GAME NOTES:
QUARTERBACK FEAST
The Cougar defense set a season high, recording six sacks for 55 yards.
KING OF PAYNE
Senior kicker Matt Payne is inching his way up the all-time BYU scoring list. With two field goals and three extra points, Payne scored nine points to give him 262 for his career and now needs only 28 to tie for second all-time. Payne has connected on 30 straight extra-point attempts, dating back to the 2003 season.
FINDING THE ENDZONE
After scoring a total of 40 points in the first three games and only 20 in the last two, BYU scored a season high 27 against Boise State, marking the most points BYU has scored in a game since a 27-20 overtime victory against UNLV on Oct. 25, 2003.
TAMING THE BRONCOS
The BYU defense held Boise State--the nation's top scoring team--to just 28 points on the night--27 points below the Broncos' average. Equally impressive, Francisco and the Cougars held Boise State, which ranked fourth nationally in total offense, to just 399 total yards on the night--144.7 yards below the Broncos' average. Boise State was also held to just 89 yards rushing--136 yards below the team's average entering Friday's contest.
PAPER OF PLASTIC
The BYU defense sacked Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky a season-high six times on the night for a combined loss of 55 yards. Entering the night, Boise State had allowed a total of six sacks in the team's previous three games.
BROWN'S COMEBACK
After sitting out the 2003 because of an injury, Curtis Brown scored his first touchdown since the 2002 season. Against Utah State (in 2002) he scored three touchdowns, leading BYU to its largest come-from-behind victory in school history.
JOHN BECK SETS CAREER HIGH
Sophomore quarterback John Beck had a career night in the Cougars' near-miss against No. 21 Boise State on Friday. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound sophomore connected on 20-of-35 attempts, recording a career-high 390 yards passing. Beck also had two touchdown completions and no interceptions.
Beck's 390-yard night marked the most yards by a BYU quarterback since Matt Berry racked up 360 yards against Wyoming during the 2002 season. The Beck-led offense also produced 27 points against the Broncos, marking the most points a BYU has scored since posting 27 points in an overtime victory at UNLV last season.
Trailing 16-0 early in the game, Beck engineered three scoring drives that led to 13 unanswered points. After a fumble recovery in the first quarter, Beck used four plays to gather 22 yards for the Cougars' first touchdown of the night--a two-yard run from Curtis Brown.
With 7:29 remaining in the second quarter, Matt Payne connected on a 32-yard field goal, capping an eight-play, 59-yard drive. During the drive, Beck was 3-for-3 for 69 yards, including a 50-yard bomb to Bryce Mahuika on the drive's first play.
Later in the second quarter, Beck and the BYU offense struck again, this time on another Payne field goal from 42-yards out to cap a nine-play 47-yard drive. This time Beck was 4-for-6 for 20 yards, hooking up with junior receiver Todd Watkins three times for 18 yards. Watkins finished the night with nine receptions for a career-high 211 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Beck hooked up with Watkins on a 79-yard touchdown pass to cut the BSU lead to 22-20. Three minutes later, Beck found true freshman Austin Collie on an out-and-up for a 57-yard touchdown pass to take the lead, 27-22, with 34 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
After Boise State regained the lead with 3:42 remaining in the game, Beck fashioned a nine-play, 54-yard drive that took the Cougars down to the BSU 23-yard line. While the Cougars' missed the game-winning field goal, Beck was credited with driving the field to get the Cougars' in scoring position. Beck was 3-for-5 in the final drive for 36 yards.
HEANEY STEPS UP
Brandon Heaney forced two turnovers that led to two BYU touchdowns. The first was a fumble recovery in the first quarter and the other was an interception in the third.
THE FRANCISCO TREAT
After racking up a career-high 16 tackles against No. 1 ranked USC last weekend, senior safety Aaron Francisco tallied 16 more tackles in the Cougars' heart-breaking loss at No. 21 Boise State on Friday.
Francisco was credited with eight solo takedowns, as well as eight assisted tackles. Francisco, who leads the BYU defense with 42 tackles on the season--10.5 tackles per game--forced a first-quarter fumble that led to a BYU touchdown four plays later, and a run of 13 unanswered points that cut the BSU lead to 16-13.
On second-and-four from the Boise State 21-yard line, Francisco forced a Lawrence Bady fumble that was recovered by BYU's Brandon Heaney on the Broncos' 22-yard line. Trailing 16-0 at the time, the forced fumble and subsequent fumble recovery helped turn the tides for the Cougars, leading to a 13-0 run for the Cougars.