Army (3-4) at AIR FORCE (4-3)
Falcon Stadium (52,480)
USAFA, Colo.
1 p.m. (MT)
AFA leads 20-12-1
1998, AFA won 35-7
COLORADO STATE (5-3) at NEW MEXICO (3-4)%
University Stadium (31,218)
Albuquerque, N.M.
1 p.m. (MT) / ESPN+Plus
CSU leads 26-20
1997, CSU won 41-13
13/15 BYU (7-1) at SAN DIEGO STATE (3-5)%
Qualcomm Stadium (71,400)
San Diego, Calif.
6 p.m. (PT) / Cox, KSL
BYU leads 17-5-1
1998, BYU won 13-0
WYOMING (4-3) at UTAH (6-2)%
Rice-Eccles Stadium (45,634)
Salt Lake City, Utah
7 p.m. (MT) / espn2
Utah leads 41-27-1
1998, WYO won 27-24
UNLV Idle. Next up: at Air Force, Saturday, Nov. 13 (AFA leads the series 3-1).
% - MWC conference game.
LAST WEEK:
Thursday, October 28
COLORADO STATE 31, UTAH 24 (Fort Collins, Colo. attendance 25,120)
Saturday, October 30
BYU 27, AIR FORCE 20 (Provo, Utah attendance 65,319)
NEW MEXICO 27, UNLV 6 (Albuquerque, N.M. attendance 21,854)
Wyoming, San Diego State Idle
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE NOTES
WEEKLY HONORS:
(Based on Oct. 28/30 games)
Kevin Feterik, BYU, QB, Senior (MWC Offensive Player of the Week)
Kevin Feterik completed 24-of-33 pass attempts (73%) for a game-high 336 yards in BYU’s 27-20 victory over Air Force last Saturday to remain undefeated and in first place in conference play. Feterik threw for two touchdowns, including a season-long 57-yard pass to junior Margin Hooks with 10:18 to play in the game. The touchdown proved to be the game-winner. Feterik started the game 14-of-15 for 188 yards and a touchdown, including a streak of seven straight completions. Feterik earned player of the week honors in consecutive weeks on Sept. 13 and Sept. 20.
Jared Lee, BYU, S, Junior (MWC Defensive Player of the Week)
Jared Lee collected a career-high 22 tackles, 11 unassisted, in BYU’s 27-20 victory against Air Force last Saturday. Lee also recovered a fumble at the Cougars’ 20-yard line which stopped a 71-yard drive by the Falcons on their second possession of the game. Lee helped the Cougars hold the Air Force offense to 253 yards on the ground, nearly 40 yards under its season average. Lee’s 22 tackles were one shy of the conference’s single-game record of 23 held by CSU’s Ula Tuitele.
Dallas Davis, Colorado State, PR/WR, Junior (MWC Special Teams Player of the Week)
Dallas Davis’ performance against Utah last Thursday in front of a national television audience on ESPN ranks as one of the greatest in CSU football history. He became the first player in school history to return two punts for touchdowns in one game with an 89-yard return in the first half and a 56-yard return in the fourth quarter to break a 24-24 tie and give the Rams a 31-24 victory over the Utes. He also set a school record with 214 punt return yards, 11 shy of the NCAA record, and tied the NCAA record with his two touchdowns. Davis is on pace to set a new single-season school record with his 16.7 yards per punt return average. He currently ranks fourth in the nation in that category.
