No. 15 BYU holds off UTSA 27-20

PROVO, Utah — No. 15 BYU improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2014, beating the University of Texas at San Antonio 27-20 at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday.

Quarterback Zach Wilson went 22 of 30 for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson also added six rushes for 19 yards that included a four-yard rushing score.

BYU wide receivers Dax Milne and Gunner Romney combined for 11 catches and 182 yards. Milne eclipsed 100 yards for the second time this season and had seven catches himself, matching a career high. 

Tyler Allgeier led the way for the Cougars on the ground, rushing for 116 yards on 19 attempts including one touchdown, good for 6.1 yards per carry. Lopini Katoa also added 36 yards on the ground. 

On defense, Troy Warner grabbed an interception for the second-straight game and Isaiah Kaufusi led the team with nine tackles, including one for a loss. Defensive lineman Gabe Summers added his first sack. 

BYU totaled 470 yards on Homecoming to UTSA’s 359 and gained over 100 more yards on the ground, going for 178 to UTSA’s 72. The Cougars overcame a season-high seven penalties for 55 yards. 

Box Score
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Postgame Notes

1st Quarter Review

BYU began its first drive with two deep passes to Gunner Romney and Dax Milne, good for 17 and 35 yards, respectively. Those completions brought the Cougars into the red zone, but a fumble by receiver Neil Pau’u gave the ball back to UTSA.

The BYU defense took the ball away from UTSA on its first possession as well, as Troy Warner intercepted a deep ball close to the end zone. That pick marked Warner’s second in as many games.

With the ball back in their possession, the Cougars marched down the field, inside their own 10-yard line. After moving the ball downfield, the offense failed to convert on fourth down deep at the UTSA 40-yard line. 

The Roadrunner offense moved the ball with effectively on its ensuing possession, nearly making it into the red zone before BYU’s defense held them to a field goal to make it 3-0 with 4:55 to go in the first quarter. 

• With his first two passes of the game, Zach Wilson topped 1,000 passing yards this season in just 73 attempts. He reached the 1,000-yard mark in the fewer attempts than any other BYU QB in a single season.
• BYU trailed for the first time this season after the made UTSA field goal. 
• The Cougars’ streak of a TD in every quarter this season (12) ends with the end of the first quarter vs. UTSA. The Cougars had scored points in 16 consecutive quarters going back to SDSU in 2019.

2nd Quarter Review

Just minutes into the second quarter, Wilson completed a four-yard pass to Pa’u in the back of the end zone on a fourth-down attempt. The Cougars’ first score of the game made it 7-3, BYU. The scoring drive took almost seven minutes off the clock and featured catches from three different receivers in Pa’u, Romney and Masen Wake.

Defensive stops after the score held the Roadrunners to a three-and-out, giving the ball back to the BYU offense. However, the Cougar offense stalled, leading to the first BYU punt of the game. The punt pinned UTSA all the way back to its own six yard-line. 

Another three and out gave possession back to the home squad. Taking over from the UTSA 45, a 17-yard rush from Allgeier and a 17-yard catch from Dax Milne brought the Cougars to the nine-yard line. Wilson then tossed an 11-yard shuffle pass to Lopini Katoa for a touchdown to make the score 14-3, BYU. 

Another stop from BYU’s defense gave the ball back to the offense as UTSA’s punter pinned the Cougars on the two-yard line to start the drive. Two Allgeier rushes brought the ball to the 20 and gave BYU some breathing room. However, the Roadrunner defense forced a punt inside two minutes, as the visitor offense took the ball over from the 13-yard line. 

The Cougar defense held strong and did not allow their opponent to move the chains, keeping the score 14-3 at the half.

• Neil Pau'u scored his first touchdown of the season and the fourth of his career. The touchdown was pass No. 30 of Zach Wilson's career and seventh of the season
• Tyler Allgeier rushed the ball nine times for 75 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt
• BYU’s defense did not allow a third-down conversion for the entire half
• The Cougars gained 300 offensive yards to UTSA’s 101 in the half, as well as winning the time of possession battle 18:38 to 11:22

Third Quarter Review

To begin the third period of action, UTSA mounted a 10-play drive that brought the ball as far as the nine-yard line. BYU’s defense did not allow the visitors to advance any further, holding them to a field goal to make the score, 14-6 with 11:01 left in the third. 

On the next possession, the BYU offense was held to a three and out. That three and out was only the Cougars’ third of the season. 

UTSA put together a nine-play, four and a half minute drive that was ultimately put to a halt with a third-down tackle for a loss from Shamon Willis. The stop forced a punt which was the Roadrunners’ fourth in eight possessions.

Wilson found Milne for 14 yards before connecting with Romney for 52 yards. He then kept the ball for a 13-yard keeper to the seven-yard line. The quarterback could not be denied as he rushed four yards for a touchdown to make the score 21-6, BYU with 1:04 left in the third quarter. The Cougars drove the ball 90 yards in only seven plays to score their third touchdown of the game. 

• Zach Wilson ran for his sixth rushing touchdown this season. Wilson and UTSA quarterback Frank Harris were tied for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the FBS entering today's game
• BYU has now passed for over 200 yards (259) for the 19th consecutive game, which marks the longest streak since 26 games during the 2007-09 seasons
• The Cougar defense had six tackles for a loss at the end of the third quarter

Fourth Quarter Review

On just the second play of the final period, UTSA completed a touchdown pass to cut the BYU lead to 21-13. 

UTSA converted a fourth-down attempt on its next possession, but a Cougar sack by Gabe Summers forced a punt to give the ball back to BYU’s offense. 

The Cougars took over on offense as Wilson completed two passes to Milne for 10 yards and 21 yards, respectively. The 21-yarder brought BYU to the Roadrunner 28-yard line. Allgeier ran for 18 yards to convert a key third down for the Cougars, bringing them into the red zone. 

Allgeier kept the momentum going as he punched the ball into the end zone for a six-yard rushing touchdown. The score gave BYU a 27-13 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game. 

The Roadrunner offense came alive, scoring a touchdown in only four plays that went for 75 yards that cut the Cougar to one score at 27-20. UTSA then attempted an onside kick with 1:15 left that was recovered by BYU.

After three downs and a roughing the kicker penalty, the Cougars took care of business and took a knee to end the game.

• Dax Milne tied a career high with his seventh catch of the game. He also topped 100 yards (102) for the second time this season
• Tyler Allgeier piled up over 100 yards rushing for the second game this season in addition to scoring his fourth rushing touchdown of the season
• Gabe Summers recorded the first sack of his BYU career

BYU travels to Houston for a Friday night matchup against the Cougars at TDECU Stadium. The game will be televised in ESPN at 8:30 p.m. CDT.