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Hall leads BYU to undefeated finish at home

Nov 9, 2008 - 1:16 AM PROVO, Utah (Ticker) -- A pair of early field goals may have doomed Brigham Young the previous two weeks. But on Saturday, it was just the start of a rout against struggling San Diego State.

Max Hall threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns as the 16th-ranked Cougars had little trouble rolling to a 41-13 victory over the Aztecs on Saturday.

The big win was a brief respite for the Cougars (9-1, 5-1 Mountain West), who were coming off shootout wins over Colorado State and Nevada-Las Vegas the previous two weeks.

Beating San Diego State (1-9, 0-6) for the seventh time in the last eight meetings, BYU concluded its third straight undefeated season at home. The Cougars have won 18 straight games at Edwards Stadium since September 9, 2006 - a new school record.

"I was proud of the seniors today," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "It is three years straight that we haven't lost at home, and I think we've accomplished a lot to set the foundation of our program."

The streak may not have been extended if the Cougars had been playing either of their two previous opponents, especially after they were forced to settle for a pair of field goals in the second quarter.

"We did what we needed to do to win, and I'm not disappointed," Hall said. "I think we played awesome today, all things considered."

However, BYU's defense rebounded after giving up 109 points the previous three weeks. The Cougars recorded four turnovers and stuffed San Diego State on a 4th-and-goal late en route to holding a foe to less than 30 points for the first time in four games.

Included in that rough defensive stretch was a 32-7 loss at TCU on October 16. Yet, BYU still is in the hunt for a third straight conference title, especially since it closes the regular season at league-leading Utah on November 22.

"I think there's still a chance (to get a piece of the league title)," Hall said. "We have got two tough teams ahead of us, so we are just going to keep fighting and keep battling and see what happens."

Senior linebacker David Nixon stepped up Saturday, recording a career-high 14 tackles and collecting his third interception of the season.

After being forced to punt on their first drive, the Cougars got a gift on the Aztecs' first play from scrimmage, as miscommunication between quarterback Ryan Lindley and his center led to a blown snap that BYU recovered at the San Diego State 49.

That turnover led to a 7-yard touchdown run by Fui Vakapuna - his first score on the ground since the win at Washington on September 6.

Hall, who finished 25-of-30 and rushed nine times for 22 yards, sandwiched a 6-yard TD pass to Andrew George around a pair of field goals in the second quarter to build a 20-0 lead at the half.

The lead could have been more, but the Cougars were whistled for a penalty on a 4th-and-goal at the 2-yard line before settling for a 25-yard field goal by Mitch Payne.

BYU added another rushing touchdown by Wayne Latu in the opening drive of the second half to make it 27-0 before San Diego State finally got on the scoreboard behind a 49-yard field goal by Lane Yoshida with 4:20 left in the third.

After not clicking on all cylinders, Hall caught fire in the fourth, connecting with Austin Collie, the nation's leader in receiving yards, on a pair of scores.

Collie finished with nine catches for 127 yards, including a 61-yard strike in the opening moments of the fourth that gave BYU a 34-6 advantage. The junior has surpassed 100 yards receiving in eight straight games, extending a MWC record he broke two weeks earlier.

"The offense continued to keep rolling," Hall said. "We've got to eliminate the three-and-outs, though."

Yet, the Cougars had trouble running the ball, finishing with 104 yards on 37 carries. Leading rusher Harvey Unga was limited to 40 yards on 11 carries, well below his average of 93.0 coming in.

"If you told me before the game that we would hold them to 104 yards rushing, I would have thought, 'We have a chance to win the game,'" San Diego State linebacker Russell Allen said.

Lindley was 21-of-36 for 160 yards and a late touchdown for the Aztecs, who have lost six straight games, getting outscored 260-80 in that span.