Win over SDSU helps cure whatever's been ailing Cougars

PROVO -- As they were saying, before being so rudely interrupted seven weeks ago, the BYU Cougars are obliterating people once again.

Almost as though they never really left.

The Cougars picked up where they left off in mid-September, routing sad-sack San Diego State, 41-12, on Saturday at Edwards Stadium.

And you thought Northern Iowa was a mismatch.

"This," said BYU tight end Dennis Pitta, "feels good. It's been a few games since we had a big win like this. It's exciting to just kind of get back on track."

Although the Aztecs have been decimated by injuries (38 different players have started), they've also been derailed by just plain awful play. Right now it's not so much a united program as a loose confederation of planets, each in its own orbit.

With only one win this year, SDSU isn't so much an opponent as a punching bag. Less threat than curiosity, like the Museum of Mushrooms.

Its only victory was against Idaho, which itself has only two wins.

Which made Saturday's contest just what the good doctor ordered for the Cougars: a colossal yawner.

"It's always refreshing," said receiver Austin Collie, who didn't seem bored at all. "You don't have to worry as much, just play the game and not press, play to your natural ability."

The Cougars could pretty much do whatever they wanted, pretty much all day, without fear of reprisal. They could run, which didn't work especially well (102 yards), or pass, which worked better (317 yards).

Or they could simply wait until the Aztecs regained possession, then create a turnover, which happened four times (one interception, three fumble recoveries).

Offense hasn't been the problem for BYU. (Has it ever?) But this week the defense improved, holding SDSU to just 280 yards.

Sometimes it's a good thing to put the gas pedal down and open it up.

If you don't use it, you can lose it.

Though they weren't talking about it, at this stage the Cougars still have some questions. Holding SDSU to 12 points doesn't shed much light on anything. The Aztec offense has scored fewer than two touchdowns six times.

Whether the BYU defense is improving or SDSU's offense is dreadful (106th in the country) is a matter of interpretation.

It's like trying to judge your height while standing next to Danny DeVito.

Still, the Cougars needed old-fashioned momentum and now they have some. Though they have just one loss (the 32-7 defeat at TCU), it sent them skidding into the gravel. It wasn't just losing, but the fact BYU hasn't truly dominated since beating UCLA and Wyoming by a combined score of 103-0 way back in September.

Since then, they've won, but not convincingly. They lost interest in the second half of the USU game after going ahead 34-0. They scored late to make a 21-3 win over New Mexico look more impressive than it was. They had to scratch to outlast both UNLV and Colorado State.

Close games are one thing, close games against average-or-below teams are something else entirely.

All of which made the Cougars' slow start seem all the more disconcerting on Saturday. After one quarter, it was only 7-0. The Aztecs duped BYU on a fake punt, giving rise to the possibility they might actually score.

Yet the overall product for the day was more what the Cougars have been expecting: long pass plays, sudden crucial breaks. A 61- yard scoring catch by Collie, a 56-yard pass to Michael Reed. When the lead got to 41-6 with 10 minutes remaining, it was time to call off the hounds.

For a team that has been both winning and worrying at the same time, it was a welcome change.

"It was nice," said quarterback Max Hall. "Nice to have an all- around great team effort."

Nice to know that even though you're picking on the smallest kid in school, you still feel better about your place on the bus.

E-mail: rock@desnews.com

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