HONOLULU, Hawaii — BYU improved to 9-3 on the year with a highlight-filled 41-20 victory over Hawai'i Saturday afternoon in Aloha Stadium.

In BYU’s first return to the Islands since 2001, the Cougars put up 28 points in the third quarter to turn a close contest into a blowout victory.  Junior quarterback Riley Nelson returned to the lineup after being injured on Nov. 12 against Idaho.

Nelson would have a career day, setting personal bests on 25 of 37 passing for 363 yards and three touchdowns. Other top performers for the Cougars included sophomore receiver Cody Hoffman with seven receptions, 123 yards and a touchdown and freshman receiver Ross Apo with two touchdowns on four catches and 55 yards.

The Warriors led 13-10 at the half thanks to a 79-yard scoring play with 3:41 to go in the second quarter. Hawai'i quarterback David Graves hit receiver Trevor Davis on a slant that he then took all the way to the end zone to put Hawaii up 13-7. The reception was the longest scoring play for the Warriors this season.

BYU only punted once in the first half—a 55-yarder downed inside the 20-yard line—but the Cougars put only 10 points on the scoreboard as two drives ended with missed field goals.  Meanwhile, the Cougar defense forced three UH punts while allowing just one sustained drive in addition to Hawai'i’s one-play scoring strike.

Apo scored BYU’s lone touchdown of the half on a 22-yard grab to go with a late field goal by Justin Sorensen.

The Cougars broke out in the third quarter with four touchdowns to clearly claim control. While BYU scored on all three of its offensive possessions, the momentum changer came on defense when Uona Kaveinga forced a fumble on Hawai'i’s first series and Joe Sampson returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. It was BYU’s second fumble return for a touchdown and third defensive score this year and gave BYU a 24-13 lead.

Apo scored his second touchdown of the game on BYU’s first possession of the half, Bryan Kariya bulled in from 1-yard out and Hoffman made a one-handed grab for a 38-yard score.

The quarter provided plenty of intrigue but some of it came from neither team as two fans ran out onto the field, one dressed as Santa Claus.

On the field, Hoffman’s left-handed, one-handed touchdown catch was one for the highlight reel along with an 18-yard run by wide receiver Spencer Hafoka to set up Hoffman’s score. The senior from Kahuku, Hawai'i, earned the passionate praise of his teammates and many local fans when he leaped through the air to extend his end-around run. Another big play was a 40-yard pass over the middle to tight end Marcus Mathews that set up Kariya’s one-yard score.

For the game BYU held Hawai’i to just 17 yards rushing and 299 yards of total offense compared to a season-high 530 yards of total offense for the Cougars. Sophomore linebacker Tyler Beck set a career high and led the team with six tackles, including five solo, while Jadon Wagner and Mike Muehlmann added sacks for BYU.

Justin Sorensen added his second field goal of the day in the fourth quarter to make the score 41-13 with 9:44 remaining. The Warriors added a final touchdown late for the final margin.

The Cougars will now prepare to play in the 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas on Dec. 30. An opponent will be announced on Sunday.

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BYU will travel to play Hawai'i on Saturday, Dec. 3, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. HT, 5:30 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawai'i, on ESPN2, WatchESPN.com and KSL Radio 1160 AM, 102.7 FM and ksl.com.

BYU (8-3) vs. Hawai'i (6-6, 3-4 WAC)
Dec. 3, 2011
2:30 p.m. HT
Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, Hawai'i

For the complete BYU vs. Hawai'i game notes, see the attached PDF file below.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- BYU and Hawai’i are meeting for the 28th time in school history and the first time since 2002. The last time the Cougars traveled to Honolulu, Hawai’i, the Warriors ended BYU’s hopes of an undefeated season with a 72-45 win in 2001. BYU played at Aloha Stadium seven-consecutive years from 1984-90.
- BYU and Hawai'i have scheduled a multi-year series between the two schools that was announced earlier this year.
- BYU boasts nine players from Hawai’i, including regulars Travis Uale (Sr., DB), Graham Rowley (So., DL) and Simote Vea (Sr., DL).
- Under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, BYU has a 5-2 record in the month of December including 1-0 in non-bowl games (48-27 win at SDSU in 2007). Overall, BYU has a 7-5 record in regular season December games.
- The Cougars are 4-0 against WAC teams this year after defeating Utah State, San Jose State, Idaho and New Mexico State.

