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Game Recap
The BYU Cougars were successful in their previous meeting against the Arizona Wildcats, and they didn't afford Arizona any payback this time around. The Cougars beat the Wildcats 24-16 on Saturday.
quarterIt took a quarter to shake off the cobwebs, but after zero 1st quarter points, the BYU offense picked up 14 points in the second quarter. Arizona wasn't quite able to keep up, and the score was 14-3 heading into the break. Although BYU wound up losing the second-half battle, they still had enough in reserve to win the war.
WR Neil Pau'u and QB Jaren Hall were among the main playmakers for BYU as the former caught eight passes for two TDs and 126 yards and the latter passed for two TDs and 198 yards on 28 attempts in addition to picking up 36 yards on the ground. One of the most thrilling moments was Pau'u's 67-yard TD reception in the second quarter. More help came courtesy of LB Keenan Pili, who was good for ten tackles.
BYU's defense was a presence as well, as it got past the Wildcats' offensive line to sack the quarterback four times for a total loss of 48 yards. It was a group effort with four guys contributing.
No one had a standout game offensively for Arizona, but they got scores from WR Brian Casteel and QB Gunner Cruz. The matchup brought the Cougars to 1-0 and dropped Arizona to a mirror-image 0-1.
BYU will take on the Utah Utes at 10:15 p.m. ET next Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Like BYU, Utah is also coming into the game bolstered by a recent victory. The Wildcats will look to defend their home turf next Saturday against the San Diego State Aztecs at 10 p.m. ET.
