There was plenty to learn from the BYU win over Georgia Tech on Saturday night.

On the defensive side of the ball we learned that Kyle Van Noy’s motor never stops going.  He seemed to be around the ball constantly all night long.  Thanks in part to the athleticism of yellow jackets quarterback Vad Lee, Van Noy wasn’t able to make every play but he still had a massive impact on the Cougar victory.  He finished the game with two sacks and three tackles for loss.  Another thing we learned from the defense is that KVN is not the only great player.  Daniel Sorenson, Remington Peck and Alani Fua all made big plays on a repeated basis.  Fua may have made the biggest play of the game.  He intercepted a ball with the game still in doubt and returned more than 50 yards for a touchdown to put the game out of reach.

Something else that Saturday night showed us is that having Spencer Hadley on the field makes a big difference.  After missing three games with a suspension, Hadley returned to action and made his presence felt early and often.  Hadley’s night included a fumble recovery and a big tackle for loss.

The defensive side of the ball wasn’t the only place where we learned plenty about the cougars.

The offense taught us a lot on Saturday as well.

We learned that Taysom Hill has a ton of potential as a passer and is definitely finding his stride.  After a really slow start to the season in the passing game, Hill has thrown the ball relatively well in the last three weeks.  Saturday may have been his best game as a passer so far.  He was locked in early and had a very impressive first half, throwing for more than 200 yards and a touchdown.  Although the second half wasn’t quite as successful for Hill, he clearly showed that He is the right man for the job.

We learned a little something about Cody Hoffman as well.  Even though he hasn’t been nearly as good as a season ago, Hoffman is still a star.  His 45 yard touchdown catch in the first half was one of the most impressive grabs I have ever seen.  There is no doubt in my mind that Hoffman will finish his senior year with a bang now that hill is playing better.

The other thing I learned from the offense is that BYU is loaded with talented running backs even after the loss of Mike Alisa for the season.  Jamaal Williams is clearly the number one man and for good reason but there isn’t much drop off when he needs a breather.  With backs like Paul Lasike and Algernon Brown in the mix BYU should be able to run on just about every opponent the rest of the way.

Although the cougars didn’t play perfect on Saturday night, they definitely taught us a great deal about what to expect the rest of the season.