MWC Week 11 Football Notes

WEEK 10 RECAPLeague-leading BYU (6-2, 4-0 MWC) extended its MWC and home win streaks to 12 and 10 games, respectively, with a 35-16 triumph over Colorado State (1-8, 1-5 MWC) in Provo. With the victory, the Cougars also became bowl-eligible for the third straight year under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. In Fort Worth, TCU (5-4, 2-3 MWC) recorded the third shutout in its past seven home games with a 37-0 win over New Mexico (6-3, 3-2 MWC). The win marked the third in a row for the Horned Frogs over the Lobos, who were held scoreless for the first time since 2002 against Texas Tech. Host San Diego State (3-5, 2-2 MWC) scored a touchdown with just over a minute remaining in the game to rally for a 27-24 win against Wyoming (5-4, 2-3 MWC). Trailing 21-7 at the end of the first half, the Aztecs outscored the Cowboys 20-3 over the final two quarters to notch their sixth straight win versus Wyoming at Qualcomm Stadium. In a non-conference match-up, Air Force (7-3) set season-highs for total offense yards (542) and yards rushing (437) in a 30-10 rout of service academy rival Army (3-6).

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS (NOV. 3)

BYU 35, Colorado State 16 (Provo, Utah; Attendance - 64,441)
Air Force 30, Army 10 (Colorado Springs, Colo.; Attendance - 46,114)
TCU 37, New Mexico 0 (Fort Worth, Texas; Attendance - 28,369)
San Diego State 27, Wyoming 24 (San Diego, Calif.; Attendance - 22,582)

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (NOV. 5, 2007)

Offensive Player of the Week
CHAD HALL, AIR FORCE
Senior, WR, Atlanta, Ga./Wesleyan
Chad Hall set new school records with 275 rushing yards and 333 all-purpose yards in Air Force's 30-10 win over Army. Hall's 275 rushing yards on 34 carries (8.1 avg.) eclipsed his own Academy rushing record of 256 set against Colorado State earlier this season, while his 333 allpurpose yards broke a 39-year old school record set by Ernie Jennings in 1968 (315 all-purpose yards). His 275 rushing yards and 333 all-purpose yards also are the second-most in a single game in Mountain West Conference history. His 34 carries are a career-high and his one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter marked his sixth straight game with a rushing touchdown. Two of Hall's rushing attempts went for over 50 yards, and 13 of his carries went for first downs, five of which came on third down. It was his second 200-yard rushing game of the season and fourth 100-yard effort.

Co-Defensive Players of the Week
LUKE LAOLAGI, SAN DIEGO STATE
Sophomore, Linebacker, Reseda, Calif./Birmingham
Luke Laolagi recorded 10 total tackles, all solo efforts, four tackles for loss and a sack in San Diego State's 27-24 come-from-behind win over Wyoming. The 10 solo tackles and four tackles for loss are both career highs. All 10 of his tackles were on plays that resulted in gains of less than four yards, while four of his final six tackles of the game were behind the line of scrimmage. Laolagi led an Aztec defensive that held the Cowboys to just 250 yards of total offense and 91 net yards rushing, including just 80 total yards in the second half.

STEPHEN HODGE, TCU
Junior, Safety, Tatum, Texas/Tatum
In his first career start, Stephen Hodge collected a team-best seven tackles, including six solo, one sack, three pass break-ups and a forced fumble that was returned 13 yards for a touchdown by Rafael Priest. Hodge led a TCU defense that shut out New Mexico, 37-0, and limited the Lobos to 119 total offensive yards.

Co-Special Teams Players of the Week
RYAN HARRISON, AIR FORCE
Junior, Place Kicker/Punter, Keller, Texas/Keller
Ryan Harrison connected on a career-high three field goals and averaged 42 yards on two punts in Air Force's win over Army. Harrison hit field goals from 35, 40 and 56 yards. His 56- yarder is the second-longest of his career and the fourth-longest kicked by any player in the nation this season. Harrison's 57-yarder vs. TCU earlier this year ties as the longest by any player in the nation in 2007. He is the only player in the nation with three field goals of 50 yards or more this season. Harrison also kicked off seven times with four touchbacks. Army's average starting position in the game after the seven kickoffs was the 19-yard line.

MICHAEL HUGHES, SAN DIEGO STATE
Senior, Punter, Moreno, Calif./Canyon Springs
Michael Hughes averaged 48.1 yards on 10 punts in San Diego State's 27-24 win over Wyoming. Three of his kicks were over 50 yards, including a 56, 58 and 75-yarder. His 75-yard punt came with the Aztecs kicking from their own 10-yard line, pinning the Cowboys deep in their own territory, leading to a three-and-out series that preceded SDSU's game-winning drive. Seven of Hughes' punts were returned for a total of 18 yards with one going for 11 yards and the other six going for just seven total yards. His 75-yarder was a season-best and ranks as the fifth-longest in school history. Hughes' 481 punt yards are fourth-best in the Aztec record book and fifth-most in MWC history.

