Week 8 – #4 BYU (7-0) @ #19 BSU (6-0) – Thurs, Oct 20, 2016 – Albertson’s Stadium – Boise, ID – 10:15pm EST – ESPN

Huge news broke on Monday as BYU and Cincinnati were formally invited to the Big12 after the most recent Board meeting. Boise feels jipped and is very vocal about it. After not getting a lot of credit for sneaking bye WSU early in the season, BSU is somehow 6-0 again and plowing through their schedule. Tom Holmoe made a comment on BYUSN that is now making rounds in Boise when he said “If you compare our two teams this year…this is EXACTLY why we left the MWC and went independent. We are both undefeated and one of us has had an elite schedule all on national tv and the other doesn’t and that’s why we are ranked the way we are. It wasn’t a hard decision then and it’s proven to be the right way to go…in fact, I’m not sure we get the Big12 invite had we stayed in the MWC, in fact, I know we wouldn’t have.”

Unfortunately for BSU, the SOS argument is legit and they haven’t played a team like BYU all year. Taysom continues to play well and miraculously stay healthy and he’s ready for revenge. “I think about that failed 2-pt conversion almost every day,” he says pregame to a BSU radio guy. This time around, Taysom won’t need a 2pt conversion.

He promptly leads BYU on a 10 play, 5+ minute scoring drive that ends in him finding Baldaree (a tight end!!!) in the end zone from 5 yards out. Francis Bernard (who has quietly had a great season) jumps up and picks off BSU’s QB on the ensuing drive and Taysom stumbles in from 2 yards out 8 plays later. The first quarter is over and BYU has a 14-0 lead and BSU has ran a total of 5 plays. Ripien and this BSU offense is no slouch they and they come out swinging in the 2nd quarter to close the gap to 21-14 at the half.

Taysom and Ripien proceed to exchange shots in the second half. BYU’s lack of kicking game has pretty much forced them into a “go for it on 4th” team nearly every time inside the 50 and it’s usually worked so far this year. However, early in the fourth from the BSU 40, a Bronco LB clips Taysom’s foot and forces him to fall down just short of the marker. Boise takes their first lead of the game (31-28) on the ensuing drive. Then Ty goes back to what’s worked all year long…a steady dose of Jamaal, Squally and Algie and Taysom with some perfectly timed play-action. After 7 straight run plays (all for gains) Taysom fakes the handoff and rolls right and nails Dye on a long streak down the middle of the field for his first TD of the year. After each team scores one more TD in this epic shootout, BSU is faced with a tough choice with just 4 minutes left on the clock in a 42-38 game. Boise elects to kick a FG (on 4th and 5 from the BYU 24) to close the gap to 42-41 but is now faced with the task of stopping an offense they haven’t been able to all night long.

Boise can’t do it. This “new age” BYU is absolutely deadly with the run. The OL looks strong and rested as they huddle between each play and they just ground and pound it and Boise can’t stop them even though they know what’s coming. Algie Brown gets the final first down needed to run the clock out at the BSU 19 yard line and BYU marches off the hideous blue turf with a 42-41 win.

Player of the Game – entire OL – no sacks and nearly 350 yards on the ground!