THIS WEEK:

Thursday, November 18

AIR FORCE (6-3) at COLORADO STATE (6-3)%
Hughes Stadium (30,000)
Fort Collins, Colo.
6 p.m. (MT) / ESPN
AFA leads 22-14-1
1998, AFA won 30-27

Saturday, November 20

NEW MEXICO (3-6) at WYOMING (6-3)%
War Memorial (33,500)
Laramie, Wyo.
Noon (MT)
WYO leads 29-22
1994, Wyoming won 38-28

UTAH (7-3) at 19/19 BYU (8-2)%
Cougar Stadium (65,000)
Provo, Utah
1 p.m. (MT) / ESPN+Plus
Utah leads 47-29-4
1998, BYU won 26-14

SAN DIEGO STATE (3-6) at UNLV (3-6)%
Sam Boyd Stadium (40,000)
Las Vegas, Nev.
1 p.m. (PT)
Series tied 4-4
1997, SDSU won 20-17

LAST WEEK:

Saturday, November 6
AIR FORCE 35, UNLV 16 (USAFA, Colo. ­ attendance 44,187)
UTAH 52, NEW MEXICO 7 (Salt Lake City, Utah ­ attendance 37,398)
WYOMING 31, BYU 17 (Laramie, Wyo. ­ attendance 26,038)
COLORADO STATE, SAN DIEGO STATE ­ Idle

CONFERENCE RACE HEATS UP: BYU (8-2, 5-1) will claim at least a share of the Mountain West Conference title. With its 31-17 loss at Wyoming Saturday, three other teams remain alive in the race.

BYU can win the title outright with a win over Utah this Saturday in Provo and would represent the Mountain West Conference in the AXA Liberty Bowl. The Cougars would face the winner of the Louisville-Southern Mississippi game, which will be played at Louisville on Saturday, November 20. Louisville enters the game 7-3 overall, 4-1 in Conference USA. Southern Mississippi is 7-3 overall and 5-0 in the conference.

Utah (7-3, 4-2) has sole possession of second place in the MWC, with its final game at BYU this Saturday. A Utah win would give the Utes’ a share of the title. A BYU win would eliminate Utah from a share of the championship.

Colorado State (6-3, 3-2) and Wyoming (6-3, 3-2) are tied for third place in the MWC. Both teams have two games remaining and would need to win out. CSU and Wyoming would also need Utah to defeat BYU this Saturday in order to be in contention.

The Rams host Air Force (7-3, 2-3) on Thursday, November 18 at 6 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Their final game is at UNLV (3-6, 1-4/7th tie) on November 27. The Cowboys host New Mexico (3-6, 2-3/5th tie) on Nov. 20 and play at San Diego State (3-6, 1-4/7th tie) on Nov. 27.

One or both bowl selections could be announced as early as Saturday, November 20 and as late as Tuesday, November 30, depending on the outcome of upcoming games.

The AXA Liberty Bowl has the first selection and can choose from the pool of conference champions. The bowl committee factors in the MWC tie-breaker, which is head-to-head competition then the higher ranked team in the latest BCS standings. However, the bowl has the option to select its participating team based on overall record and other relevant information.

The EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl has the option to take a co-champion that the Liberty Bowl passes on, a second-place team or another bowl-eligible MWC team of its choice.

BOWL LINE-UP: A regular season champion will represent the MWC at the AXA Liberty Bowl for the next three years and play the Conference USA champ in 1999 on Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tenn. (ESPN, 5 p.m. Eastern Time). The runner-up or second-choice team will play the WAC champ in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 18, 1999 (ESPN2, 6 p.m. Eastern Time). MWC teams have a 3-3 record in Liberty Bowl games and a 1-2 record in the EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl. Both agreements are three-year deals beginning in ¹99. Commissioner Craig Thompson is working on securing other bowl affiliations for the MWC.

