BYU vs. Houston Recap

Wow. That's the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about this game. This was one of the craziest and weirdest games I've ever watched. It was a throwback to the Detmer days where BYU scored 52 points in a game...and so did the other team. Here is my recap of the game.

Offense: The Good

• For the first time in what seems like years, BYU won BECAUSE of its offense rather than DESPITE it. John Clyde of KSL.com asserts that BYU would not have won this game last year. I completely agree. Our offense in 2012 would have found a way (late turnover, three and out, etc.) to lose this game when it was called upon to come through. Getting a win in a comeback fashion late in the game will hopefully help the Cougars' confidence that they can win close games.
• Bronco continues to insist that Hill is a gritty, gutsy player. BYU fans do not like to hear those words after the Dark Ages that were the Riley years. However, Hill has loads of talent and ability to go with that grit. He single-handedly kept BYU in the game and put up very impressive numbers (417 passing yards, 4 TDs passing, 128 total rushing yards) even while being knocked around time and time again.
• The receivers stepped up and made plays. After I said that it was "highly doubtful" Ross Apo would ever score another touchdown, he went ahead and scored two this game. Cody Hoffman had another monster game and made another circus catch in the end zone with a player draped all over him. Perhaps the most surprising player was Skylar Ridley, who had a terrific game overall and scored the winning touchdown.
• Along the same lines as the previous comment, the ball distribution was really good in this game. Hill completed at least one pass to seven different receivers. This ability to spread the ball has not been seen consistently from a BYU quarterback since John Beck. It was encouraging to see more playmakers rise up and keep the defense honest instead of just dialing in on Hoffman.
• The o-line provided good pass protection for Hill in the first and fourth quarters. This allowed him the time he needed to look downfield and throw some great passes. When he had time and space to set his feet, Hill looked like some of the great QBs of the past.
• Jamaal Williams found the end zone twice. It was nice to see him get on the board multiple times as he has been perhaps BYU's most consistent offensive contributor this season.

Ridley after making the game winning catch. Courtesy KSL.com.

Offense: The Bad

• There were a lot of negatives on the offensive side of the ball in a game in which they scored 47 points. The most glaring one, in my opinion, is the (at times) atrocious play of the offensive line. Taysom Hill ran for 194 positive yards but only finished with a net of 128 because of 8 sacks. These sacks were mostly the line's fault. In fact, if not for his speed, the number of sacks would have been even more inflated. The o-line got absolutely dominated in the second and third quarters. They also did not block well in the run game. Williams had to fight for every yard he got and it should come as no surprise that he went down with an injury after all the hits he took.
• Turnovers on offense almost lost the game for BYU. Hill threw an interception in the end zone and a pick six. That's a 14 point swing right there. The third interception was not as much his fault. Mitch Matthews needs to be more aggressive and decide the ball is his. He waited for a throw in which Hill threw 50 yards across the field. If Matthews had been more aggressive, that may have been a big play.  
• The offense again left points on the board. I know it is not realistic to expect to score a touchdown every time BYU gets into the red zone. But, an interception when at the Houston four yard line and an inability to get into the end zone right before the half made this game a lot closer than it needed to be. However, the team did score 7 out of 8 times it got into the red zone. Numbers like that will keep BYU in any game.

Offense: Final Grade

• B. The offense made a lot of mistakes and the offensive line play continues to be subpar. Still, they made enough plays in the first half to keep BYU in the game and had a few good drives in the second half that were just enough to help the Cougars in blue get the win.

Defense: The Good

• The defense made big plays. They caused three interceptions, including the game sealing one with just 1:08 left on the clock. Particularly in the Utah game, it seemed like the defense did not take advantage of opportunities to create a turnover. To see the team create big plays rather than merely preventing them (which they did not do) was encouraging.
• BYU got to QB John O'Korn three times. While this number should have been higher, the sacks came at great times. The cornerback blitz where Hague got to O'Korn when Houston was deep in BYU territory was a game changer. 
• Like BYU teams of old, the D did enough to keep the Cougars in the game and made some stops when absolutely necessary. When BYU elected to punt in Houston territory late in the 4th quarter down 6, I had flashbacks of last year and the games we tried that and could not finish (the Notre Dame game especially still stings). However, the D forced a quick three and out and gave the offense plenty of time to score the winning touchdown.
• Alani Fua again made a play that put the game out of reach. He is making a habit of coming up with big plays in crucial situations. His play backed up my prediction that he is our next KVN. 
• Bronco Mendenhall again showed his ability to make quick and hugely significant adjustments mid-game. At half time, BYU had given up a whopping 38 points (24 of which were scored by Houston's offense). In the second half, the defense played more of a bend but don't break scheme and only gave up 6 points. Bronco was very prudent in the second half about when to be aggressive and when to drop guys back in coverage.

