HONOLULU (AP) – Riley Nelson threw for 363 yards and three scores to lead Brigham Young to a 41-20 win over Hawaii on Saturday.

The Armed Forces Bowl-bound Cougars (9-3), who trailed in the second quarter, rallied with 34 consecutive points to end postseason aspirations for the Warriors (6-7). Hawaii needed to beat the Cougars to secure a berth in the Hawaii Bowl.

Nelson, who missed most of the last two games due to injury, completed 25 of 37 passes. BYU racked up 530 yards of offense – including 296 in the second half – and 28 first downs.

“We moved the ball in the first half, but we didn’t put points on the board in the first half because of a couple missed kicks,” BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “We had to tighten up a few things, which happened in the second half. We played with a little more emotion … I think we improved again and are still gaining momentum.”

Hawaii led 13-7 with less than four minutes to play in the second quarter following a 79-yard touchdown pass from David Graves to Trevor Davis, but it was all Cougars after that.

BYU’s Justin Sorensen cut the score to 13-10 with a 33-yard field goal just before halftime.

Nelson put the Cougars ahead for good early in the third quarter with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ross Apo – his second of the game. He also caught a 22-yard touchdown from Nelson in the second quarter.

On Hawaii’s ensuing drive, BYU’s Uona Kaveinga forced a fumble, which was recovered by Joe Sampson and returned 26 yards for a Cougars’ touchdown to extend their lead to 24-13.

Bryan Kariya scored on a 1-yard run and Nelson hooked up with Cody Hoffman for a 38-yard touchdown pass, which made it 38-13 after the third quarter. Hoffman finished with 123 yards on seven receptions – both game highs.

Sorensen, who missed two first-half field goals, tacked on a 36-yarder in the fourth quarter to give BYU it’s largest lead at 41-13.

Hawaii opened the scoring with a 1-yard Graves run late in the first quarter, but the extra point was missed. BYU went ahead early in the second quarter on Nelson’s 22-yard scoring strike to Apo and ensuing PAT by Sorensen.

Mendenhall praised Nelson, who had shared time with Jake Heaps for most of the season.

“I really liked it. It took him a series or two or three to get his rhythm, timing, just the feel back,” Mendenhall said. “And as you saw in the second half, there was quite a difference. He just became who he has been.”

John Hardy-Tuliau made a game-high 10 tackles while Richard Torres and Aaron Brown each added eight stops for Hawaii, which lost four of its last five games.

It was the first meeting between the former Western Athletic Conference rivals since 2002, when BYU beat Hawaii 35-32 in Provo, Utah. BYU was in the WAC from 1962 to 1999 before leaving for the Mountain West Conference. Hawaii, which has been a WAC member since 1979, joins the Mountain West next year. The Cougars now lead the all-time series against Hawaii 20-8.

Hawaii, which was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the WAC, failed to reach the postseason for the second time in head coach Greg McMackin’s four-year tenure.

“We aren’t going to a bowl game,” McMackin said. “I feel bad for the players, coaches and the fans, everybody with the program.”

BYU will play a to-be-determined Conference USA opponent in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 30.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Since losing their opener to Utah St, BYU has reeled off four straight wins and have beaten each opponent by over 20 pts. So how good is this BYU squad? They should find out tonight as they face the #11 ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

Wisconsin is led by preseason All-America point guard Jordan Taylor. This should be an interesting match-up for BYU has they look to replace Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery. One bright spot for BYU lately has been Anson Winder. Winder has been developing nicely and has given the Cougars a lift at the PG position as they await the debut of Matt Carlino. It will be interesting to see how well Winder can match-up against Taylor. Perhaps BYU will throw a few different guys at Taylor to see who matches up the best.

One key that I feel BYU needs to win this game is to keep Brandon Davies out of foul trouble. He has proven that he can dominate at times, but one of his weaknesses has been getting into foul trouble. Wisconsin may look at what Nevada was able to do vs Davies as they were able to get him fouled out last night. Fortunately for BYU though, they were able to walk away with an easy victory.

