BYU vs. Weber State postgame notes and quotes

HOLDING THEM DOWN
BYU held Weber State to just 254 total yards in the game. The Cougars have now held eight consecutive opponents to under 300 total yards in a game.

ROLL IT UP
The Cougar offense put up 532 yards of total offense. The 532 yards are the most since BYU had 570 against Idaho State in 2011. BYU picked up 307 in the air and 225 on the ground.

A HALF-NELSON
Quarterback Riley Nelson set a new career-high for passing yards in a half with 244. Nelson completed 18 of 29 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His previous career high was 165 yards in the first half at Hawai’i last season. Nelson’s day was finished after the first half.

LISTEN FOR THE LARK
Quarterback James Lark handled quarterbacking duties for much of the third quarter and part of the fourth. The senior finished with a career day, tossing his first career touchdown pass and rushing for another. He also set career highs in completions (7), attempts (10) and passing yards (45).

SACK ATTACK
BYU recorded six sacks. It was the first time BYU recorded at least five sacks in a game since its last FCS opponent, Idaho State in 2011, when the defense totaled six against the Bengals.

RUSHING IT IN
After not picking up a rushing touchdown in game one, BYU punched in four against the Wildcats. Freshman quarterback Taysom Hill put one in with a diving effort to the pylon from two yards out for the first rushing touchdown of his career. Running back Michael Alisa found the end zone on an 8-yard run. Senior quarterback James Lark also picked up a score on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter. Hill scored on another run in the fourth quarter.

TAYSOM TIME
Freshman quarterback Taysom Hill did damage with his legs in the game, rushing six times for 27 yards and two touchdowns. Hill scored BYU’s first rushing touchdown of the season in the second quarter and another in the fourth. In Hill’s limited action in two games he has passed for one touchdown and rushed for two more.

HOFFMAN KEEPS IT GOING
Wide receiver Cody Hoffman kept his streak alive, catching at least one pass in 21-straight games and 27 of 28 career games. Hoffman finished the game with seven catches, 115 yards and one touchdown. Hoffman’s first 100-yard receiving game of the year is the seventh of his career.

RUNNING OUT THE FLAG
Junior defensive back Daniel Sorensen led BYU out of the tunnel carrying the team flag today. Senior linebacker Ezekiel Ansah also ran out the special teams flag. Former Cougar running back Brian McDonald (2000-01) carried out the Alumni Flag. McDonald played in 17 games at BYU and scored 13 rushing touchdowns over his career as a Cougar.

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall

Just by opening comment, I think we handled the game and the week maturely. We were very workman-like and methodical and we had a nice balance offensively between running and scoring. I thought we started the game slowly in the first quarter but then it picked up as the game went on.

On expectations for this game:
We had a chance to see a lot of players play, including three different quarterbacks, a lot of running backs and a bunch of different players on defense. A lot like what you would expect from a game like this.

On Riley Nelson only playing the first half:
Riley’s back was a little tight and I thought we would be moving the ball pretty comfortably. It’s a long season and with his back spasms, I thought it made sense to pull him.

On getting young players in on defense:
We dialed it back a little bit and played a lot of base defense and let different players play.

On second half adjustments:
At halftime, I was hoping we would run the ball effectively. I think we picked up in second half but we can improve.

On James Lark:
James has battled a long time. He was poised and composed and was pretty methodical moving the ball. It was fun to see him and Taysom Hill play.

On Cody Hoffman back from an injury:
It’s nice to have another big target out there, a player who is proven and mature. It is nice to have him back.

On younger players getting opportunities:
It was good for moral. It was good for these guys, they work hard and it was good to get them to go play football.

On anything learned from this game:
I think they are a little more mature than I thought. It was a unique test just going through the week and how they would handle preparing for the game. They were methodical and workman-like.

BYU quarterback Riley Nelson
On Weber State’s play:
They are a good physical team, I got popped as good as any other team we have played at the Division I level.

On playing just the first half:
It was a coach’s decision, they asked me how I felt. They felt I wasn’t moving as fluidly so they held me out. The plan was to hold me out and get Lark and Hill in there.

On James Lark and Taysom Hill’s play:
We saw what I expected to see from James Lark; nice efficient quarterback play and the rushing touchdown was a nice surprise. We had three rushing touchdowns by quarterbacks today and none from the quote-unquote rushing quarterback. Taysom Hill was full of energy and you could see his athleticism on those quarterback draws that he did.

Weber State head coach Jody Sears
On BYU’s defense:
They don't play a ton of man, they play a lot of zone and they're very disciplined in their zones. You couple that with a good, strong pass rush and you're going to get sacks. You're going to get pressure on that quarterback. You've got to tip your hat to those guys. They're big up front and they've got some good athletes and good pass rushers.

On playing tough early games:
These tough early games help us get some toughness. I think we've got some guys that are craving some contact and that aren't afraid to be tough and get into those tough environments.

Weber State running back C.J. Tuckett
On BYU’s defense:
They're a great defense. They make great plays. It was a great experience though, to play a quality team like BYU.

Game recap