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PROVO -- BYU came away with a victory this week as they went up against San Jose State in Riley Nelson's first start of the season BYU won 29-16. His numbers weren't gaudy and he made his fair share of mistakes, but the gritty QB led the charge to victory.
But, Nelson wasn't the only story in this game. Here's five observations from BYU's 29-16 win.
Turnovers:
BYU started the game off with a great drive then Riley Nelson fumbled in on the three-yard line. The familiar feeling of disappointment was quickly taken away as San Jose State had a bad snap, which gave the Cougars a safety. However the Cougars did lose the turnover battle Nelson threw two interceptions and had the fumble on the three-yard line. San Jose scored 10 points on Nelson's turnovers. Luckily for BYU, the untimely turnovers didn't cost them a victory.
Linebackers:
The greatness of BYU linebackers was once again made clear. Jordan Pendleton returned from an ankle injury and made a great impact on the game. Pendleton had a sack and several 3rd down stops, he also forced a bad throw that was intercepted by Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy's, who's interception set up a Cougar touchdown, played lights out through out the game. He made great open field tackles, including one where he hurdled a SJSU blocker, that stopped San Jose drives and disrupted the passing game with quarterback pressure and pass coverage.
Riley Nelson:
Nelson was exciting to watch. He kept plays alive with his legs and his awareness and picked up big yards and key first downs. At other times he made BYU fans cringe, with bad reads that resulted in interception and the fumble on the three-yard line. Nelson looks to be a natural leader on the field; the team seems to rally behind him. Nelson connected with McKay Jacobson on two big plays; one that resulted in Jacobson's first touchdown of the season. Nelson seemed to get the ball in the right place at times and make a bad read in another, in the end it was enough for BYU to get a win. Nelson threw for 219 yards on 14 completions in 24 attempts, with three TDs and two interceptions.
Rushing game:
The rushing game looked great, dominating at times, as BYU rushed for 225 yards- a season high for the Cougars. The rushing game was unexpectedly led by rarely-used Michael Alisa who ran for 91 yards on 15 carries in a break out game. The running game played a huge role in the victory. The offensive line deserves a lot of credit for the running game. The line provided huge holes and allowed the backs to pick up several first downs, keeping drives alive.
BYU's Secondary:
The secondary seemed to be exposed several times through out the game. The defensive backs looked to be out of position or just burned coverage and San Jose was able to keep several drives alive on 3rd and long. The secondary also committed two big pass interference plays on third down, one of which resulted in a field goal. The secondary did not have a terrible game, but improvements can be made.
