SB Nation - Dennis Pitta

Dennis Pitta Does Not Win the Mackey Award for Best Tight End

Jeremy Mauss — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:54:18 -0000

Even though Denis Pitta was the nation's leader in all but two major statistically categories -receptions and touchdowns. However, the winner of the Mackey Award went to Aaron Hernandez out of Florida who was behind Pitta in all numbers except for catches which was only a difference of two.

2009	Receptions	Yards	Average	LNG	TD
Dennis Pitta	57	784	13.8	35	7
Aaron Hernandez	59	739	12.5	64	4
Dorin Dickerson	45	508	11.3	53	10

To me it is obvious that the reason Florida's Aaron Hernandez won is because well first off he plays for a marquee name in Florida and is on either CBS or ESPN every week. While Dennis Pitta plays for a known name in BYU, but nowhere near the caliber of Florida. Then his games are on the albatross television deal known as Versus which is not on DirecTv at the moment, CBS College is on an upper tier package, and The Mtn. which unless you live in the foot print or have the sports pack on DirecTv good luck getting that game.

The advantages again go to the BCS schools and the SEC, because they are most visible then the lowly Mountain West Conference who have a bad television deal. At least Pitta came away with being the tight end selection on the Walter Camp All American first team.

Dennis Pitta Screwed!

Layton — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:33:32 -0000

More photos » by Steve C Wilson - AP

TE Dennis Pitta dives into the end zone for a TD against Air Force. Pitta finished with 111 yards receiving against the Falcons and has 784 yards total in 2009 - 45 yards more than Aaron Hernandez, the 2009 Mackey Award winner.

Browse more photos »

Hard to say there was a better tight end in the country this year than Dennis Pitta, but the voters of the Mackey Award sure think there was. Pitta led the nation's tight ends in reception yards (789), yards per game (65) and yards per catch (13.8), and was second in touchdowns (7) and receptions (57 - two behind the award winner) yet came up short against Florida's Aaron Hernandez. Ridiculous. But, Pitta was named to the 2009 Walter Camp All-America team.

Also, Coach Edwards received the "Contributions to College Football Award." Edwards was honored during the ESPNU College Football Awards tonight on ESPN.

2009	Receptions	Yards	Average	LNG	TD
Dennis Pitta	57	784	13.8	35	7
Aaron Hernandez	59	739	12.5	64	4
Dorin Dickerson	45	508	11.3	53	10

Career	Receptions	Yards	Average	LNG	TD
Dennis Pitta	216	2,856	13.2	46	20
Aaron Hernandez	102	1,271	12.5	64	11
Dorin Dickerson	59	657	11.1	53	12

Dennis Pitta: Greatest BYU Tight End? - Vanquish the Foe (9/30/09)
Is Pitta top tight end in BYU history? - Salt Lake Tribune (12/10/09)

All-Time BYU Tight End Statistics after the jump...

Player, Years	Rec. Yards.	Receptions	Yards/Catch	TD Rec.
Dennis Pitta, 2004, 2007-2009	2,856	216	13.22	20
Gordon Hudson, 1981-83	2,484	178	13.95	12
Chris Smith, 1987-90	2,367	137	17.28	8
Jonny Harline, 2005-06	1,788	121	14.78	17
Itula Mili, 1991, 1994-96	1,763	125	14.10	11
Tod Thompson, 1976-78	1,722	84	20.50	15
Clay Brown, 1978-80	1,691	88	19.24	17
Chad Lewis, 1993-96	1,376	111	12.40	10
Trevor Molini, 1984-86	1,355	105	12.90	4
Darren Handley, 1986-88	1,244	97	12.82	5
Byron Rex, 1990-92	1,209	87	13.90	7
David Mills, 1981, 1983-84	1,121	69	16.25	9
Daniel Coats, 2003-06	966	86	11.23	9
Mike Pistorius, 1971-73	908	62	14.65	5
Tevita Ofahengaue, 1997-2000	853	62	13.76	4
Andrew George, 2006-2009	781	66	11.83	11
Doug Jolley, 1998-2001	768	52	14.77	11
Spencer Nead, 2001-02	715	62	11.53	6

Seven Cougars Selected All-MWC 2009

sroufe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:12:15 -0000

More photos » by George Frey - AP

BYU's Jan Jorgensen tackles CSU's Leonard Mason on Sept. 26th. Jorgensen, the "Hammer from Helper", is the MWC all-time sack leader with 29. He has recorded 6.5 sacks and 56 tackles in 2009. (AP Photo/George Frey)

Browse more photos »

Jan Jorgensen, Dennis Pitta, Matt Reynolds, and Harvey Unga were awarded All-Conference First-Team honors today. Andrew George, Max Hall, and Andrew Rich were selected to the All-MWC Second-Team. Additionally, six Cougars earned Honorable Mention status: Coleby Clawson, Brett Denney, Scott Johnson, Brian Logan, Riley Stephenson and R.J. Willing. Johnson and Matt Bauman were named Academic All-Americans last week as well. Congratulations to each of these student-athletes!

