This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Provo • While Utah was playing 35 miles up the road in Salt Lake City, the Utes were being remembered during the BYU-Savannah State game at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

But not in a good way - surprise, surprise.

The Cougars took a 51-0 lead with 2:19 remaining in the second quarter when sophomore receiver David Kessler blocked a punt for a safety.

It was BYU's third safety of the season, and BYU's largest first-half lead since the Cougars led Utah 49-0 in the first half in 1989. The Utes did score just before halftime in Provo.

It was not BYU's biggest halftime lead ever, though. The Cougars led Western State 54-0 in 1951, then won 67-7.

Stewart shines

The Cougars made plenty of miscues offensively in the first half, dropping open passes and fumbling a handoff, or Christian Stewart's numbers might have been better.

Even then, they were outstanding. Stewart completed 12 of 17 passes for 196 yards and four touchdowns before leaving the game midway through the second quarter. He also rushed five times for 44 yards and two scores. Stewart's passer rating was 245.1, a career-high.

Freshman McCoy Hill took the first snap after Stewart's departure, followed by Hunter Moore.

You can't do that

Savannah State punter Josh Barron was penalized twice in the first half, although one penalty was declined by BYU because the play resulted in a safety.

Barron was twiced flagged for "the illegal kicking of a loose ball," the first time after he mishandled a snap and tried to advance the ball while it was on the ground.

Touchdown taken away

Savannah State's Marcus Lee thought he had scored a touchdown when he picked up a bad snap that sailed over McCoy Hill's head and took it to the end zone. However, after reviewing the play, officials ruled that Lee was grounded when he first recovered the loose ball, and therefore the play was ruled dead.

The Tigers took over at the BYU 35, though, but gained just 5 yards on four plays.

Briefly

BYU played without freshman linebacker Fred Warner, who suffered a season-ending back injury last week against UNLV. … Linebacker Austin Heder made his first career start, at buck linebacker, and made four tackles in the first half. Kesni Tausinga made his first career sack. … Mitch Mathews' 71-yard touchdown catch in the first series was the longest of the junior's career. … Offensive lineman Michael Yeck (team), safety Chris Badger (special teams) and Dick Legas (alumni) brought out the flags for the Cougars. Legas played offensive line and was a longtime track coach at BYU.

drew@sltrib.com

Twitter: @drewjay