PROVO — Sometimes all you need is a chance.

For BYU running back KJ Hall, Saturday afternoon’s 37-7 win over Southern Utah was just that.

And the freshman from Maple Mountain made the most of it while giving the 59,302 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium a glimpse of the future with a nod to the past.

Hall ran for a game-high 59 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries in the Cougars’ win, which also saw significant action given to backup quarterback Tanner Mangum and several reserves against the FCS Thunderbirds.

“I was ready to do whatever was asked of me,” said Hall, who scored the game’s final touchdown on a two-yard run with 46 seconds left in the third quarter. “I wasn’t bugging coach or riding him, but I was obviously ready to go in if they needed me and do my job.”

Hall came to BYU with a hefty dose of optimism, if for nothing more than his name. The son of former BYU star Kalin Hall and older brother of current quarterback commit Jaren languished on the scout team during a redshirt season in 2015, when he returned from a two-year mission for the LDS Church in Mexico City.

He then found himself buried on the depth chart in 2016, when fifth-year senior Jamaal Williams and Washington State transfer Squally Canada have taken most of the reps at running back, along with heavy-runner Taysom Hill at quarterback.

Still, Hall knew he’d get a chance — and he wasn’t surprised when offensive coordinator Ty Detmer told him a lot of them would come against Southern Utah when BYU (6-4) kicked off a three-game homestand to end the regular season.

“They’ve been mentioning all week I’d get some time,” Hall said. “When Squally went down and Algie (Brown) was hurt, I was just happy to be out here with my team. I hadn’t played against an opponent in three or four years. It was pretty fun.”

Beyond playing reserves, Saturday was also time to put established players in new positions. Fullback Brayden El-Bakri found an opening running routes out of the backfield, and he took advantage en route to 69 receiving yards on four catches.

The extra reps will go a long way for the future, as well as preparing BYU for its 12th-straight bowl game Dec. 21 in San Diego.

“It’s a confidence-booster when you come out and play well,” El-Bakri said. “It’s a chance for younger people to see if they have it or not because games are a lot different than practices are. Every game is important; it doesn’t matter if it’s a hard game, a win or a loss. Every time you play, you learn something.”

Things weren’t perfect for the young Cougars in the win over the Thunderbirds (5-5); BYU turned the ball over three times and settled for a pair of field goals by Rhett Almond in the closing quarter to set up the final margin.

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But that’s part of the experience, too.

“I was disappointed that the veteran guys made mistakes,” said BYU coach Kalani Sitake, signalling Brown’s fumble and Sae Tautu’s personal foul. “Maybe there was a little miscommunication on a few things, but we’re going to try to get our back-up guys a lot of significant reps because that’s where you make the most growth in a program.

“I thought the D-line and linebackers on defense and then receivers on offense were able to get some big plays. We saw KJ come in and run the ball really well, and (Colby) Hansen got in there. A lot of the young guys got in some really good reps.”

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