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| BYU RB Harvey Unga (Chris Detrick, The Salt Lake Tribune) |
Ten years ago, the BYU Cougars traveled to Las Vegas to meet the UNLV Running Rebels. Led by Harvey Unga, BYU overcame four turnovers to stay undefeated in the Mountain West Conference.
The turnovers were a factor early. On just its fifth play of the game, BYU fumbled at its own 27-yard line. That led to UNLV taking a 3-0 lead with 7:44 to play in the first quarter. The Cougars came right back and drove into scoring position, but that threat was ended when Max Hall threw the first of three interceptions. Unga made a touchdown saving tackle.
The BYU defense was able to hold UNLV to no points after this turnover, and UNLV punted the ball back to BYU. It was a good punt that went out of bounds at the Cougars' seven-yard line.
UNLV looked to get the ball back in good field position. All the Running Rebels had to do was stop BYU on 3rd and 6. Hall delivered a pass high over the middle of the field, but Unga was able to make a leaping grab. He bounced off a defender and went up field for a 15-yard gain.
BYU fumbled again near midfield, but this time Vic So'oto was able to recover it for BYU to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, Hall found tight end Dennis Pitta for an 11-yard gain to the UNLV 35-yard line. It was Pitta's third catch on the drive for a total of 32 yards. Unga followed that with a 32-yard run to the three-yard line. From there, fullback Manase Tonga powered into the end zone to give BYU a 7-3 lead.
The Cougars would not relinquish the lead, but UNLV wasn't going away that easy. The Running Rebels used an effective passing attack to move downfield and close the gap to one with a 43-yard field goal.
BYU could not pick up a first down on its next possession and punted the ball back to UNLV with 1:13 to play in the half. Twelve seconds later, BYU had the ball back. Linebacker Bryan Kehl intercepted the ball and returned it 12 yards to the UNLV 46-yard line.
A 14-yard pass to Pitta on first down gave BYU a good chance of extending the lead before the half ended. That chance ended three plays later when Hall was intercepted at the UNLV 18-yard line. The score remained BYU 7, UNLV 6 at the break.
Unga carried the ball seven times for 59 yards in the first half, while Hall had thrown two interceptions. The Cougar coaching staff recognized this, and started running the ball more in the second half.
BYU took the second half kickoff and drove 66 yards in 10 plays. Six of those plays, Unga carried the ball for a total of 49 yards. The drive ended on a four-yard pass from Hall to So'oto.
The Cougar defense made halftime adjustments as well. UNLV didn't get a single first down the entire third quarter.
BYU, on the other hand, scored every time it had the ball in the quarter. Sticking with the run-heavy approach, the Cougars drained nearly seven minutes off the clock as they moved down the field. A five-yard run by Tonga got the ball down to the two-yard line, but the run was brought back by a holding penalty. BYU could not overcome the penalty, and had to settle for a field goal to make it 17-6.
BYU got the ball back with 10 seconds to play in the third quarter. In those 10 seconds, Hall completed a 39-yard pass to Pitta to move the ball down to the UNLV 21-yard line. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Hall was intercepted at the goal line.
UNLV was able to pick up a first down following the interception, but just one. The Running Rebels punted the ball back to BYU with 12:04 to play in the game.
BYU kept the ball on the ground this time. Fifteen plays later, Unga scored from five yards out. BYU had now scored 17 straight points, and with 3:15 to play led 24-6.
The Running Rebels weren't going to quit, and with 1:11 to play scored their first touchdown of the game. They added a two-point conversion to make the final score 24-14.
BYU finished the night with 227 yards rushing, which was 13 yards more than UNLV's total offense for the night. In fact, Hall's 214 passing yards were just three yards shy of matching the Running Rebels' 217 total offense.
Other notable stats: BYU was 9 of 15 on converting third downs, and had a 37:24 time of possession.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Unga's 15-yard catch on 3rd and 6 that was the catalyst for BYU's first scoring drive.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Harvey Unga--25 carries, 177 yards (7.1 YPC), 1 TD; 5 receptions, 44 yards
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