Game 10: BYU at Colorado State

Game 10: BYU Cougars vs. Colorado State Rams

BYU will play at Colorado State on Saturday, Nov. 13, at 12 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live from Hughes Stadium on The Mtn. and KSL Radio 1160 AM and 102.7 FM.

BYU (4-5, 3-2 MWC) at Colorado State (3-7, 2-4)

Nov. 13, 2010

12 p.m. MT

Hughes Stadium

Fort Collins, Colorado

THE BYU-COLORADO STATE SERIES

BYU (4-5, 3-2 MWC) is coming off back-to-back wins for the first time this season as it travels to face Colorado State in Fort Collins on Saturday. BYU has won the last six contests against the Rams since consecutive CSU wins in 2003 (58-13 in Provo) and 2002 (37-10 in Fort Collins). Overall, BYU leads the series with a 38-27-3 advantage. The series is equal in games played in Fort Collins with the Cougars and Rams each winning 16 games with three ties. BYU won last year’s game in Provo, 42-23, while the last game in CSU was a 45-42 Cougar victory.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

- BYU will look to win its first game on the road in the 2010 season. The Cougars last won on the road at New Mexico, 24-19, last season almost exactly a year ago on Nov. 14.

- The Cougars will look to build on last week’s strong performance over UNLV in which BYU had its highest scoring output since early 2008 and held an opponent to its lowest total since shutting out Wyoming last year.

- BYU can tie for the second-longest win streak in the series Saturday going for its seventh-straight win over Colorado State. The Cougars have won 25 of the last 30 since 1976 and have won all five contests against the Rams under Bronco Mendenhall.

- Both teams will start true freshmen at quarterback with Jake Heaps of BYU and Pete Thomas of Colorado State. The two are two of 14 true freshmen who have started at quarterback this season for an FBS school.

- Colorado State comes in with the 4th-best passing game in the MWC, including a 2,000-yard passer in Thomas and a 227.3 yards-per-game average. BYU, meanwhile, boasts the 16th-best passing defense in the country, allowing just 177.3 yards per game.

RING UP THE SCOREBOARD

BYU took a three-touchdown lead for the first time this season, posting 38-straight points to begin the game--the most points in a half for BYU this season. The 38 points are the most by BYU in a first half since BYU’s 42 points against UCLA in the third game of 2008. BYU’s 55-0 lead is the Cougars’ largest since the same game against UCLA in a 59-0 win. In addition, the Cougars’ third touchdown drive of 86 yards was also the longest scoring drive of the season for BYU.

HEAPS BREAKS OUT

Freshman quarterback Jake Heaps threw for a career-high 294 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-31 passing in BYU’s win over UNLV. In the 55-7 win, he led BYU’s offense to its best scoring production since a 59-0 victory over UCLA in 2008. He guided the BYU offense to 38 points in the first half, also the most since the UCLA victory in 2008. He also led BYU on a season-long drive of 86 yards as the offensive provided a balanced attack with over 500 yards in total offense on the day. The freshman also passed Ty Detmer and Matt Berry on the BYU freshman passing yards list, taking the top spot at 1,351 yards. Heaps also became the first freshman in BYU history to win three games as a starting freshman signal caller and tied the record for most starts at quarterback as a freshman with six (equaling Matt Berry).

BYU true freshman running back Joshua Quezada scored the first, second and third rushing touchdown of his career on two separate runs of 13 yards and one run of four yards. His 13-yard scores are the longest rushing touchdowns for BYU this season. Quezada is the first BYU freshman to score three touchdowns in a game since Harvey Unga scored four (3 rush, 1 receiving) in 2007 against San Diego State and the first BYU true freshman to score three in a game since Curtis Brown’s three rushing touchdowns against Utah State in 2002. Quezada’s three TDs also tied an MWC record for most rushing touchdowns in a game by a freshman.

Redshirt freshman Cody Hoffman caught his second touchdown and longest reception of his career in the second quarter, hauling in a 37-yard pass from true freshman quarterback Jake Heaps. Hoffman also had a BYU season-long kickoff return of 50 yards.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

When BYU has passed for 300 yards and run for 200 yards, the Cougars are 39-0 since 1972 when LaVell Edwards took over as head coach and 5-0 under current head coach Bronco Mendenhall. BYU finished with 300 passing yards and 216 rushing yards against the Rebels.

SACKMASTERS

Five Cougars each had a solo sack against the Rebels last Saturday; the five sacks are a team season high. Graham Rowley, Austen Jorgensen and Connell Hess each recorded their first career sacks while Matt Putnam had his first of the season and Corby Eason recorded his second, both coming off of corner blitzes.

RUSH TO THE DEFENSE

The Cougars held UNLV to a season-low 22 rushing yards, including zero in the first quarter, one in the third quarter, and minus-25 in the fourth quarter. The Rebels’ 22 net rushing yards are the fewest by a BYU opponent since the Cougars held San Diego State to 20 net yards rushing last year.

For the complete BYU at Colorado State game notes, see the attached PDF file.