It will be interesting to see which of these teams will control the tempo. BYU runs an uptempo, high possession style while Wisconsin runs more of a low possession, grind it out style game. Both teams shoot the ball very well with BYU ranked as the 9th highest FG% team at 53% and Wisconsin ranked 30th shooting 49%.

A player to keep an eye on for BYU is Charles Abouo. The senior is filling up the stat sheet while also shooting a blistering 69% from three. He has performed great so far and it will be interesting to see how well he does vs Wisconsin.

Tonight’s game will be shown on the Big Ten Network. To see if you have this, check out ChannelFinder. If you can’t watch it, tune in to KSL 1160 and you can listen to Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant calling the game.

 

By Carlos Viitanen, Cougarwire.com

BYU (6-2) will look to keep its five game winning streak going tonight as it faces old Mountain West Conference rival TCU (5-2). The Texas Christian Horned Frogs will take a break from their conference schedule to take on the Cougars in a nationally televised affair from Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas. Although technically a neutral site, the TCU faithful will be sure to make the short trip and make their Horned Frogs feel right at home. The last time BYU played at Dallas Cowboys Stadium was the first game of the 2009 season, when Max Hall and Co. beat third ranked Oklahoma 14 – 13. The Cougars, officially considered 13 point underdogs against TCU, will be hoping for another good result today in Dallas.

This game is made even more interesting by the fact that TCU has recently accepted an offer to join the Big12, an offer which many Cougar fans may feel like should have been theirs.

Although TCU isn’t as dominant defensively as they have been in recent years, they will still be a force to be reckoned with. Head coach Gary Patterson is a defensive mastermind, and the Horned Frogs’ speed and toughness make it difficult for many teams to move the ball down the field. However, they have shown some vulnerability in some of the games they have played to date.

In their week one matchup against Baylor, the Horned Frogs allowed opposing quarterback Robert Griffin III to systematically and precisely tear them apart through the air and on the ground. A true duel-threat quarterback, Griffin III threw for 359 yards and ran for almost 40 more against TCU. Runningback Terrance Ganaway added 120 yards of his own.

Against rival Southern Methodist University, TCU once again showed a weakness against a team that strives for and finds success in a balanced offensive attack.

And that’s it.

If a team wants to beat TCU, they need to find a balance in their offensive playcall and execution. Both the running and the passing game need to be in sync. As the Horned Frogs have shown in their two losses so far this season, they can stop one or the other, not both. When executed well, of course.


Luckily for the Cougars, they have found an offensive balance these past few weeks that has been missing from the team for a while.


The emergence of sophomore running back Michael Alisa has not only provided the Cougars with a go-to runner who can consistently pick up four yards every time he touches the ball, but has also inspired senior backs J.J. Di Luigi and Bryan Kariya to play harder and execute better themselves. BYU has shown that it can wear teams out by running the football if they have to, and they can do it well.

Ever since Riley Nelson was named the starter at quarterback going into week six, the whole offense has experienced a revival, similar to the Cougars’ complete defensive turnaround after last years’ Utah State game. Nelson has led an offense that was feeding at the bottom of the national statistical rankings into one that ranks 59th and 58th in passing and rushing yards per game, respectively. During his time under center, he has managed to end BYU’s blue-zone blues and has found ways to get the Cougars into the end zone, throwing 11 touchdown passes in the process. His heart is what got him the starting job, and his talent is what is keeping it for him. He has really become a fun player to watch over the past few weeks and is turning into a truly great quarterback right in front of our eyes.

Because of Nelson’s success, offensive coordinator Brandon Doman has been able to use his dangerous receivers to their full potential. Young stars Ross Apo and Cody Hoffman both have four touchdown catches to their names, with Hoffman due to pass 500 yards receiving in today’s game.

In short, after a sluggish start to the season, balance is precisely what has gotten the Cougars back on track, compliments of Nelson. And balance is exactly what it takes to beat the Horned Frog defense.

But it won’t be a walk in the park after that.

