Why BYU's bowl victory is a stepping stone to the Big 12 game

BYU’s latest Independence game has turned into a Hollywood-like movie script.

BYU’s 24-23 victory over Southern Methodist followed no predictable path in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.

But it has created a winning atmosphere for head coach Kalani Sitake as he completes recruiting and hiring of defensive coaches and sets the tone for joining a Power 5 conference with an 8-5 record. , a season ending on a 4-0 winning streak.

BYU finished the win over SMU without making a single pass in the second half. They won a game on defensive plays while starting fourth-string quarterback Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters, a sophomore in his first start with a trophy as the game’s offensive MVP.

The victory set the stage for an offseason that will be filled with reloading a roster and embracing a new philosophy on defense. In a sense, new defensive coordinator Jay Hill was setting up a tryout for the future defense on Saturday.

Defense?

Why wait?

That day, SMU did not complete a pass over 35 yards.

“With the way SMU was running, we just wanted to make it harder for them,” Sitake said.

Facing the No. 15 offensive in SMU, BYU’s defense offered a pick six by linebacker Ben Bywater, a fourth-quarter 15-yard sack by Alden Tofa and a life-saving tackle by safety Jakob Robinson on a two-man QB points. try by SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai at the end of the game, trailing 1 at 24-23.

Robinson was one-on-one with Mordecai, a QB who had it 40 pounds. And he knocked it down.

It was kind of a signature game for the BYU bowl game. A fitting ends in a chaotic month for the program.

SMU was supposed to post 50 or more points on the Cougar defense in this game. In the end, SMU ran another 33 games (87-54) and earned their 23rd point with eight seconds left in the game. One mile wasn’t enough. Or a few meters.

It’s the defense.

A missing tusk.

And it was a defense coached by a group of graduate assistants and analysts helping Sitake on the sidelines in the weeks leading up to the game.

Maiava-Peters had her number called when season starter Jaren Hall couldn’t answer the call with a sprained ankle. His replacement, Jacob Conover, was transferred to ASU. His replacement, Cade Fennegan, was also injured and unavailable.

Maiava-Peters was running like a gazelle. He gained nearly 100 yards on 14 carries. SMU, which has had its own defensive struggles all year, was left crumpled and panting. When Chris Brooks rushed for 22 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter to set up BYU two touchdowns, who knew it would give the Cougars a win?

“They just wanted me to be confident and ready there,” Maiava-Peters said.

This win, in a sense, with so many starters missing from BYU’s roster for this bowl, was a master total team effort — something that solidifies a team. A loss would have cast a cloud over upcoming off-season training and spring training heading into the Big 12.

The remarkable thing about this story is that offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick almost had to create a new BYU offense for Maiava-Peters — not the one Hall has been chasing all season. This meant designing pieces that Maiava-Peters could master in no time. And do it without running back Lopini Katoa, All-America freshman guard Campbell Barrington and star WR Puka Nacua, the team’s top athlete.

Maiava-Peters is averaging nearly 7 yards per carry. He was confident, patient and ran a lot of option plays, made good decisions and sped through the line when he made his call to do it himself. In short, Maiava-Peters was a running back on wheels playing QB. Roderick played to his strength and created a trophy for him behind a strong offensive line.

It’s trust.

Bywater’s pick of six came on the perfect play of a bubble screen thrown by Mordecai and he had two blockers to fight to get to the ball. Once he secured it, he edged out three skilled SMU offense players for a 76-yard TD. It was his third pick of the season.

“I don’t know if that gave the momentum to the game, but it was good to get the ball back and put it back to our attack,” Bywater said. “This win creates momentum for next season. Our players are very excited to work with Jay Hill, we can’t wait.

What BYU’s defense has done to make up for all of its fouls this season, situations that have cost them defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki, assistant head coach Ed Lamb, linebackers coach Kevin Clune and coach of the safety Preston Hadley, has proven his resilience.

In August, BYU won nine regular season games. I think it would be an exceptional season. They finished with eight. It’s better than seven.

From where the Cougars were in October with four straight losses, it’s a great stepping stone to the next step to the Big 12.