Rams Drop MWC Opener to BYU

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- Brigham Young couldn't stop Colorado State receiver David Anderson. Colorado State couldn't stop anyone on the BYU offense.

John Beck threw for 238 yards and Curtis Brown ran for a pair of touchdowns Saturday night to lift the Cougars to a 31-21 victory over the Rams despite Anderson's career-high 232 yards receiving.

Brown ran for 93 yards, Naufahu Tahi ran for 98 more and BYU (2-3) piled up 445 yards of offense -- a good way to set aside a forgettable showing over its first four nonconference games and win the Mountain West Conference opener for both teams.

Anderson was the star for CSU (1-4), working the middle, the sidelines and turning short catches into long gains en route to a career-high 12 catches. The 232 yards was the second-best receiving game in CSU history, behind only Greg Primus' 251 yards in 1991 against Hawaii.

Justin Holland threw for 359 yards for the Rams. He connected with Anderson on a screen pass, and Anderson used a great block from lineman Mike Brisiel to gain 40 yards and set up a touchdown that gave CSU a 21-17 lead early in the fourth quarter.

BYU needed just two plays to answer, though, covering 58 yards and capping it when Beck threw a gorgeous pass, hitting Austin Collie in stride in the back of the end zone for a 40-yard TD.

After BYU held, the Cougars got the ball back and drove to the CSU 2. They failed to convert a fourth-and-inches, but got the ball back on downs and, on the next play, took the 10-point lead when Tahi walked in from the 3.