Liberty Bowl Results
1964 Utah 32, West Virginia 6
1989 Mississippi 42, Air Force 29
1990 Air Force 23, Ohio State 11
1991 Air Force 38, Mississippi State 15
1992 Mississippi 13, Air Force 0
1998 Tulane 41, BYU 27

Las Vegas Bowl Results
1994 UNLV 52, Central Michigan 24
1997 Oregon 41, Air Force 13
1998 North Carolina 20, San Diego State 13

WEEKLY HONORS:

Jay Stoner, Wyoming, QB, Junior (MWC Offensive Player of the Week)
Jay Stoner went 20-of-30 for 302 yards and three touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 31-17 win over then No. 12 ranked BYU to keep Wyoming’s bowl hopes alive. Wyoming became the first MWC team to defeat BYU. The win snapped a six-game series losing streak. Over the past two weeks, Stoner has thrown for 651 yards (325.5 per game) and has completed 60.3 percent of his passes (41 of 68) while throwing for three TDs and only one interception. His 295 net yards vs. BYU moved him into fifth all-time in total offense at Wyoming with 5,642 career yards.

Patrick Chukwurah, Wyoming, Bandit, Junior (MWC Defensive Player of the Week)
Patrick Chukwurah had 13 tackles (8 solo), one forced fumble and two sacks vs. BYU last Saturday. The two sacks combined for minus-16 yards. The Wyoming defense held BYU to just 54 total yards in the first quarter and a season-low seven first-half points.

Steve Smith, Utah, PR, Junior (MWC Special Teams Player of the Week)
Steve Smith returned four punts for 163 yards and two touchdowns in the Utes’ 52-7 win over New Mexico last Saturday. Smith, who averaged 40.8 yards per return, tied an NCAA record with two punt returns for touchdowns. He also set a Utah record for most punt returns for a touchdown in a season (3) and broke a 15-year-old record for most punt return yards in a season with 441. The previous record was held by Erroll Tucker (389, 1985).

The following is a list of MWC Players of the Week:

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
Nov. 8 Frank Rice, CSU Rob Morris, BYU Deone Horinek, CSU Jay Stoner, WYO
Nov. 15 Jay Stoner, WYO Patrick Chukwurah, WYO Steve Smith, UTAH

THIS WEEK’S GAME NOTES:

Thursday, October 18

Air Force (7-3, 2-3) at Colorado State (6-3, 3-2), Hughes Stadium, 6 p.m. (MT), ESPN
Air Force leads the overall series 22-14-1 against Colorado State, including a 30-27 victory last year at Falcon Stadium. In that contest, the Rams jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead, but the Falcons rallied and took their first lead of the game on Jackson Whiting’s game-winning 40-yard field goal with 11 seconds left. Air Force holds a slim 12-10-1 advantage in games played at Falcon Stadium, but has a 10-4 edge in games played in Fort Collins. The Falcons’ longest win streak in the series is seven games (1983-89), but the Rams have had two five-game streaks, the last being from 1992-96. Air Force has won seven of the last eight meeting at Hughes Stadium. Air Force’s Fisher DeBerry has a 9-6 career record against Colorado State, while Sonny Lubick is 4-2 against the Falcons.

Saturday, October 20

Utah (7-3, 4-2) at BYU (8-2, 5-1), Cougar Stadium, 1 p.m. (MT), ESPN+Plus
Utah leads the all-time series with BYU 47-29-4, including a 14-12-1 advantage in games played in Provo. Last year in Salt Lake City, Utah’s field goal try with nine seconds left hit the right upright and the Cougars held on for a 26-24 victory. The two teams have met each year since 1922 with the exception being from 1943-45. While Utah dominated the early years in the series, since LaVell Edwards became head coach at BYU, the Cougars have won 21 of the last 27 meetings. Utah has won four of the last six meetings though. Ron McBride has a 4-5 career record against BYU. 1999 will mark the 10th anniversary of BYU’s 70-31 victory over the Utes. It is the most points scored by either team in the series. Four of the longest running plays in Utah school history have come against BYU. Frank Nelson’s 93-yard run against the Cougars in 1947 is still the school record.

New Mexico (3-6, 2-7) at Wyoming (6-3, 3-2), War Memorial Stadium, Noon (MT)
Wyoming holds a 30-21 advantage in its series with New Mexico. The two teams have not met since 1994 when Wyoming claimed a 38-28 victory in Laramie. The Cowboys have won eight of the last nine meetings with the only Lobo victory in that stretch coming in 1993. Wyoming has won six straight games against the Lobos in War Memorial Stadium. The last time a New Mexico team left Laramie with a victory was in 1982. Both teams have had a seven-game winning streak in the series (Wyoming 1986-92, New Mexico 1969-75). New Mexico head coach Rocky Long, facing Wyoming for the first time, served as defensive coordinator for the Cowboys from 1981-85.

