Provo • College football, which is supposed to be about fun, entertainment and building school spirit, should never be equated with the death of a parent.
But BYU couldn’t be blamed for borrowing a line from a Green Day song as the calendar turns to October on Sunday: “Wake me up when September ends” — a tribute from Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong to his late father.
The ninth month in 2017 was a nightmarish one for coach Kalani Sitake’s team. It was arguably the worst month in program history, at least since LaVell Edwards took over in 1972, and that misery was punctuated Friday night with a 40-24 loss to Utah State.
USU cornerback Jalen Davis’ throat-slashing gesture after his second pick-six sealed the Aggies win was classless and unsportsmanlike. But it was metaphorical in regards to BYU’s month, and possibly season, whether he intended it that way or not.
The Cougars blew a two-touchdown lead and lost another quarterback to a significant injury against a program they have historically dominated. And now their streak of 12 straight bowl appearances is in jeopardy.
Just when BYU’s dismal season was showing signs of a turnaround and backup Beau Hoge was looking like a bonafide QB, the redshirt sophomore suffered an undisclosed injury that brought on third-stringer Koy Detmer Jr., with less-than-positive results.
Sitake would not divulge Hoge’s injury after the game, per school policy. Limping noticeably at times before he left the game for good, Hoge exited after his third carry, having been taken down by USU’s Cameron Haney with a clean tackle.
“All I know is that he wasn’t able to return,” Sitake said. “Give it some time, and we will see what the prognosis will be for him in coming back. I don’t know anything; you all probably know as much as I do right now.”
Detmer, who lost a competition with Hoge to be Tanner Mangum’s primary backup in August’s training camp, was intercepted three times, passed for 91 yards, had a snap sail over his head and saw the Cougars commit three of their four false-starts on his watch.
“He works just as hard as anyone on the team, and he’s a real player,” receiver Beau Tanner said of Detmer. “All the guys love him and all the guys trust him, and we would all like to do a lot better.”
The Cougars did have some positive developments. Tanner made a spectacular catch for a 40-yard touchdown and Micah Hannemann returned an interception 46 yards for the first pick-six of his career.
BYU won the battle in the trenches, as its defense came up with two sacks and held the Aggies to 112 rushing yards despite not having the services for much of the game of star linebacker Butch Pau’u, who left in the first half and watched the remainder standing on the sidelines without a helmet.
And its offensive line allowed no sacks and paved the way for Ula Tolutau, Squally Canada, Trey Dye and Austin Kafentzis to rush for 238 yards. The Cougars were able to run the ball even when the Aggies knew they were going to; At one stretch after Hoge’s injury, the Cougars rushed on 30 of 33 plays.
But the loss, fueled by seven turnovers, will sting for a long time and make memories of Sitake’s second September in Provo unbearable well into the future.
Was it the worst month in the past 50 years of BYU football?
The Cougars went 0-4 in October of 2014 during a run that included a 35-20 loss to USU and Taysom Hill’s season-ending injury after a 4-0 start. They also lost four straight in 2010 after opening with a 23-17 win over Washington. They lost three straight to start the 1974 and 1975 campaigns when seasons didn’t begin until mid-September.
The last time BYU lost at Utah State before Friday, in 2010, it dropped to 1-4 and Bronco Mendenhall fired defensive coordinator Jaime Hill. The Cougars upset San Diego State the following week at home, finished 6-6 and then beat UTEP in a bowl game.
So there’s a glimmer of hope to get this train wreck back on track. Plus, a long September has finally ended.
Friday’s game<br>Boise State at BYU, 8:15 p.m.<br>TV: ESPN