If you skipped this game and only watched Kalani Sitake's interview on the BYUtv postgame show, you could be forgiven for thinking BYU lost to a terrible West Virginia team. And yet, the 14-point final margin notwithstanding, this was never a particularly close game. BYU controlled the flow of the game throughout and didn't allow a single sustained drive from the Mountaineers. I can't remember ever seeing a BYU coach so upset after what was, for all intents and purposes, a dominant win. But I imagine that most Cougar fans, myself included, broadly agree with Coach Sitake's assessment of his team's performance.
You see, this was, in many ways, a genuinely terrible performance by this BYU team. Against a competent Big 12 opponent, this could easily have been a disheartening home loss. Fortunately, the Cougars saved their worst game of the young season for a matchup with what may be the conference's very worst team--a West Virginia squad that genuinely might not win a Big 12 game this season. While the coaching staff isn't thrilled with how the team performed, there is plenty of useful film to review from what was ultimately a fairly low-stress winning effort. And because of a wild day of Top 25 upset losses, the Cougars' mediocre performance still boosted them five spots, from 23rd to 18th, in the AP Poll. Just win, baby. Here are some thoughts from a chaotic 38-24 BYU win over West Virginia:
The Good:
Bear Bachmeier is so, so good. Yes, he threw his first career interception in this game, but he also made several of the best throws we've seen from him, including a pair of beautiful strikes to Chase Roberts that netted 85 and 47 yards. Bear came into this season perceived mostly as a running quarterback--Taysom Hill with a slightly better throwing motion but less speed. I don't think anyone outside of the coaching staff really understood Bear's level of arm talent. The kid has a cannon, and his accuracy is already beyond anything we've seen since Jaren Hall graduated. The coaches continue to open up more of his downfield passing every week, and the results so far have been pretty amazing. Bear has the makings of an all-time BYU quarterback if he keeps improving. Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston were certainly beneficiaries of Bear's improvement--Chase had four catches for 161 yards, and Parker had four for 111.
This game was incredibly unfair to the defense, which surrendered 24 points despite playing a great game. Even after both Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker were knocked out of the game, the defense still didn't give up a single sustained drive and pulled off a spectacular goal line stand on 4th down near the end of the game. West Virginia QB Khalil Wilkins had a miserable day, throwing for just 81 yards and two interceptions while posting a miserable passer rating of 65.36. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers' run game was nearly as ineffective--despite being one of the better rushing teams in the nation heading into the game, West Virginia managed just 156 yards on the ground. Absent BYU turnovers, the Mountaineers would have scored just 10 points.
This game saw Will Ferrin miss a field goal for the second straight week, but his program record streak of made PATs has reached 92 and is still climbing. Meanwhile, Cody Hagen has become a significant weapon as a kickoff returner--he averaged 26 yards per return in this game. He doesn't look especially fast, with a rather ungainly running motion, but his game speed is undeniable.
The Bad:
This game was, all things considered, a mess. As mentioned, West Virginia should only have scored ten points--unfortunately, the BYU offense spotted the Mountaineers a pair of easy touchdowns, fumbling twice inside their own 15. Jovesa Damuni lost a fumble at the BYU 11 after catching a pass in the flat, and Bear Bachmeier had an option pitch tipped and taken away on his own 15. Bear's interception was less serious--it happened deep in West Virginia territory and led to a punt--but the two fumbles supplied the bulk of the Mountaineers' scoring for the game. Above all else, I suspect it was the turnovers that frustrated Coach Sitake. Winning the turnover margin is perpetually one of his major points of emphasis, and it's clear that he expected better from his team.
The Cougars' defensive depth is starting to become a serious question mark. This doesn't apply to the linebackers, who stepped up admirably after losing Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker, but everyone else struggled when the coaches pulled their starters in the 4th quarter. West Virginia's only touchdown that wasn't gifted by a BYU turnover came in garbage time when Marcus McKenzie was burned badly by West Virginia's Cam Vaughn for a long reception. In the postgame, Coach Sitake specifically expressed displeasure with the way the 2's on defense had performed. Particularly on the line and in the secondary, the Cougars have talent at the top of the roster but are alarmingly depth-poor beyond that.
The previous point is especially concerning because injuries are starting to pile up for BYU. Jack Kelly in particular left this game with a scary-looking shoulder injury and spent the second half on the sideline in a sling; it's not clear what his prognosis is, but losing him for any substantial period would be devastating for the Cougars. Isaiah Glasker, too, was dinged up, though Coach Sitake made it sound like he was mainly held out of the second half for precautionary reasons and could have returned if needed. In addition, Anisi Purcell has now been listed as questionable for this week's Arizona game, which is bad news on a defensive line that does not have many other options. Where this season goes from here will largely depend on whether the Cougars can stay healthy, and so far, things could certainly be better.
A 14-point margin of victory wasn't what BYU fans wanted or expected from this game. BYU should have won by at least three touchdowns, and could easily have done it if not for a series of silly mistakes. This week's film sessions undoubtedly won't be fun, but should provide some great learning opportunities. And since neither the Cougars' record nor their standing in the polls was damaged, there's no real harm done.
Next up for BYU is a road game against Arizona that could be interesting for weather-related reasons. The Cougars will face off against the Wildcats right as the remnants of Hurricane Priscilla slam into southern Arizona. Torrential rain and high winds are likely, and both teams will have to contend with conditions that will definitely encourage turnovers. That could be good news for the BYU defense--as we saw last year, Arizona QB Noah Fifita can be turnover-prone when pressured. But the Cougars will have to avoid mistakes like the ones they made against West Virginia in order to have a shot in this game. I like BYU's odds--I don't think Arizona is especially scary this year, and the Cougars should control this game and win without too much trouble.