BYU football: Offense regains its form on third down

PROVO — This time, BYU outperformed its opponent in the battle of third-down conversions.

A week ago, the Cougars watched Florida State convert 12 of 15 third-down attempts in a 54-28 loss. On Saturday, in a 42-23 victory over Colorado State, BYU made good on 11 of 16 on third downs, including a perfect four-for-four during a key drive in the fourth quarter.

Nursing a 28-17 lead, the Cougars had third-and-6 and gained 21 yards on a catch by O'Neill Chambers. On third-and-11, Chambers came through again with a 12-yard grab. On third-and-7, Hall scrambled for eight yards. And on third-and-16, Harvey Unga scampered 16 yards for a first down.

The drive ended with a 2-yard run by Unga that put BYU up 35-17 with 7:04 remaining.

"It was remarkable," coach Bronco Mendenhall said of that possession. "Those kinds of plays are what make a great football team."

CSU, meanwhile, was seven of 17 on third downs.

SPEAKING OF FLORIDA STATE: Killing time Saturday morning, Hall watched South Florida upset No. 18 Florida State, 17-7, in Tallahassee. That would be the same Seminole squad that walloped BYU last week in Provo by 26 points.

How does that happen?

"I know (FSU) spent a lot of time on us. It was a big game for them," Hall said. "Sometimes maybe it's hard to come off something like that. You use up everything you've got.

"I was disappointed to see them lose. We wanted them to win. But in college football, you've got to show up every week."

SPECIAL TEAMS STARS: Holder Matt Marshall blocked a punt in the first quarter, while third-string quarterback Brenden Gaskins made a tackle on a kickoff.

PITTA'S PERFORMANCE: Tight end Dennis Pitta has now caught a pass in 34 consecutive games, dating back to his freshman year in 2004. He finished with five catches for 59 yards and an 18-yard touchdown.

That TD reception was his first since BYU's 45-42 victory over CSU last season.

HOME STREAK CONTINUES: While the Cougars saw their 18-game home winning streak crash to a halt last week, they have now won 13-straight home conference games.

"It's always one thing we take pride in, to play our best at Edwards Stadium," Unga said.

BYU is now 6-1 in its past seven MWC openers.