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Oct. 16, 2000

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Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson announced a one-year agreement with the Silicon Valley Football Classic, matching the number-three selection from the MWC against potentially the Western Champion of the Western Athletic Conference. The game will be played at 3:30 PST at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on December 31st, 2000. Fox Sports Net Television will carry the game live. The addition of the Silicon Valley Football Classic to the Mountain West Conference bowl lineup gives the MWC three bowl berths this season, and a total of six during its two-year history.

Games Available on ESPN GamePlan

New Mexico at Air Force

San Diego State at BYU

COACHES TELECONFERENCE
Mountain West Conference head coaches will be available on a media teleconference each Tuesday throughout the season. Each coach will be available for 10 minutes, with the call scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. (MT). You can find the teleconference schedule on the left hand side of the page.

A replay of the MWC Football Teleconference will also be available by phone at (402) 220-1394.
Media Call-in Number: (719) 457-2657
Mountain/Pacific Call Schedule
10:30 a.m./9:30 a.m. Moderator, MWC
10:32 a.m./9:32 a.m. Ron McBride, Utah
10:42 a.m./9:42 a.m. LaVell Edwards, BYU
10:52 a.m./9:52 a.m. Rocky Long, New Mexico
11:02 a.m./10:02 a.m. Sonny Lubick, Colorado State
11:12 a.m./10:12 a.m. Fisher DeBerry, Air Force
11:22 a.m./10:22 a.m. Vic Koenning, Wyoming
11:32 a.m./10:32 a.m. John Robinson, UNLV
11:42 a.m./10:42 a.m. Ted Tollner, San Diego State
11:52 a.m./10:52 a.m. CraigThompson, MWC Commissioner

WEEKLY HONORS
Mike Thiessen (Air Force), Rick Crowell (Colorado State) and Rhett Nelson (Colorado State) were named Mountain West Conference Players of the Week for their performances on the football field last weekend. Thiessen and Crowell were honored for the second time this season, while Nelson captured his first career Player of the Week award.

Mike Thiessen, Air Force, QB, Senior (MWC Offensive Player of the Week)

Mike Thiessen had his best performance as a Falcon in Air Force�s 51-34 victory at Wyoming. Thiessen, a senior from Modesto, Calif., rushed for 126 yards and a Mountain West Conference record tying four touchdowns. The four rushing touchdowns is also tied for the third most in Academy history and the most since Dee Dowis had a school record six in 1989. Thiessen also completed eight of 13 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown. It was the first time this season and second time in his career that he has rushed and passed for over 100 yards in a game. Thiessen racked up a career high 319 total offensive yards in the contest, including an 81-yard pass to Scotty McKay. The 81-yard pass was the longest non-scoring pass in Air Force history and fourth longest overall.

Rick Crowell, Colorado State, LB, Senior (MWC Defensive Player of the Week)

Rick Crowell tallied 16 tackles, 12 unassisted, in the Rams 20-19 win over UNLV. The senior from Chula Vista, Calif., has recorded double-figure tackles in each of his five games played this season and moved into ninth on the Colorado State all-time tackles list with 313. He currently leads the MWC in tackles averaging 14 per game.

Rhett Nelson, Colorado State, CB, Sophomore (MWC Special Teams Player of the Week)

Sophomore Rhett Nelson blocked a UNLV extra point with 34 seconds remaining in the game to give Colorado State a 20-19 victory. It was the second crucial blocked kick by the Littleton, Colo., product in as many weeks. In the Rams conference opening 17-14 win against New Mexico a week ago, Nelson blocked a potential tying field goal.

LAST WEEK

There were three Mountain West Conference games played last week. In a thriller at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colo., Rhett Nelson blocked the game-tying PAT attempt of Ray Cheetany with 0:34 left in the game to preserve Colorado State�s 20- 19 victory over UNLV. CSU capped a 10-point fourth quarter with a 7-play, 80-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a Cecil Sapp one-yard run with 5:16 left. UNLV set the stage for Nelson�s heroics by engineering an 86-yard drive, capped by an 11- yard Jason Vaughan to Nate Turner touchdown pass. Vaughan was called on to replace Rebel signal-caller Jason Thomas who left the game just before halftime with a sprained ankle. Air Force racked up 625 yards of total offense in dispensing of Wyoming, 51-34. Senior quarterback Mike Thiessen led the Air Force attack, rushing for 126 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing for 193 yards and one TD. Wyoming quarterback Jay Stoner led the Cowboy charge by passing for a season-best 339 yards and two touchdowns. Utah wide receiver Steve Smith possessed a �midas� touch for the Utes in their 21-7 win over San Diego State. Smith caught two passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He was on the receiving end of 74- and 69-yard scoring strikes. The Aztec offense generated 250 yards and 15 first downs in the game, with sophomore split end J.R. Tolver leading the way with eight catches for 87 yards.