It should also be noted that Pitta was one of only three players (Jeremy Kerley and Jerry Hughes, TCU) in the conference to be a unanimous selection. For Pitta and Jorgensen this was their third time on the All-MWC First-Team.

TCU had an incredible 15 selections between the 1st and 2nd teams and nearly swept the player/coach of the year awards. The Utes also finished with six players on the All-MWC First-Team.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB;Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

2009 Mountain West All-Conference Football Team Announced

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:54:10 -0000

As expected TCU lead the way with all-conference selections, but they ran away with 15 first and second team selections which more then doubles second place BYU with seven spots. The Horned Frogs also took home three of four player of the year awards, and coach of the year -- the one loss was freshman of the year which went to Wyoming's QB Austyn Carta-Samuels.

Some irony in the list is that New Mexico had the first team punter; he did have the most chances to impress. A choice that was not expected when the season started was Utah RB Eddie Wide who ran for over 1,000 yards but was to be the back up before Matt Asiata tore his ACL in the Louisville game.

The offensive player of the year award went to TCU's QB Andy Dalton while the defensive award went to TCU's DE Jerry Hughes. The rest of the awards are after the jump.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB; Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

Cougars Vanquish Utes, 26-23 in OT

sroufe — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:10:03 -0000

After yet another (illegal motion) penalty (one of 19 flags overall), Max Hall found Andrew George open in the middle of the field and the senior tight end easily ran in for the game winning score. A hat-tip to Jordan Wynn and the Utes in their tremendous 4th quarter comeback bid that fell just short. Dennis Pitta became the Cougars' all-time leader in receptions, Harvey Unga further established his legacy, and Max Hall was able to win (or in this case perhaps "not lose") his 31st game at the helm. But it was truly the BYU defense that won this game. Congrats fellows and good luck in Las Vegas(?).

Utes vs Cougars Network Recap
Utes vs Cougars Network Boxscore
Utes vs Cougars Overall Network Coverage
Block U Coverage

Photo Link

Holy War: All the Audio One Could Want

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:00:12 -0000

This is your place for all the audio from the Utah vs. BYU game aka The Holy War. Check out all the interviews by coaches, players and former players as they weigh in on the game.

Utah WR coach Aaron Roderick

Former BYU QB John Beck

BYU TE Dennis Pitta

Former BYU QB Charile Peterson

Former Utah LB Tommy Hackenbruck

BYU LB Matt Bauman

BYU DE Jan Jorgensen

BYU HC Bronco Mendenhall Press Conference

Former Utah WR Travis Latendresse

Revisiting a classic

JazzyUte — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:37:58 -0000

This was posted months ago and has turned out to be an internet hit. With it being rivalry week - you didn't think I'd pass up an opportunity to bring these images back again do you?

Exactly.

Not much needs to be said about these photos. They speak for themselves.

BYU never fails to not disappoint.

The 2009 Holy War: No. 21 Utah at No. 19 BYU

Michael Rueckert — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:52:00 -0000

More photos » by Colin E. Braley - AP

Browse more photos »

Next Game

Utah Utes
@ BYU Cougars

Saturday, Nov 28, 2009, 2:00 PM PST
LaVell Edwards Stadium

TV: The Mtn HD & CBS College

Holy War Week Brings out the Worst in Fans

posted by Jeremy Mauss about 8 hours ago

9 comments | 0 recs

Complete Coverage >

It's finally that time of year. Marriages are put to the test, friendships pushed to the limits and families become divided; Rivalry week is here. The two Mountain West Conference powers that are separated by just 35 miles are set to square off in what may be one of the most even matchups that we have ever had in the Holy War. Both teams are sitting at (9-2) with BYU ranked 19 and Utah at 21 in the BCS standings battling for bragging rights in the state of Utah. Does it get much better than this?

This will be just the third time that both teams have been ranked at the same time in this rivalry. Each of the last two resulted in victories for Utah, with the most recent being Utah's 48-24 beat-down over BYU. I wouldn't expect either team to blow the other out however. 10 of the last 12 games between these two bitter rivals as been decided by seven points or less.

