BYU receiver Mitchell Juergens (center) catches a game-winning touchdown pass from Tanner Mangum.
After two dramatic upsets, it seems people are taking BYU seriously.
The Cougars jumped into the Top 25 for the first time this season, coming in at No. 19 in the AP poll.
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In Week 1, BYU ended Nebraska's home-opener streak with a wild Hail Mary pass from backup quarterback Tanner Mangum. And in Week 2, it was Mangum again who engineered an upset of No. 20 Boise State. Mangum not only finished with 309 passing yards, he also scored three touchdowns, including two pivotal touchdowns to give the Cougars the lead early in the fourth quarter. Trailing by 10 points heading into the final quarter, Mangum scored his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run to cut the deficit to three. With less than a minute remaining in the game, Mangum completed another miraculous Hail Mary touchdown pass to receiver Mitchell Juergens to put BYU up for good. Jeurgens, who had caught an earlier touchdown from Mangum, finished with 172 yards on four receptions.
So, you can bet they're chanting Mangum's name in Provo and are hopeful the Cougars can keep shocking the world. However, while BYU doesn't have the toughest of schedules, they've still got some hard nose football to play.
The Cougars face No. 10 UCLA next, and they follow that up with a trip to Ann Arbor to see Harbaugh and the Wolverines. There's smooth sailing from there until they play No. 22 Missouri in Arrowhead Stadium on Nov. 14. A full plate for a backup quarterback, even one with a penchant for dramatic comebacks.
But, as the Cougars themselves have shown, even without the tough tilts, no game is a gimme in college football.
If they do run the table, however, they may end up in the spot the playoff committee was considering for Boise before BYU upended the golden boys of the Group of Five.
