Cougs left regretting first-half effort

PROVO — In many ways, BYU's performance against Utah on Saturday mirrored its season.

The Cougars started the year slowly, posting a 1-3 record before reeling off five consecutive Mountain West Conference victories. Against the Utes, BYU fell behind in the first half by three touchdowns, then mounted a furious second-half rally with a 31-point outburst.

But, in the end, it wasn't enough as the Cougars lost in overtime, 41-34.

All season long, coach Bronco Mendenhall has preached to his team the importance of making just one more play than the opposing team. On Saturday at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the Cougars made a valiant comeback but came up a play short.

"It was a phenomenal effort," said BYU running back Curtis Brown, "but it wasn't enough tonight."

"I expected it to be tough, but, of course, I expected us to be on top," said cornerback Justin Robinson. "It was pretty intense. If we would have come out in the first half like we did in the second half, it would have been a totally different outcome."

The tone was set early, when, on the game's first play from scrimmage, John Beck threw a pass to Brown, who was wide open down the sidelines, but Brown wasn't able to hang on to the ball. Had Brown caught the ball, he might have scored a touchdown, or, at the least, picked up significant yardage.

It was a sign of things to come in the first 30 minutes.

On BYU's second series, Beck hit Matt Allen on a 50-yard pass play, but it was nullified when he was whistled for pass interference.

In the second quarter, trailing 17-3, BYU's Fahu Tahi was stripped of the ball by Casey Evans, who carried the ball to the Utah seven. Two plays later, Utah quarterback Brett Ratliff scored a four-yard touchdown, lifting the Utes to a 24-3 halftime advantage.

In the locker room, Mendenhall delivered an emphatic address to his players, exhorting them to focus on their responsibilities and on the game plan. The Cougars responded.

"In the first half, I didn't have my football team on an even keel," Mendenhall said afterward. "They were playing outside of their assignments and techniques and emotions. That overrode and overshadowed playing football. It was inappropriate and reflective of the way they played in the first half. At halftime, once they settled down and refocused, they played as I would have expected them to play from the beginning."