WEEK 11 PREVIEW

All five contests involving MWC teams will be televised in Week 11, including four national broadcasts. TCU and BYU will kick things off on Thursday, November 8, with a match-up in Provo on VERSUS. On Saturday, November 10, Air Force will visit Notre Dame for a nonconference clash on NBC. The day's MWC slate has Colorado State traveling to New Mexico for an outing on The Mtn.-MountainWest Sports Network, while Utah hosts Wyoming and UNLV entertains San Diego State in a pair of CSTV-televised contests.

ROAD WARRIORS

BYU currently has a nine-game road win streak in MWC contests. The current streak breaks 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.

ONE OF FOUR

BYU (6-2, 4-0) is one of only four teams in the country that currently rank in the top-18 in both total offense and total defense. The Cougars rank 18th nationally in total offense, averaging 451.8 yards per game. Defensively, BYU ranks 15th nationally, allowing 307.1 yards per game. Kansas, West Virginia and Boise State are the only other teams that rank in the top-18 in the nation in both total defense and total offense.

RUN STUFFERS

BYU is the lone MWC team to have not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season. BYU (11th-97.9), Wyoming (18th-100.9), New Mexico (31st-123.7) and TCU (32nd-123.8) are all ranked in the top- 35 nationally in rush defense. Only three teams in MWC history have finished the year allowing less than 100 yards rushing per game (2006-TCU-76.8; 2003-UNM-88.6; 2001-UNM 87.4).

TCU RECORDS SECOND SHUTOUT OF SEASON

TCU recorded its second shutout of the season with a 37-0 win over New Mexico. It also shut out Baylor, 27-0, to start the season. It was the third shutout in the Horned Frogs' last seven home games, while also marking their first season with 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 23 shutouts in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season. TCU and LSU are the only 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).

1,000-YARD RUSHERS

The Mountain West Conference is on pace to equal the league record of five 1,000-yard rushers set in 2001. Air Force's Chad Hall of Air Force leads the MWC with 1,122 yards, followed by Utah's Darrell Mack with 898 yards, New Mexico's Rodney Ferguson has 901 yards and Wyoming's Devin Moore with 848. BYU's Harvey Unga is fifth on the list with 735 yards and Frank Summers of UNLV is sixth with 678. Hall is the only senior among the Top 10 rushers in the league.

HALL CONTINUES RECORD-BREAKING SEASON

Air Force senior WR Chad Hall became the Air Force single-season record holder for all-purpose yards, breaking the record of Cormac Carney, who had 1,735 yards in 1978. Hall set a new school record with 333 all-purpose yards against Army and has 1,961 on the season. His 333 all-purpose yards are the second most in MWC history. Hall also set a new school single-game rushing record with 275 versus Army. It was the fourth time in the the last five games he has reached 100-yards rushing. Hall became the third player in Air Force history to record multiple 200-yard rushing games. Hall broke his own school record for rushing yards in a game with 256 yards earlier this season at Colorado State. Beau Morgan also had two 200-yard games in 1996 with 243 vs. Colorado State and 217 vs. Fresno State and Dee Dowis had two in 1989 with 249 vs. San Diego State and 201 vs. Wyoming. 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.

AIR FORCE TANDEM RUSHES INTO MWC RECORD BOOK

Air Force QB Shaun Carney (2,335 yards) and WR/RB Chad Hall (2,250 yards) are currently ranked seventh 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 LEADS FALCONS IN RUSHING, RECEIVING AND ALL-PURPOSE YARDS

Air Force WR Chad Hall is the only player in the FBS this season that leads his team not only in rushing (1,122 yards) and receiving (426 yards), but also in all-purpose yardage (1,961 yards).

SINGLE-GAME RECORD UPDATES

* Air Force's Chad Hall recorded 333 all-purpose yards in the Falcons' win over Army on Saturday. His 333 yards is the highest single-game effort by a senior in MWC history and is the second-highest total overall, behind BYU's Austin Collie, who recorded a league-record 366 all-purpose yards earlier this season against Tulsa.

* Wyoming's Hoost Marsh tied an MWC single-game record with seven punt returns in the Cowboys' loss to San Diego State on Saturday.

* Wyoming's Marsh set a new MWC record for longest rush play by a senior with a 75-yard run against UNLV.

* New Mexico's Marcus Smith recorded eight kick returns for 132 yards against TCU, tying a league record for most kick returns in an MWC contest and matching the second-highest number overall.

* The Horned Frogs tied a league record for fewest first downs allowed in an MWC contest, limiting New Mexico to six first downs on Saturday. The overall MWC record for fewest first downs allowed is five, held by several teams, including Wyoming, who matched the mark earlier this season against Virginia.

* San Diego State LB Russell Allen had 22 tackles at Utah, tying the league record for most tackles by a junior, and tying for the second-highest total in league history.

