BYU can't look past Falcons - Sports

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Nov. 12, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

BYU can't look past Falcons

Streaking Air Force could ruin Cougars' plan

By MARK ANDERSON
REVIEW-JOURNAL

UNLV Football

No. 16 Brigham Young has long been anticipating its game at No. 8 Utah on Nov. 22. But if the Cougars aren't careful, they could get tripped up at Air Force on Saturday.

BYU (9-1, 5-1 Mountain West) is a 4-point favorite against the Falcons (8-2, 5-1), who have won five in a row.

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Air Force freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson's 5-0 record matches that streak. He has passed for 456 yards, rushed for 295 and is coming off a 171-yard passing performance in a 38-17 victory over Colorado State.

"I think one of the biggest differences is their play at quarterback," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "Once there (was) a quarterback change, I think their identity has shifted slightly."

• 'TOO TRICKY' -- New Mexico coach Rocky Long didn't say the Lobos would have won Saturday if not for a momentum-turning interception by UNLV cornerback Quinton Pointer in the second quarter.

But Long was not happy with the play call by offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin. For the second time on the drive, the Lobos called for receiver Michael Scarlett to pass.

On the first attempt he completed a 20-yarder to tailback Rodney Ferguson.

On the second attempt at UNLV's 16-yard line, Scarlett's pass to quarterback Brad Gruner was intercepted by Pointer, who returned it 77 yards. Instead of a 21-3 Lobos lead, UNLV cut the deficit to 14-6 and eventually won 27-20.

"I thought we got too tricky there," Long said. "I thought we had the ball in good field position, first-and-10. If we would have run the ball, I think we would've scored. ... That's easy to say now that it didn't work."

• LONG ROAD -- Wyoming faces a tough week. The Cowboys played Saturday at Tennessee, scoring a 13-7 victory, flew back to Laramie and will fly to Las Vegas today for Thursday's game against UNLV.

Rebels coach Mike Sanford said Wyoming caught a bit of a break because the Tennessee game was during the day and UNLV played New Mexico on Saturday night.

"That's fair," Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said. "(UNLV's) staff is on the dead run, too. I can't say it will work against us."

• NO EXPANSION YET -- A look at the Bowl Championship Series standings seems to present a strong argument to add Boise State to the Mountain West.

The Broncos are ninth in the BCS, two spots behind Utah. BYU is 17th and Texas Christian 18th.

But Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said expansion is not on the horizon and disputed the notion that Boise State would instantly help the conference's case to become an automatic BCS qualifier.

"My personal opinion is they probably wouldn't be 12-0," Thompson said. "Taking nothing away from Boise State, but I don't know they would go undefeated against the top four teams that are vying for the conference championship at this point."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.

MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL

CONFERENCE STANDINGS

The Mountain West from top to bottom:

No. 8 Utah (10-0, 6-0 MWC) at San Diego State

(1-9, 0-6): Utes have won 18 of past 19 games.

No. 15 Texas Christian (9-2, 6-1), off: Until losing to Utah, Horned Frogs had won their last 65 games when holding their opponent to 17 or fewer points.

No. 16 Brigham Young (9-1, 5-1) at Air Force (8-2, 5-1): Cougars' last kickoff return for touchdown occurred 10 years ago.

Air Force (8-2, 5-1) vs. No. 16 BYU (9-1, 5-1): Falcons' last win over ranked team was in 2002.

Colorado State (4-6, 2-4) vs. New Mexico (4-7, 2-5): Rams have lost four of last five games, and those four opponents are combined 36-5.

New Mexico (4-7, 2-5) at Colorado State (4-6, 2-4): Lobos won past two meetings on game-ending field goals.

UNLV (4-6, 1-5) vs. Wyoming (4-6, 1-5), Thursday: Rebels' first Thursday game at home since beating Arkansas in 2000 Las Vegas Bowl.

Wyoming (4-6, 1-5) at UNLV (4-6, 1-5), Thursday: Victory at Tennessee made sixth-year Cowboys coach Joe Glenn 3-1 against SEC schools.

San Diego State (1-9, 0-6) vs. No. 8 Utah (10-0, 6-0): Forty Aztecs have started at least one game this season.

