BYU football ended its losing streak with a 27-7 win against Middle Tennessee in a game Cougar fans desperately needed to see.
In the fourth quarter, BYU wide receiver Kurt Henderson ran a complete pass for 33 yards from Christian Stewart to the 1-yard line. Stewart ran the ball into the end zone for BYU’s final touchdown that ultimately sealed the game.
It was essential for the Cougars to start strong in their Saturday matchup against the Blue Raiders, and that is what they did.
BYU linebacker Bronson Kaufusi chases quarterback Austin Grammer in Saturday's win against Middle Tennessee. (BYU football Facebook photo)
On BYU’s first drive of the game, Stewart completed a 37-yard pass to Colby Pearson for the first touchdown of the match.
The two teams fought evenly, but it was in the second quarter when Middle Tennessee finally made it on to the scoreboard. Middle Tennessee quarterback Austin Grammer completed a 22-yard pass for the Blue Raiders' first and only touchdown, tying the score 7-7 at the half.
BYU’s offense still came out strong in the third quarter, as Stewart scrambled right and threw a 19-yard pass to Jordan Leslie for a touchdown, pulling the Cougars ahead 14-7 on the first drive of the second half.
BYU ended the third quarter as Paul Lasike ran the ball in for a Cougar touchdown, making the score 21-7, BYU.
The last highlight of the game went to BYU punter Scott Arellano. After a BYU drive that failed to go very far, he punted for a career high of 81 yards to put the ball on the Blue Raiders 13-yard line.
Stewart finished the night with a 62 percent completion rating, a total of 316 yards. The Cougar offense finished with 444 total yards and no turnovers against the Blue Raiders.
The BYU defense, which has struggled the last few games, showed up in a big way. It stopped Middle Tennessee’s offense, limiting Grammer to a 50 percent passing rate and 119 yards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-yoAHtu144
The Blue Raiders finished the night with only 228 total yards and two interceptions.
The Cougars head into another bye week as they keep their bowl game dreams alive. BYU will look to have a critical week of recuperation and working on a game plan to keep this success going for the rest of the season.