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STORYLINES

In Short: Despite missing four offensive starters, including star receiver Cody Hoffman, who was suspended, BYU dominates after some first-half turnover problems.

Key Moment: The Cougars fumble twice inside the MTSU 5-yard line in the first half to keep the game competitive early.

Key Stat: Taysom Hill completes his first five passes and goes 8 of 9 in the first half, 14 of 19 in the game.

Provo — For a little more than a quarter on Friday night, the BYU Cougars played as if they were still stuck in a funk from last week's rivalry game loss to Utah. A fumbled punt led to an easy touchdown for Middle Tennessee State, and two other times the Cougars lost scoring chances by losing the ball inside the 5-yard line.

The hometown crowd was getting a little antsy.

But a familiar strength — quarterback Taysom Hill's running ability — lifted them out of the malaise.

Hill's 50-yard touchdown jaunt midway through the second quarter sparked the uprising, and BYU cruised to a 37-10 win over the visitors from Conference USA in front of 58,763 fans at chilly LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Hill finished with 165 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts, and also did some decent damage with his arm for the first time this season. The sophomore connected on 14 of 19 passes for 177 yards. He was intercepted once when a short pass slipped through Paul Lasike's hands.

The success through the air came without the services of star senior receiver Cody Hoffman, who was suspended for one game earlier Friday for violating team rules. Top running back Jamaal Williams sat out with a concussion.

The Cougars (2-2) will certainly need them next week at Utah State (3-2), but they were fine Friday as senior RB Mike Alisa picked up 55 yards and two rushing touchdowns and Hill proved too elusive for the Blue Raiders.

Special teams was a mixed bag for BYU. Adam Hine returned a kickoff 90 yards to set up their first TD, but JD Falslev fumbled away two punts. Hine later left the game with a concussion. MTSU's opening field goal was set up by a 50-yard kickoff return.

Falslev redeemed himself with a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, the school's first punt return for a TD since 2011 when Falslev had one against TCU.

Safety Daniel Sorensen led the defensive effort, picking off a pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter. The Blue Raiders had just 123 yards in the first half and 163 yards through three quarters.

In the first half, the Cougars shot themselves in the foot several times, or might have been able to run away with it early. Hill fumbled the ball away from the 1 (which eventually resulted in BYU getting a safety) and Alisa fumbled into the end zone on back-to-back possessions.

Still, Hill engineered a seven-play, 67-yard drive just before halftime to send the Cougars into the break with a 23-10 lead.

Alisa found the end zone from 2 yards out, after a nice 27-yard catch by Falslev and a questionable pass interference penalty on the Blue Raiders in the end zone.

Both teams scored on their opening possessions. The Blue Raiders kicked a 42-yard field goal after a 50-yard kickoff return put them in BYU territory. The Cougars answered with a 90-yard kickoff return by Adam Hine (who later left the game with a concussion) and scored when Hill rumbled in from the 12.

MTSU took a 10-7 lead on a nifty 16-yard touchdown catch by Marcus Henry. Officials initially ruled an incomplete pass in the end zone, then gave Henry the catch after a video review. The score was set up when Falslev fumbled away a punt at the BYU 24.

The Cougars held after Alisa's fumble, and Hill's TD run reversed the momentum for good.

Hill passed Virgil Carter (474 yards) for the second-most rushing yards by a BYU quarterback in a single season, and had 142 rushing yards at halftime.

But a better sign for BYU's offense was that Hill was 8 for 9 passing in the first half for 96 yards, after entering the game having completed just 35 percent of his throws.

The Cougars outgained the Blue Raiders 232-43 in the second quarter.

Twitter: @drewjay