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SALT LAKE CITY — The 2020 BYU football season has come to a close and it's one to remember — for the wins, the loss, the strange circumstances and the Heisman dark horse.
But one thing that will be remembered above all is the dominant bowl performance where the Cougars took on the Knights of UCF and owned every portion of the game, from kickoff to the final whistle.
BYU convincingly beat the Knights 49-23 in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl Tuesday night, and here are three things we learned about the Cougars from the matchup:
Zach Wilson will be remembered as one of the greats
Zach Wilson has had an incredible season and it was a lot of fun to watch. But where would he ultimately sit in the annals of QB greatness at BYU? After the 2020 bowl game, I think the answer to that is pretty clear: He's one of the greats.
Wilson dominated in this game and picked apart the Knights defense. The junior threw for 425 yards and completed 26 of his 34 attempts. He also had three TD's in the air with a QBR of 98.4. Additionally, he had two rushing touchdowns and 16 yards receiving. Wilson was on point in Boca Raton, and he undoubtedly made himself some future money with that performance. In fact, Wilson had one throw in particular that still has many of our jaws on the floor a day later.
Receiver Neil Pau'u was streaking down the sideline, and the UCF defensive back had great coverage and was right on top of Pau'u. Wilson saw a window — don't ask me how — threw a strike from the 45-yard line, and dropped it perfectly into Pau'u's gut at the 5-yard line. There was literally an exact and tiny spot Wilson could throw that ball to complete it to Pau'u and he did it. Credit to Pau'u for hauling in the catch, but that throw alone will get some teams salivating for Wilson to start slinging the ball for them on Sundays.
Wilson will finish the 2020 season with 3,692 in the air, 33 passing TDs, and just three interceptions. He also managed to complete over 73% of his passes and averaged 11 yards per play. He finished the year ranked third in the NCAA for pass completion percentage, fifth for passing yards, third for pass yards per attempt, third for passing touchdowns, second for passing efficiency rating, third for total yards, and second for TD's responsible for.
This was likely Wilson's last game in a BYU uniform; and if so, he'll finish his career as a Cougar with over 7,200 passing yards, 53 passing TDs, and just 15 interceptions.
That's all impressive, but how does he stack up to the BYU greats? Pretty well.
Wilson has the best completion percentage in BYU history, beating Steve Young and becoming just the second Cougar QB to complete more than 70% of his throws. Only Ty Detmer averaged more yards per attempt with 11.1; Wilson averaged 11.
Wilson also beat out Jim McMahon as the Cougars' most efficient QB. Wilson's 196.9 rating is well above McMahon's 176.87. And Wilson left Gifford Nielsen's touchdown-to-interception ratio in the rearview mirror. Nielsen held the record with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 1977. As mentioned before, Wilson finished the 2020 season with 33 and three, respectively.
Not only is Wilson one of the best QB's in the country, he's also one of the best to don a BYU uniform — and that is no easy task.
One yard will haunt Cougar fans for decades to come
BYU finishes the season 11-1. Their best record since 1996. It made for a fun season for Cougar nation, but it is also a frustrating one because of what could have been. BYU had been dominating teams and had their best win against Boise State on the road when they took down the Broncos 51-17 on the blue turf. But when the College Football Playoff Committee came out with their first rankings, they had BYU ranked much lower than most were expecting. They cited their strength of schedule so BYU got a resume builder game on the calendar.
The Cougars traveled to Coastal Carolina and were handed their first and only loss of the season. It was a tough one to swallow for the Cougars who looked unprepared the entire game. BYU could not find a rhythm on either side of the ball while Coastal had a strong game plan and executed it brilliantly. The Cougars literally came up just a couple of yards short of winning that game.
After that game, questions started bubbling up about how good this BYU team really was. They took care of business against San Diego State a week later, but the win wasn't a pretty one and cracks seemed to be appearing. Was BYU just cruising by on a soft schedule? Would they have been embarrassed in a New Year's Six Bowl? We'll never really know, but this dominating bowl win raises a lot of "what if" questions.
UCF came into the bowl game with one of the nation's best offenses. The Knights came into the bowl game averaging just over 46 points per game. They had also lost three games but only by a combined 12 points. They also took undefeated Cincinnati to the wire and lost in the final moments 36-33. UCF was no slouch of a team, and BYU opened as just a three-point favorite. The Knights averaged over 568 yards a game and nearly 358 passing yards a game. BYU held UCF to 217 yards through the air and to just 411 total yards. Not to mention just 23 points, and six of those came after BYU started playing some of their second stringers.
With such a dominant game against a solid opponent, this question is going to haunt BYU fans for years to come: What would have happened if BYU gained just a couple more yards in Conway, South Carolina?
BYU could be losing more than just player in 2021
BYU is losing some talent for 2021. Most notable would be Wilson if he declares for the draft (which I think would be shocking if he didn't). In addition to Wilson, BYU will be losing seniors Matt Bushman at tight end, safety Zayne Anderson, defensive end Zac Dawe, defensive lineman Bracken EL-Bakri, linebacker Kavika Fonua, offensive lineman Chandon Herring and Tristen Hoge, linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi, nose tackle Khyiris Tonga and secondary players Troy Warner and Chris Wilcox.
Thankfully, BYU has talent waiting in the wings and there is hope they can fill these gaps. But what about nonplayers? What will the coaching staff look like in 2021?
A season like the Cougars put together in 2020 doesn't go unnoticed, and the coaching staff is going to be sought after. While he will likely get interest and possible offers, it doesn't seem head coach Kalani Sitake will be leaving the program right now. But can the same be said for offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes?
Grimes called one of the nation's most potent offenses in 2020 and produced a Heisman hopeful in Wilson. That kind of season will garner some interest, and there are head coaching jobs out there — most notably is a spot at Boise State. It's also worth noting that Grimes was not at the bowl game in Boca Raton. Offensive line coach Eric Mateos was also missing, but they said that was due to illness; there was no explanation given for Grimes' absence.
The rumor mill has already started, and it will be interesting to see what the BYU coaching staff looks like for the 2021 season.