Defense: The Bad

• The secondary really missed Craig Bills. Not only is Bills an enforcer as a hitter, he also has provided great over the top passing support. Blake Morgan looked lost throughout much of the game trying to fill in for Bills. A couple of big plays for Houston were his fault. PoVey also struggled mightily. Perhaps most surprising to me, though, was the substandard play by KVN. I had an eye on him on almost every play of the game. I could not tell if he was injured, frustrated or something else, but whatever the cause, he just did not play very well. He missed some golden opportunities for sacks, which is highly uncharacteristic of him.
• John O'Korn looked like a seasoned Senior quarterback rather than an 18 year old kid. He made big plays all day against the Y. Kudos to him on his moxie, but BYU's defense should have never allowed him to have such a big game.
• BYU gave up some huge plays. Bronco's defenses have not always been great but they have generally been very good at keeping things in front of them and not getting burned deep. Houston had passes go for 40, 41, 42, 69, and 76 yards. 5 plays over 40 yards is simply unacceptable and BYU was lucky to still be in the game at the end.

Defense: Final Grade

• C-. This was the worst overall defensive performance in quite some time for the Y. Houston had huge plays that made the game a shootout in the first half. To their credit, though, the D clamped down in the second half and made enough big plays of their own to allow the offense to win the game.

Special Teams: The Good

• Justin Sorenson was dependable, again. He kicked a chip shot field goal of 20 yards right before the half and made a 41 yarder. It was nice to see him show a little bit of range and hopefully that will build his and his coaches' confidence in his ability to kick longer range field goals.
• Scott Arellano pinned Houston deep in their own territory with about 3 and a half minutes to go. His punt enabled the D to force a quick three and out that ultimately gave the offense time for one last drive.
• Adam Hine had another impressive kick return of 47 yards. As I keep saying, it's just a matter of time before he busts out at least one TD return.
• JD Falslev caught every punt. This should not have to be listed under "the good" but he has been erratic in the punt return game this year.

Demarcus Ayers returns a kickoff 95 yards for at TD. Courtesy timesunion.com.

Special Teams: The Bad

• The most obvious negative from the special teams is that they allowed a kickoff return for a touchdown. BYU was cruising on both offense and defense until this return gave Houston a major spark and changed the whole climate of the game.
• Scott Arellano had four punts that he did not get a good foot on. These shanked punts were all opportunities where he could have pinned the red Cougars deep in their own territory and taken some pressure off of the defense.
• Justin Sorenson left a few kickoffs short which gave Houston's returners with excellent starting position to have big returns. The kickoff returned for a touchdown was a good 5 yards short of the goal line.

Special Teams: Final Grade

• C+. The kickoff return for a TD by Houston was a huge momentum changer. BYU's punting and kickoffs were also subpar until the 4th quarter. Sorenson made two field goals, though, in a game that was decided by 1 point. Hine continues to be explosive on kick returns and Falslev didn't make any major mistakes in the punt return game.

Final Thoughts
While this game was ugly, it was nice to finally pull out a close one--particularly in come-from-behind fashion. I hope that it will be a confidence booster for the offense to know that they have the ability and leadership to pull off a win like this.

If looked at from a certain perspective, it can be a confidence booster for the D, as well. They can feel more confidence that their offense can pick up the slack and they don't need to shut teams out to win. Also, they can look at the big plays they made at crucial moments. It will be interesting to see if this game was an aberration for the defense or if Houston has tapped into a formula for success against it. After last year's worst performance (Oregon State), the defense did not allow another team to score over 20 points.

Although I thought the Cougars of BYU should have blown out the Cougars of Houston, it still feels good to be at 5-2 with a big game coming up against Boise.