In a battle of Top 25 teams and future Big 12 opponents, BYU showed they will be a valuable addition to the conference next year.

On Saturday night, the Cougars recorded one of the biggest wins in program history. Hosting a Top 10 team for the first time since 2017 (No. 10 Wisconsin), BYU came out on top over a Top 10 foe at home for the first time since taking down No. 1 Miami in 1990.

Here’s a breakdown of how BYU notched one of the best – and perhaps most important – victories in school history.

BYU Football: 2022 game-by-game predictions

First Half:

BYU received the opening kickoff and proceeded to drive down the field 65 yards, resulting in a 27-yard field goal by Jake Oldroyd for the 3-0 lead.

The rest of the opening quarter and much of the second were filled with defensive stops and punts. Both teams struggled to move the ball throughout most of the first half until the last drive by each team. Baylor’s final drive of the half was a 68-yard scoring drive capped off by a Qualan Jones 1-yard touchdown run. The extra point was missed by Isaiah Hankins however, making the score at 6-3.

The Cougars responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive of their own. The score came on a beautiful 20-yard pass from Jaren Hall to Chase Roberts to close out the half with BYU leading 10-6.

Second Half:

Baylor took their opening drive of the second half and went 77 yards for another score. The touchdown was another Qualan Jones rush from seven yards out to put the Bears up 13-10.

The Cougars responded via a Jake Oldroyd 39-yard field goal on the ensuing drive to tie the game at 13.

After a Baylor punt, BYU again drove 54 yards down the field, but this time the Cougars were able to add six to the scoreboard. The touchdown came on a well-designed trick play, where Jaren Hall threw a screen pass to Chase Roberts who then threw the ball back to Hall who ran it in from 22 yards out for the 20-13 advantage.

However, on the following drive, the Bears would match the Cougars’ touchdown with one of their own.

Marching 79 yards down the field, Ben Sims caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Blake Shapen with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game to tie the score at 20.

Each team then had a chance with the football on offense, but could not take advantage. After receiving a Baylor punt, BYU had a chance to drive the field with just over two minutes remaining to seal the win. They were able to move the ball 72 yards up the field and chew up most of the clock, allowing the Cougars’ kicker Jake Oldroyd a chance to win the game. With 18 seconds remaining, he lined up a 35-yard field goal, but missed the attempt and sent the game to overtime.

BYU Football season preview: Is this finally the year?

First Overtime

The Bears started the first overtime period on offense, but the Cougars’ defense came up big and forced them to attempt a 43-yard field goal. The field goal try was hooked left by Isaiah Hankins, turning the ball over to BYU with no points scored.

The Cougars now had the ball at the Baylor 25-yard line with a chance to win the game by scoring any points. They knew that they were already in field goal range so they played conservatively and let kicker Jake Oldroyd attempt another field goal to win the game. This one was from 37 yards away, but Oldroyd missed yet again. The missed attempt would send the game into a second overtime period.

Second Overtime

The Cougars would start with the ball this overtime and proceed to score a touchdown off of a 3-yard rush by Lopini Katoa. BYU would have to attempt a 2-point conversion that was an unsuccessful throw from Hall to Isacc Rex. With BYU now leading 26-20, Baylor had the pressure of trying to match the Cougars’ touchdown to keep themselves alive in this game.

However, the Cougar defense would come up big again in the second overtime period. After the Bears got to the BYU 5-yard line, the Cougar defense would stand tall. They stopped the Bears for no gain on the first down play, while second down would be only a one-yard gain on the ground for the Bears. This is where the Cougar fans would make their impact as Baylor would be flagged for a false start, making it third down and nine. The third down play resulted in a gain of three yards, setting up a fourth-and-goal from the six. At this point, Lavell Edwards Stadium was rocking and the Bears would commit another false start penalty.

It all came down to a fourth-and-goal from the 11-yard line for Baylor. Blake Shapen would drop back to pass but would overthrow his receiver in the end zone. securing a 26-20 BYU victory as the fans rushed the field.

Key Takeaways

The highlight of the game for the Cougars was their defense, which held the Bears to just 289 total yards and 20 points. If the defense can keep up this level of play, they can compete with any team in the country. On the offensive side of the ball, the highlight was receiver Chase Roberts. Roberts was a favorite target of Hall’s in the game and would total 122 receiving yards and a touchdown. He also had a 22-yard passing touchdown to Jaren Hall on the third-quarter trick play.

No. 25 BYU Defeats South Florida — Here’s All The Best Reactions

Final Thoughts

As a BYU fan, I am extremely impressed with the effort of this team. They continue to fight through whatever adversity comes their way. After hearing that the Cougars would be without their two top receivers for this game in Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney, many believed that the team would struggle against the reigning Big 12 champion Bears. This was not the case as the team rallied around the players that they had available to them. A lot of players stepped up and filled big roles to help pull off this incredible win. I was able to attend this game and it is something that I will never forget. 

Up Next: 

The No. 21 Cougars (2-0) head to Oregon to face the Ducks (1-1) on Saturday, Sep. 17. The game is set to kickoff at 1:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on FOX.

BYU Football: What We Learned In The Record-Setting Win Over South Florida

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR