2008 BYU Cougars - Recruiting Class

2008 BYU Cougars Head Coach: Bronco Mendenhall

BYU Cougars

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class
Austin Holt TE 6-6, 230  Bingham High School  South Jordan, UT
A Salt Lake Tribune 5A First-Team All-State selection ... earned Deseret Morning News 5A First-Team All-State honors ... under head coach Dave Peck, helped lead the Miners to an 11-2 record, including a trip to the championship game ... finished with a perfect 5-0 record and a first-place finish in the Region 3 standings ... a member of the 2006 5A State Championship team that went 14-0 ... led the Miners with 29 receptions for 490 receiving yards and six touchdowns as a senior ... averaged 37.7 yards receiving per game ... a U.S. Army All-American ... ranks as one of the top high school tight end prospects in the country ... plans to serve a church mission before enrolling to BYU .. recruited by Florida, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Oregon and UCLA.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Bernard Afutiti DL 6-0, 260  Mt. San Antonio College  Fontana, CA
Helped lead Mt. SAC to a 10-3 record during the 2007 season, including a 4-0 mark in the Mission Conference ... advanced to the championship game of the California State junior college championships before losing to San Francisco City ... defeated Bakersfield in the Southern California junior college championships, 47-42 ... ranked fourth on the Mounties' roster with 41.5 tackles on the season, including a team-leading 22 tackles for a combined loss of 91 yards ... credited with 8 sacks and had five QB hurries ... earned JUCO All-America honors ... named team MVP ... received Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors ... named the California State Defensive Player of the Year ... a four-year letterwinner at Kaiser HS in Fontana, Calif., graduating in 2005 ... received scholarship offers out of high school from Michigan, Oregon State, Utah and USC ... earned All-CIF honors as a senior, junior and sophomore ... named the Division 8 MVP ... named the Coca Cola and Old Spice Player of the Year ... a four-year all-league recipient ... married to Crystal Purcell ... has a two-year-old son, Zak ... recruited by San Jose State, Washington, Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State.

Jesse Taufi OT 6-5, 320  Long Beach City College, Long Beach, CA
Served an LDS Church mission to Fort Lauderdale, Florida ... anchored an offensive unit that averaged 317.8 yards per game ... prepped at Long Beach's Carson HS ... earned all-city honors as an offensive lineman at Carson HS ... cousin of current BYU defensive lineman Russell Tialavea ... recruited by USC, Washington and UNLV.

Rest of the Class

Bernard Afutiti	6-0	260	DL	Fontana, Calif. (Mt. San Antonio College)
Michael Alisa	6-2	220	LB/RB	Provo, Utah (Timpview HS)
Kevan Bills	6-3	225	LB	Provo, Utah (Timpview HS)
Atem Bol	6-2	200	WR	Hurst, Texas (L.D. Bell HS)
Jerry Bruner	6-2	225	RB/LB	Vancouver, Wash. (Evergreen HS)
O'Neill Chambers	6-3	208	WR	Harmony, Fla. (Harmony HS)
Cameron Comer	6-1	185	DB	Springville, Utah (Springville HS)
Spencer Hadley	6-2	220	LB	Connell, Wash. (Connell HS)
Austin Holt	6-6	230	TE	South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS)
Solomone Kafu	6-5	315	DL	Rio Linda, Calif. (Rio Linda HS)
Tolu Moala	6-1	230	LB	Torrance, Calif. (El Camino College)
Jake Murphy	6-5	215	WR	American Fork, Utah (American Fork HS)
Garett Nicholson	5-10	180	DB	Salt Lake City, Utah (West HS)
Seta Pohahau	5-11	205	RB	San Mateo, Calif. (Aragon HS)
Iona Pritchard	6-0	220	LB	South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS)
Daniel Sorensen	6-2	195	DB	Colton, Calif. (Colton HS)
Justin Sorensen	6-2	220	K	South Jordan, Utah (Bingham HS)
Brock Stringham	6-6	280	OL	Highlands Ranch, Colo. (Mountain Vista HS)
Jesse Taufi	6-5	320	OL	Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach City College)
Shiloah Te'o	5-11	195	DB	Laie, Hawaii (Kahuku HS)
Michael Yeck	6-7	260	OL	Keller, Texas (Keller HS)

