{"id":161395,"date":"2022-12-18T14:57:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-18T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/byu-football-how-sol-jay-maiava-peters-helped-cougars-win-bowl-game\/"},"modified":"2022-12-18T14:57:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-18T14:57:00","slug":"byu-football-how-sol-jay-maiava-peters-helped-cougars-win-bowl-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/byu-football-how-sol-jay-maiava-peters-helped-cougars-win-bowl-game\/","title":{"rendered":"BYU football: How Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters helped Cougars win bowl game"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico \u2014 Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters, one of BYU’s unexpected heroes in its improbable 24-23 victory over SMU Saturday night in the New Mexico Bowl, said the only thing he could think to do in the final seconds was offer a short prayer on behalf of BYU’s defense.<\/p>\n

It apparently worked, because cornerback Jakob Robinson tackled SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai at the one-yard line to preserve another one-point win over the Mustangs in a bowl game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just pointed to the sky and said, ‘Thank you, Heavenly Father,\u201d Maiava-Peters said of the moments following the tackle with eight seconds remaining.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor me, my mentality is still the same. Like, I am in the back. I know I am still going to have to fight in the offseason for the job. (BYU has) a lot of people coming in. I just got to keep my head and stay humble, for sure.\u201d \u2014 BYU quarterback Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

And BYU fans around the world offered thanks for the third-year freshman quarterback, a fourth-stringer who stepped in, surprisingly to a lot of people, and filled in for injured starting QB Jaren Hall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is for sure a different feeling when the defense is out there, but like (coach) Kalani (Sitake) says, it is complementary football that we play. So I just had faith in the defense, said a little prayer, it was like a real (long prayer). It was genuine, for real, for real. Then J-Rob made the play. I just felt comfort, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maiava-Peters wasn’t perfect, but his elusiveness in extending plays and making something out of nothing carried the Cougars to a 24-10 lead \u2014 that and Ben Bywater’s bowl-record 76-yard interception return for a touchdown.<\/p>\n

This one, BYU’s last game as an independent, will forever be remember for Robinson’s big stop, Bywater’s big pick-six, and Maiava-Peters’ unexpected performance when he was tabbed by offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick to get the start instead of the more experienced Cade Fennegan.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Rod went with the hot hand,\u201d Sitake said.<\/p>\n

After SMU went 57 yards on its opening possession and took a 3-0 lead with a 35-yard field goal, Maiava-Peters served notice that he wasn’t going to be intimidated by his first start. He reeled off a 15-yard run the first time he touched the ball and completed his first five passes.<\/p>\n

And he can always say he led the Cougars to a touchdown drive the first opportunity he got, punching it in himself on a one-yard TD run on fourth down as Sitake successfully gambled to end a streak of fourth-and-1 futility.<\/p>\n

The Cougars had failed six straight times on fourth-and-1 situations before the TD run.<\/p>\n

SMU quickly regained the lead, however, as Mordecai threw a 9-yard TD pass to Roderick Daniels on third-and-goal from the 5 with 2:16 left in the first quarter.<\/p>\n

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