Cougars’ No. 3 QB leads upset of Boise State
Loss could keep previously unbeaten Broncos out of a New Year’s bowl game
PROVO, Utah — Facing a Top 25 team in his first career start didn’t faze Baylor Romney.
Romney threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns to help BYU upset No. 14 Boise State 28-25 on Saturday night. The Cougars snapped a three-game losing streak with their first victory over the Broncos since 2015.
BYU turned to Romney, its thirdstring quarterback, with Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall both sidelined with injuries. He threw two scoring passes to Matt Bushman and helped deliver a second home win for the Cougars (3-4) over a Top 25 opponent this season.
“We needed a game like this to get that stone rolling again,” Bushman said.
The Cougars’ hopes for a bowl game were looking dim after blowing fourth-quarter leads in backto-back games against Toledo and South Florida. This time around, BYU used a big third quarter to build a large enough cushion to hold on.
The Broncos trimmed an 18-point deficit to three late in the fourth quarter. Chase Cord hit Octavius Evans with a 13-yard TD pass and then Akilian Butler with a 5-yard TD pass to make it 28-25 with 3:17 remaining.
“There wasn’t one point where we thought we were going to lose,” Boise State lineman John Molchon said. “That’s the one thing about us. No one had their head down. No one felt very comfortable in the situation. We all really truly believed that we were going to come out on top.”
The Cougars were able to run out the clock after Austin Kafentzis picked up a yard on 4th-and-inches from the BYU 34 with 2:17 left.
Boise State (6-1) was dealt a serious blow to its New Year’s Six bowl hopes after just its third loss in the series with the Cougars. AIR FORCE 56, HAWAII 26: In Honolulu, backup quarterback Mike Schmidt came off the bench to account for four touchdowns and the Falcons beat Hawaii on Saturday night.
Air Force (5-2, 3-1 Mountain West), which had 324 total yards by halftime, scored touchdowns on its first four possessions and seven of 10 overall.
Schmidt rushed for 120 yards on 14 carries, including scores of 1, 61 and 18 yards. He also completed 5 of 6 passes for 147 yards, with a 75-yard TD pass to Geraud Sanders, who finished with three receptions for 116 yards.
Hawaii’s Cole McDonald threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns on 34-of-52 passing with one interception — which Milton Bugg III returned for a 92-yard pick-6 in the closing minutes.
UTAH STATE 36, NEVADA 10: In Logan, Utah, Gerold Bright had 126 yards rushing and two scores on 15 carries, Savon Scarver had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and the Aggies (4-2, 3-0 MWC) beat the Wolf Pack (4-3, 1-2).
ALABAMA: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has had a procedure for a high ankle sprain and will miss Saturday’s game against Arkansas.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban says Tagovailoa had what’s known as a “tightrope” procedure on his right ankle Sunday. He says it’s the same injury the 2018 Heisman Trophy runner-up suffered in the Southeastern Conference championship game last season, just to the other ankle.
Saban predicted “a full and speedy recovery” for Tagovailoa. He was hurt in the second quarter of Alabama’s 35-13 win over Tennessee.
No. 1 Alabama has an open date before facing No. 2 LSU on Nov. 9. Tagovailoa promised teammates he’d be back for that game.
He played in the playoff semifinal game against Oklahoma 28 days after the injury last season.
AP POLL: Ohio State edged past Clemson to No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll and Wisconsin dropped to 13th after being upset ahead of its showdown with the Buckeyes.
Alabama remained No. 1 on Sunday in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, receiving 24 firstplace votes. No. 2 LSU held its place and received 16 first-place votes. The Buckeyes had 13 first-place votes and No. 4 Clemson, the preseason No. 1 team and defending national champion, received nine.
The Buckeyes and Tigers both were coming off conference blowouts on the road. Ohio State beat Northwestern 52-3 Friday night. Clemson defeated Louisville 45-10.