BYU Football: 3 takeaways from dominant win over Louisiana Tech
3. BYU Football’s array of offensive weaponry
Matt Bushman was the Cougars leading receiver in 2019 and was expected to lead the BYU football offense this year with Talon Shumway, Micah Simon, and Aleva Hifo all departed. After losing the star tight end to season ending surgery, it’s been a case of no Bushman, no problem for the BYU offense early in this season. Friday night was no exception.
Coming into the game we knew the BYU offense would be explosive. They were the second ranked team in the nation in points per game, and were averaging 623 yards per game and they continued to flex that firepower against Louisiana Tech.
Quarterback Zach Wilson is the obvious leader of the offense, and we’ll get to his impact on the game later but what impressed me about BYU on Friday night was the sheer array of offensive weaponry.
In the first half alone, Wilson hit six different receivers with at least one reception.
Carter Wheat, the redshirt freshman tight end, snagged his first career touchdown on his first reception of the season. Neal Pau’u, Isaac Rex, Kody Epps and Masen Wake all contributed in the passing game.
In junior wide receivers Dax Milne and Gunner Romney, BYU football have a duo capable of doing genuine damage. Milne led the team in receptions coming into the game and made some nice plays early on, notably a 39 yard reception on the sideline that led to the opening touchdown of the game.
Milne hauled in seven receptions for 89 yards to edge close to his 2019 season total of 285 yards after just three games.
It was Romney, however, that caught the eye for BYU Football on Friday night.
The 6’3″ receiver leapt up and hauled in a perfect pass from Wilson midway through the second quarter which was initially ruled a touchdown but ultimately was called back to inside the one yard line. He got the touchdown he deserved late in the second when Wilson found him in the end zone with a bullet. He makes great use of his size but also flashed speed on several plays.
Romney was the only receiver to break 100 yards, with 101 yards and a touchdown from his seven receptions.
With an insurmountable lead as the second half slipped away, the BYU football running backs who were largely quiet in the game, ran down the clock. Tyler Allgeier led the way with 93 yards at an impressive 9.3 yards per carry. Allgeier is an intriguing prospect showcasing speed and the power that helped him play some linebacker for the Cougars in 2019.