BOWL ELIGIBLE
Mountain West Conference champion Colorado State will be making its second consecutive Liberty Bowl appearance following its 37-13 win over Wyoming. Air Force has also secured a bowl berth. The Falcons needed to win seven games this season in order to become bowl eligible after it was learned that their season-opening victory over Cal State-Northridge could not be counted toward bowl eligibility because CS-N had not averaged the I-AA minimum of 65 scholarships over the last three seasons. UNLV is in contention for a bowl berth. Playing a 12-game schedule, the Rebels must win their last game to total seven victories and become bowl eligible. UNLV closes its season by traveling to Hawaii this Saturday.
ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
The 2000 Mountain West All-Conference team will be announced, Wednesday, November 29th.
LAST WEEK
League play in the Mountain West Conference concluded for the 2000 season with a pair of conference games. BYU treated retiring head coach LaVell Edwards to a victory in his last game, as the Cougars rallied for a 34-27 win over rival Utah on Friday. The Utes erased a 26-10 fourth-quarter deficit to take a 27-26 lead with 2:16 remaining. However, the Cougars' Brandon Doman and Jonathan Pittman combined to worked some last-second heroics to pull out the victory. Faced with a fourth-and-13 from the BYU 17, Doman connected with Pittman for a 34-yard pick up. On the next play the pair hooked up for a 36-yard gain, moving the ball to the Utah 13. Two plays later, Doman raced in from four-yards out, sending Edwards into retirement with a victory. For the second week in a row, UNLV used last-minute heroics to pull out a victory. Amar Brisco stepped in front of a Lon Sheriff pass with 52 seconds left and raced 72 yards for the winning touchdown, in a 31-24 triumph over San Diego State. Brisco ran untouchded down the sideline after stepping in front of Deric Martin and picking off Sheriff's pass. The win kept UNLV's bowl hopes alive. The Rebels must win their regular season finale next week at Hawaii to become bowl eligible. San Diego State was driving for a possible game-winning field goal after UNLV's Dillon Pieffer tied it at 24 on a 27-yard field goal with 3:09 left. But Brisco's first interception of the season spoiled San Diego State final game of the year. Jason Thomas completed a career-best 19 passes on 31 attempts for a career-high 277 yards and two touchdowns for the Rebels. Sheriff posted his third 300-yard passing game of the season, throwing for 328 yards. Derrick Lewis caught three passes for a career-best 153 yards for the Aztecs.
AIR FORCE FALCONS
8-3, 5-2 MWC
Next Game: Bowl Bound
What You Should Know:
The Falcons are bowl eligible and will be making their fourth bowl trip in the last six years.
Air Force has totalled over 500 yards total offense and rushed for more that 400 yards in each of its last two games.
Mike Thiessen established an Air Force single-season passing yardage record for option quarterbacks. With 1,687 yards this season, Thiessen finishes his career ranked third on the Falcons all-time passing yards list.
Air Force has won 10 straight games when the fullback position rushes for over 100 yards. Since 1990, the Falcons are 32-6 when its fullbacks combine to total over 100 yards in a game.
Air Force leads the MWC in seven-of-eight offensive categories. The Falcons sit atop the league in scoring offense (34.9 ppg), rushing offense (294.6 ypg), total offense (451.9 ypg), pass efficiency (142.4), first downs (280), third-down conversions (44.7 pct) and fourth-down conversions (85.7 pct).
With 19 field goals, place kicker Dave Adams tied for the top spot on the Air Force single-season chart.
Key Stat: Air Force is third in the nation in rushing offense (294.9 ypg).
BYU COUGARS
6-6, 4-3 MWC
Next Game: End of Season
What You Should Know:
Cougars head coach LaVell Edwards retires after 29 years at the helm of the BYU program. His career coaching record stands at 257-101-3. He ranks as the sixth winningest college football coach of all-time. The University re-named Cougar Stadium, LaVell Edwards Stadium in a pre-game ceremony prior to the Cougars last home game on November 18th.
Owen Pochman set a BYU and Mountain West Conference record with a 56-yard field goal against New Mexico.
Senior safety Tyson Smith established a Mountain West Conference record with three interceptions during the Cougars win over Wyoming.
With 2,841 career receiving yards, senior Margin Hooks ends his career in second place on the Cougars' all-time receiving yards list.
The Cougars have gone an NCAA-record 324 games without being shutout. They were last shutout on September 27, 1975 at Arizona State, 20-0.
Quarterback Charlie Peterson broke Jim McMahon's school record of 154 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Peterson threw 164 passess before being interception.
Key Stat: BYU leads the MWC in passing offense, averaging 274.6 ypg.