San Diego State (3-6, 1-4) at UNLV (3-6, 1-4), Sam Boyd Stadium, 1 p.m. (PT)
With the series tied at four games apiece, the Aztecs and Rebels will meet for only the ninth time. In the last game between the two, San Diego State claimed a 20-17 overtime victory in 1997 in San Diego. The series began in 1977 with a 31-7 Aztec victory. The teams did not meet from 1985-95. UNLV won three straight games from 1983-96, including a 44-42 thriller in Las Vegas in 1996. In that game, SDSU running back George Jones rushed for 275 yards, the fourth-highest total in school history. Also in that contest, UNLV quarterback Jon Denton threw for a school record 503 yards, including an 86-yard touchdown to Len Ware. This will be John Robinson’s first-ever meeting with San Diego State in his coaching career. Ted Tollner is 1-1 against the Rebels. Both Tollner and Robinson have coached USC to Rose Bowl titles during their careers.

LAST WEEK’S GAMES:

Saturday, October 13

At Air Force 35, UNLV 16
Backup QB Mike Thiessen led Air Force to four touchdowns on five possessions midway through the game and helped the Falcons roll up 504 yards of offense (418 yards rushing). AFA had a 35-3 lead in the third quarter before UNLV QB Matt Ray, one of five freshmen to start on offense for the Rebels, engineered two late scoring drives. UNLV finished with 325 total yards, and Ray had 187 yards (10-for-18) with no interceptions and five sacks.

After two ineffective series to open the game under starting QB Cale Bonds, the Falcons switched to Thiessen, who promptly led them 91 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown with 1:45 left in the opening period. Thiessen’s delayed pitch in traffic to HB Scotty McKay went for 40 yards and a score. Thiessen rushed for 94 yards on 20 carries and completed 4-of-5 passes for 84 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to TE Ken Chandler.

At Wyoming 31, BYU 17
Wyoming QB Jay Stoner passed for 297 yards and three touchdowns to give the Cowboys their second win over a nationally ranked team this season and snap a six-game series losing streak. Stoner’s 22-yard touchdown pass to Kofi Shuck with 12 seconds left in the third quarter broke the game open and Tim Beasley added a 14-yard scoring run with 9:12 remaining to boost the lead to 31-10. BYU¹s Kevin Feterik was 30-of-46 for 364 yards and moved into fifth place on the school’s career passing list with 7,758 yards. Owen Pochman hit on a 32-yard field goal attempt to draw the Cougars within 17-10. Stoner then answered with an 80-yard scoring drive.

Wyoming opened the scoring with a 14-yard TD pass to Wendell Montgomery less than three minutes into the game. Feterik found Margin Hooks with 1:53 left in the second quarter to tie it. Montgomery scored his second TD with 10 seconds left in the half to give Wyoming a 14-7 lead at the intermission, a lead that the Cowboys would not relinquish.

At Utah 52, New Mexico 7
Utah RB Mike Anderson rushed for a career-high 204 yards and Steve Smith returned two punts for touchdowns. Smith scored on punt returns of 70 and 52 yards and T.D. Crowshaw, filling in for the injured Darnell Arceneaux, threw for four touchdowns. The loss was the worst for a Lobo team since 1991 (94-17 defeat to Fresno State). Smith’s scores struck over a span of 1:18 at the end of the first quarter and into the second quarter. In the third quarter, Smith added a 40-yard return, setting up a 3-yard TD run by Omar Bacon that made it 52-7.

Anderson had 82 rushing yards in the first quarter alone and rolled up 122 by halftime. Meanwhile, New Mexico tied the game at 7-7 on its first possession but it was all Utah after that. Safety Brian Urlacher had tied his career-high with 20 tackles but the Lobos allowed a season-high 469 yards. UNM¹s Holmon Wiggins rushed for 131 yards.

ON THE ROAD: MWC had fared better on the road than at home through the first nine weeks of the season. Prior to last week’s games, only four teams had won at least one conference home game. They were: BYU (vs. Colorado State and Air Force), Colorado State (vs. Utah), Utah (vs. SDSU) and New Mexico (vs. UNLV). Both Air Force (vs. UNLV) and Wyoming (vs. BYU) captured their first MWC victories last Saturday. In fact, Utah defeated New Mexico at home, marking the first time this season all home teams won in a week.

