2007 Brigham Young Cougars football team

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The 2007 BYU Cougars football team represents Brigham Young University in the 2007 college football season.

In 2006, the Cougars won the Mountain West Conference (MWC) championship outright with an 11-2 record and 8-0 in the conference, their first unbeaten conference play since 2001 (7-0 MWC, 12-2 Overall). This was also BYU's third season with at least a share of the MWC title (Co-Champions with CSU and Utah in 1999, and sole Champions in 2001). They would finish their post-season with a 38-8 win against the Oregon Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars had the second longest winning streak in the country at 11 wins until their loss to UCLA

The Cougars play their home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium, named after its legendary coach, LaVell Edwards.

Pre-season

Spring Practice started March 19 and ended April 14 at the annual Blue/White Spring game. The key question was who will fill the empty quarterback position left behind by John Beck: Max Hall, a redshirt sophomore, or Cade Cooper, a junior college transfer from Snow College. On the third snap during the April 14 scrimmage, Cooper suffered a season-ending injury (Lisfranc fracture). Hall was named the starting quarterback the following Monday, and Brendan Gaskins as the back-up. Jacob Bower transferred out in late January. Cooper then decided to transfer in July.

Among the 7 returning starters on offense and the 5 returning starters on defense are: Sete Aulai (center), Travis Bright and Ray Feinga (offensive guards), Dallas Reynolds (Offensive Tackle), Manase Tonga (fullback), Matt Allen and Michael Reed (wide receivers), Jan Jorgensen (defensive end), Bryan Kehl and David Nixon (linebackers), Ben Criddle (cornerback), and Quinn Gooch (free safety). Dustin Gabriel had a foot injury during Fall camp to end his 2007 season, and make him unable to start as KAT. Russell Tialavea, nose tackle, went out in Fall camp with a torn ACL and MCL.

Fall camp started August 4. In the preseason, several players suffered foot and leg injuries (Gabriel, Tafuna, Cooper), like Lisfranc fractures, that may be related to the Nike shoes the players were wearing.

MountainWest Sports Network

Fans, coaches, players, and officials of the Mountain West Conference (MWC) eagerly hoped for progress on national distribution of the MountainWest Sports Network (the mtn.), particularly on satellite. DirecTV continued to negotiate with Comcast for distribution in the MWC "footprint", but Dish Network discontinued negotiations until the FCC resolved a legal question regarding the Big Ten Network (BTN) that could potentially affect the mtn. While satellite distribution seems closer, national distribution appears unlikely for the 2007 season. Currently Dallas-Fort Worth is the only remaining MWC market that has no provider for the mtn.

During the season

The Cougars were ranked #25 in Sporting News pre-season ranking. They started the season ranked 34th in the Coaches Poll (with 47 votes)[1] and 37th in the AP Poll (with 14 votes)[2].

Schedule

September 13:30 pmArizona*No. 34

• LaVell Edwards Stadium
• Provo, UT

VersusW 20-7 64,525 September 83:30 pmat No. 14 UCLA*No. 29

• Rose Bowl Stadium
• Pasadena, CA

VersusL 27-17 72,968 September 158:00 pmat Tulsa*No. 36

• Skelly Field @ Chapman Stadium
• Tulsa, OK

CSTVL 55-47 24,445 September 221:00 pmNo. 36 Air Force

• Edwards Stadium
• Provo, UT

mtn.W 31-6 64,502 September 296:30 pmat New Mexico

• University Stadium
• Albuquerque, NM

CSTVW 31-24 34,204 October 136:30 pmat UNLVNo. 43

• Sam Boyd Stadium
• Las Vegas, NV

mtn.W 24-14 38,026 October 203:30 pmEastern Washington*No. 39

• Edwards Stadium
• Provo, UT

mtn.W 42-7 64,522 November 312:00 pmColorado State

• Edwards Stadium
• Provo, UT

mtn. - November 87:00 pmTCU

• Edwards Stadium
• Provo, UT

Versus - November 1712:00 pmat Wyoming

• War Memorial Stadium
• Laramie, WY

mtn. - November 2412:00 pmUtah

• Edwards Stadium
• Provo, UT

Versus/
CSTV/mtn. - December 1at San Diego State

• Qualcomm Stadium
• San Diego, CA

-

MWC Standings

Team	Conference				Overall
	Wins	Losses	PF	PA	Wins	Losses	PF	PA
BYU	3	0	86	44	5	2	212	140
Air Force	1	1	142	107	6	2	196	141
New Mexico	2	1	64	51	5	2	201	122
Utah	2	2	62	74	5	3	191	157
Wyoming	1	2	39	61	4	3	142	139
San Diego State	1	2	48	63	2	5	153	211
TCU	1	3	82	83	4	4	181	160
UNLV	1	3	78	103	2	6	148	215
Colorado State	1	3	101	116	1	6	184	219

