BYU Football: 3 takeaways from neutral-turf win over Arizona

Last year, BYU football missed out on a half-dozen opportunities to square off against Power Five opponents when COVID-19 led leagues to focus on playing within their loop. As an independent, the Cougars scrambled to put together a workable schedule.

A last-minute game against Coastal Carolina dealt Kalani Sitake’s team its only loss of the season, as the Cougars finished with their best record since 1996.

Entering 2021, there were plenty of question marks about this year’s BYU roster. Beyond the loss of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson, the Cougars came into the new season with one of the greenest teams in all of FBS football.

That made their #Pac12AfterDark showdown against Arizona a critical test to determine whether BYU is a pretender or a contender in 2021. After building up a big lead, the Cougars let Arizona creep back into the contest on their home turf. But BYU escaped Tuscon with a 24-16 victory, earning themselves a statement win in the desert.

What did we learn about Sitake’s crew in the road opener?

Here are three things to take away from this big win for BYU as they prepare for a 2021 slate that includes six more Power Five opponents, including two in the next fortnight.