BYU Football

Big 12 expansion has been a notable topic of discussion during the college football offseason, but a coalition of national LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) advocacy groups reportedly wants the conference to avoid choosing the BYU Cougars as a candidate, per Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports:

On Monday, Athlete Ally, a non-profit that conducts LGBT awareness campaigns for sports leagues, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, sent a letter to Big 12 administrators detailing what they believe are discriminatory policies by BYU, a religious institution owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

"LGBT players, coaches and fans are always welcome to the BYU campus," BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe responded Tuesday. "Everyone should be treated with respect, dignity and love."

The letter—which was co-signed by 23 additional advocacy groups—was specifically addressed to Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, but others were expected to be copied, including the 10 presidents and athletic directors of the conference's schools, per Mandel.

Mandel wrote that BYU students adhere to an honor code that includes the following section: "Homosexual behavior is inappropriate and violates the honor code. Homosexual behavior includes not only sexual relations between members of the same sex, but all forms of physical intimacy that give expression to homosexual feelings."

Mandel specified that any gay BYU athlete or coach would need to practice chastity to follow that portion of the honor code, lest they risk suspension or dismissal.

The advocacy groups' letter stressed that BYU discriminates against the LGBT community and doesn't provide any protections.

Talk of Big 12 expansion to either 12 or 14 teams escalated when the conference announced it authorized Bowlsby to contact potential candidates in July, per Mandel. BYU is one possibility, but Mandel listed Cincinnati, Colorado State, Connecticut, Houston, Memphis, Central Florida and South Florida as others.

Any expansion candidate would require votes of approval from at least eight of the conference presidents, which makes it all the more relevant that the letter is expected to be copied to the school presidents as well as Bowlsby.

BYU has been a member of the West Coast Conference since 2011, however, the WCC does not sponsor football. From a football standpoint, the hypothetical Big 12 move makes some sense, considering the Cougars have been to 11 consecutive bowl games and are coming off a 9-4 season that saw them ranked as highly as No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25.

However, there is more to consider than success on the gridiron, as this letter's concerns over BYU's treatment of the LGBT community addressed.

With national signing day in the books and most high-profile transfers off the market already, this long stretch of the offseason typically doesn’t produce many player moves that could boost a team’s roster.

That was not the case on Tuesday, however, as BYU fans and coaches received a nice, unexpected present when quarterback Taysom Hill announced on Twitter his intention to come back for another season in Provo:

#Cougarnation I want to thank you for all of your love and support and let you know I am coming back to BYU for one more year!! #2016 #fam

— Taysom Hill (@T_Hill4) February 16, 2016

The decision to return to the Cougars in 2016 is an interesting one for Hill on many levels, but it's one that should be met with excitement far beyond the state of Utah. The signal-caller is among the most exciting players in the country when healthy and simply a joy to watch making plays with his arm or his legs.

While adding—or more accurately, keeping—a veteran quarterback who knows the program and its players well is always a good thing for a new coaching staff, Hill remaining in the fold does have plenty of implications for BYU head coach Kalani Sitake.

“Taysom is a proven commodity and is a great leader for our football team,” Sitake said in a release. "We are thrilled to have him back for one more year.”

The short and sweet statement hit on all the right notes and said all the right things, but it does little to speak to the issue at hand. Now, for the first time as a head coach with a say in things, Sitake must deal with and sort out a quarterback battle.

He has two solid options in Hill and up-and-comer Tanner Mangum, but figuring out which signal-caller is the right choice for the Cougars going forward may not be an easy decision for the new coach and his offensive coordinator, former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer—someone who lacks college coaching experience and comes straight from the high school ranks.

More than that, the decision could have significant ramifications beyond 2016 for the team.

To start with, this is a quarterback battle in theory much more than reality at the moment despite the news on Tuesday. Hill still has to apply for and receive approval for a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA. He has a good case, though, missing virtually all of last year and suffering season-ending injuries in 2012 and 2014. Players or schools don't make these sorts of announcements in the middle of February if there isn't an inkling that the NCAA would approve.

Just as important, Hill has to continue to rehabilitate the Lisfranc injury he suffered last September and make a full recovery. That’s not an easy injury to come back from, and it’s undeniable that the dual-threat QB's legs are a key part in him being a great quarterback.

