The last few games have been very concerning for this BYU team, as they have had a very tough time at the beginning of games. This has led to them having to piece together big second-half performances to give them a chance to win games. Playing against Wyoming and Utah State the last two weeks, the Cougars have been able to overcome these slow starts to pick up two wins. Against Oregon on the road, however, BYU was not able to piece together the same second-half success, which led to a loss.
This week the Cougars were set to play against a very talented Notre Dame team. Although the Irish didn’t start the season the way they wanted – starting 0-2 – they have been able to bounce back with two straight wins. For BYU to be able to win this game, it would be important for them to start fast and match the energy of the Irish. This would be a really big win for the Cougars if they could pull it off and could propel them further up the rankings. Could BYU finally start fast and play well throughout the entirety of a game to beat Notre Dame?
No. 16 BYU vs. Notre Dame: Preview, national predictions and betting lines
First quarter
The answer to that question would be no. The first-half struggles that the Cougars have been having would continue in a big way tonight.
BYU started the game with the ball in their offense’s hands, and the first play from scrimmage was an interception thrown by Jaren Hall that was well underthrown that found the hands of Irish cornerback TaRiq Bracy. This would give the Irish the ball on their own side of the field, already threatening to score. Fortunately for the offense, the defense would step up and hold Notre Dame to just a field goal.
BYU was not able to do much on their next drive either, having to punt after gaining just one first down. The following Irish drive would result in a three-and-out. Although the offense started slow, the defense started off better than they had in their previous games.
The ensuing drive for the Cougars would be the last one of the first quarter. The Cougars’ offense was finally able to get on the scoreboard, as they had great starting field position set up by a 42-yard punt return from Hobbs Nyberg. The offense finished off the drive with a touchdown on fourth and goal from the 2-yard line, via a pass from Hall to receiver Kody Epps. The extra point was missed by Justen Smith, and BYU led 6-3 at the end of the first quarter.
Second quarter
The second quarter was heavily dominated by Notre Dame. They would score a touchdown to follow up on the Cougars’ score. It was an impressive drive from the Fighting Irish to retake the lead, as they drove the ball down the field 75 yards and finished it off with a 19-yard pass from Drew Pyne to Michael Mayer. These two connected often during this one, and Mayer had a huge game.
The following BYU drive was a three-and-out, giving the ball right back to Notre Dame. The Irish would drive the ball down the field once again. This time the BYU defense would make a stand when the Irish got done into the red zone. They made a great stop on a fourth and one from the 4-yard line to give the ball back to their offense.
The offense was now backed up inside their own 4-yard line and Notre Dame was bringing pressure. The pressure would end up getting to Jaren Hall as he was sacked in the end zone, resulting in a safety. The Irish now led 12-6, and their offense would be getting the ball right back.
They would take advantage of the opportunity given to them by their defense. Notre Dame’s offense drove the ball down the field 79 yards and added another touchdown to their total. The touchdown was another strike from Pyne, this time to receiver Jayden Thomas, for a 30-yard score. The Irish would attempt a two-point conversion and convert. They now had a commanding 18-6 lead over the Cougars heading into halftime.
Third quarter
Notre Dame would start with the ball in the second half, and they would continue their success from the first half. The opening drive would result in another touchdown for the Irish, another Pyne to Mayer connection from 19 yards out. The big lead would continue to grow for Notre Dame, now up 25-6. This game seemed to be over at this point because of the struggles of BYU’s offense in putting up points.
However, the Cougars would score a touchdown of their own on the following drive. This score came from a long touchdown pass from Hall connecting with Epps again, this time from 53 yards out. BYU had now cut the lead to 12 points, trailing 25-13. Kody Epps was another player that was having a really big game in this one despite the struggles of the Cougars’ offense.
BYU’s defense would play better throughout the remainder of the second half after giving up an opening drive touchdown. They did not allow the Irish to score again in the third quarter of play.
Fourth quarter
On the ensuing BYU drive, the Cougars would drive down the field and score another touchdown. This one was a big run by Christopher Brooks from 28 yards away, with the touchdown coming just after the start of the fourth quarter. The Cougars now trailed by only five points and now had a real shot to complete the comeback effort.
On the next drive, Notre Dame would drive the ball down the field to the BYU 26-yard line. With the Irish threatening to score, the Cougars’ defense needed to make a big play. They did just that in forcing an interception from a great defensive effort. Max Tooley intercepted Pyne after the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage, giving the ball back to the offense with a chance to take the lead late in the game.
However, the offense was not able to move the ball on the next drive. They went three and out after the interception, and not being able to capitalize on the turnover would prove to be costly for BYU. The Irish would chew up about 5 minutes of game time on their next drive and cap it off with a 20-yard field goal by Blake Grupe. The score was now 28-20, and BYU would need to score a touchdown and then tally a two-point conversion to tie the game.
The last drive for the Cougars would be their last chance to force overtime. Jaren Hall would find Kody Epps for another big gain of 27 yards to get BYU into Notre Dame territory. After the big pass from Hall, the offense tried running the ball to keep marching down the field.
After getting stopped on a rush from Brooks on third down and two, the Cougars now faced a fourth and one with the game on the line. The fourth downplay call was very questionable, as they attempted to run the ball up the middle of the Irish defense with running back Lopini Katoa. In this scenario, I would have liked to see the coaches give Jaren Hall a chance to make a play seeing as he is the leader of this team. Notre Dame got the ball back with 3:37 left on the clock so the BYU defense would need to make a big stop to give the Cougars’ offense one last chance to tie things up. This would turn out to not be the case, as the Irish were able to pick up two critical first downs and sealed their win over BYU, 28-20.
Key takeaways
Another slow start for this team, especially the struggles in the second quarter, held them back from winning this game. The comeback effort was exciting to watch but the Cougars may have been able to win if they were able to perform better throughout the entirety of the game. The coaching staff needs to figure out a way to get their players into a good rhythm in the first half or this team could lose a couple of more games this season. Notre Dame has a lot of talent but this was definitely a winnable game for BYU if they would have executed well throughout the game.
The other takeaway I want to share this week is about the defensive scheme. Since defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki took over the role in 2016, he has been criticized by fans of the team. He has some games where he makes great calls, while others make you just scratch your head about what the defensive coverage is supposed to achieve. In this game, I found myself often thinking the latter. The Irish were able to compile 234 rushing yards, yet the defense would often line up as if they were trying to prevent being beaten on a deep pass.
Not only did Notre Dame run the ball exceptionally well, but Drew Pyne was also able to pass the ball with ease to tight end Michael Mayer. Mayer had 11 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdown catches. Those numbers from a tight end are unacceptable for a defense to be giving up if they want to win. There were several times throughout the game when he was wide open, with no defenders near him and he was clearly their top target.
It seems as though there are some internal issues within this BYU team that are holding them back from their potential this season. I didn’t expect them to be perfect this year, but this team had too many leaders and playmakers returning to be playing this sloppily.
Up next
BYU will have a chance to bounce back against the Arkansas Razorbacks at home on Saturday, Oct. 15. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. MT and the game can be seen on ESPN.
