BYU football: Riley Nelson, Cougars defeat Spartans
Published: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011 11:24 p.m. MDT
PROVO — In a game that looked to be a blowout early, BYU held on for a 29-16 victory over San Jose State Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Turnovers played their part in keeping the game close. The Cougars coughed the ball up three separate times as they approached the endzone. San Jose had its troubles as well, turning over the ball twice.
The Cougar offense looked re-energized with its new quarterback Riley Nelson. BYU amassed 446 yards of total offense compared with just 325 yards for SJSU.
The Cougars jumped out on top of the Spartans early. Following a turnover deep in San Jose territory, an errant snap went through the back of the endzone for a safety and a score of 2-0 BYU with 9:06 remaining in the first quarter.
The Cougars followed up the safety with a quick 56-yard, 5-play drive that ended with Nelson hitting tight end Richard Wilson for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 7:04 left in the quarter.
Following a Spartan field goal, Nelson engineered a 9-play, 75-yard drive to put BYU up 16-3 with 10:58 left in the half. He hit running back Bryan Kariya with a 1-yard TD pass to extend the lead.
SJSU attempted to answer with a long scoring drive of its own before Kyle Van Noy intercepted a pass just after the Spartans crossed into Cougar territory.
On the next play, Nelson hit McKay Jacobson for a 40-yard TD pass to go up 23-3 with 8:49 remaining in the half.
After another defensive stop, BYU looked to go up big, driving the ball deep into San Jose territory toward the end of the half, but the scoring bid stalled as Nelson threw an interception in the endzone.
The Spartans responded with a scoring drive that ended with a 40-yard field goal by Jens Alvernik to go into the locker room down a manageable 23-6.
The Cougars relied on a punishing ground attack during the second half.
The first score came with SJSU capping off a 12-play, 96-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Tyler Ervin to make the score 23-13 with 6:09 left in the third quarter.
Two field goals by Justin Sorensen from 42 and 45 yards kept the Cougars comfortably ahead in securing a 29-16 win.
Nelson finished the game going 14-of-24 for 219 yards with two interceptions and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball nine times for 65 yards.
Michael Alisa was the Cougar's leading rusher on the night with 16 carries for 92 yards on the night. Richard Wilson was the leading receiver on the night catching three passes for 66 yards.
The Cougars are now 4-2 and will travel to Corvallis, Ore., to take on Oregon State next Saturday.
Published: Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011 11:24 p.m. MDT
PROVO — In a game that looked to be a blowout early, BYU held on for a 29-16 victory over San Jose State Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Turnovers played their part in keeping the game close. The Cougars coughed the ball up three separate times as they approached the endzone. San Jose had its troubles as well, turning over the ball twice.
The Cougar offense looked re-energized with its new quarterback Riley Nelson. BYU amassed 446 yards of total offense compared with just 325 yards for SJSU.
The Cougars jumped out on top of the Spartans early. Following a turnover deep in San Jose territory, an errant snap went through the back of the endzone for a safety and a score of 2-0 BYU with 9:06 remaining in the first quarter.
The Cougars followed up the safety with a quick 56-yard, 5-play drive that ended with Nelson hitting tight end Richard Wilson for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 7:04 left in the quarter.
Following a Spartan field goal, Nelson engineered a 9-play, 75-yard drive to put BYU up 16-3 with 10:58 left in the half. He hit running back Bryan Kariya with a 1-yard TD pass to extend the lead.
SJSU attempted to answer with a long scoring drive of its own before Kyle Van Noy intercepted a pass just after the Spartans crossed into Cougar territory.
On the next play, Nelson hit McKay Jacobson for a 40-yard TD pass to go up 23-3 with 8:49 remaining in the half.
After another defensive stop, BYU looked to go up big, driving the ball deep into San Jose territory toward the end of the half, but the scoring bid stalled as Nelson threw an interception in the endzone.
The Spartans responded with a scoring drive that ended with a 40-yard field goal by Jens Alvernik to go into the locker room down a manageable 23-6.
The Cougars relied on a punishing ground attack during the second half.
The first score came with SJSU capping off a 12-play, 96-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Tyler Ervin to make the score 23-13 with 6:09 left in the third quarter.
Two field goals by Justin Sorensen from 42 and 45 yards kept the Cougars comfortably ahead in securing a 29-16 win.
Nelson finished the game going 14-of-24 for 219 yards with two interceptions and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball nine times for 65 yards.
Michael Alisa was the Cougar's leading rusher on the night with 16 carries for 92 yards on the night. Richard Wilson was the leading receiver on the night catching three passes for 66 yards.
The Cougars are now 4-2 and will travel to Corvallis, Ore., to take on Oregon State next Saturday.
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