Return to Provo not very happy one for Tulsa coach

PROVO — For all the effort BYU has put into making visitors feel welcome at LaVell Edwards Stadium — guided tours of stadium facilities, help with travel arrangements and such — Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe's return to Provo was less than pleasant.

The fourth-year coach, who learned the ways of football as the child of a BYU coach in the 1970s, has said the things he saw from BYU legends like LaVell Edwards and Jim McMahon have influenced his strategy for resurrecting the once-dismal Golden Hurricane program.

Saturday, his team showed shades of the Cougars of yore but was outdone by the Cougars of the here and now in a 49-24 loss.

Kragthorpe said he didn't make a big deal about his return to Provo, saying he only saw a couple of people he knew and instead focused on the game.

"I've been in those situations three or four different times in my life as a player," he said. "I played at Eastern New Mexico, then I transferred to West Texas and was playing against my buddies, and we beat them both times that happened. It happens, and I'm not going to think in terms like that."

Tulsa started strong, outgaining BYU and holding a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Kragthorpe's team appeared to have taken the momentum after blocking a punt and turning it into a field goal, but things started to shift when the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds and gave the Cougars good field position.

BYU wasted little time cashing in on the mistake, marching 65 yards in 13 plays to retake the lead, which it would not relinquish.

"We had a 10-7 lead there," Kragthorpe said. "We would have liked to have had that be 14-7, you know, and punch that thing in there after we blocked the punt. But we had the 10-7 lead, then they come down and score and make it 14-10, but you know, we're still in the ball game. We were in the ball game when it was 28-17 late in the game."

Kragthorpe said his team's poor tackling made the difference in the game but gave credit to BYU running backs Curtis Brown and Fui Vakapuna, who punished the Golden Hurricane defense all afternoon. Brown had a 62-yard touchdown reception in which he broke four tackles, while Vakapuna at one point had a 38-yard run in which he broke six.

Brown finished with 207 total yards (125 rushing, 82 receiving), while Vakapuna tallied 96 yards on 11 carries.

"I think the biggest thing today was we didn't tackle well enough," Kragthorpe said. "(BYU) has big, strong backs, and I think Curtis and Fui both played well. You have to give them credit for that. Those guys are tough to tackle."

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