalauole caught Weaver’s other touchdown pass, his first collegiate touchdown reception.
For the Rainbow Warriors, wide receiver Devin Alves led the way with three receptions for 121 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown catch at the end of the third quarter.
San Jose State took a 14-0 lead into halftime, and Hawai’i held the Spartans to two field goals after the break. It wasn’t enough, as the Rainbow Warrior offense could only muster 16 second-half points, and a final heave into the end zone was batted down to end the game.
The Spartans return to the mainland for a home game against Wyoming on Friday. Hawai’i, having already played three Mountain West games, visits Tempe to take on Arizona State on Saturday in next week’s only G6 vs. P4 matchup.