# 2011 Western Athletic Conference football season

The 2011 Western Athletic Conference football season is a college football season for the Western Athletic Conference. The 2011 season consisted of eight members: Fresno State, Hawaiʻi, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Nevada, New Mexico State, San Jose State, and Utah State.
This season the WAC's membership changed for the first time since 2005. Boise State, who joined the conference in 2001, left to join the Mountain West Conference.
This season was the last year of membership for three other schools: Fresno State, Hawaiʻi, and Nevada. All became members of the Mountain West in 2012 (Hawaiʻi as a football only member, other sports will join the Big West Conference). In response to their departure, the WAC added five new members in 2012. Of the new members, only Texas State and UTSA had football programs.

## Previous season

After going 14–0 in 2009, Boise State started the season in the top 5 in both the AP and Coaches preseason polls and was picked to win the conference. Boise State spent a majority of the season ranked in the top 4, including climbing as high as #2 in the AP and Harris polls, while running their nation leading win streak to 24 games before their day after thanksgiving matchup with #19 Nevada. Nevada, whose only loss of the season was at Hawaiʻi, defeated the #3 ranked Broncos in overtime. Boise State, Nevada, and Hawaiʻi all finished the season 7–1 to share the WAC title.
In bowl games, Boise State (12–1) defeated Utah 26–3 in the Maaco Bowl Las Vegas. Hawaiʻi (10–4) lost to Tulsa 35–62 in the Hawaiʻi Bowl. Nevada (13–1) defeated Boston College 20–13 in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Fresno State (8–5) lost to Northern Illinois 17–40 in the Humanitarian Bowl.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

The following WAC players were named to preseason award watch lists.

### WAC Football Preview

During the WAC Football Preview in Las Vegas on July 27–28, Hawaiʻi was selected as the favorite to win the conference by both the media and the coaches. In the media poll, Hawaiʻ received 18 first place votes. Fresno State and Nevada both received 11 first place votes with Utah State receiving one. In the coaches poll, Hawaiʻi received five first place votes while Fresno State, who ranked second, received one first place vote and Nevada, who ranked third, received two first place votes.

#### Media Poll

* Hawaiʻi – 292 (18)
* Fresno State – 284 (11)
* Nevada – 264 (11)
* Louisiana Tech – 184
* Utah State – 164 (1)
* Idaho – 141
* San Jose State – 85
* New Mexico State – 60

#### Coaches Poll

* Hawaiʻi – 47 (5)
* Fresno State – 41 (1)
* Nevada – 40 (2)
* Louisiana Tech – 31
* Utah State – 22
* Idaho – 21
* San Jose State – 15
* New Mexico State – 7
The media also voted on the WAC preseason players of the year. Hawaiʻi's Bryant Moniz was selected as the offensive player of the year and Utah State's Bobby Wagner was selected as the defensive player of the year.

## Coaches

NOTE: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season
| Team | Head coach | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | WAC record |
| Fresno State | Pat Hill | 15 | 108–71 | 108–71 | 75–36 |
| Hawaiʻi | Greg McMackin | 4 | 23–18 | 23–18 | 15–9 |
| Idaho | Robb Akey | 5 | 17–33 | 17–33 | 8–24 |
| Louisiana Tech | Sonny Dykes | 2 | 5–7 | 5–7 | 4–4 |
| Nevada | Chris Ault | 27 | 219–97–1 | 219–97–1 | 36–17 |
| New Mexico State | DeWayne Walker | 2 | 5–21 | 5–20 | 2–14 |
| San Jose State | Mike MacIntyre | 2 | 1–12 | 1–12 | 0–8 |
| Utah State | Gary Andersen | 3 | 12–23 | 8–16 | 5–11 |

## WAC vs. BCS matchups

| Date | Visitor | Home | Notes |
| September 3^ | Fresno State 21 | California 36 | Played at Candlestick Park |
| September 3 | Colorado 17 | Hawaiʻi 34 | |
| September 3 | San Jose State 3 | #6 Stanford 57 | Bill Walsh Legacy Game |
| September 3 | Utah State 38 | #19 Auburn 42 | Utah State led by 10 with less than 5 minutes to play |
| September 10 | Fresno State 29 | #10 Nebraska 42 | |
| September 10 | Hawaiʻi 32 | Washington 40 | |
| September 10 | Nevada 20 | #14 Oregon 69 | |
| September 10 | New Mexico State 28 | Minnesota 21 | NMSU first win over BCS team since 1999 |
| September 10 | San Jose State 17 | UCLA 27 | |
| September 17 | Idaho 7 | #9 Texas A&M 37 | |
| September 24 | Louisiana Tech 20 | Mississippi State 26 | Overtime |
| September 24 | Nevada 34 | Texas Tech 35 | |
| October 1 | Mississippi 38 | Fresno State 28 | |
| October 1 | Idaho 20 | Virginia 21 | Overtime |
| November 5 | New Mexico State 16 | Georgia 63 | |
| November 12 | Louisiana Tech 27 | Mississippi 7 | |
| ^Denotes neutral site game ||||

