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Dec 22 | 05:00 PM
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Anonymous
| Posted: 22 Dec 2005 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
LAS VEGAS -- After trailing by 21 points in the fourth quarter, BYU rallied but came up on the short end in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl Thursday night, losing to California, 35-28, in front of a bowl record 40,053 at Sam Boyd Stadium.
"Cal played an excellent game today and they deserved to win," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "The end result is we played good enough to lose by seven. The disappointing aspect is it was a loss. The positive aspect is that we exhibited resiliency. We know we could have won that game. We fell short for a number of reasons, but I believe this was a solid beginning to what's to come for this program. And I look forward to getting right back to it after Christmas."
Cal's Marshawn Lynch ran for 194 yards on 24 carries and had three touchdowns to lead the Golden Bears, while DeSean Jackson added six receptions for a game-high 130 yards and two touchdowns.
"He's fast, athletic and talented," Mendenhall said of Lynch.
BYU's John Beck set three Las Vegas Bowl records during the game with 35 completions, 53 attempts and 353 yards passing. He also had three touchdown passes.
Nathan Meikle lead all BYU receivers with 12 receptions for 93 yards. Senior receiver Todd Watkins also added 93 yards on five receptions, including a nine-yard touchdown to cut the California lead to just seven points with 5:35 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"I want to give BYU a lot of credit," California head coach Jeff Tedford said. "Their offense did a good job of spreading the field. They played very well and they have a physical defense."
After starting on the 35 yard line following the opening kickoff that went out of bounds, Cal opened its first possession with a 22-yard pass from Steve Levy to Marshawn Lynch. BYU helped the Golden Bears down the field by committing two penalties inside their own 20 yard line and after eight plays Cal brought the drive full circle with a three-yard touchdown run by Lynch.
The Cougars couldn't get things going on offense, and they punted out of their first possession. However, Cal returned the favor from the first drive with a roughing the kicker penalty and gave BYU a fresh set of downs. The offense failed to capitalize and punted away again.
Following a defensive stop, the Cougars took over on their own eight yard line and took control of the clock as well. BYU ate up 6:04 as they marched 92 yards in 15 plays and capped off the drive with a 19 yard touchdown pass from John Beck to Curtis Brown to knot the score at seven. The touchdown was Brown's 16th of the year, the second most touchdowns scored by a player in a season in BYU history. It was the second longest scoring drive for the Cougars in terms of yardage and plays on the season.
Cal didn't take nearly as much time to answer back, going 52 yards on four plays in 2:08 on the subsequent drive. The Bears used another Cougar defensive penalty, pass interference on Kayle Buchanan, to put them deep into BYU territory. On the next play, Lynch crossed the goal line for the second time in the game on a 23-yard touchdown scamper to put the Golden Bears on top 14-7.
After a Beck interception, which was his first in 157 attempts and 16 quarters of play, and two defensive stops by BYU, the Cougars took over on their own 9 yard line with 3:53 remaining in the half. This time BYU went a long way in a short amount of time, 91 yards on seven plays, courtesy of a 52-yard bomb from Beck to Todd Watkins. Three plays later the Cougars tied the score 14-14 on a three yard run by Fahu Tahi with :38 to go in the first frame.
Had the score stayed the same, it would have been the first time this season the Cougars went into the locker room with the scored tied, but Cal had other plans. They retaliated quickly, taking only 27 seconds and three plays to go 58 yards, topped off by a 42 yard Steve Levy to DeSean Jackson touchdown pass. Cal led at the break 21-14.
Coming out of intermission, Cal stopped BYU cold and then put together another quick strike on offense. The Bears marched 65 yards in 2:01 behind 45 rushing yards on three carries, including a 35-yard touchdown by Lynch to put Cal up 28-14. The touchdown was Lynch's third of the game.
The Bears stopped the Cougars again and continued the quick-strike trend. Starting the possession on its own four yard line, Cal pushed the ball down the field in 2:55 with three plays of 20 yards or more. They completed the drive on the second Levy to Jackson hook-up of the night, a 22-yard diving catch in the back corner of the endzone which put them up 35-14.
