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BYU defensive end Tyler Batty (92) celebrates his interception against the Houston Cougars in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Connor Pay and Tyler Batty took a little extra time leaving the field Saturday night and it wasn’t because the weather was so nice — just the opposite. But after beating Houston 30-18, the two seniors knew that once they left the frozen tundra of LaVell Edwards Stadium, an exciting chapter in their lives would come to an end.
So, despite the icy 28-degree air, the two Utah County high school products signed autographs, took pictures, shook hands, conducted interviews — everything they could think of to avoid those departing steps after the home finale.
Both left everything they had on the field. Pay and his group of offensive linemen went toe-to-toe, if not helmet-to-helmet, against the strength of the Houston roster — the front seven. Batty and the defense forced four turnovers, including his second career interception.
With a 10-2 record and a piece of the Big 12 regular-season championship, the two 6-foot-5 team captains earned the right to linger longer and, after ending the last three seasons in lousy weather, they also qualified for a warm finish.
Left outside of Saturday’s Big 12 championship game, the Cougars await a bowl invitation with a possibility to play indoors at the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio or outdoors in the Florida Sunshine at the Pop Tarts Bowl. There is even an outside shot at a return to San Diego’s Holiday Bowl, where BYU last competed in 1993.
That must be music to the ears, or heat to the socks, of Pay and Batty.
The 2021 season kicked off in the cold, driving rain in Shreveport, Louisiana, at the Independence Bowl. Tyler Allgeier set BYU’s single season rushing record with 192 yards, but the Cougars got lost in the storm,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/cold-endings-byu-earned-warmer-200855506.html
Author : Deseret News
Publish date : 2024-12-02 20:08:00
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