BYU huge receiver Puka Nacua (12) scores on BYU’s first play from scrimmage in BYU’s season opener towards USF on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. Robert W. Grover, for the Deseret Information
TAMPA, Fla. — After watching new addition Chris Brooks run for 135 yards and a landing in BYU’s 50-21 plastering of South Florida on Saturday at Raymond James Stadium, Cougars quarterback Jaren Corridor mentioned the sky is the restrict for the Cal switch RB in BYU’s offense.
He doesn’t do a nasty job working it himself.
“Jaren performed one other nice sport,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake mentioned.
Returning to the scene of his first begin again in 2019 when the Cougars fell 27-23 to the Bulls and Corridor was knocked out of the sport within the third quarter with a concussion, the fifth-year junior closed the deal this time.
“That was certainly one of my favourite elements of tonight, was the younger receivers stepping in and making performs on third downs, making massive performs for us and preserving drives alive. I knew they might do this. I used to be assured in that, and I do know they're assured in themselves.” — BYU quarterback Jaren Corridor.
“Yeah, the preliminary begin, I watched that sport earlier than this sport to see my younger self, the best way I've grown, and actually simply (targeted on) permitting the sport to return to me and never having to really feel it out,” Corridor mentioned.
There was no feeling of revenge or redemption. That’s not how Corridor operates. He stays within the second, then on Saturday in entrance of 31,521 in an NFL stadium that he could be enjoying in once more sometime, delivered a bunch of them in bettering to 9-2 as a starter.
“We have been very excited to play, very excited to be out right here,” Corridor mentioned. “There was simply a variety of speak about all of the stuff going towards us, the climate and all these issues. I believe it fired us up and acquired us actually going and energized.”
Corridor’s stats would have been even higher had receiver Keanu Hill held on to a bomb thrown fantastically by Corridor within the second quarter.
Because it have been, he completed 25 of 32 for 261 yards with landing passes to Dallin Holker and Hill for a passer ranking of 161. He threw one interception and was sacked as soon as, dropping 1 yard.
“Whenever you make performs, you simply construct off of that. We did a great job of constructing performs fast, we pushed the tempo, stored the protection out of the loop,” Corridor mentioned.
“They have been getting flustered. They couldn’t get lined up fast sufficient, so we simply stored utilizing that towards them, simply going with our fundamental stuff that we do in follow, and simply kinda rolled via it the primary half.”
With Gunner Romney out and Puka Nacua leaving earlier than halftime with 76 yards and two touchdowns operating the ball and one catch for 22 yards, Corridor discovered a bunch of different guys prepared and prepared to fill in.
He accomplished passes to 12 completely different gamers.
“Guys know what they're doing, and being prepared for his or her time when it's their time,” he mentioned. “We preach that every one week in follow, understanding that Gunner wouldn’t be accessible. All fall camp guys have been getting reps, and so it simply speaks to Fesi (Sitake) getting them prepared and them taking his teaching and being on the identical web page collectively.”
Coach Kalani Sitake mentioned Romney was “shut” to with the ability to play, in his thoughts, and would possibly have the ability to play subsequent week towards Baylor. Sitake mentioned Nacua, who was on crutches within the second half, “may have stored going” if the Cougars wanted him.
Which they didn’t — after constructing a 38-0 lead within the second quarter.
“That was certainly one of my favourite elements of tonight, was the younger receivers stepping in and making performs on third downs, making massive performs for us and preserving drives alive,” Corridor mentioned. “I knew they might do this. I used to be assured in that, and I do know they're assured in themselves.”
The 575 complete yards Corridor and the offense put up are the second-most beneath Sitake in a season opener. That they had 580 at Navy in 2020, when Zach Wilson and firm carved up the Navy offense.
Talking of Brooks, he was pretty much as good as marketed. The graduate switch from Cal ran for 135 yards, together with an up-the-middle burst for 52 yards that left USF defensive backs trailing in his wake.
It was the fifth 100-yard sport of Brooks’ profession, and his second-biggest evening as a collegian. He ran for 197 yards towards UC Davis one time.
Corridor mentioned the Cougars spent the climate delay chilling out and watching different faculty soccer video games on tv.
“We didn’t stress an excessive amount of. We didn’t press ourselves to remain fired up and able to go. We understood the state of affairs,” he mentioned.
“The medical employees was good about preserving us up to date, letting us know we had a while. … We kinda stayed tied into the sport. We simply needed to ensure we stayed free and relaxed after which on the 20-minute heads-up we locked proper again in, did our factor and went out and performed.”
And received convincingly. Not like three years in the past.