Game Notes: BYU at San Diego State

COUGARS HEAD TO SAN DIEGO FOR FIRST ROAD GAME

BYU is coming off a wild 51-50 loss against TCU and now heads to San Diego State to play the Aztecs for its first road game of the season. The Cougars are currently 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the Mountain West Conference, while the Aztecs are 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Against TCU, BYU's offense exploded for 21 first-quarter points and finished with 50. John Beck threw for career-highs of 517 yards (an MWC record) and five touchdowns (tied an MWC record) while completing 30-of-51 pass attempts. Todd Watkins caught a career-best three touchdowns and had 176 yards on seven receptions.

A LOOK AT THE AZTECS

The Aztecs have have started 1-3 overall and are 0-1 in the conference in 2005. Before its 52-21 win over San Jose State, San Diego State had lost three in a row to start the season with defeats coming against UCLA, Air Force and No. 9 Ohio State. Against San Jose State, the Aztecs racked up 210 rushing yards while Kevin O'Connell threw for 271 yards and four touchdowns. Jeff Webb was his top target as he caught eight passes for 133 yards. San Jose State stuck with San Diego State before the Aztecs broke it open by scoring 24-consecutive points to put the game out of reach. For the season, O'Connell has thrown for 215.2 yards per game and seven touchdowns while completing just over 70 percent of his passes. Lynell Hamilton is the Aztecs' top rusher with 229 yards while scoring four touchdowns. Webb is the top receiver on the team with 315 yards and two touchdown receptions on 25 catches.

COMPLETE BROADCAST PLANS

Television: SportsWest will broadcast BYU's game against San Diego State. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (MT). The game can be viewed in Utah on KSL-TV, Channel 5.

Radio: Fans can also catch the game by tuning into KSL Radio, 1160 AM and 102.7 FM, and follow the game live as Greg Wrubell calls the action, Marc Lyons offers expert analysis and James Dye reports from the sideline.

Internet: A live audio stream will be available on the following URL: http://ksl.com

SERIES INFORMATION

Saturday's game will be the 30th meeting between BYU and San Diego State. The Cougars lead the overall series 22-6-1 and hold a 9-4-1 advantage in San Diego. The Cougars have won the last four meetings and have averaged 46.5 points in those meetings. Last season, BYU defeated the Aztecs 49-16 in Provo. The Cougars scored 36 second-half points and Curtis Brown ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, while John Beck threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns, completing 15-of-25 passes.

HIGHEST SCORING GAME

BYU and TCU combined for 101 points in the Horned Frogs' 51-50 victory over the Cougars, making it the highest scoring game between Division I-A opponents this season. Texas Tech defeated Sam Houston State, a Division I-AA team, 80-21, on Sept. 17. The combined 101 points was also an MWC record for most points scored in a conference game.

CAREER HIGHS AND SINGLE-GAME RECORDS

When John Beck completed a 37-yard pass to Jonny Harline against TCU, he had 420 passing yards, surpassing his career high of 390, which came against Boise State in 2004. He finished the day with a Mountain West single-game record 517 yards. Beck also set a new career high and tied a MWC record for touchdown passes with five when he completed a 25-yard scoring strike to Todd Watkins in overtime. His previous high was four against Air Force in 2004 when the Cougars won 41-24. Watkins finished with 176 yards and an MWC record three touchdowns.

MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

John Beck was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week after posting a MWC record 517 yards passing in BYU's 51-50 loss to TCU. He completed 30-of-51 (.588) attempts, and became just the third player in league history to pass for over 500 yards in a game. Beck also tied a MWC single-game record with five touchdown passes. His third-quarter strike found wide receiver Todd Watkins for a 67-yard touchdown, marking the Cougars' longest score of the season. On the first play of the overtime period, Beck went to the corner of the end zone to find Watkins for the 25-yard touchdown, giving BYU a 50-44 lead in overtime.

IN GOOD COMPANY

Through his freshman and sophomore years, John Beck compiled 3,427 yards passing. Only two BYU quarterbacks passed for more yards in their first two years of college football. Heisman trophy winner Ty Detmer recorded 5,812 yards in 1988-89, including 4,560 in 1989 as a sophomore. John Walsh had 4,678 yards from 1991-93, including 3,727 as a sophomore in 1993. He threw for 857 in 1992 before going down with a shoulder injury and being granted a medical redshirt. Three games into his junior season, Beck has thrown for 4,529 yards, including 1,102 yards this season. Following lists each players' total yards through three games as a junior.

