BYU players not thinking about undefeated conference mark

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By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) -- Nothing flusters Brigham Young quarterback John Beck on the field.

But after an inquiry about the Cougars' possible run at perfection in the Mountain West Conference, Beck danced from foot to foot and a nervous look appeared on his face.

"One game at a time," Beck said after BYU's 33-14 win over Air Force on Saturday gave the team a 4-0 record in the conference.

The Cougars haven't gone undefeated through league play since 2001. The players act like talking about it will jinx it.

So they don't.

"We can't jump ahead," receiver Michael Reed said. "Every team can be beaten on any weekend. It's too early to talk about."

With a 6-2 record, the Cougars are now bowl-eligible for a second straight season. It's the first time BYU has been eligible in back-to-back seasons since 1998 and 1999. The Cougars are quick to place the credit for the program's newfound success with second-year BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. Before his arrival, BYU had turned in three straight losing seasons.

"He's very consistent in what his expectations are," offensive lineman Jake Kuresa said. "It doesn't matter if it's John Beck or the scout team member with no stickers on his helmet. We know what to expect."

Does that mean BYU football is back?

"It's getting there," said Reed, whose team plays Colorado State on Saturday. "But we're not quite there. Hopefully we keep making jumps."

The Cougars offense has been jumping up the national ranks in recent weeks. They're currently sixth in total offense with a 445.6-yard average. Beck is also the sixth-ranked quarterback in the nation with a passer rating of 172.5. He's thrown for 508 yards and seven touchdowns in the past two games.

The Falcons walked away impressed with Beck after he led the Cougars up and down the field all afternoon.

"He's the best quarterback I've ever played against -- and that (includes) Cal's old quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) and (former Utah quarterback) Alex Smith," Falcons defensive back Bobby Giannini said. "He looks you off, he knows defenses and he's just an excellent quarterback. We need to put this one behind us."

The Falcons want to rediscover their offensive touch. Air Force has been shut out in the first half of back-to-back games for the first time in Fisher DeBerry's 23-year tenure at the Academy. The Falcons have scored just 26 points in losses to San Diego State and BYU.

"We haven't finished drives," fullback Jacobe Kendrick said.

"Remember Tennessee" is now the mantra of the Falcons. The players want to return to being the team that almost stunned the No. 8 Volunteers in Knoxville on Sept. 9.

"We were a team that just went in there and played for pride because nobody gave us a chance," linebacker Drew Fowler said. "I just think we're kind of right now worrying too much about the conference because we started off so good. We just need to get back to that -- playing for each other."

Air Force (3-4, 3-2 MWC) hasn't given up hopes of working its way back into the conference race, either.

"It's possible for BYU to lose two games," said quarterback Shaun Carney, whose team plays Army on Friday. "But ... we're not worried about that right now. We've got to worry about other things that we can control. It's not about hyping games up anymore."