PROVO — BYU used a 20-3 steamrolling in the fourth quarter to pull away from UConn for a 30-13 win Friday night to snap a two-game losing streak.

But through the first three quarters of play, the Huskies (2-3) could've been the better team, even taking a 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter on Bobby Puyol's 37-yard field goal.

But BYU (3-2) woke up, shook off and used two fourth-quarter scores from quarterback Tanner Mangum to Mitch Mathews to pull away for the win.

Here's how the team graded out in the week preceding LDS general conference.

OFFENSE: B+

Francis Bernard opened the Cougars' first drive as the starting running back, and he helped the BYU ground game move well until a misstep between him and Mangum led to a lost fumble at the 33-yard line. The turnover was BYU's first lost fumble of the season, and it eventually led to a punt by UConn's Justin Wain, his second in as many drives. Sae Tauta aided the Cougar defense with a sack with 8:02 left in the first quarter.

Bernard, a freshman from Herriman, Utah, made up for the fumble on the next drive, punching in a 1-yard touchdown dive up the middle after Mathews set him up with a diving 6-yard catch with just under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.

Mangum completed 12 straight passes in the first half, spreading the ball around to several of his receivers. He finished with a career-high 365 yards on 35-of-53 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

But the Cougars failed to convert on multiple opportunities in the first half and were forced to deal with a disappointing 7-7 tie at halftime despite outgaining the Huskies 283-104.

BYU inability to finish wore off in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter when the Cougars outscored the Huskies 17-3 and rolled to a 27-13 lead with seemingly little effort. The Cougars added a field goal with 26 seconds left.

Overall, Algie Brown returned to lead the ground game with 95 yards on 18 carries. It will be a necessity for the Cougars because Adam Hine will miss at least the next four weeks after leaving last Saturday's loss at Michigan with an ankle injury. Bernard also showed he is ready to help the rushing attack, with 69 yards on 11 carries in his first career start.

DEFENSE: A-

Tautu came to play in his first start of the season, totaling three tackles for loss and a team-high eight tackles with BYU's linebacker corps stretched thin by the absence of Harvey Langi and Manoa Pikula from the starting lineup. Aided by seven tackles for loss that included four sacks, the Cougars held UConn to 222 yards total offense.

BYU had two sacks and two tackles for loss in the first quarter against a Huskies offensive line coming off a game against a physical, triple-option attack-based team like Navy.

The biggest breakdown on the BYU defense came when Sione Takitaki was ejected for targeting with just under two minutes left in the first half. Arkeel Newsome reeled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Bryant Shirreffs on the next play to tie the game at 7-7 just before halftime. Beyond that sequence, the defense kept the Huskies at bay enough to where their only lead came via Puyol's 37-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to go up 10-7.

In a controversial call, Takitaki picked up a roughing-the-passer penalty by hitting Shirreffs with his shoulder in the helmet to merit the targeting penalty and subsequent ejection. Takitaki will also miss the first half of BYU's home game next week against East Carolina, unless the penalty is overturned by BYU's advisor committee, CFO West.

With BYU's three turnovers early and its failure to finish on offense, a stellar defensive effort kept the Cougars in the game long enough for the offense to finally take over after three quarters.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B+

The special teams unit was average for the day, though not necessarily for lack of trying. There just wasn't a lot for the unit to do.

Trevor Samson missed a 48-yard field goal with 10:55 left in the first half for his first miss of the year, snapping a streak of nine-straight makes. Special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga said Samson was "a sure-thing" from 45 yards, but Friday night's opening miss swerved just left of the uprights.

But the kicker nicknamed "Lucky" made up for it and another blocked field goal with three field goals, including a late 32-yarder. Samson made 3-of-5 field-goal attempts on the night, including shots from 26, 25 and 32 yards.

Devon Blackmon had a season-high 29-yard kick return midway through the third quarter after the Cougars went down 10-7 and needed a spark, but it was the only notable play on special teams.

COACHING: A-

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall had all three of his first-half timeouts going into the Cougars' final drive, which was a welcome relief to Cougar fans. The BYU defensive play-caller disguised several different blitz packages and pressured the UConn offensive line to give up five tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry in the first half.

Even offensive coordinator Robert Anae opened up the playbook for his true freshman quarterback, and Mangum had 239 of his career-high 365 passing yards in the first half.

Fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium weren't happy with BYU's decision to kick a field goal on fourth-and-1 from the 8-yard line midway through the third quarter, but the Cougars took an easy three points in a situation where they weren't sure how many more would come.

Mendenhall dropped Bronson Kaufusi into coverage early in the fourth quarter, a move that led to the defensive-end-turned-linebacker-turned-end's his first interception of the year. Kaufusi credited the coach with the play entirely.

Related Story

BYU pulls away late in 30-13 win over UConn

BYU didn't make it easy, but it pulled away down the stretch with a 30-13 win over UConn to snap a two-game losing skid in front of an announced crowd of 56,393 fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Friday night.

"Coach (Mendenhall) made a good call," he said during a postgame interview. "It was good to be in that spot and get that pick."

BYU then followed up with a one-play, eight-second drive with a 21-yard touchdown to Mathews to go up 20-10 with 12:03 left in the game, making the play's call and execution even more vital.

Mendenhall and secondary coach Nick Howell also led the way in play-calling duties to help the Cougars force four sacks with clever blitz packages and multiple sets. For Kaufusi, the chance to earn a sack is a heavenly experience.

"It's almost like the gates of heaven are opening for you," he said with a laugh.

OVERALL: B+

A win goes a long way for the Cougars, who sorely needed to come out on the winning side of any game after back-to-back losses at UCLA and Michigan.

Through three quarters, the Cougars didn't make it look easy — and could've been better, especially on the offensive end. Penalties were a drain on the night, halting drives and stalling momentum early. But BYU's offense regained its form in the final period and made the oddsmakers in Las Vegas look pretty smart at nearly 2 a.m. ET.

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