Then there’s Mangum, who improbably became part of BYU lore with his Hail Mary heroics after the Cougars pressed him into action due to Hill’s injury against Nebraska. All he did as a freshman was throw for 3,377 yards and 23 touchdowns in a surprising nine-win season.

His late-game highlights drew all the attention, but lost in that was the fact that the former Elite 11 star in high school was impressive in his debut campaign.

Based on what we saw in 2015, Mangum has the higher ceiling at the position and probably is much more of a fit with the kind of offense Detmer wants to run. He earned his teammates’ trust last year not only because of his playmaking abilities, but because of his infectious enthusiasm and hard-nosed play between the lines. Without taking a snap during spring ball, people should rightfully label him the incumbent starter.

BYU can't count out Hill, though. He’s proved people wrong on the field before and has shown remarkable resilience in overcoming his past injuries. He easily could have moved on to another program (Michigan was rumored, as was Virginia and ex-BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall) or gone about starting his career in the business world. But he’s back for one last shot at glory, and you can’t blame him for trying if you watched him play over the years.

Still, it’s going to be a tricky situation for a first-time head coach to manage. Redshirting Mangum probably isn’t an option, as he’s already 22 years old and likely harbors hopes of giving the NFL a shot one day. Hill’s injury history and the wear and tear he’s already experienced don’t rule out a two-quarterback system, either.

Sitake will have two good options to choose from when it comes time to pick a starting quarterback this fall. And as BYU has proved the past several years, having two good options is a welcome sign given the position’s injury history. In this case, having two quarterbacks really is better than one.

With a schedule that includes 10 bowl teams from this past season and six Power Five foes, picking a quarterback is probably the least of Sitake’s worries. But for now, it’s going to be his biggest decision as a young coach and a key part in shaping how his early tenure will go.

Bryan Fischer is a national college football columnist at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

BYU quarterback Taysom Hill announced on Tuesday that he will return to the school for the 2016 season. 

He revealed his decision on his Twitter account:

#Cougarnation I want to thank you for all of your love and support and let you know I am coming back to BYU for one more year!! #2016 #fam

— Taysom Hill (@T_Hill4) February 16, 2016

According to the Salt Lake Tribune's Jay Drew, Hill's announcement ended "speculation that the talented dual-threat QB would take advantage of the NCAA's graduate-transfer rule and play instead at Michigan, Virginia, Stanford or another Division I program."

Hill has been plagued by injuries over his four years at BYU. In 2012 and 2014, his seasons were shortened by knee injuries. In 2015, he suffered a foot injury in the first game of the season against Nebraska and was done for the year. 

His injury opened the door for the Tanner Mangum story. The freshman quarterback became a miracle worker for the Cougars in the same game Hill went down against Nebraska.   

He did it again the following week against Boise State with a last-minute heave to give BYU the win. Mangum led the Cougars to a 9-4 regular season and a loss in the Las Vegas Bowl. 

BYUtv's Spencer Linton was quick to go to bat for Mangum after Hill's announcement:

Excitement for the Taysom Hill news in NO WAY diminishes value & importance of @tannermangum to #BYU. BYU Football is BETTER W/ BOTH! #BYUSN

— Spencer Linton (@Spencer_Linton) February 16, 2016

Hill's return and Mangum's coming-out party last season are going to provide an interesting quarterback challenge at BYU. 

Hill (2012-2015)	Stat	Mangum (2015)
25	Games	13
17-8	Record	9-4
57.3	Completion Percentage	59.9
4,606	Passing Yards	3,377
31	Passing TD	23
20	Interceptions	10
2,212	Rushing Yards	-85
24	Rushing TD	2

With a new head coach in Kalani Sitake and a new offensive coordinator in Ty Detmer, it remains to be seen what kind of offense the Cougars will run. If they want to go the dual-threat option, then Hill will be their man. 

If they are more interested in a true dropback passer, then Mangum could get the nod. Either way, Hill's decision to return increases BYU's chances of putting together an 11th straight winning season, as it will create healthy competition within the roster. 

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.

Brigham Young University couldn't reach an agreement with Navy's Ken Niumatalolo after it offered him the head football coaching gig, but the program didn't waste much time finding an alternative to replace former head coach Bronco Mendenhall. 

BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said after the loss to Utah on Saturday that the team named Kalani Sitake head coach, per Matthew Piper of the Salt Lake Tribune. Sports Illustrated's Thayer Evans was the first to report the news.

Sitake, 40, graduated from BYU in 2000 and was a key member of Utah's defensive coaching staff before taking the defensive coordinator job at Oregon State.

According to the Deseret News' Jeff Call, Niumatalolo may not have been the Cougars' top choice:

"I'm not sure Kenny was the guy they wanted. They were slow at every turn," said a source close to the Niumatalolo camp who spoke under the condition of anonymity. "At the end of the day, I think (BYU athletic director) Tom (Holmoe) was nervous throughout the entire process and it showed. Maybe they have their guy out there. It felt like they extended a contract that was fine but you didn't get a good feeling on a lot of different things."

But BYU didn't just hire a former player and graduate assistant to lead the team into the future. 

"This is the first Tongan head football coach in major college football," former Cougars running back Reno Mahe said, per the Deseret News' Dick Harmon. "BYU has just turned the tide on the Polynesian pipeline. The whole Polynesian community is cheering him on."

Reports of Sitake's hire came on the same day the Cougars were slated to square off against the Utes in the Las Vegas Bowl after finishing the regular season 9-3. 

Sitake will inherit the nation's 31st-ranked scoring defense and should be positioned well to succeed upon arrival if he can implement the principles that made him a household name at Utah. 

With a solid foundation in place on both sides of the ball, Sitake has the resources to keep BYU's run of 10 straight winning seasons rolling.

BYU once dominated the Holy War rivalry with Utah, winning 19-of-21 meetings during the LaVell Edwards era, but the Utes have flipped the script by winning nine of the last 12 meetings and going 9-3 against the spread. These two programs suspended their longtime rivalry last season but renew acquaintances Saturday afternoon in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Las Vegas Bowl point spread: Utes opened as three-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 32.4-28.6 Cougars

Why the Cougars can cover the spread

BYU started 2-2 this season, with wins over Nebraska and Boise State, and losses to UCLA and Michigan. The Cougars then won five games in a row before losing at Missouri. They finished with two more victories, including a 51-28 romp over Utah State in the season finale. BYU actually trailed the Aggies 21-10 but scored 28 unanswered points to take control, going on to cover as a three-point favorite.

That's two games in a row the Cougars have hit the 50-point mark on offense.

BYU is 8-4 ATS this season, including 3-1 ATS an an underdog. The Cougars are also 6-4 both SU and ATS in bowls under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who's leaving after this game to take over at Virginia. And you can bet his troops would love to send him off with another bowl victory, over a heated rival, to boot.

Why the Utes can cover the spread

Utah started 6-0 this season, with wins over Michigan and Oregon, playing itself into the national championship conversation. The Utes then lost at USC, and later lost at Arizona and to UCLA to fall out of contention. Utah then knocked off Colorado in their season finale 20-14.

The Utes, even without leading rusher Devontae Booker, outrushed the Buffaloes 216-49, the fifth game in a row, and 12 out of 13 this season, they've won the ground battle.

Utah has had great postseason success under head coach Kyle Whittingham, going 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS in eight bowls. Last year the Utes crushed Colorado State 45-10 in this Las Vegas Bowl.

Smart pick

This game looks like a close call, but ultimately BYU finished better than Utah did. And while the Utes hold an edge in the running game, their defense can be susceptible to the pass. Plus, the Cougars should have emotion on their side, playing their last game under their longtime coach. The smart bet here is Brigham Young.

Betting trends

BYU is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games in December.

BYU is 7-1 SU in its last eight games.

Utah is 10-1 SU and 9-2 ATS in its last 11 bowl games.

The favorite has not lost SU in the Las Vegas Bowl since 2004.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.

In a world of 24/7 recruiting coverage and the ability to pull up any depth chart at a moment’s notice, there are precious few stories on the national radar that simply materialize out of thin air. In contrast to even just a few years ago, the stars of tomorrow in college football all appear to be both well-known and well-debated long before they step out onto the field.

Perhaps that is what has made the emergence of BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum so refreshing.

