PROVO — Judging by the ubiquitous smiles and joyous celebration on the field and in the locker room after BYU’s 28-23 victory over Arizona Saturday night in Tucson, it’s pretty safe to say this team never came close to feeling that happy at any point during last season's dreadful 4-9 campaign.
Thanks in large part to a dominating, 21-point third-quarter barrage, the Cougars (1-0) won their season-opener — last year it wasn’t until late October that BYU finally earned its first win over an FBS opponent — against a Pac-12 foe on the road.
After the game, coach Kalani Sitake presented the game ball to first-year offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes, first-year offensive line coach Ryan Pugh and the entire offensive line, which set the tone for the win.