Aztecs End Long Season With Loss to BYU

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- It took an extra week, but Brigham Young completed its second straight undefeated season in the Mountain West Conference. Freshman Harvey Unga rushed for three touchdowns and Max Hall passed for three scores as the 21st-ranked Cougars coasted to a 48-27 victory over San Diego State on Saturday. The game was originally scheduled for October 27 but was postponed due to the wildfires in the San Diego area.

"I thought before the season that winning a conference championship was realistic," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I can't say I expected to go undefeated." BYU (10-2, 8-0 Mountain West) posted its 16th straight conference victory and extended its overall winning streak to nine games. It is the second-longest current streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision behind Hawaii, which has won 12 in a row.

"Right off the first drive, we saw how easy it was for us to go down and score," Hall said. "I think we knew that every time we had the ball we should be able to go down and score." Despite playing with an ankle injury, Unga rushed for 161 yards on 23 carries - his third straight game with more than 100 yards. Unga also caught a touchdown pass. Hall, who had the best season by a sophomore in Mountain West Conference history, completed 19-of-26 passes for 227 yards. He finished the year with 3,617 passing yards. "I'm proud of our team, our consistency and our ability to overcome adversity," Mendenhall said. "We focused on the task, which was to play better than last year."

After allowing 100 points in its last two games, San Diego State could not slow down the Cougars, who gained more than 500 yards and have not lost since falling at Tulsa, 55-47, on September 15. "They're the ones to beat in the conference," San Diego State coach Chuck Long said of the Cougars. "We are all chasing them. They are a BCS team. They deserve to be there."

The Aztecs (4-8, 3-5) closed to 27-20 on Kevin O'Connell's three-yard TD pass to Lynell Hamilton with 6:49 left in the third quarter. But the Cougars took control with a 12-play, 72-yard march that consumed nearly six minutes. Unga's three-yard TD run capped the drive with 52 seconds left in the third period. "I really liked the way we ran the ball," Mendenhall said. "I think we were physical. I think the game plan worked just the way we planned." Fui Vakapuna's two-yard TD scamper made it 41-20 with 12:17 remaining in the contest. Vakapuna fell just short of the century mark, running for 97 yards on 14 attempts. "Things were working tonight, especially the running game," Hall said. "We didn't throw much but that is perfectly fine for me based on how the game was. The uniform is clean. I didn't take too many hits."

O'Connell completed 33-of-55 passes for 288 yards and also rushed for a pair of scores for the Aztecs. San Diego State allowed 148 points in its last three games, yet Long came away encouraged. "The last three games are not what we would have liked but I think we have laid a solid foundation for the future," Long said.

Photo: BYU's Manase Tonga prepares to stiff-arm an Aztec defender. (NC Sports/Jon Greene)

Photo: Aztec Senior QB Kevin O'Connell takes the snap in his final game. (NC Sports/Jon Greene)