Six takeaways from No. 14 BYU's euphoric victory over Arizona

Is it a hot shot to say that Saturday was the best day to be a BYU fan since BYU received an invite from the Big 12 and lost nine games to Utah in 36 hours? It certainly felt that way. BYU was in the national spotlight at the Big Noon Kickoff and met the moment with a 22-point win over Arizona, with Gus Johnson's celebration radiating across the Wasatch Front. Here's what I took away from an incredible day as a BYU fan.

There's an old saying: good teams win, great teams win. Not only is BYU 6-0, but they are also 6-0 against a total of 104 points in every television window. BYU had a 3-touchdown lead in 5 of its 6 games, with the outlier being a 3-point win as a 12.5-point underdog at SMU. BYU has certainly had some lucky bounces, but these wins are no fluke. BYU has posted a positive yards-per-play differential and available yards differential in every game this season, an important sign of the team's efficiency. This efficiency was highest against Arizona.

BYU's victory over Arizona was BYU's most dominant team win over a Power 4 team in at least two years. BYU posted a +3 turnover margin, +2 yards per play differential (6.6-4.6), and +18.2% available yards gained percentage (62.2%-44.2%). All three are season highs against P4 opponents. In my mind, Saturday marked the moment where BYU is no longer just a nice story of overachievement before inevitably reverting to average. The mean has shifted and BYU is now a legitimate College Football Playoff contender.

I know, I know, Jack Kelly and Jacob Robinson will have something to say about this, but Isaiah Glasker was the MVP of this game for BYU. Glasker recorded a QB hit, a sack, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, a pass breakup, an interception, a touchdown and a partridge in a pair tree. Glasker was BYU's second-highest ranked defensive player according to PFF and showed the potential that could make him BYU's next NFL linebacker.

It's amazing what can happen when BYU's running backs are healthy. Arizona's struggles defending against the run were documented in my pregame article, but BYU averaging a season-high 5.4 yards per carry is nothing to scoff at. That average was the second most Arizona allowed to a P4 opponent this season, behind only Kansas State (5.7 ypc). All four BYU ball carriers averaged more than 4 yards per carry, led by Hinkley Ropati with a whopping average of 7.2 yards on 9 carries. 22.2% of BYU's rush attempts went beyond 10 yards, a season high, and aside from a fumble on BYU's second-to-last drive, everyone involved in BYU's running game gets an A today. If this is sustained, BYU's offense will enjoy its next two opponents and beyond.

Everything wasn't perfect. Aside from exceptional touchdown catches from Chase Roberts and Parker Kingston and a nifty 38-yard catch-and-run run from Darius Lassiter, BYU's receivers were disappointing on Saturday. Jake Retzlaff finished the day with a 56.3% completion rate despite having a 75% goal completion rate on the day. Drops were a killer on several BYU drives, leaving at least 8 points on the field. Additionally, I have seen several receivers run routes at inappropriate depths, causing timing issues with their QB. Retzlaff certainly wasn't perfect, but he was much better than his box score. BYU's receivers are the best position group on the team, but they need to be more consistent for this offense to reach its full potential.

BYU's defense looks miserable. Here's a fun stat: BYU has forced twice as many turnovers (12) as touchdowns allowed (6) against Power 4 opponents this season. Those six touchdowns allowed are also offset by two defensive touchdowns and five more that position BYU's offense inside the +30 yard line. The bottom line is that BYU's defense is the Robinhood of defensive units: rob the opponent to bolster their offense. The scary thing is that they could be even better. For the second straight game, BYU was unable to get off the field on third-and-long. The risk is to send pressure that doesn't arrive. Noah Fifita did an incredible job delivering the football on high-leverage downs despite being injured for most of the game. BYU generated 24 hurries on 52 pass attempts, including 7 QB hits. Unfortunately, only one of those pressures resulted in a sack, giving Fifita time to find a receiver downfield against an overwhelmed linebacker, even while he was being drilled. Still, BYU held Fifita to have the lowest passing efficiency rating of his career, so perhaps we're being picky.

My bar for retaining the current coaching staff was close to bowl eligibility. They did this confidently in 6 games. I don't think we fully appreciate the development on both sides that has gotten BYU to this point. BYU's coaching staff largely opted to replay the same team that won five games a year ago. That was a huge risk. Jake Retzlaff was the worst QB in the Power 4. Caleb Etienne was nearly unplayable. They had one of the worst running games in the country. The offense added a contributor from the portal and moved from the 100th scoring list to the top 25.

The defense was in better spirits last season, but the stats were just as bad. BYU ranked 91st in yards allowed per game last season. BYU added two FCS transfers to replace Eddie Heckard and Max Tooley is now in the top 10 this season. Last season I was worried BYU wouldn't have the talent to compete at the P5 level. Apparently they did. All it needed was some refinement.

Every employee deserves recognition. Jay Hill for bringing chaos back to Provo. Aaron Roderick for rebuilding this offense and their quarterback. TJ Woods for restoring the evil to this Cougar offensive line. Especially Kalani Sitake for fostering a culture of development, character and performance that pushes his players to be better versions of themselves on and off the field. What the BYU staff has built in one offseason is frankly a biblical miracle and must be preserved at all costs.