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LAS VEGAS — The stage was set for No. 16 BYU to usher out the independence era against Notre Dame with a Las Vegas backdrop and an over-the-air, nationally televised audience courtesy of the Fighting Irish's exclusive broadcast arrangement with NBC.
Instead, the Cougars' offense suffered an uncharacteristic number of miscues and mishaps before falling short 28-20 in Sin City.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake tried to roll the dice — he even thought about it, called a timeout to think it through again, and ultimately decided on it — before Lopini Katoa was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 play in the final minutes of the fourth quarter of a one-possession game.
It's impossible to blame a loss on one play, though that one certainly stands out. In the end, the Cougars couldn't overcome a number of miscues.
From 3-of-9 on third down to 0 points off just one turnover to a pass rush that had no sacks (with three tackles for loss, though), blame lies in plenty of places.
In the end, it lies with the head coach, and Sitake wasn't afraid to take it.
"Things didn't go well, obviously, in all of our phases," he said. "I think the discipline was a lot better from our team. There weren't a lot of mental mistakes in terms of penalties, but still wasn't mistake-free football.
"We just couldn't get things going. I feel like the defense was on the field quite a bit. Defensively, we've got to get stops. I'm proud of the way the guys played, but we've got to get better for the next one."
Give credit to Notre Dame (3-2) for the win; an Irish squad that struggled to an 0-2 start with losses to Ohio State and Marshall before turning things around with three-straight wins is finding rhythm and momentum under first-year coach Marcus Freeman and backup quarterback-turned-starter Drew Pyne.
It helps, of course, to have an NFL-bound tight end in Michael Mayer, the 6-foot-4, 265-pound junior who caught 11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The junior was the best player on the field, and BYU didn't have a player who measured up in his regard, at least.
Things could've been much worse, such as when the Cougars found themselves trailing 25-6 after Mayer's second touchdown to open the third quarter. The visitors of the latest Shamrock Series contest almost fought back.
But "almost" only counts in football as much as it does in horseshoes and hand grenades; that is to say, not much.
The Cougars had a chance to make a statement on national television, to prove that they belonged among the top-20 teams in the country and to usher out the independence era with a win over the independent program from the Midwest.
Consider the opportunity missed by a slow start that included just 67 yards of offense in the first half and a defense that allowed 19 more plays than the Irish did against BYU.
Even linebacker Max Tooley, who had a game-high 13 tackles and an interception, knows there are things to fix.
"I think it's just a matter of starting off slow," he said. "I think it's just a matter of starting off slow. I don't have all the answers or why. I just know that it's got to change.
"We need to come out in the first half and make a statement early. We just haven't been able to do that. I like the way we fought, but when it comes down to it, we need to be better."
After trailing by as much as 25-6, the Cougars pulled within a possession on back-to-back touchdowns from Kody Epps, who is quietly having a breakout season, and a 28-yard scoring run from Christopher Brooks, who had 90 yards on 14 carries.
But when BYU needed a yard to keep one final drive and a shot at the tie going, they couldn't get it and were left stranded near midfield with 3:37 remaining.
"We got the ball moving, and we were ready to go," said Epps, who had a career-high 100 yards and two touchdowns. "It was kind of disappointing when we got stopped. But at the end of the day, we've got to get back to the drawing board and see how those moments and those drives, we can improve as an offense. It's also about what I can do personally to help my offense in that moments."
The changes start at the top, too. The Cougars only had one penalty for five yards in the box score — a penalty that likely led to Justen Smith missing a point-after touchdown in the first half. But the mental mistakes that have plagued BYU for all season were still there.
Among the examples: the Cougars lined up 12 players on the field three times against the Fighting Irish. Those kinds of mistakes are unacceptable, especially six games into the 2022 season, Sitake said.
"That's all coaching," a noticeably perturbed Sitake said. "That's me and our coaching staff. The fact that we didn't have it organized, that we had problems, that we had 10 on the PAT; it's Game 6, and we're struggling to put 11 guys out there.
"We've got to figure it out. It's all on the coaching."
The changes have to come quick, too, with Arkansas coming into Provo next Saturday. The Razorbacks (3-3) started off the year in the Associated Press Top 25 before losing their third game in a row to Mississippi State 40-17 during a brutal stretch that also included Texas A&M and Alabama.
There's no time like the present.
"I see the things that we need to fix; it's doable," Sitake said. "But we've got to find a way to get the guys to do it. If it means different players, great. If it means a different scheme, great.
"I think the sense of urgency needs to take place, and that's my job. … These stupid mistakes cannot happen, especially the mistakes of personnel and things like that. We're in midseason, and should be in better form in organized football."
