Berry's in, Beck's out against UNLV

PROVO — The return of Matt Berry last Saturday didn't result in the BYU offense scoring a lot of points. Nor did his return result in a victory.

But coach Gary Crowton liked what he saw out of his sophomore quarterback. On Monday, Crowton reaffirmed that the Cougars' starting QB job belongs to Berry.

In fact, freshman backup John Beck, who started four games while Berry was sidelined with a hand injury, may not see action on Saturday when the Cougars visit UNLV, Crowton said.

Early in the season, Crowton gave Beck an occasional series to provide him with some experience. Crowton said he's not necessarily taking that approach this week.

"John's got enough series that he doesn't always need that now. I think Matt's shown he can go. He'll probably be the guy the whole game. If I get a chance to work John in, I will. But I'm not going to guarantee him that this game," Crowton said. "Right now I think Matt's the No. 1 guy and John's a guy who's getting better. He's got a tremendous amount of education for a true freshman that will help him be a real good player down the road."

Berry appreciates his coach's confidence. "He's expressed that I'm his guy, and that motivates me more to be a better quarterback and really get this team going," said Berry, who added that his hand is getting better, and stronger, every day.

Crowton was impressed with Berry's performance in the second half.

"I was worried going in. I knew he'd be a little rusty," Crowton said. "You could see him getting better as the game went on. He came back real strong down the stretch and made some big plays. I think he's going to get back where he was before he got hurt. I thought he was playing really well before he got hurt."

In the 13-10 loss to the Cowboys, Berry completed 21 of 34 attempts for 225 yards. He also threw one interception and had one fumble. That pick came at the end of the game as the Cougars were driving for a potential score that would have either won the game or sent it into overtime. But in the contest's waning seconds, Berry's pass was tipped and intercepted, dashing BYU's hopes for a comeback.

"I was sure we were going to win Saturday until that ball went 15 yards into the air," Berry said. "We had two open receivers. The play was open. I knew we were going to tie it or win. Unfortunately, (Wyoming) just got lucky."