HOLDING THEM DOWN
BYU held Utah to just 245 total yards in the game. The Cougars have now held nine consecutive opponents to under 300 total yards in a game. BYU outgained the Utes 312 to 245 in a defensive battle.
RUSSELL BLOCK
Defensive lineman Russell Tialavea blocked his second kick of the season on Utah’s first field goal attempt of the game. Tialavea also blocked a PAT against Weber State.
PAT RECORD
Dating back to 2010, BYU has made 68 consecutive PATs, a new school record. The previous record of 67 were all kicked by Matt Payne. The 68 has been a combination of Mitch Payne, Justin Sorensen and Riley Stephenson.
VAN NOY IN THE BACKFIELD
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy came close to tying his career high with 4.5 tackles for loss. The junior totaled five against Tulsa in 2011. Van Noy finished the game with 8 tackles, 4.5 for a loss, 1.5 sacks, one pass breakup and one forced fumble.
OGLETREE TACKLES
Senior linebacker Brandon Ogletree set a new career high with 12 tackles, including 7 solo. The defensive captain also had 0.5 tackles for loss.
FIRST ONE FOR JAMAAL
True freshman and 17-year old Jamaal Williams scored his first career rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 7-yard run. Williams finished the night with 8 carries for 30 yards and one touchdown.
HOFFMAN KEEPS IT GOING
Wide receiver Cody Hoffman kept his streak alive, now catching at least one pass in 22-straight games and 28 of 29 career games. Hoffman finished the night with eight receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown. It was his eighth career 100-yard receiving and second-straight.
RUNNING OUT THE FLAG
Senior offensive lineman Braden Hansen led BYU out of the tunnel carrying the team flag today. Junior defensive back Daniel Sorensen also ran out the special teams flag. Former Cougar running back Fui Vakapuna (2002-03, 06-08) carried the alumni flag.
BYU Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall
General thoughts on the game:
“Our team didn’t play clean enough football today to win the game. I really liked their heart, how they fought back, how they played until the last second and gave us a great chance right until the very last play. But, [we made] too many mistakes from the beginning of the game through [the end] to have a clean enough victory, and Utah capitalized on them to their credit.”
On the amount of mistakes his team made:
“Completely surprised me, especially with the maturity of our team. I didn’t expect it. A lot of similar mistakes too. It wasn’t in a bunch of different areas.”
On the amount of penalties:
“I’m disappointed in any penalty that helped our opponent, and any penalty that was unnecessary, and those certainly were.”
On the chances to win the game at the end:
“I was really impressed that we converted the fourth down play. That was an amazing play that gave us a chance to extend the game. And then from there, to Utah’s credit, they blocked the field goal. Give JD Falslev credit. He fights and scratches, picks up the ball and is trying to get a first down. Then there’s a personal foul that extends the game. So, without his extra effort… man, that was phenomenal on his part, which gave us a chance to kick it again. You can’t ask for more than that. We had two tries, and you ought to be able to kick the ball through the uprights.”
Is he disappointed in his field goal kicker:
“I’m disappointed. That won’t be the reason the game wasn’t won. There were plenty of mistakes leading up to that. But when you have a chance to make a play, at any position, that’s what you would hope.”
Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham
Opening Statement
“Where do I begin? We should be 4-1 because we won this game three times. I couldn’t be more proud of our team tonight. We were tough, resilient, and bounced back from a tough loss last week and played with grit and determination. As a starting point for this game, there were a lot of positives. The defense played well, but couldn’t recover a fumble. [BYU] put the ball on the ground about five times, but we couldn’t get one. The offense didn’t get a lot of yards, but didn’t turn the ball over either. You’re not going to lose a lot with no turnovers. There were so many storylines in the game, but the bottom line was that we got what we wanted. I am very proud of the coaching staff and players.”