BYU football suffers disappointing loss vs. San Diego State in finale

BYU football fell to 7-5 on the final Saturday of November in a visit to San Diego State. What did we learn from the Cougars’ loss away from Provo?

BYU won five straight entering the regular-season finale on the road against San Diego State, but the streak died on Saturday in a 13-3 loss at SDCCU Stadium to the Aztecs. The Cougars head back home after dropping their fifth game of the 2019 season. As they wait to see where they will go bowling, let’s take a look at what transpired in San Diego and how it fits into the broader narrative of the year.

Zach Wilson struggled after returning to the field two weeks earlier against FCS Idaho State. The quarterback finished 31-of-53 for 316 yards, throwing two interceptions along the way and failing to punch the ball into the endzone.

Similarly, the ground game was unable to get much done when the coaches called a handoff. Lopini Katoa racked up only 22 yards on 10 carries, and Aleva Hifo was right behind with four carries for 19 rushing yards. The Cougars backfield managed to grind out just 78 net yards as they averaged 2.9 yards per carry against the Aztecs.

When San Diego State had the football, BYU’s defense stood tall for much of the game. Aztecs quarterback Carson Baker was able to complete 19 of his 24 passing attempts, but he finished the game with only 172 yards and a touchdown for the effort. As they have for the entire season, San Diego State was largely ineffective trying to move the football on the ground. Chase Jasmin led the way with 44 yards, and Juwan Washington contributed 26 yards as well.

All told, it has been quite a roller-coaster season for BYU this season. The Cougars opened the year with an 18-point loss in the Holy War against Utah. They followed up that defeat to a College Football Playoff contender with back-to-back Power Five wins over Tennessee and USC. Three straight losses against Washington, Toledo, and South Florida followed as September gave way to October.

Following that defeat in Tampa, though, the ship seemed to right itself for the Cougars even as they dealt with injuries throughout the depth chart. Five straight victories earned BYU another bowl trip this year, and they had confidence coming into the regular-season finale against a San Diego State team that missed out on the Mountain West championship after losing to Hawaii in a defensive battle in Week 13.

Rocky Long’s Aztecs exposed the illusion of improvement that came from a five-game winning streak against a group that includes Boise State and Utah State but also Liberty, FCS Idaho State, and UMass. San Diego State showed exactly why they came into the last Saturday of November ranked in the top 10 among FBS defenses in both points and yards allowed, as they turned the Cougars one-dimensional and walked away victorious.

Now BYU is left to pick up the pieces and look to secure one final victory in their bowl game. A season that began with a glut of promise ended once again with  a thud for the proud independent program from Provo.