Player Through Three Games (Junior Year)

Detmer 7,053

Walsh 5,586

Beck 4,529

BECK NOTES:

- John Beck's 517-yard performance against TCU marked the most passing

yardage by a BYU quarterback since Bret Engemann totaled 447 yards in

the Cougars' 38-35 win at Virginia during the 2000 season.

- With 517 yards passing against TCU, Beck has totaled six career 300-yard games.

- With 4,529 career yards, Beck needs just 644 yards to move into fifth place on the Mountain West Conference career passing list.

- With 28 career touchdown passes, Beck needs seven more to move into fifth place on the Mountain West Conference career touchdown completions list.

- With 517 yards on Saturday, Beck became only the third player in league

history to pass for over 500 yards in a game.

STAT WATCH

After putting up big numbers that last two games, John Beck and the Cougar offense are among national and conference leaders. Beck currently ranks third in passing yards per game (367.3 p/g) and is tenth in total passing yards (1,102). He leads the Mountain West Confernce in both categories. BYU's passing offense is fourth in the nation and first in the conference while its total offense average of 461.0 yards per game is first in the conference and 21st in the nation. The Cougars also lead the conference with the least first downs allowed (56) and in time of possession (33:02). Beck leads the conferenece and is fourth nationally in total offense (357.0 yards p/g) while Curtis Brown is second in the conference and 50th nationally in all-purpose yards (125.7 p/g). Todd Watkins currently leads the conference and is 29th nationally in scoring (10.0 points p/g). Jared McLauglin leads the conference in kicking points per game (8.7) and in field goals per game (1.67).

LONGEST SCORE AND ONE-PLAY DRIVES

John Beck's 39-yard touchdown pass to Todd Watkins in the first quarter against TCU was the longest scoring play of the season for the Cougars. Later in the third quarter, Beck hit Watkins for a 67-yard score on the first play of the drive. In overtime, Beck found Watkins for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play. All of Watkins' scores came on one-play drives.

LONGEST GAME

BYU's game versus TCU lasted four and 42 minutes, the longest in Cougar football history since 2001 when the Cougars played at Hawai`i and lost 72-45. That game lasted four hours and 24 minutes. Following is a list of some of BYU's longest games:

Date Opponent Time Result

9/24/05 vs. TCU 4:42 L, 50-51

12/8/01 at Hawai`i 4:24 L, 45-72

9/7/89 vs. Washington State 4:04 L, 41-46

11/24/84 vs. Utah State 4:03 W, 38-13

9/6/02 vs. Hawai`i 4:00 W, 35-32

10/8/94 at Fresno State 3:54 W, 32-30

11/16/91 at San Diego State 3:54 T, 52-52

11/20/93 vs. Utah 3:53 L, 31-34

9/4/93 at New Mexico 3:50 W, 34-31

10/30/93 at Utah State 3:50 L, 56-58

ALL IN THE FAMILY

When Zac Collie caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from John Beck on BYU's first drive of the day, it was the 13th touchdown scored by the Collie family for the Cougars. Zac's father, Scott Collie, scored four TD's when he played for the Cougars from 1979-82 and his brother Austin scored eight as a freshman in 2004. Zac added the 14th for the family later in the first quarter on a 37-yard reception from Beck to put BYU up 21-10. It was the second two-game touchdown for a member of the Collie family. Austin scored two against San Diego State in 2004.

FIRST DRIVE SHUTOUS

The Cougar defense has shutout its opponents on their opening drive for 17-consecutive games, including last Saturday against the Horned Frogs. The last team to score on its opening drive was UNLV, Oct. 25, 2003 when the Rebels managed a field goal to open the game. The last team to score a touchdown on its opening drive against the Cougars was Colorado State on Oct. 9, 2003. It has now been 19 games since BYU has allowed its opponents to score a touchdown on its opening drive.