Conference road record: 13-8

A GLANCE AT THE RECORDS:

Team            Home  Away  Neutral  Home  Away 
Air Force       3-2   2-1   1-0      1-2   1-1 
BYU             4-1   4-1   ---      2-0   3-1
Colorado State  3-1   2-2   1-0      1-1   2-1
New Mexico      2-3   1-3   ---      1-2   1-1
San Diego State 1-3   2-3   ---      0-3   1-1
UNLV            0-3   3-3   ---      0-2   1-2 
Utah            4-1   3-2   ---      2-1   2-1
Wyoming         3-2   3-1   ---      1-2   2-0

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. UNLV¹s 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 21-11 (.656) 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 14-6 vs. other non-conference opponents.

EXPOSURE: Twelve 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, Wyoming at Utah) 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 10 weeks of play, a total of 1,834,899 fans had watched MWC teams play in person (47 games total). The average home attendance in the MWC is 36,106 (1,299,817/36 games). BYU leads the conference, averaging 65,034 after five home games.

In total, 30 of the 50 games (60 percent) that include at least one MWC team this season will be televised by either one of the national or regional networks, or as point-to-point broadcasts.

WHERE THE MWC IS STATISTICALLY: Offensively, Air Force leads the nation in rushing offense with 291.9 total yards per game. BYU is fifth in passing offense (325.8 ypg), 12th in total offense (435.3) and 23rd in scoring offense (31.5 ppg). BYU scored a season-low 17 points vs. Wyoming last week, and Utah scored a season-high 52 points vs. New Mexico to move into 14th on the scoring offense list. BYU’s Kevin Feterik ranks ninth in pass efficiency (144.9 ypg) and seventh in total offense (313.4).

On the defensive side, BYU ranks 18th in rushing defense (103.6) which is just one spot ahead of San Diego State (106.1). Four MWC teams rank in the top 35 in total defense. SDSU leads the conference, allowing just 301.2 yards per game (16th nationally), followed by BYU (306.7, 21st), Air Force (309.4, 24th) and Utah (337.1, 35th). Three MWC teams rank high in scoring defense as well. Air Force is allowing its opponents on average 16 points per game (11th nationally), followed by Utah (17.7, 15th) and BYU (21.0, 32nd). BYU gave up 31 Wyoming points last Saturday, marking the second time this season BYU has allowed 31 points.

On special teams, Utah is second nationally in punt returns (17.6) and Colorado State is third (16.3). Utah’s Steve Smith leads the nation in punt returns (20.05). CSU’s Dallas Davis is fifth (16.50). BYU’s Owen Pochman is ranked seventh nationally with 1.70 field goals per game. Pochman is second in the MWC and 21st nationally in scoring with 8.50 points per game. His teammate, freshman RB Luke Staley, is 20th nationally with 8.67 ppg. Staley missed the Cougars’ game vs. Wyoming last Saturday but is expected to return this weekend vs. Utah.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE POLLS: BYU dropped from its season-high ranking of No. 12 in the ESPN poll to No. 19 after suffering a road defeat to Wyoming last Saturday. The Cougars also dropped from No. 15 to No. 19 in the AP poll. BYU and CSU have each been ranked in the polls consecutive weeks. BYU has been ranked seven 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 five 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).

Other MWC teams receiving votes in the Polls (Nov. 14):
ESPN/USA TODAY Poll ­ Colorado State 11 (No. 33), Wyoming 1 (No. 40).
Associated Press Poll ­ Wyoming 23 (No. 31).

Here’s a look back:

Date              ESPN Poll            AP Poll 
Week 1 (Aug. 29)  No team ranked       No team ranked 
Week 2 (Sept. 5)  No team ranked       CSU (No. 24)
Week 3 (Sept. 12) CSU (#24)            BYU (#25), CSU (#23)
Week 4 (Sept. 19) BYU (#19), AFA (#25) BYU (#17), AFA (#24) 
Week 5 (Sept. 26) No team ranked       No team ranked
Week 6 (Oct. 3)   BYU (#24)            BYU (#24)
Week 7 (Oct. 10)  BYU (#20)            BYU (#21), AFA (#25)
Week 8 (Oct. 17)  BYU (#19)            BYU (#19)
Week 9 (Oct. 24)  BYU (#15)            BYU (#16)
Week 10 (Oct. 30) BYU (#13)            BYU (#15)
Week 11 (Nov. 7)  BYU (#12)            BYU (#15)
Week 12 (Nov. 14) BYU (#19)            BYU (#19) 

