Anatomy of a Play: How the Cougars used 'Bucky' to derail the Badgers

MADISON, Wisc. — Tanner Mangum didn’t throw a touchdown pass Saturday afternoon at No. 6 Wisconsin.

Normally, that would be cause for concern among the Cougars.

But the senior signal caller who finished with 89 passing yards won’t have that on his mind after BYU’s stunning 24-21 upset in Camp Randall Stadium, a win that snapped a 42-game non-conference winning streak by the Badgers (the fifth largest such-streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision).

But about that touchdown catch: maybe Mangum will be looking over his shoulder — just not necessarily at backup Zach Wilson.

No, maybe Mangum will be looking at the arm strength of Aleva Hifo, the sophomore wide receiver whose reverse strike to Moroni Laulu-Pututau from 31 yards out gave the Cougars a 14-7 lead — a lead they would never relinquish.

“I told him I’d better watch out for my spot,” Mangum said with a grin. “He looked good out there. We had worked that play all week, and it was just the look that we wanted.”

Mangum’s joking about the first part (probably). But the play that may have turned around BYU’s early season and paved the way to the upset that reverberated across college football was more than just a lucky pass.

The Cougars installed “Bucky” last Monday, less than 48 hours after a 21-18 loss to Cal in the home opener. After Laulu-Pututau voiced concerns that the Cougars lost to the Golden Bears because of poor practice sessions earlier in the week, the junior tight end helped the team move forward.

He was the end point of this play, a reverse pass from Hifo on the right side that ended with an untouched touchdown in the corner of the end zone.

But he was also the beginning.

“We told (Moroni) to sell it, to make it look like he was blocking,” Hifo recalled. “But all week, Moroni was a bad actor, so we weren’t sure it was going to work out.”

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Hifo put in his part. He drifted out wide, trying to pull Wisconsin safety D’Cota Dixon out of coverage. The Badger defensive backs had been caught off guard by BYU’s use of the jet sweep all day — the Cougars ran 10 run plays through the wide receivers, including five for 45 yards through Hifo — and so they had to respect Hifo in the rush.

As soon as Dixon “flew toward me,” Hifo said, the 5-foot-10, 187-pound native of Menifee, California sprung into action.

“When I saw Moroni get open, it worked out pretty well,” Hifo said. “That’s all a credit to the coaches for seeing that, putting it in, and letting us run it.”

Squally Canada did the rest, running for 118 yards and two touchdowns, while Skyler Southam booted what turned out to be the game-winning field goal from 45 yards out with 9:58 remaining.

BYU’s defense also held the ground-and-pound Badgers (2-1) to 204 yards rushing, while the offense ran for 191 yards of its own.

The Bucky package may or may not make a return house call during BYU’s 2018 season. But there’s no doubt that a play installed less than a week ago will go a long way toward defining BYU’s season.

First, the Cougars were having fun. It wasn’t just winning, either.

BYU’s players and coaches were engaged, energetic, and creating their own waves on the sideline. When more than 80,000 people began to make Camp Randall sway under the weight of “Jump Around” by House of Pain, the Cougars joined them.

Even linebacker Butch Pau’u, who missed Saturday’s game while sporting a cast on his wrist, was in on the action.

The Cougars were having fun just being in a competitive game in a hostile environment.

“It was a lot of fun,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said after the game. “We had so much fun on the sideline, just having a good time, and not worrying about the score and trusting each other.”

Instead of taking a .500 record into another top-10 matchup — at No. 10 Washington in two weeks — the Cougars have a chance to be 3-1 when they travel to Seattle, with a win over FCS foe McNeese State this Saturday.

But to get there, the Cougars need another good week of practice.

The Cougars are 2-0 on the road in 2018. But after a season-opening win at Arizona, BYU lost momentum with its loss to Cal a week ago.

They’re determined not to let that happen again.

“We’ve got to stay humble in victory, and always look forward,” Mangum said. “We’re going to enjoy this, for sure. But come Monday, it’s back to work, getting ready for McNeese State.

“I’m really proud of the way our guys fought. This gives us a lot of momentum for next week.”

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