Revenge, like always, will be a key in this game. BYU senior quarterback Max Hall is looking to make up for his lackluster performance in 2008 when he threw 5 interceptions and fumbled, without throwing a single touchdown pass. Utah meanwhile is looking for revenge from their last trip to Provo when BYU completed a 4th and 18 pass on their final game winning drive. All Ute fans will always remember Austin Collie's "magic happens" quote after that loss.

BYU is looking to win through their run game. The Cougar's power back, Harvey Unga is having a dominating season and needs just 100 yards rushing against the Utes to reach 1,000 on the season. BYU will try to pound the ball inside and use their size as an advantage. Lets see if BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae sticks to the run this year.

The Utes have showed weaknesses in the run defense this season but they have also had great moments. They are allowing 142 yards rushing per game but more importantly struggled against the two teams that beat them, Oregon and TCU. The Utes allowed 217 yards rushing to the Ducks and 342 to the Horned Frogs

BYU must utilize their advantage in the run game. In last years loss Harvey Unga was averaging 7.7 yards per carry, but was just given the ball just 15 times. It is going to be very important for BYU to get an early lead so that they don't have to rely too much on passing, putting pressure on Max Hall. If they fall behind early, Max Hall will have to make make plays for BYU, which in his history against the Utes suggests that he isn't fully capable of doing so.

Utah is going to try to beat BYU with their many offensive weapons. The Ute offense is fairly diverse which can pose problems for a less athletic Cougar squad. With Jordan Wynn the Ute offense added an important dimension, the deep ball. Bronco Mendenhall will likely take this away, so Wynn must complete all type of throws, importantly the middle of the field throw. He had nice words to say about Wynn in his press conference:

"He does throw the ball accurately, he throws the deep ball especially well. He has certainly enough mobility to run their offense in addition to that . If the game ends up being one where they choose to protect and attack our back end, then we'll have to modify our zones so that they cant be outrun as they were against San Diego State.

Earlier in the season, BYU's passing game would give the Utes all sorts of problems. That may not be the case Saturday. Utah's secondary has vastly improved improved throughout the season. Kyle Whittingham noted that in his press conference:

"Seems like on a weekly basis they have taken a step forward... And relative to their experience they have played very well."

Dennis Pitta is going to be the guy that the Utes key in on. He is Max Hall's favorite target and is one of the the top Tight ends in the country. Last season Pitta played injured in the game and was a non-factor catching just two passes for 33 yards. He will be looking to put together a good performance for his final game against the Utes.

This game, like all between BYU and Utah, should be a great one. It is the only game this week featuring two Top 25 football games. The game is being played at BYU in Provo, but historically that is not a factor. The visiting team has won 12 of the last 20 games in the Holy War.

With BYU's program finally getting back to the level that they were at in the Lavell Edwards era, and Utah establishing themselves as a BCS Busting powerhouse, this game seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Kyle Whittingham agrees:

"I think it keeps getting bigger and bigger. When both teams are doing well that adds a different dimension to the game, where as in a lot of years past it was one team up and one team down. Recently it has been both teams up which is healthy, and positive for the rivalry."

You can certainly expect this game to go down to the wire and possibly overtime. The matchup is dead even, but I think Utah does has a slight edge. Offensively I think the Utes are too diverse for the Cougars to stop, and I think the Utes will do a decent job of stopping the BYU run. If BYU falls behind early and Hall panics, the margin of victory could be even larger for the Utes.

What We Learned in Week Twelve of Mountain West Football

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:57:04 -0000

Air Force

Their season is over with a 7-5 record and a bowl berth most likely in the Texas Bowl. For some reason Air Force has struggle for nearly the entire decade against BYU. The opposite is true when Air Force plays Utah and also TCU where they have been able to challenge those teams.

The Falcons are hoping Tim Jefferson is able recover from the hit he took from the back in time for their bowl game. Jefferson is the cog in the Falcon offense and their is a drop off from him to the other quarterbacks. There is no news on the severity of Jefferson's injury, but since he at least tried to re-enter the game he should be good to go for a bowl game.

Also, what happened to the Air Force defense that was supposed to be good?

BYU

The passing offense was there for BYU this week, and part of that should be attributed to Air Force not running a scheme around stud TE Dennis Pitta who burned the Falcons for 111 yards. Memo to Utah and defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake do something to try to slow down the Cougar tight end duo. Max Hall blew up with 377 yards and five scores and so did the offense that boat raced the Falcons for a early 24-0 lead in the game. The Cougars picked apart the supposedly good secondary that the Falcons had. Turnovers were sloppy with three and will hurt them if they continue that against Utah next week.

