Did BYU lose or did Utah win?

Utah was favored to win this game with the Cougars and they did according to script.

But what about the Cougars?

Well, I think the defense did what is was supposed to, give but not break. Three stops in the third quarter with the game on the line is about all you could ask of this defense that is forced to play conservative.

But the offense? Six turnovers? Just setting up Utah all game line? What kind of defense can overcome that? None, according to Kyle Whittingham and he is correct.

BYU did something it does a lot of in big games against very good defenses. The Cougars forced the passing game. I don’t blame Max Hall for all of it. Some of the play calls were not in the best of the science of football.

Passing on second and three from the 39 and fumbling in a three-point game in the third quarter?

No, I thought BYU missed a golden opportunity to do what the Cougar team did in the Ronney Jenkins era against Utah. Instead of taking advantage of injured Ute lineacker Nai Fotu early in the game and playing smash mouth with the Utes, BYU kept trying to force its passing game right into the strength of Utah’s defense, its secondary. Five picks. And there should of been about two or three more.

BYU averaged 7 yards per rush against the Utes. In second quarter scoring drives, Harvey Unga and Fui Vakapuna were pounding the ball at the Utes. Max Hall was using his legs and taking advantage of a sagging Ute defense that looked tired working against the offensive line.

But the Cougars didn’t stay with that and I believe it cost them a chance here in RES. Don’t know if they would have won the game, but it wouldn’t have been 48-24. It might have been 38-21. Or they might have won.

Harvey Unga gained 116 on 15 carries. That is the most any running back has gained on Utah’s defense all year long. OSU’s Jacquizz Rodgers, the Pac-10 player of the year, gained about 106 and he was most of the Beaver offense against the Utes.

BYU gained more than 216 yards on the Utes in this game and kept edging out of the run game for passes that were covered, or Hall tried to force. Take away those six turnovers and this is a game the Cougars could have handled in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with a chance to perhaps pull off.

Anyway, that’s my take. The defense came into this game with a lot of question marks. But the defense did not lose this game. I could tell the frustration on faces of defensive players. Jaime Hill about lost it when a Utah fan ran on the field and starting getting in his face after the game. Brandon Bradley wisely escorted Hill off the field and tried to get him out of the situation.

BYU did not lose this one on defense, although the soft play and lack of rush was the reason Brian Johnson had such easy numbers, 30 of 36 completions for 303 and 4 TDS.

BYU’s offense should have run more clock. run the ball more, pounded it at Utah and kept this game closer until the end. Hall wasn’t having a good game and he shouldn’t have had all that in his hands when struggling against a solid secondary.

BYU had a lot of nifty plays planned for the red zone when they got in scoring position and they all seemed to work pretty well. Trouble it, the Cougars coughed it up before they could get in position to execute those well-designed plays.

Bronco 2, Whttingham 2.

This one is not going away anytime soon. This was Utah’s turn and they deserved the win.

If I was Hall, I’d hurt over this one for a long, long time. Then I’d want to get back in the saddle, convince Collie and Pitta to join him and get another crack at the Utes next year in Provo.

It will make for a long winter. But that’s what rivalry losses do. Ask Utah the last two years. Now BYU’s going to feel that chip on the shoulder for a while. That may be a good thing for this coaching staff and Cougar players.