BYU finally got the ball rolling as the third quarter drew to a close, and in the opening minute of the fourth quarter got on the board again. Jonny Harline caught a screen pass in the flat and ran seven yards to the endzone, bringing the Cougars within 35-21 with 14:14 to go in regulation.
The defense followed suit for the Cougars, forcing Cal to punt and giving the ball back to the Cougar offense with sufficient time left on the clock. BYU had to start from its own four yard-line, which was no problem, as they had already engineered scoring drives of 91 and 94 yards on the night. The offense made its way down the field, using two catches by Nathan Meikle for 31 yards, two personal fouls on Cal and two fourth down conversions to its advantage. The second fourth-down conversion came on fourth-and-nine from the nine yard line, when Beck connected with Todd Watkins for a touchdown, bringing the Cougars within seven points at 35-28.
Cal drove down the field and faced fourth-and-six with 2:23 remaining. Instead of punting the ball, Cal head coach Jeff Tedford decided to try a 50-yard field goal. Tom Schneider's kick fell considerably short of the uprights, and with 2:20 remaining in the game BYU took over on its own 40 yard line. However, BYU's hopes of a comeback died when Beck was hit by Phillip Mbakogu while attempting to throw to Watkins. The pass was intercepted by Daymeion Hughes. The turnover allowed Cal's offense to take the field, run out the clock and leave with a 35-28 victory and the Las Vegas Bowl trophy.
"I thought we were going to win it. We've been in two-minute drives, and stuff happens. It didn't go our way this time."
With the loss, the Cougars finished the season with a 6-6 record, while the Golden Bears improved to 8-4.
"We appreciate the hospitality we have been shown this week," Mendenhall said. "This has been a great experience and I want to thank the Pioneer PureVision Bowl for a great week. We have every intention to return next year."
Box Score (Final)Brigham Young vs CAL (Dec 22, 2005 at Las Vegas, Nev.)
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
Brigham Young....... 0 14 0 14 - 28 Record: (6-6)
CAL................. 7 14 14 0 - 35 Record: (8-4)
Scoring Summary:
1st 11:56 CAL - Lynch, Marshawn 3 yd run (Schneider, Tom kick), 8-65 3:04, BYU
0 - CAL 7
2nd 14:16 BYU - BROWN, Curtis 19 yd pass from BECK, John (MCLAUGHLIN, Jar
kick), 15-92 6:04, BYU 7 - CAL 7
12:00 CAL - Lynch, Marshawn 23 yd run (Schneider, Tom kick), 4-52 2:08,
BYU 7 - CAL 14
00:38 BYU - TAHI, Naufahu 3 yd run (MCLAUGHLIN, Jar kick), 7-91 4:23, BYU
14 - CAL 14
00:03 CAL - Jackson, DeSean 42 yd pass from Levy, Steve (Schneider, Tom
kick), 3-58 0:27, BYU 14 - CAL 21
3rd 10:47 CAL - Lynch, Marshawn 35 yd run (Schneider, Tom kick), 5-65 2:01,
BYU 14 - CAL 28
03:48 CAL - Jackson, DeSean 22 yd pass from Levy, Steve (Schneider, Tom
kick), 6-96 2:55, BYU 14 - CAL 35
4th 14:14 BYU - HARLINE, Jonny 7 yd pass from BECK, John (MCLAUGHLIN, Jar
kick), 12-74 4:28, BYU 21 - CAL 35
05:35 BYU - WATKINS, Todd 9 yd pass from BECK, John (MCLAUGHLIN, Jar
kick), 14-96 4:24, BYU 28 - CAL 35
BYU CAL
FIRST DOWNS................... 27 26
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 27-94 43-241
PASSING YDS (NET)............. 352 228
Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 53-35-2 23-16-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 80-446 66-469
Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............ 1-3 0-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 1-24 3-85
Interception Returns-Yards.... 0-0 2-25
Punts (Number-Avg)............ 4-41.8 4-41.2
Fumbles-Lost.................. 1-0 1-0
Penalties-Yards............... 12-103 9-85
Possession Time............... 33:07 26:53
Third-Down Conversions........ 6 of 14 5 of 11
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 3 of 3 0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 4-4 1-1
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 1-5 1-5
RUSHING: Brigham Young-BECK, John 7-42; BROWN, Curtis 12-28; TAHI, Naufahu
8-24. CAL-Lynch, Marshawn 24-194; Forsett, Justin 8-37; Jordan, Robert 2-10;
Manderino, C. 2-7; Levy, Steve 4-0; TEAM 3-minus 7.