AIR FORCE FALCONS (6-3, 2-3/5th-tie Mtn. West)
Air Force’s average attendance this season of 45,981 is the third largest in school history. The best attendance mark was in 1989 (48,007), followed by 1996 (47,408) … AFA’s scoreless quarters streak ended at five last week when UNLV hit on a field goal in the second quarter. The streak extended back to the 28-0 win over Army on Nov. 6. The Falcons had a streak of seven quarters in 1998 (that went back to the 1997 season). UNLV also ended that streak … RB Scotty McKay had a 40-yard TD run vs. UNLV, which was the second-longest run of his career. His longest was a 45-yard run against UNLV last season. The longest run this season for the Falcons is a 53-yarder by Mike Thiessen vs. Navy … Theissen’s 29-yard TD pass to Ken Chandler last Saturday was the longest TD pass of his career. The previous long was a 24-yarder vs. Utah on Oct. 16 … Chandler’s 29-yard TD reception is his first of the season and second of his career. His only previous TD reception was a 20-yard TD catch vs. Rice in 1997 … With AFA’s win over Army Nov. 6 the Falcons claimed their 13th Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and 11th under Coach DeBerry. AFA has won the trophy more times than Army (6) and Navy (5) combined. With the win over Army, DeBerry won his 125th career game (125-67-1 record) and improved his CIC record to 26-6 … K Jackson Whiting remains perfect this season (11-for-11 FGs) … WR Matt Farmer ranks third on the AFA career receiving yards list and fourth in career receptions. Farmer now has 84 catches for 1,353 yards.

BYU COUGARS (8-2, 5-1/1st Mtn. West)
Utah (34.3) and BYU (31.5) are the top two scoring offenses in the MWC and face each this Saturday. Utah has the top two scoring performances in the league this year with 52 points against UNLV and New Mexico … BYU (35, 242 yards) and Utah (33, 227 yards) are one and two in the conference in sacks … QB Kevin Feterik connected with WR Margin Hooks on a 20-yard TD pass vs. Wyoming last Saturday to extend the Cougars’ NCAA record to 310 games without being shutout. That streak dates back to 1975 … The Wyoming defense held BYU to just 54 total yards in the first quarter. The Cougars were held scoreless in the opening quarter for the second straight week (and fourth time this season) … BYU was held to just seven points in the first half, marking the least amount of points scored by the Cougars in the first half of any game this season. BYU¹s previous low was 13 points (vs. SDSU) … With 362 yards passing vs. Wyoming last Saturday, Feterik moved into fifth place on the Cougars’ all-time passing list. Feterik, who started the night in eighth place, passed Steve Sarkisian (7,464), Marc Wilson (7,637) and Steve Young (7,733) to take over fifth place. Feterik has 7,756 career passing yards … Hooks tallied a season-high 143 yards receiving vs. Wyoming, marking his fifth 100-yard game this season … Feterik found RB Will Snowden for a 9-yard reception in the third quarter vs. Wyoming. He has now thrown to 18 different receivers this season … With 3:59 left in the third vs. Wyoming, Owen Pochman connected on a 32-yard FG, setting a school record with 14 consecutive field goals made. Pochman also nailed his 26th and 27th straight PAT and took over the No. 2 spot on the Cougars’ all-time scoring list with 241 career points. Kurt Gunther leads all scorers with 243 points … The BYU defense has scored twice this season. On Nov. 6 vs. SDSU, LB Rob Morris caused a fumble which Hans Olsen recovered and ran for the TD. Against Virginia, CB Brian Gray returned an interception for a TD.

COLORADO STATE RAMS (6-3, 3-2/3rd-tie Mtn. West)
Returns to action on Thursday after a 12-day layoff … The Rams are bowl eligible after capturing a sixth win at UNM on Nov. 6 … CSU has won three consecutive games for the first time this season, marking the longest streak since a 5-game winning streak in 1998 … CSU is 16-2 in November games under Sonny Lubick. The only two CSU losses came at the hands of Wyoming in 1996 and ‘98 … The Rams have just one road game remaining this season (at UNLV, Nov. 27). In November road games under Lubick, the Rams have been a perfect 9-0 … RB Kevin McDougal is now fifth in career rushing with 2,585 yards. He wore No. 34 on Nov. 6 vs. UNM (as opposed to his No. 36 jersey) in tribute to boyhood idol Walter Payton … RB Rashaan Sanders has gained 389 yards, sixth highest by a freshman in school history and fourth most by a true freshman … CSU will play its sixth and final night games in 1999 this Thursday at home vs. Air Force (televised by ESPN).

