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BYU Football: Cougars fall again, this time to Fresno State

By Matthew Bartlett

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars reacts during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 14: Head coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars reacts during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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From New Year’s Six hopefuls to a forgotten season, BYU football‘s year from hell just keeps getting worse. The Cougars fell to Fresno State in Week 11.

Putrid, abysmal, underwhelming, stale. These are all words to describe just how bad the BYU offense has been this season. Entering their Week 11 game against Fresno State the Cougars’ offense ranked 125th in then nation (out of 130 Division I teams) in scoring offense. They averaged just 15.3 points per game. And that number fell further after Saturday.

BYU managed just 13 points in their eighth loss of the season, this one at the hands of Mountain West foe, Fresno State. The Cougars lone touchdown came on the legs of Squally Canada, the only real asset the Cougars have on the offensive side of the football. He managed 84 yards rushing and the one touchdown.

The Cougars faced added adversity when quarterback Tanner Mangum left the game with an injury in the fourth quarter. That forced backup Beau Hoge into the game. If it was possible for a bad offense to get any worse, it did.

Hoge was 3-for-10 passing for 51 yards. His fourth down pass in Bulldog territory in the final minutes of the quarter fell harmlessly to the ground, stifling the Cougars best scoring threat of the second half. BYU would turn the ball over one more time before the game was officially lost.

Next: Projected Week 11 CFB Playoff Rankings

The loss dropped BYU’s record to 2-8. That’s a far cry from the double-digit win season that many expected from the Cougars in 2017. For one reason or another this team flat-out broke. It’s too late to fix and there isn’t an obvious place to start. BYU will finish the year with road trips to UNLV and Hawaii with a home game against UMass sandwiched in between. Then it’s time to put this forgettable season to bed.

But hey, at least they get to finish the season on the beach.

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