BYU Football: 3 takeaways from Old Wagon Wheel win over Utah State

BYU football took down Utah State to get back to .500 in the standings and on target for a bowl trip in 2019. What did we learn about the Cougars in the win?

It has been a season of ups and downs for BYU. The Cougars found themselves under .500 at the start of November, sitting at 3-4 in the standings and in danger of watching their season get completely away from them. But a rivalry game against Utah State allowed the Cougars to get back on track, as BYU emerged with a 42-14 victory in late-night Week 10 action on Saturday.

After losing two straight to the Aggies, BYU will take the Old Wagon Wheel back to Provo for the first time since 2016. The Cougars broke out on offense, finishing with 639 total yards as they blended together a solid balance of running and passing downs. BYU’s defense stepped up to the challenge as well, forcing three Jordan Love interceptions and battering the quarterback all night long.

While the defeat doesn’t impact Utah State’s chances in the Mountain West, the Aggies blew a prime chance to improve their position in the Group of Five race. Should Utah State prevail in the Mountain West and emerge as champion, a four-loss king of the conference is unlikely to get the call from the College Football Playoff selection committee.

BYU won’t be getting any calls either, at least not from the New Year’s Six. But they are on the right path to go bowling in 2019, and that’s the ceiling for Kalani Sitake’s team this year. What did we learn about this BYU team in Week 10? Here are three things to take away from the Saturday night showdown in northern Utah.