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PROVO — BYU’s defense set the tone Saturday night in front of an empty LaVell Edwards Stadium.
The Cougars' offense did the rest.
Zach Wilson threw for a career-best 392 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for two more scores, to help No. 18 BYU overwhelm Troy 48-7 and to move to 2-0 on the season.
Wilson set the new career mark at 316 yards passing, eclipsing his previous career-high on a first-of-its-kind catch by Brayden Cosper. The junior quarterback who prepped at Corner Canyon accounted for 317 of BYU’s 410 yards of total offense midway through the third quarter.
Dax Milne caught seven passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, and Gunner Romney added five catches for a career-high 138 yards to pace the dynamic passing offense. Wilson and backup quarterback Baylor Romney, who completed 5-of-6 passes for 80 yards, connected with 11 different receivers, including first-time pass catchers Miles Davis, Cosper, Kyle Griffitts, Kody Epps, Isaac Rex and Masen Wake, in addition to Milne, Romney, Lopini Katoa, Tyler Allgeier and returning wide out Neil Pau’u, who caught two passes for 26 yards.
"As a quarterback, I can honestly say I’m only as good as the guys around me," Wilson said. "I’m fortunate to have 10 guys around me who can make a play, and then I can make a big play."
Meanwhile, Katoa averaged 6.9 yards per carry en route to 76 yards on the ground, and Allgeier added 50 yards on 10 carries for the Cougars (2-0).
But the breakout star of the run game was fullback Masen Wake. The former Lone Peak standout scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, one on a 1-yard fullback dive and the other from 10 yards out, to increase his career scoring production by 200%.
BYU had 12 players on the inactive list for COVID-19 due to contact tracing and injuries — including right guard Tristen Hoge — but rolled up 664 yards of offense, averaging 17.4 yards per completion and 4.4 yards per rush.
"This is the first time I’ve felt like me, the O-line, the receiving corps, tight ends are all filling in their role of being able to take things to the next level," Wilson said. "There were plays we made tonight that I don’t think we were making a year before.
"Guys were just making plays."
While Troy’s defense may not be their Alabama neighbors in 'Bama or Auburn, the Trojans did hold Middle Tennessee to just 3.9 yards per play in a 47-14 win in the season opener. Keenan Pili had a game-high nine tackles, freshman Micah Harper added seven stops and shared a sack in his first start, and BYU’s front-seven forced six tackles for loss, including four sacks.
"I thought that the presence up front was felt, and that’s what we wanted on both sides of the ball," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. "We want those big guys to lead the way. We were able to do things in the pass game because we established the run game and were physical up front.
"I liked the way our team responded, the way they answered the call to be physical and be tough. Now let’s do it again for a third week."
Through two games, the Cougar defense has nine sacks — a significant step up from 17 sacks of the 13-game 2019 campaign.
"I think we’re just trusting in our play, playing ball and trusting in our technique," said NFL hopeful defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, who had two sacks and a pass breakup against Troy. "It’s just going out and executing what we’ve been doing so far.
"We’re just having fun. It’s been a fun couple of weeks, and we’ll just continue having fun every week."
In many ways, it was the defense that set the tone early. After a muffed punt near midfield on Troy’s opening drive, the Cougar defense sauntered back into their base formation. They were smiling, just enjoying playing a game that as little as two weeks ago felt like it was being ripped away in the middle of a global pandemic.
It didn't even matter that no fans were allowed inside the stadium — save for three chairs occupied by on-duty first responders and a handful of cardboard cutouts of Mitt Romney, Taysom Hill and other notable BYU alums on the east grandstand. The chairs sat empty as a result of Utah Gov. Gary Herbert moving Provo and Orem back into the "orange" phase of coronavirus restrictions.
The defense also forced another stop, despite the Trojans getting the ball back on the 23-yard line. That stop then led to an eight-play, 64-yard drive capped by Wake’s first touchdown with 7:08 left in the opening quarter.
No hurdle required this time for the former Lone Peak standout, either. The Cougars never looked back.
But it wasn’t always the defense setting the tone for the offense, according to Tonga.
"I think it goes both ways. We feed off the offense, and the offense feeds off us," he said. "Anytime there’s a big play being made, it just gets the juices going on the sideline.
"We’re super excited any time the offense makes play, and they’re super excited any time we get a three-and-out."
After Wilson added a 1-yard quarterback sneak to double the advantage and a 10-yard strike to freshman Isaac Rex for a 21-0 advantage, Troy struck quickly. The Trojans rolled to a 44-second drive, capped by B.J. Smith’s 2-yard scoring run with 1:05 left in the half.
But again, BYU responded — this time with a one-minute drill that ended in Jake Oldroyd’s career-long-tying 54-yard field goal.
Every time the Cougars were punched in the mouth, they fought back. After Smith’s touchdown, the Trojans didn’t score again.
Troy quarterback Gunnar Watson threw for 162 yards, and B.J. Kimball ran for 16 yards and a touchdown for a Trojans ground that averaged just 1.1 yards on 18 carries before BYU began making mass substitutions with 7:30 left in the fourth quarter.
"Obviously, they’re disappointed. So are we," Troy coach Chip Lindsey said after the game. "We just didn’t play good, didn’t coach good. Tonight we were basically dominated in all three phases.
"We had some opportunities, and didn’t take advantage of it. The defense was playing well, but offensively we’ve got to help out. It’s complimentary football."
BYU hosts Louisiana Tech Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on ESPN2.
Scoring summary
First quarter
1:26 — BYU: Masen Wake 1-yard run (Oldroyd kick)
Second quarter
11:03 — BYU: Zach Wilson 1-yard run (Oldroyd kick)
1:49 — BYU: Isaac Rex, 10-yard pass from Wilson (Oldroyd kick)
1:05 — TROY: B.J. Smith 2-yard run (Legassey kick)
0:00 — BYU: Jake Oldroyd 54-yard field goal
Halftime: BYU 24, Troy 7
Third quarter
11:27 — BYU: Dax Milne, 70-yard pass from Wilson (Oldroyd kick)
3:50 — BYU: Wilson 2-yard run (Oldroyd kick)
Fourth quarter
14:54 — BYU: Wake 10-yard run (Oldroyd kick)
7:30 — BYU: Oldroyd 20-yard field goal
Final: No. 18 BYU 48, Troy 7
