FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The BYU Cougar football team got one step closer to bowl eligibility on Saturday as they traveled to Massachusetts to take on the UMass Minutemen.

The Cougars ended up winning 35-16 and the game was won before the third quarter was over, but that doesn’t mean BYU didn’t have some hiccups and problems before things got rolling.

A win is a win but the Cougars left a lot to be desired and many fans are still left with questions about this team. Here are three lessons from BYU’s win against UMass:

BYU is running out of season to fix mistakes

It feels like BYU has not improved from week to week, but rather digressed, and have stayed stagnant depending on the week.

Week 1 at Arizona seemed like a great way to start the season, and then the entire team seemed to take a big step backward against Cal. The following week the Cougars took a huge leap forward by beating then-No. 6 Wisconsin in Madison by dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Cougars, then, had a lackluster performance against McNeese State the week before laying an egg against Washington in Seattle.

Each week, whether it was a solid game or a disaster, Cougar fans had hope the team would iron out the mistakes and start performing to their potential. One could say that same thing about the game against the Minutemen on Saturday. The Cougars got off to a slow start and went down 10-0 in the first quarter. The offensive line struggled to open up holes in the run game and had a tough time giving quarterback Zach Wilson time to find his receivers.

As the game wore on, the team seemed to find its rhythm and finally got rolling. Saturday would be a good game to find mistakes and identify strengths and fix things the coming week, but time is running out.

With only two games left on BYU’s schedule, time is almost up for the team to clean up their mistakes and play a complete game. Next week against New Mexico State could prove to be a good week to clean up their game. But if the season has taught us anything, it seems very possible for BYU to come out next week and have a rough first half and struggle to get points on the board.

It would be nice to just say this BYU team isn’t that good or to say this team is dominant, but what the season has told us so far is this team has talent but can’t seem to figure out how to utilize it, unless they’re playing Wisconsin or Arizona. But if BYU wants to go bowling and beat Utah for the first time in the last eight tries, then they need to iron out these issues once an for all against New Mexico State.

They have one more chance to prove they can win at home

BYU’s home record has been atrocious this season. We’ve already learned that playing at LaVell Edwards Stadium is no advantage for the Cougars as they’ve only won two of their five home games in 2018 so far. BYU used to take pride in protecting LaVell’s house with 60,000-plus fans cheering them on, but that seems to be a distant memory.

Teams like Northern Illinois and Utah State used to fear playing the Cougars in Provo, but this year both those teams left the stadium with wins and Utah State in particular slaughtered BYU on their own turf. BYU hasn’t given the home crowd too much to cheer about in 2018, but they have one more chance to put on a show and end the home season with a win.

BYU takes on New Mexico State Saturday in Provo and the Cougars will have one last chance on senior night to remind opponents why you don’t want to travel to Provo. Not only would it be a great send off to the seniors and the BYU crowd, it would also secure a bowl appearance and create momentum for the Cougars.

This season can still be a success

The 2018 season as been a disappointing one for Cougar fans as they’ve watched their team fall to a 5-5 record and be only 9 points away from an 8-2 season heading into the last two weeks of the season. That’s frustrating to say the least, but BYU still has a chance to call this season a success; however, it won’t be easy.

A win this week will get the Cougars back to a bowl after missing one last year and guarantee at least six wins on the season. That’s two games better than 2017 and it would include a win against a Top 10 team, as well as two wins against Power Five schools. But winning next week and then losing to Utah would make the season better than last year, but not really a success.

The Cougars can still make the 2018 season a memorable one if they can beat New Mexico State and then walk out of Rice-Eccles Stadium with a W. That’s a tall order and may look like a long shot, but if the Cougars can pull it off, then the 2018 season will be one BYU faithful will remember fondly.

Wins against New Mexico State and Utah would put the Cougars at seven wins on the season and give them their first win against the Utes since 2009. The season would also feature a win against Wisconsin, the season-opener against Arizona, the dawn of the Zach Wilson era and the emergence of freshman like Lopini Katoa, Dalin Holker and Gunner Romney.

The season wouldn’t be one that ends in a Top 25 ranking or a prestigious bowl, but it would be considered a huge success coming off the 2017 season and include milestones for Kalani Sitake’s tenure as head coach.

Beating Utah in their stadium, even with their starting QB and running back out, will be asking a lot from BYU. Utah will be the best defense BYU has faced all year and the Utes and Kyle Whittingham know how to beat the Cougars, but winning in Camp Randall in Week 1 was pretty much impossible as well.

Winning at home next week and then beating Utah to close the season is a long shot, but if the Cougars can pull it off, 2018 will be a success and a season to remember.

The Cougars will take on New Mexico State in LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday night, Nov. 17 at 8:15 p.m. MT on ESPN 2. John has grown up around movies and annoys friends and family with his movie facts and knowledge. John also has a passion for sports and pretty much anything awesome and it just so happens that these are the three things he writes about.

Related topics