Following the Cougars' seventh straight victory of the season - a 63-33 win over Air Force - No. 10 BYU (7-0, 3-0) will travel to San Diego to take on SDSU (2-5, 1-2) in the Cougars' 800th game. Since BYU's first season in 1922, the Cougars have posted a mark of 437-336-26 (.563), including a record of 18-6-1 against the Aztecs. The game will mark the Cougars' second trip to California this season, including a Sept. 8 meeting at Cal. The game will also mark the third MWC road game for the bowl-eligible Cougars, while the Aztecs are returning home for the first time since Oct. 6. The game will be the Aztecs' first game against a nationally-ranked opponent this season, while BYU will be playing in its fifth game as a nationally-ranked team.
The BYU-SDSU Series (The 26th Meeting)
Saturday's game will mark the 26th meeting between the two teams, dating back to Nov. 22, 1947 with the Cougars holding an 18-6-1 record in the series. The Cougars claimed nine straight victories in the rivalry from 1976-1985 before the Aztecs won two of the next three. BYU went on another streak, recording five straight wins before San Diego State ended the streak last season with a 16-15 win in Provo. The Aztecs have never won back-to-back games in the series. SDSU has not defeated a ranked opponent since upsetting No. 16 Wyoming on Nov. 7, 1996. SDSU head coach Ted Tollner is 1-3 against the Cougars, while Saturday's game will mark BYU head coach Gary Crowton's first game against the Aztecs. In the 25 meetings between the two schools, BYU has outscored the Aztecs by an average 31.3-18.4. The Cougars have recorded 35 points (or more) against San Diego State nine different times. BYU defeated the Aztecs 30-7 in the two team's last meeting in San Diego.
Broadcast Plans
Saturday's game will be broadcast live by SportsWest on KSL, Ch. 5 in Salt Lake City. Tom Kirkland will call the action with former BYU quarterback Blaine Fowler lending expert commentary. The game will also be available via satellite at the following coordinates: Telstar 5, Transponder K24 (KU-Band). Channel 4 San Diego will also broadcast Saturday's game.
San Diego State Three-Dot Data
SDSU enters Saturday's game with a 2-5 mark on the season ... The Aztecs are tied with New Mexico and UNLV for fifth place in the Mountain West with a 1-2 league record ... Running back Larry Ned is questionable for Saturday's game with a sprained ankle ... Ned has already posted the best single-season of his career ... Ned has a league-leading 929 yards on 180 carries ... Ned is just 71 yards shy of becoming SDSU's first 1,000-yard rusher since Jonas Lewis posted 1,021 in 1997 ... The Aztecs have lost two straight games for the second time this season, including back-to-back losses at UNLV and Ohio State ... SDSU has won just one of its last eight games at Qualcomm Stadium ... The Aztecs average 145.0 rushing yards per game and 179.6 yards passing per game ... Through seven games, SDSU is averaging 15.3 points per game, while allowing an average 25.4 points per contest ... Lon Sheriff anchors the Aztec offense, averaging 115.4 yards passing per game ... San Diego State has six interceptions on the season, including two different players with two each ... Will Demps leads the SDSU defense with 69 tackles, including 45 solo takedowns.
Statistically Speaking
Junior running back Luke Staley leads the nation in average yards per carry, posting an impressive 9.02 yards per haul ... he ranks second in the nation, averaging 14.0 points per game ... Senior quarterback ranks second in the nation in touchdown passes with 20 ... he ranks fourth in passing efficiency (166.7) and total completions (141) ... Doman ranks second in the nation in touchdown/interception ratio, posting an impressive 10/1 ratio ... he currently ranks as BYU's all-time, single-season leader with 20 touchdown completions and only two interceptions ... Doman also leads the nation in total points responsible for with 158.
Did You Know???
The Cougars have scored 33 touchdowns when entering their opponents Red Zone. BYU scored only 32 total touchdowns all of last season ... The Cougars have scored the same number of touchdowns on the season (47) than Utah and Air Force combined (47). In addition, the Cougars' 47 touchdowns is more than all of San Diego State's (13), Wyoming's (13) and Colorado State's (19) combined (45). On the season, the Cougars have scored 342 points, that's nine more total points than Utah and Colorado State combined.