Game notes

Arizona

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	7	7
Cougars	7	6	0	7	20

This was the 21st game between Arizona and BYU. BYU was favored to win in this defensive contest. BYU quarterback Max Hall took his first snap in Division I football after a 4 year hiatus of not playing a real game since high school, and the Wildcats began their first year using a version of BYU's spread offense. BYU's experienced defense held the Wildcats scoreless until the last minute of the game. Bronco took blame for calling a blitz that allowed an Arizona touchdown. The offensive line was solid allowing Hall to show his competence with 66% completion, 288 passing yards and some decent scrambles. Unga impressed with 196 all-purpose yards. But special teams revealed room for improvement. Starting BYU fullback Manase Tonga was suspended only for this game due to an arrest related to a traffic stop. BYU Backup inside linebacker Terrance Hooks was also suspended for this game. At half time, BYU retired the number 14 at halftime in honor of Gifford Nielsen and Ty Detmer. Hodgkiss will continue to use the number until the end of the season.

Arizona Leads Series 11-9-1

UCLA

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	3	14	0	17
Bruins	10	10	0	7	27

This was the 8th game between UCLA and BYU with UCLA favored to win by 8 points or so. This game was widely considered to be the Cougars' toughest regular season game. Emotions were high as Ben Olson, who originally committed to BYU, transferred to UCLA after his mission and was the starting quarterback for the Bruins. The Bruins jumped out to a commanding lead at the end of the first half scoring their first touchdown on a 56 yard interception. The Cougars drew within 3 points in the third quarter, and were poised to pull ahead reaching the "blue zone" with less than 6 minutes in the game. However a forced fumble, as Hall intended to pass, stopped the Cougars final, successful drive. Max Hall outplayed Olson; he impressed completing 30 of 52 passes for 391 yards compared to Olson's 126 yards. Despite the score, the Cougars outplayed the Bruins, even in the first half; the Cougars got 431 total yards to the Bruins' 236, but 11 penalties and 3 turnovers cost the Cougars the game. This game ended the Cougars 11 game winning streak and their run at a BCS bowl game this year.

UCLA Leads Series 7-1

Tulsa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	27	6	7	47
Hurricanes	14	17	14	10	55

This was the 7th game between Tulsa and BYU. The Cougars defeated the Golden Hurricane 49-24 in Provo last season, but were handed a loss in this game. Coach Mendenhall took responsibility for the loss; he stated that he did not prepare the team for the prodigious volume of gadget plays Tulsa revealed for the first time in this game. Tulsa's ambush was led by its senior quarterback, Paul Smith, who drew BYU's secondary out of their zones and then threw over the top for large gains several times. BYU's defense adjusted well in the second half, nevertheless, the team was also plagued with 14 penalties for 138 yards, 4 turnovers including a pick six for 49 yards early in the third quarter, and some poor kicking (including 2 missed PATs and a 29 yard field goal attempt). Statistically BYU outplayed Tulsa in this shootout including 694 yards versus 595 yards of total offense. Collie impressed with 8 kick returns for 237 yards, and Hall passed for 537 yards, but not enough for the offense to seize the win.

BYU Leads Series 6-1

Air Force

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	6	0	0	6
Cougars	7	10	7	7	31

This was the 28th game between Air Force and BYU for BYU's Homecoming game. Air Force hired new head coach Troy Calhoun this year after Fisher DeBerry retired.

BYU Leads Series 22-6

New Mexico

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	7	7	10	31
Lobos	0	6	15	3	24

This win was the 57th game between New Mexico and BYU. BYU beat the Lobos 42-17 on Senior Day last year. This game featured the MWC's leading passer, UNM's Porterie, and was expected to test BYU's secondary particularly after the Cougar's shootout with Tulsa. The game was tied at the end of the third quarter with a 71 yard touchdown reception by the Lobo's running back, Ferguson, and a 2-point conversion after BYU jumped out to lead with a pick six by Kehl in the first 2 minutes of the game and took advantage of five turnovers and a blocked PAT by Criddle. Overall the Cougars showed balance and performed well in all aspects of the game on both sides of the ball. Kehl received the MWC's Defensive Player of the Week.

