Rookie QB, the aggressive defender leads BYU to the 49-23 win over Hawaii

PROVO – Real freshman Zach Wilson quickly lost his impact as a new BYU quarterback.

Coach Kalani Sitake was looking for a spark for his team and he found it at Wilson.

In his career debut, Wilson completed 16 of 24 passes for 194 yards, scoring three touchdowns and one touchdown to lead the Cougars to a 49-23 home victory over Hawaii on Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium, in front of a crowd of 52,354.

"I was grateful to have had this opportunity and I tried to make the most of it," Wilson said of his first start.

This was the most points scored by BYU this season. The Cougars' previous best was 30 points against McNeese State, and that's the most points they've scored in a match since the 51-win victory against UMass in 2016.

"Forty-nine points," receiver Dylan Collie said of Wilson's performance. "It's fine for a child of 19. Zach has done it and he will continue to do it."

Of course, Wilson had a lot of help from the rest of the offensive and an aggressive defense that limited the Rainbow Warriors' scores.

Throughout the season, BYU had a hard time getting off the grid, scoring a total of seven points in the first quarter. The Cougars are 21-0 behind the defeats to the United States, Washington and Utah.

But this week, Sitake handed the keys to Wilson's offense and in return, Wilson helped produce the opposite effect – an unusual fast start.

"For what we recruited him to do," said Sitake, "he did it."

Wilson led the Cougars to touchdowns in their first two rounds, including one 87-yard first-base, and led them 21-0 in the second quarter.

In the night, BYU, which only ran 39 meters against USU last week, rushed for 280 points against the Rainbow Warriors.

Matt Hadley ran nine times for 91 yards and one touchdown, Lopini Katoa ran 16 times for 83 yards and one touchdown, and Riley Burt gained 59 yards and one touchdown in nine runs.

"The coaches really challenged us to believe in us this week," said Hadley.

The Cougar defense, meanwhile, recorded four sacks and forced two turnovers. Coming up for Saturday's game, the Cougars have only collected six sacks this season.

BYU beat quarterback Cole McDonald of Hawaii, who went into the night in second place and averaged 350 yards per game, 22 of 38 passes for 248 yards with two touchdowns. an interception. As a team, Hawaii averaged 38.4 points per game.

"When the offensive goes that way, the defense is relieved and we can play more freely," said linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi.

BYU Dayan Ghanwoloku, who was playing his first match for almost a month due to injury, recovered a deflated kick in the middle of the third quarter, which allowed Burt to score three yards and pass the Cougars. 10.

BYU extended their lead to 42-17 after a 24-yard pass by Wilson to wide receiver Aleva Hifo early in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars' final score came on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to wide receiver Gunner Romney with 3:45 left to go.

Thanks to this win, BYU (4-3) prevented Hawaii (6-2) from qualifying for the cup this week. The Rainbow Warriors dropped to 0-10 of all time against the Cougars in Provo.

BYU's defense forced a punt in the first game of Hawaii, and Wilson's Cougar offensive was 87 yards in 12 games for his first possession with a 12-yard touchdown. Katoa. This is the first time this season that BYU scores on its first record.

After another forced strike from the defense, the Cougars found the end zone that ended with a 22-yard pass for Wilson for his first career scoring the goal for 14-for-14. 0 with 1:02 to do in the first quarter.

BYU had been beaten 38-7 by his opponents this season early in the quarter.

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Wilson was intercepted for the first time in his career at the beginning of the second quarter, but when he recovered the ball a few minutes later, he had another good touchdown, scored by a 21-yard run by Hadley.

"Not happy with that choice he's launched," Sitake said.

Austin 21-3, security leader Cougar, intercepted McDonald's and brought it back to 36 yards from the Hawaii line. A game later, Wilson hit Dallin Holker to hit the goal and BYU led 28-3 to end the first half.

The Cougars will have a break next week and will no longer play the game before Oct. 27 at home against Northern Illinois.