BYU falls to Utah State 45-20 at home

PROVO, Utah – BYU fell to Utah State 45-20 in the team’s lone Friday game this season at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

"It was a different outcome than we expected but I don't want to diminish what Utah State has done," BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. "We'll evaluate the game and find out what can give us a better chance next week against Hawai'i."

Tanner Mangum had a season-high 270 passing yards in the loss, and found the end zone twice for the first time as well. Talon Shumway was the leading recipient of Mangum’s throws on the night, going for career-best 110 yards on five catches, including a game-long 46-yard catch in the third quarter. 

Freshman quarterback Zach Wilson played in his second BYU game, leading the running game with 25 yards and passing for his first touchdown as a Cougar late in the fourth quarter. Lopini Katoa contributed 24 yards on the ground and also caught his first touchdown pass at BYU.

Sione Takitaki and Zayne Anderson led the charge on defense, putting up nine and eight tackles, respectively, including six solo tackles each. Michael Shelton also contributed four solo tackles, one tackle for loss and a pass breakup.

Box Score
Photo Gallery
Postgame Notes

First Quarter

Following three-and-outs by both teams to open the game, Micah Simon caught a nine-yard catch to bring up 4th-and-1 on the second drive, and the Cougars decided to go for it. Mangum threw just his third interception of the season on the conversion attempt, which was returned by the Aggies 56 yards for the first touchdown of the game.

The Aggies then put together a 73-yard drive to set up another scoring opportunity, throwing a pass into the endzone on 4th-and-1 to go up, 14-0. The Cougars got the ball back just before the end of the first quarter, closing the period with a 14-yard pass to Matt Bushman.

Second Quarter

The Cougars opened the second quarter with a fumble that was recovered by the Aggies, cutting the potential scoring drive short. Utah State’s offense took over on BYU’s 35-yard line, allowing the Aggies to score once again less than three minutes into the second quarter.

BYU entered the blue zone for the first time with five minutes remaining in the second second quarter, thanks in large part to a series of penalties by Utah State’s defense. Mangum threw for 47 yards on the drive, capped off by a five-yard pass to Lopini Katoa to bring the score to 21-7 just before the half. The Cougars gained 75 yards off of Utah State penalties in the first half.

• Katoa’s touchdown was his fourth of the season and first through the air.
• Mangum connected with receivers on five-straight plays resulting in BYU’s first touchdown of the night.
• Mangum became the 12th BYU quarterback to reach 6,000 career passing yards.
• After being outgained 91-43 yards in the first quarter, BYU won the yardage battle 93-45 in the second quarter to give both teams 136 yards at the half.

Third Quarter

The Aggies started the second half with an 81-yard drive to give Utah State quarterback Jordan Love his third touchdown pass of the night, and go up, 28-7. Later in the quarter the Aggies put together another 80-yard drive, putting themselves at a 35-7 lead.

The Cougars responded by marching down the field in under two minutes for their second touchdown of the night. The highlight of the drive was a 46-yard pass from Mangum to Shumway, and ended with Dylan Collie’s first touchdown in a BYU uniform. The Cougars missed the extra point to put the score at 35-13 late in the third quarter. BYU got the ball back with two minutes left in the period, but a fumble on the final play gave Utah State the ball back.

• Talon Shumway’s 46-yard reception was the longest of his career. It also marked a season-long completion for Tanner Mangum.
• For the first time as a Cougar, Dylan Collie reeled in a touchdown pass.

Fourth Quarter

Love was responsible for his fifth score of the night, and first on the ground, to open the final quarter, extending the Aggie lead to 42-13. USU kicked its first field goal of the game midway through the fourth quarter to push the advantage to 45-13.  

Wilson entered the game for BYU late in the fourth quarter, marking his second appearance of the season. He opened by throwing a 14-yard pass to Bushman and rushing for 26 yards to the USU 42-yard line. The drive continued with a 20-yard pass to Shumway and ended with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Gunner Romney, the first of his and Wilson’s BYU careers. A field goal brought BYU up to 20 points, and the Aggies chose to kneel the final minute of the game.

• Talon Shumway bested previous career highs with five receptions and 110 yards. He’s the first BYU receiver to eclipse the 100-yard mark this season and first since Aleva Hifo had 148 at ECU last season. 
• Wilson connected for an 18-yard touchdown pass to Gunner Romney – the first career touchdown for both freshmen.

The Cougars stay at home for their next matchup, welcoming Hawai’i to Lavell Edwards Stadium Saturday, Oct. 13, at 8:15 p.m. MDT. The game can be viewed on ESPN2 and listened to live on BYU Radio Sirius XM 143/89.1 FM.