No. 17 BYU rallies for 45-42 win


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FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- Dennis Pitta caught two fourth-quarter touchdowns from Max Hall, including a 17-yarder with 22 seconds remaining, lifting No. 17 Brigham Young to a 45-42 win over Colorado State on Saturday night.

Once again, the Cougars (8-1, 4-1 Mountain West) relied on a late rally to rescue another win. They also needed a fourth-quarter comeback to squeak by UNLV last week.

Dion Morton caught a 55-yard touchdown pass from Billy Farris with 1:44 remaining to give Colorado State (4-5, 2-3) a momentary lead.

The Cougars responded, marching down the field on six plays, with Pitta punctuating the drive as he took a pass from Hall over the middle and rammed his way into the end zone, crunching one of his own players in the process.

Pitta finished with 12 catches for 175 yards and Hall threw five touchdown passes, three to Austin Collie. Hall finished 28-of-37 for 389 yards.

Collie had nine catches for 156 yards, his seventh straight game with at least 100 yards. The junior wideout also moved past Matt Bellini for third place on the school's all-time receiving list.

Harvey Unga finished with 133 yards and had a 40-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

Mychal Sisson recovered two fumbles for Colorado State, including one he returned for a 20-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

It was the Cougars' fifth straight win over the Rams, who haven't beaten a ranked opponent at home in 15 years.

Farris threw for 251 yards and three scores, Morton had 129 yards receiving and Gartrell Johnson rushed for 102 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown with 7:20 remaining.

So excited was Johnson after his score, he ventured out of the back of the end zone to chest-bump Miami Dolphins and former CSU linebacker Joey Porter, drawing a 15-yard penalty.

Pitta hauled in his first touchdown catch of the night moments into the fourth quarter when he wrapped his arms around a 23-yard pass in the end zone, absorbing a blow from two Colorado State defenders that caused his helmet to pop off.

Collie had a fabulous first half, finishing with six catches for 118 yards and three scores, including a one-handed grab down the sideline that resulted in a 58-yard touchdown. He also had touchdowns of 15 and 10 yards.

Collie's opening half could've been even more memorable if not for a flag. He hauled in a 66-yard touchdown on BYU's first snap, but it was negated by a penalty on Collie for stepping out of bounds and then returning to the field of play.

Two plays later, Hall fumbled the snap and Sisson scooped the ball up, spinning past a diving BYU player and scampering 20 yard for his first career touchdown.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Pat Graham Sports Writer

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