The following is a list of MWC Players of the Week:
Date, Offensive, Defensive, Special Teams
Sept. 6 Kevin McDougal, CSU Brian Urlacher, UNM Deone Horinek, CSU
Sept. 13 Kevin Feterik, BYU Kevin Thomas, UNLV Aaron Elling, WYO
Sept. 20 Kevin Feterik, BYU Jay Hill, UTAH Jackson Whiting, AFA
Sept. 27 Jack Hawley, SDSU Matt Lehning, WYO Tom Waring, WYO
Oct. 4 Mike Thiessen, AFA Greg Pollard, CSU C.W. Hurst, CSU
Oct. 11 Jeremi Rudolph, UNLV Brain Urlacher, UNM Duane James, UNLV
Oct. 18 Scotty McKay, AFA Kimball Christianson, UTAH Steve Smith, UTAH
Oct. 25 Darnell Arceneaux, UTAH Ula Tuitele, CSU Owen Pochman, BYU
Nov. 1 Kevin Feterik, BYU Jared Lee, BYU Dallas Davis, CSU
THIS WEEK’S GAME NOTES:
Saturday, October 6
Army (3-4)at Air Force (4-3), Falcon Stadium at 1 p.m. (MT)
Air Force leads the overall series 20-12-1 over Army, but has won two straight and nine of the last 10 in the series. The series began on Oct. 31, 1959 with a 13-13 tie in a game played in Yankee Stadium. Last year, the visiting Falcons rolled to a 35-7 victory over the Cadets. Air Force is 13-2 against Army in games played in Falcon Stadium. The only losses occurred in 1967 (10-7) and 1977 (31-6). Air Force has won 10 in a row at home since then. The Falcons could wrap up its 13th Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy with a victory. Air Force defeated Navy earlier this year, 19-14. The Falcons have already won more CIC trophies than Army (6) and Navy (5) combined.
Colorado St. (5-3, 2-2) at New Mexico (3-4, 2-1), University Stadium, 1 p.m. (MT) , ESPN+Plus
The Rams lead the overall series against New Mexico 26-20 including a 41-13 victory in the WAC Championship game in Las Vegas in 1997, their last meeting. Ironically, the Lobos hold an 11-9 edge in games played in Fort Collins, while CSU has a 13-11 advantage in games played in Albuquerque. The teams’ last meeting in University Stadium was a 38-31 Colorado State victory on Oct. 1, 1994. The Rams entered the contest ranked 24th in the nation. In the series each team has had a five-game winning streak, the last being a CSU streak from 1983-87. The Lobos put together a five-game streak from 1960-64. Colorado State has won 11 of the last 14 meetings.
Wyoming (4-3, 1-2) at Utah (6-2, 3-1), Rice-Eccles Stadium, 7 p.m. (MT), ESPN2
Utah has a 41-29-1 edge in the series with rival Wyoming. The series began on Oct. 31, 1904 with a 23-0 Utah victory in Laramie. In fact, the Utes won 22 of the first 23 meetings with the only non-win being a 0-0 tie in 1920. Utah outscored Wyoming 612-16 in the first 17 meetings in the series. Since 1949 though, Wyoming has a 29-19 advantage, including victories in seven of the last 11 meetings. The Utes and Cowboys did not meet in 1996 or 1997, which ended a streak of 50 consecutive years that the two teams faced each other. Last year, Wyoming rallied for a 27-24 victory in Laramie. The Cowboys scored with just four minutes to play in the game to capture the victory and overcome Utah’s Mike Anderson’s performance of 150 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
BYU (7-1, 4-0) at San Diego State (3-5, 1-3), Qualcomm Stadium, 6 p.m. (PT), KSL, Cox
The Cougars hold a 17-5-1 lead in their series with San Diego State, which began in 1947. BYU has won the last three meetings, all in Provo, Utah, including a 13-0 victory last year. BYU’s Brian Gray scored the only touchdown of the game on an interception return in the first quarter on the Aztecs¹ first drive of the game. The shutout also was the first suffered by San Diego State since the Cougars’ 28-0 victory in 1985, a span of 146 games. While BYU has an 11-1 advantage in games played in Cougar Stadium, the Cougars have a 6-4-1 edge in games played in San Diego. BYU won the last meeting in San Diego by a score of 45-44 in 1993. The Aztecs have never won more than one game in a row in the series, while BYU strung together a nine-game streak from 1976-85. SDSU head coach Ted Tollner is 0-3 lifetime against BYU, while LaVell Edwards is 16-3-1 against San Diego State. The only tie in the series was a 52-52 shootout in San Diego in 1991.
