Cougars enjoy record-setting victory in Las Vegas


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

POST-GAME NOTES No. 19 BYU 38, Oregon 8 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl

10-YEAR BOWL VICTORY DROUGHT ENDS No. 19 BYU's 38-8 victory over Oregon in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl marks the Cougars' first bowl victory since beating Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl to end the 1996 season. The victory ends a streak of four straight bowl losses, spanning a stretch of 10 seasons.

25th BOWL GAME Tonight's Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl marked the 25th bowl appearance for BYU. With the 30-point victory, the Cougars have an all-time bowl record of 8-16-1. BYU is now 2-2 against teams from the Pac-10 in bowl games.

BIG-TIME BOWL WIN BYU's 30-point victory over Oregon marked the Cougars' largest margin of victory in a bowl game. The previous best was a 25-point victory over Oklahoma in the 1994 Copper Bowl.

11-WIN SEASON With tonight's victory, the 2006 BYU team became the ninth team in school history to record at least 11 wins in a season.

BROKEN BOWL RECORDS BYU tight end Jonny Harline helped lead the 19th-ranked Cougars to a 38-8 victory over Oregon with nine receptions for 181 yards. His yardage total set a Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl record, breaking Alex Van Dyke's (Nevada) 11-year-old record. Van Dyke had 176 yards against Toledo in the 1995 Las Vegas Bowl.

BYU defensive back Justin Robinson had two interceptions against Oregon, setting a BYU bowl record. His two interceptions also tied a Las Vegas Bowl record.

QUICK START For the first time since the Colorado State game, (November 4, 2006) BYU failed to score on its opening drive of the game. Tonight's game marked only the fourth time this season the Cougars failed to score on its first possession; however, the Cougars took a 3-0 lead with 13:25 on Jared McLaughlin's 24-yard field goal. It is the 12th straight game this season BYU has scored first.

SCORELESS FIRST QUARTER Thursday's game marks the first time this season BYU has failed to score in the opening quarter. It is the first time since the 2005 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl (vs. California) the Cougars did not score in the first quarter.

FIRST-QUARTER SCORING DEFENSE BYU held Oregon scoreless, marking the ninth time this season BYU has shut out its opponent in the opening quarter.

FIRST-HALF SHUTOUT The BYU defense held Oregon—the nation's eight-ranked offense—scoreless in the opening half, marking the fourth time this season the Cougars have held their opponents scoreless in the first-half of play. BYU held the Ducks to just 73 yards of total offense, including 46 yards rushing and 27 yards passing.

FIRST-HALF DOMINATION The 2006 season marks the third time in BYU history the Cougars have led at halftime in every single game of the season, including a post-season bowl game. The only other two times BYU has led in every game at the half was during the 1981 and 1984 seasons.

OREGON'S SECOND SHUTOUT The Ducks were held scoreless in the opening half for only the second time this season. Oregon's only other first-half shutout came at No. 2 USC. The Trojans led 14-0 at the half.

FIRST-HALF SCORING Tonight's 17-point margin over Oregon at the half marks the 13th time this season BYU has led at the half. It is the ninth time BYU has led by 10 or more points after the first two quarters.

HARLINES GRABS CAREER HIGH; EARNS MVP HONORS BYU All-American tight end Jonny Harline had a career high 181 yards receiving on 9 receptions in the Cougars' 38-8 victory over Oregon. Harline was also credited with 1 touchdown reception. Harline was named the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl Most Valuable Player.

ATTENDANCE RECORD The 2006 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl set an attendance record with 44,615 fans. The mark is also the largest crowd in Sam Boyd Stadium history. An estimated 35,000-38,000 BYU fans were in attendance. It is the largest crowd to ever watch a team-sporting event in the state of Nevada.

SCORING MARGIN Following Curtis Brown's 4-yard touchdown run with 3:42 left in the third quarter, the Cougars took a 24-point lead. The margin marked the eighth time this season BYU held a 24-point lead (or greater) against an opponent. Thursday's 30-point victory marks the fifth time this season the Cougars have defeated an opponent by 30 or more points.

GOOD GRIEF, CURTIS BROWN BYU running back Curtis Brown had 24 touches in the Cougars' 38-8 victory over Oregon, extending his streak of 513 touches without fumbling the ball. Brown also became the first BYU running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. Brown ran for 120 yards on 17 carries and was credited with two touchdowns. Thursday's game marked Brown's 15th career 100-yard game and his fourth of the season. Brown finished the season with 1,010 yards to become the first BYU running back in school history to record back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

3,000/1,000 MILESTONE Curtis Brown and John Beck became the first quarterback/running back duo in BYU history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season two different times.

SHUTOUT THROUGH THREE QUARTERS Tonight's game marks the third time this season BYU has held its opponent scoreless through three quarters. It is the first time this season Oregon has been shutout through three quarters.

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsBYU Cougars

ARE YOU GAME?

From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast