PROVO — Inside the locker room at Gillette Stadium last Saturday afternoon, BYU players and coaches celebrated a 35-16 triumph over UMass by cheering and singing the school’s fight song — sounds that reverberated around the home of the New England Patriots.
Not only did the win move the Cougars (5-5) one game closer to clinching bowl eligibility, but it had been nearly a month since they had tasted victory, since beating Hawaii way back on Oct. 13.
The past two weeks, the Cougars had suffered bitter back-to-back setbacks — 7-6 at home to Northern Illinois and 21-16 at Boise State.