## Regular season

* Index to colors and formatting
* WAC member won
* WAC member lost
* WAC teams in bold
All dates, times, and TV are tentative and subject to change.
The WAC has teams in four different time zones. Times reflect start time in respective time zone of each team (Central–Louisiana Tech, Mountain–New Mexico State, Utah State, Pacific–Fresno State, Idaho, Nevada, San Jose State, Hawaiian–Hawaiʻi). Conference games start times are that of the home team.
Rankings reflect that of the USA Today Coaches poll for that week until week eight when the BCS poll will be used.

### Week one

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Idaho | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | ALT | L 15–32 | 12,173 |
| September 3 | 10:00 a.m. | Utah State | #19 Auburn | Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, AL | ESPN2 | L 38–42 | 85,245 |
| September 3 | 2:00 p.m. | San Jose State | #6 Stanford | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (Bill Walsh Legacy Game) | CSNBA | L 3–57 | 47,816 |
| September 3 ^ | 4:00 p.m. | Fresno State | California | Candlestick Park • San Francisco (TicketCity Battle by the Bay) | CSNCA | L 21–36 | 31,563 |
| September 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Colorado | Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | ESPN2 | W 34–17 | 37,001 |
| September 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Ohio | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM | ALT | L 24–44 | 14,728 |
| September 3 | 9:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Southern Miss | M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS (Rivalry in Dixie) | FSN | L 17–19 | 22,356 |
^ Neutral site
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Bryant Moniz | Hawaiʻi | Paipai Falemalu | Hawaiʻi | Taveon Rogers | New Mexico State |

### Week two

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 10 | 9:30 a.m. | Hawaiʻi | Washington | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | RSNW | L 32–40 | 63,252 |
| September 10 | 12:30 p.m. | Nevada | #14 Oregon | Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR | FX | L 20–69 | 58,818 |
| September 10 | 1:30 p.m. | New Mexico State | Minnesota | TCF Bank Stadium • Minneapolis, MN | BTN | W 28–21 | 48,807 |
| September 10 | 2:00 p.m. | North Dakota | Idaho | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | SWX | W 44–14 | 10,608 |
| September 10 | 4:00 p.m. | Fresno State | #10 Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE | BTN | L 29–42 | 85,101 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | Central Arkansas | Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA | ESPN3 | W 48–42 OT | 20,652 |
| September 10 | 6:00 p.m. | Weber State | Utah State | Romney Stadium • Logan, UT (Beehive Boot) | | W 54–17 | 18,239 |
| September 10 | 7:00 p.m. | San Jose State | UCLA | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA | Prime Ticket | L 17–27 | 42,685 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Andrew Manley | New Mexico State | Jonte Green | New Mexico State | Devin Wylie | Fresno State |

### Week three

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 17 | 1:00 p.m. | Nevada | San Jose State | Spartan Stadium • San Jose, CA | WSN | NEV 17–14 | 17,238 |
| September 17 | 4:00 p.m. | Hawaiʻi | UNLV | Sam Boyd Stadium • Whitney, NV | The Mtn. | L 20–40 | 21,248 |
| September 17 | 4:00 p.m. | Idaho | #9 Texas A&M | Kyle Field • College Station, TX | FSN PPV | L 7–37 | 86,623 |
| September 17 | 6:00 p.m. | Houston | Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA | ESPN3 | L 34–35 | 24,628 |
| September 17 | 6:00 p.m. | UTEP | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM (The Battle of I-10) | ALT | L 10–16 | 19,751 |
| September 17 | 7:00 p.m. | North Dakota | Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA | ESPN3 | W 27–22 | 27,542 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Mike Ball | Nevada | Logan Harrell | Fresno State | Jake Hurst | Nevada |

### Week four

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 24 | 1:00 p.m. | New Mexico State | San Jose State | Spartan Stadium • San Jose, CA | | SJSU 34–24 | 13,456 |
| September 24 | 2:00 p.m. | Fresno State | Idaho | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | WSN | FRES 48–24 | 15,110 |
| September 24 | 4:00 p.m. | Nevada | Texas Tech | Jones AT&T Stadium • Lubbock, TX | FCS | L 34–35 | 55,664 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | UC Davis | Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | Oceanic PPV | W 56–14 | 30,756 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Mississippi State | Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, MS | ESPNU | L 20–26 OT | 55,116 |
| September 24 | 6:00 p.m. | Colorado State | Utah State | Romney Stadium • Logan, UT | ESPN3 | L 34–35 2OT | 22,599 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Bryant Moniz | Hawaiʻi | Travis Brown | Fresno State | Kevin Goessling | Fresno State |