In a span of just two weeks, he has gone from unknown backup to a full-time folk hero for the Cougars faithful and legions of others across the country. Following a pair of memorable Hail Marys to help the team start 2-0 in 2015, Mangum has guided BYU into the Top 25 and continued national relevance.

Not bad for a guy who has only been on his college campus for three months.

"He's got kind of those Johnny Manziel qualities. He runs around and slings it and they come up with it,” UCLA head coach Jim Mora said Tuesday after practice, ahead of his Week 3 matchup with Mangum. “He's a guy who can force you to cover for a long time. You have to keep him in the pocket. When he gets out of the pocket, he makes plays down the field."

Mangum, in contrast to recent players who developed a reputation for being gunslingers on and off the field, such as Manziel and even Florida State’s Jameis Winston, appears to be following a different path. While those two Heisman winners had their fair share of detractors, with Mangum, you’re bound to even find a few Nebraska and Boise State fans following the BYU signal-caller and silently rooting for him to succeed, despite the painful losses he inflicted on their teams.

The question now is this: Is Mangum this season’s version of Kenny Hill, who saw success early at Texas A&M before fading into irrelevance as the season went on? Or is he the budding star who justifies a rare title in today’s social-media-fueled, "hot take"-heavy college football coverage—that of the most likable quarterback in the country?

Early Beginnings

Mangum may be the most popular member of his family tree at the moment, but he is far from being the best athlete in his own household. In fact, he may just be the worst athlete of the group, despite being an FBS starting quarterback.

Older brother Parker, who now works at Nike, was an accomplished signal-caller in high school and started at quarterback for St. Mary’s College before the school eventually dropped football. Caught without a program to play for, the biggest and strongest of the three Mangum brothers transferred to BYU, where he saw action as a tight end and wide receiver.

Even older sister Meredith played soccer at Boise State, and Tanner’s younger sister, Abigail, is a regular name in the local high school sports section back in Boise, Idaho.

Madison Mangum, two-and-a-half years older than Tanner, made SportsCenter’s top-10 list earlier this month on his own merits. Now a senior at Idaho State after previously walking on at BYU, the veteran wide receiver hauled in a twisting, one-handed touchdown grab in a Week 1 blowout win over Black Hills State.

That is far from the only memorable moment he has had on the football field. In fact, the highlights of his time in pads started several years ago when he shared the field with Tanner at Timberline High School.

“I was a senior and he was our starting quarterback as a freshman. That was probably the most fun year of football I ever played, playing with my little brother. Just a ton of fun,” Madison told Bleacher Report in a phone interview. “Our favorite play was the fade down in the red zone. Other than that, we threw a lot of deep balls and we completed a lot of them back in high school. He’s been (throwing Hail Marys) for a while.”

The two only spent a season together throwing bombs down the field before Madison left for college, but even in that short time frame, he could tell that there was something special brewing in his younger sibling. Even prior to Tanner being named an all-state quarterback, he displayed many of the traits that the entire country caught a glimpse of the past two weeks.

“As a freshman, he was already 6'1" with a strong arm. He was definitely a gunslinger,” said Madison of his brother. “He was a very raw talent as a freshman, but he could definitely sling it. He threw for a ton of yards.”

That early success attracted plenty of attention from college recruiters across the country, but it was still Tanner’s childhood-favorite program (BYU) and hometown team (Boise State) that kept the closest watch on him. Despite not having the benefit of playing all of his important junior season because of an injury, the youngest Mangum was still a highly regarded quarterback in the region before he truly started to blow up in recruiting circles.

First Comes Fame, Then Comes Silence

Having grown a couple more inches and tacking on some extra pounds, Tanner Mangum first jumped onto the national football radar in the summer between his junior and senior year of high school.

Already committed to BYU, he developed into a top-100 recruit in the class of 2012 thanks in part to competing with—and beating—a number of highly ranked players on the summer camp circuit.

“He’s a kid who is ridiculously competitive but uncommonly upbeat,” said Pac-12 Networks analyst Yogi Roth, a former quarterbacks coach at USC who helps run the prestigious Elite 11 competition. “You kind of didn’t know a lot about him coming in, but his personality jumped off the T-shirt he was wearing and his ability matched it. He had this spirit about him.”

