Mountain West Conference Football Press Release Week No. 4

Sept. 15, 2008

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LAST WEEK'S RESULTS (SEPT. 13)

Saturday, September 13
#18/15 BYU 59, UCLA 0 (Provo, Utah; Attendance - 64,153)
Wyoming 16, North Dakota State 13 (Laramie, Wyo.; Attendance - 19,156)
Air Force 31, Houston 28 (Dallas, Texas - 2,546)
San Jose State 35, San Diego State 10 (San Jose, Calif.; Attendance - 19,854)
New Mexico 36, Arizona 28 (Albuquerque, N.M.; Attendance - 32,337)
TCU 31, Stanford 14 (Fort Worth, Texas; Attendance -25,531)
#22/22 Utah 58, Utah State 10 (Logan, Utah - Attendance -19,061)
UNLV 23, #15/13 Arizona State 20 OT (Tempe, Ariz.; Attendance - 59,582)

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (SEPT. 15, 2008)

Offensive Player of the Week
MAX HALL, BYU
Junior, Quarterback, Mesa, Ariz./Arizona State University
Max Hall completed 27-of-35 passes for 271 yards and seven touchdowns in only two and a half quarters of play, leading No. 15 BYU to a 59-0 shutout of UCLA. Hall's seven touchdown passes sets a new MWC single-game record and tied the BYU mark. In the first half, the junior from Mesa, Ariz., completed 23-of-29 attempts (.793) for 237 yards and six touchdowns. Hall's six touchdown passes in the first half set a new BYU record, while the Cougars' 35 points in the second quarter fell one point shy of the MWC and BYU records of 36 points in a quarter. Hall left the game with 7:43 to play in the third quarter after leading BYU on a seven-play, 69-yard drive to give BYU a 49-0 lead.

Co-Defensive Players of the Week
GLOVER QUIN, NEW MEXICO
Senior, Cornerback, Summit, Miss./Southwest Mississippi CC
Glover Quin registered a season-high eight tackles, including a half tackle for loss, as well as an interception, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery in New Mexico's 36-28 win over Arizona. In the third quarter, Quin recovered a fumble and returned it 29 yards to the Arizona 10 yard line, setting up a Lobo touchdown on the next play. In the fourth quarter, he broke up a pass on 4th-and-2 at the UNM 22. On Arizona's next possession, the senior from Summit, Miss., intercepted a pass that led to a New Mexico field goal and a 36-21 Lobo lead.

MATT PANFIL, TCU
Senior, Defensive End, Fort Worth, Texas/North Crowley HS
Matt Panfil recorded five tackles, including four tackles for loss (minus 37 yards) and two sacks (minus 26 yards), in TCU's 31-14 victory over Stanford. The senior from Fort Worth, Texas also collected a pass breakup, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery while keying a Horned Frogs defensive effort that limited the Cardinal to 193 yards total offense in the game.

Co-Special Teams Players of the Week
JAMES AHO, NEW MEXICO
Freshman, Placekicker, Roswell, N.M./Roswell HS
James Aho kicked five field goals and three PATs in the Lobos' 36-28 win over Arizona, setting an MWC single-game record for most kicking points (18). His five field goals tied the MWC and New Mexico records for most field goals in a game and set a new MWC freshman mark. The Roswell, N.M., native kicked field goals from 24, 43, 48, 42 and 46 yards, becoming the first kicker in Lobo history to convert four field goals in a game from 40 yards or longer.

MALO TAUMUA, UNLV
Sophomore, Defensive Lineman, Honolulu, Hawaii/Aiea HS
Taumua blocked a potential game-tying field goal in overtime to secure UNLV's 23-20 upset of No. 15/13 Arizona State in Tempe. With the Rebels holding a three-point lead following their opening possession of the overtime period, the sophomore from Honolulu, Hawaii, rolled through the middle of the line to block the Sun Devils' 35-yard field goal attempt by 2007 Lou Groza Award winner Thomas Weber and secure the victory. Weber was a perfect 6-for-6 on the year and 30-for-31 on career field goal attempts before Taumua's effort.

WEEK 3 RECAP
Mountain West Conference football teams combined to post a 7-1 mark in non-conference action in Week 3, including a 4-0 record against the Pac-10. No. 18/15 BYU shut out UCLA (59-0), while New Mexico beat Arizona (36-28), TCU rolled past Stanford (31-14) and UNLV upset No. 15/13 Arizona State (23-20 in OT). Elsewhere, Air Force edged Houston (31-28) in Dallas, No. 22 Utah routed Utah State (58-10), Wyoming defeated North Dakota State (16-13) and San Diego State fell to San Jose State (35-10).

MWC MATCHES BEST RECORD WITH 7-1 MARK IN WEEK 3
The MWC's 7-1 non-conference record in Week 3 matches its best mark over a weekend. The MWC also posted a 7-1 non-conference record the weekend of Aug. 28 and 30, 2003 (AFA 49, Wofford 0; BYU 24, Georgia Tech 13; UNM 72, Texas State 8; SDSU 19, Eastern Washington 9; UNLV 28, Toledo 18; Utah 40, Utah State 20; WYO 21, Montana State 10; Colorado 42, CSU 35).

WEEK 4 PREVIEW
Eight of nine Mountain West teams will be in action in Week 4 with two league tilts and four non-conference contests on tap for Saturday, Sept. 20. Four of the six games will be televised with national broadcasts on VERSUS, CBS College Sports Network and The Mtn. In MWC action, Wyoming visits BYU (1 p.m. MT, The Mtn.) in the conference opener for both squads, while Utah travels to Air Force (2 p.m. MT, VERSUS) in a clash of unbeatens. In non-conference play, Colorado State hosts Houston (1:30 p.m. MT), while New Mexico heads to Tulsa (6 p.m. CT), TCU visits cross-town rival SMU (7 p.m. CT, CBS C) and UNLV entertains Iowa State (6 p.m. PT, The Mtn.)