BYU’s defense has played great all year, but they will be put to the test tonight against the best offense they will face in the 2011 campaign. This year’s edition of the Horned Frogs has once again asserted that it can run the football in a commanding way. Backs Waymon James and Matthew Tucker have racked up 450 and 393 yards on the ground respectively. They are the backbone for TCU’s 217 rushing yard per-game average, which is good for 18th in the country. The Horned Frogs’ offensive line has done very well at opening up gaps for these speedy and shifty backs to find their way through with success, so BYU’s run defense will need to live up to the standard they have set so far this season.

TCU sophomore quarterback Casey Pachall was definitely paying attention while Andy Dalton was quarterback. Pachall has had a stellar season, and although he doesn’t lead college football’s wildest passing attack, his fundamentally-sound technique has allowed him to tear apart weak pass defenses. He comes into today’s game with a completion percentage of 70%, and 1,566 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions. His favorite target, receiver Josh Boyce has accounted for 604 yards and five touchdowns. Pachall has shown that he is a true pocket passer, so the Cougar defense won’t need to stress about stopping an agile, speedy quarterback. TCU’s offensive line, however, has had a bit of trouble maintaining that pocket. Pachall has been sacked a total of nine times so far, and the Horned Frogs haven’t exactly been facing a ferocious pass rush week in and week out.


Texas Christian is clearly more than capable offensively. They average 43.6 points per game, the nation’s eighth best team when it comes to finding the end zone.

BYU’s defense gives up an average of only 21 points per game. They will need to be fast and aware in order to shut down the Horned Frogs’ play-makers before they cause too much damage. The defense definitely has its work cut out for it, and they are expected to rise up to the challenge. Consistent pressure from a sack-happy front seven will be key.


Offensively, can BYU muster enough balanced firepower to overwhelm a Patterson-coached defense that has shut them down the past two years? We will see if Nelson can keep the massive amounts of momentum rolling when the Cougars have the ball.

With both teams coming off of huge blowout wins against terrible teams, it is hard to predict a result, especially with such a close matchup. Look for a pretty even contest – relatively-high scoring, and exciting. If BYU plays to their potential on both sides of the ball there is no reason why they can’t dish out revenge on TCU in Dallas.

BYU 30 – TCU 24

BYU takes on TCU tomorrow but they may be playing without one of their key guys. Watch as comedian Stephen Jones showcases his tackling skills on random BYU students.

As the Big 12 continues it’s search for it’s future identity, one thing is beginning to look clear. The administration at BYU is looking smarter and smarter each day. Yes, at times they may seem frustrating. The overall picture so many fans seems so clear. Join the Big 12! They have the money we need, the exposure, and more importantly access to the BCS bowl games. Many feel that if we don’t jump on board now, we will never get “In” the mix and we will be left for dead (left out with every other “small” school).

On paper, this tends to make sense, especially when nearly every sports radio talk show host is beating this information into your minds. How many times now have you heard, “This is the last chance for BYU to make it into a BCS conference” or something very similar? Nearly every day! All it takes is an announcement from some reporter saying that they have “sources” saying that West Virginia or whoever else is a lock to get into the Big 12.

Oh, but not so fast! Every day, new reports are coming out saying all sorts of different things. My take is don’t buy it until it’s made official and contracts have been signed. And having said that, look what just happened with TCU. They made a deal to join the Big East. Well without even playing a game in the Big East, the Big 12 becomes a chaotic mess and comes calling. Now I do not know (being straight up with you) if BYU was offered by the Big 12. I don’t think they were because I take Tom Holmoe at his word, but I do think that negotiations were discussed and BYU was smart not to jump at the quick offer. TCU having nothing to lose and a lot to gain became a great fit for the Big 12, drops ties with the Big East and jumps on board with a complicated Big 12 conference.

What I get from this mess is that BYU admins are smart to play this thing safe. They have invested time, money, and relations into building the BYU broadcast center for BYUtv (an incredible state of the art facility). They have done what fans should be extremely proud of – ditching the MWC, and putting themselves in position to be free to stay Independent, or to join a new conference. They have partnered with the Worldwide Leader in Sports, ESPN, and already are seeing great success through this exposure.

My hope is that BYU fans, Cougar Nation, will Rise Up and continue to support our program regardless of all the drama that is happening. BYU admins know what is at stake. They know the situation at hand much better than those of us who follow what is being fed to us by reporters. As the Big 12 continues through this mess of uncertainty, it is only making BYU look smarter for not settling.

