Chase Roberts Dominates as No. 23 BYU Trounces West Virginia
Chase Roberts was splendid in performance, setting a career-high with 161 yards on four catches, leading No. 23 BYU to a resounding 38-24 victory over West Virginia on Friday night. The win improves BYU’s fine record to (5-0, 2-0 Big 12).
Quarterback Bear Bachmeier completed passes for a career-high 351 yards and a touchdown while directing an offense that amassed 517 total yards, capped by a thrilling 85-yard play to Roberts.
Key Playmaker: Chase Roberts’ 85-Yard Catch-and-Run
One of the more pivotal plays of the night occurred late in the second quarter when Roberts made an 85-yard catch-and-run. The longest pass play by the Cougars since 1996, this set up L.J. Martin’s 4-yard touchdown run, extending BYU’s lead to 21-3.
Roberts emphasized the importance of the passing game’s effectiveness, saying, “You start throwing the ball a little bit more every game and, this game, it kind of blew up… I think now we’re a big threat in the pass game and teams just got to prepare for it, and that’s only going to open the box up for LJ and for our running backs. And I think we’re just a dangerous offense that’s hard to prepare for.”
Bachmeier and Kingston Also Shine
Bachmeier’s 351 passing yards were the most for a BYU quarterback in a victory since the Cougars joined the Big 12. He was aided by other wide receivers, including Parker Kingston, who also logged a career-high 111 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. Kingston contributed a 54-yard sprinting touchdown after reeling in a short pass, and also scored earlier on a 1-yard run, set up by Therrian Alexander III’s 49-yard interception return.
Kingston echoed Roberts’ sentiment on the passing game’s impact: “We’ve always known we can throw the ball around… It was good to get it out on film, letting teams know they can’t stack the box against us and that we have weapons on the outside, too.”
West Virginia Struggles with Explosive Plays
West Virginia (2-4, 0-3) struggled to contain BYU’s offense despite forcing three turnovers. Linebacker Chase Wilson noted, “I think if we limit a lot of the explosives, I think this is a different football game.” Coach Rich Rodriguez also expressed frustration, saying, “Man, we made him look like the Heisman winner in the first half.”
Khalil Wilkins totaled 170 yards of offense and had two interceptions in his first career start. West Virginia briefly threatened after a fumbled pitch recovery set up a 3-yard TD run from Diore Hubbard, but Bachmeier responded with a 2-yard run just before halftime.