PASSING: Brigham Young-BECK, John 35-53-2-352. CAL-Levy, Steve 16-23-0-228.
RECEIVING: Brigham Young-MEIKLE, Nathan 12-93; HARLINE, Jonny 7-73; WATKINS,
Todd 5-93; BROWN, Curtis 5-45; ALLEN, Matt 2-31; TAHI, Naufahu 2-9; COATS,
Dan 1-7; ASHWORTH, Luke 1-1. CAL-Jackson, DeSean 6-130; Jordan, Robert 3-15;
Beegun, Eric 2-32; Lynch, Marshawn 2-27; Manderino, C. 2-20; DeSa, Sam 1-4.
INTERCEPTIONS: Brigham Young-None. CAL-Smith, Harrison 1-7; Hughes, D. 1-18.
FUMBLES: Brigham Young-HARLINE, Jonny 1-0. CAL-Forsett, Justin 1-0.
Stadium: Sam Boyd Stadium Attendance: 40053
Kickoff time: 5:00 pm End of Game: 8:49 PM Total elapsed time: 3:49
Officials: Referee: Gil Gelbke; Umpire: Mike Hagan; Linesman: Britt Choate;
Line judge: Rod Pearson; Back judge: Delbert Bell; Field judge: Al Delvento;
Side judge: Tony Lombardo; Scorer: Jim Shaffer;
Temperature: 61 Wind: 0 MPH Weather: Cloudy
SACKS (UA-A): Brigham Young-WALKENHORST, Pa 1-0. CAL-Mbokogu, P. 0-1;
Mebane, Brandon 0-1.
TACKLES (UA-A): Brigham Young-JENSEN, Cameron 4-6; LUETTGERODT, Ju 4-4;
WHITE, Spencer 3-5; ROBINSON, Justi 3-4; BUCHANAN, Kayle 3-2; GABRIEL,
Dustin 3-2; WALKENHORST, Pa 3-2; KEHL, Bryan 2-2; GOOCH, Quinn 2-2; FEULA,
Vince 3-0; HARLINE, Jonny 3-0; TEAM 2-1; STAFFIERI, Mark 2-1; MADDUX, Justin
1-1; LATU, Wayne 1-0; LOVELY, Gary 1-0; MEIKLE, Nathan 0-1; SITAKE, T.J.
0-1; BROWN, Curtis 0-1. CAL-Smith, Harrison 8-5; McCleskey, D. 5-6; Mixon,
Tim 7-1; Bishop, Desmond 6-2; Pimentel, M. 4-3; Foltz, Ryan 3-1; Felder,
Anthony 2-2; Follett, Zack 2-1; Hughes, D. 1-2; Van Hoesen, G. 2-0; Mebane,
Brandon 1-1; DeCoud, Thomas 1-1; Williams, W. 1-1; Mbokogu, P. 0-2; Abd
Allah, F. 1-0; Hampton, B. 1-0; Tafisi, Nu'u 1-0.
Kyle Chilton
| Posted: 6 Dec 2005 | Updated: 8 Nov 2020
COUGARS TO PLAY CALIFORNIA IN LAS VEGAS BOWL
BYU (6-5 overall, 5-3 Mountain West Conference) will travel to Las Vegas to take on California (7-4 overall, 4-4 Pacific-10) in the Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas Bowl. The game will be played at Sam Boyd Stadium (36,800) and televised on ESPN at 5 p.m. (PST). The game will be the BYU's 24th bowl appearance, and its first Las Vegas Bowl appearance. The last time the Cougars were in a bowl was 2001, when BYU lost to Louisville in the Liberty Bowl. The game will be BYU's ninth appearance in Sam Boyd Stadium, where the Cougars are 7-1. They are 6-0 in Vegas against UNLV and 1-1 in Western Athletic Championship games. BYU is coming off a 41-34 overtime loss to the University of Utah. The Cougars fell behind early and trailed 24-3 at the half but outscored the Utes 31-10 in the second half to force overtime. Utah scored on its first drive in overtime and BYU failed to convert.