LAST WEEK’S GAMES:
Thursday, October 28 At Colorado State 31, Utah 24
CSU’s Dallas Davis capped off a remarkable night with a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown to break a 24-24 tied with 2:35 to play as the Rams defeated first-place Utah 31-24 in Fort Collins, Colo. A national Thursday night television audience on ESPN watched as Davis returned two punts for touchdowns, including an 89-yarder in the first half, and racked up a school-record 214 total punt return yards, 11 shy of the NCAA record.
Davis’ heroics negated a Utah rally in the second half. The Utes, trailing 24-3 at halftime, scored 21 points in a span of 6:21 in the third and fourth quarters. Andre Dyson’s 47-yard return for a touchdown on a blocked field goal and then a 59-yard touchdown pass from T.D. Croshaw to Steve Smith knotted the game with just over ten minutes to play in the game.
Saturday, October 30 At BYU 27, Air Force 20
BYU QB Kevin Feterik completed 24-of-31 passes for 336 yards and two TDs to help the Cougars claim their 250th win under 28-year head coach LaVell Edwards. In the first half alone, Feterik was 14-of-15 for 188 yards. With Air Force trailing 27-10 late in the fourth quarter, Jeff Felton forced a fumble by BYU’s Jeron Dabney, scooped it up and returned it 30 yards to the Cougars’ 10. Two plays later, Scotty McKay scored on a 7-yard run with 3:30 to play. Air Force recovered the ensuing onside kick and marched downfield and scored off a Jackson Whiting field goal to pull within 27-20 with 2:37 remaining.
Air Force was penalized seven times for 62 yards. The Falcons also misfired on their first three first-quarter possessions (interception, fumble at the BYU 20-yard line and holding penalty).
Saturday, October 30 At New Mexico 27, UNLV 6
New Mexico WR Martinez Williams caught a career-high 11 passes and the Lobos scored in the third quarter for the first time in over a year. UNM¹s Brian Urlacher was solid on defense, logging 18 tackles, one sack and three pass break-ups. New Mexico scored on its first three possessions of the second half. Holmgren Wiggins scored on a 2-yard run, David McKinney kicked a career-long 44-yard field goal and Jarrod Baxter scored on a 5-yard run.
UNLV got on the board with a 7-yard pass play from Jason Vaughan to Nate Turner on the Rebels’ first possession of the second half. The play was kept alive with a fumble recovery at New Mexico¹s 16. The score put UNLV within one, 7-6, before New Mexico went on to score 17 unanswered points.
ROAD WARRIORS: MWC have fared better on the road than at home this season. In conference games, Utah has won all of its road games. New Mexico and UNLV both went on the road Oct. 9 and posted upsets at San Diego State and Wyoming, respectively. And Wyoming picked up its first conference win at Air Force on Sept. 25. The only teams to win a conference home games this season are BYU (vs. Colorado State, Sept. 16 and vs. Air Force, Oct. 30), Colorado State (vs. Utah, Oct. 28), Utah (vs. SDSU, Oct. 23) and New Mexico (vs. UNLV, Oct. 30).
Conference road records: 10-5
Conference home records: 5-10
ABOUT MWC FOOTBALL: The first series between two MWC teams started in 1899, when Wyoming and Colorado State faced each other. Prior to forming the MWC, six of the eight schools had played at least 120 games vs. MWC teams. Colorado State has played the most games vs. MWC teams (320 total prior to 1999).