Cougars Wrap Up MWC Player-of-the-Week Honors
Doug Jolley became the latest Cougar to add his name to the list of BYU players earning MWC Player-of-the-Week honors. Jolley recorded 177 yards on 10 receptions and scored three touchdowns to lead BYU to a 63-33 win over Air Force. Earlier this season, Luke Staley earned weekly honors after chalking up 207 yards rushing and five touchdowns against Utah State. Following the Cal game, Brandon Doman and Ryan Denney each earned Player-of-the-Week recognition. after totaling 318 all-purpose yards, including 272 yards passing on 16-of-24 attempts, 29 yards rushing and 17 yards receiving. Doman produced three rushing touchdowns against the Golden Bears and threw for three more. Doman became the first BYU player responsible for six touchdowns since Steve Sarkisian threw for six TDs during the 1996 season. Denney led the defense with two of the team's five sacks against the Bears. He tallied seven tackles, including six solo takedowns, forced one fumble that led to a BYU TD and was credited with one pass deflection.
Cougars Continue to Climb National Polls
Following the Cougars' 63-33 victory over Air Force on Saturday, BYU climbed to No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, from No. 13 last week. BYU also jumped two spots in the Associated Press top-25 poll, climbing to No. 16. The Cougars' 10th-place rankings marks the highest BYU has been ranked in either poll since the 1996 season. After entering both polls on Sept. 9, following a 44-16 win at Cal, the Cougars climbed to No. 20 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll on Sept. 23. The Sept. 9 polls marks the first time BYU had been ranked nationally since the final game of the 1999 season - a 21-3 loss to Marshall in the Motor City Bowl. BYU entered the Motor City Bowl ranked 25th in the coaches poll, while it had dropped from the AP poll on Nov. 21. Nov. 14, 1999 marked the last time BYU was ranked in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. BYU was ranked 19th in each poll that week, but dropped out of the AP poll and fell to 25th in the coaches poll on Nov. 21. BYU has now been ranked in the Top-20 or Top-25 polls in 22 of the last 26 years. The only years in which BYU has never been ranked during the season since 1976 were 1978,1987, 1998 and 2000. The Cougars are just one of seven teams in this week's polls with a record of 6-0 or better.
Week USAToday/ESPN AP
Aug. 26 NR NR
Sept. 2 NR NR
Sept. 9 25th 24th
Sept. 16 No Polls No Polls
Sept. 23 20th 20th
Oct. 7 17th 18th
Oct. 14 13th 18th
Oct. 21 10th 16th
Cougars Fly By Air Force
Two weeks ago it was Luke Staley's rushing attack. Last week it was Brandon Doman and his late-game heroics. Saturday's Cougar hero è Doug Jolley. The senior tight end led the No. 13 Cougars to a 63-33 victory over Air Force, pushing BYU's record to a perfect 7-0 mark for the first time since the 1984 National Championship season. With just six games remaining, the Cougars are the first MWC to become eligible for a post-season bowl bid and are assured of their 28th consecutive non-losing season. Entering the game with only eight catches for 117 yards, Jolley finished with 10 catches, 177 yards and three touchdowns - all career highs. The 177 yards broke the Mountain West Conference record for receiving yards in a game. The Cougars didn't take long to seize control of the game. BYU scored on its first possession, an 18-yard touchdown strike to Jolley. On the ensuing kickoff, Aaron Edmonds recorded his own on-side kick and the Cougars drove the ball down the field again and scored on a two-yard Staley rush. The Cougars dominated the Falcons in the first half, taking a 42-13 lead into the locker room. BYU pushed the lead to 63-13 after three quarters. The Cougars scored 21 points in each of the first three quarters. Last week's hero was not to be forgotten. The Domanator followed up the dramatic come-from-behind win at New Mexico with another solid performance, earning himself an early exit from the game. He finished the game 20-32 for a season-high 338 yards and four touchdowns before leaving the game after only two offensive possessions in the second half. Staley rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns and also left the game at the same time as Doman, finishing with the night with 167 all-purpose yards. Staley's two touchdowns moved him into sole possession of second place on the career touchdown's list at BYU with 34. The junior back needs just seven TDs to eclipse the BYU career touchdown record.
Edmonds Garners Ray Guy Nomination
Senior punter Aaron Edmonds is having a banner season. With the high-powered production of the BYU offense, Edmonds has been called up an average of just 3.4 times per game. Edmonds has tallied an average 39.7 yards per punt and has accurately placed 11 of his 24 punts inside the 20 yard line. An amazing seven of those punts have been downed inside the 10 yard line. Only one of Edmonds' 24 punts have been recorded as a touchback, while only eight punts have been returnable. Edmonds' accuracy has prevented 75 percent of his punts from being unreturnable.