A LOOK AT THE GOLDEN BEARS
California concluded the 2005 regular season with a 27-3 win over Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif. After leading 6-3 at the half, the Golden Bears put the game away with a 21-0 second half. Steve Levy passed for 125 yards and one touchdown while Marshawn Lynch rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown. California limited the Cardinal to 327 yards of total offense and just 3.9 yards per play. Lynch leads the Golden Bears with 1,052 yards rushing and seven touchdowns while Justin Forsett is close behind with 962 yards and six touchdowns. Forsett averages 7.8 yards per carry while Lynch averages 6.1 yards per carry. Joe Ayoob leads California with 1,707 passing yards and 15 touchdown passes. DeSean Jackson is the team's leading receiver with 471 yards and five touchdowns. The Golden Bears have been solid on defense all year, limiting their opponents to 20.5 points per game and 351.6 yards of total offense. California has recorded 80 tackles for loss, including 31 sacks.
COMPLETE BROADCAST PLANS
Television: The Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas bowl between BYU and California will be broadcast by ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 22 starting at 5 p.m. (PST). It will mark BYU's first appearance on EPSN this season. Shawn McDonough will call the action, Mike Gottfried will offer analysis and Alex Flanigan will report from the sideline.
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. Sports USA Radio will broadcast the game nationally with Larry Kahn calling the play-by-play, John Robinson offering analysis and Troy West reporting from the sideline.
Internet: A live audio stream will be available on the following URLs: http://ksl.com and http://www.byuradio.org/streaming
SERIES INFORMATION
The Cougars did not play any Pac-10 teams and California did not play any MWC teams in 2005. BYU is 25-52-1 all-time against current Pac-10 teams including 2-0 against California. The first meeting between the Cougars and the Golden Bears was in 1999, a game BYU won 38-28 in Provo. The second meeting was in 2001 in California and the Cougars won 44-16. The Cougars are 1-1 against Pac-10 teams in bowl games, including a 38-36 win over Washington State in the 1981 Holiday Bowl and a 31-10 loss to UCLA in the 1986 Freedom Bowl.
BYU-CALIFORNIA CONNECTIONS
- California Athletic Director Sandy Barbour served as the athletics director at Tulane University during the 1998 season when BYU played Tulane at the Liberty Bowl.
- BYU Athletics Director Tom Holmoe served as the head football coach at Cal for five seasons.
- BYU Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall will be coaching his first game against Cal; however, it will actually be the fifth time Mendenhall has faced the Golden Bears. As a graduate assistant coach at Oregon State in 1989, Mendenhall and the Beavers recorded a 25-14 win over Cal. In 1995 and 1996, Mendenhall served as a full-time assistant coach at Oregon State. Cal won both the 1995 and '96 games, including a 48-42, triple-overtime game in 1996. In 1997, as the secondary coach at Louisiana Tech, Mendenhall and the Bulldogs defeated Cal, 41-34.
- The 2005 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl will mark the fifth time California Head Coach Jeff Tedford has faced the Cougars. As an assistant coach at Fresno State from 1992-1997, Tedford coached against BYU four different times. During his tenure at Fresno State, the Bulldogs posted a 1-3 record against BYU.
- Current BYU offensive coordinator, Robert Anae, served as the offensive line coach at Texas Tech last season. The Red Raiders defeated Cal in the 2004 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, 45-31.
- BYU is 1-1 against the Pac-10 in post-season bowl games. The Cougars defeated Washington State in 1981 Holiday Bowl, 38-36; however, BYU dropped a 31-10 decision against UCLA in the 1986 Freedom Bowl.