Mangum was labeled the top quarterback at Nike’s The Opening, slinging passes alongside every other top player in the country. Later that summer, he was named co-MVP at the Elite 11 quarterback competition alongside future Heisman winner Jameis Winston, beating out others such as current Cincinnati starter Gunner Kiel.

While some may have thought the small-school star from a state not known for its high school football would have been overwhelmed by all the attention, Mangum was instead a cool customer. Not only did he show off his football skills standing shoulder-to-shoulder with future stars, but Mangum reminded all of them that he was the best that week, too.

After winning the accuracy challenge two days in a row, it was no coincidence that Mangum sported his special yellow jersey in a camp photo to let everybody know who was the top dog.

“You get to the finals and we paired him with Jameis (Winston) and they have, quite honestly, similar outgoing personalities. I think that they were great competitors and had really good respect for one another’s game,” Roth said. “Those two knew they were the top two and had this presence about themselves. Those guys, pretty much every day, were setting the pace.”

Almost as quickly as he made it into national headlines, Mangum fell off the map.

Sure, he was known locally in Boise for passing for more than 4,000 yards as a senior and to the recruitniks of the BYU fanbase who saw his lofty ranking on Rivals.com. But it says plenty about the nearly three-year gap between high school success and now that some of Mangum’s high school peers are making their first NFL starts, while the 22-year-old true freshman was preparing for just his second game as a starter with the Cougars.

You see, this is where the story of Mangum takes a unique twist that is typically only applicable at a school such as BYU. He enrolled down in Provo, Utah, alongside this year’s QB1, Taysom Hill but did not immediately join the football team. By preserving a year of eligibility using a technique known as grayshirting, Mangum ended up setting himself up as the Cougars starter of the present and distant future.

After participating in spring football in 2013, he set off on the unique experience of a two-year Mormon mission to Northern Chile. He was only able to communicate with his family a handful of times per year, and the remote locale provided few opportunities to think about—let alone train for—football.

With Mangum out of sight and out of mind, his co-MVP from the Elite 11 days, Winston, was winning a national title. By some accounts, the time off the college football radar was well spent for Mangum and allowed him to return to school wiser about the world.

“The mission definitely changed him for the better. It allowed him to mature and he came back with a different perspective on life. He definitely grew up a ton,” Madison said. “He was always a pretty confident and outgoing kid, even before the mission. But afterward, he was that much more polished and confident in himself. You could see those changes when he got home.”

That appears evident in every interview Mangum gives, most after late-game heroics no one thought possible even a few weeks ago. In many ways, so much time away from the gridiron has only added to the remarkable feats he’s accomplished on it. 

The Likable QB 

You could probably give BYU a pass if all it wanted to do on offense the rest of this season is have Mangum roll right, plant his feet and heave the ball downfield. It's working quite nicely so far.

The Cougars are averaging just 3.1 yards per rush as a team, which is a stark contrast to having six different players average 10-plus yards per catch through two games. While the team just as easily could be 0-2 heading into a two-week stretch of games that features trips to UCLA and Michigan, you wouldn’t know about that thin line between wins and losses judging by the confidence the program is starting to exude with its new starting quarterback.

“It’s been the funnest two games of my career,” BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae told KSL radio on Wednesday. “There was a lot of growth (from Mangum) going on and I expect a lot of growth from last week to the next one. We are just starting out tapping into his skill set.”

That’s a good sign for BYU’s offensive development this season. And it could present huge problems to opposing coaches who are tasked with figuring Mangum out.

While Mora may have brought up the Manziel comparison, it’s become obvious that Mangum isn’t exactly like some of his predecessors who have also been labeled gunslingers with the ball in their hand. More to the point, people outside the BYU fanbase seem to have bought into the always-smiling quarterback as much for his heroics between the lines as his clean record off the field.

“I don’t know about Johnny Football, Tanner isn’t much of a runner,” brother Madison joked. “I think he looks like former BYU quarterback John Beck. He also wore No. 12. Tanner reminds me of him. Even a little bit like Tom Brady. 

“To compare Tanner to Tom is a little far-fetched but, style-wise, I think he has a similar style.”

Mangum certainly has shown off some of the accuracy and poise of a Brady when his team needs him most. His background suggests there won’t be any worries of late-night, off-field issues, either.