Air Force

What You Should Know:

Air Force was 12-of-14 on 3rd down conversions in last week�s win at Wyoming.

The Falcons are 31-6 since 1990 when the fullback position rushes for 100 yards or more .

Quarterback Mike Thiessen tied the Mountain West Conference record with four rushing touchdowns against Wyoming.

The Falcons have scored 50 or more points twice this season.

The Air Force offense has converted a Mountain West Conference leading 88.5 percent of its red zone opportunities into points. Of the 26 times the Falcons have penetrated inside the opponents 20- yardline, they have come away with points 23 times. Thirteen of their 17 red zone touchdowns have come on the ground.

Air Force is averaging a Mountain West Conference leading 448.5 yards of total offense per game.

Through six games, the Falcons are averaging less than one turnover per game. Air Force has turned the ball over five times this season, two fumble and three interceptions.

Mike Thiessen is averaging 213.0 yards total offense per game. Key Stat: The Falcons have won their last five home games.

BYU

What You Should Know:

The Cougars are coming off their first of two bye weeks this season.

With 2,576 career receiving yards, Margin Hooks has moved into third place on the Cougars� all-time receiving yards list. He is 60 yards shy of passing Matt Bellini and moving into second place.

Senior place-kicker Owen Pochman has amassed a team-leading 40 points this season and a school record 287 points over his career. He has also made 48 consecutive extra points dating back to Sept. 25, 1999 when Virginia blocked his PAT.

BYU extended its NCAA-record streak to 319 games without being shutout. The current streak dates back to Sept. 27, 1975.

The Cougars lead the Mountain West Conference in passing offense, averaging 277.3 yards per game to rank 18th nationally.

Senior WR Margin Hooks currently ranks fifth in the nation with a streak of 31 straight games with a reception.

The Cougar defense has allowed just 9.5 yards rushing per quarter over the last six quarters

Key Stat: Over the last two games, the BYU defense has allowed a total of 14 second-half points.

Colorado State

What You Should Know:

Quarterback Matt Newton has started every game since the 1999 season opener. He has thrown a touchdown pass in 16 of his 18 starts.

Colorado State recorded its third fourth-quarter comeback of the season in the 20-19 win over UNLV. For the first time under Sonny Lubick, CSU has posted multiple games in which it overcame a fourth quarter deficit.

Wide receiver Pete Rebstock, tight end Jose Ochoa and wide receiver Frank Rice have each caught at least one pass in every game this season.

Rhett Nelson has blocked a kick in each of the last two games, both of which helped to preserve a CSU win.

The Ram defense has held three of their past four opponents to less than 300 yards total offense, holding the opposition to an average of 280 yards per game over that span.

Pete Rebstock leads the Mountain West Conference with an average of 17.6 yards per punt return, and ranks fifth nationally.

Linebacker Rick Crowell leads the Mountain West Conference with an average of 14 tackles per game. Following a 16-tackle performance against UNLV, Crowell moved into ninth place on CSU�s career tackles chart with 313.

Key Stat: The Colorado State defense has registered eight sacks over the last two games.

New Mexico

What You Should Know:

The Lobos are coming off their only bye week of the season.

In its last game, the New Mexico defense allowed 39 yards rushing, the fewest by a UNM opponent in 16 games since Northern Arizona had 21 in 1999, and registered five sacks.

Senior fullback Ted Iacenda had his most productive day as a Lobo and the best performance by a UNM receiver in 2000, catching a career-high 8 passes for 97 yards, including a 25-yard TD. He came into the game with 8 receptions for 75 yards, and now leads the team with 16 catches for 172 yards. Iacenda also completed UNM�s longest pass of the season, a 39-yard toss to Rob Caston on a halfback lateral that set up UNM�s go-ahead TD in the 3rd quarter.

Senior Rantie Harper, making his first start since the 2nd game of the season against Boise State, recorded a career-high 14 tackles, including one for a 6-yard loss. Harper had 14 tackles in two-plus games before CSU.

The Lobos had a field goal attempt blocked for the first time in more than four years, since BYU�s Omarr Morgan deflected one at Provo on Sept. 21, 1996. UNM had gone 74 attempts since the last rejection.

The Lobos have posted a conference-leading 27 sacks this season.

New Mexico leads the MWC and ranks eighth in the country in kickoff returns averaging 25.0 yards per return.

