Max Tooley was flagged for throwing a shoe in the 1st quarter of BYU’s 38-26 win over Utah State on Thursday night.

The flag came after Tooley and several other Cougars tackled Utah State quarterback Cooper Legas for a loss. On the play, Legas lost his shoe and Tooley threw it away from the scrum. Tooley was subsequently penalized for throwing his opponent’s shoe.

It was a costly decision for Tooley but it did not have much of an impact on the game for the Cougars. Tooley was all over the field for BYU and disrupted Utah State’s offense. He finished the game with 3 total tackles and 2 tackles for a loss. In addition, he also registered a sack and returned an interception for a touchdown in the 1st quarter.

Tooley’s defensive play helped BYU secure a win at home over an in-state rival. BYU’s defense sacked Legas 2 times in the win. Defensive backs Micah Harper and Talan Alfrey led the team with 10 tackles. Each defensive back had 5 solo tackles.

BYU extended its winning streak over Utah State to 3 games. Utah State’s last win against BYU came in 2018. In the 2022 season, BYU went 4-1 with the win and remained undefeated at home.

Next week, BYU take on Notre Dame in a big matchup of independent schools.