Only time will tell if he lives up to the high praise he’s received so far, after a pair of remarkable victories. One thing does ring true for now, though: The happy-go-lucky kid from Idaho wearing the BYU jersey with pride just might be the most likable quarterback in the country. 

Maybe, that is, until an opponent sees him take the field in the final minute.

You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones made 2014 the season of the backup quarterback, but Tanner Mangum is extending that magic into 2015.

The BYU freshman quarterback added another chapter to his growing legend late Saturday night with a late touchdown bomb in a 35-24 upset over No. 20 Boise State—one week after his "Hail Joseph" at Nebraska.

With less than a minute remaining and his team trailing by three points, Mangum lofted a fourth-down pass from 35 yards toward the end zone. This time, Mitchell Juergens came down with it.

Tanner Mangum throws a Hail Mary game-winning touchdown for the 2nd straight week https://t.co/nYBxICFusn

— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) September 13, 2015

And then the college football section of Twitter reacted accordingly.

TANNER MANGUM IS A WITCH

— Faux Pelini (@FauxPelini) September 13, 2015

Tanner Mangum is a legend.

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 13, 2015

Tanner Mangum... again? Wow. Sooooo clutch. He's definitely been worth the wait for #BYU.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) September 13, 2015

On Boise State's ensuing offensive play, Ryan Finley was picked off by Kai Nacua, who weaved his way 50 yards into that same end zone to seal the Cougars' miraculous comeback win.

"A true freshman, his first start—to beat the No. 20 team in the country—that's a really nice start," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall told ESPN after the game. "I'm really proud of him."

Sorry, Bronco, but "a really nice start" only scratches the surface of Mangum's first two games as a Cougar.

He wasn't supposed to be in this position, after all. The freshman was star quarterback Taysom Hill's backup and was thrust into the spotlight last Saturday at Nebraska after Hill went down with a season-ending injury.

Mangum guided the Cougars to a come-from-behind victory that was capped by a 42-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Mathews as time expired.

The Mangum to Matthews Miracle

BYU 33 Nebraska 28https://t.co/YmXetjSZto

— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) September 5, 2015

Now, a week later, the unbelievable has happened again.

The signal-caller opened the game with an 84-yard scoring bomb to Juergens, his compatriot on the go-ahead score. His final stat line against Boise State? Seventeen completions on 28 attempts for 309 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.  

"[Mangum's] a natural leader," Juergens said, per BYUtv. "He's just shown unbelievable poise."

He later recorded BYU's two offensive touchdowns of the fourth quarter, starting with a one-yard touchdown run to cut down Boise State's 10-point lead.

Mangum's fourth-quarter surge was an answered prayer for Mendenhall and the Cougars, as Yahoo's Dr. Saturday blog noted on Twitter:

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall getting a little prayer in before BYU rattles off 14 unanswered points. https://t.co/JxEaMuPwei

— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 13, 2015

First-time starting quarterbacks may have had better statistical starts to their careers than Mangum, but it's hard to imagine anyone having as dramatic of an introduction to the college football world.

Unreal: BYU’s Tanner Mangum has to be 1st QB in FBS history w/game-winning TD passes in last minute of 1st 2 games of career

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 13, 2015

And now, after his second unbelievable victory, Mangum has BYU pushing for a spot in the next Top 25 polls. The Cougars have now knocked off a top-20 team with eyes on an undefeated record and a team on the edge of receiving a preseason nod away from home.

The road doesn't get any easier from here for the now-legendary freshman.

Next week, BYU travels to unbeaten UCLA, which boasts its own first-year star under center in Josh Rosen. The following Saturday, the Cougars head to the Big House and take on Michigan.

Those road matchups will undoubtedly be tough for BYU, but the program has no reason not to be confident after the events of these last two weeks.

If those trips go down to the wire, one thing is for sure—BYU will be must-see TV again with its strong-armed freshman quarterack. College football fans can't afford to miss a chance at seeing more "Mangum Magic."

All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.

If you could be graded for drama and flair, the BYU Cougars would ruin the curve for everybody else in class.

The Cougars stunned No. 20 Boise State on Saturday night 35-24 behind the magic of quarterback Tanner Mangum and his second Hail Mary in as many weeks, this time finding receiver Mitchell Juergens from 35 yards away on 4th-and-7.

