Mitch Matthews runs the ball into the endzone after a pass from Tanner Mangum. Matthews had two touchdowns in the win over Utah State. (Ari Davis)
BYU ended its regular season in Logan against the Utah State Aggies and snapped their 14-game home win streak with a dominant 51-28 victory.
The Cougars take home the 'The Old Wagon Wheel' with the win over
the Aggies. The contest had many ups and downs with multiple momentum shifts and big plays. The Cougars ultimately came out on top in this classic rivalry.
'Early on, when I became the head coach, Utah State wasn't competitive within their league or just on a yearly basis, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said leading up to the game. 'There's been a significant change to that... they're really well coached and a really good team. I'm very impressed.'
Quarterback Tanner Mangum ended the regular season with another impressive outing. He completed 16 passes on 30 attempts for 284 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Mangum became the first BYU freshman quarterback to pass for over 3,000 yards in a single season. Mangum completed touchdown passes to Mitch Mathews (2), Algernon Brown (1) and Francis Bernard (1).
Tanner Mangum looks to pass the ball against Utah State. Magnum finished the season as the first BYU freshman quarterback to pass for over 3,000 yards in a single season. (Ari Davis)
The Aggies upset the Cougars last year in Provo in a heartbreaking game that saw the loss of quarterback Taysom Hill. The Cougars were ready to take the fight to Logan.
'It doesn’t matter what our records are at this point, it’s Utah State vs. BYU and there’s going to be a lot of fire for the game,' receiver Mitchell Juergens said after last week's Fresno game. 'We know that we have to come out and start fast and finish strong and execute the best we can so that we can end up on top.'
BYU continued to struggle on third down as the Cougars only converted four third downs on 13 attempts. The Cougars also struggled on the ground by gaining only 74 yards on the day while the Aggies tallied 202 yards rushing.
Senior Bronson Kaufusi wrecked havoc on the kickers by blocking a field goal and a punt during the game. He has four blocked kicks on the season. BYU leads the nation with eight blocked kicks for the year.
The Cougars now await the unveiling of what bowl they will play in. BYU will either head to the Las Vegas Bowl or the Hawaii Bowl.