>

- 2007 BYU Season
- 2007 BYU Preview
- 2006 BYU Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2007 Record: 11-2

Sept. 1 Arizona W 20-7
Sept. 8 at UCLA L 27-17
Sept. 15 at Tulsa L 55-47
Sept. 22 Air Force W 31-6
Sept. 29 at N Mexico W 31-24
Oct. 13 at UNLV W 24-14
Oct. 20 E. Wash W 42-7
Nov. 3 Colorado St W 35-16
Nov. 8 TCU W 27-22
Nov. 17 at Wyoming W 35-10
Nov. 24 Utah W 17-10
Dec. 1 at SDSU W 48-27
Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 22 UCLA W 17-16

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: After two straight 11-2 seasons and two straight Mountain West titles, BYU has become the far-and-away class of the league under Bronco Mendenhall. The 2008 team should be the best of the three. QB Max Hall isn't John Beck, but he's an All-Mountain West passer who showed he can both bomb away and come through in the clutch when needed. Nine starters return to the league's best defense and the entire front three, led by pass rushing terror Jan Jorgensen.
Why to be grouchy: Will the defense take a major step back after losing three of the four starting linebackers including all-stars Bryan Kehl and Kelly Poppinga? Three starters, along with co-starting CB Andre Saulsberry, are gone off a strong pass defense. Those losses could be just enough to prevent a good season from being a BCS one.
The number one thing to work on is: Turnover margin. BYU should have the Mountain West's best team, but it could be undone and upset if it keeps losing the turnover battle. Last year the Cougars were 93rd in the nation in turnover margin with 26 giveaways and 20 takeaways with a mere four forced fumbles. Getting more out of a woeful punt return game would be nice.
Biggest offensive loss: C Sele Aulai
Biggest defensive loss: LB Bryan Kehl
Best returning offensive player: OT Dallas Reynolds, Sr.
Best returning defensive player: DE Jan Jorgensen, Jr.

2007 Recap
Recap: Although Hawaii played in the Sugar Bowl, an argument can be made that BYU was the premier non-BCS program of 2007.  The Cougars got off the mat after starting 1-2 to win 10 consecutive games, cop another outright Mountain West title, and get revenge on UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl for one of those two September losses.  Winners of 16 straight conference games under Bronco Mendenhall, BYU is enjoying its best stretch of prosperity since the late 1980s.           

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Max Hall

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Jan Jorgensen

Biggest Surprise: RB Harvey Unga.  Just a redshirt freshman, Unga hasn’t wasted any time becoming one of the most valuable Cougar players.  A physical, 1,000-yard rusher in his debut season, he gave BYU a presence in short yardage, while finishing third on the team with 44 receptions for 655 yards and four scores.    

Biggest Disappointment: The BYU defense had just a single lapse all year, and it cost the program a game to Tulsa and possibly a BCS bowl invitation.  A few weeks before the Cougars would gel, Hurricane QB Paul Smith went ballistic on them, throwing for a career-high 454 yards and five touchdown passes in a wild 55-47 victory.

Looking Ahead: The Cougars will wrap up 2007 in the Top 25 and begin 2008 with most of their league-best offense intact, meaning they’ll be the trendy choice out of the mid-majors to play in a BCS bowl game.  A January game is the next step for a program that’s quietly been terrific the past two seasons, winning 22 games and a pair of Las Vegas Bowls versus Pac-10 opponents.

