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Provo • Unlike many in the meager crowd that showed up to watch perhaps the biggest mismatch in the college football season this year, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall was thankful that it was raining when his 26 seniors were introduced before the game against the cupcake of all cupcakes, Savannah State.
That way, nobody could tell that the usually stoic Mendenhall was shedding a few tears, himself.
"I started crying even before they announced the first guy," Mendenhall said after the Cougars routed the hapless Tigers 64-0 at half-empty LaVell Edwards Stadium. "I don't know what has happened to me. I am getting soft, I think."
Announced attendance for the regular-season home finale, with an emphasis on "announced," was 52,123, and many fans left at halftime when the Cougars led 51-0, their largest first-half lead since they had a 49-0 advantage over Utah way back in 1989.
It was exactly what everyone expected, a non-competitive contest played only because BYU needed a sixth home game at the last minute when an unidentified Mountain West Conference team bailed late.
In fact, the sheer silliness and lopsided nature of the game was illustrated succinctly when many BYU fans actually met an announcement that a Savannah State defensive touchdown had been overturned by replay officials with a chorus of boos. And they weren't the only ones showing sympathy for a group that resembled a junior college team in terms of size and talent.
"I wasn't that grooved in to know what happened [on the play where SSU's Marcus Lee Jr., scooped up a bad snap and returned it 35 yards for an apparent touchdown, only to have replay officials rule that he was grounded when he first gained possession]," Mendenhall said. "But I do know this: I was cheering for those guys as well. … I have been on the other side once or twice, and it is not any fun."
It's not a stretch to say that the Cougars (7-4), or most any other FBS team, could have reached the century mark, but Mendenhall laid off the gas pedal early in the second quarter. In the second half, with third-, fourth- and fifth-stringers on the field, BYU attempted only one pass and twice kicked field goals on 4th-and-short deep in SSU territory.
But Mendenhall still put a positive spin on the day, saying he was pleased with how the players handled well the "unique challenge" of facing the worst team in the lower-level Football Championship Subdivision.
"A lot of possibilities for that game to not have been as sharp, or not have been a momentum-builder, but I thought it was," Mendenhall said.
Competitive, it wasn't. Not even close, as the 0-12 and undersized Tigers picked up just six first downs, had a BYU-opponent low 63 total yards on 51 plays, fumbled six times (losing two) and threw an interception that senior linebacker Alani Fua returned 30 yards for a near pick-six. Two other times, BYU defenders dropped passes where there was nothing between them and the end zone.
Fittingly, senior quarterback Christian Stewart shined the brightest on Senior Day, throwing for 196 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for two more before leaving the game midway through the second quarter with BYU leading 42-0. He was relieved by a pair of alternating freshmen walk-ons, McCoy Hill and Hunter Moore, Hill on passing plays and Moore on running plays.
Stewart said he wanted to play the whole first half, and pleaded his case to QBs coach Jason Beck, to no avail.
Still, "this build a lot of momentum, going forward for next week [against California]," Stewart said.
Mendenhall said he told offensive coordinator Robert Anae before the game to take Stewart out when the Cougars surpassed 40 points, then almost called for a sub when it was 35-0.
The rest of the game was an exercise in seeing whether the Tigers could score and avoid their second-straight shutout. They never came close after the reversed touchdown.
"We for sure wanted that shutout," said senior defensive back Skye PoVey. "No question, we definitely wanted one."
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU 64, Savannah State 0
In Short • As expected, winless and woeful Savannah State provides no resistance as the Cougars improve to 7-4 on Senior Day.
Key Moment: • The Cougars scrambled to find an opponent when a Mountain West Conference team broke a contract, and landed the now 0-12 Tigers.
Key Stat • Senior quarterback Christian Stewart accounted for six touchdowns while playing just a quarter and a half, and posted a passer rating of 245.1.