BYU's side of the transaction was a solid defensive effort and the Cougars' best passing performance in eight years, going back to the Max Hall era. The 441-yard production made you wonder how the perception of quarterback Taysom Hill and offensive coordinator Ty Detmer may have improved if the Cougars had mixed in a lower-level opponent in September, as the rest of the college football world does. Or, considering how Tanner Mangum went 10 for 10 in the second half, maybe it just would have increased the volume of calls for him to play. Who knows?
What became clear on an unseasonably pleasant November afternoon is that if the Cougars are going to play an FSC opponent, hosting SUU or Weber State is exponentially better than playing Savannah State or Wagner, as they had done the previous two seasons.