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PROVO — When Taysom Hill left in the second quarter, Cougar fans' hearts broke. All cougar fans had heard in the preseason was that if Hill was healthy, BYU would be competitive in every game. Could he really be injured already? Hill returned in the second quarter, as did cougar fans' heartbeats.
It wasn't to last. Hill left again at the beginning of the fourth quarter after the pain in his foot was too much to bear. Reports say Hill and the team knew about his lisfranc injury before he returned to the field but insisted on giving all he had before his season was over.
Now that it seems Hill's season — and possibly his collegiate career — is over, it's time for the Cougars and their fans to bring in the next era of BYU football.
Here are the storylines leading into BYU's matchup with Boise State.
It's Tanner Mangum time
It's officially the Mangum era for BYU football. Mangum electrified the nation with his late-game heroics against the Cornhuskers. Mangum's ability to escape out of the pocket to create for his receivers, and himself, is pretty good for a true freshman quarterback. Mangum doesn't have the athletic ability or speed of Hill, but he won't need it. His 11-yard scramble for a first down was crucial in getting time for the game-ending hail mary to Match Mathews.
Mangum became a household name after being the headlining act of college football's kickoff week and SportsCenter's No. 1 play. The 22-year-old from Eagle, Idaho, is just three months removed from his LDS mission to Chile and now is a starting quarterback in college football.
Mangum faces a tough Boise State secondary that held the Washington Huskies to only 150 yards passing. Mangum will have to play better than that if the Cougars will upset the Broncos.
Is this an audition?
BYU and Boise State are arguably the two best non-Power 5 schools in the country. Many college football experts say that if any of the major conferences — mainly the Big 12 — are looking to expand, these are two schools that will be highly considered.
The rumors are all over the place when it comes to conference expansion, but there is no denying that the conversations are happening. The conversations could heat up about the Cougars joining a conference if they can pull out the victory.
Ryan Finley vs. the BYU secondary
The sophomore quarterback for the Broncos made his first career start last week and finished 16/26 for 129 yards and an interception. It wasn't the start Bryan Harsin and company were hoping for, but it wasn't completely unexpected. Finley is still learning both the system and the responsibilities of a starting quarterback.
The Cougar secondary was exposed against the Cornhuskers, giving up 319 yards passing yards to Tommy Armstrong. The secondary was lacking, as it was missing Kai Nacua to suspension due to his actions in the Miami Beach Bowl. Nacua returns to lead the Cougar secondary and attempt to shut down Finley and the Broncos' passing attack.
Nathan Harker is a sports writing intern currently enrolled at Brigham Young University majoring in broadcast journalism. Nathan can be reached at nathan.harker32@gmail.com or via Twitter @nharker3207.
