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BYU Blocks UCLA Comeback

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The Associated Press

Published: December 23, 2007

LAS VEGAS - Eathyn Manumaleuna blocked a field goal as time expired to give No. 19 BYU a 17-16 victory against UCLA on Saturday night in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Kai Forbath had kicked field goals of 52 and 50 yards to keep the Bruins in it and UCLA drove almost the length of the field in the final 2 minutes to line up Forbath for the potential winner. But Manumaleuna got his hand on the kick and the Cougars got their first win against the Bruins since Steve Young was the quarterback.
Max Hall threw for two touchdowns and the Cougars (11-2) closed the season with their 10th straight win despite getting shut out in the second half and having their lowest offensive output of the year.

BYU managed just 265 yards against the Bruins (6-7), who were playing for interim coach and defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker. If it was Walker's only game as UCLA's coach, it was a memorable one.

The Bruins forced two turnovers, pressured Hall all game and nearly pulled off the upset with their fourth-string quarterback.

Walk-on McLeod Bethel-Thompson drove the Bruins from their own 2 in the final 2 minutes, completing an 36-yard pass to Logan Paulsen on a third-and-8 play with 30 seconds left to give UCLA a chance at finishing with a winning record.

It didn't quite happen. Forbath's kick was low enough for Manumaleuna to get a piece of it and keep the ball from getting through the uprights. Forbath had three field goals.

New Mexico Ends Postseason Drought

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - For Coach Rocky Long, it was just the next game, another brick to continue building his program.

For delighted New Mexico fans, it marked the end of a 46-year skid.
Paul Baker ran for 167 yards in his first start, and Donovan Porterie threw for career-high 354 yards and two touchdowns to help New Mexico beat Nevada 23-0 in the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday.

The Lobos (9-4) ended a 46-year span without a postseason victory and gave Long, the team's 10th-year coach, his first bowl win in five tries.

"It gets it off our back. We don't have to listen to it anymore," Long said. "But this program was good before we won today."

Long was both defiant and jovial in the interview room, scolding reporters for focusing on the bowl losses - including Long's 0-4 mark before Saturday.

John Sullivan made field goals from 53, 39 and 37 yards, but give credit to New Mexico's defense, which delivered just the second shutout loss for Nevada under Hall of Fame coach Chris Ault.

The Wolf Pack (6-7) hadn't gone scoreless since losing 10-0 to Weber State on Sept. 27, 1980, a span of 329 games - the longest current streak in college football and the second longest in history.

It's the first time Nevada was shut out since moving to Division I-A in 1992.

It was New Mexico's first bowl victory since beating Western Michigan 28-12 in the 1961 Aviation Bowl at Dayton, Ohio. The Lobos also notched a nine-win season for just the fourth time in school history.

New Mexico's defenders pestered redshirt freshman quarterback Colin Kaepernick all afternoon.

The Wolf Pack averaged 36.2 points and 488.9 yards during the season. Nevada had logged 23 scoring plays that covered at least 25 yards.

This time, Nevada had 210 total yards, with only 73 yards rushing.

Cincinnati Rolls Past Southern Miss, 31-21

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Ben Mauk and No. 20 Cincinnati spoiled Jeff Bower's farewell.

Mauk passed for 334 yards and four touchdowns and DeAngelo Smith intercepted three passes, leading the Bearcats to a 31-21 victory against Southern Miss and its outgoing coach in the Papajohns.com Bowl.

The victory gave Cincinnati (10-3) its second 10-win season and first since 1951, while virtually assuring a spot in the final rankings for the first time.

Mauk completed 30 of 52 passes and overcame three interceptions to become only the third Bearcats player to have a 3,000-yard passing season. It was a nice finish for the former Wake Forest starter and for first-year Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly, but a tough one for Southern Miss (7-6).

This was the final game for Bower after 17 seasons at his alma mater, a stay that ranks behind only that of Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden and Frank Beamer among current coaches. Bower was forced to resign after a disappointing regular season.

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