No. 12 BYU rolls to 52-14 win over Texas State

PROVO, Utah – No. 12 BYU marched to 6-0 on the season after beating Texas State 52-14 on Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

The Cougars (6-0) had a BYU record of 14 receivers catch passes with Dax Milne leading the charge with 89 yards on four catches and one touchdown with Isaac Rex totaling 66 yards on five catches with two touchdowns. Zach Wilson finished the night going 19 for 25 with 287 passing yards with four touchdowns. The quarterback added 15 rushing yards and one 16-yard reception.

The BYU defense tallied two-interceptions, one from senior Isaiah Kaufusi who returned the ball 32 yards for a pick-six and Jared Kapisi grabbed the second one in the fourth quarter. Max Tooley led the defense in tackles with seven and added 1.5 tackles for loss.

The Cougars outgained the Bobcats (1-6) 579 to 267. BYU scored touchdowns on six of its first seven drives. Five drives were 70 yards or more. 

BYU Box Score
BYU Postgame Notes & Quotes
Photo Gallery

First Quarter Review

Texas State took an early lead, scoring a touchdown on its first drive of the game. But the Cougars quickly countered with a 22-yard pass to Dax Milne followed immediately by a 16-yard reception by Isaac Rex. Lopini Katoa capped the drive with a one-yard catch to tie the game with just over seven minutes left in the first quarter.

On their second drive of the game, the Cougars also found the end zone as Keanu Hill ran in a 33-yard catch to put the Cougars up 14-7 at the 1:43 mark.

• On the first drive, Zach Wilson went a perfect 5-for-5, completing passes to Dax Milne, Isaac Rex, Brayden Cosper and Lopini Katoa.
• Keanu Hill scored his first career touchdown on a 33-yard reception to give BYU the lead 14-7.

Second Quarter Review

A 20-yard pass to Hank Tuipulotu ended the first quarter and put BYU on the Bobcats’ 40-yard line. Wilson then recorded a reception of his own on a trick play as Neil Pau’u found the quarterback downfield for 16 yards. Tyler Allgeier finished off the drive, getting into the end zone on an 11-yard rush as BYU increased its lead to 21-7 with 12:35 left on the clock.

BYU continued its scoring thanks to long yardage plays that moved the Cougars downfield. Wilson found Rex in the end zone with a 3-yard pass to push the score to 28-7 with 7:47 left in the half.

A 45-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Dax Milne closed the first half with BYU on top 35-7.

• Quarterback Zach Wilson recorded his second career reception on a 16-yard catch from wideout Neil Pau’u. Wilson caught a pass last year for 19 yards.
• Miles Davis recorded his first career reception for six yards.
• The BYU defense held Texas State to only 13 total yards in the second quarter.

Third Quarter Review

On a fourth-and-six play, BYU’s Ryan Rehkow drew a roughing the kicker penalty to continue the drive. BYU capitalized and scored on a 30-yard pass to Rex to put the Cougars ahead, 42-7. Three plays later, Isaiah Kaufusi intercepted Texas State’s pass and recorded his first career pick-six, returning the ball 32 yards to give BYU a 49-7 lead.

• Isaiah Kaufusi grabbed his fifth career interception and first pick-six. He previously recorded 28 total returns yards on four interceptions.

Fourth Quarter Review

The Bobcats put up another score late in the game with a 20-yard pass, bringing the score to 49-14. BYU scored the final points of the game on a 28-yard field goal for a final 52-14 score.

• On fourth-and-long, punter Ryan Rehkow opted to run the ball, recording his first career rush on a 49-yard run.
• Jared Kapisi grabbed his first career interception in the fourth quarter. It is the second game this year BYU has recorded two interceptions, also doing so against Louisiana Tech.

The Cougars continue with another home contest at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 8:15 p.m. MT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.