HONOLULU — Zach Wilson left no doubt that he deserved to be BYU’s starting quarterback in 2019 with his performance in the 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl last December, completing all 18 passes he threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-18 romp over Western Michigan.
A year and three days later, Wilson can silence his critics, and ensure there will be no quarterback controversy in Provo in the offseason for a second-straight year, with a similar outing on Christmas Eve in the Hawaii Bowl (6 p.m., ESPN) against a much better foe in a much more hostile environment.
The hard-driving, headband-wearing sophomore doesn’t need to be perfect in paradise, as he was last year on the cold, unforgiving blue turf he detests in Boise, but coming close will certainly help his cause.
Conversely, another unsteady outing like the one he turned in three weeks ago against San Diego State will spur conjecture that redshirt freshmen backups Jaren Hall or Baylor Romney ought to be given a chance at being QB1 next season.
That’s just the way it is in Provo, where the backup quarterback is the most popular person in town when the Cougars aren’t going so good, as the late and legendary LaVell Edwards used to say. Second-stringer Hall and third-stringer Romney gave the Wilson detractors ammunition with strong performances when they got the chance, particularly in the red zone, adding a little intrigue to the derby.
For if there is a knock on Wilson midway through his college career, assuming he stays four years, it is that he struggles to finish drives, the 13-3 loss to SDSU serving as exhibit A.
Working against Wilson on Tuesday is the degree-of-difficulty factor, from both the opponent and the weather. Hawaii’s defense isn’t nearly as good as SDSU’s. But the Rainbow Warriors, especially playing at home, should be able to put up more resistance than the MAC’s WMU did.
It could be rainy, and almost certainly will be windy — a storm front has hovered over the Islands the past few days and will continue through Christmas Day — which for a QB is “sucky,” as Wilson said Saturday after a wind-blown practice at Kamehameha High School.
A case could be made that 7-5 BYU’s next two games — vs. old rival Hawaii (9-5) and dominant rival Utah on Sept. 3 at Rice-Eccles Stadium — are the most pivotal of Wilson’s career, and very well could determine his legacy, and his future playing time, at BYU.
Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes said last Wednesday the notion that Wilson needs to play well Tuesday to maintain his starting status “is probably a little overdramatic,” and coach Kalani Sitake reiterated Saturday what he always says about depth-chart issues, that “the competition for playing time is always going to be there for every position, week to week” and that includes the starting quarterback spot.
“Having won their spot in practice, they should go into games feeling really confident, Zach included,” he said. Instilling confidence in his players is important to Sitake, always has been.
Wilson has downplayed that importance of rebounding well since going 31 of 53 for 316 yards but failing to get the Cougars into the end zone against SDSU, saying it is more important for the team to end its season on a good note that any one player standing out.
“I wouldn’t say anything out of the ordinary is at stake for me (in the bowl game),” he said a few weeks after throwing two interceptions and posting a 101.3 passer rating against one of the best defenses in college football. “I would just say we look more at the positive side and look at it as a chance for us to show that we can finish strong heading into the off-season. That’s a huge emphasis for us.”
Wilson said he “welcomes” the competition provided by Hall and Romney, cheered them on in the big wins over Utah State and Boise State, but draws upon Tom Brady’s example of never letting up for fear that he could lose his job.
Passing game coordinator Aaron Roderick quickly stated last week as if there was never a doubt that Wilson will start against the Warriors, while Hall will be the primary backup and Romney, who is “just a little behind physically” due to a toe injury is third string but still a gamer, as his win over BSU proved.
“Zach is a great competitor and a perfectionist,” Roderick said. “He’s not happy (about SDSU), but it was because we didn’t win. Sometimes his own expectations are so high for himself and everyone around him that it weighs on him. He did a lot of things to give us a chance to win. We just gotta play better as a team.”
Wilson and offensive coaches agree that the biggest issue is red-zone scoring, or lack thereof, when Wilson is directing the offense. Adding fuel to critics’ fire is that Hall and Romney performed better in scoring territory (albeit against South Florida) after Wilson sustained a thumb injury against Toledo, a fracture on his throwing hand that would cost him the next four games.
“A good portion of our bowl practices have been focused on (red-zone offense),” Wilson acknowledged. “I think it all comes down to concentration and focus on scoring the football. Because that’s really all that matters.”
Especially when you’ve got a starting job at stake.
Zach Wilson’s Record-Setting Potato Bowl Performance
Passing: Completed 18 of 18 passes for 317 yards (321.7 passer rating)
Rushing: 10 carries for 51 yards, long of 11
Scoring: Threw touchdown passes to Dylan Collie (2), Aleva Hifo and Dax Milne
Cougars on the air
SoFi Hawaii Bowl
BYU (7-5) vs. Hawaii (9-5)
At Aloha Stadium, Honolulu
Tuesday, 6 p.m. MST
TV: ESPN
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM