BYU Game 12 View from the Midwest – BYU at Stanford
For those of you who are first-time readers, welcome! Here is a link explaining my process of how I recap BYU games while paying respect to the rich historical tradition of the BYU Cougars I love.
Luke Staley-Tyler Allgeier Rusher of the Game: Christopher Brooks.
🗣️🗣️🗣️ pic.twitter.com/GZDN0d0kS6
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 27, 2022
Chris Brooks led the way for the BYU rushing attack in a dominating performance. Brooks had 23 carries for 164 yards, averaging 7.1 yards per carry. BYU as a team had 50 carries for 358 yards and three touchdowns. Here are some fun facts regarding the Cougar rushing attack, via the Voice of the Cougars Greg Wrubell. Since 1972 the Cougars have rushed for over 300 yards 31 times and have won all 31 games. The total against Stanford was the most since 394 against Nevada in Reno in 2013 and was the most rushing yards in an away game against a Power Five team. Great ground game by the Cougars.
Harvey Unga-Jamaal Williams Run of the Game: Hinckley Ropati
So much good stuff shown here by @hfropati7, first is his vision to see the play unfold and the running lanes, second his quickness in making a read and a cut and hitting it with speed, third his elusiveness and going full steam toward pay dirt. Just awesome! #BYU https://t.co/72IYH8CEm0
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) November 28, 2022
Ropati and the Cougar rushing attack had a great game but this play was a work of art as far as running the football goes. It’s as good a run of the football as you will ever see. The blocking is a little mixed on the play and looks to be supposed to go to the left side, the defense flows that but Hinckley Ropati reads the situation and cuts back inside, and finds a seam. He hits that seam flawlessly and with such speed that he has the advantage and no one can catch him. He could very well be the next Tyler Allgeier at BYU.
Steve Young-Curtis Brown Dual Threat of the Game: Jaren Hall
It can't be overstated how much more effective an offense is when a quarterback can run the ball effectively every now and then. https://t.co/mbnvEdIOC8
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) November 28, 2022
While the running game dominated, the quarterback Jaren Hall was just as an important cog in it as anyone else with his 11 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown. Hall being a dual threat always helps open up this offense and weaken the opposing defense just that little bit more than can be the difference in winning football games. That is why…
The John Beck Player of the Game is Jaren Hall
Hall made it happen in the air too. Not a ton like he’s done in the past or like could have if he’d been needed to but enough to keep the defense honest. Hall was 7 of 11 for 93 yards and two touchdowns pass. He had a total of 162 yards of offense and three touchdowns. It was great to see him play so well in what may have been his regular-season finale as a BYU Cougar.
Austin Collie Receiver of the Game: Puka Nacua
Great play by Nacua! https://t.co/1DEt5LtHWo
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) November 28, 2022
This was again a great play call by BYU that is great because it made the defense have to defend extremely well to have a chance to stop it, and they did not. This would also be the play that sealed the game. It was over when Puka scored here. He had three catches for 33 yards and carried the ball three times for 38 yards and that touchdown. He could have been the dual threat of the game as well. I got to give Nacua credit for his willingness to run the ball. Some receivers would object to that but Puka Nacua just wants to help his team win.
Payne Brothers Special Teams Player of the Game: Jake Oldroyd.
Jake Oldroyd enters the postseason only three points away from becoming BYU's all-time scoring leader.
1. Mitch Payne 334
2. Owen Pochman 333
3. Jake Oldroyd 332— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) November 27, 2022
Jake Oldroyd has had as much of an up-and-down year as any player on the roster. It was nice to see him solid on all five of his extra points and climb the scoring records for BYU. Having his name up there is a reward for a guy who has always battled for the Cougars and given his best.
Dennis Pitta TE Play of the Game: Isaac Rex’s touchdown.
This play shows what I love to talk about. Making a defense defend everything. They have to defend the run on the play action, the QB on the roll-out, and the WRs and TEs in the endzone. An offense giving themselves more options and a defense more to headaches to defend! #BYU https://t.co/s5VAI76lqV
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) November 28, 2022
You could go with either of Rex’s touchdowns but I went with this one because it showed a lot of sense by Rex to keep moving with Jaren Hall until they found an opening for a touchdown. I’ve seen receivers run into each other and help the defense on plays like this so it was good to see a guy know what to do, where to go, and get the touchdown.
