2009 Brigham Young Football

Notebook: Wind caused problems for everyone: MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:; Wed, Dec 23, 2009 (2:05 a.m.); By Ray Brewer, Case Keefer; The teams and fans weren’t the only people annoyed by the 45 mile per hour winds that accompanied BYU’s 44-20 victory against Oregon State in the 2009 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Tuesday.

Oregon State, senior QB struggle with wind in bowl loss: Wednesday, December 23, 2009; By Ray Brewer; This is not how quarterback Sean Canfield pictured the end of his Oregon State football career. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound lefty entered Tuesday's MAACO Bowl Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium looking to cap one of the most prolific passing seasons in Beaver history by leading the team to its sixth-straight bowl victory. But 45-mph wind gusts and a suffocating BYU defense proved too much to overcome in a 44-20 defeat. Canfield entered having completed 70 percent of his passes for 3,103 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2009, but struggled adding to those numbers in his final collegiate game.

Hall, BYU win third Las Vegas Bowl in five years: Unbothered by the wind, Hall puts together a signature performance; Tuesday, December 22, 2009; By Case Keefer; BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall found it hard to sum up the career and legacy of senior quarterback Max Hall in the week leading up to the 2009 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas. Sure, Hall held the school’s all-time record for victories by a quarterback with 31 and directed the Cougars to three straight 10-win seasons. But Mendenhall wasn’t able to select a single definitive performance from Hall.

BYU wins 2009 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas in dominating fashion: LIVE GAME BLOG: Hall throws for three touchdowns; Tuesday, December 22, 2009; By Case Keefer; What was supposed to be one of the most competitive bowl games of the year turned out to be a rout Tuesday night at Sam Boyd Stadium. BYU easily took care of Oregon State in the 2009 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, 44-20.

Motivation runs high for both BYU and Oregon State: MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:; Tuesday, December 22, 2009; By Case Keefer; For BYU, tonight's MAACO Las Vegas Bowl is a chance to gain more national prominence and prove last year's loss in the same bowl was a fluke. For Oregon State, it's an opportunity to make amends for its devastating regular season-ending defeat to rival Oregon. Both the Cougars and the Beavers feel like they still have much to prove heading into tonight's 5 p.m. game Sam Boyd Stadium.

Senior quarterbacks to share spotlight in bowl game: MAACO Bowl Las Vegas: Hall, Canfield have both put together impressive seasons; Sunday, December 20, 2009; By Case Keefer; Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield has never met BYU quarterback Max Hall, but Canfield feels comfortable speaking for Hall and himself when it comes to a prediction for Tuesday’s MAACO Bowl Las Vegas. “We’re going to have a shootout,” Canfield said.

BYU's Mendenhall to face off against alma mater: MAACO Bowl Las Vegas: Not the first encounter between Mendenhall and Riley; Friday, December 18, 2009; By Case Keefer; Oregon State coach Mike Riley admits he made a mistake. When Riley became the head coach at Oregon State in 1997, he scheduled a quick interview with a young up-and-coming defensive coach left over from the previous staff. His name was Bronco Mendenhall, an Oregon State graduate who would eventually lead BYU to four straight 10-win seasons.

BYU energized for fifth straight bowl in Las Vegas: MAACO BOWL LAS VEGAS:; Friday, December 11, 2009; By Case Keefer; Forget about last year. That was the predominant theme surrounding BYU’s appearance at the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas press conference Thursday at ESPN Zone. The Cougars appeared sluggish in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl and fell to the Arizona Wildcats, 31-21. But BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall was adamant that this year would be different.

Harvey Unga puts on show for BYU fans in 'Provo West': UNLV FOOTBALL: Junior tailback punishes Rebels again with three touchdown runs; Sunday, October 11, 2009; By Rob Miech; At less than full speed and on the road, it would have been understandable if BYU junior running back Harvey Unga struggled Saturday night. Then again, the Cougars were in Provo West, or Sam Boyd Stadium. And the foe was UNLV, with one of the worst defenses in the nation.

BYU quarterback has a ball — at UNLV's expense: UNLV Football: Max Hall carves up Rebels defense for 320 yards and two touchdowns; Sunday, October 11, 2009; By Case Keefer; Max Hall clenched his fist, threw a punch into the air and spun around. Hall, BYU’s senior quarterback, had no reason to hide his enthusiasm after his second touchdown pass of the night in BYU’s 59-21 victory against UNLV. Carving up the Rebels defense for 320 yards and two touchdowns on 21-for-31 passing was a blast.

BYU's high-powered offense will test a beleaguered UNLV defense: REBELS FOOTBALL:; Saturday, October 3, 2009; By Ryan Greene; UNLV will be licking several wounds when it returns to Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday night following a 63-28 drubbing at the hands of rival UNR — mostly on the defensive side of the ball. And it doesn't get any easier, as No. 18 BYU comes to town next Saturday night with an offense as high-powered as it gets.

Cougars bounce back in 48-23 win over Rams: MWC Football: BYU vs Colorado State:; Sunday, September 27, 2009; By Doug Alden - AP Sports writer; BYU scored off enough of Colorado State's mistakes early that it didn't matter much when the 19th-ranked Cougars started making some gaffes of their own. The Cougars converted two interceptions and a blocked punt into touchdowns in the first quarter, then held on in the second half for a 42-23 victory over the Rams on Saturday.

Ponder leads FSU over No. 7 BYU 54-28: Saturday, September 19, 2009; Associated Press; Florida State ran away with No. 7 BYU's BCS hopes. The Seminoles were too fast for the Cougars on Saturday, scoring every time they got inside the 20 and forcing five turnovers in a 54-28 win that crushed BYU's BCS hopes.

No. 9 BYU rolls to 54-3 victory over Tulane: BYU Football:; Saturday, September 12, 2009; Associated Press; Everything was working for Brigham Young on Saturday. The No. 9 Cougars got two touchdown passes from Max Hall, and Bryan Kariya and J.J. DiLuigi each scored twice on the way to a 54-3 beating of Tulane.

BYU injures Bradford, upsets No. 3 Oklahoma, 14-13: BYU Football:; Sunday, September 6, 2009; Associated Press; Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford sprained his throwing shoulder in the closing seconds of the first half, and a mediocre performance by his backup, a questionable decision by coach Bob Stoops and a late meltdown by OU's defense let Max Hall and the 20th-ranked BYU Cougars pull out a 14-13 victory Saturday night in the first college football game at Cowboys Stadium.