There have been some amazing sequences of events over the years. The last four minutes of the 1980 Holiday Bowl, for sure, as well as the 2001 matchup with Utah, the 2006 Cougar-Ute thriller (The Answered Prayer), the 59-0 demolition of UCLA in 2008 and, just off the top of my head, a random last-second home win against Hawaii in 1993.

But let me try to give some context to Saturday’s stunning 38-9 victory against No. 13 Kansas State and why it tops them all.

The stakes have never been higher for BYU football now that the program is in the Big 12. The Cougars were picked 13th in the Big 12 and most pundits had them winning just four games in 2024. Despite dominating time of possession, the Wildcats led just 6-3 in the final minute of the first half. KSU had an opportunity to score, then would have first possession in the second half. The visitors could have taken complete control of the game. Instead, we witnessed repeated lighting strikes, all blue and white ones, for a period of seven minutes of game time. It resulted in a 31-6 BYU lead.

The lyrics to the 1978 Earth, Wind and Fire hit “September” come to mind: “Do you remember? The 21st of September … Love was changing the mind of pretenders … Chasing the clouds away.”

Indeed.

That’s funny?

I was stopped by a fan named Boyd at the BYU-UVU women’s volleyball game on Saturday evening. He said he enjoyed my column and got my humor.

Well, that makes two people (along with my wife) who get my ATTEMPTS at humor, whether I hit or miss.

Now it’s time for Perfectly Rational Overreactions (PRO’s) from Saturday’s game.

PRO No. 1: BYU was the beneficiary of a lot of luck against Kansas State.

Anybody who has watched football over the years knows that some games, you get breaks. Others you don’t and it seems kind of random. But you make your own breaks. You make your own luck. The Cougars created a wave of momentum that started with Jack Kelly forcing a fumble and ended seven minutes of game time later with a wonderfully wacky punt return for a touchdown by Parker Kingston. Good teams seem to be more lucky than bad teams, and I think that stems from belief and willpower. That’s what we saw on Saturday.

PRO No. 2: Sione Moa is the Cougars next great running back.

Last week I wrote that I didn’t care when the BYU running game got going, just that it would. For most of Saturday’s game, the Cougars struggled to run the ball consistently. Fortunately, Moa and the BYU offense found some success in the second half. Moa’s 21-yard touchdown run was a real example of a running back who would not be denied. He broke four or five tackles on that run against a defense that was completely deflated. Yeah, it would be nice if the Cougars could gain steady yards running the ball but they simply aren’t there yet. Let’s call it timely running. Moa is quick through the hole and hard to bring down. That’s a good combination.

I saw Moa’s ability first hand when he played at Timpview. During a game at Lone Peak, Moa was sprinting with the ball toward the sideline where I stood with former Deseret News writer Brandon Gurney. I took a few steps back but Gurney stayed put and basically got run over by Moa. Gurney still says I opted to save myself and not him, and I reminded him that self-preservation is present in all living organisms. I’m just glad I was still spry enough to avoid getting smashed.

PRO No. 3: Jay Hill’s defense will never be penetrated.

Against two power conference teams (SMU and Kansas State), BYU has allowed six field goals and zero touchdowns. The Cougars haven’t allowed a passing TD in four games. Oh, did you happen to see what SMU did against Big 12 opponent TCU on Saturday? The Mustangs hung 66 points on the Horned Frogs, so I guess they’re pretty good.

The BYU defense gave up some long drives but in key moments made the right plays. Think about how frustrating it was for The Wildcats to run off three drives of 12 plays or more, that each chewed up more than five minutes of clock, and just have three field goals to show for it.

Keeping up this high level of defense requires a lot of depth and discipline. Right now, defense is BYU’s calling card.

Finally, PRO No. 4: BYU is a contender for the Big 12 championship.

Well, why not? Utah was picked to win the conference and the Utes are 4-0 with an impressive road win at Oklahoma State on Saturday. The next five teams on the preseason predicted order of finish (Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Arizona, West Virginia) are a combined 11-8 through the first four weeks. The Big 12 is a league that any team can get hot and contend, and right now the Cougars are hot and a contender. A lot of season left, but with a defense like this, BYU should be in every game. Hopefully the offense can catch up and get better.

Who Carried the Boats and the Logs?

So many candidates. Moa made a big difference in the second half of his first college start. Linebackers Harrison Taggart and Jack Kelly were all over the field on defense. There were brilliant individual plays from Kingston and Tommy Prassas, among others.

But I feel like giving this award to the 64,201 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium, who rocked the joint all night long. A night game in Provo is starting to feel like a dead-solid lock for the Cougars, and the live, dialed-in crowd is a big reason for that. Nearly the entirety of the ROC student section stayed to the very end, sang the fight song with the team and gave them one last roar of approval after the game was over. Kansas State journalists covering the game, as well as Wildcat fans, were very complimentary (that word will come up again in a moment) of the atmosphere and energy at LES. It really is one of the best in the country.

English lesson

A few years ago I started hearing a particular phrase from BYU coaches: “We want to play complementary football.”

Not “complimentary” (expressing approval, admiration or respect) but “complementary” (completes or enhances the quality of something else.)

Taken individually, the three phrases of offense, defense and special teams wouldn’t have been able to lead the Cougars to victory. But collectively, everything one phase did was enhanced by the other. I’ve seen a lot of BYU wins over the years, but this one may have been the most “complementary” I have ever seen. A defense that made key stops when it counted, an offense that took advantage of limited scoring opportunities, special teams that turned disaster into one of the most exciting plays of the year.

This team is built on love, as Kalani Sitake and the players constantly tell us. Part of that love is having each other’s backs, and that’s really what complementary football is all about.

Lightning strikes

Just for fun, here is the amazing sequence of events over a six-minute period of game play.

2:10, Second quarter: Will Ferrin 31 yard field goal (KSU leads 6-3).

1:08, Second quarter: Tommy Prassas returns fumble 30 yards for a TD (BYU leads 10-6).

1:02, Second quarter: Tyler Batty intercepts a KSU pass.

:34, Second quarter: Jake Retzlaff 23-yard TD pass to Chase Roberts (BYU leads 17-6).

14:02, Third quarter: Harrison Taggart intercepts a KSU pass.

13:05, Third quarter: Retzlaff 3-yard TD pass to Darius Lassiter (BYU leads 24-6).

11:09, Third quarter: Parker Kingston returns a punt 90 yards for a TD (BYU leads 31-6).

Bouncing off the pavement

On Friday I had a disagreement with a scooter on which direction to go. Fortunately, my face broke my fall. I’ve got a pretty good case of road rash on the left side. Fortunately, I don’t make my living with my face. We can use old photos in my column so I don’t shock small children and send women away screaming.

Is left right?

I’m on my third smart watch (Fit Bit, Samsung Gear Sports and Google Pixel 2). As a lefty, I’ve always worn my watch (smart or otherwise) on my left arm. One of the options when you set the watch up is to tell it which arm you are wearing it on. But I have people telling me I need to wear on my non-dominant arm for the smart watch to record data correctly.

Finally there is this: I told a joke to my 18-year old niece, Becca, who is starting her first year at BYU-Idaho.

“What type of car do missionaries like to drive?”

She said, in all seriousness, “Well, I think they drive Mazdas or something.”

Then I said, “no, missionaries drive convert-ables. Get it?”

I don’t think that dad joke (or in this case, uncle joke) could have worked out any better.

That’s all for now. I expect most BYU fans to have a great week, until they start stressing and over-analyzing the upcoming Baylor game. So I wish you a great week, anyway.