BYU Throttles Western Michigan 49-18 in 2018 Idaho Potato Bowl

The BYU Cougars outscored the Western Michigan Broncos by 34 points in the second half Friday en route to a 49-18 victory in the 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.

BYU quarterback Zach Wilson completed all 18 of his passes and finished the contest with 317 passing yards and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Dylan Collie found the end zone twice after tallying a single score in 10 games during the regular season.

Running back Jamauri Bogan and quarterback Kaleb Eleby each tallied rushing touchdowns for WMU, which scored 10 unanswered points in the second quarter to grab a three-point halftime lead.

There were no signs of a blowout in the first half. BYU struggled to move the chains consistently despite Wilson's accuracy, and Western Michigan took advantage with a strong second quarter on both sides of the ball to take the lead into the break.

The Broncos defense, which entered the bowl ranked 103rd nationally in points allowed per game, couldn't maintain its level of play in the second half, though.

Wilson and Co. exploded for 28 points in the third quarter with touchdown passes to Collie and Aleva Hifo as well as rushing scores by Riley Burt and Dayan Ghanwoloku.

The 70-yard TD pass from Wilson to Hifo, featuring a terrific individual effort after the grab by the junior wideout, was a backbreaking moment for WMU as the Cougars went up by three scores late in the third.

BYU added another touchdown, a five-yard Dax Milne reception, before Western Michigan finally ended its scoring drought midway through the final quarter courtesy of a one-yard keeper by quarterback Kaleb Eleby.

It was far too late to have serious thoughts about a comeback, though.

The Cougars cruised to the finish line for their second bowl win in the past three years. Moving their record to 7-6 also allowed them to finish above .500 for the 12th time in the past 13 seasons.

Meanwhile, the Broncos dropped to a matching 7-6 mark. The program is just 1-7 in bowl games, including 1-3 over the past five years.

What's Next?

The future for the BYU offense is bright with both its leading passer (Wilson) and top rusher (Lopini Katoa, who missed the bowl game with an injury) ending their freshman seasons. But the Cougars will need to replace their top two tacklers on defense, linebacker Sione Takitaki and defensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi.

Western Michigan is poised to make some serious noise in the Mid-American Conference next year with virtually all of its top contributors, including quarterback Jon Wassink, who is recovering from a foot injury, set to return for 2019 after the Broncos went 5-3 in conference play this season.