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BYU football: Cougars end 2017 season with a win over Hawaii

By Nathan Cunningham

PROVO, UT - SEPTEMBER 17: Head coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars looks on in the third quarter of their 17-14 loss to the UCLA Bruins at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
PROVO, UT - SEPTEMBER 17: Head coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars looks on in the third quarter of their 17-14 loss to the UCLA Bruins at LaVell Edwards Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /
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BYU football pulled away from Hawaii late, picking up a fourth win. It was a nightmare of a season, but at least it ended on a high note for the Cougars.

Finally, almost mercifully, BYU football’s season is over.

It was a year that featured injuries, miscues and losses. Disappointing in every sense of the word. A year so poor that questions are swirling around the program.

But at least it ended with a victory.

The Cougars defeated Hawaii 30-20 on Saturday night, managing to be slightly less terrible than the Rainbow Warriors.

As there were in every game this season, a number of bad plays spoiled drives and took potential points off the board for the Cougars. But still, in front of a mostly empty Aloha Stadium crowd, BYU football ended the year with a road win.

Squally Canada had another great game, but only played in the first half before leaving with an undisclosed injury. Still, he put in a full day’s work, rushing for 113 yards and two touchdowns. After his departure, Austin Kafentzis took over.

Kafentzis typically played the wildcat quarterback role, but played well as the feature back against the Rainbow Warriors. He took 18 carries for 98 yards. Riley Burt also (FINALLY) got some extended run, scoring a touchdown and gaining 75 yards on 13 carries.

Certainly a win is better than a loss – but there’s really no silver lining on a season like this. There are some major problems that need to be addressed. However, there are seniors on the BYU team that played their hearts out for four (or more) years – and it’s impossible to not be happy for those kids.

Three things we learned

1. Kafentzis should have a substantial role next season. I think KJ Hall should be the No. 2 back for the Cougars. The trouble with Hall is that he’s struggled to stay healthy. Kafentzis – albeit in limited work – has shown he’s got a very similar skill set to Hall. He could be a nice change of pace or third-down back next year.

2. Micah Simon is the best wide receiver on the roster by a mile. We’ve been saying it for weeks, but it’s abundantly clear that Micah Simon is the best wide out the Cougars have. He caught four passes for 46 yards against Hawaii. Those numbers don’t stand out, but there are two things contributing to that. Firstly, BYU’s quarterback play was terrible all season long. Secondly, being the best wide out on a team with less-than-stellar receiving options may not mean much. It will be interesting to see what Simon becomes as an upperclassman next season.

3. Cougars need to go JUCO at quarterback. If I’m Ty Detmer, I don’t want to play Tanner Mangum, Beau Hoge or Joe Critchlow at all next season. It just doesn’t seem like any of them can provide consistent wins at the college level. The answer might be to find a JUCO quarterback who can push and compete for the starting role.

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