Cougars Clinch 28th Straight Non-Losing Season
Following a 63-33 win over Air Force on Saturday, the Cougars improved to 7-0, ensuring their 28th straight non-losing season. BYU has not had a losing season since posting a 5-6 mark in 1973-former head coach LaVell Edward's second season as head coach. The Cougars' streak of 28 straight seasons ranks 11th all-time at the NCAA Division I-A level and is currently the third longest non-losing streak in the nation. (Nebraska leads with an impressive 40 straight seasons without a losing record.)
Bowl Eligible
After picking up its seventh victory of the season, BYU becomes the first team in the Mountain West Conference to become eligible for post-season bowl consideration. Should the Cougars earn a bowl bid, it will mark the 23rd bowl game since the 1974 season. BYU last went bowling during the 1999 season. A bowl game would mark the third post-season appearance for the Cougars in the past four seasons.
Staley Closing in on Touchdown Record
Junior running back Luke Staley recorded two more touchdowns on Saturday (vs. Air Force), to get within six touchdown of Jamal Willis' career record 40 TDs. Staley has 14 touchdowns on the season and needs just two more to tie for the all-time, single-season touchdown mark. Against the Air Force, Staley picked up 134 yards on 14 carries. Staley leads the nation, averaging 9.02 yards per carry. He ranks second nationally with an average 14.0 points per contest. On the season, Staley has produced an average 121.83 yards per game. Staley was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week after recording his first 200-yard rushing game and his fourth career 100-yard game against Utah State. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound running back totaled a career-high 207 yards rushing on 23 carries, averaging 9.0 yards per touch. Staley also picked up 44 yards receiving on four receptions, a team season-high 49-yard kick return and threw one pass for 11 yards. On the night, Staley totaled an astounding 300 all-purpose yards. His 200-yard rushing performance marked the first time a BYU back has rushed for more than 200 yards since Ronney Jenkins posted 250 yards against San Jose State in 1998. He tied the BYU individual single-game record with five touchdowns on the night, including four rushing TDs. Staley also tied the BYU individual single-game record with 30 points. With his first-quarter touchdown against Air Force, Staley has produced at least one touchdown in 18 of the 25 games he has played over his career, including multiple-scoring games in 10 different outings.
BYU CAREER TOUCHDOWN LIST
Player Years TDs RushingReceiving
Jamal Willis 1991-94 40 35 5
Luke Staley 1999-Present 34 28 6
Lakei Heimuli 1984-86 32 30 2
Waymon Hamilton 1981-83 32 29 3
Eric Drage 1990-93 29 0 29
Ronney Jenkins 1996,98 29 24 5
BYU SINGLE-SEASON TOUCHDOWN LIST
Player Year TDs Rushing Receiving
Waymon Hamilton 1981 16 14 2
Ronney Jenkins 1998 15 13 2
Clay Brown 1980 15 0 15
Roy Oliverson 1951 15 n/a n/a
Luke Staley 2001 14 11 3
Ronney Jenkins 1996 14 11 3
Jamal Willis 1994 14 12 2
Staley Projections
With six regular-season games remaining, Staley is on pace to not only break the BYU career touchdown record, but could also break the single-season record as well. Staley is on pace to finish the season with over 27 touchdowns. For his career Staley is projected to score a record 56 touchdowns (1.3 TDs per game). Staley is also on pace for his first 1,000-yard season at BYU. Averaging 121.8 yards per game, Staley could eclipse the single-season rushing record with over 1,400 yards on the season. The Cougars have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since 1998. BYU has produced only five running backs (and six seasons) with 1,000-yard seasons since 1952. (Jamal Willis twice eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark.)
Cougars Aim For Single-Season Scoring Record
Through the first six games of the season, BYU has produced 342 points, averaging a nation's best 48.9 points per game. However, during the 1980 season, BYU posted a record 366 points over a mid-season seven-game stretch. With six games remaining, BYU is on pace to break the current single-season scoring record set in 1980. BYU chalked up 606 points that year, averaging 46.6 points per contest.
