• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

With winning streak over, BYU looks to regroup

Oct 25, 2008 - 10:39 AM UNLV (3-4) at (17) BYU (6-1), 2:00 pm EDT

PROVO, Utah (Ticker) -- With its hopes for a BCS bowl berth likely over, Brigham Young now will need help just to win a third straight Mountain West Conference title.

After having their 16-game winning streak snapped, the 17th-ranked Cougars return home Saturday to host Nevada-Las Vegas.

BYU tasted defeat in more than year with last Thursday's 32-7 defeat at TCU. It was the Cougars' first loss since a 27-17 setback to UCLA in Week Two of last season and snapped their 16-game winning streak, the longest active run in the FBS.

The loss also ended BYU's 18-game conference winning streak, which had been a Mountain West record.

BYU, which fell nine spots in the latest coaches' poll, was held to just 297 total yards by the top defensive team in the FBS.

The loss left BYU (6-1, 2-1 Mountain West) in third place in the conference - 1 1/2 games behind Utah and TCU, who are each 4-0. The Utes host the Horned Frogs on November 6.

"The season is far from over," BYU defensive end Jan Jorgensen said. "We are a better team than we showed (at TCU). We have a lot of character guys on this team, and we have guys that can fix it. So we have to move on, and we will."

With four winnable games on the horizon, BYU could be 10-1 heading into its annual grudge match at Utah on November 22 with a chance to at least share the conference title.

Since BYU still has to play Utah, the Cougars will be in the unlikely position of rooting for their arch-rival against TCU in two weeks. After hosting UNLV, BYU has road games at Colorado State and Air Force sandwiched around a home contest against San Diego State on November 8.

Last season, the Cougars won at UNLV, 24-14, as Harvey Unga rushed for 178 yards.

UNLV (3-4, 0-3) is coming off a 29-28 loss to Air Force. After Utah rallied from an early 14-point deficit to take a 28-26 lead, Air Force's Ryan Harrison kicked a 19-yard field goal with 2:36 remaining.