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

The BYU offensive line doesn't order salads when it goes out to eat. Each starter weighs over 300 pounds for an average of 325 and a total of 1,625. They will be going up against a San Diego State defensive line that weighs an average of 262.5 pounds. The Aztec offensive line weighs on average of 292 pounds while BYU's defensive line weighs an average of 317.3.

GOING DEEP

Jared McLaughlin's career-long 47-yard field goal in the third quarter against TCU put the Cougars up 27-16. His previous long was 35 yards against Boston College in the season opener. Junior Derek McLaughlin also got into the action, booting a 60-yard punt in the second quarter, his longest punt since joining the Cougars. While at the University of Washington, McLaughlin had a school-record 74-yarder against the University of California.

QUITE AN ENTRANCE

Freshman Luke Ashworth caught the first pass of his career on BYU's opening drive against TCU. John Beck found him open on the left side of the field for a 34-yard gain.

OVERTIME

Before Saturday's loss to TCU, BYU was 5-0 in overtime games since it was implemented in 1996. BYU's last overtime game was a 27-20 victory at UNLV in 2003.

FROM ENDZONE TO ENDZONE

Following Beck's 39-yard touchdown pass to Todd Watkins in the first quarter against TCU to put BYU up 14-0, Cory Rodgers returned Jared McLaughlin's kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time since BYU played Stanford in 2004 that an opposing team returned a kickoff for a score.

FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME

The Cougar offense exploded for 21 points in the first quarter against TCU behind the passing of John Beck. It was the first time BYU scored 21 points in the opening frame since a 56-34 win over Colorado State Nov. 1, 2001.

STARTING WITH A TD

When Zac Collie caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from John Beck on BYU's first possession, it was the second-consecutive game the Cougars scored on their opening drive. Curtis Brown scored on a one-yard run to open the game against Eastern Illinois.

BROTHERS DON'T SIT, BROTHERS GOTTA PLAY

BYU has a long tradition of several members from the same family suiting up to hit the gridiron. Brothers Lance, Jr. and Dallas Reynolds have started all three games this season. Lance, a senior, is on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, awarded to the top center in the nation. Dallas, a freshman, was heavily recruited out of high school and joined the Cougars this season after serving an LDS mission in Seattle, Washington.

BIG-TIME YARDS

The BYU offense racked up 614 yards of total offense, including 97 on the ground and 517 in the air. It was the first time BYU had over 600 yard total offense since the Cougars had 615 yards against Syracuse in 2002. It was the first time since 1999 BYU had over 500 passing yards when Kevin Feterik had 501 against Washington. Saturday's game was the first time a quarterback had three-or-more touchdown passes since 2004 against San Diego State when Beck had three. Three of those touchdowns went to Todd Watkins, making it the first time since 2001 when Doug Jolley had three against Air Force. One of his scores was a 67-yard grab, the first time BYU scored on a 50-yard-or-more passing play since Austin Collie caught an 82-yarder against San Diego State in 2004. Watkins' 176 yards was the first time a receiver had 150-or-more yards since he had 153 against Air Force in 2004.

SLOW START, GOOD FINISH

While BYU fell 20-3 in its season opener to Boston College, historical trends indicate the Cougars should still have a successful season. Since 1974, BYU has opened 12 seasons with a loss. In those 12 seasons, the Cougars had winning records in 11 and were .500 in the other. The last time BYU opened the season with a loss and had a losing record was 1973 when the team finished 5-6. On the other hand, BYU opened with a win from 2002-04 and finished with a losing record. The following is a list of the 12 seasons since 1974 BYU opened with a loss:

Season Record

1974 7-4-1

1975 6-5

1976 9-3

1980 12-1

1983 11-1

1987 9-4

1988 9-4

1991 8-3-2

1995 7-4

1997 6-5

1998 9-5

2000 6-6

Total 99-45-5

While the Cougars are off to a slow start in Bronco Mendenhall's first season at 1-2, legendary coach LaVell Edwards also started his first season at 1-2 and went on to finish 7-4.

TOP 40s

When Curtis Brown punched the ball in from one yard out in the fourth quarter against TCU, BYU hit the 40-point mark for the second-straight game. The last time the Cougars had back-to-back 40-point games was in 2004 when they put up 41 against Air Force and 49 on San Diego State. The Cougars finished the game with 50 points, marking the first time BYU has scored 50 points in a game since Nov. 1, 2001 against Colorado State. The Cougars defeated CSU, 56-34.

