UNGA PASSES BROWN AS BYU ALL-TIME RUSHING LEADER
Junior running back Harvey Unga’s 5-yard run with 3:00 remaining in the first quarter moved him into first place on BYU’s all-time career rushing list. He also became BYU’s all-time leader in carries four plays later. Unga now has 3,268 yards and 649 carries over the 2007-09 seasons. He passed former Cougar Curtis Brown (2002, 2004-06) who had 3,221 yards and 641 carries.
HALL PASSES DETMER’S WIN RECORD
With the Cougars’ 38-21 win over Air Force, senior quarterback Max Hall now has 30 career wins as the starting play-caller for BYU, surpassing Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer on BYU’s all-time list, who racked up 29 wins during his career from 1988-91.
9-2 THROUGH 11 GAMES
Since Bronco Mendenhall took over the program in 2005, BYU has earned 9-2 records or better (through 11 games) in three straight seasons. Defeating Air Force gives the Cougars another 9-2 season record, marking the 17th time in program history and extending the current streak to four. Never before has a BYU coached led his team to four consecutive 9-2 records.
COMPETING AS A RANKED TEAM
With today’s win the Cougars improve to 157-46 when nationally ranked in the Top 25. A ranked BYU team has won 26 of its last 51 games dating back to 2006.
HALL BREAKS MORE CONFERENCE RECORDS
Following his 33-yard completion to McKay Jacobson early in the third quarter, Max Hall surpassed John Beck’s MWC leading 11,060 career total offensive yards. His 18-yard completion to Andrew George late in the fourth quarter also moved him into first place in career passing yards. The record was previously held by Beck with 11,021. The senior now has 11,039 passing yards over the past three seasons.
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. 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 senior linebacker Shawn Doman with former BYU linebacker Marv Allen carrying the alumni flag. Allen was an all-conference and Academic All-America honoree. Joining him today was Kyle Allen and Jarica, Jaxon and Jaydon Garrick – the children of deceased 1984 teammates Mark Allan and Craig Garrick. Mark Allen was a defensive back who intercepted two passes in BYU’s win at No. 3 Pittsburgh and Garrick was a first-team all-conference offensive guard and honorable mention All-American.
FLY OVER
Just before kickoff four T-38 Fighter Jets flew over the stadium in tribute of today’s game. The four pilots represented the two schools as two were graduates of the Air Force Academy and two were BYU alumni.
COIN TOSS
Air Force won the coin toss today and elected to defer to the second half, marking the fifth time this season the Cougars have not won the toss. BYU is now 5-0 when losing the toss.
CONSECUTIVE CATCHES
All-American tight end Dennis Pitta caught his first pass of the game on the first play of the Cougars’ first possession of the game for a 14-yard gain. The senior has caught a pass in 41 consecutive games dating back to Oct. 23, 2004 (at Air Force), prior to his mission. Those 41 games extends a BYU program record previously held by Glen Kozlowski with 38.
HE WHO SCORES FIRST...
BYU was the first to score today on a Mitch Payne 49-yard field goal with 6:00 remaining in the first quarter. The Cougars has been the first to score in six games this season, the others being Tulane, Colorado State, UNLV, San Diego State and Wyoming. The Cougars are 6-0 in those six games.
CONSECUTIVE STARTS
Today marked senior defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen’s 50th 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 in 2008 with 22.5. Jorgensen’s first career start came against Arizona on Sept. 2, 2006.
JORGENSEN BREAKS MWC TFL RECORD
Senior Jan Jorgensen’s tackle for loss on the Falcon’s final possession of the first half gives him 42.5 on his career, a new MWC record. TCU’s Chase Ortiz held the record previously with 41.5 career tackles for loss.
SCORING HALL PASSES
Quarterback Max Hall recorded a season-high five touchdown passes against Air Force today, giving him 28 on the year. Those 28 touchdown passes have been to 10 different members of the BYU receiving corp. The last time Hall threw for five or more touchdowns was against CSU in 2008. He was responsible for six receiving scores in that game. Hall has now thrown a touchdown pass in 34-of-37 career games.
PAPER OR PLASTIC?
Senior linebacker Coleby Clawson and defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen combined for a sack against AFA’s quarterback Ben Cochran for a 3-yard loss with nine-seconds to play in the first half. Collectively the Cougars have recorded 23 sacks in their 11 games this season.
DON’T LOOK BACK
In the Bronco Mendenhall era, BYU is 41-4 when leading at halftime and 39-1 when taking a lead into the fourth quarter.
Mendenhall’s teams have won 27 straight games when leading by at least 14 points at the halftime break, 74 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 it lost, 29-27, in its homecoming game against Wyoming.
“FAN”TASTIC FANS
The 64,071 fans in attendance for the Cougars’ 38-21 win over Air Force marked the 17th consecutive sell-out at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The current streak marks the longest streak of consecutive sellouts since the 1990-92 seasons. In four games this season BYU is averaging 64,215 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.
FUMBLE RECOVERIES
Senior linebacker Shawn Doman recovered an Air Force fumble late in the first quarter, forced by defensive back Scott Johnson. With the BYU offense back on the field, Max Hall led a 10-play, 69-yard scoring drive, capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta to give the Cougars a 10-0 lead.
Defensive lineman Brett Denney forced a fumble on the Falcon’s first drive of the second half, recovered by defensive lineman Russell Tialavea. The turnover resulted in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Hall to O’Neill Chambers, his first touchdown of the 2009 season. The Cougars have now recovered eight fumbles in 11 games.
COUGAR PICKS
Defensive back Andrew Rich picked off his second interception of the season with 11:52 to play in the second quarter. He recorded a 44-yard return. The turnover resulted in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Hall to Pitta on a 1-play scoring drive. Rich intercepted his second ball of the game on an Air Fore hail mary pass to end the first half, marking the second time this year a Cougar defender has recorded two interceptions in a single game. Scott Johnson did the same in BYU’s 59-17 win over UNLV. The Cougar defense has snagged 12 interceptions through 11 games.
CAREER LONG FIELD GOAL
Kicker Mitch Payne made a field goal from 49-yards out for the Cougars’ first points of the game. The make marks a career-long for the junior, who previously made a 46-yarder against the Falcons in 2008.