Tyler Allgeier, No. 13 BYU run past Utah State 34-20

By JOHN COON

LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Tyler Allgeier ran for a career-high 208 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 13 BYU beat Utah State 34-20 on Friday night.

BYU (5-0) beat Utah State (3-2) for the second straight time in the Battle for the Old Wagon Wheel rivalry series.

Baylor Romney threw for 187 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-19 passing in the first half, but was injured just before halftime and sat out the second half. He made his second consecutive start with Jaren Hall sidelined because of a rib injury.

Third-string quarterback Jacob Conover led the offense after halftime. The freshman threw for 45 yards on 5-of-9 passing in his college debut.

Logan Bonner threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns for the Aggies. Bonner left with eight minutes to go because of a knee injury.

The Cougars scored on their first four drives and averaged 9.1 yards per play before halftime. Romney completed his first eight passes, and Allgeier nearly eclipsed 100 rushing yards before halftime.

The Cougars took a 7-0 lead after Allgeier took a hit and burst down the sideline for a 22-yard run. Malik Moore intercepted Bonner’s pass at the BYU 26 to set up the scoring drive. Allgeier broke free and raced 59 yards for his second scoring run in the second quarter, pushing the lead to 24-10.

Allgeier’s second touchdown helped BYU regain a little momentum after Justin McGriff hauled in a 21-yard reception to cap an 18-play, 75-yard drive for Utah State that took 7 1/2 minutes off the clock and cut the Cougars’ lead in half.

Romney suffered an injury on BYU’s final first-half drive. Conover replaced him at quarterback to start the third quarter.

Bonner connected with Tompkins on a 28-yard strike to cut it to 27-20. The Cougars struck back when Allgeier raced 67 yards to set up his own 1-yard plunge two plays later, giving BYU a 34-20 lead with 8:40 left.

THE TAKEAWAY

Utah State: An inability to generate any running attack doomed the Aggies. Utah State totaled 22 rushing yards and averaged 0.6 yards per carry.

BYU: Romney’s injury before halftime took some wind out of the sails for BYU on offense. The Cougars were aggressive and moved the chains with ease in the first half. They became more conservative and punted on three straight drives in the third quarter before getting back on track behind Allgeier’s running.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

BYU could make a push toward a Top 10 ranking depending on what happens to the teams ahead of the Cougars on Saturday.

UP NEXT

Utah State: At UNLV on Oct. 16.

BYU: Hosts Boise State on Oct. 9.

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