NEW MEXICO LOBOS (3-6, 2-3/5th-tie Mtn. West)
S Brian Urlacher tallied 20 tackles vs. Utah last Saturday and now has 415 career tackles. He moved into third on the school’s all-time list. He also had his third career interception last Saturday (his first since 1997) … Martinez Williams moved into 10th place on UNM’s career receiving list with 1,310 yards, surpassing Pascal Volz (1,302) … TB Holmon Wiggins ran for a career-high 131 yards vs. Utah. His previous best was 85 yards vs. UNLV two weeks ago. He now leads the Lobos with 456 yards rushing … UNM’s 52-7 loss to Utah ties the largest setback ever against the Utes. In 1972, Utah defeated UNM 59-14 in Salt Lake City … New Mexico had three interceptions in a game (vs. Utah) for the first time since the 1997 WAC Championship game (vs. Colorado State) … In last Saturday’s loss to Utah, the Lobos gave up the most points (52), rushing yards (287) and total offense (469) of the season … WR Germany Thompson has caught at least one pass in 19 consecutive games and has one reception in every game during his UNM career. Thompson had a season-high seven catches vs. CSU on Nov. 6 and became the 17th Lobo to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for his career. He now has 1,076 receiving yards.

SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (3-6, 1-4/ 7th-tie Mtn. West)
Idle last week … Redshirt freshman QB Lon Sheriff both attempted and completed his first career pass after relieving Jack Hawley in the third quarter vs. BYU on Nov. 6. The play, Sherriff’s first since the opener vs. South Florida, resulted in a 7-yard completion by Derrick Lewis … The Aztec had suffered three losses by a combined seven points, including a pair of conference losses by just four points total before dropping a 30-7 game to BYU … SDSU has turned the ball over a total of 22 times in the six losses on the season. In the Aztecs’ three wins, they have just one turnover total … TE Gray McNeill finished the game vs. BYU with a team-high five receptions (59 yards), matching his career-high … 40,836 fans attended the BYU-SDSU game at Qualcomm Stadium, marking the first time the 40,000-plateau was broken since Nov. 25, 1995, when the Aztecs hosted CSU with the WAC title at stake … SDSU held BYU to 13 points in the first half vs. BYU on Nov. 6 … 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).

UNLV REBELS (3-6, 1-4/7th-tie Mtn. West)
UNLV looks to snap a 10-game home losing streak this weekend against SDSU … A UNLV victory gives the Rebels a fourth win this season, which would tie the win total of the previous three years combined … The Rebels made their first field goal of the season last week at Air Force (1-of-4 on the season) … WR Len Ware’s had three catches vs. AFA last Saturday, moving him into a tie for fourth on the school’s career reception list (155) with Michael Morton. He would need one more reception to move into third place and three more to rise to the No. 2 spot … Ware’s 90 yards vs. AFA moved him past Keenan McCardell into fourth on the school’s all-time list with 2,239. Ware needs 158 more yards to move past Demond Thompkins into third … James Wofford’s 30 yards at AFA moved him into 10th place on the school’s career rushing list with 1,614 … Jerrad Pierucci moved past Rodney Mazion into seventh place on the school’s career tackles list with 247. He needs 13 more to tie Jody Reinhoehl for sixth place … UNLV underwent an $18 million renovation and expansion over the summer to the 28-year-old Sam Boyd Stadium, the host venue of the EA Sports Las Vegas Bowl.

