After an embarrassing performance against Oregon on the road, a lot of questions were being asked about this BYU team.
How would the Cougars bounce back? Would they be able to establish the running game after only rushing for 61 yards last week? Would the team play inspired after looking flat in Eugene?
This game was an opportunity for BYU to regain the momentum that they had prior to the Oregon game, as they were favored to win the game against Wyoming by 21 points. This team needed to come out fast and play inspired football to remind everyone, especially themselves, that they have a good team this year. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the woes from last week carried over to the beginning of the Wyoming game.
First half
At the start of the game, Wyoming was able to have their way against the Cougar front seven in the running game, similar to how Oregon exposed the Cougar run defense. This resulted in Wyoming being the first team to score. They drove down the field 57 yards on their opening touch of the football, resulting in a 28-yard field goal from John Hoyland.
Meanwhile, the Cougars’ offense stalled on its first two possessions, going three and out on each. Although the offense was still having struggles, especially in establishing the run, the defense stepped up to keep the Cowboys from increasing their lead. The BYU offense would finally find its rhythm on their third drive, going down the field 91 yards which resulted in a six-yard rushing touchdown from Chris Brooks and a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.
That lead would be taken back by Wyoming early in the second period, after a four-yard touchdown run from Wyatt Wieland following a 75-yard drive. They would hold the lead throughout most of the second quarter until BYU would find the end zone again with only four seconds remaining before halftime. This touchdown came from receiver Brayden Cosper on a three-yard reception, with quarterback Jaren Hall throwing a fantastic ball to allow for Cosper to score.
The Cougars would take a 14-10 lead into the halftime break. Although BYU had the lead at intermission, the feeling was not pleasant for Cougar fans. The team had been beaten up physically again at the line of scrimmage and when they started there was little rhythm on either side of the ball.
Second half
After not performing the way that they wanted in the first half, the Cougars came out of halftime looking more determined. The offense was finally able to establish a rushing attack after struggling to do so for the last two weeks. That would allow for the passing game to open up as well, with Jaren Hall having another big game.
The third quarter was dominated by BYU, where they scored two touchdowns to increase their lead to 28-10. The first one was a three-yard receiving score from receiver Kody Epps that capped an 83-yard drive. The second came from receiver Keanu Hill on a nine-yard reception from Jaren Hall. The defense played an important role in allowing for the Cougars to take the commanding lead into the fourth quarter. They forced Wyoming to punt twice after very short drives.
The 18-point lead for the Cougars would prove to be too much for a struggling Cowboys offense. Wyoming scored two touchdowns trying to make the comeback happen, the first being a 19-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Andrew Peasley to Treyton Welch. The second was another passing touchdown from Peasley, who this time found Joshua Cobbs from four yards out.
The Cougars would add one more touchdown in this one, a massive 68-yard deep shot from Hall to Keanu Hill, the second time the pair connected for a score on the day. The Cougars would add a 25-yard field goal from Justen Smith to close out the 38-24 win.
BYU Football: Analyzing ESPN’s FPI predictions over the years
Positives
The rushing game finally was able to find some life behind the legs of running back Miles Davis. Davis had 131 yards on the ground, rushing the ball 13 times. The team as a whole had 188 yards rushing, so Davis’ contribution was much needed for a struggling rush attack.
Davis is only a freshman but has looked to be the most explosive back so far this season for the Cougars and they will need him to continue rushing the ball effectively for this offense to reach its full capability. Another positive is that the defense was finally able to cause some pushback in the run game in the second half. They imposed their will and looked to be a lot more inspired after being throttled in the Oregon game and again in the first half of this one.
Negatives
Even with the win, the team has things to work on before playing against Utah State next week. The penalties were a big problem, with BYU having 11 flags thrown against them for 109 total penalty yards. This isn’t usual for this veteran team but it will surely be a focus for the coaches this week.
Another negative from this one was the slow start that the Cougars had. They were able to overcome this and win by 14, however, they may not be able to do this when facing some tougher competition that remains on the schedule. This needs to be addressed by the coaches or it may result in another game like the one we saw last week in Eugene.
The biggest negative of all was losing receiver Puka Nacua to another injury. In his first game back after a high ankle sprain suffered against USF in the season opener, Puka was not used much. While he was on the field he looked to be the explosive playmaker that BYU fans have grown accustomed to seeing. Sadly, Nacua had to leave the game after suffering what appears to be another injury to his ankle. He is such a valuable weapon for the Cougars and they will hope that he can return soon after what has been a rough start to the year for him.
What’s next?
This week will be a quick turnaround for the Cougars, as they face off against Utah State on Thursday, Sep. 29 at home.
BYU will look to correct their mistakes against a struggling Aggies team that is currently 1-3 on the year.
The game will kick off at 6 p.m. MT and can be seen on ESPN.
State of Utah FBS college football: 2022 schedule breakdown and predictions