Dec. 22
2007 Las Vegas Bowl
BYU 17 ... UCLA 16
UCLA rallied to get in position to win the game with a chip shot field goal, but BYU's Eathyn Manumaleuna got a hand on the kick to stop it just enough for it to go barely under the crossbar to preserve the Cougar win. The UCLA defense dominated for most of the game, holding BYU to just 265 yards, but a muffed punt led to a 14-yard Austin Collie touchdown catch and Michael Reed caught a 13-yard scoring pass to cap off a 55-yard drive late in the second quarter. The Bruins capitalized on a Harvey Unga fumble deep in BYU territory to get a four-yard Brandon Breazell scoring grab as time ran out in the first half, but they would only manage a 50-yard Kai Forbath field goal in the second half.
Offensive Player of the Game: BYU WR Austin Collie caught six passes for 107 yards and a touchdown
Defensive Player of the Game: UCLA DE Bruce Davis made seven tackles and three sacks
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: McLeod Bethel-Thompson, 11-27, 154 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Markey, 27-117. Receiving: Brandon Breazell, 4-44, 1 TD
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 21-35, 231 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Manase Tonga, 3-21. Receiving: Austin Collie, 6-107, 1 TD
Thoughts and Notes ... While BYU certainly won't give the win over UCLA back, but this was hardly a bright shining moment for the Mountain West. The Bruins were down to an untested third string quarterback, is dealing with all the coaching turmoil, and it still came within a an Eathyn Manumaleuna mitt from pulling off the upset. This might not have been enough of a showing for Dwayne Walker to win the UCLA head coaching job, but he had the defense playing at a high level. ... In several ways, this BYU season might have been even more impressive than last year when it ripped through almost everyone. Bronco Mendenhall and his staff got 11 wins out of a team with a less talented offense, and was able to pull off tight wins over UCLA, New Mexico, Utah and TCU. ... If only UCLA had a healthy Ben Olson or Pat Cowan. McLeod Bethel-Thompson wasn't always helped out by his receiving corps, and he did a great job of getting the team in a position to win the game on a great final drive, but he was too inconsistent throughout. ... The pass rushing stars didn't disappoint. UCLA's Bruce Davis played at another level, and BYU's Jan Jorgensen was terrific.

Dec. 1
BYU 48 ... San Diego State 27
BYU cranked out 538 yards of total offense, but it wasn't until the second half until it finally pulled away. Harvey Unga ran touchdowns from one, seven and three yards away, and started off the scoring with an eight-yard catch on the opening drive. The Aztecs stayed alive thanks to Kevin O'Connell, who ran for two touchdown and threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Lynell Hamilton. But the BYU offense proved to be too much with 28 second half points.
Player of the game: BYU RB Harvey Unga ran 12 times for 161 yards and three touchdowns, and caught three passes for 29 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: San Diego State - Passing: Kevin O'Connell, 33-55, 288 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kevin O'Connell, 17-61, 2 TD. Receiving: Brett Swain, 10-98
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 19-26, 227 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 12-161, 3 TD. Receiving: Dennis Pitta, 4-47, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Harvey Unga is a machine. The touchdown maker rolled over San Diego State with four scores to put the game out of reach, while Max Hall came up with one of his most efficient passing days of the year. Considering the Cougars didn't need this game, it was a nice, relaxed offensive performance to get to ten wins and a spotless Mountain West record. On a nine-game winning streak, this is one of the nation's hottest teams going into the bowls.

Nov. 24
BYU 17 ... Utah 10
Down 10-9, BYU needed a 49-yard catch by Austin Collie on fourth-and-18, a few pass interference calls and a personal foul, and an 11-yard touchdown run from Harvey Unga with 38 seconds to play to break Utah's heart for a second straight season. Utah had taken the lead with 1:34 to play on a one-yard Darrell Mack run and got a 35-yard Louie Sakoda field goal in the third quarter, but couldn't move the ball on a last gasp drive. Mitch Payne nailed three field goals for the Cougars before their final drive.
Player of the game: BYU RB Harvey Unga ran 23 times for 141 yards and a touchdown and caught a 27-yard pass.
Stat Leaders: Utah - Passing: Brian Johnson, 17-29, 129 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Darrell Mack, 14-56, 1 TD. Receiving: Bradon Godfrey, 7-73
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 17-40, 269 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 23-141, 1 TD. Receiving: Austin Collie, 5-126
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... BYU moved the ball well against Utah and the defense did a great job, but it struggled to close on three key drives forcing the miraculous final march to yet another tough win in the rivalry. Max Hall struggled way too much, as he didn't appear to always be on quite the same page with his receivers, but he was great when he had to be. All Cougar and Ute fans will remember is the fourth and 18 throw to Austin Collie to keep the game alive. Now with a second straight Mountain West title in hand, a second straight 11-win season is possible.

Nov. 17
BYU 35 ... Wyoming 10
BYU held Wyoming to nine net yards rushing and gave up only a field goal and a two-yard Wynel Seldon touchdown run on the way to the easy win. The Cougars got out to a 21-0 lead on two of Max Hall's three touchdown passes and a two-yard Harvey Unga run, and then put the game away on the opening drive of the second half going 69 yards in ten plays with Michael Reed catching a ten-yard scoring pass. Unga closed things out with a two-yard run. BYU held on to the ball for 34:39.
Player of the game: BYU QB Max Hall completed 26 of 37 passes for 331 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 26-37, 331 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 23-110, 2 TD. Receiving: Austin Collie, 8-103
Wyoming- Passing: Karsten Sween, 17-29, 217 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Wynel Seldon, 9-28, 1 TD. Receiving: Michael Ford, 7-71
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Wyoming, even when it's struggling, it tough at home, and BYU went into Laramie and won without breathing hard. The run defense has stepped its play up a few notches over the last few weeks, and now it gets its biggest test in weeks needing to deal with a hot Utah ground game. The win clinched at least a share of the Mountain West title with the potential to win it outright against either Utah or San Diego State. With the offense operating effectively, and Max Hall quietly cranking out big game after big game, getting one more win won't be a problem.

Nov. 8
BYU 27 ... TCU 22
Harvey Unga ran for touchdowns from 15 and three yards out, and Max Hall threw one-yard touchdown pass to Joe Semanoff, as BYU got up early, but had to hold on to beat TCU. Down 24-9 in the third quarter, the Horned Frogs mounted a comeback with a one-yard Marcus Brock touchdown run and with less than four minutes to play, a Bart Johnson seven-yard scoring catch. TCU would get one more drive, but it went nowhere as Bryan Kehl sacked Andy Dalton on fourth down and the Cougar offense was able to run out the clock. BYU converted 13 of 20 third down chances, while TCU converted four of 14 and went 0 for 3 on third downs.
Player of the game: BYU QB Max Hall completed 26 of 44 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and ran for 28 yards.
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 18-30, 165 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Andy Dalton, 12-60. Receiving: Ervin Dickerson, 6-48
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 26-44, 305 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 16-64, 2 TD. Receiving: Dennis Pitta, 7-88
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The BYU defense wasn't great against TCU, and allowed the game to get close late, but it was great when it had to be, stopping the Horned Frog offense on several key third downs and all three fourth down attempts. Max Hall made plenty of mistakes and misreads, but he only threw one pick, pushed the ball deep for a few good gains to stretch things out, and he spread the ball around well. Now that the Cougars all but have the Mountain West won, it'll be vital to keep the momentum going, and to stay focused, with a few extra days off before going to Wyoming.

Nov. 3
BYU 35 ... Colorado State 16
BYU got up right away with a 21-3 halftime lead helped by two Max Hall touchdown passes and a thee-yard Manase Tonga scoring run. A three-yard Harvey Unga scoring run made it 28-3 Cougars and they cruised from there. Colorado State got a three-yard Michael Myers touchdown run off the team's best drive of the day, but wasn't able to get back into the end zone until Jesse Nading took an interception 31 yards for a score late in the fourth.
Player of the game: BYU QB Max Hall completed 22 of 30 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Colorado State - Passing: Caleb Hanie, 18-34, 161 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Gartrell Johnson, 19-72. Receiving: Johnny Walker, 4-26
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 22-30, 355 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 11-51, 1 TD. Receiving: Austin Collie, 8-111, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense hasn't been totally crisp over the the last few games, but it's been effective enough to keep winning with. On a five-game streak after ripping up Colorado State, a win over TCU would all but seal the Mountain West title. With Fui Vakapuna back from injury, the running game has all its weapons back, while Max Hall is coming off one of his most impressive games of the year. He's doing a great job of spreading the ball around.

Oct. 20
BYU 42 ... Eastern Washington 7
BYU had few problems with Eastern Washington, at least until a blizzard hit in the second half, as Harvey Unga scored on a 22-yard pass and a 13-yard run, and Manase Tonga, Max Hall and Fui Vakapuna each ran for short second half scores. The defense opened up the scoring with Corby Hodgkiss taking an interception 39 yards for a score. EWU's points came in the second quarter on a 28-yard Aaron Boyce catch.
Player of the game: BYU RB Harvey Unga ran 21 times for 145 yards and a touchdown, and caught four passes for 57 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 15-30, 156 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 21-145, 1 TD. Receiving: Harvey Unga, 4-57, 1 TD
Eastern Washington - Passing: Matt Nichols, 20-32, 216 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Dale Morris, 10-33. Receiving: Aaron Boyce, 9-135, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... BYU didn't exactly go through the motions to beat Eastern Washington, but it didn't have to exert itself. In interesting conditions late, the offense took advantage of short fields to put the game away thanks to turnovers and great field position. Now the Cougars have to stay focused against Mountain West lightweights San Diego State and Colorado State before the tough finishing kick. As long as the O line keeps paving the way for the grinding running game, everything should be fine.

