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PROVO — There was something different about the BYU football team as they lingered on the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium following the 41-20 win over San Jose State, and it continued as a handful of them shuffled through the postgame press area.
It wasn’t just the season-high 41 points scored against one of the worst defenses in the nation.
It wasn’t even the 598 yards of offense, which was also a season high. It wasn't even the five turnovers, which was — you guessed it — a season high.
The Cougars came off the field Saturday afternoon against the now 1-8 team with confidence — something that hasn’t been seen in Provo all season.
They came off with a smile.
“It’s different getting a win,” said wide receiver Micah Simon, who scored two touchdowns against the woeful Spartans. “There are a lot of happy faces right now, and we just hope to continue this momentum into Fresno State next weekend.”
For a moment, the disappointment of the 2017 season and the historic seven-game losing streak, the likes of which hadn’t been seen at BYU in nearly 50 years, wasn’t at the forefront of the 80-something players wearing navy blue, their second-year head coach, or any of his assistants who have come under fire during the tumultuous season.
The Cougars weren’t perfect; Tanner Mangum completed 18-of-34 passes — and also threw an interception off a tipped pass — against a defense that ranked 119th nationally prior to Saturday’s kickoff in front of the smallest crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium since expansion in 1982.
But the day wasn’t about being perfect. The day was about snapping a streak of futility the likes that an entire generation of BYU fans hadn’t experienced since 1968.
“There are still a lot of things that we need to fix, but it’s good to approach them with a notch in the win column. I thought our guys played hard; I thought they played hard all season long, and I appreciate them and the senior leadership for taking over. I’m pleased with our coaching staff and how hard they worked to get this win,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitaki said.
Winning college football games isn’t easy, and San Jose State should’ve been a “gimme-game” for most teams in the nation.
Second-year coach Brent Brennan — a first-time head coach at the FBS level who previously spent time at Oregon State with Sitake — has a significant rebuild in front of him in northern California. His Spartan side hasn’t sniffed a win since a 34-13 victory over FCS Cal Poly on Sept. 2.
That includes a 54-16 road loss to BYU’s archrival Utah, and a 61-10 rout to in-state rival Utah State that opened Mountain West play.
In the Spartans’ quest for a 2017 championship against Utah teams, they lost three games by an aggregate score of 156-46.
Similar outcomes, though, fell to the Cougars in the second year under Sitake, who inherited a fair amount of talent from former coach Bronco Mendenhall two years ago — but has already graduated quite a bit of it, namely in the players that wore “Hill” and “Williams” on their nameplates.
At 2-7, BYU can’t take anything for granted after finally reaching its first win over a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent in the ninth week of the season.
“We finally got us a win, so it’s a sweeter feeling,” BYU defensive end Sione Takitaki said. “I’m excited and happy.”
Takitaki sat out the 2016 season with off-the-field issues, missing the Cougars’ 9-3 season led by Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams — two current NFL players.
Williams was back in Provo over the weekend, taking advantage of Green Bay’s bye week to run out one of BYU’s alumni flags.
In a difficult season for the Cougars — and for Williams as well, having lost a potential starting spot in the Packers’ backfield to former UTEP rusher Aaron Jones — the Cougars’ all-time leading rusher celebrated with his former teammates. The man known as “J-Swag Daddy” both for his Twitter handle and his boisterous personality was having a good time — and so were the current Cougars and coaches.
“I know that we can be a really great team, but we let a couple of losses get away,” Takitaki said. “Getting this win feels really great, and I know it does for the coaches. We finally got a win, and we can move from here. We’ve got Fresno next week, and we can’t hang our hats on this week.”
After a brutal September, the Cougars finally added a win in the final week of October. The schedule won’t get easier for a team that still ranks in the bottom 30 of the NCAA in most offensive statistical categories. Fresno State (5-3) took a stunning 26-16 loss late Saturday night to UNLV (BYU’s opponent in two weeks), and the Bulldogs won’t hold anything back as they try to right the ship and compete for a Mountain West title.
Neither will the Rebels (3-5), whose remaining schedule of Hawaii, BYU, New Mexico and rival Nevada presents a rare opportunity at bowl eligibility in Las Vegas.
But for one day in Utah, the Cougars can celebrate in victory. Even defensive lineman Tevita Mo’unga — sidelined for the remainder of the season with an injury — and linebacker Fred Warner, the defensive captain who missed the second half Saturday with an apparent ankle injury, were prone to celebrate with their teammates.
It’s been a long season in Provo; let them have the moment.
🎥: @LangiTuifua had his 1st career fumble recovery in BYU's win Saturday & injured teammates @fred_warner, @mounga50 had to celebrate w/him pic.twitter.com/kH1Z3wmaDC
— Brandon Judd (@brandonljudd) October 30, 2017
