PROVO — On a record-setting day, BYU turned in the kind of performance it desperately needed — one week after squeaking past lowly New Mexico and one week before its rivalry showdown with Utah.
In the No. 19 Cougars' 38-21 victory over Air Force on Saturday afternoon at LaVell Edwards Stadium, quarterback Max Hall etched his name into the record books, becoming the school's all-time leader in career victories with 30 — eclipsing former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer.
And running back Harvey Unga, despite being hampered by an ankle sprain, became BYU's all-time leading rusher, surpassing Curtis Brown.
The Cougar offense set the tone early and Hall torched an Air Force squad, which entered Saturday's game ranked No. 1 in the nation in passing defense, for 377 yards through the air along with five touchdown passes.
For its part, the BYU defense forced four Falcon turnovers against a team that had turned the ball over only seven times all year before Saturday.
Put it all together, and it was a big win for the Cougars.
"We limited big plays and made (Air Force) drive the ball on us. Everyone just played hard all around," said BYU safety Andrew Rich, who recorded two interceptions, seven tackles and a pass break-up. "When the offense plays well and puts up points against a team like Air Force that has to run the ball, it puts them in situations they're not comfortable with. Credit to our offense for putting points up early."
BYU jumped out to a 24-0 lead and cruised from there. The Cougars improved to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in Mountain West Conference play, while the Falcons fell to 7-5 and 5-3.
"BYU played exceptionally well today," said Air Force coach Troy Calhoun. "They came out as a greased-up, physical team, and their execution was exceptional. For us to win a game like this, we have got to be at top-notch level. I think we can be a program that is capable of winning games like this, so we have got to take this game and learn from it."
Unlike last week in Albuquerque, the Cougars played with passion — and it showed.
"In New Mexico, it was a little rough," Unga said. "We weren't having as much fun as we should have been. We tried to make that an emphasis today to play poised and confident and just play a fun football game."
BYU started fast, taking the opening kickoff and marching all the way down to the Air Force 15. But a Hall touchdown pass to Dennis Pitta was nullified due to a pass interference call on wide receiver Spencer Hafoka. The drive ended when Mitch Payne's 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
The Cougars got on the scoreboard on their next possession on a 49-yard Payne field goal.
Early in the second quarter, BYU went up 10-0 on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Hall to Pitta after Shawn Doman recovered a fumble by AFA quarterback Tim Jefferson.
The Cougars increased their lead after Rich picked off a Jefferson pass and returned it 24 yards to the Falcons' 16-yard line. One play later, Pitta hauled in a 16-yard TD pass from Hall to make it 17-0.
"We knew coming into the game that they were plus-18 in turnover margin. That's how they win ballgames," Rich said. "They play really good defense and they don't turn the ball over. We knew that we had to force turnovers and give our offense chances because they have a good defense. Fortunately, we were able to get our helmets on some balls and some interceptions. It was a big momentum swing when we got turnovers."
The Falcons drove into BYU territory on their next possession, but came away empty-handed after a missed 39-yard field goal attempt.
BYU capitalized, covering 80 yards in six plays and 2:38 to build a 24-0 advantage on a nine-yard TD catch by Luke Ashworth.
Air Force finally got on the scoreboard moments later when backup quarterback Ben Cochran, who replaced Jefferson, threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Josh Cousins to cut the deficit to 24-7 just before halftime.
In the second half, the Air Force defense switched from zone to man coverage, which opened things up for the wide receivers. The Cougars added a pair of touchdowns in the final two quarters — a 10-yard catch by O'Neill Chambers and a nine-yarder to tight end Andrew George.
While Hall threw two interceptions, it was a memorable day for him.
Asked about becoming BYU's all-time winningest quarterback, Hall said, "I feel blessed. I'm grateful to play on good teams here. It's special. I'll always remember my career here, and that's one of the things I'll remember."
Pitta praised Hall and his accomplishments.
"He is well-deserving of that (record). I hope people appreciate all he's done for our program and for our team," said Pitta, who caught nine passes for 111 yards and two TDs. "He's been a tremendous leader and a tremendous competitor. I feel lucky to have been able to play with a guy like that. The numbers speak for themselves. He's going to go down as the winningest quarterback in BYU history. And when you stack him up to a lot of those names that came before him, that's pretty impressive."
Said coach Bronco Mendenhall: "I'm glad Max is our quarterback. What's he accomplished hasn't been easy. I hope he is appreciated more when he's gone, but right now I think he's doing an amazing job."
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