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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Unga becomes BYU's all-time leading rusher

Published: Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009 2:44 a.m. MST

PROVO — During the week of practice leading up to Saturday's game against Air Force, BYU's Harvey Unga wore a protective boot on his sprained ankle.

But that didn't stop him from running into the record books in the Cougars' 38-21 victory over the Falcons.

With three minutes remaining in the first quarter, the junior running back's five-yard run catapulted him into first place on BYU's all-time career rushing list. Unga now has 3,281 yards on 649 carries. He overtook Curtis Brown (2002, 2004-06), who had 3,221 yards on 641 carries.

"It's a great honor. Words can't explain how honored I am, to think of all the running backs that have been here," Unga said. "It's definitely something I'm going to cherish and always remember. I appreciate my offensive line for all that they do, as well as Manase (Tonga)."

Said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall: "I couldn't be more proud of him."

Unga credited the doctors and trainers for helping him rehab the ankle all week. He sat out of practice until Thursday.

For the game, Unga rushed 11 times for 67 yards. He said his ankle felt better afterward than it had the previous week against New Mexico.

"I love playing with the guy," quarterback Max Hall said of Unga. "He shows up every Saturday and it shows by the way he plays."

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