BYU Leads Series 42-14-1

UNLV

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	7	10	7	24
Rebels	3	3	0	8	14

This was the 14th game between UNLV and BYU. BYU won the last meeting, 52-7, in 2006 and was favored to win this game by 10 points. The game was at Sam Boyd Stadium, and will be Family Weekend for UNLV. It was estimated that 15,000 BYU fans attended the game.

BYU Leads Series 11-3

Eastern Washington

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	7	0	0	7
Cougars	14	7	14	7	42

This was the first matchup between Eastern Washington and BYU.

BYU Leads Series 1-0

San Diego State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars					0
Aztecs					0

This will be the 32nd game between San Diego State and BYU. The Aztecs fell 47-17 in Provo last October.

BYU Leads Series 23-7-1

Colorado State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams					0
Cougars					0

This will be the 65th game between Colorado State and BYU. BYU beat the Rams 24-3 on the road in 2006.

BYU Leads Series 34-27-3

TCU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Horned Frogs					0
Cougars					0

This will be the 9th game between TCU and BYU. BYU went on the road to win 31-17 in this meeting last year, sparking their 8-0 run through the MWC.

BYU Leads Series 6-2

Wyoming

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars					0
Cowboys					0

This will be the 72nd game between Wyoming and BYU. BYU dominated the Cowboys from the opening kickoff last season, 55-7.

BYU Leads Series 38-30-3

Utah

	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes					0
Cougars					0

This rivalry game, "The Holy War", is typically the most anticipated conference game between these two opponents, and in 2006 was ranked in the Wall Street Journal as the 4th best college football rivalry game in the country. This will be the 83rd game between Utah and BYU with the series going 49-29-4 for Utah since 1922. Utah dominated the series 34-2-4 through 1964. Since that time BYU has led the series 27-15. Utah's 4-game-winning-streak against BYU ended last year with a game-winning-last-second play.

Utah Leads Series 49-29-4

Statistical Leaders

Passing
Player	COMP	ATT	Pct.	YDS	TD	INT	QB Rating
Max Hall	167	284	58.8	2,130	14	9	131.73

Rushing
Player	ATT	YDS	YPC	TD
Harvey Unga	131	684	5.2	4
Manase Tonga	55	195	3.5	7
Fui Vakapuna	38	110	2.9	1

Receiving
Player	REC	YDS	YPC	TD
Dennis Pitta	32	477	15.2	3
Harvey Unga	29	389	13.4	3
Austin Collie	22	355	16.1	4
Michael Reed	25	295	11.8	1
Matt Allen	17	192	11.3	2
Manase Tonga	19	174	9.2	0

Tackles
Player	Solo	Asst	Total
Kelly Poppinga	24	31	55
Bryan Kehl	30	22	52
Mark Staffieri	20	19	39
Jan Jorgensen	17	20	37
David Nixon	20	15	35
Quinn Gooch	17	18	35

Coaching staff

File:.JPG

Bronco Mendenhall, Head Coach

Name	Position	Year at BYU	Alma mater (Year)
Bronco Mendenhall	Head Coach/ Defensive Coordinator	5th 2003-present	Oregon State (1987)
Lance Reynolds	Assistant Head Coach Running Backs	25th 1983-present	BYU (1980)
Robert Anae	Offensive Coordinator/ Inside Receivers	3rd 2005-present	BYU (1986)
Brandon Doman	Quarterbacks	3rd 2005-present	BYU (2002)
Patrick Higgins	Outside Receivers/ Special Teams	3rd 2005-present	William Penn University (1986)
Barry Lamb	Ouside Linebackers/ Safeties	15th 1994-present	Oregon (1978)
Paul Tidwell	Inside Linebackers	7th 2001-present	Southern Utah University (1979)
Mark Weber	Offensive Line	1st 2007	Cal Lutheran (1980)
Jamie Hill	Defensive Backs	2nd 2006-present	San Francisco State University (1986)
Steve Kaufusi	Defensive Line	6th 2002-present	BYU (1994)
Jay Omer	Strength and Conditioning	7th 2001-present	Southern Utah University (1972)