The success and experience of its coaches are also hallmarks of the MWC. Prior to 1999, league schools have head coaches with a combined 94 years of head coaching experience and an overall winning percentage of .646. The MWC coaching ranks include numerous conference championships (WAC, Pac-10), Coach of the Year awards and NFL coaching experience. UNLV’s John Robinson coached in eight bowl games while serving as head coach at USC and took the Los Angeles Rams to six postseasons, including two NFC Championship appearances. SDSU’s Ted Tollner took USC to two bowl games, winning the Rose Bowl and Pac-10 title in 1984, before moving on to the professional ranks where he spent a total of seven years in the NFL as an assistant coach for three different organizations. Earlier this season, Air Force’s Fisher DeBerry became the winningest service academy coach with 124 wins in games vs. Army and Navy. At BYU, LaVell Edwards is in his 28th season at the helm and has taken the Cougars to 21 bowl games. In fact, his 243 coaching victories prior to the season ranked seventh all-time among NCAA Division I-A coaches. The most cohesive unit in the country, BYU has not had a change in its coaching staff for five straight years. Meanwhile, Ron McBride at Utah recently posted his eighth winning season in 10 years. Colorado State’s Sonny Lubick has been named conference coach of the year twice (1994 and ‘97) and won three conference titles in his six seasons. The former offensive coordinator at Miami (Fla.) from 1989-92, Lubick is the school’s all-time winningest coach and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame on Oct. 9, 1998. The two newer coaches to the group are Wyoming’s Dana Dimel (3rd season) and New Mexico’s Rocky Long (2nd season). Dimel posted back-to-back 8-win seasons in his first two years at Wyoming. Long recently served as defensive coordinator in the Pac-10 (UCLA, 1996-97) and Oregon State (1991-95).
MWC vs. OTHER CONFERENCES: Collectively, MWC teams are 20-11 (.645) vs. all non-conference opponents in 1999 and 7-5 vs. conferences affiliated with the Bowl Championship Series. In its inaugural season, the MWC compiled the following records vs. BCS opponents Pac-10 (4-1), Big 12 (3-1), Big Ten (0-1), SEC (0-1), ACC (0-1). In total, MWC faced 12 BCS teams during the 1999 regular season. The MWC is 11-6 vs. other non-conference opponents.
EXPOSURE: Eleven games have been televised nationally on either ESPN (Washington at BYU, CSU at BYU and Utah at CSU), ESPN2 (Wyoming at Tennessee, Virginia at BYU, Air Force at San Diego State, Utah at Air Force, CSU at Wyoming) or Fox Sports Net (CU-CSU, Air Force at Washington, Air Force at Navy). On September 25, the Mountain West Conference reached a milestone by surpassing the one million mark in total attendance (all games, home and away). After nine weeks of play, a total of 1,566,426 fans had watched MWC teams play in person (40 games total). The average home attendance in the MWC is 35,564 (1,031,344/29 games). BYU leads the conference, averaging 65,034 after five home games.
WHERE THE MWC IS STATISTICALLY: Offensively, Air Force is second nationally in rushing offense (280.7 ypg) behind their upcoming opponent, Army (320.3). BYU is sixth in passing offense with 329.3 yards per game and is scoring more than 33 points per game to rank 20th nationally. BYU’s Kevin Feterik ranks sixth in total offense with 320.5 yards per game, which includes two 400+ yards performances. The MWC’s top rushers rank among the top-35 nationally. CSU’s Kevin McDougal is 16th in rushing (108.4) and Utah’s Mike Anderson is 35th (92.6).
Defensively, BYU is 15th in rushing defense (101.8 ypg) and 11th in total defense (293.9 ypg). Utah is fourth in turnover margin (1.25) and ninth in pass efficiency defense (98.4).
The MWC has four schools ranked in the top 15 in kickoff returns, led by Wyoming in fourth place (26.3 ypr). Colorado State’s Dallas Davis jumped up to fourth nationally in punt returns (16.71 ypr). Utah’s Jay Hill is tied for eighth in interceptions (0.63).
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE POLLS: BYU moved up in both polls and registered season-high rankings of No. 13 in the ESPN poll and No. 15 in the AP poll. BYU avenged a 20-13 loss suffered last year with a 27-20 win against Air Force on Saturday, Oct. 30. BYU and CSU have each been ranked in the polls consecutive weeks. BYU has been ranked five consecutive weeks, while CSU was ranked for two weeks straight and Air Force has been in the polls twice. Air Force was ranked 25th in the AP poll three weeks ago but dropped out after a 21-15 loss at home to unranked Utah on Oct. 16. BYU had lost to Virginia at home on Sept. 25, 45-40, and dropped out of both polls after being ranked 17th (AP) and 19th (ESPN).
