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"It is fun to win" was the phrase stated by BYU defensive back Daniel Sorensen and echoed by the smiles the Cougars sported after a 41-17 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday.
And after two consecutive should've-won, actually-could've-won losses to top 10 teams, BYU fans couldn't agree more.
The players on the field in Atlanta seemed to be a completely different Cougar football team than the one that lost at Notre Dame 17-14 only a week ago.
"I couldn't have scripted it any better, and I'm anxious now to ride this team down the stretch and see how good we can get," said head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "Even though I think we've been improving, I'm not sure others have acknowledged that (because) the outcomes might not have shown that, but I felt in my heart we were. ... It'll be fun to see how much potential we can squeeze out of this team."
For the first time all season, credit for the win circulated through all parts of the team — defense, offense and special teams each praising the others.
To no one's surprise, the defense stepped up as usual and held Georgia Tech to zero third-down conversions and only 117 rushing yards. The surprise came from the Cougar offense, which had the best game of its season, registering 39 minutes of possession time to the Yellow Jackets' 21 minutes, and contributing 411 yards of total offense.
"We were really happy with the time possession that the offense had," Sorensen said. "To be honest, I feel like they gave us, the defense, an opportunity to be fresh out there, to play fast, not to be too tired, so all credit to the offense. They held and maintained the ball really well."
Plenty of that offensive praise was for 17-year-old true freshman Jamaal Williams.
"Ever since fall camp, I’ve noticed how patient and natural a runner (Williams) is," said senior starting quarterback Riley Nelson, "and it was just a matter of time before he picked up the offense and started to contribute the way he is. And now, I mean geez, he’s a 17-year-old true freshman that shoulders a big portion of our offense. I’m proud to call him my teammate and my brother."
Williams rushed for 107 yards — a mere 10 yards short of Tech's 117-yard team effort, and put up four touchdowns for the Cougars.
BYU's defense was sparked by Kyle Van Noy, Ezekiel Ansah, Brandon Ogletree and Sorensen, who together contributed quarterback sacks, blocked kicks, interceptions while not allowing any offensive touchdowns.
And the fact that the Cougar defense held the No. 3 offense in the country — a team averaging just under 500 yard total offense per game prior to BYU — to a mere 157 total yards did not escape Mendenhall.
"(The defense) just really, really performed well, and I'm not sure I've ever been more proud of a defensive group than I am today," said Mendenhall, who is also the defensive coordinator. "I haven't coached (a defense) like this yet, and I'm very proud of them. Of all the things I do as the head coach, I look forward to going into that room every day as kind of a sanctuary to be with guys that I consider friends and united in what we're trying to accomplish. There's a high level of trust in there, and it's a fun place for me to be."
Nelson also acknowledged the defense and special team contributions, attributing good field position and the momentum of the game to their continuous hard work.
Van Noy continued to disrupt the opposing team's offense. If he gains a fumble recovery before the season ends, the junior linebacker will record a stat in every major defensive category for the second year in a row.
Even with the successful game, though, the team and coaches welcome this next weekend's bye-week.
"It'll be nice to get the body recovered a little bit here and there," said junior JD Falslev. "We're banged up, but every other team in the country is banged up. It'll be nice to have a bye-week to collectively regroup."
For Nelson, the bye-week means a little longer to celebrate the latest win as the Cougars advance with a 5-4 record, hoping to continue the "it is fun to win" mentality.