COLORADO STATE RAMS
9-2, 6-1 MWC
Next Game: Liberty Bowl
What You Should Know:
Colorado State won it's second straight Mountain West title (first outright) and will be making its second consecutive Liberty Bowl appearance.
In four of Colorado State's victories this season the Rams rallied from fourth quarter deficits. It marks the first time under Sonny Lubick CSU has won more than one game in the same season when trailing after three quarters.
Quarterback Matt Newton and wide receiver Pete Rebstock had career performances against Air Force. Both players established Mountain West Conference records vs. the Falcons. Newton threw for 334 yards and a MWC record five touchdowns. Rebstock caught a career-best nine passes for a MWC record 168 yards and three touchdowns.
Linebacker Rick Crowell leads the Mountain West Conference with 123 tackles, averaging 12.3 tackles per game.
Matt Newton became CSU's all-time leader in touchdown passes with his TD toss against Wyoming. Newton has tossed 41 career touchdown passes.
Quarterback Matt Newton has started every game since the 1999 season opener, throwing touchdown pass in 21 of his 23 starts.
Six of CSU's games this season have been decided by seven points or less -- the Rams have won four of them.
Key Stat: The Rams are averaging 39 points over the last four games.
NEW MEXICO LOBOS
5-7, 3-4 MWC
Next Game: End of Season
What You Should Know:
The Lobos first three conference losses were by a combined eight points.
New Mexico's defense created a red zone turnover in five of the last six games to close out the season.
New Mexico beat Air Force, Wyoming and Utah in the same season for the first time since 1982.
The Lobos set a school record with five blocked kicks this season.
New Mexico tallied a Mountain West Conference best 46 sacks this season, totalling 341 yards. The total is the second-highest in school history, seven short of the school record of 53 set in 1982.
The Lobos created 25 of their opponent's 27 turnovers over the final nine games of the season.
New Mexico leads the MWC in rushing defense, holding opponents to an average of 115.3 yards per game. However, in their seven league games, the Lobos have held their MWC brethren to an average of 93.7 yards per game on the ground. Three conference teams -- BYU (163), Air Force (145) and UNLV (81) -- rushed for over 100 yards against the Lobos
Over the final nine games the Lobos were +14 on takeaways. UNM forced 25 turnovers (14 INTs, 11 fumbles) during this span, while turning the ball over 11 times.
Brian Johnson and Mike Barnett were the Mountain West Conference's top pass rushers. Johnson led the MWC with 9.5 sacks and Barnett was second with 8.
Key Stat: New Mexico was second in scoring defense, allowing 17.9 points per Mountain West Conference league game.
SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS
3-8, 3-4 MWC
Next Game: End of Season
What You Should Know:
Two of San Diego State's victories were decided by one point.
All of the Aztecs victories were on the road.
Two of the Aztecs three victories were fourth quarter comebacks.
San Diego State started one senior on offense (Bill Hammett - HB) and two on defense (Brian Berg - MLB and Brian Russell - FS).
In his nine starts this season, sophomore quarterback Lon Sherrif threw for 2,163 yards and six touchdowns. He ranked second in the MWC with 216.3 passing yards per game
The Aztec defense registered scores in two consecutive games. Will Demp's returned an INT 43 yards for a touchdown at New Mexico and Ricky Sharpe took a pick 57 yards for a score against CSU.
Quarterback Lon Sheriff lead the Mountain West Conference in 300-yard passing games. The sophomore signal-caller surpassed the 300-yard mark three times.
The Aztecs were stung by the injury bug this season, losing five starters for the year (OL Chris Williams and Zach LaMonda, TE Gray McNeill, DE Akbar Gbaja-Biamila and QB Jack Hawley).
Wide receiver Derrick Lewis closed out the season by surpassing the century mark in four of the last five games. He averaged 113.2 receiving yards per game over the last five contesets.
Key Stat: The Aztecs averaged 264.4 passing yards per game against MWC foes.
UNLV REBELS
6-5, 4-3 MWC
Next Game: End of Regular Season
What You Should Know:
Last week's win was UNLV's first road victory in seven games.
Playing a 12-game schedule this season, the Rebels need to win their last game -- at Hawaii -- to become bowl eligible.
Amar Brisco's game-winning, 72-yard interception return with 52 seconds left in last week's win at San Diego State was the second longest return in Mountain West Conference history.
The Rebels have gone undefeated at home for the first time since 1977.
Kevin Thomas leads the Mountain West Conference with 16 passes defended -- 14 pass break ups and two interceptions.
UNLV has held 10 of its 11 opponents to less than 200 yards rushing.
The 21 rushing touchdowns scored by the Rebels offense is more than the total for the last two seasons combined.
