Did Texas Take or the Cougars Cave?


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PROVO -- One week after pulling out a win full of moxie, BYU was found on the losing end of a gusty performance just as equal. The feeling throughout the country is that the Longhorns withstood adversity and willed themselves to a comeback win over the Cougars. Closer to home the feeling is quite the opposite. BYU lost the game. It wasn't taken from them. They gift wrapped it with a pretty bow and set it on Texas' doorstep for the taking.

Longhorn fans are ready to retire the numbers of Case McCoy and Jaxson Shipley after they led Saturday's comeback in the same fashion their older brothers would have done. The Texas defense is receiving loads of praise after holding the Cougars to 43 yards rushing and only three second half points.

Meanwhile, in Utah the blitz is on the Cougar offense. Questions and accusations of conservative play calling have been flowing through all mediums of the media since midway through the third quarter Saturday.

Coaches and players believe in the play calling and know that it works. [ The Deseret News reports ](<http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700178060/What-BYU-had-here-was-a-failure-to-execute.html >) players say executing the plays properly is the problem, not the plays itself.

"It was failure to execute at critical times," BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said.

Quarterback Jake Heaps agreed, "We didn't execute like we're capable."

In review of Saturday's game the USA Today put it well when it said, "BYU isn't the best team in the country. But it has to be the most even." The joy of winning by one point is just as extreme as the pain of losing by one point is.

The Bleacher Report has identified a [ few more areas ](<http://bleacherreport.com/articles/844389-10-things-we-hope-brandon-doman-has-learned-after-17-16-loss-at-texas/page/1 >) in which BYU's offense can improve, and perhaps [ this article ](<http://bleacherreport.com/articles/844814-byu-football-time-to-take-off-the-training-wheels-for-the-cougar-offense >) said it best. "BYU has actually played two excellent halves of football, offensively. They just happened to be in different games."

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