BYU football: Cougs win their 18th-straight home game by beating Aztecs

PROVO — In the moments after BYU's 41-12 rout of San Diego State on Saturday, senior linebacker David Nixon stood on the field — posing for photos with family, friends and teammates — soaking up his final game at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Smiling came easily for Nixon, who helped the Cougars cap their third consecutive undefeated season at home, which is a new school record.

"More than anything, I'm just excited for the seniors, that we were able to go undefeated these last three years," said Nixon.

In its previous two games, BYU (9-1 overall, 5-1 in the Mountain West Conference) narrowly defeated UNLV and Colorado State, needing clutch plays in the waning seconds to preserve those victories.

Against the lowly Aztecs (1-9, 0-6), though, the Cougars were in control from start to finish.

"We had a good time. That's the biggest thing," Nixon said. "That's something we've been lacking the last couple of games. Having fun.

"They've been kind of close. We wanted to come out here, dominate, have fun and go out on a great note. And I think we did."

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall was proud of his team for winning 18 home games in a row.

"Going undefeated at home was the first thing we targeted to return this program to what it used to be," Mendenhall said. "I think the three years undefeated at home speaks for itself. And it is gratifying to put a plan in place and accomplish it."

Making his final appearance in a Cougar uniform in Edwards Stadium, Nixon held nothing back, recording a career-high 14 tackles and adding an interception.

"It was an emotional day for me," Nixon said. "I knew this would be my last game here. I really wanted to perform my best, and I think it did."

"These seniors have done an amazing job of establishing this program and making it what it is right now," said junior Jan Jorgensen. "To have a guy like David Nixon play out of his mind, I couldn't be more happy for him and the rest of the guys."

Nixon's pick in the second quarter was one of four Aztec turnovers, which resulted in 24 BYU points.

The tone was set early. On the Aztecs' first play from scrimmage, the snap out of a shotgun formation smacked quarterback Ryan Lindley in the face mask and the ball was recovered by BYU's Brett Denney. The Cougars then drove 49 yards, capped by senior Fui Vakapuna's seven-yard touchdown run.