Cougars on MWC hot streak

They won’t be streaking through campus, as Will Ferrell’s character “Frank the Tank” implored his fellow revelers to do in the movie “Old School,” but Brigham Young’s football team will try to continue streaking in the Mountain West Conference when it gets back in action at UNLV on Oct. 13.

The Cougars (3-2, 2-0 MWC), who have a bye this week, tied the league record for most consecutive conference wins with their 10th straight in Saturday’s 31-24 road victory over New Mexico.

BYU can set the MWC mark with a victory over the Rebels, but Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall doesn’t expect a win to come easy.

“From what I’ve watched, it appears they’re talented and playing harder, more disciplined and more inspired than what I’ve seen (in the past),” Mendenhall said Tuesday. “They’re an improved football team.”

BYU, which hasn’t lost a league game since a 41-34 overtime defeat to Utah on Nov. 19, 2005, also extended its MWC road win streak to eight games, two wins shy of the 8-year-old league record.

“It’s going to sound oversimplistic, but it’s just consistency,” Mendenhall said of his team’s success in MWC road games. “From the minute I became coach, I tried to establish a model of consistency each day, whether we’re at home or on the road, and have our preparation be the same.

“One frustrating thing early this season is we didn’t play with poise or confidence on the road (in losses at) UCLA or Tulsa.”

• DEFENSIVE STALWART — BYU senior linebacker Bryan Kehl was named the MWC Defensive Player of the Week for his play against the Lobos. The defensive co-captain made 10 tackles, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.

Kehl also gave BYU a 7-0 lead when he returned an interception 36 yards for a touchdown on the fourth play of the game.

Kehl leads the Cougars with 42 tackles, including a team-high 25 solo stops. He has five tackles for loss, including two sacks.

“Bryan was one of the reasons we won on Saturday, just in terms of the number of plays he made in critical situations and how impactful those plays were,” Mendenhall said.

• FAST STARTS — With Kehl’s interception return, BYU has scored first in 16 of its last 17 games, compiling a 14-2 mark.

• RUN TO GLORY — BYU rushed for 112 yards in Saturday’s win and improved to 93-18 when rushing for at least 100 yards since 1991. The Cougars are 17-3 under Mendenhall when rushing for 100 yards or more.

• BALANCED ATTACK — The Cougars have scored 20 touchdowns this year — 12 through the air, seven on the ground and one on defense.

Running back Manasa Tonga leads BYU with five rushing TDs. Wide receiver Austin Collie has a team-high four touchdown receptions, including a 59-yard toss from quarterback Max Hall against New Mexico that was the longest pass play of the season for the Cougars.