BYU football limps to a road victory over Baylor

Never a dull moment with these Cougars, for better or for worse. BYU secured their first conference road win in the Big 12 with a 34-28 win over the Baylor Bears in Waco, but it was far from a certainty.

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(Can you believe this picture was taken from an away game?)

Opening a football game with a score of 21-0 is almost always a positive sign, and the Cougars jumped out to this score with an interception and stout defense paired with an offense that was still cooking off of last weekend’s upset over Kansas State. Retzlaff was slinging the football across the field and the rest of his offense followed his steps, banking 31 points by the halftime break with some help from a 51-yard career-best field goal from Will Ferrin.

But when the clock struck halftime, BYU turned into a pumpkin.

With protecting the lead at the forefront of the gameplan, the defense slid into a softer “bend, don’t break” zone, and the offense lived on a steady diet of HB Dive plays. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Baylor’s defense was more than happy to steal momentum as BYU lifted off the gas pedal and hoped to cruise to a victory.

Dave Aranda’s team had a different idea. Attack, attack, attack, with aggressive fourth-down decisions and an air raid blitzkrieg strategy. As the momentum swung from Provo to Waco, Aaron Roderick’s offensive scheme couldn’t keep pace.

Baylor continued to chip away at the Cougars defense, and that side couldn’t get off the field. As they wore down, and the offense refused to get any rhythm going, this contest slipped out of BYU’s grip.

I’ll be completely honest–I expected BYU to lose this game. As the gap closed, referees’ whistles grew increasingly questionable, and the defense looked about ready to quit. Though a Crew Wakely interception sealed the win in the final moments of this game, it’s hard to believe how unsatisfying the first road conference win felt as the final whistle blew.

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Like a Ross Geller trip to the tanning salon, the Cougars’ performance was half successful and half disastrous. First half? Brilliance. Second half? Unescapable horror. Though they covered the spread and escaped with a win (Baylor was actually favored to win today), BYU hasn’t silenced its critics and will need to use this bye-week break to heal up and reevaluate its game plan.

The Cougs are 5-0, so savor this moment! A power win is a good result, no matter the score or the manner in which it was earned. But please, just don’t hurt me, fellas.