BYU Dominates Navy on Labor Day

BYU left no doubt in a dominant Labor Day victory.

BYU-Navy was advertised as the best matchup in the first week of college football - at least on paper. It didn't take long, however, for BYU to turn the game into a lopsided affair. The Cougars dominated the trenches on both sides of the ball. At the end of the first half, BYU had 17 first downs to Navy's 2 first downs. The Cougars had 304 yards on offense, the Midshipmen only had 48. Here's how BYU turned a primetime game into a blowout victory.

First and foremost, it's important to note that Navy did not play live football during fall camp - it showed. Navy did not look like a team that was ready to play a live football game. BYU deserves credit for a dominating performance, but the COVID-19 protocols clearly took a toll on the Midshipmen.

1st Quarter

On the first drive of the game, BYU's defensive line stuffed the triple option and forced a quick punt. BYU took only seven plays to score a touchdown and never looked back. 

BYU's defense faced its first test after Zach Wilson threw an interception (intended receiver Neil Pau'u tripped on a Navy defender) in BYU territory. The Cougars responded by blowing up a Navy trick play with a strip sack from Isaiah Kaufusi. Navy was forced to punt after the interception. At the end of the first quarter, BYU had a 14-0 lead with 119 yards on the ground.

2nd Quarter

Seemingly whenever Navy got something going, it was offset by a penalty or a better play from BYU. BYU continued to dominate on the ground going into halftime with a 31-0 lead. Even though BYU was up by 31 points, it felt even more lopsided than the score might suggest.

3rd Quarter

Navy brought in Perry Olsen who provided a spark for the Midshipmen. After stringing a few nice plays together, Navy's best drive of the game was brought to a hault when BYU stuffed a reverse on fourth down.

BYU's offense wasted no time in the third quarter scoring two touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half. BYU replaced the starters early in the third quarter with a 45-0 lead.

Navy finally gets on the board with 54 seconds left in the 3rd quarter - Bijan Nichols hit a 48 yard field goal.

4th Quarter

With the second-string offense on the field, BYU continued to pound the ball on the ground with Jackson McChesney. BYU scored one final touchdown making the final score 55-3.

The Cougars will have a week off before traveling to Army on September 19th.