2010 BYU Cougars football team

The 2010 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars, led by head coach Bronco Mendenhall, played their home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium and were members of the Mountain West Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 5–3 in Mountain West play and were invited to the New Mexico Bowl where they defeated UTEP 52–24.

2010 BYU Cougars football
New Mexico Bowl champion
New Mexico Bowl, W 52–24 vs. UTEP
Conference	Mountain West Conference
Record	7–6 (5–3 MW)
Head coach	Bronco Mendenhall (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Robert Anae (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Jaime Hill (3rd season)
Base defense	3–4
Captains	Matt Reynolds Andrew Rich
Home stadium	LaVell Edwards Stadium
Uniform
Seasons ← 2009 2011 →

2010 Mountain West Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 2 TCU $		8	–	0					13	–	0
Utah		7	–	1					10	–	3
Air Force		5	–	3					9	–	4
San Diego State		5	–	3					9	–	4
BYU		5	–	3					7	–	6
Colorado State		2	–	6					3	–	9
UNLV		2	–	6					2	–	11
Wyoming		1	–	7					3	–	9
New Mexico		1	–	7					1	–	11
$ – Conference champion and BCS representative as top non-AQ school to meet automatic qualification criteria As of January 11, 2011 Rankings from AP Poll

2010 was BYU's final season as a member of the Mountain West as started competing as an Independent in football beginning in 2011 with all other sports joining the West Coast Conference.

Pre-season

Recruiting

In the preseason, the Cougars had many talented prospects come in. No.1 rated QB by rivals.com, Jake Heaps, joined the team, along with three players from The Oakridge School, Ross Apo, Tayo Fabuluje, and Teu Kautai

Media Poll

At the Mountain West media days on July 27, BYU was picked by 31 voters to finish 3rd in the conference behind TCU and Utah. Offensive linemen Matt Reynolds and free safety Andrew Rich were both named to the pre-season all-conference team.^[1]

Conference Re-alignment

The Cougars weren't directly affected by conference expansion in June, but will lose conference rival (effective Fall 2011) Utah to the newly formed Pac-12. Before Utah was invited to the older Pac-10 conference, Boise State agreed to leave the WAC and join the MWC in 2011. Rumors began circulating afterward about whether the BYU-Utah rivalry would survive the transition. On August 31, the BYU Athletic Department issued a press release that BYU would leave the Mountain West Conference next year, go independent in football beginning with the 2011 season and join the West Coast Conference for all other sports.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	5:00 p.m.	Washington*	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	CBSCS	W 23–17	63,771
September 11	2:00 p.m.	at Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO	Versus	L 14–35	46,692
September 18	1:30 p.m.	at Florida State*	Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL	ESPNU	L 10–34	68,795
September 25	4:00 p.m.	Nevada*	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	The Mtn.	L 13–27	61,471
October 1	6:00 p.m.	at Utah State*	Romney Stadium Logan, UT (Old Wagon Wheel)	ESPN	L 16–31	24,152
October 9	4:00 p.m.	San Diego State	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	The Mtn.	W 24–21	62,176
October 16	2:00 p.m.	at No. 4 TCU	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	Versus	L 3–31	40,416
October 23	12:00 p.m.	Wyoming	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	The mtn.	W 25–20	60,505
November 6	12:00 p.m.	UNLV	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	The mtn.	W 55–7	61,283
November 13	12:00 p.m.	at Colorado State	Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	The mtn.	W 49–10	16,501
November 20	4:00 p.m.	New Mexico	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	The mtn.	W 40–7	59,077
November 27	1:30 p.m.	at No. 23 Utah	Rice-Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT (Holy War)	The mtn./CBSCS	L 16–17	45,272
December 18	12:00 p.m.	vs. UTEP*	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM (New Mexico Bowl)	ESPN	W 52–24	32,424
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Mountain time

Season

Defensive Coordinator, Jaime Hill was fired the day after BYU lost to Utah State, BYU's fourth loss of the season after only playing five games. BYU had not started the season with a 1-4 record since 1973. After the firing of Hill, linebacker coach Nick Howell was moved to coach the secondary and Kelly Poppinga was promoted from graduate assistant to coach the linebackers.^[3]

