Freshman carries BYU to win

ATLANTA - Jamaal Williams hardly played his age, and it couldn't have come at a better time for Brigham Young.

"I really don't think of myself as 17," the freshman running back said. "I think of myself as a college football player. I'm trying to make it as far as I can."

Williams scored four touchdowns, quarterback Riley Nelson accounted for two TDs, and BYU snapped a two-game losing streak with a 41-17 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday.

The Cougars (5-4) recovered from last week's three-point loss at No. 5 Notre Dame by holding Georgia Tech's triple-option attack without a rushing touchdown for the first time in two years and without an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2008.

Georgia Tech (3-5) failed on all 10 of its third-down tries while its defense was gouged for 411 yards.

"I was really encouraged, starting Monday, with our team's mindset," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I could tell in our team meeting that they were really determined."

BYU, which began the afternoon with the nation's fourth-ranked defense, finally got a break on the road after losing its past three away games by a combined seven points.

The Cougars never trailed after opening with a 17-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Williams converting a fourth-and-goal from the 6.

Their lead grew to 38-17 on the fourth quarter's first snap when Nelson and Williams hooked up for a 39-yard TD. Catching the shovel pass on the right side, Williams reached the end zone without a threat.

Williams ran 28 times for 107 yards. Nelson completed 19 of 28 passes for 204 yards and helped BYU's offense convert nine of 16 third-down attempts.

Georgia Tech's Jamal Golden returned a second-quarter kickoff for a 97-yard touchdown.

Georgia Tech, which entered with nation's No. 3 rushing attack, had 117 yards rushing - 223 off their average.