A Look At The Rivalries
Since 1922, BYU has maintained several long-standing rivalries. BYU will face each of its oldest rivals during the 2001 season. The Cougars own a winning record against four of the five rivals. Following is a look at the Cougars' five oldest rivalries:
School No. Games Series Record First Game Last Game
Utah 76 Utah leads, 45-27-4 Oct. 14, 1922 Nov. 24, 2000
Utah State 75 BYU leads, 39-33-3 Oct. 7, 1922 Oct. 5, 2001
Wyoming 67 BYU leads, 35-29-3 Nov. 14, 1922 Oct. 26, 2000
Colorado St. 59 BYU leads, 31-25-3 Nov. 25, 1922 Nov. 2, 2000
New Mexico 51 BYU leads, 38-12-1 Nov. 17, 1951 Oct. 13, 2001
Perfect After Seven
The Cougars' 63-33 win over Air Force on Saturday gave BYU its seventh straight win of the season, marking the best single-season start since 1984. (BYU went undefeated in 1984, winning the National Championship with a 13-0 record.) BYU's Gary Crowton became the first head coach in BYU football history to win the first seven games of his career. With the Cougars' victory over Air Force, the former Louisiana Tech head coach has posted a 28-13 career coaching record. With BYU's 52-7 win over Nevada, Crowton became the first BYU coach to win the first two games of his career at BYU since G. Ott Romney won his first two games in 1928. Romney went on to post a 3-3-1 record in his first season. After winning the first game of his career, defeating Kansas, 32-9, former head coach LaVell Edwards lost to Utah State in his second game, 42-19. With a 35-point victory over Tulane to kickoff the Gary Crowton era, the Cougars are 6-7 in the opening game of a coach's tenure at BYU.
Red Zone Review
The Cougars have scored on an amazing 37-of-39 trips to the Red Zone (.950), including a season-high nine of nine trips inside the Red Zone against Air Force. The Air Force game also marked the fourth time this season BYU has scored at least six different times inside the Red Zone. Prior to a BYU fumble on the eight-yard line against UNLV, the Cougars were a perfect 20-for-20 inside the Red Zone. 33 of the Cougars' 39 Red Zone scoring drives have been touchdowns, while just four have been field goals. The BYU defense has held its opponents to just 21-of-247 Red Zone scores on the season. The Cougars have scored 33 Red Zone touchdowns, which is more TDs than BYU scored during the entire 2000 season (32).
Fast Times at BYU
On the season, BYU has produced 10 scoring drives of under 1:00 or less. The Cougars began the 2001 campaign with a season-high four scoring drives under 1:00 against Tulane. The quickest drive came in the Cal game, ending the second quarter on a two-play, :14 second drive. Equally impressive, the Cougars have 26 scoring drives of under 2:00. Against Tulane, BYU produced a season-high six scoring drives under 2:00. BYU closed out the second quarter (against the Green Wave) with four straight scoring drives of :55, :47, :46 and :33. A week later, the Cougars posted five scoring drives of 1:58 or less. Against Cal, the Cougars posted five scoring drives of 1:50 or less, including two scoring drives under 1:00. On the Cougars' six scoring drives against Cal, two totaled three plays or less. On the season, BYU has totaled 21 scoring drives of five plays or less. Against Air Force, the Cougars scored racked up four scoring drives of under 2:00 and added three more scoring drives under 2:20. All totaled, all nine scoring drives were produced under 3:48.
THE STREAK IS STILL ALIVE ... 331 Games And Counting
With Doug Jolley's 18-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against the Falcons, BYU extended its NCAA record streak to 331 games without being shutout. BYU was last shutout during the 1975 season (Sept. 27, 1975 vs. Arizona State). The Cougars have only one player on its 2001 roster who was alive the last time BYU was shutout. Offensive lineman Aaron McCubbins was just two days old.
Another Streak of Note
Dating back to last season, BYU has won a total of eight straight games, marking the eighth longest winning streak in the country. Oklahoma leads the nation with 18 straight wins, followed by Miami with 14.
Cougars Re-Schedule Mississippi State, Switch Hawai'i
In cooperation with the University of Hawai'i and Mississippi State University, BYU announced it has re-scheduled its contest against Mississippi State for Saturday, Dec. 1. The game, originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, was postponed after the terrorist attacks on the United States. In order to play the Bulldogs on Dec. 1, Hawai'i generously agreed to switch its game with BYU from Dec. 1 to Saturday, Dec. 8. The SEC announced it would re-schedule the SEC Championship game from Dec. 1 to Dec. 8, allowing for games scheduled to be played on Sept. 15, to be played on Dec. 1. With this move, BYU and Mississippi State were able to re-schedule, only after Hawai'i had agreed to play BYU on Dec. 8, as opposed to Dec. 1.