Here’s a look back:
Date ESPN Poll AP Poll
Week 1 (8/29) No MWC team ranked No MWC team ranked
Week 2 (9/5) No MWC team ranked CSU (No. 24)
Week 3 (9/12) CSU (No. 24) BYU (#25), CSU (#23)
Week 4 (9/19) BYU (#19), AFA (#25) BYU (#17), AFA (#24)
Week 5 (9/26) No MWC team ranked No MWC team ranked
Week 6 (10/3) BYU (#24) BYU (No. 24)
Week 7 (10/10) BYU (#20) BYU (#21), AFA (#25)
Week 8 (10/17) BYU (#19) BYU (No. 19)
Week 9 (10/24) BYU (#15) BYU (No. 16)
Week 10 (10/30) BYU (#13) BYU (No. 15)
Other MWC teams receiving votes in the Polls (Oct. 31):
ESPN/USA TODAY Poll Colorado State 11 (No. 30), Utah 7 (No. 35).
Associated Press Poll Utah 5 (No. 33), Air Force 2 (No. 37).
A GLANCE AT THE RECORDS:
Conference Overall
Team Home Away Neutral Home Away
Air Force 1-2 2-1 1-0 0-2 1-1
BYU 4-1 3-0 --- 2-0 2-0
Colorado St. 3-1 1-2 1-0 1-1 1-1
New Mexico 2-2 1-2 --- 1-1 1-0
San Diego St. 1-2 2-3 --- 0-2 1-1
UNLV 0-3 3-2 --- 0-2 1-1
Utah 3-0 3-2 --- 1-0 2-1
Wyoming 2-3 1-1 --- 0-2 1-0
TEAM NOTES
AIR FORCE FALCONS (4-3, 1-3/6th-tie Mtn. West)
Lost at BYU last Saturday, 27-20 … Received votes in the AP poll this week … AFA opponents have scored first in six of seven games … AFA had two sacks vs. BYU and eight in the last two games after previously logging just five total sacks in the first five games … QB Mike Thiessen and WR Scotty McKay combined for a 40-yard pass play, which is the longest of each player’s career … AFA blocked two kicks vs. BYU last Saturday and has four blocked kicks this season. The Falcons have blocked at least three kicks in each season in the 1990s and has 55 blocks this decade … Scott Gribben had his best punting performance last week vs. BYU, averaging 43.5 per kick including a season-long 60-yard punt … K Jackson Whiting remains perfect this season (9-for-9 FGs) … AFA had 15 tackles for loss for 53 yards combined vs. BYU, one of the nation’s most productive offenses (7th nationally in passing offense with 328.3 ypg prior to last week’s game) … AFA needs a win over Army this Saturday to claim its 13th Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. To date, AFA has won the trophy more times than Army (6) and Navy (5) combined … NG Buck Hodgkinson made his first start of the season vs. BYU.
BYU COUGARS (7-1, 4-0/1st Mtn. West)
Ranked a season-high 13th in the ESPN/USA TODAY poll and 15th in the AP poll this week … BYU’s LaVell Edwards captured his 250th career victory with a win over Air Force on Oct. 30, 1999. Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne is the only coach to have reached the 250-win mark faster than Edwards. Both Edwards and Penn State coach Joe Paterno hit the 250 plateau in their 28th season … K Owen Pochman connected on two consecutive field goals last Saturday vs. AFA, setting a BYU record for consecutive FGs with 10 this season. Pochman has hit 11 of his past 12 attempts and is 13-of-18 on the season … RB Luke Staley, a freshman, had two TDs (1 rushing, 1 receiving) last Saturday vs. AFA and leads the team with 12 TDs on the season. Staley has scored 10 of the Cougars’ 12 rushing TDs and is the nation’s top-scoring freshman, averaging 10.3 points per game … QB Kevin Feterik has thrown at least one TD pass in 25 of his 31 games. Feterik has thrown 48 TD receptions in his career, ranking 10th in the BYU record book for career TD completions. He needs just two more to tie Virgil Carter for ninth place on that list. Feterik also ranks eighth on BYU’s all-time passing list with 7,132 career passing yards. He needs 333 yards to pass Steve Sarkisian for seventh. Feterik has 2,621 passing yards on the season and a career-high 20 touchdowns this season … BYU is 5-0 on the season when it scores first and 6-0 when leading after halftime.
