This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
PROVO - Brigham Young got what it paid Eastern Washington $325,000 for on Saturday: a victory.
It was football's version of prostitution.
Easy but not cheap.
The details of the game are unimportant. If you must know the score, it was 42-7, favoring the guys who dished out the cash and got the favors.
Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am.
The Cougars left the money on the Eagles' bedroom dresser, and ducked out through a back alley, headed for the Mountain West.
Bronco Mendenhall defended the indiscretion, before and after the outcome was in the can. Of course, it was in the can before and after the game was played.
"The thing I question is the timing of it," he said. "When you interrupt conference play, that's when I have a problem with it."
The real problem was that the Cougars played this game at all.
It was beneath them.
The reason Mendenhall had given for remaining unapologetic about the whole affair was because, as he put it, "our conference is so difficult." He said he was looking, in terms of scheduling, for "balance."
Let's call B.S. on that right now.
"Balance" is a euphemism for the Cougars looking for the path of least resistance, for a week during which they could practice hard and win easy. They had already played Arizona and UCLA, and that supposedly was enough.
But BYU's Mountain West schedule is the precise reason the Cougars should not have played EWU. In terms of gaining national respect, if that's their goal, putting a whupping on Colorado State, New Mexico, UNLV, San Diego State, et al., doesn't quite cut it. More is required.
Apologists say it's OK for BYU to play Football Bowl Subdivision teams because, well, teams from BCS leagues do it. But those apologists overlook that teams from BCS leagues, in most cases, play a much tougher conference schedule than what the Cougars face in their league. Those teams can take a week off against Butler Junior College because they're going up against Texas and Oklahoma and Kansas and Missouri on the other weeks.
Since the Cougars frequently get breathers in the heart of their league season, why, then, are they playing Walla Walla State?
Everybody wants to win, but is this really BYU's best course to that end?
A game that was over before it started?
Forget Appalachian State.
A game in which the Cougars scored the first 14 points in the first quarter, went up 21-7 at the half, rolled to 35-7 in the third, and coasted home from there, without hitting many high notes or playing particularly sharp?
That's what they got here.
That's what the fans got.
An outcome that proved nothing.
A late afternoon with no real competition.
A waste of time for everybody on hand.
And a snow storm to boot.
Eastern appreciated its shot at a bigger program, and the 325 grand tucked into its lingerie.
The Cougars appreciated moving through a glorified practice. And they didn't exactly shine, not to the degree they might have. Max Hall had one more shaky performance, and, all told, BYU gained 377 yards, thanks in large part to Harvey Unga, who was terrific, running for 145 yards and a score, and catching four passes for 57 yards and another touchdown.
The Cougar D picked off three passes and repeatedly punished the Eagle offense . . . just because it could.
Whatever.
Afterward, even the BYU players didn't seem to take much pleasure in the result. They were all smiles, but, in their heart of hearts, they knew the truth.
"A win is a win," Unga said.
"We'd rather play one of the bigger guys," Hall admitted.
Yeah, this was a victory bought and paid for.
And the Cougars felt a little dirty taking it.