2006 Mountain West Conference Football Press Release Week No. 13
Highlights, Previews and More
Brigham Young wide receiver McKay Jacobson (80) grabs the ball against New Mexico cornerback Glover Quin (19) for a touchdown reception during the first quarter of the college football game Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006, in Provo, Utah. BYU beat New Mexico 42-17. (AP Photo/George Frey)
This Week's Games Friday, November 24
Air Force (4-6, 3-3) at UNLV (1-10, 0-7) - 4 p.m. PT (TV - mtn.)
Saturday, November 25
San Diego State (2-8, 2-4) at New Mexico (5-6, 3-4) - 12:30 p.m. MT (CSTV Broadband)
#23/21 BYU (9-2, 7-0) at Utah (7-4, 5-2) - 1:30 p.m. MT (TV - CSTV & mtn. - Simulcast)
TCU (8-2, 4-2) at Colorado State (4-6, 1-5) - 5 p.m. MT (TV - mtn.)
Week 12 Recap Wyoming became the fourth MWC team to become bowl eligible this season after defeating UNLV, 34-26, in Las Vegas. The Cowboys (6-6, 5-3) join TCU (8-2, 4-2) and Utah (7-4, 5-2) in their quest for a bowl berth, while BYU punched its ticket to the postseason, accepting an invitation to play in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl for the second straight year. The Cougars rolled up 653 yards total offense and punted only once en route to their eighth straight win, a 42-17 triumph Saturday over New Mexico. With the victory, BYU capped off a perfect home record and locked up its first MWC title since 2001. In other MWC action in Week 12, Utah kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to claim a 17-14 win against Air Force, while TCU scored on eight consecutive drives and held San Diego State to 87 yards total offense for a 52-0 shutout of the Aztecs.
In The Rankings BYU moved up in the rankings across the board after its victory over New Mexico. The Cougars are 21st in both the Harris and Associated Press polls and 23rd in the USA Today/Coaches Poll. BYU is also ranked in the BCS Ratings at 23rd.
BYU Claims 2006 Mountain West Crown BYU clinched the 2006 Mountain West Conference title Saturday with a 42-17 victory over New Mexico. Its the Cougars first outright Mountain West championship since the 2001 season and 22nd league title overall. BYU is currently 7-0 in MWC play and will attempt to become the fourth team in MWC history to go undefeated in league play this Saturday against Utah. The 2001 Cougars were the first team to accomplish the feat in the MWC, followed by Utah in 2004 and TCU in 2005.
BYU Accepts Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl Invitation BYU accepted an official invitation to participate in the 2006 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl after the win over New Mexico. The Cougars will play a team from the Pac-10 Conference in the Dec. 21 bowl game. BYU will appear in a bowl game for the second straight year, marking the first back-to-back bowl appearances since 1998-1999. The Cougars lost to California in the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl, 35-28.
Who's Bowl Eligible? BYU (9-2), TCU (8-2), Utah (7-4) and Wyoming (6-6) are all bowl eligible. New Mexico has five victories on the season and is in need of one more win to become bowl eligible. Air Force and Colorado State are still in the bowl hunt with four victories apiece. The Falcons and Rams must win their last two contests to become bowl eligible.
Team
Record
Remaining Games
BYU
9-2
at Utah
TCU
8-2
at Colorado State, Air Force
Utah
7-4
BYU
Wyoming
6-6
Regular season complete
New Mexico
5-6
San Diego State
Air Force
4-6
at UNLV, at TCU
Colorado State
4-6
TCU, at San Diego State
BYU's Win Streak Reaches Eight BYU's eight-game win streak is currently tied for the third-longest in the country. Ohio State leads the NCAA with a 19-game win streak, followed by Boise State at 11 straight wins. Below is a list of the current win streaks in the NCAA.
Streak
Team
Next Opponent
19
Ohio State
Bowl game
11
Boise State
Nevada
10
Arkansas
LSU
8
BYU
Utah
8
Wisconsin
Bowl game
8
Hawai`i
Purdue
8
Notre Dame
USC
Week 13 Preview UNLV (1-10, 0-7) concludes its season hosting Air Force (4-6, 3-3) Friday at Sam Boyd Stadium. The Falcons have won the last four games in the series and have held the Rebels to 10 or fewer points in each of the last three contests.
New Mexico (5-6, 3-4) and San Diego State (2-8, 2-4) face off in Albuquerque Saturday. The Lobos have won the last five games in the series, with the last Aztec victory coming in Albuquerque in 2000 (17-16).
Utah (7-4, 5-2) hosts BYU (9-2, 7-0) in the annual in-state rivalry. The Utes have won four straight in the series. The last time the Cougars defeated Utah was in 2001 (24-21) in Provo. Ironically, the 2001 season was the last time BYU went undefeated in league play and won its last Conference title.
TCU (8-2, 4-2) travels to Fort Collins to face Colorado State (4-6, 1-5) Saturday. The Rams won the first game of the series, 42-21, in Fort Collins in 1998, but the Horned Frogs have captured the last two contests, including a 33-6 victory in Fort Worth last year.
Beck Continues to Break Passing Records BYU quarterback John Beck passed for 464 yards and four touchdowns in the win against New Mexico last Saturday. Beck currently has a career total of 72 touchdown passes and is the all-time Mountain West Conference career touchdown leader. He is also second on the BYU charts. Beck became the first MWC player and second in BYU history to surpass the 10,000 yard passing mark. Beck currently has 10,271 career passing yards to rank first all-time in the MWC and second at BYU.
Brown Rushes into BYU Record Book Senior RB Curtis Brown became the first BYU running back in school history to surpass the 3,000 career yard mark after rushing for 124 yards on 13 carries against New Mexico. Brown currently has 3,056 yards in his career and became the BYU all-time leading rusher Saturday, breaking Jamal Willis' record of 2,970 yards from 1991-94. Brown's 3,056 rushing yards also ranks second all-time in the MWC behind only DonTrell Moore of New Mexico (4,973 yards from 2002-05).
UNLV's Wolfe Breaks MWC Freshman Receiving Record UNLV wide receiver Ryan Wolfe currently holds the UNLV freshman single-season record with 49 receptions, surpassing the previous mark of 41 was set by Damon Williams in 1995. Wolfe holds the MWC freshman single-season receiving yards record with 803 yards, breaking the old mark of 771 set by BYU's Austin Collie in 2004. Wolfe also holds the UNLV freshman single-season receiving record, besting Len Ware's mark of 628 in 1996 after just eight games. Wolfe currently leads the MWC and ranks 29th in the nation in receiving yards with 73.0 per game, which is the second-best mark by a freshman in the NCAA this season behind Akron's David Harvey, who ranks 16th with 82.4 yards per game. If Wolfe maintains his current status atop the MWC receiving charts, he would become the first freshman in MWC history to lead the league in receiving.
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