'If we don't come out with points, it doesn't really matter': Big gains nullified in Cougars' Hawaii Bowl loss

HONOLULU — Aleva Hifo knew BYU needed a spark.

After battling back from a 21-7 deficit to pulling within 31-24 of Hawaii at halftime of the SoFi Hawaii Bowl, the senior wide receiver tried to become that spark.

Sure, offense was what the Cougars needed. But his spark came on special teams.

Hifo posted 97 yards on three punt returns, the second-most in Hawaii Bowl history, to help the Cougars overturn their one-score halftime deficit and eventually take a 34-31 edge.

And yet, it didn’t seem to matter after the Cougars’ 38-34 loss in the islands Tuesday night, snapping a five-game winning streak over the Rainbow Warriors.

“(Special teams) was important for us,” said Hifo, who added 55 receiving yards for a team-high 274 all-purpose yards. “We got the ball back, and for us to get something out of the offense and to have field-position like that, it’s always good. But at the end of the day, we didn’t finish the drives.

“If we don’t come out with points, it doesn’t really matter.”

Cole McDonald threw for a Mountain West bowl-record 493 yards and four touchdowns to pace Hawaii (10-5), and Jared Smart caught seven passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

But the duo were kept in check through the third quarter, when BYU (7-6) gained 128 yards of offense and outgained the ‘Bows by 132 yards.

That spurt started in the return game, though — and not just from Hifo, he readily admits.

“That’s all the guys in front of me, and the scheme that we had going into this game,” he said. “All I really had to do was run around a couple of guys.

“It’s not easy when guys return to have to run around guys going at full speed. It’s about sustaining those guys for 4-5 seconds, and giving me some time.”

Here are three more takeaways from BYU’s disappointing end to the season.

Slow start bites hard

From a frame-by-frame breakdown, BYU ended the season on a high note.

The Cougars actually outscored Hawaii 27-24 in the final three quarters of their season, for those looking for a positive spin. Falling behind 21-7, though?

Anything but positive.

After McDonald hit Jared Smart with back-to-back touchdown passes to take a 14-0 lead, the 'Bows went up 21-7 on McDonald’s 1-yard TD plunge to open the second quarter. That set up a furious dash to the finish, with BYU holding the Rainbow Warriors scoreless for all of the third quarter, and until McDonald hit Nick Mardner with a 24-yard score with 1:17 remaining to put Hawaii over the edge for good.

“Big plays were the issue,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “We weren’t able to stop them. They are used to throwing the ball and airing it out. Obviously, we didn’t make enough plays."

Penalty-free, but not error-free

BYU didn’t commit a called penalty until the fourth quarter, and finished with four penalties for 41.2 yards (including a decisive targeting call on linebacker Max Tooley that will cost the Bountiful native the first half of the season opener against Utah next year).

But that doesn’t mean there weren’t mistakes by the Cougars.

Zac Dawe’s would-be strip-sack was overturned after a review, flipping momentum from a BYU turnover into a Hawaii 46-yard field goal to go up 10 in the second quarter. Troy Warner nearly had his first career interception, but officials overturned that play after an uproar sparked by a replay on the Aloha Stadium video boards.

Four plays later, Jason Sharsh flew into the end zone on the end of McDonald’s third touchdown pass of the game to go up 31-21.

Then, with BYU clinging to a 34-31 edge in the final four minutes, the Cougars just needed to run out the clock. Hawaii burned its final timeouts to get time back, but BYU had a third-and-two deep in its own territory that — if converted — likely would’ve sealed the deal. Sitake called a timeout to let his offensive staff draw up a play — and Wilson’s pass under pressure to Micah Simon fell incomplete.

“I would’ve liked for it to be the first down,” Sitake said sardonically. “That pretty much would’ve won the game to get a first down there. Obviously, it didn’t go our way and we weren’t able to execute.

“Unfortunately, we won’t have Aleva, Micah and the other seniors that will be with us. But there opportunity is to learn and to get better — for the coaches and the players.”

Is Wilson the right guy at quarterback?

For BYU, the questions come immediately following this game.

Wilson’s status as the starting quarterback has seemed nearly unquestioned since returning from a hand injury midway through the season. But the sophomore starter finishes the year with a 5-4 record, compared to sparking 3-0 claim as 3-0 in games with significant minutes and 3-1 overall when he played. Jaren Hall also finished 1-1 in games where he played significant snaps — a 27-23 loss to South Florida and a 42-14 win over Utah State that saw him start but leave early with an injury.

Any quarterback needs help, and Wilson isn’t alone in that regard. The sophomore threw for 274 yards and ran for 72 more with a pair of rushing scores in his season finale, and he barely got help on the ground through Tyler Allgeir (eight carries, 77 yards) and Lopini Katoa (51 yards, 1 touchdown).

But Tuesday night’s result in Hawaii will likely follow this BYU team deep into the offseason.

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