Last night we finally saw the offense we've been expecting all year, even if it did come at the hands of the lowly Rebels. Still, Max Hall was brilliant, Harvey Unga was downright nasty, JJ DiLuigi proved he can really run and we almost saw pigs fly when O'Neill Chambers rumbled and tumbled 97 yards for what would have been BYU's first kickoff return since 1996.
And while the big score moved the Cougars up only one spot in the Coaches' Poll, it may have been exactly what the team needed to propel them to lofty heights over the next month and a half.
Game grades after the jump...
Grades:
BYU offense: A+: Anytime you roll up 611 yards total offense (320 in the air and 291 on the ground), run the ball with ease and have no turnovers (Max...finally!), all while raking in 59 points, you've done something great. We all hoped this would happen, but to actually see the efficiency take place was really great. And now I'm convinced that Harvey Unga has actual superpowers. What an unbelievable talent!
BYU defense: B+: Giving up a 75-yard TD pass always leaves a bad taste in the mouth. With the exception of that play BYU did a great job containing two mobile quarterbacks and keeping everything in front of them. The Cougars held UNLV to just 45 yards rushing... I was really happy to see the blitz schemes come back and influence the game, and Scott Johnson was superb. The defense is a different animal with him in the game calling the shots.
I'm still wondering why these last two weeks the DBs have been playing 10-12 yards off every play, especially when they were doing a great job "jamming" the receivers the first three games.
Special Teams: B: UNLV's kickoff return was nearly nullified by Chambers, the key word is nearly. Man, how do you run 97 yards and not find some way to get in...oh well, it was fun to watch. Great to see Payne hit a field goal in a game - his fourth attempt all season.