By Martin Harris
From the time the coin toss landed tails, not much went right for Air Force (4-2) as the 13th-ranked BYU football team (7-0) trounced the Falcons 63-33 Saturday, October 20, at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Tight end Doug Jolley had a career day, and was one of the many heroes for the Cougars in the victory. Jolley caught 10 passes, for 177 yards (a single-game Mountain West Conference record) and three touchdowns.
'It''s kind of crazy how open I was on some plays. (Quarterback Brandon) Doman did a great job of finding me,' Jolley said. 'We come to play each week.'
Doman led the high-powered Cougars until Jolley caught an 18-yard pass for a touchdown. The catch made the score 49-13, and the team''s second string came in with 8:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Doman completed 20 of 32 attempts for 338 yards and four touchdowns. He has thrown three or more touchdown catches in five games this season. Head coach Gary Crowton said he did not want to run up the score on the Falcons.
'I think we''re an outstanding team but right now we need to prepare for one game at a time,' Crowton said.
Running back Luke Staley returned to the field for the Cougars after sitting out last week. He ran for 134 yards, two scores and averaged 9.6 yards per carry before sitting out the last 24 minutes of the game.
'I wanted to come in and have a big game,' Staley said. 'My goal was to have 225 yards rushing.'
BYU''s first-string defense held the Falcons to only 13 points in two and a half quarters.
'We really dominated them,' said linebacker Justin Ena. 'We played great assignment football and that''s why they couldn''t run.'
Air Force''s defense did not fare as well. It had only allowed 52 points total in the last four games before giving up 63 to the Cougars.
BYU''s offense has feasted at home, scoring more than 50 points in all four home games. The Cougars also have scored 37 times in 39 red-zone opportunities.
The win brings the Cougars to 7-0, making BYU one of only eight undefeated teams remaining in Division I-A. Dating back to last season, the Cougars have won nine games in a row, the fifth-longest streak in the nation.
'We still have a lot of football to play,' Crowton said. 'We have six games left.'
BYU takes to the road for their next game to take on San Diego State (2-5) Saturday, October 27.