But Collie said he's not carrying a yard calculator during games.

"Honestly, I want to help out my team in the best way possible. I feel the better I play the more I help out the team, and other players feel the same way," said Collie. "Do I ask myself that? How many yards? Nah. I catch the balls thrown my way and make the plays."

Collie said the most important statistic for the offense is third-down conversions. In that regard, the Cougars were 6-of-13, below 50 percent, and below expectations.

"Mike (Reed) and I had a lot of responsibilities in this game because we faced a lot of third-and-longs today. Honestly, that is the most important because it shows we are driving down the field and we are executing."

Pitta, honored last week nationally for his play as a tight end in a win at CSU, caught five passes for 59 yards, most of them key third-down conversions. Reed, who finished his home-field career, had five catches for 95 yards, his longest a 56-yard bomb from Hall.

Collie said the Cougars have their sights on a MWC championship for the third straight season.

"We got a shot," he said. "We just have to continue to prepare, beat Air Force and take it week to week."

"I thought we were a little bit sporadic," said Higgins of BYU's offense. "But we made plays when we needed to make plays. We took advantage of their turnovers and scored. Any time you can score 41 points, you're happy."

Higgins said the key numbers of 41 points, a 8-1 record and 18 straight wins at home are something he can enjoy this weekend.

The home win steak is important "because the kids now believe every time they come in here they are going to win no matter who comes in, that we're going to find a way to win in this place."

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E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com