BYU football reaches bowl eligibility in roller-coaster season vs. Idaho State

BYU football reached bowl eligibility comfortably on Saturday in a runaway win over Idaho State. Here is what we learned from the Cougars’ win in Week 12.

Zach Wilson was back at quarterback for BYU on Saturday afternoon in Provo, returning to the field after missing two months with an injury that required surgery on his throwing hand. Wilson finished 19-of-31 for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the 42-10 Cougars victory over FCS Idaho State. Wilson did throw one interception, but it was nowhere near enough to tip the scales in favor of the Bengals.

Sione Finau was the big star on the ground, rushing for 102 yards and a score on 16 carries. Finau added two receptions for 22 yards out of the backfield. As a unit, the Cougars backfield finished with 204 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground as the offensive line pushed around Idaho State at the point of attack.

When the Bengals had the football, they had limited success gaining much momentum. The BYU secondary came through in a big way, forcing two Matt Struck interceptions and giving up only 114 yards through the air. Malakai Rango had a big day on the ground for Idaho State against the Cougars front seven, churning out 142 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

In the end, BYU did exactly what one expects of a middle-of-the-road FBS program against a sub-.500 FCS opponent. By soundly beating the Bengals in a game where the oddsmakers were unwilling to even offer odds, they ensured that they will be among the field playing in December.

With the victory over the Bengals, BYU claimed their sixth win of the season to reach bowl eligibility. It has been a season of twists and turns for the Cougars, as they front-loaded their schedule with Power Five competition and dealt with a slew of injuries at key positions. But they nevertheless find themselves in the postseason for the second straight year after missing out on a bowl in 2017.