You’re viewing a version of this story optimized for slow connections. To see the full story click here.

BYU at West Virginia

September 24, 2016

Story by BYU September 24th, 2016

BYU made the cross country trek to take on West Virginia in a neutral site matchup at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. The team visited the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument before visiting the stadium for a pre-game walkthrough.

_W2_5307.jpg
_W2_5399.jpg
_W2_5228.jpg
_W2_5621.jpg
_W2_5521.jpg
_W2_5483.jpg
_W2_5416.jpg

Pregame

_JW41848.jpg
_JW41892.jpg
_JW41938.jpg
_W1_6752 1.jpg
_W1_6955.jpg
_W1_6996.jpg
_W2_5866.jpg
_W2_6395.jpg

First Half

West Virginia took control early in the game, scoring on its opening drive. Made up of big third and fourth down conversions, the Mountaineers put together 13 plays to reach the end zone. After their initial touchdown was called back due to an illegal formation penalty, they scored on a 6-yard rush with 9:22 on the clock, taking the early 7-0 lead. For the first time this season, BYU scored a touchdown in the first quarter and on its first drive of the game. The Cougars had a couple of third down conversions to keep the drive alive. The first came from a 5-yard pass to Aleva Hifo. The second third down conversion came after facing first and 20, but the offense strung together a few plays, including a run from Williams to convert on third down. Facing a third down for the third time in this drive, Hill found Mitchell Juergens for a 25-yard reception and the touchdown. With 2:44 left in the first quarter, BYU tied the game 7-7. 

In West Virginia’s ensuing drive, Pau’u intercepted a pass for the first time in his career. He then returned it 20 yards with 56 seconds to play in the first quarter, bringing back the offense onto the field. Williams burst past the Mountaineers’ defense with a 56-yard run to set up the Cougars at first and goal. However, BYU was unable to find the end zone, settling for a 22-yard field goal. The Cougars took the 10-7 lead at the 14:17 mark in the second quarter. The Mountaineers answered with a methodical drive, earning short gains to march down the field. After a 13-yard completion to reach first and goal, the BYU defense was unable to stop West Virginia. With 9:50 on the clock, the 2-yard rush into the end zone put the Cougars back down 14-10. With less than three minutes to go in the first half, Hill was intercepted by West Virginia’s Rasul Douglas and returned the pick for a 55-yard touchdown to extend his team’s lead to 21-10.

_W1_7242.jpg
_W1_7350.jpg
_W1_7489.jpg
_W2_6998.jpg
_W2_7100.jpg
_W2_7140.jpg
_W2_7471.jpg
_W2_7588.jpg
_W2_7608.jpg
_W2_7629.jpg
_W2_7704.jpg
_W2_7707.jpg
_W2_7767.jpg
_W2_8050.jpg
_W2_7997.jpg
_W2_8025.jpg
_W2_9094.jpg

Second Half

BYU’s opening drive in the second half got things rolling for the offense. Hill hurdled over two defenders to cap off his 27-yard rush, putting the Cougars in the blue zone. For the second time this season, Williams reached the end zone on a 7-yard rush. Following a failed two-point conversion, BYU got within two points, 21-19, with 10:44 left in the third quarter. The BYU defense faced fourth and short against the West Virginia offense with less than seven minutes to play in the third quarter. Quarterback Skyler Howard kept the ball to try to get the inches needed, but Harvey Langi and Logan Taele were able to stop him from even crossing the line of scrimmage, bringing out the BYU offense. 

With 4:02 on the clock, the offense turned the ball back over to West Virginia. For the first time in his career, Williams lost a fumble. The Mountaineers took advantage of the turnover. After a 51-yard reception set up West Virginia in the blue zone, quarterback Howard rushed 5 yards for the touchdown, pushing the lead up to 28-19 with 2:32 on the clock. Despite a punt pinned at the 1-yard line from Jonny Linehan, the Mountaineers marched 99 yards to score another touchdown. A 32-yard pass set up West Virginia in the blue zone, which allowed the wide-open 9-yard touchdown reception. BYU was down 35-19 with 11:27 to play in the game. A14-yard reception by Colby Pearson set BYU up the blue zone and Williams scored his second touchdown of the day on a 3-yard rush with 9:19 left. However, the offense went for the two-point conversion again, which failed, making the score 35-25 in favor of West Virginia.

_W1_7771.jpg
_W1_7778.jpg
_W1_7867.jpg
_W1_8233.jpg
_W1_8242.jpg
_W1_8300.jpg

The Cougar defense had a huge three and out, forcing the Mountaineers to punt. Another big reception from Pearson put BYU in position to score. Hill found Moroni Laulu-Pututau for a 19-yard reception in the end zone, closing in on West Virginia’s lead, 35-32, with 5:55 to play. With the Mountaineers facing another third down, a receiver dropped the pass, bringing out the punt team. On the first play of the drive, Hill overthrew Juergens, allowing Jeremy Tyler to intercept the pass and get the ball back to the Mountaineers offense with 4:15 left in the game. At the BYU, West Virginia fumbled the ball on the snap. Francis Bernard recovered the fumble with 2:36 on the clock, giving the offense one last chance to win the game. A pair of receptions over 20 yards by Nick Kurtz kept the Cougars’ hopes alive. However, Hill threw his third interception with one minute to play to seal the 35-32 win for the Mountaineers.

_W2_0142.jpg
_W2_0212.jpg
_W2_0569.jpg
_W2_0932.jpg
_W2_1722.jpg
_W2_1802.jpg
_W2_9638.jpg
Footnote: Photos by Jaren Wilkey/BYU
FedExField, FedEx Way, Greater Landover, MD, United States