Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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PROVO — Kody Epps had dreamed of the moment for so long, but when it finally came, the celebration left plenty to be desired.
The former Mater Dei wide receiver finally caught his first career touchdown pass for BYU, and he was plenty excited. But coming in the second half of a 41-20 loss to then-No. 25 Oregon at venerated Autzen Stadium left plenty to be desired.
"It was lit, but it was weird at the same time," Epps said. "You know when you get a gift at Christmas, and you have to open the rest of the gifts? So you open the gift you want, but you know Grandma is going to give you a pair of socks still? It was that gift I wanted, but I still had to focus on the game.
"It was lit, but I also just had to focus."
His teammates were plenty excited for him.
"I was hyped for him," cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally said. "It was long overdue, I believe."
Epps led all BYU receivers with a career-high five catches (on seven targets) for 45 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown to open the fourth quarter. He was one of 10 receivers Jaren Hall found for 29 completions against the Ducks.
But he still feels like there's a lot more to give.
"This is going to sound so weird, but I think I could've done a lot better," Epps said. "I had a catch in the back of the end zone that I really wanted to capitalize on going into halftime.
"I made a few plays when my name was called, but I think I could've done better."
On the latest episode of CougConnect Catch-Up on the Cougar Beat podcast, Epps tells Jeudy-Lally about that touchdown, his own performance from the Cougars' first loss of the season, and what he expected from playing at the highly regarded Autzen Stadium.
Jeudy-Lally then offers a public-service announcement. No spoilers here, but we'll just say: if you enjoy pineapple on pizza, you might want to mute your sound for that part.
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