The Rebels have had four players rush for over 100 yards in a game this season. Kevin Brown accomplished the feat for the third time with 134 yards at Colorado State. Jeremi Rudolph has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last four games, James Wofford scorched Ole Miss for 138 and Jason Thomas rushed for 107 yards against Iowa State.
Jeremi Rudolph has surpassed the century mark in rushing four of the last five games and five times this season. He leads the MWC in 100-yard games.
Key Stat: A win Saturday would be the Rebels' first three-game win streak since the 1994 season.
UTAH UTES
4-7, 3-4 MWC
Next Game: End of Season
What You Should Know:
The Utes are third in the nation in pass defense, holding opponents to an average of 160.1 yards per game through the air.
Utah also lead the Mountain West Conference in total defense, allowing 288.3 yards per game to rank 10th nationally, and scoring defense (18.8 points per game) ranking 18th in the nation.
Place kicker Golden Whetman hit a career-long 55-yard field goal at Wyoming. It ranks as the second longest field goal in Utah and Mountain West Conference history.
Freshman quarterback Lance Rice has started the last three games -- going 2-1. Rice combined to throw for 440 yards and four touchdowns, with one interceptions, completing 29-of-57 attempts.
Andre Dyson leads the Mountain West Conference with four interceptions.
Patrick Dyson and Steve Smith both rank 19th in the country in kickoff returns and all purpose yards, respectively. Dyson averaged 24.3 yards per return, while Smith averaged 147.5 all purpose yards per contest.
Key Stat: After making 2-of-12 field goal attempts through the first seven games, Utah placekickers converted 6-of-7 attempts over the last four contests.
WYOMING COWBOYS
1-10, 0-7 MWC
Next Game: End of Season
What You Should Know:
Freshman wide receiver Ryan McGuffy shattered the Wyoming freshman receiving record of 25 catches for 456 yards set by Wendell Montgomery in 1996. McGuffy finished his freshman campaign with 63 catches for 696 yards. He averaged 5.73 grabs a game to lead the Mountain West Conference.
Nate Scott rushed for a Mountain West Conference record 192 yards in the Cowboys win over Central Michigan.
Punter Tom Waring ranks 18th in the nation in punting, averaging 42.4 yards per punt.
Senior quarterback Jay Stoner finished his career ranking second on Wyoming's all-time passing yards list with 7,668 career yards.
Place kicker Aaron Elling made 10-of-14 field goal attempts this season, including a career-long 52 yarder. He also converted all 15 PAT's.
Linebackers Kwabena Peprah and Patrick Chukwurah rank second and fifth, respectively, in the MWC for tackles. Peprah tallied 100 for the season, while Chukwurah posted 89.
Wyoming was the least penalized team in league games. The Cowboys were flagged for 171 penalty yards in their seven MWC games.
Key Stat: The Cowboys held opponents to a MWC leading average of 15.2 yards per kickoff return to lead the conference.
Week 14 Game Previews
UNLV at Hawaii
Saturday, December 2
Aloha Stadium (50,000)
Honolulu, Hawaii
8 p.m. (PT)
Game Notes
UNLV must win its game to become bowl eligible. The Rebels claimed their first road victory in seven games last week with a 31-24 win at San Diego. A win would put UNLV in either the Las Vegas Bowl or the Silicon Valley Football Classic. The Rebels last bowl apperance was the 1994 Las Vegas Bowl. This marks the Rebels eighth trip to the island, where they have gone 1-6 vs. Hawaii. The Warriors have won four straight over UNLV on their home turf.
The Series
Hawaii leads 10-4. Last Meeting: UNLV 25-15, September 20, 1997, in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Coaches
John Robinson is in his second season at UNLV and is 6-13 overall. Prior to UNLV, Robinson coached at Southern California for 12 years (1976-82, '93-97) and the NFL's Los Angeles Rams for nine years (1983-91). His college coaching record stands at 112-48-4, while his NFL record was 79-74. Hawaii coach June Jones is in his second season at the helm of the UH program. His record stands at 12-12 as a collegiate head coach. Prior to coming to Hawaii, Jones served as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (three seasons) and as interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers for part of a season, compiling a -- NFL record over four seasons.
MWC BOWL TIE-INS
The Mountain West Conference has three guaranteed bowl berths in 2000. The conference champion is slated for the AXA Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 29. The game will be aired on ESPN starting at 1:30 P.M. (ET) vs. the champion of Conference USA. The Las Vegas Bowl has the second choice from the MWC vs. an at-large opponent in a game scheduled for Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2. Newly added to the MWC bowl lineup is the Silicon Valley Football Classic on Dec. 31 from San Jose, Calif. The inaugural game will be carried by Fox Sports Net and pits the Mountain West third selection against the third pick from the WAC. The addition of the Silicon Valley Football Classic to the MWC bowl lineup gives the conference six bowl berths in its two-year history.
