BYU football returns to the gridiron on Saturday, hosting the Portland State Vikings. Site Manager Nate Cunningham and contributor Josh Ellis break down five questions entering the game.
With BYU football opening the year on ESPN this Saturday, there are a few questions still left lingering for Cougar fans.
Portland State isn’t an opponent that grabs headlines, especially with LSU, Utah and Wisconsin looming.
But there’s still plenty we can learn from game one. Nate Cunningham and Josh Ellis try to answer five questions for BYU vs Portland State.
Who scores BYU football’s first touchdown of 2017?
Nate: Part of me wants to pick Troy Warner on a pick six, but what are the odds of that?
I think that Portland State will struggle with BYU football’s speed. Between Jonah Trinnaman and Beau Tanner on the outside, I think Mangum will connect on a deep ball for the Cougars’ first touchdown. That would be especially fitting, considering Mangum’s first ever touchdown was a Hail Mary.
I’ll take Trinnaman for now. Hopefully scoring early will help him put his disappointing 2016 season behind him.
Josh: So many scenarios pop into my mind with this question. The hype around the tight ends and running backs is deserved, but I’m going with Jonah Trinnaman for the first touchdown on a long ball from Tanner Mangum.
Will Mangum roll to his right before he throws it? History says yes. Either way, a pass-first, Detmer-run pro style offense will be jumping to find a deep ball early in the game.
The thought that continually lurks in the back of my mind with this is that Portland State will receive the first half kickoff and then it’ll be a Fred Warner interception that scores the first touchdown.
As long as the Cougars are on the board first, I’ll be happy.