Key Stat: After converting 10 of 49 (20.4%) third-down plays the first three games - including 0 of 13 against Oregon State - the Lobos have converted 29 of 57 (50.8%) the past four games.

San Diego State

What You Should Know:

The Aztec defense had gone 85:07 without allowing a point until surrendering a first-quarter, 74-yard touchdown pass last week against Utah.

San Diego State has won three of its last four conference games dating back to last season.

The SDSU lineup sports five walk-ons that have made starts in 2000.

Saturday�s BYU tilt marks the Aztecs fourth road game in their last five contests.

San Diego State is one of only three schools to open the 2000 season with four games against teams from Bowl Championship Series conferences.

The Aztecs have been hit hard by the injury bug this season. They have lost five starters for the year (OL Chris Williams and Zach LaMonda, TE Gray McNeill, DE Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and QB Jack Hawley).

Key Stat: San Diego State has outscored its last four conference opponents 117-35.

UNLV

What You Should Know:

Quarterback Jason Thomas leads the country with a pass efficiency rating of 170.7. Thomas also ranks among the league leaders in total offense (1st-224.2), passing average per game (5th-159.2), scoring (3rd-6.3) and rushing (4th-65.0).

UNLV�s defense has given up eight touchdowns this season and has held opponents scoreless in 13 of the last 20 quarters.

The UNLV defense has been stingy in the red zone this season. Of the 13 times opponents have been inside the Rebel 20- yardline, they have come away with points nine times, having to settle for field goals on four occasions.

The Rebels have had three players rush for 100 yards or more in a game this season. Kevin Brown accomplished the feat for the third time, and second consecutive game, with 134 yards at Colorado State. Jeremi Rudolph nothced his century mark game with 104 yards vs. Nevada and Jason Thomas rushed for 107 yards against Iowa State.

X-rays of Jason Thomas� injured right foot revealed no fracture. The sophomore quarterback left Saturday�s game at Colorado State late in the second-quarter and did not return. Senior Jason Vaughan came on in relief, completing 8-of-11 passes for 57 yards and one touchdown. Vaughan started eight games last season.

Key Stat: The combined records of UNLV�s six remaining opponents stands at 12-25.

Utah

What You Should Know:

Junior running back Adam Tate rung up his third straight 100- yard game with a 104-yard effort at San Diego State. He compiled a career-best 133 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Utah State. Tate leads the Mountain West Conference averaging 96.5 yards rushing per game.

Utah leads the Mountain West Conference in pass defense, allowing opponents an average of 161.6 yards per game.

Wide receiver Steve Smith had two receptions for 143 yards against San Diego State, hauling in touchdown passes of 74- and 69 yards.

Over the last four games, quarterback Darnell Arceneaux has completed 59.5 percent of his passes. He is a combined 53-of-89 for 830 yards and five touchdowns during this span.

Steve Smith leads the Mountain West Conference in all purpose yards, averaging 171.4 per game, to rank seventh nationally.

Defensive back Andre Dyson is the only player in the conference to return an interception for touchdown this season.

Key Stat: After scoring six straight offensive touchdowns on the ground, the Utes aerial attack came to life against San Diego State as all three Utah touchdowns were scored through the air.

Wyoming

What You Should Know:

Wyoming has not started a season 1-6 since 1975, when the Cowboys finished 2-9.

Quarterback Jay Stoner passed for a season-high 339 yards and two touchdowns last week against an Air Force defense that had been giving up an average of 186.2 yards per game through the air, completing 28-of-41 passes. His 28 completions were a career-best.

Punter Tom Waring ranks ninth in the nation in punting, averaging a Mountain West Conference leading 44.1 yards per punt.

Jay Stoner ranks second on Wyoming�s all-time passing yards list with 7,273 career yards.

Wyoming has converted on 7-of-12 fourth down attempts this season.

Place kicker Aaron Elling has made seven of eight field goal attempts this season, including a career-long 52 yarder. His only miss was from 54 yards out. He has also converted all 12 PAT�s.

The Cowboys amassed a season-high 421 yards of total offense and 34 points last week against Air Force.

Key Stat: Wyoming has started six freshman this season.

Week 8 Game Previews

Colorado State at Utah
Saturday, October 21
Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,634)
Salt Lake City, Utah
5 p.m. (MT), KJZZ/KTVD

GAME NOTES
The Utes enter the game looking for their first home win of the season, going 0-3 thus far in Rice-Eccles Stadium. Colorado State heads in with a three-game win streak. The teams meet for the 69th time with CSU riding a two-game win streak in the series, but Utah claiming victory in four of the last six meetings.