THE BYU VS. HAWAI'I SERIES
This is the 28th meeting between BYU and Hawai'i. The Cougars hold a 19-8 advantage over the Warriors. The last time BYU and Hawai'i met was in 2002 when the Cougars defeated the Warriors 35-32. Despite being outgained 455 to 394, BYU picked off Hawai'i four times and came away with the victory.
The last time the Cougars travelled to Hawai'i, the Warriors handled BYU 72-45 in an offensive shootout. Hawai'i amassed 646 offense while BYU had 612. The Warriors won the turnover battle 7-5 and took control for the win, snapping BYU’s 14-game win streak and undefeated season in the last regular season game.

RIVALRY RENEWED
Throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, BYU and Hawai'i had a fierce rivalry that was often one of the highlights of the season for both teams. The Cougars won 10 in a row from 1978 to 1988, including 1984’s classic 18-13 win. The game was highlighted by BYU’s Kyle Morrell leaping over both BYU’s defensive line and Warriors’ offensive line to stop Hawai'i’s quarterback Raphel Cherry on a sneak at the goal line preventing a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Warriors took three of the next four but BYU came back to win six-straight before Hawai'i stomped the Cougars 72-45 in 2001 at Aloha Stadium.

DON'T HASSLE THE HOFF
Wide receiver Cody Hoffman has become the playmaking receiver even though he got off a to a slow start. Hoffman caught just three passes for 20 yards in the first two games but for the season now has caught 45 passes for 698 yards and six touchdowns. He has made play after play recently and has averaged 134.5 all-purpose yards. He has set career game highs in receptions, yards, kick returns and all-purpose yards in various games this season. Hoffman has been especially dangerous as a kick returner. He has 778 kick return yards on the season, including a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the first by a BYU player since 1998.

BYU Career Kick Return Yards
1. Rigell, Mike (1998, 00-01)        1,625 yards
2. Chambers, O’Neill (2008-10)    1,611 yards
3. Farasopoulos, Chris (1968-70) 1,391 yards
4. Collie, Austin (2004,07-08)       1,277 yards
5. Hoffman, Cody (2010-)             1,158 yards

BYU Season Kick Return Yards
1. Rigell, Mike (2001)                   865 yards
2. Chambers, O’Neill (2008)        809 yards
3. Hoffman, Cody (2011)              778 yards

OH, HE PLAYS FOOTBALL, TOO
Running back Bryan Kariya has been an asset or the BYU ground game for the last several years. He has also been an asset in the classroom. Kariya was named to the Capital One All-Academic District 8 Team. With a 3.9 GPA and a major in Chinese with a minor in business, Kariya plans to head out to dental school after his BYU career is over. Last season, Kariya was the only Division I running back named Academic All-American by ESPN. Kariya leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five and has 64 carries for 247 yards. Kariya also has 12 catches for 84 yards and one touchdown.

1,000/1,000 CLUB
BYU now has two members in its 1,000 career receiving yards and 1,000 career kickoff return yards. Cody Hoffman joins Austin Collie as the only two players to reach the mark. Hoffman now has 1,225 career receiving yards to go along with 1,158 career kickoff return yards. Hoffman has 45 catches for 698 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 778 kickoff return yards and one touchdown. Collie is BYU’s career receiving yards leader with 3,255 yards and fourth in career kickoff return yards with 1,277 yards.

THIRD DOWNS THEN AND NOW
BYU is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation in third-down conversions, converting 53.25 percent. At the end of September, BYU was 78th in third-down coversions, converting 38.86 percent. In September, the Cougars converted 30 of 77 third downs, while in October and November BYU converted 52 of 77 third downs, good for the best mark in the nation over the last two months at 67.53 percent.