Colorado State

Hey! What happened! That is what head coach Steve Fairchild must be thinking after the Rams lost to previously winless New Mexico. The Rams have now lost eight in a row with their final matchup against rival Wyoming. The Rams switched quarterback with Jon Eastman getting the nod while benching previous starter Grant Stucker. The running game picked back up again with John Mossure rushing for 177 yards, but the real question that has been haunting the Rams all year. Where is RaShaun Greer who has zero touchdowns on the year.

New Mexico

They finally get a win and the former goat -- kicker James Aho -- is now the player of the week after he hit two field goals in the fourth quarter to push the Lobos to their first victory. New Mexico had their highest yardage output of the season with 467 total yards. Their running game actually showed signs of life with freshman Demmond Dennis who ran for 177 yards on the ground. The Lobos are still a bad team but it is good for them to finally get a win.

San Diego State

They really, really missed WR Vincent Brown. Ever since he has been out they Aztec passing game has dropped off quite a bit which is pushing them more toward the 2008 version then the 2009 team which was showing improvement. QB Ryan LIndley's most passing yards since Brown was out was 257 yards which was against New Mexico, but besides that he has thrown for 164, 200, and 207 yards all loses.

TCU

The Horned Frogs had a little scare in the first half against Wyoming, but after the game was tied 10-10 they ran of 35 straight points to win the game going away. TCU has a plethora of running backs and this weeks turn was freshman Matthew Tucker who had 134 yards and two scores; those yards were almost double his season high. TCU just has too many weapons for New Mexico next or any team they play in their expected BCS berth.

UNLV

The bye week was not all good as the schools all-world WR Ryan Wolfe ended his career by breaking his foot in practice last week; so now it is off to Sunday's the next time Wolfe hits the field. The coaching names are pretty big for UNLV with the latest being former New Mexico, Alabama, Texas A&M, and TCU coach Dennis Franchione.

Utah

The Utes have their quarterback in the future with true freshman Jordan Wynn. The big game this week against BYU will be his second big road game in three weeks. The San Diego State win was the schools first game where they started off hot instead of their traditional slow starts this year.

Wyoming

The Pokes love to tease the nation against the really good teams. First there was the Texas game where Wyoming hung around for a half and now the TCU game where they did the same. Wyoming will be a dangerous team next year, but they still need to beat their rival free falling Colorado State on Friday to reach a bowl win.

BYU Continues Dominance Over Air Force

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:09:07 -0000

More photos » by Justin Edmonds - AP

Browse more photos »

Final - 11.21.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Air Force Falcons	0	7	0	14	21
BYU Cougars	3	21	7	7	38

Complete Coverage >

BYU won their six straight game against Air Force, and during the past six victories the closest was their 41-24 win back in 2004. The Cougars did it again by pulling away in the second quarter by scoring 21 points and taking a 24-0 lead which put the game out of reach for Air Force.

This win set a record for QB Max Hall who won his 29th game which is the most in BYU history. That is saying something for a school with such rich quarterback history with Robbie Bosco, Ty Detemer, Steve Young, Giff Neilson, Jim McMahon, and others. To become the winningest quarterback out of that bunch and still have two games left is quite a feat. Hall comments on the feat:

"I feel really grateful that I've played on really good teams and I've had some really good players around me. It's special. I'll always remember my career here and everything I've done. That's one of the things that will stand out."

The second quarter was all Dennis Pitta for BYU who caught both of his touchdowns during that second quarter. BYU was also aided by two interceptions one by Air Force starter Tim Jefferson and one by third string Ben Cochran. Tim Jefferson left for some of the game because he reagrivated his injured ankle which put in Cochran who was moved up to back up, because backup Connor Dietz was out with an injury.

Switching quarterbacks from their starter Jefferson who is a very good thrower in addition to his running ability to their third string is a large drop off. Jefferson was unable to return to the game after he left from an injury. The defense was more of a problemfor Air Force thenr their offensive woes -- even though BYU did hold Air Force well below their rushing average to just 212 yards rushing. For some reason Air Force did not do anything special to stop TE Dennis Pitta who caught nine passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. The past few games BYU opponents had been keying in on Pitta, but Air Force elected to not bracket the tight end for some added pressure.

Air Force which had been doing very good on not turning the ball over gave it up four times, which stalled too many drives in this game. BYU made a nice rebound after their too close for comfort win over New Mexico last week, and now the smack talk can begin with the Holy War the next game on the docket against the Utah Utes.