I’ll add my voice to the masses

(This was written Saturday at 10PM)

Like all BYU fans I am thoroughly happy and excited about the result of tonights game. For those not completely aware, BYU just defeated number 3 ranked Oklahoma 14-13. Aside from just being a huge win, this was the biggest win by BYU since they beat Miami in 1990.

I admit that prior to this game I was simply hoping we would not get humiliated. The spread was 23 points for Oklahoma, and I agreed completely. Oklahoma played in the National Championship game last year. They are perennially great. Their players are “the biggest, fastest players [Missouri] has ever played against” according to their head coach. The third string players for Oklahoma would start on almost every other team in FBS. Every indication prior to this game pointed to BYU getting walloped. I was merely hoping that we could beat the spread and play competitive enough to retain some respect.

That being said I am that much more impressed with BYU’s game and the heights they could attain this season if they keep winning. Winning this game makes us the favorite in every scheduled game for the rest of the season. We have 3 more games with ranked opponents and all 3 will be in Provo. If we win the next 11 games, it’s possible we could be in the championship game to end the year. Trust me, I’m not going to expect it by any means, but I look forward to the intrigue which is sure to follow.

Did Oklahoma losing Heisman trophy winner to injury taint the win in any way? Perhaps. I only have 2 points to add about that. 1) BYU played the whole game without its best running back as well, and injuries always take their toll on football teams. Manase Tonga definitely didn’t look as good as he did 2 years ago, so I look forward to Unga getting back on the field soon. 2) BYU’s defense was doing a very admirable job of holding Oklahoma’s offense before he went down. This is more telling to me. The defense of BYU is what impressed me most about the game. The focus of Oklahoma’s offense was supposed to be the 2 returning 1000 yard rushers from last year since the receivers from last year are gone. They set an FBS record for points last year. So to hold them to 10 points in the first half itself was mighty impressive to me.

I’ll leave my thoughts at that for tonight.

GO COUGARS!!