MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL

CONFERENCE STANDINGS

The Mountain West from top to bottom:

No. 14 Utah (7-0, 3-0 MWC) vs. Colorado State (3-3, 1-1): Utes scored 40 points against Wyoming despite gaining just 242 yards.

Texas Christian (6-1, 3-0) vs. No. 9 Brigham Young (6-0, 2-0), Thursday: Horned Frogs have made at least two sacks in eight consecutive games.

No. 9 BYU (6-0, 2-0) at TCU (6-1, 3-0), Thursday: Cougars have 16 shutout quarters.

Air Force (4-2, 2-1) at UNLV (3-3, 0-2): Tim Jefferson is the third Falcons freshman to ever start at quarterback in a conference game.

Colorado State (3-3, 1-1) at No. 14 Utah (7-0, 3-0): Rams safety Mike Pagnotta had a sack and interception against TCU, the fourth time in his career he had recorded both in a game.

New Mexico (3-4, 1-2) vs. San Diego State (1-5, 0-2): Usually stingy Lobos are last in the MWC in pass defense, allowing 252.1 yards per game.

UNLV (3-3, 0-2) vs. Air Force (4-2, 2-1): Omar Clayton has passed for 14 touchdowns, the most at UNLV since Jason Thomas reached that total in 2000.

San Diego State (1-5, 0-2) at New Mexico (3-4, 1-2): Aztecs are last in the MWC in rush offense (47.3 yards per game) and rush defense (271.2).

Wyoming (2-5, 0-4), off: Played four quarterbacks against Utah.

FIVE BEST PLAYERS

1. Max Hall, QB, BYU: Working on a streak of eight games with at least one touchdown pass.

2. Brian Johnson, QB, Utah: A little inconsistent, but hard to argue with the Utes’ 7-0 record.

3. Harvey Unga, RB, BYU: Has four touchdowns rushing and four receiving.

4. Jake Paulson, DL, Air Force: Leads the nation with 1.42 sacks per game.

5. Rodney Ferguson, RB, New Mexico: Only MWC back averaging more than 100 yards rushing.

THEY WROTE IT …

(Cheyenne) Wyoming Tribune Eagle sports editor Robert Gagliardi, on Cowboys coach Joe Glenn: "Glenn has one year left on his contract after this season. In the cut-throat world of recruiting, UW either has to extend Glenn’s contract or cut him loose after this season. Sending a coach out with one year on his contract is asking for failure. Perhaps Glenn sees the writing on the wall: None of his assistants will be on the road recruiting this coming week as UW is off until its Oct. 25 game at TCU. … What makes this change difficult for UW is Glenn’s popularity. He’s one of the most genuine and likable guys you will ever meet. But college football isn’t about being liked. It’s ultimately about winning games and being competitive. UW isn’t either right now. That’s why Joe must go."

Salt Lake Tribune columnist Kurt Kragthorpe, on BYU’s victory over New Mexico: "The standards are high again in Provo these days, with poll voters to impress, 64,000 fans to entertain and football games to win. Apparently, the Brigham Young Cougars still remember that last part, which is probably a good thing. Coach Bronco Mendenhall and quarterback Max Hall knew what questions would follow after Saturday’s 21-3 win over New Mexico. It all comes with being a Top 10 team: having everyone wonder about a conservative approach, a game-long struggle just to score three touchdowns and an inability to subdue an average opponent until the very end. You know what? The Cougars don’t care if anybody considers ’21-3′ inadequate, and I have to endorse their thinking."

Salt Lake Tribune columnist Gordon Monson, on which is the better team between BYU and Utah: "The window dressing known as margin of victory deserves little consideration in this or any other comparison and the fact that it gets so much of it is an indictment on the stupid system in place in college football for deciding which teams are better. For that matter, anybody who judges or compares teams based on vague and inconclusive criteria — numbers, opinion, value assignments of any kind, strength of schedule, whatever — that leans on mere appearances and guesses should be ashamed of himself. Oops. Who is the best team at this juncture, Utah or BYU? The Utes."

THEY SAID IT …

Wyoming defensive end Mitch Unrein, on his team’s struggling offense: "It’s really frustrating watching. But that’s what they call and so they’ve got to run it. They’ve just got to execute better, I guess. I really don’t know. But we’re going to keep going hard in practice against them and just see what happens. Hopefully something happens soon, because it’s turning into a long season."

New Mexico coach Rocky Long, on a controversial call on his team’s loss to BYU, a comment that drew a conference reprimand: "I don’t know if we’d have won or not. But the officials obviously blew a call that changed the entire momentum of the game. It’s criminal that they changed the momentum of the game like that. It’s ridiculous that one call can change all the momentum of the game and take the game away from one team. … We might’ve still lost the game. But it should’ve been a hell of a game right to the end, and the officials took it away from us."

BYU’s Hall, on the closer-than-expected victory over New Mexico: "UCLA spoiled us a little bit. We’re not going to win every game 59-0. … It’s very tough for us to blow anybody out, I don’t care who it is."

COMPILED BY MARK ANDERSON/REVIEW-JOURNAL