Category: BYU Cougars

BYU facing third straight backup quarterback this week

Maalik Murphy is the third straight backup quarterback that BYU will face in as many weeks.

The BYU Cougars (5-2, 2-2) will face a backup quarterback for the third consecutive week. After the AC joint injury to Longhorns signal-caller Quinn Ewers, Texas will go with backup Maalik Murphy. He was part of the same recruiting class that landed Ewers as a transfer from Ohio State.

Two weeks ago the BYU defense would face Josh Hoover who got the nod for the injured Chandler Morris. Hoover threw the ball all over the field to the tune of 439 yards and 4 touchdowns. The TCU Horned Frogs easily won that game 44-11 after jumping out to a 31-8 halftime lead.

Things went a little differently the following week against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders lost starter Tyler Shough to a broken fibula sustained against West Virginia in Week 4. That same game backup quarterback Behren Morton suffered an AC joint injury that he had been playing through. Morton didn’t return to the field in the second half of the Kansas State game before also being sidelined against BYU in Provo, Utah.

True freshman quarterback Jake Strong would get his first collegiate start against BYU. Much like the second half of the Kansas State game, he would throw three interceptions in a losing effort.

This week it is about facing Murphy. There was some speculation that prized 2023 recruit Arch Manning might see some playing time after he worked with the second team leading up to the Houston game, but it is Murphy who will get the nod. Murphy has only thrown eight passes in his career, all this season. Either way, the quarterbacks behind Ewers are inexperienced.

Will BYU upset their former quarterback Steve Sarkisian this week, or will the Longhorns keep the wins coming in despite who is under center?

BYU vs. Texas is set for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff and the game can be seen on ABC.

For more on Texas check out Longhorns Wire, part of the College Wire Network.

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BYU Cougars football face new challenges and expectations in the Big 12

What is the biggest challenge facing BYU football in the Big 12, and what should expectations be for the Cougars going forward?

On Saturday, the Big 12 officially welcomed the BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars, and UCF Knights to the conference as the next wave of significant conference realignment began. 

BYU is leaving its independence behind them while Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF are moving away from the American Athletic Conference. All four schools have had substantial success in the last few years before their move to the Big 12. But what challenges will they face, and what should the reasonable expectations be for each program moving forward? 

Over the next few days, we will look at each program, what those challenges will be, and what their expectations should be in the short and long term. 

BYU might be the most intriguing case to discuss. The Cougars, for the most part, have always been a good program that saw the height of their program come between 1979 and 1985. During that seven-season stretch, the Cougars had six seasons of 11+ wins, including a 13-0 national championship-winning team in 1984. 

The program went through some lean years between 1997 and 2005 but has again become a respectable program with seven 10+ win seasons since 2006. The Cougars will be riding a streak of five straight winning seasons into this season, including three consecutive years of eight or more wins. 

NEXT: Recruiting needs to step up

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BYU WR Kody Epps withdraws his name from the transfer portal

BYU gets a bump to the 2023 squad.

The BYU Cougars offense got a bit of a boost on Wednesday.

Senior wide receiver Kody Epps announced on Twitter that he would return to Provo for the 2023 season.

“Cougar Nation I want you to know that BYU is the place that I love and want to be,” Epps tweeted. “It was a tough decision in the first place to enter the portal because I love BYU. Even though some great opportunities were presented to me in the portal, I did not use the portal as a way of leverage, or test waters, because I have too much respect for the generational connection I’ve built here and coach Kalani’s belief in me. If anything I have come to understand through all this that there was no point in trying to find a new home when what I needed and wanted was already here where I am. ”

The wide receiver continued, “Cougar nation, my teammates and coaches are who I love and who I want to play for. Plus, I have too many teammates’ weddings that I couldn’t miss this summer. I’m here to stay! Now let’s go show the Big 12 ‘What them Scoougs be bout!”

Last season, Epps hauled in 39 receptions for 459 yards and 6 touchdowns. He averaged 11.8 yards per reception in his first season with significant playing time. With former USC and Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis coming to Provo, Epps should be one of his go to receivers as the Cougars begin their first season in the Big 12.

BYU finished the season with an 8-5 record, they capped off the season with a win over SMU in the New Mexico Bowl. The Cougars open the season against Sam Houston State on Sept. 2. They play at Arkansas on Sept. 16 and will open Big 12 play in Lawrence against the Kansas Jayhawks on Sept. 23.

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Former Oklahoma State offensive tackle commits to BYU

BYU adds former Oklahoma State left tackle to the 2023 roster.

The BYU Cougars got a boost to their offensive line for the 2023 college football season. Former Oklahoma State left tackle Caleb Etienne announced on his Twitter account that he is heading west but staying in the conference.

Etienne and the Cougars are set to play Oklahoma State in Stillwater to close out their inaugural Big 12 season. Etienne started all 13 games for the Pokes at left tackle but could be in line to start on the right side for the Cougars. BYU returns Kingsley Suamataia from last year’s team.

Etienne will still have to earn the starting nod but given the level he played at Oklahoma State, his chances are pretty good to be a starter on the offensive line. The junior out of New Orleans, Louisiana, has two years of eligibility remaining. His biggest competition for BYU is Brayden Keim and Lisala Tai.

The Cougars start the 2023 season against Sam Houston State and Southern Utah before heading to Arkansas for their final nonconference game of the year. BYU will travel to Lawrence to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in their conference opener before their Big 12 home opener against fellow newcomers, the Cincinnati Bearcats on Sept. 29.

Look: These women’s college basketball stats may surprise you

LSU’s Angel Reese leads D1 women’s basketball with the most double-doubles with 28 through 30 games with BYU’s Lauren Gustin coming second with 26 double-doubles in 32 games.

The stage is set for the 2023 March Madness Women’s Division 1 NCAA tournament. The First Four games are Wednesday and Thursday, March 15-16. Before the action gets underway, we compiled some interesting statistics for the basketball aficionado.

All stats are current through games Sunday, March 12, 2023. While players like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, and teams like the University of Connecticut and South Carolina being on the list aren’t surprising, some other teams and players are a bit less expected.

Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist holds the top spot in points per game with 28.9. Following a close second is Drexel’s Keishana Washington with 27.2 and rounding out the top three is the University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark with 27.0.

While the top-scoring offense is Iowa with 87.5 per game, the top-scoring defense is HBCU Norfolk State with their opponent’s points per game being 50.

LSU’s Angel Reese leads D1 women’s basketball with the most double-doubles with 28 through 30 games with BYU’s Lauren Gustin coming second with 26 double-doubles in 32 games. The two then switch rankings when it comes to rebounds per game with Gustin taking the top spot with 16.6 and Reese taking second with 15.5.

BYU was not selected on Sunday to attend the tournament, so they will compete in the 2023 WNIT Postseason Tournament and will host the Rice Owls on Friday, March 17 at 7 p.m. in the Round of 64. Drexel women’s basketball also continues their season in the WNIT against Fordham on Thursday, March 16 at 7:00 pm ET.

Iowa, LSU, Villanova, and Norfolk State will all be in the 2023 March Madness Women’s Division 1 NCAA tournament, however, so you can catch Reese, Clark, Washington, and Siegrist in action.

For the full information on tournament including the schedule and how to watch the games, see our article here.

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