How BYU Opponents Fared in Week One

Each of BYU’s 2021 opponents were in action during week one, finishing 7-4 over the weekend. Five of the seven wins were over FCS teams, while Utah State pulled the upset over Washington State on the road. Below is how each of BYU’s opponents fared.

Utah — 40-17 win Versus Weber State

The Utes had a very Kyle Whittingham week one performance. Nothing fancy, but easily took care of business versus a FCS foe. Weber led 7-3 in the first quarter at one point and were within two possessions in the fourth quarter, but Utah plugged away and was never really threatened. Baylor QB transfer Charlie Brewer looked sharp for the most part, finishing 19-27 for 233 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 pick.

Arizona State —45-14 win Over SUU

ASU got a scare early when star QB Jayden Daniels went down, but ASU confirmed it was cramps and they held him out the rest of the game as a precaution. ASU hosts UNLV next week before traveling to Provo.

South Florida — 0-45 loss to NC State

USF went on the road to NC State Thursday night and looked awful, as evidenced by the final score. They finished with 271 total yards, gave up 525 yards, and threw 3 interceptions. BYU should roll over the Bulls week 4 in Provo.

Utah State and Washington State — Aggies Win, 26-23

Utah State went on the road and pulled off the shocker as 17-point underdogs. Arkansas State transfer Logan Bonner threw a 7-yard TD pass with 13 seconds left to put the Aggies over the edge. Both teams were predicted towards the bottom of their conferences, but USU looks like they could put up a fight in Logan and Wazzu is quickly turning into a dumpster fire following the offseason drama around Head Coach Nick Rolovich’s refusal to get the COVID vaccine. BYU should be favored in both games on the road.

Boise State — 31-36 Loss at UCF

Boise was the underdog traveling across the country and nearly pulled off the upset, but a late interception by Hank Backmeier ended any comeback hopes. The Broncos have some firepower and will present a test for BYU on October 9.

Baylor — 29-20 Win at Texas State

Baylor didn’t cover the 13.5 point spread and a safety on the last play of the game pushed the final margin from 7 to 9 points. Jeff Grimes had a steady diet of run plays in his first game as Baylor OC, as the Bears had 45 runs compared to 24 passes. Baylor finished with 245 rushing yards and 148 passing yards. BYU will travel to Waco October 16.

Virginia — 43-0 Win versus William & Mary

Virginia took care of business versus a local FCS team, but as Washington and others showed us that isn’t always a sure bet. The Hoos finished with 545 yards of total offense, including 339 passing yards from QB Brennan Armstrong. UVA didn’t force any turnovers but allowed only 183 total yards.

Idaho State — 14-35 Loss to North Dakota

The Bengals fell by 21 points on their home field to a fellow FCS team.

Georgia Southern — 30-25 Win Over Garner Webb

GSU narrowly pulled out the win over a FCS team. Georgia Southern’s triple option attack worked well as the Eagles rolled up 365 rushing yards.

USC — 30-7 Win Over San Jose State

The Trojans were up only 13-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but they ended with 17 unanswered points to pull ahead versus a good Spartans team. USC gave up over 300 passing yards, but 2 interceptions kept SJSU to just a single TD. USC QB Kedon Slovis finished with 256 yards and 2 TDs.