Mountain West Conference football teams wrapped up Week 12 action as No. 7 Utah clinched at least a share of the MWC crown with a 63-14 triumph over San Diego State. Other league match-ups on Saturday saw No. 14 BYU beat Air Force (38-24) and Colorado State defeat New Mexico (20-6). UNLV and Wyoming kicked off the week's slate with a Thursday night outing, won by the Rebels (22-14).
UNLV 22, Wyoming 14
Las Vegas, Nev.
Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008
UNLV beat Wyoming for the first time since 2003 to take the series lead 9-8.
The Rebels finished 4-3 at home this season to post their first winning record at Sam Boyd Stadium since going 6-0 in 2000.
UNLV senior WR Casey Flair extended his school-record streak for games with a catch to 46 (every game of his career), which ties for first in the nation with Jarett Dillard of Rice. Fellow WR Ryan Wolfe moved into second place on UNLV's career receiving yards list (2,591). The junior is just 13 yards behind all-time leader Earvin Johnson, who had 2,604 yards from 2001-04.
Wyoming saw its bowl aspirations end with the loss. The Cowboys are 4-7 overall (1-6 MWC) with just one game remaining in regular-season play.
No. 7 Utah 63, San Diego State 14
San Diego, Calif.
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008
Utah clinched at least a share of the 2008 MWC football title with the victory over San Diego State.
Ute QB Brian Johnson completed 27-of-38 passes for 283 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.
Utah senior DB Deshawn Richard set a new MWC record for most interception return yardage in a game, returning two picks for 127 yards and two touchdowns. The previous record of 100 return yards was held by Wyoming's Jacque Finn (vs. BYU on Nov. 9, 2002). Richard also tied the league record for most INTs returned for a touchdown, matching Utah's Eric Weddle, who originally set the mark against San Diego State on Sept. 23, 2006.
San Diego State fell to 1-10 overall (0-7 in MWC), marking the Aztecs' first 10-loss campaign.
No. 14 BYU 38, Air Force 24
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008
With the victory over Air Force, BYU reached the 10-win mark for the third consecutive season.
BYU's Max Hall threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Air Force. Hall has 34 TD passes on the season, breaking the former MWC record previously held by former Cougar QB Brandon Doman (2001).
Cougar WR Austin Collie caught seven passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns, marking his ninth consecutive 100-yard receiving effort . Collie set a new MWC record for 100-yard receiving games in a single season (9), while also establishing new league records for most receiving touchdowns in a season (15) and career (30). The previous mark for most 100-yard receiving games (8) was shared by San Diego State's J.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood (2002), while Tolver held the record for receiving TDs in a season (13 in 2002). Wyoming's Jovon Bouknight previously held the record for most career receiving touchdowns (29).
Air Force extended its consecutive games scoring streak to a school-record 192 games, dating back to the 1992 Liberty Bowl vs. Mississippi. The streak is the fourth-longest active streak in the nation and ranks as the 16th-longest in NCAA Division I-A history.
Colorado State 20, New Mexico 6
Fort Collins, Colo.
Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008
Colorado State ended a two-game losing streak and kept its bowl hopes alive with the victory.
Ram senior Gartrell Johnson rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown, becoming the first player to record a 100-yard rushing game against New Mexico since he ran for 172 yards against the Lobos on Nov. 10 last year. Johnson is Colorado State's first 1,000-yard rusher since Kyle Bell in 2005, reaching the mark for the first time in his career.
The Rams held the Lobos to two field goals, marking the first time in two years a Colorado State opponent went without a touchdown (30-6 win vs. Weber State, Sept. 2, 2006).
New Mexico has lost four in a row for the first time since a four-game slide during the 1998 season.