Compare The Stats
STATS BYU SDSU
Scoring 342 107
Points Per Game 48.9 15.3
First Downs 187 122
Rushing yardage 1,610 1,015
Average Per Game 230.0 145.0
Rushing TDs 25 11
Passing Yardage 2,232 1,257
Att-Comp-Int 258-168-2 210-106-10
Average Per Game 318.9 179.6
Passing TDs 22 2
Total Offense 3,807 2,272
Total Plays 526 473
Average Per Game 543.9 324.6
Kick Returns: #-yards 22-522 26-564
Punt Returns: #-yards 28-277 21-154
INT Returns: #-yards 11-141 6-64
Kick Return Average 23.7 21.7
Punt Return Average 9.9 7.3
INT Return Average 12.8 10.7
Fumbles-lost 20-4 16-9
Penalties-yards 46-410 42-360
Punts-yards 24-953 40-1,695
Time of possession/game 28:27 29:43
3rd-down Conversions 40/92 40/102
4th-down Conversions 11/14 4/10
Sacks by-yards 19-135 14-87
Touchdowns 47 13
Field Goals-Attempts 5-10 6-7
PAT-Attempts 43-46 11-13
Attendance 283,601 71,643
Average Attendance 47,267 23,881
Pick A Receiver; Any Receiver
Throughout the 2001 season, the Cougars have used 20 different receivers, including a season-high 12 different receivers against Nevada. The BYU receiving corps has accounted for 2,232 of the Cougars'3,807 (58.6 percent) total yards on the season, including a season high 408 yards against Air Force. Reno Mahe ranks nationally with 43 receptions for 491 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars rank eighth in the nation in passing offense, averaging 318.86 yards per game. Nine different receivers have over 100 yards on the season, including four receivers with 200 or mor yards. Eight receivers have 10 or more receptions. Tight end Doug Jolley leads all receivers with four touchdown receptions, while Mahe, Luke Staley, Mike Rigell, Rod Wilkerson and Spencer Nead each have three touchdowns on the season.
In The Trenches
The experienced BYU offensive line, which includes three seniors and two juniors-all of which started last season, weighs in at a beefy 1,479 pounds, averaging 295.8 pounds per man. The O-line will be squaring off against a San Diego State defensive line (three seniors and a sophomore) that tip the scales at an average 270.0 pounds per man. On defense, the Cougars' line (two seniors, a junior and a sophomore) weighs in at 279.5 pounds per man, while the Aztecs' offensive line (three seniors, one junior and one sophomore) average 298.0 pounds per man. Four of the Cougars' five starting offensive lineman received All-Conference honors last season, including Aaron McCubbins, Dustin Rykert, Jason Scukanec and Ben Archibald. The BYU offensive line has allowed just seven sacks on the season. The BYU defense has produced 19 sacks, while the San Diego State defense has tallied 14 sacks over seven games.
"Turnover" a New Leaf
Earlier this season BYU played in back-to-back games without committing a single turnover, marking the first two-game stretch without a single turnover since the 1994 season. On Saturday, the Cougars duplicated the feat by avoiding a single turnover for the second straight game. On the season, the Cougars have had turnovers in just three of the seven games they have played. Entering the UNLV game, BYU had only one turnover on the season. Against the Rebels, the Cougars had a season-high three fumbles and one interception. Against Utah State, BYU had just one turnover. On the other side of the ball the BYU defense has forced 14 turnovers, including 11 interceptions and three fumbles. The Cougars forced three turnovers against Cal, converting all three turnovers into 21 points. Against UNLV, BYU converted three turnovers into six points, while the Rebels racked up 24 points on turnovers. Against Utah State, both interceptions were converted into points for the Cougars. Last season the Cougars had a -9 turnover margin, allowing 29 turnovers, while forcing just 20. BYU is 25-1 in games since 1981 in which it did not allow a turnover. (The only loss was to Washington in 1996.) BYU has never gone three straight games without a turnover.
That's Tight
BYU tight ends Doug Jolley and Spencer Nead racked up 226 of the Cougars' 408 receiving yards against the Air Force, including Jolley's 10-for-177 yard, three touchdown performance. Jolley became the first BYU receiver to score three touchdowns in a single game since Eric Drage picked up three TDs during the 1992 season. Jolley also set a MWC single-game record with 177 yards receiving. For his performance, Jolley was named the MWC Offensive Player-of-the-Week.