HEAD OF THE CLASS
The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced its 2000 class of National College Scholar-Athletes. Mountain West Conference players claimed two of the six Division I-A postgraduate scholarships awarded. Air Force fullback Scott Becker and BYU safety Jared Lee will be awarded $18,000 postgraduate scholarships at the Foundation's 43rd Annual Awards Dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, December 12th. The selection criteria is based upon superior academic performance, outstanding football ability, strong leadership, and citizenship.
GROZA FINALIST
BYU senior placekicker Owen Pochman is one of 20 finalists for the Lou Groza Award, presented annually to the nation's top placekicker. Pochman has converted all 25 point after touchdown attempts this season and has connected on 16-of-21 field goal attempts. He leads the Cougars in scoring and has a string of 58 straight PATs dating back to September 25, 1999. The three finalist for the Award will be announced December 5th.
LAVELL EDWARDS TO CALL IT QUITS AFTER 2000 SEASON
LaVell Edwards, the sixth-winningest coach in the history of college football, announced on Thursday, Aug. 17, that he will retire as Brigham Young University's head coach at the conclusion of the 2000 season. Edwards, who will be 70 in October, compiled a 257-101-3 overall record in 29 seasons with the Cougars. His teams have won 20 conference titles and have appeared in 22 bowl games. In 1984, he was named National Coach of the Year after BYU finished the season 13-0 and won the National Championship. He entered the 2000 season with the third-most wins (251) and the third-best winning percentage (.723) among active coaches.
BROTHER ACT
Utah brothers Patrick and Andre Dyson now also have the Mountain West Conference record book in common. The pair are tied for eighth place in the conference for longest interception return. Each has returned an INT 58 yards for a touchdown this season. Andre was the first to reach paydirt with his pick coming against California on September 9th. Not to be out done, Patrick got into the act with touchdown return vs. Colorado State, October 21st.
BROTHER ACT - PART 2
Colorado State indentical twins Justin and Jason Gallimore became the Mountain West Conference's second pair of brothers from the defensive side of the ball to score this season. The Gallimore's each posted returns for touchdowns in CSU's regular-season finale victory over Wyoming. Jason put the Rams on the board with a second-quarter, 52-yard fumble return. Justin got into the act with a third-quarter, 63-yard interception return, ranking as the fourth-longest in Mountain West Conference history.
REEL 'EM IN
The Mountain West Conference record for receiving yards in a game has been broken three times this season. BYU senior Jonathan Pittman turned in a record-setting performance in the Cougars' overtime win at Virginia with 161 yards. His record stood for almost two months until Air Force wide out Ryan Fleming set a new mark with a 163-yard effort at Notre Dame. Two weeks later, Colorado State junior Pete Rebstock put his name atop the MWC record book with a 168-yard outing at Air Force.
PREMIUM RETURNS
Colorado State kickoff returner Dexter Wynn made the most of his two returns against San Diego State. The redshirt freshman took the game's opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, marking the longest return in Mountain West Conference history. He then returned his second kickoff 66 yards (fifth longest in conference history), setting a MWC record for most return yards in a game with 166.
OH SO CLOSE
Mountain West Conference teams have concluded the nonconference portion of their schedules vs. BCS teams. Although this season's record against BCS teams was 2-18, with a few breaks in the closing seconds of some of the games, the final record could have a different complexion. Consider:
San Diego State loses to Arizona State, 7-10, after having a field goal blocked on the game's last play.
Colorado State loses at Arizona State, 10-13, on a field goal on the game's last play.
Air Force loses in overtime at Notre Dame after having the game-winning field goal blocked at the end of regulation.
UNLV loses in overtime at Ole Miss after rallying to tie the game at the end of regulation.
Utah misses a field goal with 0:02 left in regulation for a 21-24 loss at Cal.
It should also be noted that 14 of the 20 games against BCS opponents were played away from home.
SNOWY RECORDS
Playing in the snow with a game time temperature of 17 degrees (the coldest game in Falcon Stadium history), Air Force and Colorado State assaulted the Mountain West Conference record book. CSU's Matt Newton and Pete Rebstock set records for touchdown passes (5) and receiving yards (168), respectively. Ram tailback Cecil Sapps' 89-yard touchdown run was the second longest in conference history. Air Force's offense performance ranked in the Top 5 in the MWC for offensive plays (5th-89), first downs (3rd-33), first downs rushing (4th-24), rushing attempts (1st-74), and rushing yards (4th-400).
