MWC Weekly Gridiron Release

Colorado State and Utah must each win their season finale to become bowl eligible

New Mexico WR Hank Baskett leads the Conference is receiving with 1,063 yards heading into Week 12. Baskett is the ninth player in league history to reach the 1,000-yard mark.
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Nov. 14, 2005

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

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Weekly Report
BYU and New Mexico picked up road victories Saturday as each improved to 6-4 and became bowl eligible. Overall, road teams were 3-1 last week in MWC play, including San Diego State's 30-10 win at Colorado State. TCU's 51-3 win vs. UNLV marked the only home victory in the MWC last weekend.

The Cougars outlasted Wyoming, 35-21 in Laramie and have won five of their last six games heading into the showdown against Utah Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium. BYU will look to snap a three-game losing streak to the Utes. Utah, 5-1 in its last six games vs. BYU in Provo, needs a victory to keep its bowl hopes alive.

The Lobos notched a 31-27 victory over Utah in Salt Lake City, marking their second straight win over the Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Lobos host Air Force Saturday to close out regular-season play. The Falcons have taken two of the last three from the Lobos, but have not won in Albuquerque since 1995.

The Aztecs shocked the Rams by jumping out to a 20-3 halftime lead and went on to a 30-10 win. Colorado State needs a victory at UNLV this week to have a shot at returning to the postseason.

Eyeing the Postseason
TCU, BYU and New Mexico are all bowl eligible. Colorado State and Utah must each win their season finale to become bowl eligible.

TCU Stays Perfect in Mountain West Play
TCU is just the third team in Mountain West Conference history to go undefeated league play (BYU, 2001; Utah, 2004).The Horned Frogs posted their first undefeated conference record since the 1938 national championship team that competed in the Southwest Conference. It's also just the fourth perfect league mark in school history.

Did You Know....
TCU became just the fourth team since the inception of the Mountain West Conference in 1999 to win the regular-season football title. BYU, Colorado State and Utah shared the 1999 crown. BYU won the 2001 title, while Colorado State won outright championships in 2000 and 2002. Utah claimed its own championships in 2003 and 2004.

New Mexico Ties Sack Record
New Mexico tied a Mountain West and school record with nine sacks for 62 yards in losses in the win at Utah. Eight different Lobos combined on the nine sacks. Utah was the last MWC team to record nine sacks in a game, accomplishing the feat against Pittsburgh in the 2005 Tostistos Bowl.

What You May Have Missed in Week 10...
+ Utah QB Brian Johnson completed 17-of-38 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns in the loss to New Mexico. His four TD passes gives him 18 for the season, tying him with Larry Egger (1985) and Mike Fouts (1995) for the seventh-best Utah single-season total. Johnson will miss the remainder of the year after injuring his knee on Utah's final drive of the game.

+ Utah WR Travis LaTendresse tallied nine receptions for a career-high 192 yards vs. New Mexico. This is his second 100-yard receiving game this season and for his career. His 51-yard TD in the second quarter was a career-long reception. LaTendresse currently has 113 career receptions, which gives him the eighth-most on the Utah all-time list.

+ Wyoming LB Ward Dobbs recorded 16 tackles, including six solo, and a half sack against BYU. Dobbs starting only his fourth game of the season after taking over for injured senior Jeff Tatnall, has averaged 13.5 tackles per game in those four starts. He has 69 total tackles on the season to rank second for the Cowboys.

+ Wyoming DB Ron Rockett had 15 total tackles vs. BYU. It was Rockett's third double-digit tackle performance of the season. He had 17 tackles vs. New Mexico and 10 at Utah.

+ New Mexico WR Hank Baskett III had eight catches for 135 yards in the 31-27 win at Utah. It was his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the season and ninth of his career. Baskett has three 100-yard efforts in his last five games and seven his last 13 contests.

+ Colorado State RB Kyle Bell rushed for 176 yards on 33 carries and scored one touchdown in the 30-10 loss to San Diego State. He has five 100 or more yard rushing games in 2005. In addition, he has 1,075 yards on the year and is just the 16th player in CSU history to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a season.

+ UNLV LB Beau Bell recorded 18 tackles (14 solo), including two for loss, at TCU. It was the second straight week Bell has notched 15 or more tackles in a game.