BYU's loss to Fresno State on Saturday hurt the Cougars' chances of going to the Holiday Bowl and put them in the position of needing help to get a share of the WAC title, but one positive thing did come from it.
It answered, once and for all, the question of who should play quarterback.Sophomore John Walsh was nothing short of spectacular, while his backups, Tom Young and Steve Clements, were not.
The change in fans' attitudes was remarkable. When Clements was announced as the starter, there was a scattering of applause. A little more than a quarter later, when Young replaced him, there was widespread applause and cheering. Two interceptions later, the crowd enthusiastically welcomed Walsh.
"If nothing else, that boosted his confidence a little and let him know the fans are behind him," said receiver Eric Drage.
Yeah, NOW they're behind him.
The reason the fans have been impatient with Walsh is that he is slow and susceptible to sacks against a fast team - like UCLA or Notre Dame, for instance.
But Young and Clements showed that it doesn't help to be mobile if you can't hit the open man and move the team. And, against a team like Fresno State, BYU's line was able to give Walsh enough team to pick the Bulldog secondary apart.
"Even though we blitzed the front four and two linebackers several times, we still didn't get to the passer," said FSU coach Jim Sweeney.
Drage said Walsh's coming into the game gave the whole offense, which had been stumbling, a lift.
"Everyone sensed it," he said. "He came in fired up. He played with a lot of guts and courage."
Chances are, none of the teams on BYU's remaining schedule (in order: Utah State, San Diego State, Utah and UTEP) will sack Walsh 10 times, as the Bruins did. Given that, he should be able to rack up some big numbers.
The question is, will Walsh's passing be able to offset the worst BYU defense in recent memory? The Bulldogs gained 636 yards total offense, their most productive game this season, and they equaled their high-point total this year. True, the Cougs were slowed by injuries, but 636 yards worth? And on their home field? The fact is, the BYU secondary was healthy, and that's where the Cougars were toasted big-time. They've now gone seven games and had 183 passes thrown at them and made just two interceptions - and those were fair-catch type plays.
BYU is also hurting itself with critical penalties, as Edwards pointed out Saturday, after his team had lost 142 yards to yellow flags.
To win the WAC title now, the Cougars (4-1 WAC, 4-3 overall) need a lot of help. Wyoming would have to lose twice; the Cowboys' remaining schedule includes Fresno and Colorado State at home, and New Mexico and San Diego State on the road. Fresno State, with one WAC loss, would have to lose again; after the trip to Laramie next Saturday, the 'Dogs are at home against UTEP, Hawaii and San Diego State. And BYU would have to beat the Aztecs, in San Diego, and Utah and UTEP at home.
The Cougars probably need to win just two more games to get a 16th straight bowl bid. The Copper Bowl had a representative at Saturday's game, no doubt figuring that the loser of that game will end up in Tucson.