The Mountain West Conference will send a record five teams into postseason bowl games
in 2007. The five bowl berths break the old mark of four participants in both 2005 and 2006.
The Mountain West has earned 31 bowl bids since 1999 and holds a 14-12 all-time record in
those games.
BYU (10-2), TCU (7-5), Utah (8-4), New Mexico (8-4) and Air Force (9-3) are all bowl-eligible
in 2007, marking the third year in a row, and fourth overall, the MWC has boasted five
bowl-eligible teams.
Two of the four MWC bowl teams will be making their first appearance in their respective
bowl games (Utah-Poinsettia, Air Force-Armed Forces), while BYU is making its third trip
to the Las Vegas Bowl and New Mexico is participating in the New Mexico Bowl for the
second time.
Collectively, eight of the nine MWC members have participated in a bowl game over the last
nine years, led by TCU with seven appearances during that time. Utah is one behind the
Horned Frogs with six bowl appearances. Six of the nine members have won bowl games
since 2000, including victories by BYU (Las Vegas Bowl), TCU (Poinsettia Bowl) and Utah
(Armed Forces Bowl) last season.
Three MWC programs (Air Force, BYU and TCU) will face familiar opponents this bowl
season. New Mexico will meet up with its opponent (Nevada) for the first time in over 60
years, and Utah and Navy will match-up on the gridiron for the first time. Air Force, BYU,
New Mexico and TCU have all faced their opponents in previous seasons, but have never
played them in a bowl game. BYU will replay a game from earlier this season when it takes
on UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Bruins won the Sept. 8 meeting at the Rose Bowl, 27-
17. The Cougars and Bruins will face off for just the second time in a bowl game, having met
in the 1986 Freedom Bowl. UCLA won the contest, 31-10.
There were 23 coaching changes in 2007. Of those 23, Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun is
one of five first-year coaches to win at least nine games and one of eight to earn a bowl bid
season.
Each of the five MWC head coaches participating in bowl games this season are currently in
their first and only head coaching positions of their careers.
Utah has the second-longest bowl win streak in the country, having won six consecutive
games. Boston College currently boasts the longest bowl win streak with seven straight
victories. The Utes' last loss was to Wisconsin in the 1996 Copper Bowl (38-10).
New Mexico is bowl-eligible for the seventh straight season and is participating in a bowl
game for the fifth time in the last six years. The Lobos look to end a five-game bowl losing
streak. Their last postseason win came in the 1961 Aviation Bowl (Dayton, Ohio) against
Western Michigan, 28-12.
BYU is looking for back-to-back bowl victories for the first time since the 1994 Copper and
1996 Cotton Bowls. A win over UCLA would also mark the first time since the 1983 Holiday
Bowl and the 1984 Holiday Bowl that BYU had back-to-back bowl victories in consecutive
seasons.
TCU is attempting to win three straight bowl games for just the second time in school
history and the first time since capturing each of their first three bowl game appearances
(1963-39).
Air Force is 0-3 all-time in Fort Worth, having lost all three games at Amon Carter Stadium
against TCU. The Falcons tied TCU in the 1958 Cotton Bowl (0-0) in their lone bowl game
appearance in the state of Texas.
MWC COACHES IN BOWL GAMES
New Mexico's Rocky Long has qualified for a bowl game in seven of his nine seasons in
Albuquerque. The Lobos will be playing in their fifth bowl game under Coach Long and will be
searching for their first victory in the postseason since the 1961 Aviation Bowl (28-12 win over
Western Michigan). TCU's Gary Patterson took over as head coach a week prior to the 2000
Mobile Alabama Bowl and has guided the Horned Frogs to six other bowl games since taking
over the program in 2001. Including the victory over East Carolina in the 2000 Mobile Alabama
Bowl, Patterson has posted a 3-3 bowl record, including a 2-0 mark as a member of the MWC.
BYU's Bronco Mendenhall and Utah's Kyle Whittingham have participated in a bowl game in
each of their first three years at the helm of their respective institutions. Whittingham is 2-0 in
bowl games with wins over Georgia Tech (38-10) in the 2005 Emerald Bowl and Tulsa (25-13) in
the 2006 Armed Forces Bowl. Mendenhall is 1-1 in bowl games, defeating Oregon in last year's
Las Vegas Bowl (38-8) and falling to Cal in the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl (35-28). Air Force's Troy
Calhoun will be making his first appearance in a bowl game this season.
BYU CLAIMS 2007 MOUNTAIN WEST CROWN
BYU became the second team in Mountain West history to win back-to-back outright MWC
football crowns after a 17-10 victory over Utah last Saturday. Utah was the first to accomplish
the feat with consecutive MWC titles in 2003 and 2004. The Cougars went 8-0 in league play
this year, earning their third outright MWC championship and fourth overall. The 2007
Cougars are the fifth team in the nine-year history of the Mountain West to post an
unblemished record in Conference play. BYU was the first team to go undefeated in league
play in 2001 (7-0) and are now the first team to go back-to-back seasons with an unblemished
record after posting 8-0 marks in both 2006 and 2007. Utah went undefeated in Conference
play in 2004 and TCU did it in 2005.
