BYU freshman Baylor Romney rises to the call, again, against Liberty

PROVO — When all is said and done, nobody knows how the Baylor Romney saga will end up, but for a third-string quarterback, he knows how to get it done.

He’s the Bruce Willis of BYU quarterbacks right now. The ultimate reserve starter.

BYU was heavily favored over fellow-independent Liberty on Saturday in LaVell Edwards Stadium, but it was facing the nation’s 19th passing offense with a defense that’s been wobbly most of the season.

“He made himself ready. He always does, all our guys have worked to be ready when called upon.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake, on Baylor Romney

Since redshirt freshman Romney would be going up against a senior, Stephen Buckshot Calvert, one of only two active college quarterbacks to amass 11,000 career passing yards, the young Cougar would have to be productive. He couldn’t afford to stub his already sore and injured toe. He’d need to have a game.

Romney delivered.

Just like he did in his first start in a rainstorm in an upset of 14th-ranked Boise State with a roster depleted with injuries, he made his second start a storybook performance after helping the Cougars blow out Utah State in Logan in a relief halftime role for starter Jaren Hall.

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Romney completed 23 of 33 yards for 262 yards and three touchdowns with an interception on an ill-advised trick play throwing into coverage in the fourth quarter. His pass efficiency rating was 160.3.

So?

Calvert, playing against a BYU defense that has had its issues this year after ranking No. 18 in total defense a year ago, had a 138.6 efficiency rating after completing 27 of 45 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns.

Of course, it is apples and oranges in a sense to put one QB’s stats against another because their circumstances are different. Calvert faced the nation’s 92nd ranked defense proven overplaying opponents with the nation’s sixth strongest win percentage. Romney faced the nation’s 90th defense proven this season against opponent win percentage ranked 129th.

Romney did what he had to do: produce more than Buckshot Calvert, one of the most experienced QBs in the country.

Romney was cool, collected, laid-back, ice in his veins.

Romney’s heart rate may have hovered around 35 beats a minute from start to end.

“He made himself ready,” said head coach Kalani Sitake. “He always does, all our guys have worked to be ready when called upon.”

He threw strikes. He threw laser darts on screens. He hit the sidelines and quick slants and outs and almost completed some TDs on fades. He didn’t fumble. He threw a pick in coverage that counted kind of like a deep punt in Liberty’s territory.

If Romney had not come to play, if he hadn’t chased yards and points Buckshot was going to produce, the Cougars would have lost to Liberty on their home field and this would be filed in a folder entitled “major fails” of the 2019 season.

But Romney kept drives alive. He completed first downs, once keeping it on an option read for 18 yards and on a second and 10. He spread the ball around to eight receivers and four of them scored TDs, if you count Micah Simon’s scoring pass to Matt Bushman.

It seems like half a year since starter Zach Wilson went down with a broken thumb at the Toledo game. BYU’s gone through his backup Jaren Hall twice and Romney three times now since then. That’s six quarterbacks shuffled in through a three-game losing streak and now three-game win streak.

In the meantime, Calvert played in his 44th college game, his 40th start and his 11,303rd yard on Saturday.

Romney?

He’s just a rookie looking for a piece of the action.

And he’s 2-0 as a starter.

Wilson took the brunt of BYU’s toughest opponents in September and stands with 1,312 yards and five touchdowns passing with a 129.5 rating.

Romney overtook Wilson in TD passes with 7 on 54 of 85 completions for 747 yards. He came into the Liberty game with a 161 efficiency rating and left with it about the same.

In other words, Romney has become the ultimate QB reserve at BYU, one of the best.

If he hadn’t delivered in his first start against Boise State and failed to maintain the assault on USU that Hall began and left at halftime, the Cougars would likely not be close to bowl eligibility.

As it stands now, because Romney did not shirk from the moment, but rose to what was asked of him, the Cougars are expected to defeat Idaho State in the home finale next week and reach one of its prime objectives and go to a bowl.

At 5-4 after the Liberty win, the Cougars are no longer a break-even or losing team.

“It has taken a lot of hard work by this team after the loss at South Florida,” said Romney. “We’ve taken upon ourselves to stop losing and turn this around.”

One big cog in all that is this freshman walk-on, looking for a fire to put out, a job. Any job.

Well done, Romney.