BYU football: Turnovers prove Cougs' undoing again

LAS VEGAS — BYU's 31-21 loss to Arizona proved the Cougars need plenty of work on ball security and execution.

After coughing up three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception), the Cougars missed three field-goal attempts in the 10-point loss.

"You have to give credit to Arizona," BYU quarterback Max Hall said. "They put good pressure on me. We fought hard but it wasn't enough. I have so much to learn and work on to be the kind of quarterback I want to be and I'm really looking forward to next year.

"We can't be too disappointed in a 10-3 season. It was a good season, but not the great season we wanted."

Those miscues proved to head coach Bronco Mendenhall that his staff and players have plenty of work to do heading into next season, when they'll lose all but one of their senior offensive linemen, a gamer linebacker in David Nixon, and possibly big-play receiver Austin Collie.

"This is the third year we've had 10 wins or more," Mendenhall said. "But right now, it doesn't feel like it was enough."

The turnovers Saturday night, all connected to Hall, were the most visible, but were not the only mistakes made by the Cougars, according to Mendenhall.

Feeling Arizona's front four pressure, Hall left the pocket half a dozen times. While he picked up some yardage, two of his fumbles came on that move.

BYU's secondary, which played most of the game well enough to win, broke down on two coverages on long pass plays by Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama.

"For a team that prides itself and places a high value on ball security and execution, that's disappointing," said Mendenhall, who accepted the blame.

In BYU's three losses this year, the Cougars turned the ball over a total of 13 times (three to Arizona, six at Utah and four against TCU).

The common denominator, Mendenhall said, was that the Cougars trailed and appeared "to press" when mistakes were made.

Before the season, offensive coordinator Robert Anae said his two main goals for the season were ball security and blocking.

A positive, Mendenhall said, is that the Cougars finished their third straight season without losing at home.

"My credit goes to coach Mike Stoops and to Arizona. They made critical plays when they needed to make the critical plays. You all know the game can be decided on three to five plays and they made those plays and deserve the credit. I give my congratulations to them," the Cougars' coach said.

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E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com