Game summaries

Washington

See also: 2010 Washington Huskies football team

BYU opened the season with Y Quarterback Weekend. During Y Quarterback Weekend all 8 All-American quarterbacks, including Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian, returned and were recognized for their outstanding achievements while at BYU.^[4]

Washington at BYU

1 2 3 4 Total Huskies 7 10 0 0 17 • Cougars 5 8 10 0 23 Date: September 4 Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT Game start: 5:04 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:24 Game attendance: 63,771 Game weather: 92 °F (33 °C), Clear, winds SSW 8 mph Referee: Terry Leyden TV announcers (CBS-C): Dave Ryan, Aaron Taylor, & Brooke Olzendam Sources:[5]

It was a back and forth battle mostly through the air between the Cougars and the Huskies. Jake Locker threw for 266 yards. Nelson and Jake Heaps combined to throw for 262 yards, 131 each. In his first start in four years though, Riley Nelson threw for 2 touchdowns while the Cougars defense swarmed Washington forcing a safety. No turnovers occurred in the game, but BYU managed to come from behind to defeat the Huskies. The win over the Huskies evened up the series between the Cougars and the Huskies at 4-4.^[6]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Washington BYU 1 10:02 7 73 3:03 Washington J. Kearse 19-yard touchdown reception from Jake Locker, Eric Folk kick good 7 0 1 4:30 BYU Will Mahan rushed for -15 yards & fumbled the ball. Wash recovered fumble in the endzone where they were touched down for the safety. 7 2 1 00:31 9 66 3:53 BYU 22-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 7 5 2 12:08 8 47 2:36 BYU Josh Quezada 19-yard touchdown reception from Riley Nelson, 2-point run (Riley Nelson) good 7 13 2 5:09 9 80 3:25 Washington Jake Locker 9-yard touchdown run, Eric Folk kick good 14 13 2 00:00 11 63 1:55 Washington 54-yard field goal by Eric Folk 17 13 3 6:59 11 58 5:33 BYU 29-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 17 16 3 4:23 3 48 0:56 BYU JJ Di Luigi 48-yard touchdown reception from Riley Nelson, Mitch Payne kick good 17 23 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 23

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Air Force

See also: 2010 Air Force Falcons football team

BYU entered into their second game of the season with a 5-game winning streak against the Air Force Falcons.^[7]

BYU at Air Force

1 2 3 4 Total Cougars 14 0 0 0 14 • Falcons 7 14 7 7 35 Date: September 11 Location: Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO Game start: 2:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:02 Game attendance: 46,692 Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Clear and Sunny, winds SSE 18 mph Referee: Karl Richins TV announcers (Versus): Joe Beninati, Kelly Stouffer, & Lindy Thackston Sources:[8]

The first quarter played out like most people expected the game would, all offense and very little defense. BYU had 44 yards passing to Air Force's 46. BYU had two touchdowns to Air Force's one. However, the Air Force defense would turn it on in the second quarter. Nelson and Heaps would combine to throw for only 44 more yards through the final three quarters while Air Force racked up 409 rushing yards. With the turnovers that BYU had, the game would turn into a blowout in favor of the Falcons. The Falcons had only won 6 of the 30 meetings between the teams going into 2010, but they got the last laugh before BYU left for Independence and cut the series to 24-7.^[9]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BYU AFA 1 9:43 12 74 5:21 BYU JJ Di Luigi 1-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 7 0 1 8:34 5 61 1:05 Air Force Mikel Hunter 37-yard touchdown reception from Tim Jefferson, Erik Soderberg kick good 7 7 1 2:29 5 49 2:43 BYU Riley Nelson 4-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 14 7 2 9:42 17 80 7:56 Air Force Tim Jefferson 5-yard touchdown run, Erik Soderberg kick good 14 14 2 5:17 2 48 0:40 Air Force Mikel Hunter 33-yard touchdown run, Erik Soderberg kick good 14 21 3 2:24 9 76 3:56 Air Force Jon Warzeka 46-yard touchdown run, Erik Soderberg kick good 14 28 4 12:34 5 45 2:15 BYU Nathan Walker 5-yard touchdown run, Erik Soderberg kick good 14 35 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 14 35