DID YOU KNOW...
Only four of the nine MWC institutions have won the Conference football title. BYU,
Colorado State and Utah shared the 1999 crown. BYU won the 2001, 2006 and 2007 titles, while
Colorado State won championships in 2000 and 2002. Utah claimed its own crowns in 2003
and 2004, while TCU captured the league's top spot in 2005.
MWC RECORDS FOUR EIGHT-WIN TEAMS FOR FIRST TIME
The Mountain West Conference has four eight-win or better teams for the first time in league
history. BYU is currently 10-2, followed by Air Force at 9-3 and Utah and New Mexico at 8-4
apiece. The previous best for eight-plus wins in a single season was three teams, which the
league recorded on three occasions (1999, 2000, 2006). TCU could reach eight wins with a
victory over Houston in the Texas Bowl.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
The Mountain West has recorded 20 non-conference victories heading into the bowl season,
marking its highest win total in four years. The MWC has produced a 20-15 record in nonconference
outings in 2007, including a 8-9 mark against automatic-qualifying BCS conference
opponents. The league record for non-conference wins in a single season is 24 (including bowl
games) set in 2003. The MWC has a chance to break that mark as five institutions will
participate in bowl games in 2007.
MWC SETS ATTENDANCE RECORD
The Mountain West set a new overall attendance record in 2007 with 1,817,481 fans coming
through the gates, breaking the old mark of 1,803, 501 set in 2006.
A CLOSER LOOK AT BYU'S WIN STREAKS
BYU has won nine consecutive games and currently holds the second-longest active win
streak in the country behind Hawai`i (13).
BYU extended its home win streak to an MWC-record 12 consecutive wins. The Cougars
broke their own record of 10 set from Oct. 26, 2000 to Oct. 19, 2002. Over the current
streak, the Cougars have beaten their opponents by an average of 26 points per game.
During that stretch, BYU is allowing just 11.7 points per game. The 12-game streak is
currently the fourth-longest among Bowl Subdivision teams. Oklahoma has the longest
active streak at 17, followed by Wisconsin with 14 and Boise State with 13.
BYU has also set a new MWC record for consecutive MWC victories with 16. The Cougars
have not lost to an MWC opponent since dropping their MWC finale to Utah on Nov. 19,
2005. The previous record of 10 consecutive MWC wins was shared by Utah (11/1/03-
9/15/05) and Colorado State (10/23/99-11/11/00). The 16 straight victories is currently
the longest active conference win streak in the country, one ahead of Hawai`i with 15.
BYU currently has a 10-game road win streak in MWC contests. The current streak
eclipsed the old MWC mark of eight held by Utah from Nov. 16, 2002 through Nov. 13,
2004. BYU's streak started with a 27-24 win at New Mexico during the 2005 season.
BYU also has an eight-game home win streak in MWC contests, shattering the previous
MWC streak of six shared by Utah (11/5/03-9/22/05) and Colorado State (10/28/99-
11/16/00). BYU's streak started with a 47-17 win over San Diego State at LaVell Edwards Stadium.\
TCU ONE OF FOUR TEAMS WITH TWO SHUTOUTS THIS SEASON
TCU has recorded two shutouts this season. The Horned Frogs opened the season with a 27-0 win
over Baylor and then blanked New Mexico, 37-0, on Nov. 3. TCU has pitched shutouts in three of
its last eight home games. This is the first season the Frogs have recorded two shutouts since 2000
(Navy, Rice). TCU is the third team in MWC history to record two shutouts in the same season. In
2003, San Diego State won 34-0 at UTEP on Sept. 13, and 7-0 at UNLV on Nov. 8. Also in 2003, Utah
won 3-0 at BYU on Nov. 22 and blanked Southern Miss, 17-0, on Dec. 31 in the Liberty Bowl. There
have been 30 shutouts in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season. TCU, Boise State, LSU and Penn
State are the only four teams in the FBS with two shutouts at this point in the season. LSU's came
on Aug. 30 (45-0 vs. Mississippi State) and Sept. 15 (44-0 vs. Middle Tennessee), while Boise State's
came on Oct. 7 against New Mexico State (58-0) and last week against Utah State (52-0).
1,000-YARD RUSHERS
For the second time in three years, the Mountain West Conference has four 1,000-yard rushers. Air
Force's Chad Hall of Air Force leads the MWC with 1,415 yards, followed by BYU's Harvey Unga
with 1,211, New Mexico's Rodney Ferguson with 1,177 yards and Utah's Darrell Mack with 1,128
yards. UNM's Ferguson becomes the third player in MWC history to rush for 1,000 yards in
consecutive seasons. Last year, Ferguson finished with 1,234 yards. Former Lobo standout
DonTrell Moore rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons at New Mexico (2002-06), while
BYU's Curtis Brown collected 1,000-yard campaigns in 2005 and 2006.
