The BYU football team dropped its fourth-straight game, losing 55-30 on the road in Boise.
In the second quarter, Christian Stewart threw for 259 yards and a touchdown to Colby Pearson, who caught it and ran for an 81-yard touchdown. The second quarter alone saw a total of 47 points scored.
Unfortunately for BYU, 31 of those points were on the Boise State side.
BYU allowed Boise State quarterback Grant Hedrick to throw for 329 yards in just the first half, falling to a 41-16 halftime deficit.
And the Broncos walked all over BYU’s defense in the second half, preventing a Cougar comeback.
The Broncos set the tone of the game early, kicking a field goal on the first drive of the game.
“I was really encouraged that we made a stop and forced a field goal early, but really Boise State controlled the game from the opening kickoff,” BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “They were better prepared and the better executed team tonight in every phase than we were.”
BYU responded with a 17-yard touchdown by by Jamaal Williams, but Boise State fired right back with a 49-yard touchdown pass. BYU scored an additional touchdown to cut the lead to 41-16 at halftime.
The last time BYU allowed 41 points in a half was in 2001 against CSU, with a game ending in a 58-13 loss.
Freshman standout Fred Warner intercepted Hedrick and returned it for a 20-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 18 early in the third quarter. Boise State quickly answered and essentially put the game away with back-to-back touchdowns to build a 55-23 lead.
After Boise State’s last touchdown, BYU put garbage-time points up, with Stewart running in a 2-yard touchdown, his first rushing touchdown of the season.
The Cougars lost for the fourth week in a row, continuing their defensive struggle. Penalties drew boos, unanswered points left fans headed for the exits and 55 points allowed forced fans to wonder if defensive coordinator Nick Howell’s job is secure.
Boise State sealed the win 55-30, tying the all-time most points allowed in the Bronco Mendenhall era at BYU.
BYU has allowed more than 30 points for the fifth-straight game, which hasn’t happened since 1993, when BYU allowed more than 30 points in six consecutive games.
The Cougars will travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee to take on Middle Tennessee at Floyd Field next Saturday. The game will kick-off at 1:30 p.m. MST.