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Florida State

See also: 2010 Florida State Seminoles football team

It the contest of 2010 was a road trip to Florida State, a team BYU was 0-3 against in their school's history. Previous contests took place in 1991, 2000, and 2009.^[10]

BYU at Florida State

1 2 3 4 Total Cougars 0 10 0 0 10 • Seminoles 3 10 14 7 34 Date: September 18 Location: Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, FL Game start: 1:36 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 68,795 Game weather: 93 °F (34 °C), Fair Skies w/ Humidity at 36%, winds ENE 9 mph Referee: Dan Romeo TV announcers (ESPNU; Touchdown Radio Productions): Pam Ward and Danny Kanell (ESPNU); Frank Fangie, Gino Torretta, & Roxy Bernstein (Touchdown Radio Productions) Sources:[11]

In a battle where both offenses struggled, the Seminoles defense came up with the last laugh. Florida State had eight sacks, forced six punts, and made BYU turnover the ball twice, both leading to points that helped the Seminoles pull away for the win.^[12] The loss wasn't the only bad news for BYU. The following Monday QB Riley Nelson had an MRI. It was revealed that he suffered a shoulder injury during the FSU game, and it would require five to six months of surgery and rehab before he would be able to play again.^[13] The NCAA would grant Nelson a medical redshirt, allowing him to be a senior in 2012 instead of 2011.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BYU FSU 1 0:39 10 62 4:49 Florida State 26-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins 0 3 2 9:56 4 -9 1:24 Florida State 47-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins 0 6 2 7:40 1 83 0:14 Florida State Chris Thompson 83-yard touchdown run, Dustin Hopkins kick good 0 13 2 4:26 7 49 3:20 BYU 28-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 3 13 2 0:14 11 71 2:00 BYU Cody Hoffman 4-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 10 13 3 7:16 14 63 6:53 Florida State Ty Jones 2-yard touchdown reception from Christian Ponder, Dustin Hopkins kick good 10 20 3 0:55 4 86 1:37 Florida State Christian Ponder 1-yard touchdown run, Dustin Hopkins kick good 10 27 4 1:35 4 7 2:23 Florida State Ty Jones 9-yard touchdown run, Dustin Hopkins kick good 10 34 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 10 34

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Nevada

See also: 2010 Nevada Wolf Pack football team

The Cougars returned home with a new full-time starting QB in Jake Heaps knowing they would face a high powered Nevada team. BYU and Nevada had met 3 times previously, with BYU owning a 2-1 advantage.^[14]

Nevada at BYU

1 2 3 4 Total • Wolf Pack 14 10 0 3 27 Cougars 7 3 0 3 13 Date: September 25 Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT Game start: 4:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:09 Game attendance: 61,471 Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), Sunny, winds WSW 7 mph Referee: Marvel July TV announcers (Mtn.): Ari Wolfe, Blaine Fowler, & Sammy Linebaugh Sources:[15]

Nevada held BYU to 320-yards of total offense in Jake Heaps first start. JJ Di Luigi rushed for 68 yards and scored BYU's lone touchdown. Only 1 turnover was forced the entire game, an Interception that allowed BYU to tie the game up, but Colin Kaepernick threw for 196 yards and effectively allowed the Wolf Pack runners to scramble throughout the game. Despite outpassing the Wolf Pack (229 to 196), BYU would fall to 1-3.^[16]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Nevada BYU 1 10:16 9 84 4:44 Nevada Courtney Randall 6-yard touchdown reception from Colin Kaepernick, Anthony Martinez kick good 7 0 1 7:04 5 36 1:31 BYU JJ Di Luigi 2-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 7 7 1 1:39 12 80 5:36 Nevada Vai Taua 1-yard touchdown run, Anthony Martinez kick good 14 7 2 9:18 9 57 4:48 Nevada Colin Kaepernick 4-yard touchdown run, Anthony Martinez kick good 21 7 2 1:20 11 35 3:04 BYU 27-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 21 10 2 0:00 9 55 1:23 Nevada 38-yard field goal by Ricky Drake 24 10 4 11:27 21 75 8:58 Nevada 29-yard field goal by Anthony Martinez 27 10 4 7:46 9 65 3:36 BYU 29-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 27 13 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 27 13