UTAH UTES (7-3, 4-2/2nd Mtn. West)
Utah is 4-5 on fourth down conversations in its last three games. The Utes were 0-2 in their first seven games this season … RB Mike Anderson has 2,070 career rushing yards, which ranks him seventh all-time at Utah. He is just one of eight Utes to rush for 2,000 yards and one of only two Utes to reach that milestone in two seasons … Anderson claimed his fourth 100-yard rushing game vs. New Mexico last Saturday and now has 11 career 100-yard games (four this season). His 10 rushing TDs this season tie him for fourth on Utah’s single-season list … BYU and Utah are the two most penalized teams in the conference. BYU is averaging seven penalties per game, while Utah is averaging 7.1. The two teams meet this weekend … Defensive backs Jay Hill and Andre Dyson have combined to score five TDs this season. Hill has scored twice on interceptions and once on a blocked field goal kick, while Dyson has one pick and one blocked FG attempt returned for a TD … Coach McBride is guaranteed his seventh staight winning season, which is the longest streak for a Utah team since former coach Ike Armstrong led the Utes to 15 consecutive winning seasons from 1928-1942 … DE John Frank surpassed 63 yards in tackles for loss vs. AFA Oct. 16, setting a new single season record at Utah. He now has 19 tackles (103 yards) for loss on the season … Frank’s 26 career sacks ties him with school record-holder Filipo Mokofisi (26, 1982-‘85). His 168 career yards in sacks ranks second in Utah’s record book … Frank needs one more tackle for loss to tie the record of 29, which is held by Luther Elliss (1991-94) … Backup QB T.D. Crowshaw has played in every game but the season-opener and has started three times (vs. AFA, CSU, New Mexico) in place of an injured/sick Darnell Arceneaux. Croshaw had a career game vs. CSU Oct. 28, completing 18-of-29 passes for 241 yards and 1 TD. Croshaw has 948 yards on the season … Arceneaux is not expected to return for Saturday’s game vs. BYU … Anderson surpassed the 1,500 rushing yard mark on Oct. 2 and now has 2,070. He has 22 career rushing TDs, which is fourth-best in Utah history.

WYOMING COWBOYS (6-3, 3-2/3rd-tie Mtn. West)
Wyoming’s 31-17 victory over No. 12 ranked BYU last Saturday was the second win over a Top 25 team this season. The Cowboys defeated then No. 24 Air Force on Sept. 25 in Colorado Springs, 10-7 … In the last two weeks in wins over Utah and BYU, Wyoming has scored a total of 74 points and totaled 1,014 yards of total offense which averages out to 37 points and 507 yards of total offense per game … For the season, Wyoming’s defensive unit has recovered 12 opponent fumbles and intercepted 13 passes. The Cowboys have turned those 25 turnovers into 102 points (3 FGs, 13 TDs and one safety) … QB Jay Stoner has played to the top of his game the past two weeks, earning MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors in the two victories over the top two teams in the conference. Stoner completed 20-of-30 passes for 302 yards, three TDs and no interceptions vs. BYU last Saturday. Heading into the game, BYU was seventh nationally in total defense … Stoner moved up the Wyoming career total offense list vs. BYU with 295 net yards. He now ranks fifth all-time in total offense at Wyoming with 5,642 career yards, passing Scott Runyan, who quarterbacked the Cowboys from 1984-87 and totaled 5,490 yards … WR Wendell Montgomery recorded his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game of the season with seven catches for 122 yards and two TDs vs. BYU last Saturday. He also kept his streak alive with at least one catch in the past 39 games … K Aaron Elling has three of the conference’s five longest field goals this year. He has connected on field goals of 56, 55 and 52 yards.

HONORS CANDIDATES:

Mike Fox/Bronco Nagurski Award Nominees (Best Defender)
Rob Morris, Senior, BYU, Kabeer Gbaja Biamila, Senior, San Diego State, Brian Urlacher, New Mexico.

Lou Groza Award (Best Placekicker)
Owen Pochman, Junior, BYU, Nate Tandberg, Junior, San Diego State.

Rotary Lombardi Award (Best Lineman)
Rob Morris, Senior, 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, Kevin McDougal, Senior, Colorado State.

MWC PRESEASON NOTES

MWC TELEVISION PACKAGE: ESPN, Inc. and the Mountain West Conference announced a seven-year agreement on February 1, 1999, giving ESPN exclusive national and regional television rights to MWC football and men’s basketball games beginning with the 1999-2000 academic year. The football programming includes an average of 21 conference and/or non-conference games per season, with minimums of two games on ABC, four games on ESPN, five games on ESPN2 and an average of eight games syndicated by ERT. The schedule will also guarantee a minimum of three annual appearances on ESPN’s Thursday Night Game of the Week. The 1999 ESPN Thursday night slate includes Washington at BYU (Sept. 9), CSU at BYU (Sept. 16), Utah at CSU (Oct. 28) and Air Force at CSU (Nov. 18).

