PROVO, Utah — Jaren Hall threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns, all in the first half, and No. 17 BYU demolished Idaho State 59-14 on Saturday.
Baylor Romney took over in the second half for Hall, who finished 2 yards shy of his fourth 300-yard performance in the last five games.
Puka Nacua had six catches for 120 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars, who debuted at No. 15 in the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday. Keanu Hill caught four passes for a career-high 92 yards and a touchdown. Hill also blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for BYU’s final score late in the fourth quarter.
BYU (8-2) finished with 560 yards of offense, averaging 7.4 yards per play, in its third straight victory.
Sagan Gronauer threw for 167 yards and a touchdown for the Bengals (1-8), who fell to 0-7 all-time against the Cougars.
The Bengals gained 2 yards in the first quarter. Meanwhile, BYU’s offense encountered virtually no resistance as it raced to a 42-7 halftime lead.
Hall’s highlights included a 23-yard touchdown pass to Puka Nacua midway through the second quarter and a 13-yard dart to Neil Pau’u just before halftime on which Pau’u dragged two defenders and fell across the goal line.
The Bengals’ lone first-half points came after Tyler Gonzalez recovered a fumble at the BYU 17. Jared Scott caught a 6-yard pass from Gronauer with 1:20 left before halftime.