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Utah State

See also: 2010 Utah State Aggies football team

The Battle for the Old Wagon Wheel headed to Logan in 2010 with BYU having won 10 straight, with Bronco Mendenhall having never lost to the Aggies, and with BYU having not scored less than 30-points against the Aggies since 1982. With the start freshman Jake Heaps became the third freshman to have started more than one game as starting QB at BYU. All good things must come to an end though.^[17]

BYU at Utah State

1 2 3 4 Total Cougars 0 3 7 6 16 • Aggies 10 14 7 0 31 Date: October 1 Location: Romney Stadium Logan, UT Game start: 6:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:22 Game attendance: 24,152 Game weather: Warm and clear Referee: Terry Leyden TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore Sources:[18]

A 31-16 thumping at the hands of Utah State completed the Cougars non-conference season. With Utah and TCU still to go on the schedule, people began to wonder if the Cougars had any heart or if they could get bowl eligible. The defense was ranked 102nd in the nation, and the offense wasn't moving the ball past midfield. Jake Heaps was averaging more than 200-yards a game passing, but it wasn't resulting in points. Independence for 2011 seemed to be all forgotten.^[19]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BYU USU 1 6:57 2 81 0:51 Utah State Xavier Martin 79-yard touchdown reception from Diondre Borel, Braeden Loveless kick good 0 7 1 00:27 10 36 4:16 Utah State 34-yard field goal by Braeden Loveless 0 10 2 6:54 12 62 4:43 Utah State Diondre Borel 1-yard touchdown run, Braeden Loveless kick good 0 17 2 3:28 9 48 3:29 BYU 23-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 3 17 2 0:49 7 33 2:33 Utah State Derrvin Speight 1-yard touchdown run, Braeden Loveless kick good 3 24 3 6:32 12 69 4:45 Utah State Derrvin Speight 1-yard touchdown run, Braeden Loveless kick good 3 31 3 3:44 8 75 2:41 BYU Bryan Kariya 1-yard touchdown run, Matt Payne kick good 10 31 4 00:31 8 66 1:42 BYU JJ Di Luigi 3-yard touchdown run, Matt Payne kick no good 16 31 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 31

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San Diego State

See also: 2010 San Diego State Aztecs football team

BYU came into the series with the Aztecs holding a 26-7-1 record and knowing that San Diego State had never won two in a row against the Cougars. They also knew that if they lost, all chances of a bowl game would be crushed.^[20]

San Diego State at BYU

1 2 3 4 Total Aztecs 0 7 7 7 21 • Cougars 14 0 3 7 24 Date: October 9 Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT Game start: 4:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:04 Game attendance: 62,176 Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), Cloudy, winds WNW 7 mph Referee: Greg Burks TV announcers (Mtn.): Ari Wolfe, Blaine Fowler, & Sammy Linebaugh Sources:[21]

