PROVO - BYU will play at Oregon State on Saturday, Oct. 15, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live from Reser Stadium in Provo on Fox College Sports Pacific and KBYU and KSL Radio 1160 AM, 102.7 FM and ksl.com. The game will also be rebroadcast on BYUtv at 7 p.m. PT and ROOT Sports Northwest at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be available online at byutv.org.

BYU (4-2) at Oregon State (1-4)

Game 7 Notes

• BYU (4-2) vs. Oregon State (1-4, 1-2 Pac-12)
• Date: Sat. Oct. 15, 2011
• Time: 1 p.m. PT (2 pm MT)
• Site: Reser Stadium; Corvallis, Oregon
• TV: Fox College Sports
• Radio: KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM and ksl.com
• Series Record: Oregon State leads 5-4
• Last Meeting: 2009 (BYU 44, OSU 20)
• Kickoff Weather: Partly cloudy and cool, temps in the mid 50s

Series Snapshot ...
BYU and Oregon State have played nine times in program history with the Beavers holding a 5-4 edge in the series. The last time the two teams faced each other was in the 2009 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, when both teams were ranked in the top 20 for the first time in the bowl's history.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR- BYU will go on the road for the first time since Sept. 10 after hosting four-straight home games. The Cougars have not traveled to the state of Oregon since 1990 when BYU lost at Oregon, 32-16. The last time BYU has traveled to Oregon State was in 1978, claiming a 10-6 victory.

- Oregon State marks the Cougars' second opponent against a Pac-12 school after facing Utah earlier this year. BYU has played four schools from three BCS automatic qualifying conferences (Pac-12, Big 12, SEC) and schools from five conferences total (also C-USA and WAC).

- BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall was a two-year starter with the Beavers from 1986-87 at safety and linebacker and was team captain his senior year. Mendenhall also began his coaching career at OSU as a grad assistant in 1989 before joining the Beavers' staff full-time in 1995 as first the defensive line coach and later defensive coordinator.

- After playing its latest game since 1999 last week in an 8:17 pm MT kickoff time, the Cougars will kickoff at 2 pm MT against Oregon State, their earliest kickoff of the season.

- BYU's Justin Sorensen was named Independent Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against San Jose State. A sophomore from South Jordan, Utah, Sorensen had a perfect day from the placement spot as BYU extended its victory streak to three games with a 29-16 home win over San Jose State. Sorensen was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts (hitting from 42 and 45 yards) and made all three of his PATs. On the season, Sorensen is now 9-for-11 on FGs and 13-for-13 on PATs.

THE BYU-OREGON STATE SERIES

BYU and Oregon State have played nine times in program history with the Beavers holding a 5-4 edge in the series. The last time the two teams faced each other was in the 2009 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas, when both teams were ranked in the top 20 for the first time in the bowl's history. The Cougars handled Oregon State 44-20 on a December 23rd evening that featured cold and rainy conditions, as well as 55-mph gusts on occasion. A senior-laden BYU team dominated from start to finish, led by quarterback Max Hall tossing three touchdowns. Senior tight ends Dennis Pitta and Andrew George led BYU in receiving with 45 and 46 yards, respectively. Pitta caught a touchdown pass and senior running back Manase Tonga caught one touchdown and rushed for another. Senior linebacker Matt Bauman also recovered a fumble and returned it 34 yards for the first-ever fumble return for a touchdown in BYU bowl history. Senior safety Scott Johnson intercepted a pass and returned it 56 yards to set up the Cougars' final score of the game.

UNGA CONNECTIONS

Both BYU and Oregon State are familiar with the Unga family. While Cougar fans will always remember the all-time leading rusher, running back Harvey Unga, now they will get to know his cousin, Uani Unga who transfered last year from Oregon State to the Cougars. Uani, redshirting this year, has a twin brother, Feti who is a starting linebacker and team-leader in tackles this year for the Beavers. The Ungas are also cousins with former BYU stars such as Fahu Tahi and Reno Mahe.

A HOMECOMING TRIP

The Cougars have four players from the state of Oregon and some saw significant recruting effors from the Beavers. Tight end Marcus Mathews is from Beaverton, along with freshman offensive lineman Devon Smith. Beaverton is 68 miles away from Oregon State's home of Corvallis, while linebacker Seth Probert is from Lebenon just 18 miles away. Running back Ryan Folsom comes from Medford, about 156 miles away. Though not from the the state of Oregon, Cody Hoffman is from Crescent City, Calif., a small city in the northern part of the state, just about 20 miles from the Oregon border and around 200 miles from Corvallis.

NOT A LONG LIST

BYU hasn't had many quarterbacks with Riley Nelson's skill set of running and passing. It's a short list but Nelson has a chance to make some noise on the career quarterback-rushing leaders for the Cougars. In fact, he is sneaking up on former BYU quarterback and current offensive coordinator Brandon Doman's mark on the list.

