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BYU Football: Recapping former Cougars on Championship Sunday

By Shaun Gordon

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 20: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs fumbles the ball as he is hit by Kyle Van Noy #53 of the New England Patriots in the second quarter during the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 20, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 20: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs fumbles the ball as he is hit by Kyle Van Noy #53 of the New England Patriots in the second quarter during the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 20, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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Three former BYU Football stars took the field on Championship Sunday, and while all three came up big, only one advanced to the Super Bowl.

There’s only one more NFL game left this season and only one Cougar left standing.

With both the NFC and AFC Championship games taking place on Sunday, three former BYU Football players (and one coach) saw action among the four remaining teams.

All three former Cougars made highlight plays, with one scoring a touchdown and two coming up big on defense.

Here’s how all three fared:

Taysom Hill (New Orleans Saints)

The Saints lost a 26-23 heartbreaker in overtime after one of the worst no-calls in playoff history kept them from running out the clock in regulation. The no-call was so bad that the NFL called New Orleans coach Sean Payton to apologize.

Hill didn’t factor into the stat sheet quite as much as he has in the past. He threw an incompletion, ran it once for no gain, and a handoff between he and Alvin Kamara was bobbled.

But most importantly, he caught a two-yard touchdown in the third quarter that put the Saints up by 10 points. Watch his first NFL receiving touchdown:

With his season over, Hill can officially say he did just about everything for the Saints:

  • 3-7 passing for 64 yards and an interception (two touchdown passes called back on penalties).
  • 39 rushes for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
  • 4 catches for 6 yards and a touchdown.
  • 14 kick returns for 348 yards.
  • 1 punt return for 0 yards.
  • 6 tackles, 4 of them solo.
  • A blocked punt.
  • A successful fake punt conversion.

Daniel Sorensen (Kansas City Chiefs)

Like Hill and the Saints, Sorensen and the Chiefs lost a heartbreaker in overtime 37-31. While the NFC Championship raised questions about the officiating, the AFC Championship raised questions about the overtime format, since the Kansas City offense never saw the field in overtime.

Sorensen came up huge for the Chiefs, though, leading the team with 14 tackles (11 solo), one of which was a big stop on fourth and short for the Patriots. He also deflected a pass and picked off a Tom Brady throw.

After missing the first half of the season with a knee injury, the former Cougar finishes the season with 40 tackles (25 solo), three pass deflections, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown.

Kyle Van Noy (New England Patriots)

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On the opposite sideline of Sorensen, Van Noy also lead his team with 10 tackles (8 solo), and he sacked Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes twice. He also added another tackle for loss and another quarterback hit.

Van Noy will be the only Cougar playing in the Super Bowl in two weeks, as his Patriots face the Los Angeles Rams.

Other former Cougars on active NFL rosters:

  • Jamaal Williams (Green Bay Packers)
  • Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers)
  • Ezekiel Ansah (Detroit Lions)
  • Michael Davis (Los Angeles Chargers)
  • Bronson Kaufusi (New York Jets)
  • John Denney (Miami Dolphins)
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