BYU has few flaws in win over winless Wagner


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PROVO — BYU ran away to a 70-6 win over FCS foe Wagner College to move to 6-2 on the season and gain eligibility for a bowl-bid in its 11th-straight season.

Tanner Mangum completed 12-of-13 passes for 237 yards three touchdowns, and Mitch Mathews had the sixth multi-touchdown game of his career with 44 receiving yards and two touchdowns on three catches to lead the Cougars. Algie Brown paved the way on the ground with 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns on six carries, all in the first quarter, and the Cougars were able to work in several younger players in the win.

Here's how the Cougars graded out in their sixth win of 2015.

Offense: A

Let's be clear: BYU had no trouble scoring on Wagner's defense, which averaged 33.3 points allowed in its previous six contests, all losses.

Tanner Mangum scored on a pair of TD strikes in the first quarter, to Colby Pearson and Mitch Mathews, and the latter became just the 10th BYU receiver in program history to record 20 career TD receptions with his first grab of the day. The starting signal caller finished with 237 yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-13 passes, including two TD strikes to Mitch Mathews, who record the sixth multi-touchdown game of his career.

Algie Brown ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns on his first six carries, but his most memorable moment was running into BYU's celebratory cannon George Q following his second TD jaunt with 3:35 left in the first quarter.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said Brown will be OK, though the Cougars' top available running back watched the second half from the sidelines in street clothes.

This one wasn't close, and the Cougars did everything they needed to — and then some, inserting backup quarterbacks Beau Hoge to go a combined 11-of-14 for 174 yards through the air. Hoge also added 47 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

"Being able to score that first touchdown was fun," Hoge said. "As quarterbacks, we all root for each other, and it was cool to see Tanner and Taysom be excited for Koy and me."

Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

Most importantly, the Cougars didn't suffer any significant injuries or setbacks as they played most of the roster.

"Other than Algie running into the cannon, which I think is just a bruise and a scrape, I don't think there was anybody else (who got injured)," Mendenhall said. "The injury report usually comes out later, but I usually hear the more severe ones on the sideline. That's something I'm always cognizant of in a game, and I think we managed it well.

"Luckily, we dodged the bullet of not getting anyone hurt."

Defense: A-

BYU's defense was bigger up front and faster on the back end, and the Cougars didn't have to do much in holding the Seahawks to 15 total yards in the first quarter. Wagner split time at quarterback (perhaps wisely) between runner Chris Andrews and starter Alex Thomson, and the Seahawks escaped without too many significant injuries.

The Cougars didn't force eight sacks like they did a couple of years ago, but they didn't need to — and they still managed four tackles for loss in a largely open day for the first team.

Wagner got to the BYU 6 with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, and Matthis McKinnon plunged into the end zone from 2 yards out after three-straight Seahawk runs. The Cougars then blocked the PAT to keep the Seahawks to six points.

Many fans and pundits expected a shutout. They didn't get it. A win, and one that left no drama by the end of the first quarter, will have to do.

Special teams: A-

BYU's punt and kick return hasn't been at its best for the season, with now-injured Garrett Juergens going for a season-long punt return against Cincinnati. Playing the Cougars' only FCS opponent of the season represented a good time to get the return game back on track, though.

Michael Shelton returned a 53-yard punt 40 yards in the second quarter, a season-long for a BYU team that never brought its own punter onto the field.

Shelton fielded five punts for 94 yards, and Trey Dye added a 30-yard kickoff return for the Cougars.

The Cougars' kickoff team was penalized for an offsides call on the opening kickoff of the second half, a problem they faced a year ago that reared its ugly head again.

"We were working this week and gave Michael Shelton a chance to return kicks. He's dynamic and explosive, but as a result of that, as we return the ball longer and then the fundamentals of blocking are being exposed," Mendenhall said. "As the returns get longer, some of the technical flaws are being exposed and we might need to touch them up."

BYU completed the trifecta of blocked kicks against the Seahawks, blocking the Seahawks' only PAT of the game after blocking a punt and a field goal in the previous two weeks. It was BYU's first blocked PAT since Russell Tialevea got his hand on one against San Jose State in 2012.

Coaching: A

The play-calling with Mangum and the rest of the starters was balanced. After Beau Hoge took control over the offense midway through the second half, the play-calling finished with 27 rush attempts and 14 pass attempts — but you can hardly blame offensive coordinator Robert Anae for relying on the run game after BYU took a 42-0 lead under the starters.

The challenge of the week, Mendenhall said, was preparing the team for an opponent — albeit one from a lower subdivision — with a bye week on the back end. But the Cougars managed that well, and also got game film on several key backups and established a little more depth.

"I felt that we played well today, and that we came out and executed our game plan," Hoge said. "I felt prepared for the game, personally. Coach Anae did a good job preparing me for the week."

Overall: A

The weather was warm, the Cougar Tails were delicious, and BYU earned its 11th-straight bowl eligible season with a win. It will head into the bye week knowing it will have a game after the 12-game regular season (in either Las Vegas or Hawaii), and will be able to heal up for the stretch run that includes three of four games away from Provo, including against Missouri in Kansas City.

"To me, it doesn't matter who we play, what time of day we play or where we play," said wide receiver Trey Dye, who had two catches for 55 yards. "It's a faceless opponent in my mind. Once we step on the field, it's time to go and focus on our own responsibilities.

"Today was a great opportunity for a guy like myself to focus on my technique and get some good experience."

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