Going into today’s BYU vs Idaho State game we all expected a blowout win for the Cougars. Instead we got a…blowout. I was just trying to make this somewhat interesting since BYU dominated the Bengals 56-3.

The only real unknown regarding today’s game was whether or not Jake Heaps would get into the game. That question was answered at the 7:13 mark of the 3rd quarter when Heaps replaced Riley Nelson. Heaps first pass was underthrown. Jake seemed to get into a rhythm but then threw an interception, the only one thrown by either quarterback today. With the exception of the pick, Heaps was efficient going 8-10 for 67 yards.

Offensively under Nelson, BYU was near perfect. While Riley was in a quarterback, the Cougars scored on 6 out of 7 drives. When I say they scored I mean touchdowns. Nelson threw for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns as well as 62 yards rushing and a TD. If today didn’t convince you that Nelson was the right guy to quarterback this team then you‘ll never be persuaded. BYU got very good play from their wideouts and running backs today. Apo and Hoffman each had 71 yards receiving while Michael Alisa continued to show off his skills with 66 yards on just 8 carries. Everyone on the offensive side of the ball performed well today.

The defense was spectacular. Even though it was against a lower level team, the defense was active and caused havoc for Idaho State all day. The BYU defense had 6 sacks and 2 interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The Bengals moved the ball but the BYU defense held strong and didn’t give up a TD. Kyle Van Noy continues to dominate. Of the 5 sacks by the Cougars, 2 of them were courtesy of KVN.

All in all, BYU destroyed an inferior opponent. Still, the Cougars needed to prove to themselves and the fans that they were capable of laying the wood to a team. They proved today that they could. Things will get just a tad tougher this week when they travel to Dallas to face TCU on Friday night. Here’s hoping that Friday’s game is a preview of a couple of conference opponents next year in the Big12. PLEASE!

Shep