There are many ways to measure a victory. In daylight, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of... sorry, I think I got swept away by the BYU football team occupying my headspace Rent-free these days.
*Crickets*
For BYU on an evening in Cincinnati, Ohio, their victory was measured not just in points on the scoreboard, but also in one critical measurement: time of possession. In the riot of a Big 12 road environment, one of the strongest challenges can be keeping an antagonistic crowd out of the equation, and tictating the pace of the game. In what was a slow-burning dinner for the Cougars' offense, they kept the Bearcats off the board using one simple trick: retain possession whenever possible.
In the case of this championship-stakes battle, BYU abstained from turnovers, sustained long, drawn-out drives, and kept Cincy off the scoreboard. It wasn't the sleekest final score, but it was commanding.
Related: BYU's offensive struggles on the road pop in once again against Cincinnati
The Bearcats were roadblocked on third down, while BYU did just enough to keep the engine running. The home team slipped while in striking distance (whiffing on three field goal tries), while the Cougars did their best impression of my great-Aunt Ruth on Thanksgiving, treating their Big 12 relatives to extra servings of mashed potatoes well after they insisted they couldn't eat another bite.
In other words, BYU controlled this football game by limiting mistakes and keeping the pressure on the Bearcats, rather than accepting it on the other end.
Despite a hamstring injury to his primary wide receiving target, Chase Roberts, Bear Bachmeier battled through apparent discomfort of his own to keep the burners warm.
Cincinnati outgained BYU in this one, much like Utah earlier in October, but the scoreboard disagreed -- vehemently -- with the assessment that Cincinnati had this battle under control. Visible frustration from quarterback Brendan Soresby and his head coach, Scott Satterfield, likewise reminded me of Thanksgiving-flavored emotions.
With a 20-7 lead in the fourth quarter, the Bearcats were finally able to assemble a touchdown drive, scoring their first points of the game since the second quarter, and suddenly breathing life into a game that, by all appearances, seemed to be dead by narrowing the deficit to a single score, 20-14, and forcing BYU to get it done with their legs.
Enter: the legs -- nay, the locomotive -- of BYU running back LJ Martin and his running mate (see what I did there?) in quarterback -- nay, centaur -- Bear Bachmeier. The Cougars dug in their heels with the sands of time as their ally, tearing Cincinnati's timeouts and stacking the final yards onto his final sum of 222 on the ground (266 in total) by throwing the knockout blow: a 33-yard dash to the pylon to solidify the Cougars' score as they held to the final whistle.
The scoreboard flashed 26-14 as Brendan Soresby was packed onto the turf, and the score clock finally expired: 0:00. With a win, BYU holds the edge above the likes of Utah and Arizona State, and one more home stand with UCF coming to town a week from Saturday. Against the Knights, it's win-and-you're-in for Kalani Sitake, Jay Hill, and the redemption-arc BYU football team. A win at Cincinnati was a sorely-needed result, and one in which the Cougars rose and controlled the narrative.
One more game to go for a ticket to Arlington.