BYU’s Detmer Shreds Colorado State Defense, 40-17

Ty Detmer toyed with the Western Athletic Conference’s top pass defense, throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns as Brigham Young defeated Colorado State, 40-17, Thursday night.

The Cougars, hitting their stride after opening the season with three losses, posted their sixth victory in a row and extended their conference record to 5-0.

Detmer completed 23 of 28 passes and repeatedly converted third-and-long and fourth-down situations. In the first half he hit 20 of 24 passes for 299 yards, staking the Cougars to a 26-3 lead, and left the game after three quarters with his team ahead, 40-3.

“Ty Detmer throws the ball better than anybody I’ve seen,” Colorado State Coach Earle Bruce said, “and I’ve seen a lot of players, even a lot of pros. We were the No. 1 pass defense in the league and he riddled us. He’s the best I’ve ever seen. He’s amazing.”

Informed of Bruce’s remarks, Detmer said: “He’s seen a lot of quarterbacks, so it’s a great compliment.

“They played a lot of zones and we kind of picked them apart. We were in total control of the game.”

All of Detmer’s touchdown passes were to sophomore Eric Drage in the first half. Detmer would have had a fourth touchdown, but Micah Matsuzaki fumbled at the goal line after a 25-yard reception, and teammate Nati Valdez recovered in the end zone for that score.

Colorado State (3-6, 2-4) suffered its third consecutive loss and fifth in a row to BYU.