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BYU Football: Zach Wilson perfect as Cougars down WMU in Idaho Potato Bowl

By Matthew Bartlett

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach head coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars gestures on the sideline in a game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach head coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars gestures on the sideline in a game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images) /
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BYU football overcame a slow start, rolling past Western Michigan. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win unearthed a few key takeaways for the Cougars.

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In a game projected to be oneside by oddsmakers across the country, BYU delivered a solid performance. The Cougars bowl win feels a little bit sweeter after missing the postseason entirely last year. What did we learn from BYU’s victory over Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl?

1. BYU has a quarterback of the future

Tanner Mangum‘s injury-plagued career gave way to freshman quarterback Zach Wilson midway through the 2018 season. An offense that’s lacked a spark didn’t come alive overnight,  but there have been moments where it looked like the Cougars might have their guy.

Wilson’s performance against Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl laid to rest any remaining doubts. He didn’t throw an incompletion. Zero. Nada. None. Wilson connected on 18 consecutive passes. He finished with 317 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Stat lines for bowl games are always a mixed bag. There have been plenty of one-game heroes and no-shows by stars which ultimately amounted to little more than one day of drama. The high-caliber of play Wilson exhibited on Friday looks like much more than a fluke. BYU has their QB1 for the foreseeable future.

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