A hard fought homecoming game was overshadowed due to an ugly replay incident in the fourth quarter. A relatively obvious fumble that would have given San Diego State the ball and prevented a BYU touchdown was ruled instead to be BYU's ball. Replay officials agreed with the call, despite its obvious incorrectness. Following the game, accusations of partisanship were levelled against the replay officials because one of the men in the booth was a BYU employee. This was standard procedure at the time, and the lead replay official, who was the one who actually decided to uphold the call on the field, was a resident of Reno, Nevada with no connection to BYU.^[22] Despite this, the negative reaction to the incident was significant enough that three MWC officials were suspended and a new rule was put into place by the MWC which stated that alumni could no longer officiate games involving their alma mater, even if they were only assigned to the replay booth.^[23] BYU would go on to drive for a TD which gave them the 24-21 win.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SDSU BYU 1 4:57 19 78 8:34 BYU JJ Di Luigi 3-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 7 1 2:02 5 24 2:40 BYU Bryan Kariya 3-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 14 2 5:00 2 52 0:31 San Diego State Vincent Brown 36-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Lindley, Abel Perez kick good 7 14 3 6:21 8 38 4:22 BYU 29-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 7 17 3 3:43 8 83 2:38 San Diego State Gavin Escobar 1-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Lindley, Abel Perez kick good 14 17 4 13:43 9 67 4:51 BYU Bryan Kariya 1-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 14 24 4 6:27 6 59 2:38 San Diego State Brand Sullivan 4-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Lindley, Abel Perez kick good 21 24 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 24

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TCU

See also: 2010 TCU Horned Frogs football team

BYU headed to Fort Worth for the tenth meeting with the Horned Frogs holding a 5−4 advantage in the overall series.^[24]

BYU at #4 TCU

1 2 3 4 Total Cougars 0 0 3 0 3 • Horned Frogs 3 14 0 14 31 Date: October 16 Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium Ft. Worrth, TX Game start: 2:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 2:53 Game attendance: 40,416 Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C), Sunny with Clear Skies, winds S 15 mph Referee: Tom Walker TV announcers (Versus): Joe Beninati, Kelly Stouffler, & Lindsay Soto Sources:[25]

The Cougars went into Ft. Worth having one main goal- show improvement over their other losses. They knew many people wouldn't pick them to win, and they knew Heaps wasn't producing as well on the road. BYU's defense showed remarkable improvement over early in the year, giving up only 3 points in the first 29 minutes. However offensive turnovers late in the first half put the BYU defense in a bad spot. The offense's ineptitude at moving the ball (only 147 yards for the game) led to BYU's downfall.^[26]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BYU TCU 1 3:27 7 39 3:27 TCU 20-yard field goal by Ross Evans 0 3 2 1:30 2 46 0:20 TCU Josh Boyce 35-yard touchdown reception from Andy Dalton, Ross Evans kick good 0 10 2 0:26 3 38 0:54 TCU Jimmy Young 14-yard touchdown reception from Andy Dalton, Ross Evans kick good 0 17 3 1:14 14 70 5:42 BYU 27-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 3 17 4 10:03 8 64 3:47 TCU Josh Boyce 20-yard touchdown reception from Andy Dalton, Ross Evans kick good 3 24 4 4:26 9 51 4:41 TCU Jeremy Kerley 21-yard touchdown reception from Andy Dalton, Ross Evans kick good 3 31 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 3 31

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Wyoming

See also: 2010 Wyoming Cowboys football team

Needing to win 4 of the last 5 games to become bowl eligible, BYU began its quest against a Cowboys team that hadn't scored against BYU for the past 9 regulation quarters. Since 2006, BYU had owned the series against Wyoming by a score of 46.5-4.3 per game, and BYU led the overall series 43-30-3.^[27]

Wyoming at BYU

1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 0 10 3 7 20 • Cougars 16 0 3 6 25 Date: October 23 Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT Game start: 12:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 2:56 Game attendance: 60,505 Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), Cloudy with some rain, winds N 5 mph Referee: Alan Eck TV announcers (Mtn.): James Bates, Todd Christensen, & Toby Christensen Sources:[28]