### Week five

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 30 | 6:00 p.m. | Utah State | BYU | LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT | ESPN | L 24–27 | 63,513 |
| October 1 | 11:30 a.m. | Nevada | #5 Boise State | Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID (rivalry) | Versus | L 10–30 | 34,098 |
| October 1 | 12:30 p.m. | Idaho | Virginia | Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, VA | ESPN3 | L 20–21 OT | 39,827 |
| October 1 | 1:00 p.m. | San Jose State | Colorado State | Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium • Fort Collins, CO | The Mtn. | W 38–31 | 27,863 |
| October 1 | 5:00 p.m. | New Mexico State | New Mexico | University Stadium • Albuquerque, NM (Rio Grande Rivalry) | The Mtn. | W 42–28 | 30,019 |
| October 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Hawaiʻi | Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA | ESPN Plus | HAW 44–26 | 25,212 |
| October 1 | 6:15 p.m. | Mississippi | Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA | ESPN2 | L 28–38 | 32,063 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Matt Christian | New Mexico State | Keith Smith | San Jose State | Justin Hernandez | Idaho |

### Week six

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 7 | 6:00 p.m. | #6 Boise State | Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA | ESPN | L 7–57 | 33,871 |
| October 8 | 1:00 p.m. | UNLV | Nevada | Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV (37th Battle for Nevada) | ESPN3 | W 37–0 | 25,978 |
| October 8 | 2:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Idaho | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | ESPN3 | LT 24–11 | 15,309 |
| October 8 | 6:00 p.m. | Wyoming | Utah State | Romney Stadium • Logan, UT | ESPN3 | W 63–19 | 17,561 |
| October 8 | 7:15 p.m. | San Jose State | BYU | LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT | ESPNU | L 16–29 | 59,783 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Chuckie Keeton | Utah State | Brett Roy | Nevada | Ryan Allen | Louisiana Tech |

### Week seven

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 14 | 6:00 p.m. | Hawaiʻi | San Jose State | Spartan Stadium • San Jose, CA | ESPN | SJSU 28–27 | 24,643 |
| October 15 | 1:00 p.m. | New Mexico | Nevada | Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV | | W 49–7 | 15,369 |
| October 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Idaho | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM | ALT2 | NMSU 31–24 | 12,711 |
| October 15 | 7:00 p.m. | Utah State | Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA | ESPN3 | FRES 31–21 | 28,854 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Chandler Jones | San Jose State | Khalid Wooten | Nevada | Travis Johnson | San Jose State |

### Week eight

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Fresno State | Nevada | Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV | WSN | NEV 45–38 | 15,113 |
| October 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Utah State | Romney Stadium • Logan, UT | | LT 24–17 | 16,037 |
| October 22 | 6:00 p.m. | New Mexico State | Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | | HAW 45–34 | 30,586 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Mike Ball | Nevada | Adrien Cole | Louisiana Tech | Ryan Allen | Louisiana Tech |

### Week nine

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| October 29 | 2:00 p.m. | Hawaiʻi | Idaho | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | ESPN Plus | HAW 16–14 | 10,461 |
| October 29 | 3:00 p.m. | San Jose State | Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA | | LT 38–28 | 19,642 |
| October 29 | 6:00 p.m. | Nevada | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM | WSN | NEV 48–34 | 15,782 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Cody Fajardo | Nevada | Aaron Brown | Hawaiʻi | Kenton Chun | Hawaiʻi |

### Week ten

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 5 | 10:30 a.m. | New Mexico State | #18 Georgia | Sanford Stadium • Athens, GA | CSS | L 16–63 | 92,746 |
| November 5 | 1:00 p.m. | Idaho | San Jose State | Spartan Stadium • San Jose, CA | WSN | IDHO 32–29 | 10,621 |
| November 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Utah State | Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | Oceanic PPV | USU 35–31 | 30,301 |
| November 5 | 9:30 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA (Battle for the Bone) | ESPNU | LT 41–21 | 27,965 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Colby Cameron | La Tech | Travis Johnson | San Jose State | Stanley Morrison | Utah State |