COMPARE THE STATS
Stats BYU California
Scoring 368 360
Points Per Game 33.5 32.7
First Downs 280 225
Rushing Yardage 1,734 2,582
Average Per Game 157.6 234.7
Rushing TDs 23 24
Passing Yardage 3,369 2,084
Att-Comp-Int 463-297-11 298-151-17
Average Per Game 306.3 189.5
Passing TDs 24 20
Total Offense 5,103 4,666
Total Plays 854 738
Average Per Game 463.9 424.2
Kick Returns: #-Yards 41-698 27-513
Punt Returns: #-Yards 26-186 28-438
Int Returns: #-Yards 9-80 13-367
Kick Return Average 17.0 19.0
Punt Return Average 7.2 15.6
Int Return Average 8.9 28.2
Fumbles-Lost 12-7 22-10
Penalties-Yards 88-767 60-535
Punts-Yards 46-1,742 57-2,394
Time of Possession/Game 32:16 29:47
3rd-Down Conversions 72/160 47/137
4th-Down Conversions 6/14 5/9
Sacks By-Yards 22-139 31-193
Touchdowns 47 48
Field Goals-Attempts 14-19 9-15
PAT-Attempts 42-44 45-47
Attendance 349,222 362,263
Average Attendance 58,204 60,377
BRONCO MENDENHALL
After 16 seasons as an assistant coach, including the past two years as the defensive coordinator for the Cougars, Bronco Mendenhall was promoted to head football coach at Brigham Young University on December 13, 2004. Mendenhall becomes the 14th head coach since the University first officially recognized football as an intercollegiate sport in 1922.
Mendenhall (38)--one of the youngest NCAA Division I-A head coaches in the country--has served the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach for the Cougars. During his first season in Provo, Mendenhall engineered the nation's 14th-ranked defense, holding opponents to just 307 yards per game. Under Mendenhall's direction, the Cougars ranked eighth nationally in passing defense, giving up just 176.17 yards per game.
In 2004, the Cougars ranked third in the Mountain West in rushing defense, allowing 149.3 yards per game. The Cougars also ranked second in the league, with 34 sacks for a combined loss of 232 yards.
A native of Alpine, Utah, Mendenhall began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1989 at his alma mater, Oregon State. After earning his master's degree in 1990, he moved to Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where he served as the secondary coach and defensive coordinator from 1991-92 under current BYU assistant coach Paul Tidwell. Following two seasons with the Badgers, Mendenhall became the secondary coach at Northern Arizona, where the Lumberjacks boasted the top-ranked defense in the Big Sky Conference. He was elevated to co-defensive coordinator for the 1994 season.
In 1995, Mendenhall returned to Oregon State to become the defensive line coach under then defensive coordinator Rocky Long. When Long left to become the defensive coordinator at UCLA, Mendenhall was promoted to defensive coordinator for the 1996 season. At just 29 years of age, Mendenhall was the youngest defensive coordinator in Pac-10 history.
In 1997, Mendenhall became the secondary coach at Louisiana Tech where he helped the Bulldogs to a remarkable 9-2 record as his defensive unit was credited with 17 interceptions, allowing just 15 touchdowns on the season.
In 1998, Mendenhall moved to Albuquerque, N.M., to become the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at the University of New Mexico. Over the next five seasons, the Lobos improved from just three wins in 1998 to seven wins and an invitation to the Las Vegas Bowl in 2002. In the Lobos' 27-13 loss against UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl, the Mendenhall-led defense held the Bruins to a season-low 167 yards.
Under Mendenhall, the Lobos led the Mountain West Conference in rushing defense for three straight seasons. In 2001, New Mexico gave up just 87.4 yards per game over the season. In his final season in Albuquerque, Mendenhall led the Lobos to a top ranking against league opponents in total defense, allowing just 316.4 yards per game. The Lobos also led the MWC in sacks in both the 2000 and 2002 season, totaling 46 and 38, respectively.
At New Mexico, Mendenhall played a valuable role in the development of the 1999 Mountain West Player of the Year, Consensus All-American and first-round NFL Draft pick Brian Urlacher. The ninth overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, Urlacher was voted the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year and was a Pro Bowl selection. Urlacher was one of two rookies to play all 16 games, starting at middle linebacker the final 14 games to establish a team record for starts at the position by a rookie. He shattered Bears rookie records with 165 total tackles and eight sacks, making him the second Chicago first-year player to lead the team in tackles. Urlacher finished his collegiate career ranked third on New Mexico's all-time list with 442 tackles.
