- Sept 1, 2012 - #24 BYU vs WSU Provo, UT ESPN2 9pm EST

Van Noy Ensures that Leachs Return to Provo Falls Short

BYU snuck into the top-25 rankings to open the season coming in at #24. Fans are really high on the defense and praying that Riley can stay healthy. ESPN picked this game up and put it in a great time-slot to help bring in the Leach era at WSU. Last time the Cougars were on ESPN, in prime time, at LES it was a disaster (Utah). WSUs best win last season came against a reeling ASU team. They only won 3 other games and while showing promise still have a ways to go. Its a tall task to come to Provo against Broncos D for your first attempt to launch your high-powered offense.

The two teams dont disappoint in the first quarter. Leachs QB burns our secondary for 85 yards in the first quarter and WSU puts up 10 points. BYU matches with Riley leading the team on an 8 play, 67 yard TD drive. Nelson only ran once and hit 5 different receivers. Most notably Oneil Chambers caught his first pass in almost 3 seasons. The crowd went nuts when the PA announcer yelled Chambers with the 6 yard grab for another COUGAR FIRST DOWN! The newly formed student section started chanting oooo-neil-chambers.ooooo-neil-chambers.. It was pretty awesome. The first TD of the season was scored by Richard Wilson on a play-action roll out at the goal line.

BYU leads 17-13 at the half and cant quite pull away from the Cougars. The play of the game comes in the 3rd quarter on a 1st and 10 from the BYU 15. They run a trips left with Apo, Hoffman and OC. The latter two go up and block and Apo turns to catch the ball. Hoff and OC destroy 3 guys and Apo goes 85 yards for the TD. Mayhem ensues. BYU takes what appears to be a commanding 24-13 leadbut WSU doesnt back down. Bills has the D in the wrong coverage and it costs us a big one as no one marked the RB coming out of the backfield. 45 yards later and WSU closes the gap to 24-20 entering the 4th. A game-saving stuff by Manumaleuna forces WSU to kick a FG early in the 4th quarter, which they convert making it a 1-point game. Riley forces a throw deep to Hoffman who cant bring it down. Unfortunately it bounces off the DBs head and lands in the hands of the WSU safety! WSU has the ball 1st and 10 on the BYU 31 with only 3 minutes left, trailing by one point! After a first-down incompletion Bronco calls an all-out blitz on 2nd and long. Their OL was one of the worst in the nation last year and Bronco has been taking advantage of it all game long. A few times hes got burned but its mostly worked. For some reason KVN fakes the blitz and steps back into the passing lane of a WR doing a simple slant. He picks off the pass and races down the sideline out running the QB and the WR for a TD!!! For the second year in a row KVN saves the day on opening day with a defensive TD. Riley jokingly reminds everyone that BYU was up by one this time when he did it so technically we didnt need it!

Its an official, crazy welcome back to BYU football in the Riley Nelson era! BYU hangs on to win 31-23 and seemingly never runs out of miracles. Ohand the Riley-Tebow comparisons are already starting on Sportscenter.

Player of the Game: KVN 8 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 INT, 1TD