PROVO — Again, BYU needed a late score to come out with a victory. This time, it came against East Carolina Saturday night as the Cougars moved to 4-2 with the 45-38 win.

The Cougars were without a number of key contributors on both sides of the ball late in the contest, but eked out the win.

A back-and-forth affair saw a 14-0 ECU lead turn into a 28-14 BYU advantage before East Carolina tied it up 38-38 with four minutes to play.

In the end, a win is a win, and BYU needed this one with Cincinnati coming to Provo next Friday and a matchup with Missouri looming in three weeks.

The Cougars, however, have plenty to clean up.

OFFENSE: C+

When quarterback Tanner Mangum left the game with an apparent hamstring injury, the BYU passing game exited with him. Even up to that point, the Cougars were mostly one-dimensional. Mangum found success in the passing game through a variety of comeback routes, and BYU moved the ball well. Still, take away Algie Brown's 53-yard touchdown run off a delayed handoff on a well-designed play and the home team managed just 113 yards on 42 carries.

On the final drive of the night, the offense seemed to fuel off the home crowd and the return to the huddle of its now first-string signal-caller. The offensive line pushed the Pirates' front backward, opening lanes for Brown and Francis Bernard, and affording Mangum time to pass. But an interception by back-up quarterback Beau Hoge, a lost fumble by Brown and penalties give this unit a less-than-stellar score.

Of the positives, Devon Blackmon was excellent in his route-running and a number of wide receivers continuously separated from their defensive backs. But Mangum wasn't always able to connect with his targets and the line wasn't able to dependably clear room for the ground attack.

DEFENSE: C-

This grade is probably higher than it should be, but three forced turnovers are the saving grace here. James Summers started at quarterback for East Carolina and gave BYU trouble with his running ability. The Cougars did well to adjust and improve their discipline in the quarterback spy, but when Blake Kemp replaced Summers he almost threw the ball to wherever he wanted at will.

Missing three defensive backs that are high on BYU's depth chart certainly hurt, but when the pass rush was needed it was nearly nonexistent. The Cougars played better against the run with Summers having departed. Yet, Pirate receivers often turned short passes and simple routes into big gains.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

The blocked punt that went for an early East Carolina touchdown is one of the only blemishes here. Bronson Kaufusi, of course, responded with a blocked punt that was almost returned for a touchdown by Trey Dye. That helped the Cougars gain their foothold on the night.

Punt returns left something to be desired as the blocking wasn't great for Garrett Juergens and Micah Hannemann, but Jonny Linehan had a strong game punting for an average of 49.5 yards, and Trevor Samson continued his solid campaign with a 37-yard field goal.

The kick coverage was good overall as well.

COACHING: C

BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall said his team was ready for the two quarterbacks and the up-tempo Pirate attack, but BYU couldn't make the necessary adjustments to stop the visitors from coming back and tying the game after being 17 points down in the second half.

Still, with so many players missing time, Mendenhall and his staff did well to keep the team focused and come out with the win.

The offensive approach to getting the ball out of Mangum's hands and into those of his playmakers paid off. And despite a subpar rushing attack on the whole, the offensive line did its part when it mattered most. There's plenty to shore up before Cincinnati comes to town, but the coaching OK in BYU's win. Kyle Spencer is a freelance journalist residing in Orem. You can find him on Twitter @kyledspencer or reach him by email at kspence04@gmail.com.

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