BYU beats Boise State: 37 - 20

Chris Petersen's 100th game as coach of the Boise State Broncos didn't turn out the way that he planned. The BYU Cougars handed the Broncos their third loss of the season as they won 37 - 20.  This was the first time that a team from the state of Utah has defeated the Broncos (or so everyone says, though they seem to have forgotten the time that Boise lost to Utah State back in 1997).  BYU made the most out of the Bronco miscues and turned them into points in a big victory on Friday night on a national televised game on ESPN.

This was definitely a statement game for the BYU Cougars who have now won 5 straight games after losing to arch rival Utah, and are now eligible to go bowling in the post-season.  This is the 9th season in a row that BYU has become eligible for a bowl game. Shortly after the game, BYU received an invitation to play in the Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco.

Turnovers were the name of the Bronco's game Friday night, as Boise State continued to give the ball up to BYU.  The Broncos turned the ball over time and time again as the Cougar defense continued to make big plays.  The Cougar offense failed to capitalize on the turnovers in the second half, stalling multiple times.  It wouldn’t have been out of the question for the offense to put up 50 points against the Broncos in this game, but they did more than enough to come away with a convincing victory.

Remington Peck, Skye Povey, Craig Bills and Kyle Van Noy all got in the action on the turnovers.  With Van Noy's fumble recovery he only needs to cause a fumble and block a punt to record at least one statistic in every defensive category for the third straight year.  This would be quite the achievement for the BYU linebacker and something that would certainly catch the attention of the college football talking heads when post season awards are being handed out.

Taysom Hill was once again efficient and incredible in the win.  He hit multiple receivers and the tight ends got the best look that they have all season.  He even got the game MVP award shout-out from KSL.  Friel especially made the most of his catches as he barreled over the defensive backs.  Hill hit Apo, Hoffman, and Matthews for touchdowns, while throwing to nine different receivers. Hill was 27 of 41 passes for 339 yards on the night, another impressive outing for the Sophomore quarterback.

The third quarter once again started out slow and dragged on as predictive play calling and a lack of execution stymied the Cougar offense.  This was the second week in a row that the Cougars came out slower in the second half.  There were multiple three and outs and after a Boise State touchdown it seemed that there could be a window of opportunity for the Broncos to get back into the game.  The stage was set for a comeback, but it never materialized.  The BYU defense continued to play well and the offense added a field goal that made it a three possession game.

The Cougars have a week off before heading to Wisconsin to take on Gary Andersen and the Badgers.  Bronco Mendenhall encouraged fans after the game to road trip to Wisconsin and support the Cougars.