Each of the four MWC Thursday night games kickoff at 8:01 p.m. (ET) and are preceded by a 30-minute college football pre-game show.

ESPN Regional (ESPN+Plus)
Sept. 4, S. Florida at San Diego State ** (SDSU won 41-12)
Sept. 25, Wyoming at Air Force (Wyoming won 10-7)
Oct. 9, UNLV at Wyoming (UNLV won 35-32)
Oct. 16, San Diego St. at Colorado State (SDSU won 17-10)
Oct. 23, San Diego State at Utah (Utah won 38-16)
Oct. 30, Air Force at BYU (BYU won 27-20)
Nov. 6, Colorado State at New Mexico (CSU won 36-22)
Nov. 13, New Mexico at Utah (Utah won 52-7)
Nov. 20, Utah at BYU

ESPN
Sept. 9, Washington at BYU (BYU won 35-28)
Sept. 16, Colo. State at BYU (BYU won 34-13)
Oct. 28, Utah at Colorado St. (CSU won 31-24)
Nov. 18, Air Force at Colorado State
Nov. 27, Wyoming at San Diego State &

ESPN2
Sept. 4, Wyoming at Tennessee ** (UT won 42-17)
Sept. 25, Virginia at BYU (Virginia won 45-40)
Oct. 2, Air Force at San Diego State (AFA won 23-22)
Oct. 16, Utah at Air Force (Utah won 21-15)
Oct. 23, Colorado State at Wyoming (CSU won 24-13)
Nov. 6, Wyoming at Utah (Wyoming won 43-29)
Nov. 27, Air Force at New Mexico

ABC
Sept. 18, SDSU at USC (USC won 24-21) **
Oct. 9, California at BYU (BYU won 38-28)

**Not under MWC contract, & Saturday ESPN game

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: In both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA TODAY Top 25 preseason college football polls, BYU led the way for Mountain West Conference teams, ranking 26th in both polls. Air Force, which came off a 12-1 season and a conference championship, was ranked 30th in the AP Poll and 32nd in the USA TODAY/ESPN Poll. Wyoming was the only other MWC team to receive votes in both polls. The Cowboys were 34th in the AP and 49th in the ESPN/USA TODAY Poll.

PRESEASON MWC POLLS/ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS: At the inaugural MWC football media day in Colorado Springs on July 26, the MWC released its preseason polls and preseason all-conference team.

The following are the results (next page):

MWC Coaches’ Poll      MWC Media Poll
1. BYU (5) 47          1. BYU (35) 372
2. Air Force (3) 44    2. Air Force (1) 282
3. San Diego State 32  3. San Diego State (4) 253
4. Utah 30             4. Utah (4) 252
5. Colorado State 29   5. Wyoming (5) 248
6. Wyoming 22          6. Colorado State 206
7. New Mexico 13       7. New Mexico 81
8. UNLV 7              8. UNLV 70

NEW LOGOS: The old saying “change is good” doesn’t always hold true but three MWC teams have changed their logos as they begin play in a new conference. The administrative and coaching staffs of three MWC institutions decided to make some changes in their logo, and one team undertook a major change and introduced its first major uniform change in 30 years. On August 16, BYU unveiled its new logo, colors and uniform. The change has received regional and national attention. The most notable change in the Cougars’ uniform is the re-introduction of the blue helmet, which marks the first time since 1968 that the Cougars will wear a blue helmet.

Air Force and New Mexico changed their respective logos as well. Air Force introduced their logo last spring and New Mexico revealed its new logo to the media August 30th. The New Mexico women’s soccer team was one of the first Mountain West Conference sports teams to compete and sported the new logo at its Aug. 27th game at Colorado College.

STABILITY IN COACHING STAFF: The 1999 season is LaVell Edwards¹ 28th as head coach at BYU. According to a recent survey, BYU has one of the most experienced and stable coaching staffs in the nation. 1999 is the fifth year without a staff change for BYU, making it the most cohesive unit currently in existence, ahead of Penn State, which is entering its fourth year. Cougar coaches have an average tenure of 15.5 years at BYU, the third-highest average in the nation behind Penn State (19.9) and Florida State (15.7).