BYU vs Washington State Wrap-Up

Run, Riley, Run! :)

The 2012 BYU football season opener is in the books, with a rather decisive 30 to 6 victory! Although, truth be told, the score should have closer than that. It wasn't as much of a blow-out as the final score shows. I actually felt kind of bad for Washington State at a few points. Every time they got a good play, a nitty-gritty penalty knocked them back. They should have had at least one touchdown, maybe two, but instead they never made it into the endzone-- just two field goals. Then again, there were definitely some bad calls against BYU, too, so I guess it kind of evens out.

Here are some of my highlights of the game:

First, there were a few surprise stand-outs. My heart stopped for a few seconds when I saw Cody Hoffman limping off the field partyway through the first quarter. Thankfully, it was just a bad bruise on his thigh, and he should be able to play again by the Utah game, if not Weber State. And in his absence, a receiver I'd never even heard of before got to shine. Skyler Ridley got 6 great catches and a TD. And even better was the other unlikely star of the game, another previously unknown player, tight end Kaneakua Friel, who got 6 catches, 101 yards, and 2 TDs. It's comforting to know that even if someone like Hoffman goes down, someone else can step up and get the job done.

I thought it was rather poetic that Taysom Hill's first play in a college football game was a touchdown pass! I'm excited for what he will bring to the team for the next 4 years.

It was really funny to me that two of the loudest cheers from the crowd came when they revealed that Jimmer was at the game by showing him on the big screen (understandably-- he always deserves a round of applause), and when they showed a commercial stating that the I-15 core construction will be finished (supposedly) in December. hahaha... In some ways, I wish the game had been a little more exciting, but a win is a win, so I won't complain.

Here are the two main problems I see that BYU needs to work on:

First, stop getting dumb penalties. The back-to-back personal fouls on Jordan Johnson and Joe Sampson were totally unnecessary. They need to keep their heads on their shoulders and realize that giving 30 yards to the other team (and ultimately a field goal) completely for free is not ok. That's not going to fly against more difficult teams down the road.

Second, they've got to get it done in the blue zone. Being first and goal inside the 10-yard line but not making into the endzone and settling for a field goal isn't going to help win bigger games. That happened twice in this game. So in theory, the score should have been 38 to 6-- and those extra 8 points could make a huge difference when they're playing Utah, Boise State, or Notre Dame.

Overall, though, I'm pleased with the game. I think the Cougars put up a solid effort and came out with a solid win. I especially give props to the defense for containing Marquess Wilson-- well done, boys. Now we're heading on to Weber State next Saturday . . .  Go Cougs!

The gang's all here! Go Cougars!