As a player, Mendenhall was a two-year starter at cornerback for Snow College from 1984-85. In his second season, Mendenhall captained the Badgers to a perfect 11-0 record and the NJCAA National Championship. That same season, he earned many accolades, including first-team all-conference, all-region, second-team NJCAA All-America and JC Gridwire Academic All-America honors.
Mendenhall transferred to Oregon State and was a two-year starter, playing free safety, strong safety and linebacker for the Beavers. Mendenhall was a team captain as a senior and received the Leo Gribkoff Memorial Award, given to the team's most inspirational player.
Mendenhall was raised in Alpine, Utah, and graduated from American Fork High School in 1984. He received a bachelor's degree in education from Oregon State in 1988 and a master's degree in education with an emphasis in exercise physiology also from OSU in 1990.
His older brother, Mat, played football at BYU from 1975-79, before spending four years in the NFL with the Washington Redskins. Another brother, Marty, was a former Mr. Utah bodybuilder. Mendenhall's father, Paul, was a defensive end at BYU from 1953-54.
Mendenhall, who resides in Alpine, Utah, is married to the former Holly Johnston of Missoula, Mont. The couple have three sons: Cutter (5), Breaker (3) and Raeder (18 mo.).
2005 ALL-MWC FOOTBALL TEAM
Offensive Player of the Year: DonTrell Moore, Sr., TB, New Mexico
Defensive Player of the Year: Eric Weddle, Jr., DB, Utah
Freshman of the Year: Aaron Brown, TB, TCU
Coach of the Year: Gary Patterson, TCU
All-MWC First-Team Offense
QB John Beck Jr. BYU
WR Hank Baskett III Sr. New Mexico
WR Jovon Bouknight Sr. Wyoming
RB Curtis Brown Jr. BYU
RB DonTrell Moore Sr. New Mexico
TE Jonny Harline Jr. BYU
OL Ryan Cook Sr. New Mexico
OL Robert Turner Jr. New Mexico
OL Herbert Taylor Jr. TCU
OL Michael Toudouze Sr. TCU
OL Jesse Boone Sr. Utah
PK Dan Beardall Sr. Utah
PR/KR Cory Rodgers Jr. TCU
All-MWC First-Team Defense
DL Tommy Blake So. TCU
DL Chase Ortiz So. TCU
DL Evroy Thompson Sr. New Mexico
DL Steve Fifita Sr. Utah
LB Mike Mohoric Sr. New Mexico
LB Freddy Keiaho Sr. San Diego State
LB Spencer Toone Sr. Utah
DB Gabriel Fulbright Sr. New Mexico
DB Marcus Demps Sr. San Diego State
DB Quincy Butler Sr. TCU
DB Eric Weddle Jr. Utah
P Jimmie Kaylor So. Colorado State
All-MWC Second-Team (BYU Selections)
OL Jake Kuresa Jr.
OL Lance Reynolds, Jr. Sr.
DL Manaia Brown Sr.
LB Cameron Jensen Jr.
All-MWC Honorable Mention (BYU Selections)
LB Justin Luettgerodt Sr.
GOOD GRIEF, CURTIS BROWN
Junior running back Curtis Brown has racked up a team-leading 1,095 yards on 198 carries this season. Brown is the first Cougar to rush for at least 1,000 yards in a season since Luke Staley turned in 1,582 yards during the 2001 season. Brown is only the seventh running back in BYU history to run for 1,000 yards in a single season. Against Utah, Brown recorded his 11th career 100-yard game as he registered 153 yards on 20 carries. Six of those 100-yard games have come during the 2005 season. With his performance against Utah, he passed Luke Staley, Jamal Willis, John Ogden and Lakei Heimuli for the most career 100-yard games in BYU history. Brown and Staley are the only two backs to reach the 10-game mark during their junior seasons.
QUARTER-BECK PASSES 3,000-YARD MARK
Junior quarterback John Beck has passed for 3,357 yards this season, marking the first 3,000-yard performance since Brandon Doman totaled 3,542 yards during the 2001 season. It is also only the fourth time in the past nine seasons a BYU quarterback has eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound QB has also totaled 24 touchdown completions on the season, also marking the most touchdowns by a BYU quarterback since Doman completed 33 TD's during the 2001 season. (Of note: Doman serves as BYU's quarterbacks' coach. Doman is also the quarterback who engineered the Cougars' last two victories over Utah, defeating the Utes in both 2000 and 2001.)
