Linebacker Kyle Van Noy recovered a fumble by San Diego State quarterback Adam Dingwell in the end zone early in the fourth quarter for the game's first touchdown and returned an interception of a Dingwell pass later in the quarter for a second score in a 23-6 victory in the Poinsettia Bowl Thursday at Qualcomm Stadium.
Van Noy hit Dingwell as he was attempting to pass, then recovered the loose ball with 12 minutes, 32 seconds to play.
A Dingwell fumble led to the Cougars' second touchdown 17 seconds later. Jordan Johnson recovered Dingwell's fumble on the Aztecs' first play after the kickoff and Jamaal Williams ran 14 yards for a touchdown one play later.
Van Noy returned an interception 17 yards for a touchdown with 6:09 left.
San Diego State (9-4) took a 6-0 lead on 27- and 23-yard field goals by Chance Marden in the first and second quarters. Justin Sorensen kicked a 23- yard field goal for Brigham Young (8-5) as time expired in the first half.
Dingwell had three passes intercepted in addition to his two fumbles. He completed 12 of his 29 passes for 144 yards.
Adam Muema ran for a game-high 103 yards on 26 carries for the Aztecs, who were out-gained 296 yards to 263 and trailed 17-13 in first downs.
San Diego State converted two of 15 third downs, while the Cougars converted 10 of 19.
Brigham Young quarterback James Lark completed 23 of 42 passes for 244 yards and had two passes intercepted.
The loss ended the Aztecs' seven-game winning streak, their longest since a seven-game winning streak from Nov. 15, 1980-Oct. 10, 1981, and ended their hopes of their first 10-victory season since 1972.
San Diego State played in a bowl game for a school-record third consecutive year. This was the 11th time the Aztecs have played in a bowl game and the seventh since moving to the Division I level before the 1969 season.
The Cougars played in a bowl game for the eighth consecutive year and 31st time, including 11 appearances in San Diego's Holiday Bowl.
Brigham Young leads the series, 28-7-1, including victories in each of the past six games.
–City News Service
