For the first time since the start of the season, CJ Santiago will be able to relax on a Saturday.

“;Thankfully it hasn't snowed yet. I might go tubing up the river,”; he said. “;Get the taste of the water. It's a little colder than back home.”;

Brigham Young's senior punter, a 2004 Saint Louis graduate, is one of nine Cougars from Hawaii enjoying the bye week after an opening month of the season that has seen the BYU football team establish itself as one of the premiere teams in the country.

After finishing last year winning their final 10 games, the Cougars were targeted as one of the most likely possibilities to replace Hawaii as this seasons' BCS bowl busters.

Their biggest obstacle was thought to be back-to-back games against Pac-10 schools Washington and UCLA early in the season. The Cougars edged the Huskies in Seattle by blocking an extra-point attempt with 2 seconds remaining in a 28-27 victory.

But where BYU really made its stand as one of the nation's top teams was a week later at home, when UCLA, fresh off a win over Tennessee, rolled into Provo and got embarrassed 59-0.

“;I really thought they were at least going to score,”; junior defensive lineman Ian Dulan (Kamehameha-Hawaii '06) said. “;As a defense, we were just trying out best and I think we just did what we had to do.”;

The lopsided score not only puts BYU in a position to play in its first major bowl game since the 1997 Cotton Bowl, but has opened the door at an outside shot to play for a national title.

BYU's recent success has brought memories of its golden days under legendary coach LaVell Edwards, who guided his teams to 10 straight WAC titles in the 1970's and 80's, and a national championship in '84.

The Cougars own the nations longest winning streak at 14 games and are thriving under the spotlight, but are quick to slow things down and focus on the present instead of looking ahead.

“;BYU was always in the limelight getting all the attention,”; said offensive lineman R.J. Willing, a 2003 Kamehameha grad. “;It's nice to get the attention, but we just focus on ourselves. We do what we can and whatever the world sees, they see. We only concern ourselves with what we have control over.”;

Dulan, Willing and Santiago have all had their hands in helping the Cougars jump out to such an impressive start.

Dulan has been relegated to coming off the bench this season after starting 12 games as a sophomore. He's still been a vital part of the BYU defense, sharing the team lead in sacks with two.

He was on the field for the final moments of the Washington game that saw the Huskies drive down the field and score an apparent game-tying touchdown with 2 seconds remaining.

Needing an extra-point to force overtime, Washington lined up for the kick, but the Cougars blocked it to escape with a one-point victory.

“;I had hope that we would block that kick,”; Dulan said.

Santiago, who was named the Mountain West Conference's Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday, calls this team the “;closest I've ever been on.”;

That became evident on the extra-point try when everyone on the side line huddled next to coach Bronco Mendenhall before the play. As soon as the kick smacked the outstretched arm of BYU's Jan Jorgensen and fell harmlessly to the turf, the group erupted in wild celebration of its first nonconference road win in six years.

“;To be honest, I don't want to sound like I knew we were going to block it, but I knew we were capable of blocking it,”; Willing said. “;When it comes down to a play like that it's a battle of will power and at that specific point our will was greater than there will.”;

Before the Cougars can get caught up in BCS talk, they still have the conference season ahead, which includes a road game against No. 24 TCU and a home game against rival Utah in the season finale.

For Santiago, who spent a year at UH out of high school before going to junior college on the mainland and ultimately ending up at BYU last year as a junior, lessons learned in the past will keep him from looking ahead to the future.

“;From making mistakes over the years when I put my focus somewhere else, it doesn't work out well for me so right now I'm just focused on doing what's best for the team,”; Santiago said.

Dulan, whose only offers out of high school came from BYU and Weber Sate, says the already high expectations put on the players by Mendenhall

“;Just doing what we do and executing at our highest performance is expected (at BYU),”; Dulan said. “;With that said, just by doing that I think we're going to have a wonderful season this year.”;

Willing, the oldest of the bunch and part of an offensive line that has allowed the Cougars to average 482 yards a game, admits a perfect season has crossed his mind.

“;Everybody is human,”; he said. “;You catch yourself thinking about (going) undefeated, but the fact that you catch yourself is the good part, because you can take your mind away from it and focus on the now.”;