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AUSTIN, Texas — The Cougars were favored to go into Texas and get a win but not many expected a 41-7 blowout. Here are the Cougars game day grades versus Texas.
The first half didn't produce much in terms of yards or points, and the two giveaways are things that the BYU coaches will hound their players about. But this was a huge game for the offense. Folks will even forgive the six sacks given up when you post 41 points against a big program like Texas. The 99 yards on the ground with three rushing touchdowns for Taysom Hill and 181 passing yards don't do the performance justice. He took control of the game in the third quarter and leaped his way into the national Heisman discussion in tremendous fashion.
A breakout performance by Jordan Leslie was also key, as Hill found him the most of his receivers. With 82 points against Texas over the past two seasons combined, don't look for Texas Athletic Director Steve Patterson to schedule BYU anytime in the near future.
For all of those blinded by the performance that Hill and the offense had, everything was set up on the defensive side of the ball. For the second week in a row the Cougs held their opponents to less than three yards per rush. But this was Texas. The 258 total yards allowed is incredible and the aggression was just palpable by the defense that made just as big of a statement as the offense.
Rob Daniel was all over the football and is my defensive MVP with a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries; it's good to have him back. BYU will certainly make a jump on the national radar — possibly into the rankings — and the defense can take a lot of credit for that.
Last week had Cougar fans excited overall but a bit nervous about all the penalties and the shaky kicking game at UConn. Bronco Mendenhall made a shift and put Andrew Mikkelsen in charge of kickoffs, and it was a major improvement. The deeper kicks put the coverage in a much better spot to make plays, and they did in the third quarter, forcing a fumble on a kickoff and leading to more points for the offense.
Trevor Samson came through with two field goals while making all of his PATs. It was nice to see some more confidence in that part of the Cougs' game. During the week, I got an email from Trever Samson's mother asking me what I had against her son for giving such a low grade last week. No one is happier than me that he did well so that I can pass out good marks.
This could end up being the signature win to project BYU into a streak of wins they need to put themselves in the playoff discussion by the end of the year. At the very least, it will be one of the most memorable road wins in the program's history.
