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PROVO — Grass and chalk checkering his once pristine-white jersey, Cooper Legas sauntered into the visiting media room and took a seat at the podium, an unsatisfied look plastered his face.
On the heels of his first career start in college football, in a stadium just down the hill from his hometown, the Orem native wasn't inclined to spit out positive, gratuitous lines.
Legas' team, after all, lost to in-state rival BYU 38-26 on Thursday night at Lavell Edwards Stadium. The Wagon Wheel will stay down south for the foreseeable future, with no upcoming games scheduled between the two schools. Disappointment was expected, and self-criticism felt appropriate.
But the junior quarterback could also appreciate the night.
In the wake of quarterback Logan Bonner's season- and career-ending foot injury, Legas was called upon to lead a one-win Utah State into a matchup against No. 19 BYU. And in what coach Blake Anderson called "our best performance of the season," he led the Aggies offense to its best effort yet.
In 19-of-31 passing for 188 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions, while rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown, Legas helped flip a game the majority of the 59,000-plus fans in attendance expected to be a snoozer into one worth remembering.
"As fun as it is to be the guy that hurts that much worse to lose," Legas said.
"I've thought about being in this moment like my whole life, playing here. And then for it to actually happen was cool."
Opening statement from Cooper Legas: pic.twitter.com/sNrnaWbZe2
— Jacob Nielson (@Jacobnielson12) September 30, 2022
The opportunity was a result of Bonner breaking his foot on the final play of last week's game against UNLV.
Legas knew "right away" Bonner was out and he'd be the starter; those details were kept under wraps throughout the week, however. While the offense prepared for Legas to start in practices leading up to the game, Bonner looked on at practice with a boot on his foot, and the program stayed tongue-tied on Bonner's status.
Rumors of the injury slipped out, but the news of Legas starting did not reach public conscience until Thursday afternoon.
"Me and Logan are really close and we were talking, so I knew before everyone," Legas said. "But, yeah, I've been preparing all week.
"Honestly, they were trying to keep it low that I was going to be the guy. So really, only my close family was here."
Once the cat was out of the bag, Legas wasted no time making his impact felt. In a 12-play, 75-yard opening drive, Legas had a 4-yard rush on third down, a 12-yard completion to Brian Cobbs on third and long, then rolled to his left and scampered into the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown to give Utah State the early lead.
It was the first time this season the Aggies had scored on its opening drive — it seemed clear his mobility and confidence was a jolt that the struggling offense could use.
The second possession went poorly, as Legas' third-and-long pass was tipped at the line and intercepted by Max Tooley for a pick-six touchdown to give BYU a 14-7 lead. Beyond that, though, the Aggies kept the momentum throughout the half.
When Calvin Tyler Jr. and Robert Briggs found success on the ground, finishing with 104 and 46 rush yards, respectively, Legas complemented them with rushes of his own on the RPO and made key throws when the opportunity presented itself.
Legas connected with McGriff for an 18-yard touchdown; only to be called back for illegal touching — a call referees admitted in the second half they had gotten wrong, according to Anderson. On the following possession, Legas reached Cobbs on a 14-yard pass to the right corner of the end zone to give the Aggies a 17-14 lead.
As Jaren Hall and BYU flexed their muscles in the second half, Legas and the offense failed to keep up, mustering 10 second-half points compared to 21 from the Cougars. Legas underthrew Vaughn on a deep ball and stuffed at midfield on a critical 4th and 2 at midfield to begin the fourth quarter. When the game was decided, Legas threw another interception and hit Cobbs for a 27-yard touchdown.
"He's prepared the right way as I mentioned, he's waited for his opportunity," Anderson said. "And when it showed up, he did a phenomenal job. I'm sure like any quarterback has cut plays, he'd love to have back but man, he gave us a chance to win."
"I think I competed as hard as I could," Legas said. "But at the same time, I think that made me do some stupid things. So I think bring that same competitiveness but only up to a certain point, (and) take care of the ball. Don't throw the ball where it doesn't need to go."
Legas, who played the majority of the LA Bowl last year after Bonner tore his ACL in the first quarter, was not perfect but is no doubt prepped for the moment and will be the guy moving forward. And the passing of the torch happened in time for the most personal game Legas could possibly be a part of.
Several people Legas knew growing up were at the game, and most of them cheered against him. He faced several former Orem High teammates, including Jakob Robinson, Puka Nacua, and Ethan Slade.
Amid the personal pressure, he performed admirably, inserting some life into an anemic Aggies offense, and perhaps lifting the confidence of the 1-4 squad as it turns its attention to the conference slate.
The memorable night doesn't change the facts, though. The Wagon Wheel will stay in Provo, and Legas won't get another shot at the Cougars for the rest of his career.
"Yeah," Legas, "I wish we could play them again right now."
