BOWL ELIGIBLE
With today's victory over Air Force, the Cougars have recorded their sixth victory of the season and are now bowl-eligible for the second straight season. It is the first time since the 1998 and 1999 seasons that BYU has been bowl-eligible in back-to-back years. Should BYU be invited to a bowl game at the end of the season, it will mark the 25th bowl game for the Cougars.
LEADING THE MWC
With Saturday's victory over Air Force, the Cougars own a 4-0 league record and hold a two-game lead over Wyoming (3-2), Air Force (3-2), Utah (3-2) and New Mexico (3-2) in the standings with four games remaining.
PERFECT LEAGUE RECORD
With today's victory at Air Force, the Cougars are 4-0 in league play, marking the first time since the 2001 season BYU has won four straight league games and started with a 4-0 record. BYU has posted seven undefeated league seasons in its history, including five perfect league records. BYU last went undefeated (an untied) in league play during the 2001 season.
HOT STREAK
Today's victory over Air Force marks the fifth straight win for the Cougars and improves BYU's record to 6-2 on the season. BYU's five-straight wins marks the longest win streak since the 2001 season. The 6-2 mark is the team's best mark through eight games since 2001. Over the five-game stretch, the Cougars are outscoring opponents by an average of 30 points per game. BYU has posted a 201-55 scoring advantage in the past five games.
VS. AIR FORCE
With today's win over Air Force, BYU owns a 21-6 record over the Falcons, dating back to 1956. BYU has won four of the last seven games, including three straight games. In the last three games, BYU has outscored Air Force 136-79.
OPENING DRIVE SUCCESS
Fui Vakapuna's six-yard touchdown run capped the Cougars' 14-play, 81-yard scoring drive to mark the fourth straight game BYU has scored on its opening drive. BYU quarterback John Beck was 4-for-5 for 57 yards in the game's opening drive. BYU converted three third-down attempts during the drive, including Beck's 10-yard pass to Vakapuna on a third-and-eight at the Air Force 36-yardline.
QUICK START
Fui Vakapuna's six-yard touchdown run with 7:53 left in the first quarter marked the seventh consecutive game of the season that BYU has scored first.
FIRST QUARTER SCORING
BYU held a 7-0 first-quarter lead over Air Force, marking the eighth straight game this season the Cougars have led after the first quarter of play. On the season, BYU has held its opponents scoreless in the opening quarter in five different games. Overall, the Cougars are outscoring opponents 82-12 in the opening quarter of play. BYU has allowed just one first-quarter touchdown all season (at Boston College).
FIRST-HALF DOMINANCE
BYU led Air Force 21-0 at halftime, marking the eighth straight game this season the Cougars have had the lead at halftime. Saturday's game also marked the second game this season BYU has posted a first-half shutout. On the season, BYU is outscoring its opponents 164-41 in the first-half of play. The Cougars are averaging 20.5 points per game in the first half and holding opponents to just 5.1 points over the first two quarters. Saturday's game marked the third straight game BYU has had a 21-point lead (or greater) at halftime. The halftime lead also marked the first time an opponent had posted a 21-point lead over Air Force at home since New Mexico held a 22-0 lead over the Falcons back in 1992. BYU scored on three of its four first-half drives. The defense forced turnovers (one fumble and one interception) on the first two Air Force drives of the game. The Cougars racked up 235 yards of total offense in the opening half and held the Falcons to just 85 first-half yards, including just 12 yards passing.
BLUE ZONE SUCCESS
The Cougars went 5-for-5 from the Blue Zone, including three touchdowns and a field goal.
DRIVE CHART
BYU had a total of eight possessions against Air Force. The Cougars scored on six of those eight drives, including five straight drives between the second and fourth quarters. BYU punted on its second drive of the game, and the game clock expired on the Cougars' final drive of the game.
ONE QUARTER AT A TIME
BYU has outscored its opponents in 23 of 32 quarters this season, including 13 shutout quarters. The Cougars have not trailed since the Boston College game, marking 20 consecutive quarters without trailing an opponent.
QUICK HALF
The first half of Saturday's game at Air Force took just 63 minutes, marking the fastest half of the season.
McLAUGHLIN HITS CAREER-LONG
BYU senior kicker Jared McLaughlin nailed a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter to give BYU a 24-0 lead. The field goal marked a career-long for McLaughlin and his second 50-yarder of the season.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
BYU quarterback John Beck completed at least one pass to 10 different receivers in the game for a combined total of 258 yards and 3 touchdowns. Entering the game, Beck had completed passes to 12 different receivers. With his first catch of the season, Bryce Mahuika became the 13th player to catch a pass for the Cougars this season.
30-POINT MARK
Today's game marks the sixth time this season BYU has scored 30 or more points. The Cougars are 6-0 when scoring 30 or more points.
TURNOVER MARGIN
The Cougars forced an Air Force fumble in the first quarter and an interception in the second quarter that led to John Beck touchdown completion. With a +2 turnover margin against the Falcons, BYU is now +10 on the season. The BYU defense has recovered seven fumbles and has forced 11 interceptions.
DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING
With two turnovers in the first half, the BYU defense held the Falcons to just 85-first-half yards, including 12-yards passing. On the day, the BYU defense held the Falcons to a season-low 190 yards rushing and 229 yards of total offense -- 126.3 yards less than their season average.