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AUSTIN, TEXAS -- For BYU being up 13-0 at any point in a football game, is indeed, bad luck. The Cougars lost a heartbreaker 17-16 to the Texas Longhorns after being up the whole game, and at one point up 13-0.
Sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps ended the first half passing with a promising 14/23 for 153 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.
In the first half it looked like the Cougars had worked out all the kinks from last week and were ready to play sound football throughout the rest of the season. And then halftime hit.
"Texas' defense played really well in the second half," said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. "I think it was a defensive struggle and a physical game."
Once the second half began, the BYU team we saw leave for the locker room came back completely different.
"I think we both did a great job of playing our hardest. Like Jake (Heaps) said, it came down to execution at critical times. When we needed to, we didn't execute the way that we typically do," said senior offensive linemen Matt Reynolds. "Close games, that's where we're at our best. And we weren't there tonight."
The difference in the game is making critical plays at the right time, which leads to execution. Our execution didn't hold at the critical moments.
–Bronco Mendenhall
A lack of execution appeared to be the biggest problem. After a promising first half, Heaps, who steers this offensive ship, and his running mates struggled to find any sort of rhythm and consistency. Last week the Cougars were bit by untimely penalties. Against Texas, it was the inability to make a play when needed. Too many three-and-outs prevented the Cougars from ever adjusting to Texas' moves and finding some consistency.
In the second half, Heaps complete 8 of 15 passes, but for just 39 yards. For the game, the Cougars rushed for only 45 yards on 23 carries; a surprisingly low total for such a talented trio of runners (JJ DiLuigi, Bryan Kariya, Josh Quezada).
"The difference in the game is making critical plays at the right time, which leads to execution," said Mendenhall. "Our execution didn't hold at the critical moments."
One of the biggest lingering questions is how good the offense really is. It has shown an ability to move the ball, but has not proven it has the killer instinct to find the end zone. In the last two weeks Heaps and company have crossed the goal line twice despite multiple trips in to the red zone.
"We have the talent, we have everything we need. We showed it, we can hang with anybody, we just need to execute in order to win these football games," said Heaps. "It's tough but we're hoping that this will help us grow as a football team."
Despite the frustrating loss, the offense remains confident and is determined to bounce back strong and make a statement against the University of Utah, which lost to the USC Trojans 17-14. The game comes several months earlier than in years past due to both the Utes (Pac-12) and Cougars (independent) exiting the Mountain West Conference, but still provides an emotional challenge and something to turn to and focus on after such a disappointing loss.
"I think it's exactly what we need at this point. I think it's the perfect remedy to get over this loss. There's a lot of things that everyone's going to look across the board and fix," said Heaps. "Playing Utah next week, we're very excited to have them at our place. We're excited to get back and get focused and start getting ready to go."
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