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BOISE — The BYU Cougars finished their 2018 season with a decisive win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Western Michigan on Friday. The Cougars came in as a two-score favorite and thanks to great play on both sides of the ball, they covered the spread.
When the lights turned off in Albertsons Stadium in Boise, the Cougars routed the Broncos 49-18 and freshman QB Zach Wilson had thrown the perfect game.
The Cougars’ bowl win taught us a few things about this young team and what we can expect in 2019. Here are three lessons from BYU’s win over Western Michigan in the Idaho Potato Bowl.
Slow starts are still an issue
The 2018 BYU football team has been notorious for slow starts. All year, the first quarter has been an issue for the Cougars, save for the Utah game where they started out hot and lost all their steam in the second half. While the game at Rice Eccles Stadium was an anomaly, the first half of the Potato Bowl was painfully familiar.
The Cougar defense gave up yards and let Western Michigan run out the clock in the first half, and the BYU offense couldn’t produce. At the end of the first quarter, BYU led 7-0, but the offense kept stalling drives and looked sluggish. The second quarter was more of the same and after giving up a touchdown on fourth down, the Cougars went into the half down 10-7.
While BYU’s first-half woes didn’t come back to bite them thanks to a monster second half, these kinds of slow starts will plague them next season. With big games on the schedule next season, slow starts against Utah, Washington, Tennessee and USC won’t fly. The BYU coaching staff will need to figure out how to have a solid game plan out of the gate, get the offense moving, and the defense making stops from the minute the clock starts.
Zach Wilson is just part of the equation
It’s hard not to talk about Zach Wilson and his incredible day. The freshman QB was a perfect 18-for-18 on his passes, racking up 317 yards through the air and four TDs. He was also the Cougars second leading rusher on the day with 23 yards. The young slinger was a treat to watch and fans can’t wait to see more. Cougar nation is hoping Wilson will be BYU’s avenue back to the gun-slinging days of yore and they might be right. But as impressive as Wilson was and all the accolades he deserves, you can’t forget his supporting cast.
Zach Wilson's record-setting day helps BYU roll to Potato Bowl win over Western Michigan
Wilson completed all 18 of his pass attempts, and BYU used a 28-0 run in the third quarter to pull away for a win over Western Michigan, 49-18 Friday afternoon in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho.Many of the big players from Friday’s blowout win are underclassmen and will be back in 2019. Junior Riley Burt had 110 yards on the ground along with a touchdown. Junior receiver Aleva Hifo had 85 yards and a touchdown, and fellow sophomore receiver Neil Pau’u had 57 yards as well. Sophomore tight end Matt Bushman had 52 yards on four catches, freshman tight end Dallin Holker added another 20 yards, and freshman receiver Dax Milne added his first touchdown to his BYU resume. That’s not even mentioning senior Dillon Collie’s career day with 124 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Wilson played his best game by far, but he wasn’t the only Cougar producing.
On the defensive side of the ball, standouts included senior Sione Takitaki with 19 tackles and one sack, and junior safety Austin Lee coming up with an interception. All around, the Cougars played a fantastic game led by their quarterback’s perfect day.
Fans can be cautiously optimistic about 2019
As I just mentioned, BYU is returning a lot of players, especially on offense. It’s also worth mentioning that some of the Cougars best players on both sides of the ball didn’t even play on Friday. Freshman running back Lopini Katoa and freshman receiver Gunner Romney both sat out the bowl game due to injuries. On the defensive side, BYU was missing sophomore linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi. With these players turning in this kind of performance while missing some impact performers is impressive and should make Cougar fans cautiously optimistic for 2019.
I say cautiously optimistic because 2019 is a rough schedule and this team is still young.
The first four weeks of the 2019 schedule is a rough stretch for the Cougars, with Utah at home and then traveling to SEC country to take on the Tennessee Volunteers. After that, BYU comes home for a two-game home stretch against USC and then Washington. Those first four weeks will test Zach Wilson and the BYU team’s endurance and poise. A real test for such a young team. Other notable games on the schedule include Boise State, USF, a rematch with Utah State after an embarrassing loss in 2018, Toledo and San Diego State.
2019 will be a tough year for BYU and their young quarterback, but it could turn out to be a great one if the coaches can figure out some of their issues. As of right now, it should be a great off-season for BYU fans, as they look forward to a fun 2019 schedule and live on an 8-month high note, eagerly await the Cougars’ season opener against Utah in August.
Many of the big players from Friday’s blowout win are underclassmen and will be back in 2019. Junior Riley Burt had 110 yards on the ground along with a touchdown. Junior receiver Aleva Hifo had 85 yards and a touchdown, and fellow sophomore receiver Neil Pau’u had 57 yards as well. Sophomore tight end Matt Bushman had 52 yards on four catches, freshman tight end Dallin Holker added another 20 yards, and freshman receiver Dax Milne added his first touchdown to his BYU resume. That’s not even mentioning senior Dillon Collie’s career day with 124 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Wilson played his best game by far, but he wasn’t the only Cougar producing.
On the defensive side of the ball, standouts included senior Sione Takitaki with 19 tackles and one sack, and junior safety Austin Lee coming up with an interception. All around, the Cougars played a fantastic game led by their quarterback’s perfect day.
Fans can be cautiously optimistic about 2019
As I just mentioned, BYU is returning a lot of players, especially on offense. It’s also worth mentioning that some of the Cougars best players on both sides of the ball didn’t even play on Friday. Freshman running back Lopini Katoa and freshman receiver Gunner Romney both sat out the bowl game due to injuries. On the defensive side, BYU was missing sophomore linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi. With these players turning in this kind of performance while missing some impact performers is impressive and should make Cougar fans cautiously optimistic for 2019.
I say cautiously optimistic because 2019 is a rough schedule and this team is still young.
The first four weeks of the 2019 schedule is a rough stretch for the Cougars, with Utah at home and then traveling to SEC country to take on the Tennessee Volunteers. After that, BYU comes home for a two-game home stretch against USC and then Washington. Those first four weeks will test Zach Wilson and the BYU team’s endurance and poise. A real test for such a young team. Other notable games on the schedule include Boise State, USF, a rematch with Utah State after an embarrassing loss in 2018, Toledo and San Diego State.
2019 will be a tough year for BYU and their young quarterback, but it could turn out to be a great one if the coaches can figure out some of their issues. As of right now, it should be a great off-season for BYU fans, as they look forward to a fun 2019 schedule and live on an 8-month high note, eagerly await the Cougars’ season opener against Utah in August.
