COUGARS GUARANTEED A WINNING SEASON
For the first time in five years, BYU is guaranteed to have a winning season. With today's 24-3 victory over Colorado State, the Cougars improve to 7-2 on the season (with only three games remaining.) BYU last posted a winning record in 2001, racking up 12 wins that included a perfect 7-0 league record and an outright Mountain West title.
LEADING THE MWC
With today's victory over Colorado State, the Cougars own a 5-0 league record and hold a game-and-a-half lead over Wyoming (4-2) in the standings. With three regular-season games remaining, BYU can clinch at least a share of the MWC title with a victory over Wyoming (5-5, 4-2) on Thursday. BYU has not won a league championship since the 2001 season.
BECK WINS 20th GAME AS A STARTER
With today's victory, BYU quarterback John Beck has recorded his 20th career victory. Since the 2003 season--when Beck was thrown into action as a true freshman--he has started a total of 39 games. Beck completed 22-of-33 attempts against the Rams for 290 yards. It was the first time since Oct. 1, 2005 (at San Diego State) that Beck has not completed a touchdown pass in a game.
BOWL ELIGIBLE
After last week's victory over Air Force, the Cougars recorded their sixth victory of the season and became 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. BYU (7-2) and TCU (6-2) are currently the only Mountain West Conference teams with the minimum number of wins (6) to become bowl eligible. New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah each have five victories on the season.
PERFECT RECORD
With today's victory at Colorado State, the Cougars are 5-0 in league play, marking the first time since the 2001 season BYU has won five straight league games and started with a 5-0 record. BYU has posted seven undefeated league seasons in its history, including five perfect (no ties) league records. BYU last went undefeated (an untied) in league play during the 2001 season.
HOT STREAK
Today's victory over Colorado State marks the sixth straight win for the Cougars and improves BYU's record to 7-2 on the season. BYU's six-straight wins marks the longest win streak since the 2001 season. The 7-2 mark is also the team's best mark through nine games since 2001.
VS. COLORADO STATE
In the 65th meeting between the two schools, dating back to 1922, the Cougars own a 35-27-3 record over Colorado State, including today's 24-3 victory in Fort Collins. BYU holds a 17-14-3 advantage over the Rams in Fort Collins. The Cougars have won six of the last 10 games between the two teams, including three straight since 2004. In the past three games, the Cougars have outscored Colorado State 127-68.
24
For the second straight season, BYU posted 24 points against Colorado State. In 2005, the Cougars defeated the Rams, 24-14, in Provo. This season, BYU defeated CSU, 24-3--an 11-point improvement over last season's victory.
OPENING DRIVE SUCCESS
For the first time since the Cougars' game at TCU, the Cougars failed to score on the opening drive of the game. After picking up a first down and driving 39 yards to the CSU 44-yard line, the Rams' defense stiffened and forced BYU to punt. It is only the third time this season BYU has not scored on the game's opening drive.
QUICK START
Manase Tonga's three-yard touchdown run with 6:43 left in the first quarter marked the eighth consecutive game of the season that BYU has scored first. During the seven-play, 50-yard drive, quarterback John Beck was 3-for-3 for 31 yards.
FIRST QUARTER DOMINANCE
BYU held a 7-0 first-quarter lead over Colorado State, marking the ninth 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 six different games. Overall, the Cougars are outscoring opponents 89-12 in the opening quarter of play. BYU has allowed just one first-quarter touchdown all season (at Boston College). The Cougars tallied 119 yards against Colorado State while the BYU defense held the Rams to just 29 total yards in the opening quarter. BYU quarterback John Beck was 8-for-12 for 95 yards in the first quarter.
SCORELESS QUARTERS
BYU has outscored its opponents in 26 of 36 quarters this season, including 16 shutout quarters. The Cougars have not trailed since the Boston College game, marking 24 consecutive quarters without trailing an opponent. The Cougars held Colorado State scoreless in three of four quarters on the night.
CENTURY MARK
Freshman receiver McKay Jacobsen finished the game with a career-high 105 yards receiving. Jacobsen had a total of three receptions, averaging 35 yards per receptions. Jacobsen grabbed a 52-yard reception in the fourth quarter that led to a BYU field goal. Jacobsen's performance marked the first time a BYU receiver has registered 100 receiving yards since Matt Allen collected over 100 yards against Boston College.
FIRST-HALF DOMINANCE
BYU led Colorado State 14-3 at halftime, marking the ninth straight game this season the Cougars have had the lead at halftime. On the season, BYU is outscoring its opponents 178-44 in the first-half of play. The Cougars are averaging 19.8 points per game in the first half and holding opponents to just 4.6 points over the first two quarters. The Cougars racked up 219 yards of total offense in the opening half and held the Rams to just 63 first-half yards, including just one yard rushing.
SCORING DEFENSE
The Cougars held Colorado State to just three points on the night, marking the third game BYU has held a league opponent to seven points or less. On the season, BYU is allowing just 13.1 points per game, including only 9.6 points per game against league opponents.
THIRD-DOWN DEFENSE
The BYU defense did not allow Colorado State to convert a third down during the first half. The Rams were 0-for-5 on third down in the opening half. (BYU converted 5-of-7 third-down attempts in the first half.) Colorado State converted just 2-of-12 attempts on the night.
PAPER OR PLASTIC
The Cougars were credited with five sacks against Colorado State, marking the most sacks in a game since racking up five against UNLV on Nov. 5, 2005. Defensive lineman Hala Paongo recorded his team-leading fourth sack of the season. The sack against the Rams in the third quarter marked his first since the Cougars' 31-17 win over TCU. Senior linebacker Cameron Jensen had a team-leading two sacks for a combined loss of 15 yards. With just over 4:00 remaining in the opening quarter, Jensen sacked Caleb Hanie for a loss of 10 yards and forced the Rams to punt from their own two yardline. Matangi Tonga and Judd Anderton were also credited with sacks against the Rams.
FIELD POSITION
BYU won the battle of field position on Saturday. The Cougars' defense held Colorado State to an average field position of its own 20-yardline. The Rams did not cross midfield until their first drive of the second quarter; however a Caleb Hanie fumble forced CSU back to its own 48-yardline where they punted on fourth down. BYU kept the Rams on their own side of the field until the fourth quarter. On the night, Colorado State entered BYU territory only three times.
TELLING STAT
Due in large part to the Cougars' defensive success on third-down situations, Colorado State had only seven first downs on the night. In comparison, the BYU offense racked up 21 first downs.
RUSHING DEFENSE
The Cougars held Colorado State to just 26 yards rushing. It was the fewest yards allowed on the ground since holding UNLV to just two yards rushing on Nov. 5, 2005.
SCORING
The Cougars defeated Colorado State by 21 points on Saturday, marking the seventh game of the season BYU has won by more than two touchdowns. On the year, the Cougars are outscoring opponents by an average of over 20 points per game. The 21-point victory was the fourth straight game BYU has won by 19 or more points.