The Crowton File
Gary Crowton, a native of Orem, Utah, takes over a BYU program that has been under the direction of college football's sixth all-time winningest coach, LaVell Edwards. Edwards took over the program in 1972, coaching the Cougars to a 257-101-3 (.716) record. Crowton, 44, comes to BYU with a long and proven list of coaching accomplishments. Prior to serving the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator with the NFL's Chicago Bears, where his offense ranked third in the NFL in passing yardage during the 1999 season, Crowton was head coach at Louisiana Tech from 1996-1998. There he guided the Bulldogs to a 21-13 (.618) record over three seasons, including a 9-2 mark in 1997. Competing as an independent for three straight years, Louisiana Tech recorded wins over the likes of Mississippi State, Cal and Alabama. Using its Crowton-designed, high-powered offense, the program also recorded impressive wins by scoring 50-or-more points against eight different opponents, including games of 60-or-more points in five different games. Crowton's offense ranked third in the nation, both in passing and total offense, while the Bulldogs racked up 12,746 yards passing in three years, an average of 4,249 yards per season. The prolific Tech offense also produced 115 touchdown receptions, averaging 38.3 TDs per season. Under Crowton, Louisiana Tech engineered 22 different 300-yard passing games, including a school-record 10, 300-yard outings during the 1998 season. In 1998, Crowton's final season at Louisiana Tech, the Bulldogs combined for a school-record 4,943 yards passing. Crowton's coaching career actually began in 1982 as a student assistant under Edwards at BYU. While at BYU he worked with current Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren and future NFL Hall of Famer, Steve Young. From BYU, Crowton moved on to Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where he coached from 1983-86. While at Snow College, Crowton moved from defensive backs coach to offensive coordinator. Under his offensive leadership, the Badgers won the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship in 1985. From Snow College, Crowton moved to Western Illinois for one season, before taking over as the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire. In 1991, Crowton was hired as the quarterbacks coach at Boston College under head coach Tom Coughlin. There he helped develop quarterback Glenn Foley as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy. After three successful seasons with the Eagles, Crowton was hired as the co-offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech, where his offense led the Yellow Jackets to a No. 21 national ranking in his first and only season in Atlanta. In 1995, Crowton was hired as the offensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech, where he would become the head coach the following season. Crowton, who is the first-ever head football coach at BYU to serve an LDS Church mission, is married to the former Maren Peterson of Bountiful, Utah. The couple was married on August 3, 1985. The Crowtons have six children. NOTEABLE: Crowton is the first coach in BYU history to start his career 7-0 with the Cougars ... In only his fourth year as a Division-IA coach, Crowton recorded his 25th career victory - a 35-31 victory over future Hall of Fame coach John Robinson and the UNLV Rebels.
Simply Domanating
BYU launched a national award campaign for quarterback Brandon Doman this week as it readies to play at UNLV on Saturday. (Designed by Dave Broberg / photos by Mark Philbrick)
In only his ninth career start (vs. Air Force), senior quarterback Brandon Doman became the first BYU signal caller since Robbie Bosco in 1984 to win his first nine games as a starter. Doman led BYU to back-to-back wins to close out the 2000 season and has guided the Cougars to seven straight wins to open the 2001 season - the Cougars best start since the 1984 season. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior has paced the Cougars to a national-leading 48.9 points per game this season, posting 543.86 yards of total offense per game, which ranks second in the country. His passing efficiency (166.7) ranks 4th in the nation. Click HERE for the Domanator Update.
LaVell Edwards Stadium
On November 18, 2001, Cougar Stadium was forever changed, honoring the man who built BYU's football tradition from the ground up. President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley, announced the historic name change prior to Edwards'final home game (vs. New Mexico). Now known as LaVell Edwards Stadium; Home of the BYU Cougars, the stadium has been home to more than 112 games since it was expanded to 65,000 seats in 1982. BYU has produced a 93-22 record in the Stadium since the 1982 season, including a 37-13 victory over New Mexico in Edwards' final game in the stadium. Fittingly, Edwards retired with a perfect record (1-0) in LaVell Edwards Stadium. Since 1972, BYU has posted an impressive 135-22 (.860) record in Provo. The Cougars have won five straight in Provo, dating back to 2000.