By Carlos Viitanen, Cougarwire.com

After an impressive outing last weekend at Oregon State, BYU (5-2) will look to keep its winning streak alive when it returns home to face FCS opponent Idaho State (2 – 5).

Over the past few weeks with Riley Nelson taking the reins at quarterback for BYU the offense has seen a much appreciated revival. Nelson completed 17 of 27 passes last week for 217 yards and three touchdowns with only one interception. He also ran the ball himself for 87 yards, something that a quarterback hasn’t done at BYU for a long, long time.

In fact, the running game finally seemed to take off with 282 total yards on the ground against the Beavers. Sophomore running back Michael Alisa is getting the ball more and more as the season goes on, and he hasn’t disappointed. According to coaches, he plays with a Harvey Unga style – agile, powerful, and more than capable of finding the cutback lane to pickup an extra few yards. Right now, it seems like Nelson and Alisa, two players who seemed unlikely to get much playing time before the season started, are the ones kick-starting the team and seem to have incredibly bright futures with the Cougars should they stay healthy (knock on wood).

Receiver Cody Hoffman also started to show us the form he had towards the end of last year, catching nine passes for 162 yards and a touchdown last Saturday.

Don’t get me wrong – Oregon State is by no stretch of the imagination a Rose-Bowl-bound team, but it is still a BCS team, and for the offense to put together such an impressive performance against an opponent from the PAC-12 can mean only good things for the Cougars for the rest of the season.

BYU looks like it has a few “gimme” games to grab in its remaining matchups for the season. Even beating TCU doesn’t seem as tall of an order as it has been the past few years. The Cougars are going to have to make sure they focus, though, and take care of opponents game-by-game before they start dreaming of winning out and playing in a bowl game.

First up, the Idaho State Bengals.

While BYU has shown flashes of offensive greatness recently, and the defense has showcased its dominance throughout the season, coaches and players both have expressed that they don’t think the team has yet to reach its full potential for four quarters of a football game. There hasn’t really been a “coming out party” for the Cougs this season that will bring the BYU faithful back to the days of dominance they enjoyed not long ago. That all changes this week.

The Cougars are facing a team who’s two only wins have come against Western State and Northern Colorado. Need I say more?

While it is fine for fans to guarantee a win against Idaho State, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall will make sure his players are prepared and focused to play just another football game against another normal opponent. It might be lowly ISU, but it is still a team of college-football-capable athletes. Anything can happen in this sport. That’s why the games aren’t played on paper.

The Bengals have a fundamentally sound quarterback to lead them in Kevin Yost. The junior signal-caller has thrown 13 touchdown passes so far. Against Northern Colorado, he threw for over 500 yards. Also a capable runner, Yost can put up yardage and find open receivers if he gets enough time to scan the defense. But he likely won’t have the time that he needs against the ferocious Cougar pass rush. Last week against Weber State, he was sacked a whopping eight times. His offensive line doesn’t work well as a unit, is inexperienced, and easily overpowered. Sounds like a hay day for Manumaleuna, Van Noy, and Pendleton.

The Bengals have several backs they like to run the ball with. Booker and Hinds both rushed for 80 yards last week against Weber, albeit against a lackluster defense.

Rodrick Rumble is the playmaker on the Bengals offense. The speedy receiver has caught passes for over 100 yards in six games this year, and over 200 in the season opener against Washington State. Rumble is easily Yost’s favorite target, hauling in eight of his touchdown passes so far. It is critical that BYU’s defense play tough as always on all fronts. The pass rush will need to create pressure and turnovers, forcing Yost into some bad decisions. The secondary needs to stick their men or cover their zones long enough to let the defensive line get to the quarterback. Rumble is going to be the target man for the defensive backs to keep an eye on.

