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PROVO — After jumping out to an early 23-0 lead, No. 25 BYU had to claw to hang on and beat Houston, 33-25, Thursday night.
Houston scored 15 unanswered to close the deficit to eight before halftime, and although BYU looked like it had pulled away up 33-15 in the second half, Houston again mounted a charge to get within one possession.
BYU showed signs of a national contender, but has a lot of work to do if it wants to be considered for a spot in the inaugural college football playoffs. That possibility looks simply like a dream at this point.
Running game: BYU quarterback Taysom Hill was his steady again on his way to 160 rushing yards, but it wasn't completely over until Jamaal Williams carried the ball for 11 yards to pick up a first down that allowed BYU to run out the clock. Williams took over as the offensive workhorse, running 28 times for 139 yards. The offensive line paved the way, and BYU recorded its first 300-yard rushing game (323) of the season.
Linebackers: A blitz at the right time allowed Zac Stout to get in the backfield and swallow up Houston running back Ryan Jackson for a safety, and the play set the tone following a stalled BYU drive that made it just across midfield. Alani Fua tied for the team lead in tackles with seven, and he and Manoa Pikula, who had four tackles, each recorded a tackle for loss — BYU's only two in addition to Stout's play to open the scoring.
Safety play: If Houston was unaware, it left Provo understanding that the BYU safeties lay the lumber when they hit. Craig Bills was called for a targeting penalty that was later reversed and he combined with Dallin Leavitt to land some of the most violent blows of the night. Bills racked up seven tackles and a pass breakup while covering an impressive amount of ground, and Leavitt showed a knack for sniffing out the run and short pass while finishing with four tackles.
Special teams: Outside of punter Scott Arellano's failed attempt at a fake punt run on fourth down, this unit had its best night so far. BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall said he didn't get mad at Arellano for calling his own number, and that could be because it was Arellano's kick that set up Stout's safety. The kick coverage swarmed Houston's return men, Arellano had a 54-yard boot and Trevor Samson made a 26-yard field goal. Devon Blackmon also had a 16-yard punt return where he showed off an ability to make players miss. A couple of penalties and short punts keep it from being a spectacular special teams performance, but the progress were evident.
Offensive line: This group regressed after two outstanding efforts. Tejan Koroma's attempted punch and subsequent ejection characterize a sloppy night for the big men up front. It goes beyond that, though, as a number of BYU's penalties were their doing, and Mendenhall said the "protection wasn't holding quite long enough. As I was scanning downfield, I saw open players."
Closing ability: Despite BYU's 23-point lead a little more than 21 minutes in the game, the hosts couldn't put Houston away. A Hail Mary right before halftime gave coach Tony Levine's team all the momentum and a lifeline at the break. If Mendenhall's team is even going to compete for an at-large berth in the Peach Bowl, Fiesta Bowl or Cotton Bowl come selection time in December, it has to learn how to finish opponents off before late in the fourth quarter. The Texas game was a different story, but both UConn and Houston were given excellent chances to remain close throughout.
Passing game: Perhaps it's time to take a step back when predicting Hill to be BYU's next Heisman Trophy winner. Hill was off the mark initially, missing on his first three passes and completing just three of his first nine attempts. Maybe it was the 2014 home debut, playing on 9/11 or the national hype, but he struggled to find his accuracy. A couple of intermediate throws got him really going, and it's hard to blame both interceptions on him. Still, he doesn't look as sharp as he appears he can be when going after the 15- to 20-yard passes. Some of that is on the wide receivers and the offensive line. When hosting Virginia in nine days, Hill and company will certainly want to shore up to enact their desired vengeance.
Penalties: BYU was flagged 11 times for 98 yards. It's the second year in a row BYU has given Houston at least that many free yards. It looked like the issue was under control at Texas. That is obviously not the case: "At some point we've got to get those raked in at a higher level," Mendenhall said. Preparing for its last Power 5 opponent that will come to Provo, BYU needs to adjust. It's one thing when a team is being over aggressive, which Mendenhall said was the result of some of the infractions. However, mental mistakes and poor decisions often can be the difference.
Pass rush: Houston quarterback John O'Korn picked apart the BYU secondary at times: "We thought we'd be able to get quite a bit more pressure and sack O'Korn more than we did," Mendenhall said. BYU knew what it was up against after his big performance in Houston last year. The time he had to operate in the pocket was one of the catalysts for Houston making the game much closer than it seemed destined to be after the early three-possession lead.
Cornerback play: Robertson Daniel took the blame for Houston's successful heave at the end of the first half to close the gap to eight, saying he was "selfish" in trying to intercept O'Korn. The difficulties went beyond him. Jordan Johnson and Daniel missing the experience of the opener could go into why O'Korn frequently found players wide open in space. Houston's Daniel Spencer had 10 receptions for 133 yards and Deontay Greenberry had six for 74 yards.
