Questions Answered In BYU Football’s Win Over Cincinnati
Sep 30, 2023, 12:24 AM | Updated: Oct 2, 2023, 1:45 pm
PROVO, Utah – The BYU football team played their first home game as a member of the Big 12 conference against the Cincinnati Bearcats.
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It was a tale of two halves for the Cougars, who defeated the Bearcats 35-27.
Let’s answer some questions from the Cougars’ first Big 12 conference win.
Who was the MVP for BYU Football?
It wasn’t smooth sailing for the Cougar offense. They barely had the ball in the first half.
Once they found their footing, one guy emerged as the go-to guy.
That man was Chase Roberts, and he’s my choice for the most valuable player.
I don’t think it’s a debate any longer who is wide receiver number one for BYU football.
The chemistry between Roberts and quarterback Kedon Slovis was evident in spring football and it’s carried over to the games.
Roberts had the most receptions with six of all BYU pass catchers, and the most targets with nine.
He led all receivers with 131 yards on those six catches.
Whoa. Kedon Slovis connects with Chase Roberts for a 59-yard touchdown.
Roberts showing the top-end speed people don’t give him enough credit for. #BYUFootball #BYU
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 30, 2023
His 59-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter showcased his speed, with most of those yards coming after the catch.
What I love most about Roberts is that he can run every route in the playbook. He can be a possession receiver and a big play weapon on deep passes.
What was the most impactful play of the game?
After Cincinnati made a field goal late in the second quarter, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick had a decision to make.
With only 36 seconds remaining and the offense struggling, should the Cougars take a knee and regroup, or get aggressive and try to get in field goal range?
BYU was aggressive and it changed the game.
On the first play of the drive, Kedon Slovis found Keanu Hill for 23 yards. It was the first big chunk play of the game for the BYU offense.
No huddle has changed the game.
Smart call by Kalani and A-Rod to go that direction. It’s paying dividends. #BYU #BYUFootball @kslsports
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) September 30, 2023
The next play was a 24-yard completion to Chase Roberts.
After pass interference on Isaax Rex, Slovis threw a touchdown pass to Darius Lassiter.
The no-huddle offense jump-started a sleepy Cougar team that needed a boost.
Who knows what happens if the pass to Keanu Hill is incomplete late in the second quarter, but it clearly changed momentum for BYU when they needed it.
What was the most interesting stat from the game?
Cincinnati had no problem moving the football, but it didn’t result in enough points to beat BYU.
The Bearcats gained 498 yards of offense.
BYU was held below 300 yards of total offense, only gaining 295 yards.
It didn’t matter in the end as the Cougars cashed in touchdowns on all of their scoring drives.
Yards gained don’t always tell the story as we saw in the Cougars’ first-ever Big 12 conference win.
When was the game won for BYU football?
Right before the end of the third quarter, Cincinnati forced a punt down only one touchdown.
What ensued next changed the game.
The Bearcats muffed the punt, and long snapper Austin Riggs raced down the field to recover the loose ball.
A few plays later, LJ Martin scored a rushing touchdown from one yard out, and Cincinnati never threatened again.
Dub. pic.twitter.com/OCjd84QuJd
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 30, 2023
BYU heads into a bye week before resuming Big 12 play on the road against TCU on October, 14th 2023.
You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter here.
