PROVO — The BYU Cougars got it done on both sides of the ball by hammering the Savannah State Tigers, 64-0, Saturday afternoon at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
There was a long list of contributors for BYU on Senior Day with the game out of hand early in the contest.
The defense gave up just six first downs and 63 yards of total offense to the Tigers, while the offense found the end zone eight times, including seven in the first half in the lopsided win.
Scoring recap
BYU got on the board just 1:20 into the game when quarterback Christian Stewart found Mitch Mathews behind the defense and connected on a 71-yard touchdown pass.
The next time, Stewart did the work when he found the end zone from 16 yards out to give the Cougars a two-score lead midway through the first quarter. The key play came when Stewart found Jordan Leslie for a 23-yard pass play.
Stewart and Mathews linked up again when the Cougars scored their third touchdown in as many possessions. Devin Mahina made a big play on the drive with a 24-yard reception on third-and-4 to keep the chains moving.
After Cougar special teams stopped a Savannah State fake punt, Terenn Houk got open in the back of the end zone for a 9-yard scoring reception. Stewart extended the drive when he carried the ball for 9 yards on a fourth-and-1 deep in Tiger territory.
Following an Alani Fua interception return, Stewart carried the ball in from 6 yards out on the only play of the drive to push the lead to 35-0.
Leslie got his touchdown Senior Day on a 1-yard pass from Stewart on another one-play drive after a bad snap on special teams gave the Cougars prime field position.
Nate Carter got into the act with a 2-yard touchdown run to stretch the Cougar lead to 49-0. McCoy Hill came through on a third-and-5 when he completed an 8-yard strike to Carter to keep the ball with the offense.
The Cougar special teams got on the board when David Kessler blocked a punt that ended up being kicked out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
BYU used plenty of clock before settling for a 31-yard Trevor Samson field goal for the first score of the second half. The lone passing play of the drive gave the Cougars 19 yards when Hill found Mitchell Juergens for a 19-yard gain.
Samson made his second field goal of the day from 32 yards out to increase the lead to 57. That capped a four-play drive that didn't yield a first down following a Tanner Balderree fumble recovery on the defensive side of the ball.
A.J. Moore finished the scoring on a 6-yard run to cap off the one-sided affair. Moore also made the biggest play on the drive when he busted off a 22-yard run.
Three Stars
3. Nate Carter, running back
Carter had his most productive day as a Cougar in a game where BYU used nine different ball carriers. He finished the day with 20 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown to go along with one catch for eight yards.
2. Mitch Mathews, wide receiver
In a day where the BYU offense didn't throw the ball very often, Mathews made the most of his chances. He caught four passes for 110 yards, including first-quarter touchdown receptions of 71 and 15 yards.
1. Christian Stewart, quarterback
Stewart accounted for six touchdowns even though he only played for a little more than a quarter. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 196 yards, including touchdown passes of 71, 15, 1 and 9 yards. He also registered 44 yards and two scores in the running game.
Analyzing the stats
The 63 yards recorded by Savannah State is the all-time fewest allowed by a BYU defense.
The 64-point win is the largest margin of victory with Bronco Mendenhall as the head coach. The previous best came in 2008 when the Cougars drilled UCLA, 59-0.
The 64 points are also the most in the Mendenhall era. The previous best came during his inaugural season at the helm with the Cougars scored 62 points in a win over Air Force.
The two touchdown passes caught by Mathews give him eight on the season. It also ties him for the team lead in touchdowns with Taysom Hill.
Carter led the Cougars in rushing with 116 yards making him the third BYU player to cross the 100-yard mark this season. It is also the first time BYU had a 100-yard rusher since Hill and Jamaal Williams both accomplished the feat in the win over Houston.
Up next
After three straight wins, BYU travels to Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California, to take on the Cal Golden Bears. The Bears enter the contest with a record of 5-6. Their wins came over Northwestern, Sacramento State, Colorado, Washington State and Oregon State. All six off their losses came in Pac-12 play against Arizona, Washington, UCLA, Oregon, USC and Stanford.
The Bears have a very potent offense led by sophomore signal-caller Jared Goff. He has completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 3,580 yards and 31 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He loves to spread the ball around with eight players having recorded more than 40 catches and eight with more than 20. His favorite targets are junior wide receivers Bryce Treggs, Stephen Anderson and Chris Harper as well as sophomore wide out Kenny Lawler.
Treggs leads the team in receptions with 46 receptions for 532 yards and six touchdowns. Anderson has 44 catches for a team-high 631 yards and five scores. Harper also has 44 catches for 536 yards and six touchdowns while Lawler has 42 grabs for 563 yards and six scores.
Cal also has a solid running game led by junior Daniel Lasco. He has 985 yards and 12 touchdowns on 184 carries. He is can also make things happen in the passing game with 30 receptions for 343 yards and two scores.
Where Cal has most of its struggles is on the defensive side of the ball. Opponents are averaging 509.2 yards of total offense, including 148 yards on the ground. The Cal defense has given up 18 rushing touchdowns and another 37 through the air where it allows 361.2 yards per contest. A big reason the Bears struggle with pass defense is because they have a hard time getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks with just 13 sacks on the season.
Jay Yeomans is a courier by day and a freelance writer by night. He is the creator and lead writer of the website jmoneysports.com. Contact him at jmoney34@hotmail.com. Twitter: @jmoneysports