PASADENA -- The 10-point loss at No. 13 ranked UCLA on Saturday marks the first loss for the Cougars since dropping an overtime thriller at Boston College on September 16, 2006, ending a streak of 12 straight victories. Entering Saturday's contest, BYU held the nation's second longest win streak. The 12-game win streak marked the Cougars' longest since posting 14 straight wins from the end of the 2000 season through the first 12 games of the 2001 campaign.
You Need a Hall Pass
In only his second career game, BYU sophomore quarterback Max Hall completed 30-of-51 (.588) attempts for 391 yards and two touchdowns against No. 13 UCLA. The game marked the first 300-yard game of his career at BYU. Over the first two games, Hall is averaging 339.5 yards passing per contest and has a total four touchdown completions.
A Word About Collie
Sophomore receiver Austin Collie scored his first touchdown of the season with 8:19 remaining in the third quarter, cutting the UCLA lead to 20-10. The touchdown marked Collie's first since the 2004 season. Collie did not play in 2005 or 2006, serving an LDS Church mission in Brazil. Collie scored again with 6:04 left in the third quarter to cut the Bruins' lead to just 20-17. Collie, a freshman All-American in 2004, caught seven balls for a game-high 79 yards and two touchdowns.
Calling All Tight Ends
BYU quarterback Max Hall completed nine passes to three different tight ends for a combined total of 147 yards. The BYU tight ends accounted for nearly 40 percent of the Cougars' passing offense. Sophomore Dennis Pitta had five receptions for 66 yards, Andrew George hauled in three receptions for 62 yards and Vic So'oto had one reception for 19 yards.
A 20-point Deficit
The Bruins held a 20-0 lead late in the second quarter, marking the largest deficit in a game the Cougars have faced since trailing in the third quarter against California, 35-14, in the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl. BYU mounted a come-back against the Golden Bears, but eventually lost the contest, 35-28.
Avoiding a First-Half Shutout
The Cougars scored with five seconds left in the first half to avoid the first halftime shutout since trailing Boston College, 10-0, in the opening half on September 3, 2005. Mitch Payne connected on a 27-yard field goal to cut the Bruins' lead to 20-3.
Slow Start
UCLA took a 3-0 lead with 3:39 left in the first quarter when the Bruins connected on a 37-yard field goal. It marked the first time since September 2, 2006 that BYU failed to score first in a game, ending a streak of 12 straight games.
Turnover Troubles
The Cougars allowed 10 points on two different turnovers in the first half to give the Bruins a 20-3 halftime lead. Trey Brown had a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown while, the Bruins also took advantage of a BYU fumble to pick up a 40-yard field goal with 3:28 left in the second quarter.
Uncommon First Quarter
Trailing 10-0 at the end of the first 15 minutes of the game marked the first time the Cougars have trailed after the first quarter of play since trailing Air Force last season (October 28, 2007), 14-0. BYU came from behind to score 33 points over the next three quarters to defeat the Falcons in Colorado Springs.
Pick 6
With just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, UCLA's Trey Brown intercepted Max Hall and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown. The play marked the first interception returned for a touchdown against the Cougars since New Mexico returned a John Beck interception 88 yards for a touchdown on November 18, 2006.
Third-Down Notes
The Cougars started the game failing to convert their first six third-down attempts. BYU was 0-for-4 on third-down attempts in the first quarter and 1-for-4 in the second quarter. In the second half, BYU seemed to gain momentum after picking up critical third-down conversions. The Cougars converted 2-of-3 attempts in the third quarter and 3-of-5 in the fourth quarter. All totaled, the Cougars converted 6-of-16 third-down attempts and held UCLA to just 2-of-12 third-down attempts.
It's the Final Score That Matters
When reviewing the final stat sheet from Saturday's game, BYU held the advantage in several statistical categories; except the only one that matters?the scoreboard. The Cougars had 23 first downs to UCLA's 15; 21 passing first downs to UCLA's 7; 391 yards passing to the Bruins' 126; 435 yards of total offense to UCLA?s 236; 78 offensive plays to the Bruins' 65; averaged 5.6 yards per play to the Bruins' 3.6; and in time of possession, the Cougars controlled the clock for 31:49 compared to the Bruins' 28:11.
Opponent Scoring
UCLA scored 27 points against the Cougars. The Bruins' 27 points marked the most points BYU has allowed since giving up 31 against Utah last season. All totaled, the Cougars have allowed 27 or more points in just two games over the past 15 games.
First-Ever Loss on September 8
Since the first official year of football at BYU in 1922, the Cougars have played on September 8 six different times, including Saturday's game at UCLA. The Cougars entered Saturday's game having won all five previous games on Sept. 8, including wins over Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Miami (Fla.) and California.