THE SERIES
Utah leads, 47-18-1. Last meeting: Colorado State 31-24, October, 28, 1999, in Fort Collins, Colo.

THE COACHES
Sonny Lubick is 83-47 overall in 11-plus years as a head coach and 62-28 during his seven-plus year tenure at Colorado State. Utah coach Ron McBride has compiled a 73-50 overall record in 10-plus seasons at the helm of the Utes.

Players to Watch � Colorado State (5-1, 2-0 MWC)
Passer: Matt Newton (6 GP, 169-103-10, 60.9 Pct, 1,337 Yds, 8 TD, Longest Pass - 59 Yds)
Rusher: Cecil Sapp (6 GP, 89 Att., 446 Yds, 5.0 Avg Per Rush., 6 TD, Longest Rush - 54 Yds)
Receiver: Frank Rice (6 GP, 26 Rec., 435 Yds, 16.7 Avg Per Rec., 3 TD, Longest Rec. - 59 Yds) Tackler: Rick Crowell (5 GP, 36-27-63, 1 Sack, 2 TFL)

Players to Watch � Utah (2-4, 1-1 MWC)
Passer: Darnell Arceneaux (6 GP, 136-78-6, 57.4 Pct, 1,126 Yds, 5 TD, Longest Pass - 74 Yds)
Rusher: Adam Tate (4 GP, 85 Att., 386 Yds, 4.5 Avg Per Rush, 4 TD, Longest Rush - 18 Yds)
Receiver: Cliff Russel (6 GP, 35 Rec., 467 Yds, 13.3 Avg Per Rec., 3 TD, Longest Rush - 48 Yds)
Tackler: Jason Kaufusi (6 GP, 18-22-40, 8 TFL, 3 PBU, 5 QBHurry, 7 Sacks)

New Mexico at Air Force
Saturday, October 21
Falcon Stadium (52,480)
Colorado Springs, Colo.
10 a.m. (MT), SportsWest

GAME NOTES
New Mexico has lost its last three games to Air Force on the Falcons home field by a combined score of 152-60. The Lobos are 2-0 under coach Rocky Long following bye weeks. Air Force looks to avenge last year�s season-ending 33-29 loss to New Mexico. The Falcons rush defense is holding opponents to an average of 95 yards over the last two games.

THE SERIES
Air Force leads, 11-6. Last meeting: New Mexico 33-28, Novermber 27, 1999, in Albuquerque, N.M.

THE COACHES
New Mexico�s Rocky Long is in his third season at the helm of the Lobos and is 10-19 in his two-plus seasons in Albuquerque. Prior to his days at New Mexico, Long was the defensive coordinator for UCLA. Fisher DeBerry has compiled a 131-70-1 overall record in 16-plus seasons at Air Force.

Players to Watch � New Mexico (3-3, 1-0 MWC)
Passer: Rudy Caamano (6 GP, 79-48-5, 60.8 Pct, 513 Yds, 7 TD, Longest Pass - 27 Yds)
Rusher: Holmon Wiggins (6 GP, 100 Att., 406 Yds, 4.1 Avg Per Rush., 2 TD, Longest Rush - 23 Yds)
Receiver: Larry Davis (5 GP, 7 Rec., 110 Yds, 15.7 Avg Per Rec., 2 TD, Longest Rec. - 27 Yds)
Tackler: Mike Barnett (6 GP, 22-26-48, 6 Sacks, 10 TFL, 2 Fumble Recovery)

Players to Watch � Air Force (4-1, 1-1 MWC)
Passer: Mike Thiessen (6 GP, 85-46-2, 54.1 Pct, 854 Yds, 8 TDs, Longest Pass - 81 Yds)
Rushing (6 GP, 100 Att., 424 Yds, 4.2 Avg Per Rush., 6 TD, Longest Rush - 34 Yds)
Rusher: Nate Beard (6 GP, 61 Att., 303 Yds, 5.0 Avg Per Rush., 4 TD, Longest Rush - 33 Yds)
Receiver: Ryan Fleming (6 GP, 17 Rec., 444 Yds, 26.1 Avg Per Rec., 3 TD, Longest Rec. - 61 Yds)
Tackler: C.J. Zanotti (6 GP, 20-29-49, 4 Sack, 9 TFL, 2 PBU, 1 Fumble Recovery)

San Diego State at BYU
Saturday, October 21
Cougar Stadium (65,000)
Provo, Utah
1 p.m. (MT), ESPN+Plus

GAME NOTES
BYU has won nine of the last ten meetings with San Diego State, including each of the last five. The Cougars have outscored SDSU, 43-7 over the last two games. BYU has posted an 11-1 record vs. the Aztecs at Cougar Stadium.