* The four longest field goals in MWC history have all been kicked at Air Force's Falcon Stadium. Air Force's Ryan Harrison kicked a 56-yard field goal Saturday against Army, tying for the fourth-longest field goal in MWC history. Earlier this season, Wyoming's Billy Vinnedge kicked a 57-yard field goal at AFA on Oct. 20, matching the Harrison, who kicked a 57-yarder on Sept. 13 in a home game against TCU. The two 57-yard field goals are tied for the second-longest in MWC history behind Air Force's Joey Ashcroft, who kicked a 59-yarder at home against Army on Nov. 8, 2003.

* Air Force's Harrison registered an 81-yard punt against Wyoming, marking the season's longest punt for any MWC player, and the third-longest punt in MWC history overall.

MWC NOTABLES

* Wyoming's Hoost Marsh set a new MWC record for longest rush play by a senior with a 75- yard run against UNLV.

* New Mexico set a new MWC all-time record with five recovered fumbles against Air Force. The previous mark of four fumble recoveries was accomplished by several teams, most recently Utah against Utah State on Sept. 16, 2006.

* Air Force's five fumbles lost against New Mexico set a record for most fumbles lost in an MWC contest. They were the most by an MWC team overall since BYU lost six fumbles against Hawai`i in 2001.

* UNLV and Wyoming combined for 25 penalties in their game on Saturday, tying for the fifthmost in MWC history. The Rebels were called for 14 penalties, while the Cowboys were whistled for 11.

* San Diego State LB Russell Allen had 22 tackles at Utah, tying the league record for most tackles by a junior, and tying for the second-highest total in league history.

* The three longest field goals in MWC history have all been kicked at Air Force's Falcon Stadium. Wyoming's Billy Vinnedge kicked a 57-yard field goal at AFA on Oct. 20, matching the Falcons' Ryan Harrison, who kicked a 57-yarder earlier in the season in a home game against TCU on Sept. 13, 2007. The two 57-yard field goals are tied for the second-longest in MWC history behind Air Force's Joey Ashcroft, who kicked a 59-yarder at home against Army on Nov. 8, 2003.

* Air Force's Harrison registered an 81-yard punt against Wyoming, marking the season's longest punt for any MWC player, and the third-longest punt in MWC history overall.

MWC NOTABLES

* Air Force is 7-0 when out-rushing its opponents and when they have a player rush for over 100 yards. Air Force is 0-3 when they don't have a player run for over 100 yards.

* Air Force is 7-0 this season when holding its opponents to 21 or fewer points. In each of its three defeats, AFA has allowed 31 or more points.

* BYU QB Max Hall completed 22-of-30 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns against Colorado State. It's Hall's third-career game with 350 or more yards passing and his best performance pass percentage-wise (73 percent). The game against CSU also was the first game since the seasonopener against Arizona in which Hall did not throw an interception.

* In four starts, Colorado State RB Gartrell Johnson has 472 yards on 86 carries (5.5 avg.) and three TDs, including two 100-yard efforts and one 95-yard game.

* Since CSU made the change to Johnson in the backfield, only Air Force (322.5) and Utah (237.0) have averaged more yards per game on the ground than the Rams (196.0).

* New Mexico is 5-0 this season when scoring on its opening possession.

* New Mexico had its lowest offensive output in a game last time out (119 vs. TCU) since gaining 114 total yards in a 17-7 loss at Oregon State in 2004. UNM also allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time in 11 games (Joseph Turner of TCU - 115 yds).

* San Diego State QB Kevin O'Connell scored his 15th career rushing touchdown and seventh of the year against Wyoming. O'Connell now owns the school career record for most rushing scores by a QB, which he previously shared with Matt Kofler, who had 14 from 1980-81. O'Connell tied Kofler's season record of seven rushing TDs, which Kofler posted in both 1980 and 1981.

* San Diego State snapped a 23-game losing streak in games in which its opponent scored first. Prior to the Wyoming game, the last time the Aztecs won a game in which they did not score first was Oct. 12, 2002, against Utah (a 36-17 SDSU win).

* CB Rafael Priest's 13-yard fumble return for a touchdown against New Mexico was TCU's fifth non-offensive touchdown of the season. The Horned Frogs have returned two interceptions for scores while also having two touchdowns directly off blocked punts.

* TCU TB Aaron Brown has recorded five career 100-yard rushing games. The Frogs are 5-0 in those contests.

* TCU RB Joseph Turner rushed for a 115 yards on 28 carries in his first collegiate start against New Mexico.

* UNLV WR Casey Flair recorded 10 catches for 121 yards at Wyoming. It was his second 100-yard receiving performance of the season.

* Utah QB Brian Johnson is 5-0 since returning to the starting lineup after an injury.

* Utah rushed for a season-high 322 yards the last time out against Colorado State. The Utes had 100- yard rushing games from both Darrell Mack (151) and Ray Stowers (123).

* Wyoming FS Quincy Rogers intercepted a pass versus San Diego State and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown. It was the first Wyoming interception return for a touchdown since Julius Stinson intercepted a Utah pass and returned it 42 on Oct. 12, 2006.

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