Well that was a weird game. BYU won big, which is what we all expected, but man, did it take a while to get there.
BYU went into the halftime only up 14-9 after allowing UMass to complete several big plays. The Minutemen forced a Taysom Hill fumble that set up a 70-yard TD pass in the 1st quarter and later took a 9-7 lead after being set up by 51-yard kick return. The Cougars got two TDs on the ground in the first half from KJ Hall and Harvey Langi. There were a few breakdowns and mistakes on the BYU side that allowed the Minutemen to keep it close. KJ Hall was a bright spot for BYU in the first half, with a few electrifying runs that got the crowd out of their seats. He finished with 101 yards and a touchdown. Harvey Langi added two TDs on 56 yards.
BYU finally broke it open in the 3rd quarter with two big special teams plays. The first was a blocked punt by Morgan Unga which set up an Almond field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, UMass returner got popped and lost the football, which gave BYU a twenty-yard field to score a touchdown with. BYU outscored UMass 20-0 in the third quarter with help of a pick-six from Francis Bernard.
Tanner Mangum got some action in the fourth quarter after a Taysom scramble put BYU up 41-9. He missed his receivers on two throws on his first drive, but was able to put it together in his second drive of the fourth quarter, and eventually threw a TD to Garrett Juergens.
Taysom had a pretty effective, if unspectacular, game through the air, going 19/31 for 171 yards. He also ran for 81 yards on 13 attempts and one TD.
BYU wins big 51-9, now it’s time get ready for Utah State.