THE SERIES
BYU leads, 18-5-1. Last meeting: BYU 30-7, November 6, 1999, in San Diego, Calif.

THE COACHES
Ted Tollner is in his seventh season at the helm of the Aztecs and 11th overall as a head coach. He is 38-37 at SDSU and 64-57-1 lifetime. Before coming to SDSU in 1994, Tollner was the head coach at Southern California (1983-86). LaVell Edwards is in his 29th and final season at BYU with a 253-99-3 overall record.

Players to Watch � San Diego State (1-5, 1-1 MWC)
Passer: Lon Sheriff (5 GP, 132-68-7, 51.5 Pct, 786 Yds, 2 TD, Longest Pass - 31 Yds)
Rusher: Larry Ned (5 GP, 120 Att., 298 Yds, 2.5 Avg Per Rush, 4 TD, Longest Rush - 22 Yds)
Receiver: J.R. Tolver (6 GP, 31 Rec., 386 Yds, 12.5 Avg Per Rec., 0 TD, Longest Rec. - 20 Yds)
Tackler: Brian Berg (6 GP, 33-10-43, 1 Sack, 3 TFL, 1 Fumble Recovery)

Players to Watch - BYU (2-4, 1-1 MWC)
Passer: Bret Engeman (5 GP, 133-71-6, 53.4 Pct, 883 Yds, 3 TD, Longest Pass - 70 Yds)
Charles Peterson (4 GP, 108-59-3, 54.6 Pct, 657 Yds, 4 TD, Longest Pass - 39 Yds)
Rusher: Brian McDonald (6 GP, 60 Att., 316 Yds, 5.3 Avg Per Rush., 5 TD, Longest Rush - 37 Yds)
Receiver: Margin Hooks (6 GP, 35 Rec., 369 Yds, 10.5 Avg Per Rec., 1 TD, Longest Rec. - 25 Yds)
Tackler: Justin Ena (6 GP, 22-28-50, 2 Sacks, 6 TFL, 2 PBU, 1 QB Hurry)

Wyoming at UNLV
Saturday, October 21
Sam Boyd Stadium (36,800)
Las Vegas, Nev.
4 p.m. (PT), SportsWest

GAME NOTES
Wyoming closes out the 2000 season by playing three of its final four games on the road. The Cowboys have won four of the last five games against the Rebels. UNLV is 3-0 at Sam Boyd Stadium this season, allowing opponents an average of 10 points a game. The Rebels are rushing for an average of 286.3 yards per home game this year.

THE SERIES
Tied, 4-4. Last meeting: UNLV 35-32, October 9, 1999, in Laramie, Wyo.

THE COACHES
Vic Koenning is in his first season at the helm of the Cowboys. He spent the past three seasons as the Wyoming defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. John Robinson is in his second season at UNLV and is 6-11 overall. Prior to UNLV, Robinson coached at Southern California for 12 years (1976-82, Oe93-97) and the NFL�s Los Angeles Rams for nine years (1983-91). His college coaching record stands at 110-46-4, while his NFL record was 79-74.

Players to Watch � Wyoming (1-6, 0-3 MWC)
Passer: Jay Stoner (6 GP, 192-119-6, 62.0 Pct, 1,128 Yds, 7 TD, Longest Pass - 72 Yds)
Rusher: Nate Scott (7 GP, 72 Att., 440 Yds, 6.1 Avg Per Rush, 4 TD, Longest Rush - 95 Yds)
Receiver: Ryan McGuffey (7 GP, 38 Rec., 371 Yds, 9.8 Avg Per Rec., 3 TD, Longest Rec. - 43 Yds)
Tackler: Kwabena Peprah (7 GP, 38-29-67, 1 Sack, 3 TFL, 3 QB Hurries, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 Recovery, 1 PBU)

Players to Watch � UNLV (3-3, 1-2 MWC)
Passer: Jason Thomas (6 GP, 90-51-2, 56.7 Pct, 955 Yds, 8 TD, Longest Pass - 57 Yds)
Rushing (6 GP, 86 Att., 390 Yds, 4.5 Avg Per Rush., 6 TD, Longest Rush - 72 Yds)
Rusher: Kevin Brown (6 GP, 66 Att., 409 Yds, 6.2 Avg Per Rush., 1 TD, Longest Rush - 45 Yds)
Receiver: Nate Turner (6 GP, 31 Rec., 475 Yds, 15.3 Avg Per Rec., 6 TD, Longest Rec. - 57 Yds)
Tackler: Sam Brandon (6 GP, 27-18-45, 1 TFL, 3 PBU)