Rise and Shou...oh crap

KICK THE BALL!!!

That's what I was screaming at my TV when I saw the BYU offense stay on the field to attempt a 2-point conversion after Freshman QB Tysom Hill finally scored the Courgar's first touchdown of the night that was supposed to tie the game against Boise St.

I said to my wife, "this is bad, this is bad, there is no way they get this." (of course my wife gave me the, "I hope not, so this dumb game doesn't go into over time and I can watch The Office" face)

and of course...they didn't get it. and just like that, BYU fell to 2-2 on the season.

In the ensuing moments Twitter and Facebook exploded with, "what was Bronco thinking?" and "this is unbelievable" and other frustrated comments that we Cougar fans have become so accustomed to having and venting through social media.

I still can't fathom why BYU didn't just take the point.

For once in his life, Bronco Mendenhall showed some emotion and life on the sidelines, pumping his fist after an emotional goal line stand after BYU fumbled the ball on their own 1 yard line to keep the score 7-0. Cougar fans have been begging for that emotion to come out for some time, but I think this time it backfired. I believe it was that emotion that persuaded Bronco to go for the 2-point conversion and the win Thursday night.

Hindsight is always 20/20, and we would be praising Mendenhall right now if the 2-point conversion went BYU's way. However, sometimes reality needs to set in and the logical decision needs to be made.

If the Cougars kick the extra point, it ties the game at 7-7 with about 3 minutes remaining. BYU's defense had been lights out all night, not allowing a single point to Boise St. (Their 7 points came on the defensive end). Boise St. doesn't have a reliable kicker, so a field goal on their end wasn't an option. If BYU's D holds, they get the ball back for a possible field goal try at the end of regulation, or go to overtime in the worst case scenario. Without a kicker for Boise, I like BYU's chances in overtime to stop Boise and at least get a field goal themselves (unless it was getting close to midnight of course, then all bets were off...)

After the game, Coach Mendenhall said that he plans to start Riley Nelson next Friday against Hawaii after an abysmal game from Nelson where he completed 4/9 passes for 19 yards and 3 INT's. There are still 7 days until game day, and with a stellar 2013 schedule to prepare for, lets all hope that Bronco has a change of heart and starts the Taysom Hill era earlier than expected.