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PROVO — By his own admission, Dax Milne didn’t have an ideal start during BYU’s home opener Saturday night against Troy.
For whatever reason — a slippery ball, a squirrelly kick, a well-played punt coverage, or a combination of all three — the Bingham High product misread the Cougars' first punt return of the game, muffed it and gave the ball back to the Trojans on the BYU 23-yard line.
His teammates, especially the defensive players who jogged past him as they re-took the field, had one message for him: don’t worry, bro; we got this.
That they did.
BYU's defense forced a fourth-down stop on that same drive, the Cougars regained possession and took the lead on a fullback dive from Masen Wake on the other end, and Milne had plenty of opportunities to redeem himself from there.
The 6-foot-1 junior from South Jordan caught seven passes for a career-high 140 yards, including a 70-yard touchdown pass from Zach Wilson, who had his own career night in the Cougars' 48-7 rout of Troy.
"Personally, for me in that situation, I saw the muffed punt and honestly just shook it off. It was no big deal," Wilson said of the muffed punt. "Guys make mistakes and Dax Milne will tell you that first hand. It was no big deal for us. We knew we were going to be able to come back. We knew the defense would get a stop for us and we were going to be able to come back and put a drive together."
It takes courage to admit when one makes a mistake, and Milne did that Saturday night in an empty stadium. It also takes trust and camaraderie to rely on your teammates — your brothers — to help you bounce back.
It’s also easier to bounce back when your teammates have your back, even on defense. The Cougars didn’t whine as they trotted back to their own 23-yard line. They simply strapped on their helmets, smiled and went to get another stop.
In many ways, that muffed punt was a happy feeling for the defense.
"Any time we can take the field we’re happy," BYU defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga said. "It was fun to go right back out and get a stop."
Milne wouldn’t be done with a little adversity, either. The former walk-on who passed up scholarships at the lower levels to earn one at BYU has plenty of it during his time in Provo. That experience has taught him that one bad play in the first quarter of one game doesn’t determine a game’s outcome, or the season.
Milne was going to be fine. He’s risen through the ranks, put in his time while playing in 10 games as a freshman, then became one of the Cougars' more reliable receivers during a sophomore campaign that included 21 catches for 285 yards and two touchdowns.
So no, one muffed punt wasn’t going to define his game.
"We talked as a team that we are going to face some adversity. But these guys have each other’s back, and they love each other," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. "They love playing for each other.
"We knew Dax was going to be fine. He was excited to get back out there and get the next punt. I just loved the way the guys played. The offense did a great job protecting the football — and give Troy credit, with their offense and speed, and the way our defense minimized it."
That bounce back will serve the Cougars well moving forward, into a season where they won’t just battle Louisiana Tech next Friday or UTSA, Houston, Texas State and Western Kentucky after that. They’ll also battle a global pandemic, a COVID-19 virus that forced at least some of their teammates to the sideline this past weekend, like starting guard Tristen Hoge, who recovered from the virus but was diagnosed with pneumonia after returning to practice.
Just like Milne after the muffed punt, Hoge will overcome adversity. BYU has proved it can do that through an up-and-down opening month of the season.
The Cougars will keep doing it again, too.
"We’ll have to keep proving it; this is just one game," Sitake said. "But our guys have a lot to prove."
Next week
Louisiana Tech (2-0) at No. 18 BYU (2-0)
Kickoff: Friday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN2
Radio: BYU Radio, KSL Radio 1160 AM/102.7 FM
Streaming: WatchESPN
