Originally published November 5, 2015.
There were as many laughs as there were cheers as BYU thrashed the Wagner Seahawks. The final score of 70-6 was pretty much expected, and there were, in general, few surprises. The only injury to speak of for BYU came when Algernon Brown ran for a 37-yard touchdown. As he tried to slow himself down following the score, he slipped and slid right into the George Q. Cannon, BYU’s blue howitzer, lacerating his knee in the process. He is apparently fine and is fully expected to play against San Jose State. So dominant was Brown that it seemed like the only thing that could bring him down was the beloved cannon. There wasn’t really any other intrigue in this one. Like East Carolina, Wagner attempted to run a two-quarterback system on the Cougar defense. Unlike East Carolina, Wagner gained just 129 yards of total offense, six first downs, and six points. Here are some takeaways from the beatdown:
First, any time the offense puts up 70 points, it's impressive. The Cougars set a new scoring high for the Mendenhall era, surpassing the previous record of 64 points scored against Savannah State last year. Tanner Mangum’s hamstring was still sore, so the staff obviously wanted to bench him ASAP. Even with Mangum playing hurt, it must have still been a relief to the Wagner defense when he sat down with 9:19 to play—in the first half. At that point, Francis Bernard’s 1-yard TD run had given BYU a 42-0 advantage. But if Wagner thought they’d get a break now that Mangum was gone, they were mistaken. As they started their new drive, Jordan Praetor picked off a pass on the sideline. Beau Hoge capped off the ensuing drive with a touchdown run, and it was 49-0 at halftime. The Cougars ended up with 741 yards of total offense (411 passing, 330 rushing), which was the fourth-best total yardage in school history—but few kept watching long enough to see it play out. Roll Credits.
The BYU defense was dominant. One of the biggest keys to running a two-quarterback system is an offensive line which can both protect the passer and open gaps for the running QB. Wagner’s could do neither. Va’a Niumatalolo, son of Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, recorded his first career sack, and Jordan Praetor snagged an INT. Wagner was a miserable 6 of 17 on third downs, and finished with just 129 yards of total offense, only 46 of which came through the air.
What is there to say on special teams? For the first time this year, virtually everything they did looked good. There is literally nothing to say about Jonny Linehan’s performance because he didn’t have one. Yep—BYU didn’t punt once. Michael Shelton had several impressive punt returns, including a 40-yarder, and the Cougars might look to him to provide a spark for the hitherto bland return game. The Cougars also blocked Wagner’s only PAT attempt, and Trevor Sampson was once again automatic, going 10 for 10 on extra points—tying a BYU record, with Matt Payne (2001 vs. Tulane) and Jason Chaffetz (1989 vs. Utah), for most PAT’s made in one game. What more could you ask for?
For this game, I’m giving BYU a solid A. The Cougars as a team did everything they needed to do against a winless FCS foe. Starters on offense, defense, and special teams all played well, and the backups weren’t half bad, either. This game, while likely not enough to get BYU into the top 25, should get them right to the edge. A win over San Jose State in two weeks would probably do the trick, and, if it doesn’t, a win over SEC foe Mizzou most certainly would.
Looking ahead, BYU has the opportunity for some rest and recuperation. Following their bye week, BYU will take on San Jose State on the road. The Cougar run defense will need to be stout, but this is clearly a winnable game. My prediction is 42-17, BYU.
As always, a grateful acknowledgement of cougarstats.com for the statistics used in this and all other articles.