COLORADO STATE RAMS (5-3, 2-2/4th Mtn. West)
Dallas Davis returned two punts for TDs vs. Utah on Oct. 28. His first punt return went for 89 yards and was the second-longest punt return in CSU history behind the 90-yard return by Glenn Davis in 1926 … P Deone Horinek is second on the school’s career punting list, with a 42.9 average to date. He his career-long Oct. 23 vs. Wyoming (67 yards) … DE Clark Haggans has 34 career sacks. He is already the school’s all-time leader and has a total of eightsacks in 1999. His three sacks vs. BYU on Sept. 16 pushed him into the leaders spot, which was previously held by Brady Smith (28) … RB Kevin McDougal averages 108.4 yards per game, which ranks first in the MWC and 16th nationally. He needs to average 80.3 yards per game to reach the 1,000-yard mark this season. During his career, he has rolled up 2,493 career yards, which is seventh all-time at CSU … CSU will play its six and final night games in 1999 Nov. 18 at home vs. Air Force (televised by ESPN) … CSU allowed 202 total yards on Oct. 16 in the Rams’ 17-10 loss to SDSU, which is the first time since 1995 that the Rams have kept an opponent to less than 250 yards at Hughes Stadium and lost. The last time that was accomplished by a Ram opponent was in 1995 (New Mexico, 22-14 defeat).
NEW MEXICO LOBOS (3-4, 2-1/3rd Mtn. West)
UNM’s win over UNLV last Saturday was its first home conference win in two years. Previously, UNM had lost five home league contests, dating back to 1997, which is also prior to Rocky Long’s arrival as head coach … WR Germany Thompson caught five passes vs. UNLV, extending his streak of receptions to 18 games (every contest he’s played in his career). Thompson has 989 career yards, bringing him within 11 yards of becoming the 17th Lobo to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards … WR Martinez Williams had a career-high 11 receptions vs. UNLV on Oct. 30, surpassing his two 8-reception games he had accomplished previously. He also had 115 yards on the night, marking the fifth time he has gone over the century mark. Williams’ 11 catches vs. UNLV tied for ninth-most in school history and the most since Eric Morgan (1990, 12) … UNM had a scoring drought in third quarters dating back to Oct. 24, 1998 (17 third quarter pts. vs. Hawaii). The Lobos scored their first third quarter points of the season, a touchdown vs. UNLV Oct. 30, 1999. During the scoring drought which extended over 12 games, UNM was outscored 101-0 … QB Sean Stein scored the Lobo’s first rushing TD in four games vs. UNLV last week … Williams now has 96 career receptions for 1,213 yards, moving into seventh place on the school’s career reception list and is one reception shy of moving into sixth, a spot which is currently held by Keith Magee (97, 1979-82) … The Lobos’ second quarter scoring drive of 15 plays, 87 yards and 5:47 off the clock was their longest of the year in terms of plays, yardage and time of possession … S Brian Urlacher had 18 tackles vs. UNLV, giving him 381 for his career. In the process, he moved past Houston Ross and into sixth-place on the UNM career tackles list … With four regular season games remaining in 1999, UNM has recovered more fumbles this season than all of last season combined. In ‘99, the Lobos have 11 recovered fumbles, one more than the ‘98 total … UNM’s defense yielded just 221 yards vs. UNLV, making it the Lobos’ second-best showing in Rocky Long’s career as head coach. The best performance under Long was against Idaho State on Sept. 5, 1998 (146 yards) … K David McKinney booted a career-long 44-yard field goal in the third quarter vs. UNLV on Oct. 30.
SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (3-5, 1-3/6th-tie Mtn. West)
The Aztecs are coming off a bye week and will have another Saturday off following this week’s game vs. BYU … Three Aztec have suffered three losses by a combined seven points, including a pair of conference losses by just four points total … WR Damon Gourdine’s career was ended on Oct. 23 due to an injury (ligament damage) he suffered in the Utah game. Through the first eight games, he led the team in receptions (38), receiving yards (439) and TD receptions (4) … RB Larry Ned needs to average 89.1 yards in the next three games to break the 1,000-yard mark … Junior Brian Russell started at free safety last Saturday vs. Utah on Oct. 23, where he was credited with 10 tackles. In the season opener, he started at quarterback for SDSU. It is believed that he is the first Aztec to start a game on both sides of the ball in the same season since the final days of the two-way players in the early 1960s … The Aztecs rushed for 303 yards vs. Utah, marking their first 300-yard ground effort since a 395-yard performance on Nov. 16, 1996 at UNLV. Ironically, SDSU has lost both games that it rushed for more than 300 yards … SDSU tight ends have 22 receptions this season, surpassing the 20 catches they have had over each of the previous two seasons … SDSU’s 202 yards of total offense vs. CSU on Oct. 16 (under adverse weather conditions) was the Aztecs’ lowest output in a winning effort since 1984 when the Aztecs generated 174 yards of offense in a 21-0 win at Wyoming … The Aztecs’ defense, which ranked 24th nationally in rushing defense prior to its bye week Oct. 30, has allowed just two individuals to rush for 100 yards (Air Force’s Mike Thiessen and Utah’s Mike Anderson) … The Aztecs have 1,619 passing yards after seven games, compared to last year’s total of 1,616 for 11 games.
UNLV REBELS (3-5, 1-3/4th-tie Mtn. West)
Idle this week … WR Len Ware is tied with Randy Gatewood (1993-94) in the school’s record book for 100-yard games in his career with eight. He is also in the top five on several other career leaders list: receptions (152, 5th), receiving yards (2,149, 5th), receiving TDs (16, t-6th), and all-purpose yardage (3,079, 7th) … Ware has been out with a knee injury and underwent arthoscopic surgery on Oct. 6. He had four catches for 39 yards in his return vs. UNM on Oct. 30 after a three-game absence. Ware needs four more receptions to move into a tie for third on the school’s career list with 156, while seven more will put him all alone in second place at 159. He also needs just 41 yards receiving to move past Keenan McCardell into fourth place in career receiving yards at UNLV with 2,190 … LB Jerrad Peirucci’s three tackles vs. UNM last Saturday moved him into eighth place on the Rebel’s career tackles list with 230. He needs five more to move up a spot to seventh … RB James Wofford had 57 yards vs. UNM last Saturday, giving him 1,584 yards for his career and he needs just nine yards to break the top-10 list at UNLV. The Rebels earned their first win in Laramie, Wyo., in 20 years on Oct. 9 (35-32 decision) … UNLV underwent an $18 million renovation and expansion of 28-year-old Sam Boyd Stadium over the summer.
