BYU football: 3 overreactions to Cougars’ overtime win over Baylor
By John Scimeca
BYU football got its first win against an AP Top 10 opponent in four years on Saturday night, defeating No. 9 Baylor 26-20 in two overtimes.
BYU football knocked off No. 9 Baylor 26-20 in double overtime on late Saturday night of Week 2, moving to 2-0 and avenging a loss to the Bears from last season.
Cougars quarterback Jaren Hall completed 23-of-39 passes for 261 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions in front of a mostly blue-clad crowd in Provo, Utah. The setback was Baylor’s first loss to a non-conference foe in the regular season since 2018.
The BYU defense was tough, sacking Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen four times and harassing him for much of the night. The Bears mustered 152 rushing yards on 52 carries, good for only 2.9 yards per attempt.
The impressive BYU defensive showing was a significant difference from last season when the Cougars lost to the Bears 38-24 on the road. In that game, Baylor rushed for 303 yards and four touchdowns while pushing BYU around in the trenches for much of the game.
The 26-20 triumph also marked another important milestone: it was BYU’s first home win against a Top 10 opponent since 1990 when the Cougars beat No. 1 Miami (Fla.). BYU head coach Kalani Sitake got his second win against a Top 10 foe in addition to the Cougars’ win at No. 6 Wisconsin in 2018.
With the win, BYU moved to No. 12 in the latest AP poll. The Cougars reached the AP Top 10 in each of the past two seasons and now only have two more spots to climb to make it three years in a row. BYU hasn’t cracked the Top 10 in three consecutive seasons since 1983-1985, which included the team’s national championship in 1984.
Here are three overreactions to BYU’s win.