BYU Career Quarterback Rushing Yards
1. Carter, Virgil (1964-66) 1,225 yards
2. Young, Steve (1981-83) 1,084 yards
3. Doman, Brandon (1998-01) 632 yards
4. Nelson, Riley (2009-) 405 yards

CAREER HIGHS FOR A FULL NELSON

Quarterback Riley Nelson played his first career full game for BYU against San Jose State. The completed 14 of 24 passes for 219 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Nelson set new career-highs last week against Utah State but after a four quarters of continuous play, Nelson broke those personal bests again, setting new career marks in passing completions, attempts, yards and touchdown passes. Nelson also added 65 rushing yards on nine attempts.

BE LIKE MIKE

Running back Michael Alisa had only seen limited time before San Jose State but after weeks of solid practice the coaches decided to give him more opportunities. Alisa responded with 91 yards on 16 carries to emerge as the primary ball carrier vs. San Jose State. The sophomore consistently ran down hill for power and broke tackles to pick up yards. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry and had a long run of 14 yards. Alisa set career highs in rushing yards and attempts. Before his two-year mission, Alisa played mostly linebacker along with some running back for the Cougars.

FIRST TIMERS

Running back Bryan Kariya got his first receiving touchdown in LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night on a 1-yard grab. Tight end Richard Wilson caught his first-career touchdown on an 21-yard reception for a score against the Spartans. The week prior, tight end Marcus Mathews and BYU had a number of firsts in the game against Utah State. It was the first time Mathews caught a touchdown pass as a Cougar, coming in dramatic fashion with 11 seconds left and off a deflected ball. It was also the first tight end touchdown reception this year. It was also the first time BYU had two passing touchdowns this year and the first time wide receiver Cody Hoffman caught a touchdown pass this year.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

Team defense has been the key to BYU's success so far this season as only two players have recorded double digit tackles in any game. Spencer Hadley did against Texas with a team-high 12 tackles and Brandon Ogletree finished with 10 against San Jose State. Eight Cougars currently have 20 or more tackles on the season, with Ogletree leading the way with 37 total tackles despite missing one game due to a concussion. Three BYU defenders (Kyle Van Noy, Daniel Sorenson, Uona Kaveinga) are tied for second on the team with 28 tackles.

RUNNING IN PLACE

In one of its best performances of the season, the BYU defense held the San Jose State running attack to just eight yards on seven carries in the first quarter and 13 yards on 12 carries in the first half. The 1.1 yards-per carry average for SJSU is the lowest per-carry average for a BYU opponent in a first half this season. The 13 yards rushing gained is also the lowest total for an opponent in a first half this season against the Cougars. The performance helped the BYU rushing defense move up 15 places in the NCAA rankings, from 78th to 63rd.

MOVING ON UP

After the fifth game of the season againt Utah State, the BYU special teams unit improved in nearly every statistical category. The BYU kickoff teams have led the Cougars so far this season, as the return defense ranks 16th in the NCAA and the return team ranks 24th in the nation. Punter Riley Stephenson currently ranks 31st in the NCAA in punt average (42.42) and Cody Hoffman ranks 28th in yards per kickoff return (25.47).

Coach Mendenhall Press Conference - Oregon State

The following is a partial transcript from head coach Bronco Mendenhall's weekly press conference, featuring comments from wide receiver McKay Jacobson, linebacker Jameson Frazier and defensive back Preston Hadley.

I was impressed and pleased with the way our team improved on Saturday. I liked the balance that our offense showed. I really thought Riley (Nelson) had a strong game in his first start. The complement of the running game, the quarterback mobility and passing the football made us much more difficult to defend. I think it provided a spark and some inspiration to our team. It gave us some momentum going into a road game that we haven't had in a while. We are looking forward to taking on Oregon State and improving our team at the halfway mark.

Can you talk more about Michael Alisa, what he brings to the offense and his role?
I would hope to see him in the continued role that he had. Averaging over five yards per carry is exceptional. We have been looking for in a running back to run between the tackles with a physical presence from the beginning of the season until now. Mike has been so impressive on special teams and in practice that it appeared over time that he deserved an opportunity. Through his work, consistency and production over the past six weeks it gave him the opportunity and he made the most of it. It was really fun on the sideline; once the players saw how hard he was running it generated a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, not only for him but also for the team. I think it affected the offensive line as well. They became more excited and really enjoyed the game more and finished blocks because of how he was running the football and the physical presence he was showing.

The second half didn't seem quite as strong as the first half against San Jose State, what happened?
The game wasn't executed quite as cleanly. There was also a point where I thought we were on the verge of running away with it and having a pretty commanding lead. Either through turnovers or giving up a third down conversion the momentum changed, not that I thought there was a gigantic difference in play, just not quite the same plays were made that were in the first half. That is a good lesson in terms of sustainability.

