Zach Wilson Continues To Amaze As BYU Offense Makes Return To Glory

PROVO, Utah – For BYU football fans who didn’t witness the Cougars during their glory days in the 1980s, you’re living it right now. In large part because of Zach Wilson.

BYU in 2020 is putting up big numbers on the offensive side of the ball, leaving Cougar fans with feelings of nostalgia. Back then, it wasn’t a question of whether BYU would win or not; it was, how much will they win by?

That was Saturday night against a young and outmatched Texas State team that now drops to 1-6. BYU handled the Bobcats by the tune of 52-14, and the final score doesn’t do the Cougars dominance justice.

Perfect 45-yard TD pass from BYU’s Zach Wilson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/w9nlo0dvXW

— ESPN (@espn) October 25, 2020

Zach Wilson produced another near-perfect night going 19-of-25 and passing for 287 yards and four touchdowns, zero interceptions.

BYU’s offense is rolling as they did back in the glory days of the LaVell Edwards era. The Cougars put up 579 yards and could have rolled up bigger numbers had they not called off the starters midway through the third. They’re averaging 541 yards per game during this six-game heater to open this season.

The well-oiled BYU machine right now is humming in all three phases of the game. But at a place that always cherishes high-level of play on the offensive side, that side of the ball is pulling down the headlines; and for a good reason.

CRITICS: Zach Wilson isn't an NFL quarterback!

Zack Wilson: *shows them video of this*#BYUFootball #BYU @kslsports pic.twitter.com/kubPWzItmG

— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) October 25, 2020

Just watch the 45-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Dax Milne. Is there anything this group, with Wilson calling the shots, can’t do? Doesn’t look like it. Wilson continues to be as good as advertised. The bigger the bullseye and the spotlight, Wilson continues to rise to the occasion and isn’t rattled by the national spotlight.

That touchdown pass to Milne is as good of a pass as you’ll find from any BYU quarterback of any era. He was on fire and he’s taking care of business against far inferior opposition, something that wasn’t the case two weeks ago.

The junior signal-caller is now first all-time in career completion percentage, passing Steve Sarkisian at 67.2 percent. He’s accurate, he’s efficient, he’s explosive, and he has BYU believing that anything is possible in a wild and crazy 2020 season. A year where BYU is one of only three teams to reach the 6-0 threshold this season. The other two are Clemson and Liberty.

BYU’s playbook isn’t robust, but each play has multiple ways that Wilson and this offense can execute. But each week, they’ve left opposing defenses with their heads spinning on how to try and stop the quarterback that continues to garner more Heisman hype as the wins pile up.

How far will Wilson be able to lead this BYU team? The possibilities are endless, and if you squint hard enough, maybe you can picture the College Football Playoff. But the dominance and execution on the offensive side should be cause for celebration for BYU fans. Knowing they have a great offense once again, and they’ve got the superstar quarterback to call the shots.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.