PROVO — An announced crowd of just over 50,000 people watched BYU's 70-6 win over winless FCS foe Wagner, earning the Cougars their 11th-consecutive bowl-eligible season Saturday afternoon in Provo.

The Cougars (6-2) opened the game with 49-unanswered points, holding the Seahawks to 37 yards of total offense in the first half as they shuffled myriad players throughout the game. BYU compiled 741 yards of total offense, the fourth-most in a single game in school history.

Tanner Mangum completed 12-of-13 passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns just under two quarters of play, and Beau Hoge made 8-of-11 throws for 117 yards and a touchdown to go along with two rushing scores for the Cougars.

Algie Brown ran for a game-high 109 yards and two touchdowns on six carries, despite only playing in the first quarter, and Nate Carter added 105 yards and a score on 10 rushes. Freshman Francis Bernard ran the ball six times for 54 yards and a touchdown, and seldom-used running backs Colby Hansen and Toloa'i Ho-Ching also saw time.

Alex Thomson led the Seahawks (0-7) with 43 yards passing on 7-of-12 with an interception, and added 41 yards on eight carries on the ground. Mathius McKinnon had a one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to account for Wagner's lone score.

Here are a few quick thoughts after BYU's sixth win of the year.

Go fast, go hard

It took BYU 1 minute, 13 seconds to open the scoring on the Seahawks, who were making their first-ever trip to Provo. Tanner Mangum found Colby Pearson for a 16-yard TD strike to go up 7-0 on the fourth play of the game, and the rout was on.

Mangum, who injured a hamstring two weeks ago against East Carolina and was visibly bothered by it for the first half a week ago against Cincinnati, was replaced by backup quarterback Beau Hoge in the second quarter. Hoge finished with 69 yards and a touchdown on 3-of-5 passing, as well as 46 yards and a score on 11 carries in a career-high game.

BYU's hot start against a weaker opponent also propelled the team to its sixth win of the season, clinching a bowl-eligible bid for the 11th-straight year. The Cougars were one of just 12 programs to go to a bowl game in the past decade.

"It's not easy, and consistency is hard-fought and hard-earned," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "I've been privileged to coach a lot of good players, and they've helped us win a lot of games. It's not easy, and I'm lucky."

BYU uses three quarterbacks

Most people expected head coach Bronco Mendenhall to pull Mangum pretty early, and he did. But in addition to Hoge, the Cougars also played true freshman and scout team quarterback Koy Detmer Jr. The nephew of former BYU Heisman winner Ty Detmer completed a 6-yard pass to Josh Weeks on his first play in game action, and finished with 3-of-3 passing for 57 yards.

"I really became comfortable with Beau once he got to about the third series, especially in the second half," Mendenhall said. "He looked more comfortable throwing the ball and with the decisions he was making. I think he got better with every series, which was fun.

"We got some great work for Koy, as well, and that was really helpful."

Careful, Algie

Algie Brown ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns on six carries, all in the first quarter, including a 37-yard scamper that put BYU up 28-0 with 3:35 left in the opening period.

But the most significant interaction for Brown came after that second touchdown run, when he ran into BYU's celebratory ROTC cannon George Q. in the north end zone and limped back to the sideline. Team athletic trainers wrapped the running back's shin, but the tailback did not record a carry after the crash and spent the second half on the sideline in street clothes.

"I wish he wasn't in the game," Mendenhall joked, or at least half-joked, after the game. "It's fun to watch him, but it's a fine line how much you give players in a game like this. I didn't see it, but he told me coming on to the sideline what he did.

"I'm just glad he's OK."

Remington Peck, starting tight end

The BYU defensive lineman debuted at tight end against the Seahawks, and played around 35 snaps at his new offensive position — though he didn't register a catch. Peck's main role was in run blocking, and he helped the BYU ground game compile 344 yards amongst seven rushers. Mendenhall said Peck's move to tight end will be permanent for the remainder of the season, and the offensive coaching staff is excited about what he can bring to that side of the ball.

"He was a tight end in high school; he runs and catches decent, and he already knows the defense inside and out. We can use him in that role whenever we need to," Mendenhall said. "But we are looking for him to help us get better offensively. It's pretty neat that he wants to do that."

Shades of Russell

BYU blocked its first point-after touchdown in three years, holding off the PAT on Wagner's third-quarter score. The last BYU player to block a PAT was Russell Tialavea in the Cougars' win over San Jose State in 2012.

But special teams weren't always great. The Cougars committed seven penalties to three by Wagner, including two penalties on the kickoff team and the formerly vanquished foe of the offsides-on-the-kicking-team infraction.

All for Mizzou

Saturday afternoon's game was a late addition to the 2015 schedule, coming as a result of BYU's neutral-site game against Missouri in November that also involved moving a previously scheduled game against UNLV to next year.

So the Seahawks' trip to Provo was last-minute, and it wasn't entirely well-received by much of the BYU fan base. But it comes with a late-season game against the two-time defending SEC West champion.

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