How do you make the decision of when to be more aggressive vs. being more conservative?
It's just a feel for how the game is going and what threats the opponents are presenting to us. We were still moving the ball effectively and they weren't able to move it affectively unless we had a mistake. Field goals weren't going to win the game for them and certainly 16 points weren't going to win the game for them. I expected we would have had one more score or maybe two. That would really be the only thing I would say I was disappointed with for the second half.

You are going back to where you played and coached, is there any sentimentality or emotions going back?
I have mixed feelings. In playing Oregon State in 2009 in a bowl game there wasn't many sentiments or emotions, it was just playing a bowl game. After the staff was fired at Oregon State coach Mike Riley took over. I didn't know him well until some of our Nike trips. Holly and I really like he and his wife. I am looking forward to seeing Mike. There is a lot of mixed feelings in terms of a lot of memories at Oregon State. It wasn't a time when Oregon State football was very strong when I was there. As a coach it was a very difficult place to win. There wasn't a lot of success stories but there was a lot of work and a lot of friendships. It seems that so much time has passed since then and it is hard to even go back to that place. I don't really have much of choice now since we are going back so it will take me back there mentally and I am not quite sure how I feel about that.

You have been very successful in close games in your tenure; do you have any thoughts as to why?
I have thought about that a lot. I don't think I have a fantastic or very clear answer. I think our record is very good in games decided by a touchdown or less. I think a lot of times it might be the maturity of our players and their ability to handle chaotic situations a little bit better. That may be tied to age or life experience or even preparation. I don't have a strong enough feel to tell you which one it is for sure.

These are all non-conference games; do you have a different feel as to how a team is doing at this point in the year?
I really don't. When you look at Oregon State they have lost to some pretty good teams, Arizona State, Wisconsin, etc. I think they are gaining some momentum. They just scored 37 points. I have watched three games so far and they are a talented football team that is coached well. How we will matchup not having any common opponents is a little bit of a mystery.

Can you get more specific on Riley Nelson's game and what he did well and what was better than the past?
With the type of quarterback that Riley is, he buys more time specifically so when under pressure he is able to elude the rush and give the receivers more time to get open which then makes us more difficult to defend because he can throw it to a receiver who's route has been adjusted. It is harder to cover an adjusted route. The next thing is when he does feel pressure if the coverage is solid it usually means there is a buffer between where the offensive line is and the coverage is and he can run to occupy that space. Usually he has a first down before he gets tackled. He threw the ball in drop back well and the only thing I would fault him on is ball security. Other than that, I think he did a nice job executing the game plan.

How is the safety position making progress?
It is making some progress. Their eye control and play action pass defense was much better on Saturday. I think we are making progress there. Productivity has been solid but not great. Travis Uale does an awesome job getting us lined up correctly. Daniel Sorensen is making more plays, but in general that position could still perform at a little bit of a higher level.

WR McKay Jacobson
What did you think of Michael Alisa's play on Saturday?
He ran hard. That was the biggest thing I noticed. He really stepped up and our running game really helped us a lot. It starts with our guys up front and our offensive line opened up holes. Mike is a strong runner and did a good job.

Is there different play calling for Riley Nelson at quarterback?
I think there are some different things we are trying to do. We are trying to call plays that fit Riley's skill set. Offensively we are progressing and executing better and better.

LB Jameson Frazier
The second half of San Jose State was not as dominant, any reasons why?
I think it was just focus and making sure we were doing our assignments. We weren't letting up too much, it was just we were not able to shut them down and put the dagger in like we wanted to. I think they were able to do some things on us as well.

When the offense runs the ball well is that nice for you guys to get a rest on the sideline then?
Definitely. I am always happy for the offense when they do well. I think it was great to see the running game open up more. We have a bunch of running backs now that can run the football so I am excited to have them with the ball.

How nice is it to have Jordan Pendleton healthy enough to play vs. being on the sidelines?
It's great. He is a great teammate. Honestly when he was on the sideline he was the biggest fan. It is great to have him whether he is on the sideline or on the field. Of course when he is on the field he has a greater impact but he is a great player to play with.

DB Preston Hadley
Is it a good experience to play several BCS teams from the SEC, Big 12 and Pac 12?
Yeah it is really exciting. Growing up you watch all those teams on TV and it is humbling to be out there playing with them. We know what we are capable of and we know our potential.

Oregon State has won just one game this season but do you think they are a talented team?
I think they have great players and are a good team. They are definitely not a team we can overlook. I think in college football any team can beat any team. You can never put it on cruise control in any game.

Do you think you will need to play better this week than last week against San Jose State?
Each Saturday we have to keep playing better and better than we did in the previous week. They have seen us and will know what's coming so you have to keep getting better and better.

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