DI LUIGI DOES IT ALL
Senior running back JJ Di Luigi was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List before the season began. The versatile back had 12 carries for 75 yards vs. New Mexico State to go along with three catches for 31 yards. Di Luigi has averaged 71.2 all-purpose yards per game in 2011, contributing all over the field in the run game and catching passes out of the back field. The California native moved into 17th all-time at BYU in all-purpose yards and is 11th in career rushing yards. He is in 10th in career-receiving yards by a running back* with 967. Here is how Di Luigi looks on the all-time lists and who he might pass in the coming weeks:

BYU Career All-Purpose Yards
1. Brown, Curtis (2002-06)                   4,996 yards
13. Van Valkenberg, Pete (1970-72)    3,172 yards
14. Jenkins, Ronney (1996-98)            3,088 yards
15. Di Luigi, JJ (2008-)                         3,038 yards

BYU Career Rushing Yards
1. Unga, Harvey (2006-09)                   3,455 yards
9. Jenkins, Ronney (1996-98)              2,040 yards
10. McKenzie, Brian (1996-97)            1,954 yards
11. Di Luigi, JJ (2008-)                         1,745 yards

Career Receiving Yds by a RB* (*w/ at least 1,000 rush yards)
1. Christensen, Todd (1974-77)           1,556 yards
8. Whittingham, Fred (1987-89)           1,006 yards
9. Staley, Luke (1999-01)                     1,000 yards
10. Di Luigi, JJ (2008-)                            967 yards

STELLAR SOPHOMORE
Sophomore linebacker Kyle Van Noy is the only player in the country with at least one tackle, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery, interception,  quarterback hurry, pass breakup and blocked punt. He is also one of only two players in the nation with at least five sacks and three interceptions.

COG IN THE MIDDLE
Despite missing one game due to a concussion, junior linebacker Brandon Ogletree is currently leading the BYU defense in total tackles and assisted tackles and ranks second on the team with two forced fumbles. Ogletree has 56 total tackles on the season, giving him an average of just over 6.5 tackles per game. Ogletree also forced two fumbles and recorded an interception against Oregon State. For his efforts against the Beavers, Ogletree received Honorable Mention Linebacker of the Week honors from the College Football Performance Awards.

ROAD WARRIORS
The BYU defense ranks No. 3 in total defense in the NCAA when away from home despite playing on the road at such well-known venues as Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Ole Miss, DKR-Memorial Stadium at Texas, Reser Stadium at Oregon State and Cowboys Stadium against TCU. The Cougars are allowing 286.3 yards per game when playing on the road and rank behind only Alabama and Virginia Tech. In addition, BYU has allowed opponents to score just 12 touchdowns on their home fields, good for No. 6 in the country.

BREAK IT UP
BYU defensive backs Corby Eason and Preston Hadley are one of the the best pass breakup duos in the nation. Eason has 14 pass breakups on the season, tied for No. 5 in the nation while Hadley's 12 breakups is good for No. 15. Eason is now tied with Brian Logan (2009-10) for most pass breakups in a season in BYU history (since official NCAA defensive stats were kept beginning in 2000). Eason has 17 pass breakups for his career, just four behind Logan’s 21 for the BYU all-time record.

SENIOR OUT
BYU senior linebacker Jordan Pendleton suffered a season and career-ending injury to his knee during the TCU game. At the time, Pendleton was among the team leaders in tackles, TFL and sacks. In spite of playing just seven games overall this year, Pendleton is still second on the team with 8.5 TFL and 4.0 sacks on the season. Now an inspiration for his teammates on the sideline (fellow linebacker Kyle Van Noy wore Pendleton’s jersey on Senior Night against New Mexico State to honor Pendleton), the 6-3, 238-pound backer will look to heal in hopes of making an NFL roster next season.