CAREER 300-YARD GAMES

BYU has traditionally focused on the pass, leading to 19 different Cougars throwing for 300 yards in at least one game for a combined 174 games. Junior John Beck has made a contribution of six games to that list. He entered the 2005 season with four but threw for 330 yards against No. 22 Boston College and 517 against TCU, giving him six. Beck has now taken sole possession of 10th place. Ty Detmer tops the list with an astronomical 34. Cougars with 300-yard passing games:

Player 300-yard Games

Ty Detmer 34

Jim McMahon 17

John Walsh 16

Robbie Bosco 15

Marc Wilson 14

Steve Young 13

Steve Sarkisian 12

Kevin Feterik 11

Gifford Nielson 9

John Beck 6

Sean Covey 5

Gary Sheide 5

Ryan Hancock 4

Brandon Doman 3

Brandon Doman 3

Steve Lindsey 3

Charlie Peterson 2

Bret Engemann 2

Matt Berry 1

SURPASSING THE CENTURY MARK

With six 100-yard rushing games to his credit, junior Curtis Brown is already tied for fifth in Cougars history for the most career 100-yard rushing games. Against Eastern Illinois, he ran 18 times for 110 yards and scored one touchdown. In 2002, Brown had 217 against Utah State, the most by a BYU player since 1998 when Ronney Jenkins had 259 versus San Jose State. Cougars with 100-yard rushing games:

Player 100-yard Games

Luke Staley 10

Lakei Heimuli 10

Brian McKenzie 10

Jamal Willis 8

Jeff Blanc 7

Ronney Jenkins 6

Pete Van Valkenburg 6

Curtis Brown 6

Kalin Hall 5

Steve Young 5

Casey Tiumalu 5

Marcus Whalen 4

Tom Tuipulatu 2

Robert Parker 2

Stacey Corley 2

Eric Lance 2

Curtis Brown isn't the only one moving up the rankings. Senior receiver Todd Watkins, who had 176 receiving yards in BYU's 51-50 loss to TCU, now has six career games with over 100 yards receiving is tied for 9th most. His 211 yards against Boise State in 2004 were the most receiving yards registered by a Cougar since Ben Cahoon had 219 against Arizona State in 1997. Cougars with 100-yard receiving games:

Player 100-yard Games

Eric Drage 12

Chris Smith 11

Margin Hooks 10

Andy Boyce 9

Mike Chronister 9

Matt Bellini 8

Gordon Hudson 8

Mark Bellini 7

Lloyd Jones 6

John Van Der Wouden 6

Todd Watkins 6

Reno Mahe 5

Glen Kozlowski 5

Dan Plater 5

Ben Cahoon 4

Brent Nyberg 4

Chuck Cutler 4

David Mills 4

Mike Johnston 3

Micah Matsuzaki 3

Neil Balhom 3

Clay Brown 3

ON THE BOARD FIRST

When the No. 22 Boston College Eagles scored with 30 seconds left in the first quarter on Quinton Porters' 14-yard pass to Chris Miller, it was only the third time in 12 games an opponent scored before BYU. In 2004, the Cougars scored first in 9-of-11 games. BYU scored on its first drives against Eastern Illinois and TCU and has now scored first in 11-of-14 games.

EDWARDS STADIUM

LaVell Edwards Stadium, with its 64,045-seat capacity and immaculate surroundings, is home to BYU football. Originally Cougar Stadium was built in 1964 and seated 45,000. It was expanded in 1982 to seat 65,000. In 1982, 1988 and 1997, the Football Writers Association of America cited BYU for its "outstanding pressbox working area."

Stadium Record: 176-60 (.746)

Stadium Record (since 1982 expansion): 107-38 (.738)

Stadium Record (since renaming in 2000): 16-12 (.571)

Last Six Home Games: 3-3 (.500)

Last 12 Home Games: 4-8 (.333)

Last 18 Home Games: 7-11 (.389)

Last 24 Home Games: 12-12 (.500)

Last 30 Home Games: 17-13 (.567)