‘A total gut punch’: BYU players recall their pick-sixes — and the impact of such plays

BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy holds out the ball as he scores on a 17-yard interception return during the Poinsettia Bowl against San Diego State, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, in San Diego. | Lenny Ignelzi, Associated Press

BYU tied Texas last season for the most interceptions (22) in college football, but just one was returned to the house for a touchdown. Pick-sixes are as rare as finding a seventh McNugget in your lunch order, but when one shows up, it can make your day.

Returning an interception for a touchdown is the No. 1 psychological weapon in gridiron warfare. Pick-sixes are so emotionally powerful they not only change the game, but they change the athletes playing it — and the fans who are watching it.

“The biggest thing is momentum in the stadium,” said BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, mastermind behind the Big 12’s No. 1-rated defense last season. “When you are in a road stadium and you get one, you can quiet the crowd and when you get one in our stadium, things erupt and that can compound things for the other team.”

For Hill, cooking up a pick-six begins before the quarterback gets the ball.

“Our job is to always try to confuse him. If you can give a quarterback a look where he is pretty sure he has the throw he wants, and then he throws an interception and it goes for a pick-six, that can affect everything he thinks he sees for the rest of the game,” Hill said. “Once you get them second-guessing at what they are looking at, it’s hard for those guys to recover.”

Isaiah Glasker’s pick-six against Arizona in October at LaVell Edwards Stadium was a direct result of Hill’s strategic use of smoke and mirrors.

BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker, center, heads up field for a pick-six during game against Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Provo, Utah. | Tyler Tate, Associated Press

“We were…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/total-gut-punch-byu-players-203000603.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2025-02-18 20:30:00

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