UTAH UTES (6-2, 3-1/2nd Mtn. West)
Utah’s six wins have been by an average of 24.6 points, while its two losses were by an average of 6.5 points … RB Mike Anderson is averaging 92.6 ypg, best on the team and second in the MWC. Anderson ranks 10th on the school’s career rushing leaders list with 1,821 net yards (18 games). Anderson also ranks fourth (10, 1999) and second (12, 1998) on Utah’s single-season rushing touchdowns list … Anderson needs one more 100-yard rushing game to tie him for third in the Utah record books. He has 10 career 100-yards games, including three in 1999 … Juco transfer Steve Smith, who returned two punts for 110 yards and a touchdown against Air Force Oct. 16, led the nation in punt return average (19.83 yards per carry), with 10 returns for 227 yards and one score from Oct. 16-Oct. 30 (two weekends). Smith is in school record territory in yards per reception. He’s averaging 20.9 yards per catch and is within reach of school record holder Steve Odom’s 22.1 average back in 1972 … The remaining three games on Utah’s schedule this season will be played in the state of Utah. The Utes will play two home games and travel to BYU … DE John Frank surpassed 63 yards in tackles for loss vs. AFA Oct. 16, setting a new single season record at Utah … Frank has had at least one sack in six of the Utes’ seven games this season (except UNLV game Sept. 25) … Frank’s 23 career sacks ranks third all-time at Utah behind Filipo Mokofisi (26, 1982-85) and Jeff Reyes (25, 1980-83)/Jimmy Bellamy (25, 1990-91). His 153 career yards in sacks ties for second in Utah¹s record book … Frank needs one more tackle for loss to tie for second with Dave Chaytors (24, 1989-92). The school record is 29, held by Luther Elliss (1991-94). Frank’s 84 career yards in tackles for loss is second to Elliss¹ 91 … QB Darnell Arceneaux did not start vs. CSU on Oct. 28 due to the flu and strep throat. He has previously missed time this year with an assortment of ailments, including sore lower back, a lacerated hand, an d a mid-foot sprain … Backup QB T.D. Crowshaw has played in all but the season-opener. Croshaw had a career game vs. CSU Oct. 28, completing 18 of 29 passes for 241 yards and 1 TD … RB Mike Anderson surpassed the 1,500 rushing yard mark on Oct. 2 and now has 1,821. He has 22 career rushing TDs, which is fourth-best in Utah history … Utah has lost key offensive threats due to the injury bug. WR Chris Christensen (broken fibula) and No. 1 punt returner Cortney Richins (torn ACL) are out for the season, along with DE Chuck Pine (broken tibia), LB Brooks Bahr (dislocated knee) and DB Brandon Dart (torn ACL). OG Sam White sprained his knee (MCL) Oct. 2 at Boise State and will likely return for the Wyoming game.
WYOMING COWBOYS (4-3, 1-2/5th Mtn. West)
Wyoming was idle last week … WR Wendell Montgomery caught a pass in his 37th consecutive game vs. CSU Oct. 23 surpassing the previous school record of 36 games, which was set by Ryan Yarborough (1990-93) … WR Willie King had eight catches vs. CSU for 108 yards, both career-highs … K Aaron Elling kicked a career-best 56-yard field goal vs. CSU. His previous high was 55 yards against Weber State earlier this year. Elling is now 4-of-5 from 50+ yards for his career … Wyoming has lost the past two home games, marking the first time the Cowboys have suffered back-to-back losses at War Memorial Stadium since 1995 (vs. CSU and Utah by a total of 13 points) … For the first time in Coach Dimel’s career at Wyoming, the Cowboys have lost more than one game at home in a season … For the third consecutive game, a pass was intercepted for a TD. Last Saturday, CSU intercepted a pass for a TD (by Aaron Sprague for 41 yards). Wyoming had intercepted two passes for scores vs. UNLV and one vs. ULM.
HONORS CANDIDATES:
Fred Biletnikoff Award Nominees (Best Wide Receiver)
Matt Farmer, Senior, Air Force Academy and Wendell Montgomery, Senior, Wyoming.
Mike Fox/Bronco Nagurski Award Nominees (Best Defender)
Rob Morris, Senior, BYU, Kabeer Gbaja Biamila, Senior, San Diego State, Brian Urlacher, New Mexico.
Rotary Lombardi Award (Best Lineman)
Rob Morris, BYU
Jim Thorpe Award Nominees (Best Defensive Back)
Brian Gray, Senior, BYU, Brian Urlacher, Senior, New Mexico.
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Nominee (Top Senior Quarterback)
Kevin Feterik, BYU.
Dr. Pepper Doak Walker Award Nominee (Best Running Back)
Mike Anderson, Senior, Utah.
