Freshman QB Has 'Perfect' Game, Breaks a Record Steve Young Co-Held
Ahead of Friday’s Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, BYU coach Kalani Sitake was asked how he expected freshman quarterback Zach Wilson to play against Western Michigan.
“Perfectly,” Sitake said jokingly, according to ESPN. “That’s what I’m praying for, perfect play from everyone.”
The comment was said in jest, but Wilson clearly took it to heart, completing 18 of 18 passing attempts for a perfect 100 percent completion rate.
Wilson, who was named the game’s MVP, threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns in just the seventh start of his college career, as BYU defeated Western Michigan 49-18 to finish the season at 7-6.
Wilson’s 18 straight completions in one game broke the school’s previous mark of 14 set by future 49ers great Steve Young in 1982 and tied by Steve Sarkisian in 1995, according to CBS Sports.
He finished just one completion short of tying the all-time bowl record set by Georgia’s Mike Bobo in 1998.
Wilson was just the second NCAA player to complete 100 percent of his passes in a bowl game (minimum 10 attempts). Riley Skinner of Wake Forest was also perfect in the 2008 EagleBank Bowl, although he attempted just 11 passes.
“I think the bar is set a little too high for the next bowl game,” Wilson said afterward. “But I think we proved what we can do as a team and found our offensive identity and discovered what we’re good at.”
The Cougars were actually trailing 10-7 at the start of the second half before BYU had a third quarter for the ages. They put 28 points on the board and held Western Michigan scoreless.
BYU scored so quickly that even though they won the game by 31 points, Western Michigan held a nearly 11-minute edge in time of possession.
Since the Idaho Potato Commission is now the bowl game’s sponsor, Wilson celebrated by chomping into a potato after the win.
Wilson may just be a freshman, but he has the media savvy of a fifth-year senior. After the game, he downplayed his individual performance and credited his teammates.
“The game flashes by so quick, and I thought I had at least six or seven incompletions,” Wilson said. “That’s when you realize the success for a quarterback is based on the team around you.”
Western Michigan finished their season with a winning record at 7-6, but their all-time bowl record dropped to 1-7.
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