Players

Roster

Updated from Fall camp roster - 8/04/07 (prospective, not final)
Edit
Wide Receivers 2 Bryce Mahuika† - Junior 3 Michael Reed†† - Junior 7 Ryan Kessman - Freshman 9 Austin Collie† - Sophomore 10 Matt Allen†† - Senior 16 Parker Mangum - Sophomore 20 Reed White - Junior 22 Tyler Kozlowski - Freshman 80 Jordan Smith - Freshman 82 Ryan Neeley - Junior 83 Saia Hafoka - Junior 84 Matt Marshall - Freshman 85 Landon Jaussi - Sophomore 86 Daniel Tervort - Sophomore 87 Griffin Miller - Freshman 89 Cortny Barton - Junior Fullbacks 11 Manase Tonga†† - Junior 27 Joe Semanoff - Senior 30 Inoke Hafoka - Freshman Offensive Linemen 51 Mark Freeman - Freshman 53 Tom Sorensen - Sophomore 64 R.J. Willing † - Sophomore 65 Dallas Reynolds - Junior 66 Garrett Reden - Freshman 67 Sete Aulai†† - Senior 68 David Oswald† - Junior 69 John Barrett - Sophomore 70 Matt Reynolds - Freshman 72 Nick Alleto - Freshman 73 Jason Speredon - Freshman 74 Travis Bright†† - Junior 75 Walter Kahaialii - Freshman 76 Ray Feinga†† - Junior 79 Manaaki Vaitai - Freshman Punters/Kickers 24 Bryan Smith - Freshman 26 C.J. Santiago† - Sophomore 38 Mitch Payne† - Freshman		Tight Ends 32 Dennis Pitta - Sophomore 37 Vic So'oto - Sophomore 88 Andrew George† - Sophomore 95 Kaneakua Friel - Freshman 96 Matt Shirley - Freshman Quarterbacks 4 Kurt McEuen - Sophomore 6 Brenden Gaskins - Sophomore 7 James Lark - Freshman 11 Jason Munns* - Freshman 12 Sam Doman - Freshman 15 Max Hall† - Sophomore Running Backs 1 Fui Vakapuna† - Junior 13 J.J. DiLuigi* - Freshman 23 Ryan Folsom - Freshman 29 Ryan Love - Freshman 31 Isaac Taylor - Junior 33 Wayne Latu - Sophomore 45 Harvey Unga - Freshman Defensive line 52 Russell Tialavea* - Sophomore 54 Kyle Luekenga* - Junior 56 Chris Muehlmann† - Sophomore 57 Matt Putnam - Freshman 59 John Pace - Freshman 62 Eathyn Manumaleuna - Freshman 63 David Angilau - Freshman 71 Rick Wolfley† - Freshman 77 Ian Dulan† - Sophomore 79 Mark Fitu - Freshman 84 Jan Jorgensen†† - Sophomore 90 Mosese Foketi - Junior 91 Judd Anderton - Senior 92 Brett Denney - Sophomore 93 Sean Sullivan - Senior 94 Brock Richardson - Junior 97 Spencer Wolfley - Freshman 98 Steven Fendry - Freshman (†)† (Returning) starter at position * Injured		Linebackers 30 Kelly Bills - Junior 31 Chris Bolden - Senior 33 Tyler Beck - Freshman 35 Matt Bauman - Sophomore 36 Markell Staffieri† - Senior 39 Grant Nelson - Freshman 41 Bryan Kehl†† - Senior 42 Shawn Doman - Sophomore 43 David Nixon†† - Junior 44 Dan Van Sweden - Sophomore 46 Kelly Poppinga† - Senior 47 Terrance Hooks - Sophomore 48 Austen Jorgensen - Freshman 49 Jadon Wagner* - Freshman 50 Tom Steele - Freshman 51 Franco Improta - Sophomore 58 Jeff Bell - Sophomore Levi Mack* - Junior Cornerbacks 4 Brandon Howard - Sophomore 9 Brannon Brooks - Freshman 17 G Pittman - Freshman 19 Andre Saulsberry - Senior 20 Gary Nagy - Freshman 21 Ben Criddle†† - Senior 34 Kayle Buchanan† - Senior Safeties 14 Corby Hodgkiss† - Senior 16 Kellen Fowler - Junior 18 Aaron Attig - Sophomore 23 David Tafuna* - Senior 25 Quinn Gooch†† - Senior 26 Jordan Pendelton - Freshman 28 Dustin Gabriel* - Senior 29 Scott Johnson - Junior Defensive backs 5 Brandon Bradley* - Freshman 10 Blake Morgan - Freshman 13 Steven Thomas - Freshman 27 Evan Kleinhenz - Sophomore

External links

• BYU Cougars football
• Cougar Stats
• Cougar Board
• Cougar Legion formerly My 3 Cents
• Cougar Blue
• Blue Fan Group (Garn videos)
• Cougar Outpost
• Cougar Fan
• Cougar Champion