With the amount of momentum BYU’s offense has been enjoying over the past couple weeks, it is hard to imagine they are going to stop rolling now against a porous Bengals defense. ISU gives up an average of 32 points per game, and that is playing against an FCS schedule. All signs point to an offensive explosion Saturday. Even if the Cougar defense plays its worst game of the season, this one should still be over before the fourth quarter. BYU’s offense is going to have no troubles scoring on the Bengals. Fans will wonder if it’s John Beck wearing Nelson’s jersey or if Harvey Unga has been readmitted under the name Alisa. If there is a game where BYU racks up well over 500 yards of total offense, this is it.

It may not have been a great start to the season for BYU, but with the schedule that remains, they should be able to close out the year with at least a few more wins. The Bengals are going to feel the effects of being outmatched at all positions against the Cougars. Not only are they at a loss when it comes to talent, but add on the fact that the game is being played in Provo, in front of a crowd of 65,000 which is likely the largest crowd many of the Bengals have ever played in front of, the fact that they are 0 – 3 away from home, and the fact that they are stumbling into LaVell Edwards Stadium with a four game losing streak, while the Cougars are riding high on a four game winning streak – well, jeez, it’s time to buy your tickets to the Armed Forces Bowl because BYU is going to be bowl-eligible with its sixth win after today.

Critics of BYU football claim that they can’t win the big games but do extremely well at smashing the small teams. We’re banking on the second part of that statement to be true this week. We wouldn’t want to give the Bengals even a glimmer of hope at beating us like a certain team up north against Montana State … cough, cough.

BYU 55, Idaho State 10

By Carlos Viitanen, CougarWire.com

This afternoon, BYU (4 – 2) will take on Oregon State (1-4, 1-2 PAC-12) to start the second half of the season.

The last time these two teams faced off it was in the 2009 Las Vegas Bowl where both teams were ranked in the Top 20, and BYU dominated the Beavers 44 – 20. Looking at the matchup, many would believe that such a woodshed beating may be in store for OSU again today. But don’t be too quick to jump to that conclusion – the game still needs to be played, and it is in Reser Stadium.

Oregon State may have earned their first victory of the season just last week but it has played a pretty tough schedule so far. There is not much shame in losing to Wisconsin, Arizona State, and even UCLA. OSU did, however, lose a stunner at home in the first week of the season to lowly FCS opponent Sacramento State – a team which has since then taken drubbings at the hands of Weber State and Southern Utah University.

This kind of a game is hard to predict because one team has not seen very much success against good competition (minus Sacramento), and another team has seen some degree of success against some average opponents. What makes this game even harder to call is that BYU and Oregon State are very similar statistically. Both teams have struggled when it comes to moving the football, particularly on the ground. Oregon State’s offensive line is inexperienced and somewhat slow. It has shown susceptibility to a fast pass rush, something that the Cougar offense should be able to apply today.

Both teams will look to establish a consistent run attack this afternoon, which is something both teams have struggled to do this season. OSU averages just  110 yards per game,  and BYU 116. OSU looks forward to the return of their leading rusher Freshman Malcolm Agnew, and BYU will look to their stable of quality backs to find consistency. Both teams have yet to find a steady running attack which will create opportunities for their skilled set of receivers.

Like BYU’s Riley Nelson, who will be starting just his second game at quarterback so far this season, OSU also has a man at quarterback who is a bit new to the job. As a Freshman, Sean Mannion leads the nation’s 30th ranked passing attack with just under 280 yards averaged per game. Halfway through his first year as a college quarterback he has passed for almost 1,300 yards and four touchdowns. He is a great pocket-passer, who can pick apart a defense with short to medium passes if he is given too much time. It will be critical for BYU’s front seven to pressure and rattle him, forcing him into making freshman mistakes early.

Although the Beavers have done pretty well at moving the ball through the air, like the Cougars they have not done nearly as good a job at putting the ball in the end zone. They struggle to score points, with an average of just 21 scored per game – good for 97th in the nation. BYU hasn’t done any better, averaging 20. With both offenses struggling identically, I believe it will be up to the defenses to win the game.  If the first half of the season is anything to go by, the better defensive squad is by far  BYU.

The Cougar defense ranks in the top 50 in points allowed and in the top 25 in pass defense. Their quick and powerful pass rush has made it hard for opposing quarterbacks to get into a groove and find their rhythm. They have faced better offensive attacks than Oregon State’s and have played extremely well against them. BYU’s defense is tough and fast, things that OSU has struggled to do anything against so far.