The Cougars defense dominated the game and held Wyoming to less than 200 yards. Turnovers on the offensive end kept the game close. It would take a last possession stand by the Cougar D to secure their third win of the year.^[29]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP Wyoming BYU 1 10:35 10 58 4:25 BYU JJ Di Luigi 7-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 7 1 9:53 BYU Wyoming fumble for -15 yards, recovered in the end zone by Wyoming for a BYU safety. 0 9 1 4:53 5 33 2:01 BYU Bryan Kariya 4-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 16 2 3:50 Wyoming Interception returned 55 yards for touchdown by Keith Lewis, Ian Watts kick good 7 16 2 00:52 4 -7 2:06 Wyoming 44-yard field goal by Ian Watts 10 16 3 5:20 9 48 4:37 BYU 42-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 10 19 3 00:30 11 56 5:10 Wyoming 38-yard field goal by Ian Watts 13 19 4 12:34 7 70 2:31 BYU Luke Ashworth 12-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, 2-point pass incomplete 13 25 4 6:50 4 80 1:20 Wyoming Chris McNeil 16-yard touchdown reception from Austyn Carta-Samuels, Ian Watts kick good 20 25 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 25

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UNLV

See also: 2010 UNLV Rebels football team

After a bye week the Cougars returned to action to play UNLV for the final time as conference opponents. The series had largely been dominated by BYU (14-3), and 2010 would be the same.^[30]

UNLV at BYU

1 2 3 4 Total Rebels 0 0 0 7 7 • Cougars 14 24 14 3 55 Date: November 6 Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT Game start: 12:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:11 Game attendance: 61,283 Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), Partly Cloudy, winds SW 5 mph Referee: Randy Christal TV announcers (Mtn.): Ari Wolfe, Blaine Fowler, & Sammy Linebaugh Sources:[31]

In what can only be classified as a slaughter, BYU would thoroughly crush UNLV. They outgained the Rebels offensively 516 to 144. 70 of the Rebels yards came against BYU's second and third team players.^[32]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP UNLV BYU 1 7:53 9 49 4:25 BYU Josh Quezada 13-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 7 1 2:31 11 86 4:19 BYU JJ Di Luigi 1-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 14 2 12:41 8 44 2:43 BYU JJ Di Luigi 1-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 21 2 9:27 2 58 0:26 BYU Cody Hoffman 37-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 0 28 2 3:01 8 76 3:43 BYU Josh Quezada 1-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 35 2 00:00 5 23 0:47 BYU 48-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 0 38 3 9:51 3 47 1:13 BYU Luke Ashworth 42-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 0 45 3 1:26 10 68 4:24 BYU Josh Quezada 4-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 52 4 8:00 12 44 6:48 BYU 25-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 0 55 4 0:41 11 70 2:36 UNLV Marcus Sullivan 24-yard touchdown reception from Caleb Herring, Ian Watts kick good 7 55 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 55

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Colorado State

See also: 2010 Colorado State Rams football team

With their first 2-game win streak in tow, BYU headed to Ft. Collins to face the Rams for the last time as MWC foes. It was the 69th meeting between the two schools, and BYU owned a 38-27-3 advantage in the series history.^[33]

BYU at Colorado State

1 2 3 4 Total • Cougars 14 21 7 7 49 Rams 0 0 0 10 10 Date: November 13 Location: Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium Ft. Collins, CO Game start: 12:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 2:47 Game attendance: 16,501 Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C), Cloudy, winds S 7 mph Referee: Land Clark TV announcers (Mtn.): Ari Wolfe, Blaine Fowler, & Roger Bailey Sources:[34]

The Cougars suffered 2 turnovers, including one on their opening series, but they were nearly flawless. On third down they went 12-for-13. They racked up 526 yards total offense, including 396 with the starters. Corby Eason forced a fumble that Kyle Van Noy returned for a score. The Cougars dominated the Rams in virtually every fashion as they became one wni away from being bowl eligible with two games to play.^[35]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BYU Colorado St. 1 8:56 4 89 1:19 BYU Luke Ashworth 62-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 7 0 1 3:36 7 44 3:42 BYU Luke Ashworth 7-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 14 0 2 14:49 BYU Fumble recovery returned 44 yards for touchdown by Kyle Van Noy, Mitch Payne kick good 21 0 2 7:21 7 74 3:24 BYU Luke Ashworth 36-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 28 0 2 0:27 9 82 3:53 BYU Luke Ashworth 8-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 35 0 3 00:17 16 76 7:20 BYU Zed Mendenhall 1-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 42 0 4 7:58 15 63 7:19 Colorado State 34-yard field goal by Ben Deline 42 3 4 5:49 4 59 2:03 BYU David Foote 31-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 49 3 4 3:07 8 80 2:42 Colorado State Raymond Carter 22-yard touchdown reception from Pete Thomas, Ben Deline kick good 49 10 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 49 10

