Cougar report card vs. Air Force

By Todd Erickson  |   Saturday, November 15, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

BYU Cougars
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BYU 38, Air Force 24
Team grade: B-plus
RF365 Player of the Game: Austin Collie, BYU (seven receptions, 130 yards, two TDs)

This contest was undecided until Max Hall connected with Austin Collie on a 45-yard touchdown pass with 4:46 remaining on the clock. BYU did everything it could to make the game closer than it should have been with 64 yards in penalties and two turnovers by Hall.

The Cougars gave the momentum away near the end of the first half with Air Force taking the lead, 17-14. However, they owned the third quarter with three touchdowns—two of them coming within just over a minute of each other when Spencer Hadley knocked the ball loose from kick returner Reggie Rembert at the Air Force 20-yard line. BYU recovered the ball and scored three plays later on Harvey Unga’s second touchdown run of the game. The 21 third-quarter points were the most the Falcons had yielded in a quarter this year.

The win moves the Cougars to 10-1 on the season and sets up a showdown for the MWC title next week in Salt Lake City against the Utah Utes. A win would give BYU a share of the title with Utah, and possibly TCU, pending the Horned Frogs’ outcome against Air Force next weekend.

Cougar Offense grade: B

The Cougars scored more points against the Falcons than any other team has this season. Take away the penalty yards and Hall’s two turnovers, and BYU could have won in a blowout with a score in the range of 52-21. Add the three QB sacks the O-line gave up and hence, the grade of B.

Hall was 9 for 9 passing to start the game and finished 28 for 37 for 356 yards and two TDs—both to Collie, whose seven grabs rendered 130 yards, giving him his ninth straight 100-yard performance. He also picked up 23 yards on two carries.

Dennis Pitta left the game early in the fourth quarter with a leg injury, but he piled up 114 yards on nine receptions before that. Tight end Andrew George had five big grabs for 62 yards and Michael Reed added 23 yards on two catches.

Harvey Unga and Fui Vakapuna provided a solid 1-2 punch when the ground game was called on, generating 118 yards on 26 carries as a duo.

Cougar Defense grade: B-plus

Considering the importance the Air Force game carried, the defense turned in one of its finest performances of the year. Take away the short field and resulting touchdown the Falcons got on Hall’s fumble, and the defense would have held the Flyboys to their second-lowest scoreboard on the season.

BYU’s typical bend-but-don’t-break type of defense actually worked for the most part against the Falcons. The Cougars gave up 320 rushing yards, including five long gainers on the ground of 18 yards or more, but they clamped down on Tim Jefferson and the Falcons’ fledgling passing attack, giving up just 98 total yards through the air.

The Brigham Young defense held Air Force to a 35.7 percent third-down conversion rate (roughly 8 percent less than its 43.5 percent season average).

Cougar special teams grade: A

The Cougar special teams did everything necessary to help ensure a victory over the Falcons. Mitch Payne banged in a 46-yard field goal and was perfect on five extra point attempts.

C.J. Santiago’s punt average of 34.8 yards is deceiving because he had a short field on three of his four tries. On each of those three short field punts, Santiago placed the pigskin inside the Falcon 20.

Nothing special to note on the Cougar kickoff returns. Ditto on defending the Air Force returns.

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About Todd Erickson

Todd Erickson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and pens the RealFootball365 Top 25 college football power rankings and "Fourth and inches..." weekly columns from August thru January. He is currently working on the second edition of Road to the Rose Bowl...
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