BYU football: 3 takeaways from BYU's New Mexico Bowl win over SMU

BYU ended its 2022 season in thrilling fashion, stopping a two-point attempt with eight seconds left to beat SMU 24-23 at the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday night.

Here’s a look at three takeaways from the Cougars’ win, their fourth in a row through the end of the season:

Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters and the BYU Offense Did Juuuuuuuuuuust Enough

With Jaren Hall out with an ankle injury and Jacob Conover entering the transfer gate, redshirt rookie Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters got his first career start at quarterback.

What did we learn about the youngster from Hawaii?

It’s fun to watch in the racing game. There is a lot to improve in the passing game.

Maiava-Peters rushed for a team-high 96 yards averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and he had several electrifying carries.

He ran for 40 yards on BYU’s first drive, which ended with a 1-yard touchdown from QB at fourth-and-base.

In the second quarter, Maiava-Peters made a 12-yard run on a third-and-12 that extended a Cougar drive into SMU territory and led to a BYU field goal that tied the game at 10.

He clearly showed his mastery of the run-pass option game, and with Maiava-Peters at the helm, the Cougars did enough offensively to win in one night as they racked up just 256 yards of offense. total.

BYU ran heavy, trying to keep the ball out of the hands of an explosive SMU offense — it worked for large parts of the game, as the Cougars ran for 209 yards, including 88 yards and a touchdown from Chris Brooks.

The Cougars’ only offensive drive in the second half reflected that philosophy — BYU ran the ball nine straight for 82 yards — 55 of Brooks’s — and took a 24-10 lead on a 22-yard run from Brooks .

The problem was that BYU didn’t have a passing threat — Maiava-Peters didn’t complete a pass in the second half, and he threw a third-quarter interception that nearly led SMU back into the lead.

He completed 7 of 12 passes for 47 yards for the game.

Then the Cougars turned conservative in the fourth quarter, leading BYU to three and its two possessions of the final period.

That gave SMU the chance to rally late, despite the Cougars leading 24-10 late in the third quarter.

BYU’s defense earned SMU points

If that’s any indication of what a Jay Hill-led defense will look like at BYU, Cougar fans should be heartened for the future with their new defensive coordinator.

In a season when BYU struggled to press — especially in key moments — the Cougars delivered multiple times defensively, even as the Mustangs used a 14-play, 88-yard drive to score with eight seconds left and make it a one point .game.

SMU entered the bowl game averaging 38 points per game, but after the Mustangs turned their first two drives into 10 points, the Cougars held them scoreless for two quarters.

Yes, SMU made two big drives in the fourth quarter, and yes, the Cougars have a lot of defensive work to do as they prepare to join the Big 12 Conference next year.

For the first time in a long time, however, there was some optimism that BYU could force some mistakes defensively.

Here are some examples :

• When SMU had a chance to go up two scores in the second quarter, BYU’s John Nelson scooped a sack on Tanner Mordecai, then pressured him third in the next game to force a punt.
• On the Mustangs’ next possession, Gabe Summers made a third-and-fifth pass near midfield to force another punt.
• Early in the third quarter, after BYU stalled on the first drive of the half, cornerback Jakob Robinson pressured Mordecai on a third play to force an incompleteness and help the Cougars hold onto a field advantage.
• Linebacker Ben Bywater turned the momentum of the game with a 76-yard interception return for a score — the first pick of six in New Mexico Bowl history — to give BYU a 17-10 lead after t looked like SMU would regain the lead after Maiavia’s interception of Peter.
• Midway through the fourth quarter, the Mustangs pushed deep into BYU territory and faced a trailing fourth-and-2 by seven. SMU tried to convert, but Alden Tofa pressured Mordecai, forcing the QB to backtrack into what ended up being a 15-yard sack.

While the Mustangs racked up 389 total offensive yards and converted 10 of 18 third downs, BYU’s defense, like the offense, only went one more play.

Jacob Robinson is the 2022 New Mexico Bowl champion

Now let’s get to the game of the game.

After BYU’s second straight fourth quarter, SMU got the ball back with three minutes left and 88 yards to go down seven.

Mordecai led an excellent 14-game practice, showing poise while methodically separating the BYU defense.

With eight seconds left, he hit Jordan Kerley for a 12-yard touchdown pass and then SMU decided to go for two and the win.

After a series of timeouts, the Mustangs attempted their two-point conversion. After pausing for a while, Mordecai tried to score in the middle on a QB draw.

Robinson, who finished with nine tackles, made the game of the night, pushing Mordecai back more than a yard from the goal line to thwart the two-point attempt.

After SMU’s ensuing onside kick attempt went out of bounds, the Cougars celebrated a team victory, with Robinson delivering the heroic final moment of the season.

At the last moment of BYU’s independence era, the Cougars were all smiles.