LaVell Edwards Call of the Game: The Trick Play
#BYU seemed to have fewer of these plays in 2022 than in 2020-2021. They force a defense to have all 11 be perfectly disciplined or the play will gash them and on the off chance they are disciplined and stop it, it's something they'll have to watch for the rest of the game. https://t.co/0aAwQ2x2Ah
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) November 28, 2022
I love plays like this that require a defense to be absolutely perfect to defend and hope they keep making a comeback for the Cougars. These plays are hard to adjust to as a defense and none worked better than the one shown here. The runs by Puka Nacua to assist in the rushing attack all year set this up and then Isaac Rex knocked it down!
Fred Warner Defensive Player of the Game: Gabe Jeudy-Lally
I went with Jeudy-Lally for his five tackles, 0.5 a sack, and 0.5 a tackle for a loss, and his two passes broken up. The transfer from Vanderbilt was playing fired up and was equally excited post-game to be going to his first bowl game.
Jan Jorgensen-Jim Herrmann Sack of the Game: Lorenzo Fauatea and Tyler Batty.
It was so sweet to see a solid pash rush from #BYU! I'm hopeful going forward that they'll continue to find ways to get after the quarterback, especially as they enter the Big 12. https://t.co/1u8M33HSC2
— Phillip Riggs (@phillipriggs85) November 28, 2022
It was great to see an old dog like Fauatea eat and a young hound like Batty feast right alongside him. The pass rush and pressuring the quarterback have been a problem for the Cougars during the entire Kalani Sitake Era, so to see it come alive was very encouraging. The Cougars had had only one sack in the last six games, and their three against Stanford were the second highest output of the year to their four against Baylor.
Even with their three sacks against Stanford, the Cougars only had 13 in the entire year and that had them ranked 130th out of 131 teams in sacks. The Cougars have to do something to better pressure the quarterback on a consistent basis.
Steve Young Hall of Fame Moment of the Game: Jaren Halls Records.
ELITE. pic.twitter.com/uiGKGQtcRN
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 27, 2022
While the man himself was there, Jaren Hall joined an elite club amongst BYU quarterbacks. He joined Steve Young and Brandon Doman as the only BYU quarterbacks to throw for over 3,000 yards and run for 300 yards in a season at BYU.
Heart of a Lion:
Thank you, Coach Tuiaki. pic.twitter.com/DwR2nUkevW
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 28, 2022
Coach Tuiaki has had a rough season, I’ve been critical of him and the Cougar defense, but now is not the time to criticize but to thank him for showing up and giving 100% for seven seasons. BYU is family and this is the most important time to be family. Thank you, Coach Tuiaki. BYU Nation wishes you only success and happiness wherever you go and in whatever you do.
Loyal, Strong, and True: Isaac Rex
Rex is our Loyal, Strong, and True Bounce Back Player of the Game. Rex wasn’t particularly having a bad season or anything, but the tight end position had taken criticism as being underutilized, and whether they heard or listened to that criticism or not BYU got the ball back to the Y-position. Rex had two catches for 44 yards, both catches for touchdowns. Glad to see the tight end light it up again for BYU.
Resume Watch
It wasn’t what was expected or hoped for at the beginning of the year, but when at 4-5 and in the middle of a four-game losing streak getting to 6-6 and bowl eligible seemed doubtful, so credit the Cougars for not phoning it in and getting the season over with but turning around and fighting back and winning three in a row to get to a bowl game. The Cougars are now assured of a winning season and will have a shot to get an eighth win and have one more game maybe to say goodbye to some great players who we’ll always love.
Rise and Shout Again:
𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄@gregwrubell 🤝 @hfropati7 pic.twitter.com/jbtV3CN8XQ
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) November 28, 2022
Since who BYU will play and in what bowl game is still up in the air, enjoy this radio call by Greg Wrubell for the big run by Hinckley Ropati. I’m not certain where BYU’s bowl ties will go but one fantasy matchup I’ve heard that I would love would be to battle the Utah Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl. Holy War in December sounds great to me!
Thanks for reading! Give me a follow on Twitter and Facebook!
Read about all the BYU games this season!