FIVE BEST PLAYERS

1. Max Hall, QB, BYU: Has league-leading five 300-yard games.

2. Jerry Hughes, DL, TCU: His 14 sacks are MWC record.

3. Paul Kruger, DL, Utah: Tied for ninth nationally with 15 1/2 tackles for loss.

4. Austin Collie, WR, BYU: On conference-record eight-game streak of 100-yard performances, and his 118.5 yards per game rank No. 1 nationally.

5. Brian Johnson, QB, Utah: Like BYU's Hall, always seems to make the critical plays

THEY WROTE IT ...

Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram columnist Gil LeBreton, on TCU's 13-10 loss to Utah: "In the end, the Frogs had more to do with their losing than Utah did with its winning -- a callous observation, perhaps, but true to the fact. Had any one of a dozen what-ifs not scuttled TCU, it would have -- should have? -- won the game by two touchdowns. That won't console the Frogs when they watch this game film. Instead, they'll see a game they let slip away. ... They'll see their dream of a BCS bowl vanish in front of them, and they'll probably wonder why."

Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla, on Air Force coach Troy Calhoun: "In a sport so spendy it could make Donald Trump blush, how long can Air Force afford to keep Calhoun? Calhoun speaks about this place he works at with equal reverence, if not quite the same volume, as Fisher DeBerry, his former coach and predecessor on the Air Force sidelines. As improbable and impressive as his 17 victories in 23 games since taking this job seem to be, Calhoun loves to dream aloud about how much better the Falcons can be in seasons to come. Nevertheless, if I were the athletic director at Tennessee or Washington ... then at the top of my short list of candidates would be the 42-year-old Calhoun."

ESPN.com columnist Mark Schlabach, on Utah and the Bowl Championship Series: "The Utes have gotten a ton of mileage from their 25-23 upset of Michigan in the not-so-Big House in their Aug. 30 opener. That victory seemed pretty impressive until we all realized how bad the Wolverines really are in coach Rich Rodriguez's first season. ... Utah's signature win came Thursday night, a 13-10 victory over No. 12 TCU. Quarterback Brian Johnson drove the Utes 80 yards in the final minutes, throwing the winning 9-yard touchdown to Freddie Brown with 48 seconds to play. Utah won after the Horned Frogs missed two field goals in the fourth quarter. ... Utah is the only team from a non-BCS league with an argument to claim a BCS berth."

THEY SAID IT ...

TCU coach Gary Patterson, on Internet rumors he was headed to Kansas State that surfaced the day after the loss to Utah: "If you had been in that locker room with 64 kids crying, you would know how I would feel today. I'm sorry I didn't find a way for us to win. Those kids busted their butts. And to have somebody come out and say I was leaving them makes it even a worse scenario."

Wyoming defensive lineman Mike Neuhaus, after a 13-7 victory at Tennessee: "We'll celebrate (the win), but the bowl hopes, we want to go bowling. That was our main goal at the beginning of the year, and it's back there. I'm pretty sure we're Utah's biggest fans right now. Hopefully they go to the BCS, open up another spot, we finish out and have somebody take Wyoming."

New Mexico coach Rocky Long, on not being bowl eligible for the first time since 2000: "It's been a long time since it's happened to us. It's not new because the first three years it was that way. But here, lately, it's unusual so it feels a little strange."

COMPILED BY MARK ANDERSON/REVIEW-JOURNAL

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Report abuse jd wrote on November 12, 2008 07:21 PM: WOW, once again, BYU is the headline. Way to go Mark, you really got creative again this week. Don't you dare cover the REBELS in the hometown paper, that would be way too crazy! Sure glad the team that is going to finish in fourth place in league has two players ranked in the TOP FIVE. If Hall threw to anyone else would Collie really be that great? GO UTES, GO REBELS, waiting for the day LOUIE SAKODA is listed in the TOP FIVE players of the MWC, he will just be an ALL-AMERICAN, the only one from the MWC, but he certainly shouldn't be posted in your article because traditionally kickers are not in the HALL OF FAME, lame, lame, lame!