PROVO — It's tough to swallow for a BYU team that has been earning postseason bowl bids 12 years in a row.

The Cougars (1-7) will not be going bowling after their seventh-straight loss, 33-17 at 2-6 East Carolina on Saturday night.

The Cougars lost seven in a row for the first time since 1968, when they finished 2-8 under then-head coach Tommy Hudspeth, and will miss out on a bowl game for the first time since Gary Crowton's final season in 2004.

Here are three thoughts on the misery surrounding the BYU football team.

No bowl game at the end of this tunnel

For anyone who thought the BYU football team had hit rock bottom, another dagger struck Saturday night.

For the first time since 2004, the Cougars will not be going to a bowl game.

The chances were fairly remote going into Saturday. BYU needed to run the table through its final six games — including a 13th-game exemption at Hawaii in the regular-season finale — to clinch a 7-6 record and be eligible for a bowl game.

Now the best they can hope is 6-7.

“We just need to stay united as a group, and that is what we are focused on,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “I feel bad for the seniors, but we have to honor them with the way we play the rest of the season.”

For a reminder of the 2004 season: Gary Crowton was in his final season as successor to legendary coach LaVell Edwards. After opening the season with a 20-17 win over Notre Dame, the Cougars lost four of their next five, including a 24-20 loss to UNLV before rebounding with three-straight wins, and falling below the .500-line with a 52-21 loss at rival Utah to drop them to 5-6 overall.

Nothing is guaranteed, even with a win streak to end the season, for a BYU squad that does not have a bowl agreement for 2017.

“We’re going to continue to play our hearts out each game for these seniors, and continue to try to get a win each week,” Micah Simon said. “We want to build momentum for next season for the guys who are coming back.”

BYU could still receive an exemption to play in a bowl game, according to NCAA bylaws — but the odds are slim. First, the Cougars would need to run the table to reach 6-7. Then, there would need to be more bowl games than 6-6 teams in the country.

After that, the Cougars would be eligible to go to a bowl with a sub .500 record. That's because of the order of the other groups on the same record line and based on NCAA academic progress rates.

Essentially, BYU's bowl hopes have ended. But there's a (mathematical) chance.

Don’t be confused; BYU can’t throw the ball

Tanner Mangum threw for more than 300 yards since the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl against rival Utah. But don’t be confused by his 26-of-41 performance that included two touchdowns and an interception.

BYU’s “throw game” isn’t good.

The junior from Eagle, Idaho, had fewer than 100 yards at halftime, and didn’t reach the 200-yard plateau until the final drive of the third quarter.

“I’m not worried about yards; I want points,” Sitake said. “We need more production on the scoreboard. That’s how you win games — it’s not about how many yards you get, but getting into the end zone.”

Just as concerning in the passing game is BYU’s habit of giving away the ball. The Cougars have the second-most turnovers in the nation with 18, including an interception from Mangum to Cannon Gibbs that shut the door on a comeback with 14:52 remaining in the game. That drive by the Pirates ended in Gardner Minshew’s 26-yard TD strike to Quay Johnson with 6:52 remaining that sealed the win.

Finally emerging in the passing game was wide receiver Aleva Hifo, who caught nine passes for 148 yards and a touchdown. Hifo became the first 100-yard receiver for BYU since Mitch Mathews graduated two years ago.

“Aleva’s a baller,” said Simon, who caught four passes for 30 yards and a touchdown. “He got his confidence going early, and that showed throughout the rest of the game. He played his heart out.”

Injuries keep piling up

Even with a healthy roster, BYU’s offense has shown little in being able to run up enough to compete with the worst teams on its schedule (among which East Carolina could have been considered prior to Saturday’s game).

While nobody on the program will use it as an excuse, the Cougars were hit by the injury bug again.

Sophomore cornerback Troy Warner spent the game on the sideline in street clothes with an undisclosed injury. The latest absence brings BYU’s allotment of injuries to 35 players in 2017.

“Troy’s a stud. He’s a big loss,” senior defensive back Zayne Anderson said. “But someone needs to step up for us, and that’s the way it needs to go on this team. But losing Troy hurt us.”

Warner’s older brother Fred finished with a career-high 11 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup, to lead the BYU defense.

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