Oct. 13
BYU 24 ... UNLV 14
It wasn't pretty, but BYU overcame four turnovers by outrushing UNLV 227 yards to 96 with Harvey Unga tearing off 177 yards with a five-yard run, and Manase Tonga running for a three yards score to get by the Rebels. Sergio Aguayo hit two field goals, but the Rebels didn't get into the end zone until the final 1:11 on a five-yard pass from Omar Clayton to Rodelin Anthony.
Player of the game: BYU RB Harvey Unga ran 25 times for 177 yards and a touchdown, and caught five passes for 44 yards.
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 21-33, 214 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 25-177, 1 TD. Receiving: Dennis Pitta, 7-97
UNLV - Passing: Travis Dixon, 11-21, 78 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Frank Summers, 13-50. Receiving: Ryan Wolfe, 5-50
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... When things weren't working with the passing game, it became the Harvey Unga show against UNLV, as the BYU ground game helped keep the ball for 37:24, kept the Rebel spread attack off the field, and pulled away with the win. By default, this is still the best team in the Mountain West, but it's not playing like anything special. It doesn't matter. The schedule is easy enough to roll until mid-November without a problem.

Sept. 29
BYU 31 ... New Mexico 24
Max Hall threw two touchdown passes, highlighted by a 59-yard play to Austin Collie in the third, but it took a ten-point fourth quarter to put the Lobos away. Rodney Ferguson did what he could to carry New Mexico, scoring on a second quarter one-yard run, and in the third quarter, on a five-yard run, and then two minutes later, he took a pass 71 yards for a score. Hall connected with Dennis Pitta for a 14-yard score, and Mitch Payne hit a 22-yard field goal, while the Lobos were only able to crank out a 43-yard John Sullivan field goal in the fourth. BYU LB Bryan Kehl opened the scoring with a 36-yard interception return in the first two minutes.
Player of the game: BYU LB Bryan Kehl made nine tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 18-40, 251 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 22-56. Receiving: Austin Collie, 4-98, 1 TD
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 20-38, 231 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 22-87, 2 TD. Receiving: Marcus Smith, 7-53
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... BYU can take a deep breath after the tough road win over New Mexico. Max Hal threw for 251 yards, but he didn't play well, missing too many passes, and there wasn't enough of a running game to take the heat off. The defense generated tremendous pressure and forced five turnovers to make all the difference. Now the team gets a week off to rest before an apparent easy stretch against UNLV, Eastern Washington, San Diego State and Colorado State. 7-2 is a must going into the TCU showdown.

Sept. 22
BYU 31 ... Air Force 6
BYU got up 7-0 on the opening drive with Manase Tonga running for a one-yard score, and rolled from there with two Max Hall touchdown passes on the way to a 24-0 lead. Air Force finally got on the board late in the third quarter on an eight-yard Shaun Carney run, but the Cougars answered with a 80-yard drive culminating in a one-yard Tonga run. Air Force was held to 231 yards and 12 first downs.
Player of the game: BYU RB Manase Tonga ran 14 times for 41 yards and two touchdowns, adding six catches for 69 yards.
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 10-21, 98 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chad Smith, 2-47. Receiving: Chad Hall, 6-80
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 23-33, 293 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 22-111. Receiving: Manase Tonga, 6-69
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... After the way the BYU defense was obliterated by Tulsa, a blowout was much needed. Getting it in the Mountain West opener was even sweeter, as the Cougar D stuffed the Air Force offense all game long, while the offense was balanced and effective. Max Hall had a nice game to keep the ball moving, but it was the defense that starred, especially on third downs. Air Force only had the ball for 22:50, and wore down. This game didn't establish BYU as the class of the Mountain West, but it was a good step forward.