Ramage Set to Retire After 30th Season
Entering his 30th season at BYU, defensive line coach Tom Ramage announced he will retire following the 2001 season. Ramage came to BYU after a successful playing career at Utah State, where he also served as a graduate assistant coach from 1958-60 and the d-line coach from 1962-65. He left USU to serve as the defensive coordinator at Weber State for seven seasons and was named the head coach at Dixie College in 1971. He coached at Dixie for two seasons before coming to BYU under second-year head coach LaVell Edwards. Ramage has coached over 34 players who have gone on to the NFL. The long-time defensive coach celebrated his 66th birthday (Aug. 25) with a 70-35 win over Tulane in the BCA Classic.
Ultimate Exposure
Dating back to 1980, the Cougars have appeared on national television an average three times per season, including last year's single-season record six national television appearances. Since its first national television appearance in 1974, BYUhas posted a 44-28-2 (.608) while playing on national television, including a 23-15 mark on ABC and a 27-16-2 mark on ESPN. Current assistant coach Robbie Bosco led the Cougars to a 20-14 win over Pittsburgh in the first live ESPN College Football broadcast in 1984.
Paper Or Plastic
After seven games, BYU has allowed just seven sacks on the season. Nevada got to Brandon Doman in the first quarter for the first sack allowed on the season. UNLV picked up two more sacks against the Cougars. BYU has only allowed sacks in five of the seven games it has played this season. In the first seven games last season, BYU had already given up 28 sacks, including five against Air Force and four more against Syracuse. During the 2000 season, BYU allowed 36 sacks, averaging 3.0 per game. However, the BYU offensive line did not allow a sack in back-to-back games, including the Colorado State and New Mexico games and allowed just one sack against Wyoming as the line began to gel. On the defensive side of the ball, BYU has already sacked its opponent 19 times, including a season-high five sacks against Cal. In the 2000 season, the Cougars had 19 sacks after seven games. Senior defensive end Ryan Denney ranks second in the MWC with six sacks on the season, averaging .86 sacks per game. Denney has twice produced two sacks in a game this season, including the Tulane and Cal games. Senior Brett Keisel recorded two of his three sacks this season against Utah State.
Fourth-And-Go For It!
After going 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions against Utah State, and 3-for-4 on fourth-down attempts at New Mexico, the Cougars were 0-for-1 against Air Force dropping their season average to .786 (11-of-14). Three of the fourth-down conversions have gone for touchdowns, including Luke Staley's 37-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-three in the third quarter against Utah State. Against New Mexico, Brandon Doman converted a crucial fourth-and-11 situation that led to an eventual go-ahead, game-winning touchdown.
Extra Points
The Cougars excelled on third down during the contest with Air Force. At the half, BYU was 5-6 on third down and only punted once. BYU failed to convert on only four chances on third down throughout the game.
Aaron Edmonds recovered his own onside kick in the first half. The kick looked just like the Utah State game when the Aggies caught the Cougars off guard to begin the second half. The recovery gave the Cougars the ball immediately after their first touchdown.
The 21-point first quarter outburst matches the Cougars' highest total in the first quarter this season. BYU also scored 21 points in the first quarter against Tulane. This game the Cougars took a 14-point lead into the second quarter, while in the Tulane game the Cougars were tied with the Green Wave. The Cougars followed up the first with another 21 points in the second quarter. In that game, BYU also scored 28 points in the second quarter. Only the Tulane game had more points for the Cougars, when BYU had 49 at the half. Yet again, the Cougars had 21 points in the third quarter. The 63 points by the fourth quarter matched BYU's output in three quarters in the Tulane game.
The first four scores for BYU were by different players. Jolley got the first TD, Staley the second, Doman the third and Mahe the fourth.
Isaac Kelley had his first interception of his career at 3:23 of the third quarter.
Paul Peterson had his first career touchdown at the 2:09 mark of the third quarter.
With 63 points, the Cougars scored the most points ever by one team in a Mountain West Conference game. It also marks the second-highest total of the season. BYU scored 70 in the Tulane game to mark the season high. The Cougars' 63 points was the most points ever allowed by the Air Force.
The Cougars have scored more than 50 points in every game they have played at LaVell Edwards Stadium this season. They scored 70 against Tulane, 52 against Nevada, 54 against Utah State and 63 against Air Force.
Congratulations to defensive lineman Brandon Stephens and his wife Sallie. Sallie gave birth to Maggie Michelle on Sept. 19 at 10:30 p.m. Maggie weighed four lbs., eight ounces and measured in at 18 inches long.