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New Mexico

See also: 2010 New Mexico Lobos football team

With their first 3-game win streak in tow, BYU returned home for Senior Day and a chance to become bowl eligible. Luke Ashworth came in as the FBS Player of the Week after his 4-TD performance against Colorado State. It was the 60th meeting between the two schools, and BYU owned a 44-14-1 advantage in the series history.^[36]

New Mexico at BYU

1 2 3 4 Total Lobos 0 0 7 0 7 • Cougars 17 3 7 13 40 Date: November 20 Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT Game start: 4:06 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:04 Game attendance: 59,077 Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), Windy & Rain Likely, winds SSW 29 mph Referee: Cooper Castleberry TV announcers (Mtn.): Ari Wolfe, Blaine Fowler, & Sammy Linebaugh Sources:[37]

The Cougars managed to have 0 turnovers, but the crowd wasn't pleased. The crowd booed many of the officials calls as the Cougs and Lobos played in the wind with a chance of rain. The Cougars managed to outgain the Lobos 494 to 259. The defense showed they had come a long way since the Utah State game as they entered the game as one of the Top 15 defenses in the nation since late October. Heaps would say the Cougars were peaking at the right time, and the Cougs walked away with another easy win to become bowl eligible.^[38]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP UNM BYU 1 10:01 3 12 2:11 BYU Jake Heaps 1-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 7 1 7:07 5 21 1:06 BYU 34-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 0 10 1 2:58 7 80 3:06 BYU JJ Di Luigi 4-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 17 2 00:35 16 84 6:14 BYU 28-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 0 20 3 9:46 11 72 5:10 BYU Luke Ashworth 15-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 0 27 3 4:14 13 72 5:36 New Mexico Quinte Solomon 12-yard touchdown reception from Stump Godfrey, James Aho kick good 7 27 4 14:10 12 82 4:58 BYU Josh Quezada 14-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 7 34 4 7:17 10 80 4:58 BYU Cody Hoffman 10-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick no good 7 40 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 7 40

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Utah

See also: 2010 Utah Utes football team and Holy War (BYU–Utah)

Going into the final week of the season, the Cougars found themselves with a chance to win second place in the conference. The opponent standing in their way was their hated rival of the Deseret First Duel, the Utah Utes. Both BYU and Utah entered into the game having lost conference games to TCU, but a BYU win would give them the tiebreaker over Utah for second place.^[39]

BYU at #22 Utah

1 2 3 4 Total Cougars 3 3 7 3 16 • Utes 0 0 0 17 17 Date: November 27 Location: Rice-Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT Game start: 1:37 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:08 Game attendance: 45,272 Game weather: 29 °F (−2 °C), Overcast, winds S 4 mph Referee: Terry Leyden TV announcers (Mtn. & CBS-C): James Bates, Todd Christensen, & Sammy Linebaugh Sources:[40]