Sept. 15
Tulsa 55 ... BYU 47
In a wild shootout with the two teams combining for 1,027 passing yards, it was two false start penalties to ruin a final BYU chance, and Tulsa's defense snuffing out long drives with four takeaways. Paul Smith threw five touchdown passes with three to Charles Clay, but BYU always had an answer in the see-saw game. Max Hall threw for 547 yards and four touchdowns, and Manase Tonga ran for two touchdowns. Tulsa's defense got in the big play act with a 49-yard interception return for a score from Ray Roberts, but this was all about the haymakers. In one tremendous second quarter sequence, Hall his Austin Collie for a 45-yard touchdown, and Smith answered ten second later by connecting with Brennan Marion for a 75-yard touchdown pass. BYU responded in four plays with a 13-yard Dennis Pitta scoring grab, and the scoring went on and one, with the two teams combining for 44 points in the quarter. In all the two teams cranked out 1,289 yards of total offense and 59 first downs.
Player of the game: Tulsa QB Paul Smith completed 21 of 35 passes for 454 yards and five touchdowns
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 35-57, 537 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 21-100, 1 TD. Receiving: Michael Reed, 8-132, 1 TD
Tulsa - Passing: Paul Smith, 21-35, 454 yds, 5 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 18-79, 1 TD. Receiving: Trae Johnson, 5-95, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... How in the world did BYU lose to Tulsa when it cranked out 694 yards of offense, 537 passing yards, 36 first downs, and roared up and down the field? It kept screwing up, and Tulsa didn't. BYU turned it over four times, and all hurt, and committed 14 penalties for 138 yards, with two late false start penalties killing the momentum on the final drive. On the plus side, the Cougars showed that the offense can explode, with Max Hall having a phenomenal game. Take away the errors, and the Cougars would've won in a walk.

Sept. 8
UCLA 27 ... BYU 17
UCLA jumped out to a 20-0 lead helped by a 56-yard Trey Brown interception return for a score, two Kai Forbath field goals and a four-yard Kahlil Bell scoring run, but had to hang on as BYU pulled within three in the third quarter on two Max Hall to Austin Collie touchdown passes. The Bruins finally got a little breathing room in the final minutes on a three-yard Chris Markey run to finish off a 12-play, 45-yard drive that ate up 3:40. BYU outgained UCLA 435 yards to 236 but got timely plays from the defense including two key sacks and a forced fumble from Bruce Davis.
Player of the game: UCLA CB Trey Brown had five pass break ups, 4.5 tackles, a fumble recovery, and a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 30-52, 391 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 5-28. Receiving: Austin Collie, 7-79, 2 TDs
UCLA - Passing: Ben Olson, 13-28, 126 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 16-79, 1 TD. Receiving: Marcus Everett, 5-66
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Last year's team would've beaten this UCLA team. It wasn't that Max Hall, who threw for 391 yards, wasn't good, it was that he didn't come up with big early passes to move the offense, and while the Bruin defense had a lot to do with that, it'll be interesting to see if the team can win games like this as the year goes on. 11 penalties and three turnovers didn't help, but the big problem was the comeback. It was like the O couldn't get over the hump when it needed just one little spark late to potentially turn the tide. The D was great and should only get better over the next several weeks. There's not a game until early November that BYU won't be favored.

Sept. 1
BYU 20 ... Arizona 7
BYU's defense stole the show, keeping Arizona off the board until a seven-yard Earl Mitchell touchdown catch in the final minute of the game. The Cougars got two first half touchdown passes from Max Hall, and Harvey Unga scored twice on a 27-yard catch and an 11-yard run on the way to a 20-0 lead. The Wildcats only managed 30 rushing yards.
Player of the game ... BYU HB Harvey Unga had 15 carries for 67 yards and one touchdown, while leading the team with nine receptions for 127 yards and another score.
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 26-36, 216 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chris Jennings, 14-41  Receiving: Chris Jennings, 9-27
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 26-39, 288 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 15-67, 1 TD  Receiving: Harvey Unga, 9-127, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Max Hall might not have been John Beck against Arizona, but he didn't throw any interceptions and he was more than good enough at spreading the ball around. The key to the game was a defense that never let the Wildcats get going. The run defense was a brick wall, while the pass defense never let Willie Tuitama push the ball deep. If the D plays like this against UCLA next week, and if Hall again limits his mistakes, the Cougars have a real shot at a big upset.