AIR FORCE TANDEM RUSHES INTO MWC RECORD BOOK
Air Force WR/RB Chad Hall (2,543 yards) and QB Shaun Carney (2,453 yards) are currently ranked
fifth and ninth, respectively, on the MWC's all-time list for rushing yardage. Carney and Hall are
the second QB/WR-RB combo from one team to be listed among the league's all-time rushers,
joining the Colorado State tandem of QB Brad Van Pelt (2001-03) and RB Cecil Sapp (1999-02).
HALL CONTINUES RECORD-BREAKING SEASON
Air Force senior WR Chad Hall rushed for 151 yards against San Diego State in the regular-season
finale to record his ninth-career 100-yard rushing performance. It was his third straight 100-yard
rushing game and sixth in the last seven weeks. Hall rushed for 1,257 yards on 183 carries and scored
11 touchdowns over the Falcons' last seven contests of the regular season for an average of 179.6 per
game. Only Matt Forte of Tulane rushed for more yards than Hall during the same seven-week span,
collecting 1,499 yards on 249 carries with 16 touchdowns. Hall has 1,415 rushing yards overall in
2007, which ranks sixth in Air Force history for a single season. He set a school single-game rushing
record with 275 yards versus Army on Nov. 3 and became the third player in Air Force history to
record multiple 200-yard rushing games. Hall's 275 rushing yards are the second-most in MWC
history. SDSU's Larry Ned holds the MWC record for rushing yards in a game with 285 vs. Eastern
Illinois in 2001. Hall is the first player in the league to top the 200-yard rushing mark twice in the
same season since SDSU's Lynell Hamilton did it in 2003.
TCU'S ORTIZ BECOMES MWC TACKLES FOR LOSS LEADER
TCU DE Chase Ortiz became the MWC's all-time tackles for loss leader with 40.5. New Mexico's
Michael Tuohy and TCU's Tommy Blake are tied for third on that same list (37.0). Ortiz and
Tuohy have also moved into a second-place tie on the league's all-time list for total sacks (19.5).
The record is 20.0, held by BYU's Brady Poppinga (2000-04). TCU's Blake is in fifth on that same
list (18.0), while BYU's Jan Jorgensen is 8th (15.5).
MWC NOTABLES
Air Force is 9-0 this season when holding its
opponents to 24 or fewer points. In each of its three
defeats, AFA has allowed 31 or more points.
Air Force concluded the regular season with a 9-3
overall record and a 6-2 mark in the MWC. Air
Force's nine wins are the most since 2000 (9-3). The
nine wins are the most since 1998 when it posted
11. The Falcons' six conference wins are the most in
school history as a member of the MWC and tie as
the third-most in conference play all-time and are
the most since the 1998 team was 7-1 in the WAC.
Air Force CB Carson Bird forced and recovered a
fumble vs. San Diego State in the season finale to
record his ninth turnover this season. Bird has six
interceptions and three fumble recoveries to go
with his first forced fumble.
BYU is 10-2 on the year, marking the 19th season
(since 1976) BYU has posted nine or more wins in a
season. The win also marks the second straight
year the Cougars have had 10 or more wins in
back-to-back seasons since the 1989-90 seasons.
In seven starts, Colorado State RB Gartrell
Johnson recorded 883 rushing yards on 159 carries
(5.6 avg.) and six TDs, including five 100-yard
efforts.
New Mexico has won 12 straight games when
scoring on its opening possession, including 8-0
this season.
New Mexico has won five home games in a season for
the first time since 2003 when the Lobos went 5-2.
New Mexico collected its ninth 8-win season in 109
years of football and only the fourth since 1965 (10-
1 in 1982, 9-4 in 1997, 8-5 in 2003, 8-4 in 2007). Two
of the 8-win seasons have come in the past five
seasons under current head coach Rocky Long.
San Diego State WR Chaz Schilens recorded his
fourth career 100-yard receiving game against BYU
with 106 yards on eight catches.
SDSU QB Kevin O'Connell has set a school record
for most rushing touchdowns in a season by a
quarterback with 11. O'Connell surpassed the
previous high posted by Matt Kofler, who had
seven in both 1980 and 1981. O'Connell has 19
career rushing TDs, already an SDSU career record.
TCU did not commit a penalty in its season finale
at SDSU, marking the first game since 1971 the
Frogs did not have a penalty. TCU entered the
contest as the MWC's second-most penalized team,
averaging 6.8 flags and 60.7 penalty yards per
contest.
UNLV has lost eight consecutive games and 15 in a
row overall in MWC road contests.
Utah QB Brian Johnson is 7-1 since returning to the
starting lineup after an injury.
RB/KR Devin Moore returned a kickoff 98 yards
for a touchdown against Colorado State, marking
the first time Wyoming returned a kickoff for a TD
since Oct. 16, 1999.
