Eight Takeaways from BYU’s win over Wyoming
Well, that was certainly a football game. It was wild, it was weird, and ultimately, it was a win. Let’s cypher through the madness and get into what I saw from BYU’s 38-24 win over Wyoming.
1. We are watching yet another generational talent at Quarterback
After Zach Wilson left for the NFL, I was fully prepared to never see another BYU quarterback that made me say “Wow” as often as he did. Turns out, I didn’t have to wait long. This was the best game of Jaren Halls career, and he’s just getting started. Through four games, he is averaging 310 total yards per game, and has accounted for 10 total touchdowns and 1 turnover. He currently has the highest touch per turnover ratio of any quarterback in BYU history by a wide margin and is the best deep ball passer in America according to PFF (min. 100 drop backs).
Enjoy it Cougar fans. We are living in the good ole days of BYU quarterbacks. But lets mayyyyyybe think about limiting him against Utah State. Just a thought based on nothing at all.
2. Ilaisa Tuiaki: King of the box score
I can’t tell you how many times I have watched BYU’s defense ready to call for Tuiaki’s job, only to look at the box score and realize that the defense was actually pretty good. The Cougars gave up 278 yards of offense. 152 of those yards came on Wyoming’s first three drives. Once BYU settled in, they were dominant. Over the final 3 quarters, BYU gave up 169 yards and 2.2 yards per carry en route to what was a more dominating defensive performance than our eyes want to admit.
3. This is the best receiving corps BYU has ever had
Without Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney, there isn’t a clear number one guy like we saw with Austin Collie or Cody Hoffman in the 2000’s, but top to bottom, I have seen enough to declare this as the best receiver room of my lifetime at a minimum. 13 players have caught passes so far this season. Of 105 catchable passes, only 2 have been dropped, good enough for the second best drop rate in college football. Every week, someone different seems to step up. This week, it was Keanu Hill. He finished the night with 5 catches, 160 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 killed career of the poor DB that got dragged 18 yards for a touchdown.
4. Another slow start
On the opening three drives of the last two games, BYU has been outscored 27-10. I don’t pretend to know enough about game planning to know the reasons, but it’s clear that BYU is getting outcoached, at least at first. BYU can overcome a slow start against Wyoming but doing so against Notre Dame or Arkansas will be a much tougher ask.
5. Worst officiating I have ever seen
Fisher Jackson batted down an Andrew Peasley pass late in the fourth quarter. Once the ball clearly hit the ground but no whistle came, BYU picked up the loose ball and returned it nearly 50 yards when a flag came flying. After a conferral that was way too long, the officials announced that the official ruling was an incomplete pass and that after the ball was “dead”, BYU committed an illegal block where the player called for the penalty never actually touched anyone. All of this resulted in a Wyoming first down.
The officiating crew was made up of a mix of Big 12 and MWC referees that had either never worked together or seen a football game for that matter. Suffice it to say, I lost my voice on Saturday, and it had nothing to do with the actual play on the field.
6. So. Many. Injuries.
Nine key contributors either didn’t play or left the game and did not return. Malik Moore broke his hand, Puka Nacua suffered an unknown leg injury, Kingsley Suamataia left with an ankle injury. It just never seemed to end. The good news is none of them have been announced as season ending, but given the nature of BYU’s injury reports, we can safely assume all of them will be game-time decisions for the next eight weeks.
7. New RB1?
Miles Davis was a revelation to what has been a stagnant BYU rushing attack. I am not quite ready to name him the full-time starter. Lets not forget another BYU ran for 130 yards this season and is currently on the bench. All that said, Davis has a much different skill set than Katoa or Brooks that makes him extremely dangerous to opposing defenses. Like I said before, I’m not ready to call him “the guy” yet, but I really like what I saw on Saturday.
8. BYU won ugly
There will be a lot of BYU fans that come away from this game upset that BYU “struggled” against and “awful Wyoming team.” I’m not sure either of those things are true. For one, Wyoming is a good G5 team. Certainly not a threat for a NY6 bid, but good enough to go bowling. Second, while the win was ugly, BYU committed no turnovers and outgained Wyoming almost 2-1. That’s not exactly struggling. The final score was much closer than the game really was, thanks to an untimely drop and some questionable officiating decisions, but at the end of the day, it was a win.
I’m a little concerned about BYU’s inability to beat an FBS team by more than 17 or score 40+ points. BYU has done this once and twice respectively over the last two seasons. The season is still young, though, and BYU’s next opponent is a prime opportunity to do both.
See you all Thursday.
