PROVO — After struggling early and falling behind 10-0 after one quarter against Cincinnati Friday night, BYU used a 21-0 fourth-quarter surge to pull away from the Bearcats for a 38-24 win — its second straight victory over a team from the American Athletic Conference.

BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum completed 19-of-32 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns with just one interception, after ending the first half with 5-of-15 completions for 80 yards and a pick. BYU wide receiver Nick Kurtz totaled 119 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions, including a wide-open 53-yard score in the fourth quarter to ignite the late rally.

But BYU's defense kept the Cougars (5-2) in the game. Sione Takitaki had a team-high nine tackles and two tackles for loss in his first start of the season, and BYU forced eight sacks — the most in a single game since 1999. The Bearcats fell to 3-3 on the season after their first-ever game in the state of Utah.

Here are a few quick thoughts after BYU's late surge for the victory.

BYU's offense was hamstrung early

Whether it was for a leg injury to Mangum or too many drops by wide receivers, the BYU offense was anemic through the first quarter, putting up just 19 total yards and zero points through the first 15 minutes. Mangum completed just 1-of-5 passes for 10 yards, and the offense struggle to find any rhythm as the Bearcats jumped to a 10-0 lead early.

Yet despite the shaky start, Mangum came out for the second half by completing 7-of-8 passes for 72 yards and a 19-yard strike to Kurtz to tie the game at 17-17. Again, he led the offense to a game-tying drive with 10:24 left in the game — a drive that gave the Cougars' 349 yards of total offense and caught them up with the Bearcats' hot start.

Mangum finished with 252 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-32 passing with only one interception.

"I think (the second half changes) took place with practice," head coach Bronco Mendenhall said of Mangum. "It kind of sounds funny to say that in a game, but he wasn't able to practice before the game much and do it effectively. And so I just think it took him a little bit of time to get back up to game speed without many repetitions."

BYU's defense wasn't always great, but Bronson Kaufusi was

The former Timpview two-sport standout had three tackles and two sacks in the first quarter, and blocked a 58-yard field goal attempt on the first play of the second quarter to lead to BYU's first points, a 27-yard field goal by Trevor Samson with 13:29 left in the half.

Kaufusi finished with six tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble.

"I felt like coach really put me in good situations where I was able to have 1-on-1s, and I was twisting well," Kaufusi said. "It was nice to have (nose tackle Travis Tuiloma) in the middle so he could get a big push. I'm just happy to be able to help out the team and get after the quarterback."

Tuiloma finished with three tackles and 1.5 sacks. But what he did was less important than what he allowed the rest of BYU's defense to do.

"Because of his physicality and how he plays, he always demands a double team inside," Kaufusi said. "If they don't double him, he'll push that guy right back into the quarterback. Having him there just complements the whole defense and allows the defense to do a lot more."

The BYU defense started off slow, giving up several rounds of double-digit gains to bury themselves in an early 10-0 lead. But Kaufusi and new starter Takitaki led the way for a defense that got better as the game went on.

"They just played really hard," Mendenhall said of his defense. "We made a few personnel changes, a few little tweaks with the scheme here and there, but really it was just the effort of Bronson, and Travis and Sione and Sai Tautu. I don't even know who got them all, but whoever we put in there just tried really hard."

Altitude is real — or at least BYU's fourth-quarter effort is

BYU struggled through the first three quarters, trailing 24-17 going into the final period. But Kurtz's touchdown ignited the offense and BYU shut out its AAC foe to pick up the win.

The win came after Cincinnati had nearly 10 more minutes of possession and ran more than 10 additional plays. But BYU used some big plays in the fourth quarter and gave the Bearcats a loss in a rare trip westward.

"We just keep playing; we just keep believing," Mangum said. "We know that the game is never over (early), so we keep fighting and we stay positive. That's the biggest thing: no matter what is going on, we stay up.

"We know the fourth quarter is our time to come through and finish the game."

Riley Burt is explosive

The freshman running back from Box Elder had only two rushes, but they went for 48 yards. Unfortunately for the Cougars, Burt went out with an undisclosed injury after ripping off a 41-yard sprint across midfield in the second quarter, and BYU's run game sputtered with it.

The status of Burt is uncertain going forward. But the first-year player appears to have a bright future. And his success is also sparking the other running backs.

"In the meeting rooms, when we prepare, everyone as much as possible is on the same level," said Algie Brown, who finished with a team-high 88 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. "When we call their number, they are just as ready as anyone else. It pumps you up when you see a freshman go in and break off a big run."

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BYU scores 21 straight in 4th to beat Cincinnati 38-24

Tanner Mangum threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns and BYU scored 21 straight points in the fourth quarter to beat Cincinnati 38-24 on Friday night.

Hayden Moore has moves

Cincinnati opened up a quarterback competition after Notre Dame transfer Gunner Kiel was cleared to return to play, but the freshman Moore started Friday night, and he finished with 15-of-30 for 219 yards through the air and carried the ball 20 times on the ground.

But when it came down to the end of the game, BYU's eight sacks — the most since 1999 against San Diego State — wore down the young signal caller.

"I felt like you can sense a quarterback getting like that because he'll get one check and then take off running or look for a gap," Kaufusi said. "You see his eyes going back and forth fast; that's what we want. It was nice to be able to see that, and cause that antsiness."

Cincinnati had never lost a game when Mike Boone scores — until Friday

The Bearcat running back had 53 yards and a touchdown on nine carries Friday night, and the Cincinnati run game gashed the BYU defense for 135 yards on the ground.

Boone had just 23 yards on three carries entering Friday night, but he had scored three touchdowns in 2015 — with scores coming in wins over Alabama A&M and Miami (Ohio). In the only other game Boone played before the loss to BYU, he had 16 yards on six carries — and no touchdowns — in a loss 34-26 loss to Temple.

All good things, Bearcats, come to an end.

"It's really a gratifying win today," Mendenhall said. "I think Cincinnati's a very good team. Coach (Tommy) Tuberville's a good coach — and that shows by the way their team played."

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