Facing in-state FCS foe Utah Tech, BYU struggled before pulling away in the second half to pick up its sixth win of the season.
Led by a career night from Jaren Hall, the Cougar offense was able to keep the Trailblazers’ defense in check.
After falling behind 6-0, BYU took the lead early in the second quarter before Utah Tech regained the lead 13-7.
The Cougars took a 14-13 lead at the 8:53 mark of the second quarter before the Trailblazers added another score of their own for the 20-14 advantage.
BYU battled back, however, scoring a pair of touchdowns over the final 3:15 of the half to take a 28-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Second half
Following a valiant effort from Utah Tech in the first half to keep the game close, the second half was all BYU.
The Cougars tallied three touchdowns before the Trailblazers answered with one, making the score 45-26 after a failed Utah Tech two-point attempt.
BYU added the final touches on the win with under a minute left, when Terence Fall added a 25-yard touchdown run to seal the 52-26 victory.
As mentioned previously, Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall lit up the Utah Tech defense, completing 23-of-35 passes for 456 yards, 5 touchdowns, and an interception. Hall also added a rushing touchdown against the Trailblazers.
Keanu Hill was Hall’s favorite target on the day, catching six passes for 137 yards and three scores. Christopher Brooks added 102 yards rushing for the BYU offensive attack.
With the big win, the Cougars are now bowl-eligible with a 6-5 record. With no direct bowl tie-in during their final year as an independent program, BYU could be selected for a number of different games for bowl season.
Up next
BYU (6-5) will travel to Stanford (3-8) to close out the regular season.
The matchup will take place on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m. MT and can be seen on FS1.
