FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
With the win tonight the Cougars improve their Friday night record against Utah State to 13-0. BYU holds an 18-3 overall record in Friday night games.
COMPETING AS A RANKED TEAM
With tonight’s win the Cougars are 152-45 when nationally ranked in the Top 25. A ranked BYU team has won 21 of its last 25 games dating back to 2006.
FLAG BEARER
BYU has a tradition of selecting a player before each game to run the team flag onto the field, as well as a former Cougar to carry out the alumni flag. Each member of the team has signed the team flag, while former BYU players have signed the alumni flag. Their signatures reflect their commitment to uphold the tradition, spirit and honor of the BYU football program and to be a flag bearer of the University.
As part of the 25-year anniversary celebration of BYU’s national championship, each alumni chosen to carry out the flag this year will be a member of the 1984 team. Carrying the team flag today was linebacker Coleby Clawson, with former BYU wide receiver Mark Bellini carrying the alumni flag. Bellini played for the Cougars from 1982-86.
COIN TOSS
USU won the coin toss tonight and elected to defer to the second half. BYU won all four coin tosses prior to tonight and is now 1-0 when losing the toss.
CONSECUTIVE CATCHES
All-American tight end Dennis Pitta caught his first pass of the game with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter for a 6-yard touchdown, tying the score 7-7 after the made PAT. The senior has caught a pass in 35 consecutive games dating back to Oct. 23, 2004 (at Air Force), prior to his mission.
HE WHO SCORES FIRST...
USU was the first to score today on a 6-yard run by Diondre Borel with 10:28 remaining in the first quarter. BYU opponents have been the first to score in three games this season, the others being Oklahoma and Florida State. The Cougars are 2-1 in those two games.
CONSECUTIVE STARTS
Tonight marked senior defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen’s 44th straight career start. During that streak, Jorgensen has started every game of his collegiate career and set a new MWC all-time career sack record at 22.5. His first career start came against Arizona on Sept. 2, 2006.
CAREER FIRSTS
Friday marked the first career start for redshirt freshman defensive back Robbie Buckner.
Junior wide receiver Luke Ashworth scored his first touchdown in a BYU uniform with 14:22 to play in the second quarter, bringing down a career-long 48-yard pass from Max Hall.
“FAN”TASTIC FANS
The 64,103 fans in attendance for the Cougars’ 35-17 win over USU marked the 15th consecutive sell-out at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The current streak marks the longest streak of consecutive sellouts since the 1990-92 seasons. In three games this season BYU is averaging 64,134 fans per game. The last time the stadium was not sold out was against New Mexico on Nov. 18, 2006 when 63,814 fans were in attendance—231 short of a sellout.
4-1 START TO THE SEASON
Tonight’s win improved the Cougars’ season record to 4-1. Before its 6-0 record to open the 2008 season, the last time BYU had a 4-1 start or better was in 2001, when the program posted 12 consecutive wins.
DON’T LOOK BACK
In the Bronco Mendenhall era, BYU is 36-4 when leading at halftime and 34-1 when taking a lead into the fourth quarter.
Mendenhall’s teams have won 24 straight games when leading by at least 14 points at the halftime break, 71 overall as a team. The last time BYU lost a game after leading by at least 14 points at the half was on Oct. 10, 1987 when is lost, 29-27, in its homecoming game against Wyoming.
PAPER OR PLASTIC
Linebacker Shawn Doman’s sack against USU’s Diondre Borel on the Aggies’ second play of the game marked the first of his BYU career. Defensive lineman Brett Denney recorded a sack of his own with 13:12 to play in the second quarter, the sixth of his career.
Collectively the Cougars have recorded eight sacks in their first five games this season.
TONGA RUNS ONE IN
Senior Manase Tonga ran in a 3-yard touchdown with 29-seconds remaining in the second quarter. The score marked his first rushing touchdown since Nov. 3, 2007 in the game against CSU.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES
Junior defensive back Andrew Rich recovered a USU fumble with 55-seconds remaining in the second quarter. With the BYU offense back on the field, Max Hall led a two-play, 29-yard scoring drive, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by senior Manase Tonga.
The Cougars have now recovered six fumbles in their first five games.