MWC POSTS 4-0 RECORD AGAINST PAC-10 IN WEEK 3
The Mountain West went 4-0 vs. the Pac-10 this past weekend - BYU shut out UCLA (59-0), New Mexico beat Arizona (36-28), TCU rolled past Stanford (31-14) and UNLV upset No. 15 Arizona State (23-20). Overall, the MWC is 5-0 against the Pac-10 this season and has two regular season games remaining on the slate. Colorado State visits California on Sept. 27 and Utah hosts Oregon State on Oct. 2.

BYU AND UTAH IN TOP 25 NATIONAL RANKINGS
BYU and Utah are both currently ranked in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll. BYU jumped from No. 18 to No. 14 in the Associated Press and from No. 15 to No. 11 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Utah moved up two spots to 22th in both polls. TCU is receiving votes in both polls and are on the cusp of a top 25 ranking.

BYU HOLDS NATION'S LONGEST WIN STREAK
BYU has won 13 consecutive games, which currently ranks as the longest active win streak in the country. BYU has also won an MWC-record 14 consecutive home games, a mark currently ranked as the fourth-longest among Bowl Subdivision teams. Oklahoma has the longest active home win streak at 19, followed by Wisconsin with 16 and Boise State with 15. The Cougars have also won an MWC-record 16 straight league contests. BYU has not lost to a league opponent since dropping its MWC finale to Utah on Nov. 19, 2005. The 16 straight victories is currently the longest active conference win streak in the country, one ahead of Hawai`i with 15.

FOUR TEAMS REMAIN PERFECT
For the first time in Mountain West history, the league has four teams with 3-0 marks at this point in the season. The MWC is one of four conferences with four or more teams currently boasting 3-0 records:

Big 12 - Five (Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech)
Big Ten - Five (Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Wisconsin)
MWC - Four (Air Force, BYU, TCU, Utah)
SEC - Four (Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt)

MWC BOASTS 6-3 RECORD AGAINST AUTOMATIC-QUALIFYING BCS TEAMS
The MWC has posted a 6-3 mark in games against BCS conference opponents this season (includes Notre Dame), with five different teams chalking up victories. TCU is 11-2 and Utah is 10-3 in the last 13 games against automatic-qualifying BCS teams.

NON-CONFERENCE REPORT
The Mountain West Conference is currently 15-5 in non-conference action in 2008. The .750 win percentage is currently fourth best in the FBS behind the SEC (.880, 22-3), Big 12 (.875, 28-4), Big Ten (.800, 24-6). The MWC record for non-conference wins in a single season is 24.

MWC PLAYERS AMONG THE BEST WHEN IT COMES TO TACKLES FOR LOSS
Mountain West players own six of the top 11 spots in the latest NCAA statistics for tackles for loss. The Big Ten and WAC are the only other conferences with multiple players on the list (two each). Utah's Paul Kruger leads the country with an average of 3.0 TFL per game (9 total). Air Force's Jake Paulson and TCU's Matt Panfil are tied for third with 2.33 per game (7 total), followed by TCU's Jerry Hughes and San Diego State's Russell Allen with 1.83 TFL per game (5.5 total).

MACKEY AWARD NOMINEE PITTA LEADS NATION IN RECEIVING
BYU sophomore tight end Dennis Pitta had five receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns in the Cougars' 59-0 win over UCLA. Through three weeks of action, the Mackey Award nominee has 26 receptions for 408 yards. His 408 receiving yards rank second in the nation, while his receptions per game (8.67) is tied for fourth. In 2007, Pitta earned 813 yards and five touchdowns on 59 receptions.

MAKING THE MOST OF THE RED ZONE
UNLV ranked last in the MWC in red-zone scoring in 2007 (73.0 percent - 26 scores in 37 trips -- 15 TDs/11 FGs). Through the first three games, the Rebels are tied for first in the league and nation with a perfect 10-for-10 mark inside the 20-yard line, including seven TDs and three field goals. New Mexico shares the top spot with UNLV after converting all seven red zone trips (three TDs and four FGs).

TOUGH AGAINST THE RUN
Three MWC defenses are currently limiting opponents to under 100 yards rushing entering Week 4. TCU ranks third nationally with a rush defense allowing just 43.3 yards per game. Utah is 16th in the NCAA allowing 64.0 rushing yards per game, and BYU ranks 37th holding opponents to 97.0 yards per game on the ground.

GROZA/GUY AWARD WATCH
Utah senior kicker/punter Louie Sakoda is on the watch list for both the 2008 Lou Groza and Ray Guy Awards. Through the first three weeks of the season he has connected on all seven field goal attempts and has a 46.9 average on 10 punts. Four of the seven field goals have been from beyond 40 yards, including a career-long 53-yarder at Michigan. This past week at Utah State he lined up just once to punt, but instead completed a 9-yard pass for a Utah first down. Utah went on to score after that to increase its lead to 30-7.

LOU GROZA WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
In the first two weeks of the 2008 season, three of the six individuals to receive weekly honors by the organization that hands out the Lou Groza Award for the nation's best placekicker have come from the Mountain West: Air Force's Ryan Harrison, Colorado State's Ben DeLine and Utah's Louie Sakoda. The Mountain West is the only conference with multiple honorees.