### Week eleven

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 12 | 1:00 p.m. | San Jose State | Utah State | Romney Stadium • Logan, UT | WSN | USU 34–33 | 14,593 |
| November 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Fresno State | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM | WSN | NMSU 48–45 | 14,227 |
| November 12 | 6:15 p.m. | Idaho | BYU | LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT | ESPN2 | L 7–42 | 57,770 |
| November 12 | 6:30 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Mississippi | Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS | CSS/CST | W 27–7 | 44,123 |
| November 12 | 7:15 p.m. | Hawaiʻi | Nevada | Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV | ESPNU | NEV 42–28 | 16,527 |
Players of the week:
| Offensive | Offensive | Defensive | Defensive | Special teams | Special teams |
| Player | Team | Player | Team | Player | Team |
| Cody Fajardo (2) | Nevada | IK Enemkpali | La Tech | Taveon Rogers (2) | New Mexico State |

### Week twelve

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 19 | 1:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech | Nevada | Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV | WSN | LT 24–20 | 11,639 |
| November 19 | 1:00 p.m. | Navy | San Jose State | Spartan Stadium • San Jose, CA | ESPN3 | W 27-24 | 25,114 |
| November 19 | 2:00 p.m. | Utah State | Idaho | Kibbie Dome • Moscow, ID | ESPN Plus | USU 49–42 $^{2OT}$ | 8,216 |
| November 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Fresno State | Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | WSN | FRES 24–21 | 28,907 |
| November 19 | 8:15 | New Mexico State | BYU | LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT | ESPNU | L 7–42 | 57,134 |

### Week thirteen

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| November 26 | 1:00 p.m. | Nevada | Utah State | Romney Stadium • Logan, UT | | USU 21-17 | 15,784 |
| November 26 | 3:00 p.m. | New Mexico State | Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium • Ruston, LA | ESPN Plus | LT 44-0 | 17,458 |
| November 26 | 5:00 p.m. | San Jose State | Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium • Fresno, CA (rivalry) | | SJSU 27-24 | 25,492 |
| November 26 | 6:00 p.m. | Tulane | Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | Oceanic PPV | W 35-23 | 27,411 |

### Week fourteen

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| December 3 | 1:00 p.m. | Idaho | Nevada | Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV | WSN | NV 56-3 | 10,027 |
| December 3 | 5:00 p.m. | Fresno State | San Diego State | Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, CA | CBS Sports Network | SDST 35-28 | 32,790 |
| December 3 | 6:00 p.m. | BYU | Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, HI | ESPN2 | BYU 41-20 | 30,765 |
| December 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Utah State | New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium • Las Cruces, NM | | USU 41-20 | 13,631 |

## All-WAC Teams
### Coach of the year

Sonny Dykes–Louisiana Tech

## Bowl games

| Bowl | Date | Winner* | Score | Loser* | Score | Location | Time$^+$ | Network |
| Famous Idaho Potato | Dec. 17, 2011 | Ohio | 24 | Utah State | 23 | Boise, Idaho | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| SDCCU Poinsettia | Dec. 21, 2011 | #15 TCU | 31 | Louisiana Tech | 24 | San Diego, California | 5:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl | Dec. 24, 2011 | Southern Miss | 24 | Nevada | 17 | Honolulu, Hawaii | 5:00 p.m. | ESPN |
| *WAC team is bolded. $^+$Time given is Pacific Time Rankings reflect Coaches Poll ||||||||||

## Home attendance

| Team | Stadium (Capacity) | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
| Fresno State | Bulldog Stadium (41,031) | 27,542 | 32,063 | 33,871 | 28,854 | 27,965 | 25,492 | — | 175,787 | 29,298 | 71.4% |
| Hawaiʻi | Aloha Stadium (50,000) | 37,001 | 30,756 | 30,586 | 30,301 | 28,907 | 27,411 | 30,765 | 215,727 | 30,818 | 61.6% |
| Idaho | Kibbie Dome (16,000) | 12,173 | 10,608 | 15,110 | 15,309 | 10,461 | 8,216 | — | 71,877 | 11,980 | 74.9% |
| Louisiana Tech | Joe Aillet Stadium (30,600) | 20,652 | 24,628 | 25,212 | 19,642 | 17,458 | — | — | 107,592 | 21,518 | 70.3% |
| Nevada | Mackay Stadium (29,993) | 25,978 | 15,369 | 15,113 | 16,527 | 11,639 | 10,027 | — | 94,653 | 15,776 | 52.6% |
| New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial Stadium (30,343) | 14,728 | 19,751 | 12,711 | 15,782 | 14,227 | 13,631 | — | 90,830 | 15,138 | 49.9% |
| San Jose State | Spartan Stadium (30,456) | 17,238 | 13,456 | 24,643 | 10,621 | 25,114 | — | — | 91,072 | 18,214 | 59.8% |
| Utah State | Romney Stadium (25,513) | 18,239 | 22,599 | 17,561 | 16,037 | 14,593 | 15,784 | — | 104,813 | 17,468 | 68.5% |