PROVO, Utah — With a strong and experienced front seven, Brigham Young University was trying to do something on Friday night that no University of Toledo opponent had done yet: pressure, and sack, junior quarterback Logan Woodside.
Toledo entered the game as the only team in the country not to give up a sack this season.
The offensive line, with three seniors in left tackle Storm Norton and guards Mike Ebert and Paul Perschon, a junior right tackle in Elijah Nkansah, and freshman center Bryce Harris, had not allowed much of a pass rush all season, resulting in very little pressure on Woodside.
With the steady offensive line play, Woodside had been able to stand in the pocket and pick apart opposing defenses. He led the nation in pass efficiency at 200.2.
“The offensive line has given me all kinds of time back there,” Woodside said. “It’s all a credit to them. It’s a great group of seniors, a great group of leaders. So I just sit back there and try to execute what I’ve been taught to do.”
West Virginia, BYU’s last opponent, also faced BYU without having allowed a sack. In that game, a 35-32 loss, the Cougars sacked the West Virginia quarterback once.
RARE AIR: BYU’s LaVell Edwards Stadium sits at 4,649 feet above sea level with a picturesque view of the mountains.
Toledo arrived in Provo on Thursday afternoon and had a chance to get their bodies acclimated to the altitude before Friday’s game.
UT coach Jason Candle made it clear that the Rockets would not use the altitude as an excuse.
BYU QUARTERBACKS: Fifth-year senior Taysom Hill is the latest in a long line of successful quarterbacks at BYU, which has been referred to as a “quarterback factory”.
Recent College Football Hall of Fame inductees from the Cougars include Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, and Steve Young.
BYU quarterbacks have won the Davey O’Brien award for best quarterback in the nation four times (McMahon, Young, and Ty Detmer twice) with one runner-up (Robbie Bosco), and one third-place finish (John Beck).
Detmer, currently the team’s offensive coordinator, is the only BYU quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy (1990).
Hill, a senior, is looking to finish off a productive career. He has 5,475 passing yards with 35 career passing touchdowns, along with 2,437 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.
Contact Brian Buckey at: bbuckey@theblade.com or 419-724-6110.
First Published October 1, 2016, 4:35 a.m.