3,000 AND 1,000 IN THE SAME SEASON
John Beck and Curtis Brown became the first Cougar duo to pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in the same season since 2001. The last time two players combined to reach that mark were Brandon Doman and Luke Staley in 2001. John Walsh and Jamal Willis are the only other duo to achieve the 3,000-1,000 plateau in the same season, which they accomplished in 1994. Following lists the duos and their yardage totals:
Year Players Yards Total Yards
2005 John Beck/Curtis Brown 3,357/1,095 4,452
2001 Brandon Doman/Luke Staley 3,542/1,582 5,124
1994 John Walsh/Jamal Willis 3,712/1,042 4,754
SCORING MACHINE
Curtis Brown has produced five multiple-touchdown games this season, all in the last six games of the season. Four of those have come in the last four games of the season. He scored two against Colorado State, four against Air Force, two against UNLV, two against Wyoming and two against Utah. Against Air Force, he scored three in the fourth quarter, becoming the first Cougar to achieve the mark since Luke Staley in 2001. The four touchdowns scored in the game are the second most scored in a single game at BYU. Brown has 15 touchdowns on the season, including 14 rushing TD's and one touchdown reception. He is tied with Ronney Jenkins, Clay Brown and Roy Oliverson for the third most touchdowns scored in a season at BYU. He is one score behind Waymon Hamilton for second most touchdowns in a season. Hamilton scored 16 in 1981.
BECK AND BROWN IN THE BYU RECORD BOOKS
John Beck and Curtis Brown have climbed the charts in the BYU record book during the 2005 season. Following are their rankings in several career and single-season records:
Passing Yards Career
1. 15,031 Ty Detmer (1988-91)
2. 9,536 Jim McMahon (1978-81)
3. 8,400 Robbie Bosco (1983-85)
4. 8,390 John Walsh (1991-1994)
5. 8,065 Kevin Feterik (1996-1999)
6. 7,733 Steve Young (1981-83)
7. 7,637 Marc Wilson (1977-79)
8. 7,464 Steve Sarkisian (1995-96)
9. 6,784 John Beck (2003-05)
Rushing Yards Game
1. 272 Eldon Fortie vs. Washington, 1962
2. 250 Ronney Jenkins vs. San Jose State, 1998
3. 247 Pete Van Valkenburg vs. Long Beach State, 1972
4. 219 Curtis Brown vs. Air Force, 2005
Rushing Yards Season
1. 1,582 Luke Staley (2001)
2. 1,386 Pete Van Valkenburg (1972)
3. 1,307 Ronney Jenkins (1998)
4. 1,149 Eldon Fortie (1962)
5. 1,095 Curtis Brown (2005)
Rushing Yards Career
1. 2,970 Jamal Willis (1991-94)
2. 2,710 Lakei Heimuli (1984-86)
3. 2,663 Jeff Blanc (1973-75)
4. 2,493 Luke Staley (1999-2001)
5. 2,492 Pete Van Valkenburg (1970-72)
6. 2,363 John Ogden (1964-66)
7. 2,183 Curtis Brown (2002, 2004-05)
Touchdowns Game
1. 5 Luke Staley vs. Colorado State, 2001
5 Luke Staley vs. Utah State, 2001
5 Ronney Jenkins vs. San Jose State, 1998
5 Eric Lane at Utah State, 1979
2. 4 Kalin Hall vs. UTEP, 1993
4 Kirk Pendleton vs. New Mexico, 1983
4 John VanDerWouden vs. Colorado State, 1976
4 John Ogden vs. W. Michigan, 1964
4 Dick Felt at San Jose State. 1952
4 Curtis Brown vs. Air Force, 2005
Touchdowns Season
1. 28 Luke Staley (24 run, 4 pass, 2001)
2. 16 Waymon Hamilton (14 run, 2 pass, 1981)
3. 15 Ronney Jenkins (13 run, 2 pass, 1998)
15 Clay Brown (15 pass, 1980)
15 Roy Oliverson (1951)
15 Curtis Brown (14 run, 1 pass, 2005)
