LOGAN — On BYU's best offensive night of the season, the Cougars got leaky and Utah State guzzled from that turnover cup all night in sawing apart BYU 40-24 Friday night in Maverik Stadium.
It was a storybook victory for the Aggies and a tragic tale of continued torment for the Cougars.
The celebration for the Aggies went late into the night, setting up a weekend of gratifying satisfaction. For the Cougars, the loss added to a pile of weeks where the team has had nothing to hang its hat on this season.
BYU dropped to 1-4 after failing to capitalize on a 21-7 start. The Cougar offense gained a season-high 396 total yards, ran a season-high 75 plays, gained a season-high 5.3 yards per play and generally played good defense. But seven turnovers erased all of it.
For the Aggies (3-2), it was a matter of feasting on what BYU gave. Time and time again, over and over, USU benefited from big defensive plays — or horrible BYU passes.
Jalen Davis had three interceptions, two of them pick-sixes, the last one with three minutes to play in the game, a 50-yarder that ended with a throat slash sign. Dallin Leavitt had one and Chase Christiansen, Ian Togiai and Mason Tobeck forced a trio of Cougar fumbles while knocking BYU starting quarterback Beau Hoge out of the game in the first half.
Davis’ three picks should launch him near the top of NCAA leaders this week.
This theft feature by Matt Wells’ squad is emerging as an official identity, confirmed the last two games. USU had only seven turnovers all last season but got seven against BYU and five against San Jose State, 12 in two games.
BYU safety Micah Hannemann’s pick-six tied the game at 7-7 but Davis answered with one of his own after BYU went up 21-7 on Hoge touchdown passes to Brayden El-Bakri and Beau Tanner.
Hoge left the game with an injury shortly after throwing his second interception, a bounce pass off the back of Aggie linebacker Christiansen before the half, which Davis hauled in.
The turnovers killed BYU and launched USU to a 33-24 lead. Davis’ final pick-six put the Aggies up 40-24.
The loss put the Cougars under a continued cloud of frustration. Kalani Sitake and Ty Detmer were aggressive with play calls, going for it on fourth downs, calling pass plays with rookie QBs when USU stacked the box trying to stop freshman running back Ula Tolutau (21 carries, 102 yards, two fumbles).
Falling further behind, BYU had to turn Detmer loose and let it fly. He went down firing.
For the Aggies, this is just what USU needed, a spanking of the Cougars on their home field — retribution for a string of losses. And the turnovers, of which USU scored 26 of their 40, was Aggie heaven.
In this rivalry, one trend continued. USU physically forced another Cougar quarterback to the sidelines, this time Hoge. Taysom Hill, BYU’s third-leading rusher of all time, had three season-ending injuries playing against the Aggies in his career, a freaky fact. It continued this Friday night with Hoge, who was limping around before leaving the game after being attended to by the team’s medical staff.
For the Cougars, once known as the Quarterback Factory, this season showed just how the sausage is made on the fly by the program and its Heisman Trophy winner of an offensive coordinator Ty Detmer.
When Hoge went out in the second quarter, Detmer inserted his nephew, Koy Detmer Jr., who was the third man up in the rotation. In the course of the game, he also inserted former Wisconsin signee from Jordan High, Austin Kafentzis.
Friday, BYU put its third and fourth quarterbacks on the field in just three games. Season starter Tanner Mangum was injured on the last play against Utah. Hoge started in a loss to Wisconsin and Detmer finished the USU game and is the early candidate to take on Boise State and powerful SEC foe Mississippi State.
This isn’t how a factory is supposed to work. It’s been a thumb in the dam operation since the end of the Utah game. Some may say it was so since the end of fall camp.
Kent Myers was steady after his pick-six to Hanneman in the first quarter. Using the six turnovers, he delivered what he was supposed to do. He was responsible for three touchdowns, two by air and one with his feet (16 of 27 for 176 passing and 13 carries for 33 yards).
Hoge was 5 of 9 for 95 yards, two touchdowns and one interception with a pass efficiency rating of 195.3, which bettered Meyers at 131.1. Koy Detmer, who has had almost no reps this season in practice, was thrown into the fire. He went 7 of 20 for 91 yards and three interceptions. He did drive BYU down the field late in the fourth quarter only to have a Totulau 5-yard TD called back on holding calls by two of his teammates.
How costly/valuable were BYU’s turnovers for the Cougars and Aggies?
BYU outgained USU 396 to 288 total yards, out-rushed the Aggies 210 to 112 yards and had 186 passing yards to USU’s 176 and had 20 first downs to 14.
But the 7 to 1 turnover difference was a monumental factor in USU’s favor.
For the Cougars, this one will hurt for as long as they let it.
For USU, this one will get miles plus.