43. 11/6/20 - BYU finally wins at Boise in Battle of Ranked Teams: #9 BYU - 51, #21 Boise St. - 17:

            In their remodeled 2020 season (after Co-Vid wiped out almost all of their original matchups), the BYU Cougars’ (7-0) marquee game was against the #21 Boise State Broncos (2-0), in Boise. Boise State held a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series, and BYU had never won on the Broncos’ distinctive blue turf; but the Cougars were confident that this was the year. Although one team or the other was usually ranked in previous matchups, this was the first time in series’ history that both teams were ranked.

After a Broncos’ punt pinned the Cougars back at their own 5, RB Tyler Allgeier took the handoff on second-and-short, side-stepped out of the grasp of a Bronco defender, found a seam up the middle and took off running for an 86-yard TD rush. Boise countered with a 39-yard FG to cap a 53-yard drive.

After advancing 52 yards on their second drive, BYU started off the second quarter on the right foot with a 47-yard FG by Jake Oldroyd. Meanwhile, the Cougar D dominated their matchup with the Bronco offense, including an interception by Caleb Christensen. Unfortunately, the Cougars couldn’t capitalize. With 2:26 left in the half, another excellent Bronco punt pinned the Cougars at their own four. Junior QB Zach Wilson led the Cougars on a 96-yard drive, methodically dissecting the Bronco D with pinpoint passes and daring QB sneaks. On second and goal, Wilson scrambled into the end zone himself on a 4-yard keeper on second down. They missed the extra point, but recovered a fumble at the Boise 35 with 48 ticks remaining in the half. They tried to tack on an additional score, but Dax Milne was knocked out of bounds at the Boise 8 as the clock ran out. Still, the Cougars took a 16-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.

In the third quarter, BYU started another long drive from their own 14. On third-and-four, Wilson scrambled right and spotted his favorite target, Milne, down the field. Milne fell to the ground as he grabbed Wilson’s heave for a 38-yard gain. Wilson’s next pass was a 38-yard strike to WR Gunner Romney. He finished the drive with a sharp 5-yard TD pass to TE Isaac Rex just over the goal line. The Cougars followed that up with another touchdown drive that began with a 39-yard strike to Milne. Sitting at the Bronco 25 on fourth-and-two, the Cougars decided to go for it, converting the first down with a 5-yard completion to Rex. On the next play, Wilson went back to Rex. The tight end caught it at the Boise 7, then turned and ran it into the end zone for a 20-yard TD reception. Wilson then connected with Neil Pau’u for the two-point conversion. Their third drive of the half resulted in another touchdown, this time with Lopini Katoa breaking a tackle before striking pay dirt with a 20-yard TD rush. After three quarters of play, BYU held a commanding 38-3 lead, but weren’t ready to let up on the gas.

After a blocked punt, BYU started the fourth quarter on the Boise 30. They almost scored when Wilson hit Gunner Romney on a slant pattern as he was sandwiched by two defenders at the goal line. Somehow Romney managed to hang onto the ball, but the ball was spotted just short of the goal line. Neil Pau’u then caught a sideline pass and dove over the line for the score. Many Cougar starters remained on the bench for the Broncos’ offensive series. BSU quickly struck for two TDs against BYU’s second-string secondary, with Cade Fennegan and Khalil Shakir connecting on two long TD passes (52 yards and 46 yards) in ten seconds of play, aided by a successful onside kick. However, BYU didn’t allow that to happen again, securing the next onside attempt. After two near TD catches, Gunner came close to scoring once again, but had to come out of the end zone to snatch Wilson’s bomb, catching it at the 2 for a 42-yard reception. The Cougs then wrapped up the 51-17 win with a 2-yard TD run by Allgeier.

Zach Wilson
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Tyler Allgeier
Courtesy of BYU Phto

Wilson finished the game with 360 passing yards, 3 TD passes and a rushing TD. Tyler Allgeier finished with 123 rushing yards and 2 TDs. With only two more games scheduled on their revised season schedule, and most potential opponents trying to squeeze in abbreviated conference schedules, the Cougars put out the word that they would be willing to play anyone, anywhere in hopes of snagging a big bowl game. A last minute matchup against #14 Coastal Carolina (in Carolina) derailed their perfect season on December 5. The Cougars finished the regular season with a 10-1 record and accepted an invite to the Boca Raton Bowl, where they defeated UCF 49-23 to cap one of the teams’ most successful seasons in school history.

 Game link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwCbW8MWCCk