The Cougars dominated the first three quarters, but they were unable to find the endzone consistently. With a 13-0 lead, Las Vegas Bowl representatives were ready to extend an invitation once again to BYU. BYU would cost themselves dearly in the fourth. Two turnovers by BYU led to 2 Ute touchdowns. With Utah driving late in the final quarter, cornerback Brandon Bradley intercepted a Jordan Wynn pass but fumbled on the return, giving the ball back to Utah. Initial replay review appeared to show that Bradley's knee was down before the fumble occurred, but the initial call of a fumble was upheld on review. Following the fumble, Utah would score on a 3-yard run to take the lead at 17-16. The Utes would block a Payne field goal attempt on the final play of the game to conserve the win. It would go down as one of the many great BYU-Utah games solely because of the fourth quarter.^[41]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP BYU Utah 1 4:34 10 45 3:48 BYU 43-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 3 0 2 00:02 7 21 2:23 BYU 37-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 6 0 3 4:51 3 19 0:58 BYU McKay Jacobson 21-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 13 0 4 14:56 12 39 4:53 Utah 40-yard field goal by Joe Phillips 13 3 4 13:46 1 37 0:14 Utah De Christopher 37-yard touchdown reception from Jordan Wynn, Joe Phillips kick good 13 10 4 7:38 15 56 7:38 BYU 42-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 16 10 4 4:24 3 38 1:24 Utah Matt Asiata 3-yard touchdown run, Joe Phillips kick good 16 17 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 16 17

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New Mexico Bowl

See also: 2010 UTEP Miners football team and 2010 New Mexico Bowl

Old WAC rivals were put together in the New Mexico Bowl as the 6-6 Cougars took on the 6-6 Miners. It was the 37th meeting overall with BYU holding a 28-7-1 advantage in the series.^[42]

2010 New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. UTEP

1 2 3 4 Total Miners 3 7 7 7 24 • Cougars 17 14 14 7 52 Date: December 13 Location: University Stadium Albuquerque, NM Game start: 12:09 pm MST Elapsed time: 3:27 Game attendance: 32,424 Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), Partly Cloudy, winds W 11 mph Referee: Stan Evans TV announcers (ESPN/ESPN Radio): Bob Wischusen, Brian Griese, & Jenn Brown (ESPN) Dave LaMont, JC Pearson, & Shannon Spake (ESPN Radio) Sources:[43]

BYU went into the New Mexico Bowl with the sole purpose of building momentum for the 2011 season.^[44] UTEP went in hoping they could score and keep up with BYU after their season had changed due to the loss of their star player. The game would turn into a high scoring affair where freshmen would rule the day. Jake Heaps would throw for four touchdown passes and freshman Cody Hoffman would have 137 yards receiving with 3 touchdown receptions. Heaps would win the Offensive Most Outstanding Player award and would cement his role as the starter for BYU in the 2011 season. It would end up being the highlight of Heaps career at BYU. Defensively BYU senior safety Andrew Rich would earn MOP honors.^[45]

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP UTEP BYU 1 10:29 4 37 1:28 BYU Bryan Kariya 4-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 0 7 1 4:37 12 78 5:00 BYU Luke Ashworth 9-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 0 14 1 2:42 4 -13 1:50 UTEP 52-yard field goal by Dakota Warren 3 14 1 00:34 8 28 2:10 BYU 38-yard field goal by Mitch Payne 3 17 2 14:43 1 31 0:14 BYU Cody Hoffman 31-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 3 24 2 8:55 8 64 5:30 BYU Cody Hoffman 3-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 3 31 2 8:38 1 67 0:14 UTEP Kris Adams 3-yard touchdown reception from Trevor Vittatoe, Dakota Warren kick good 10 31 3 8:18 14 75 6:43 BYU JJ Di Luigi 2-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 10 38 3 4:55 6 66 3:24 UTEP Kris Adams 37-yard touchdown reception from Trevor Vittatoe, Dakota Warren kick good 17 38 3 00:14 5 46 2:18 BYU Cody Hoffman 29-yard touchdown reception from Jake Heaps, Mitch Payne kick good 17 45 4 12:00 7 65 2:47 BYU Josh Quezada 8-yard touchdown run, Mitch Payne kick good 17 52 4 9:48 4 60 2:13 UTEP Kris Adams 49-yard touchdown reception from Trevor Vittatoe, Dakota Warren kick good 24 52 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 52

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References

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23. "Misinformation involving suspension of replay officials". Deseret News. October 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
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32. "Total domination: BYU 55, UNLV 7". SL Tribune. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
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45. "Cougars complete turnaround with 52-24 rout of UTEP". SL Tribune. Retrieved December 18, 2010.

External links

• ESPN.com season wrap-up