The Broncos played well through the first three quarters, but they completely stalled out, which cost them the game.

With that, let's check out each team's game grades for each positional unit.

BYU

Positional Unit	First Half	Final
Rush Offense	F	C
Pass Offense	B	A
Rush Defense	B	B+
Pass Defense	C	B-
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	C	A

Rush Offense: C The Cougars had negative rushing yards in the first half but finished the game with 72 on 32 carries. Running back Adam Hine had a decent day on the ground with 93 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. The Cougars didn't necessarily rely on the run game because Mangum was clicking, but they need to be more balanced unless they plan on winning every game with Hail Marys. 

Pass Offense: A Mangum will win the lottery. He'll find buried treasure. He'll even walk under a ladder and not have bad luck. In his first start this year after Taysom Hill's injury and a week removed from his heroics at Nebraska, Mangum came through again with his pass to Juergens late in the fourth quarter. He was consistent throughout the contest, though, hoisting up 309 yards and two scores on 17-of-28 passing. He did have two interceptions, however.

Rush Defense: B+ The Cougars rush defense was surprisingly adept despite Boise running back Jeremy McNichols scoring twice on the ground. The Broncos were limited to just 64 yards total on 31 carries, with the longest run of the day being 10 yards.

Pass Defense: B- While the Cougars front line held off McNichols and Co., quarterback Ryan Finley got into a groove against the BYU secondary to the tune of 297 yards and a touchdown. However, Finley did have three picks, all by Kai Nacua, who deserves to be taken out to dinner one-by-one by all of his teammates. He took his third pick to the house in the game's final minute to seal the game.

Special Teams: A Jonny Linehan punted eight times Saturday. One went for a touchback, and two were inside the 20. Trevor Samson was 5-of-5 on extra points with no field goal attempts, and they didn't allow a huge punt or kick return. No news is good news for the Cougars here.

Coaching: A Schematically, head coach Bronco Mendenhall's game plan wasn't perfect—which coach's is?—but he rallied his team down by 10 in the fourth quarter to pull out a victory. His team has been through a year's worth of tribulations already this season, and he's the guy at the helm.

Boise State

Positional Unit	First Half	Final
Rush Offense	C	C-
Pass Offense	A-	B
Rush Defense	A+	B
Pass Defense	C+	D
Special Teams	A+	A
Coaching	A	C+

Rush Offense: C- The Broncos scored two touchdowns on the ground but gained just 64 yards as a team. McNichols had just 46 yards on 15 carries. The two scores were what powered Boise State through most of the game as it capped off a few nice drives.

Pass Offense: B Finley had 297 yards through the air but had three picks to the same guy, and he ultimately dropped the guillotine on his squad with the pick-six in the final minute. He powered the Broncos but shot them in the foot along the way.  

Rush Defense: B The Broncos did shut down the Cougars in the trenches, giving up just 72 yards rushing. But Hine found his stride late and had some big runs to keep Boise State on its heels. Over the course of the game, Boise was great. But, as is life, they struggled late. 

Pass Defense: D You'd think the Broncos would have known to guard against the Hail Mary. In all seriousness, the Broncos simply couldn't shut down Mangum in his first real test this year as a starter. Toss in that the secondary gave up three big plays that led to scores, and there's your ballgame. 

Special Teams: A No complaints on special teams for Boise State. They converted a field goal at the end of the half and, like BYU, didn't have any catastrophes by allowing a big return. 

Coaching: C+ Simply put, Bryan Harsin coached a great first three quarters, but he couldn't finish this game. There's plenty of blame to go around, but a head coach has to have the ability to put his team in a position to win. 

During a first-half tug-of-war for the football in Saturday’s game between BYU and Boise State in Provo, Utah, Cougars offensive lineman Ului Lapuaho was caught punching Broncos safety Chanceller James right in the man region.

Update from Monday, Sept. 14

Lapuaho will not face a suspension for his actions, according to Greg Wrubell of Cougar IMG Sports Network:

Bronco says OL Ului Lapuaho has had internal team discipline imposed for his personal foul v. BSU; will not require missing any game time.

— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) September 14, 2015

--End of Update--

First things first: Credit to James for not immediately relinquishing the rock. Any guy who's been hit down there with any sort of force will respect that toughness.

But seriously, what a total violation of man code from Lapuaho. He should have his man card revoked for at least six months—possibly more.

That's just something one guy doesn't do to another, on or off the gridiron.

Julius Hodge, a former NC State basketball player, should know. Chris Paul pulled the same stunt on him while he was at Wake Forest.

Bronco says OL Ului Lapuaho has had internal team discipline imposed for his personal foul v. BSU; will not require missing any game time.

— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) September 14, 2015

[Vine, h/t LostLettermen.com]

Bronco Mendenhall’s face said it all.

In the immediate aftermath of the BYU Cougars' stunning, shocking, final-play Hail Mary win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, Mendenhall, BYU’s veteran head coach, was asked by ABC sideline reporter Todd McShay how he approached the task of replacing injured starter Taysom Hill with freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum.

“We made a point to say, ‘Tanner’s in, no big deal,’” he told McShay. “Even though we knew it was. They had trust in Tanner, next guy up. I can’t wait to get in and see Taysom and how he’s doing, and what’s wrong.”

Mendenhall looked concerned, and he had good reason to be. Shortly afterward, he told reporters that Hill was finished for the season with an apparent Lisfranc fracture, per ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman, the second time in 12 months that he’d been felled by a leg injury.

Taysom Hill's injury is a Lisfranc fracture.

— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) September 5, 2015

While there was reason to be excited about the stunning 33-28 win and giving Nebraska its first season-opening loss since 1985, Hill is the engine that makes BYU’s offense go. Without him, the Cougars stand little chance of making noise on a national stage.

Hill was a gamer Saturday in his first competitive game in 11 months. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, adding 72 rushing yards and two scores on nine carries. He fought through a sprained foot, which he suffered in the second quarter, going to the locker room for treatment and returning to the game to help BYU build a 24-14 lead.

Having admired Taysom Hill his entire career, it's indescribable what has happened to him.

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) September 6, 2015

But he left the game for good in the fourth quarter with the Cougars trailing 28-27, leaving the outcome of the game—and, as it turned out, the direction of the 2015 season—in Mangum’s hands.

With six seconds left, BYU had the ball at Nebraska's 42-yard line with one final shot. Mangum scrambled right and fired the ball deep. Receiver Mitch Mathews grabbed the ball between a pair of Huskers defenders and fell over the goal line for the shocking win.

“I just wanted to wait and let him get down there,” Mangum told McShay. “I underthrew it a little bit. It came out a little wobbly, and I’m glad it got there and Mitch could make a play on it.”

The Cougars were ecstatic, but their joy was tempered once they reached the locker room and found out the grim news regarding Hill.

A year ago, BYU played its way onto the national radar with a 4-0 start behind Hill, a dual-threat quarterback who is capable of hurting opposing defenses in multiple ways. But the Cougars were never the same after Hill broke his leg Oct. 3 against Utah State.

BYU finished the season 4-5, including a brawl-marred loss to Memphis in the Miami Beach Bowl.

As an independent school, BYU is not eligible for the automatic "Group of Five" spot in the College Football Playoff’s "New Year’s Six" bowls, but the Cougars can play their way into consideration for an at-large bid with standout performances.

This month is crucial to those hopes. Next week, BYU hosts Boise State, followed by a trip to CFP contender UCLA and then a trip to Jim Harbaugh-coached Michigan.

Those would be difficult tasks with a healthy Hill at the helm. With Mangum, a true freshman who made his college debut Saturday, they’re downright daunting. He just returned from a two-year Mormon mission to Chile in June, so he is more mature than the typical freshman.

“I’ve been preparing for this moment all summer long,” he said. “I just got back from my mission three months ago—knew I had to be ready to go, ready to play. When the time came, I just stepped in and was ready to play.”

Mangum is a talented player in his own right. Before going on his mission, he tied Jameis Winston for MVP honors at the Elite 11 quarterback camp in 2011. But there’s no substitute for the experience that a senior like Hill has accumulated throughout his career.

Saturday was a special day for Mangum and the Cougars. But its ultimate effects will likely follow them for the rest of the 2015 season.