While the defense should be able to contain the opposing offense, BYU’s offensive machine really needs to start kicking into gear against a weak OSU defense. The past few weeks with Riley Nelson taking over, the offense has started to come to life a little bit. However, coaches and players have hinted that it is still far from its full potential, and fans are waiting for that break-through game where BYU scores loads of points in a hurry. If the Cougars can stay focused and avoid making mistakes, they can really take advantage this week. Oregon State’s offense has shown a weakness at giving up points. The Beavers give up over 30 points per game, and with the way BYU’s offense has been playing of late, it isn’t far-fetched to believe that the Cougars shouldn’t have too much of a problem getting close to that number.

It is possible that the luxury of playing four games in a row at home may have lulled the Cougars to sleep a little bit. In fact, BYU is picked by experts as a one point underdog at Reser Stadium because of the home advantage for OSU. Because of this, it wouldn’t be surprising to see BYU play a little sluggishly in the first half, although of course we hope that isn’t the case. But when all is said and done, I don’t think that BYU will lose this game. Our defense is just too good to let the Beaver offense spend very much time in the end zone, and the momentum that the Cougar offense is riding should be able to carry into this game.

Prediction: BYU 27 – OSU 17

Steve Young receives quite a shock when his wife gets Flash Mob America to help her organize one of the biggest birthday surprises! Family, friends, and complete strangers join in on this great celebration. Enjoy!

What would be your reaction if this happened to you? To find out more about Flash Mob, you can visit them at http://www.flashmobamerica.com/.

Justin Sorensen earns FBS Independent Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this year. It has been great to see Justin becoming more consistent in his kicking duties. What is not mentioned in this release below is that Justin also made a great open-field tackle to save a KO return for a TD by SJSU. That I believe is the second time this season that he has had to make crucial tackles on KO’s, the first being against world class sprinter Marquise Goodwin from Texas.

FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION INDEPENDENT PLAYERS OF THE WEEK NAMED

Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees, Notre Dame safety Jamoris Slaughter and BYU placekicker Justin Sorensen have been named FBS Independent Players of the Week, for games through Oct. 8.  Rees is honored on Offense, while Slaughter is the award recipient on Defense and Sorensen is recognized on Special Teams.  Sorensen is a two-time weekly honoree, while Rees and Slaughter are each cited for the first time this season.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees

A sophomore from Lake Forest, Ill., Rees used a sensational first half to spark Notre Dame’s 59-33 home victory over Air Force.  Pacing the Fighting Irish to touchdowns on all six of their drives before halftime, Rees ended the day completing 23 of 32 passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns—all of which came in the first two quarters.  Seeing only spot duty after the midway mark of the third quarter, Rees is believed to be just the second Irish signal-caller to throw for four scores in a single half, and is the first to turn the trick since Brady Quinn on Sept. 25, 2004.  Rees is also the fourth Notre Dame QB with multiple games of at least four touchdown tosses, joining Quinn, Jimmy Clausen and Ron Powlus on that list.   Rees’ streak of 11 consecutive games with a touchdown pass is the third-longest run in ND football history.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Notre Dame S Jamoris Slaughter

A senior from Stone Mountain, Ga., Slaughter was responsible for the only takeaways of the game as Notre Dame rolled to a 59-33 home win over Air Force, extending the Fighting Irish win streak to four games.   Slaughter forced a Falcon fumble on the Cadets’ first drive of the contest, and later recorded an interception—his first of the season and second of his career.  Slaughter’s defensive stat line also included a pass break-up and six tackles.

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
BYU PK Justin Sorensen

A sophomore from South Jordan, Utah, Sorensen had a perfect day from the placement spot as BYU extended its victory streak to three games with a 29-16 home win over San Jose State.  Sorensen was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts (hitting from 42 and 45 yards) and made all three of his PATs.  On the season, Sorensen is now 9-for-11 on FGs and 13-for-13 on PATs.

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The FBS Independent Players of the Week are selected by members of a nationwide media panel, which includes equal representation from each of the independent institutions’ coverage markets.