After suffering an embarrassing loss playing at Liberty last week, BYU needed to make changes and show more fight in a Friday night matchup with the East Carolina Pirates.
So much has been said about the Cougars’ struggles this season, but this game was a chance for Kalani Sitake’s team to not let their record fall below .500. Although this game was closely fought, the Cougars still did not have enough in the tank to pull out the victory.
The losses are continuing to pile up and fans are expressing their frustration as the season heads in the wrong direction. Losing to the Pirates at home will keep the frustration building for the fans, the players, and the coaching staff.
Game notes
The first half was back and forth, with BYU looking more motivated to win than in the previous three weeks of losses. Both teams exchanged scores throughout the half, resulting in some exciting moments in the game. With the score tied at 17, the Cougars knew that they would need to execute their game plan efficiently to win this game against the Pirates.
Each team scored a touchdown to open the second half but after that, the scoring ceased. The score was tied 24-24 throughout the remainder of the third quarter and through most of the fourth quarter. This game went from an offensive exhibition to a defensive battle for most of the second half.
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Fourth quarter collapse
BYU had a chance to pull out the win, receiving the ball on offense with just under four minutes left in the game. They could not get anything going on this drive, like most of the second half, resulting in a three-and-out.
After punting the ball back to ECU, the Cougars needed to get a stop to force overtime. BYU was playing solid defense on this drive, forcing the Pirates into a 4th down with 8 yards to go at the BYU 37-yard line. Sitting just outside of field goal range, ECU had to go for it to have a chance at winning.
On the fourth down play, BYU cornerback Kaleb Hayes was flagged for pass interference. This gave ECU an automatic first down, while also putting them in field goal range. The Pirates wasted the rest of the time on the clock and kicker Andrew Conrad hit a 33-yard field goal to win it for the visitors.
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The losing streak continues
The Cougars lost another game to a Group of Five team where they had a chance to win. At least this game was not a blowout like the previous two weeks but this was still another tough loss.
BYU is now 4-5 on the season, meaning they need to win two of their final three games to reach a bowl game. The Cougars still have road games against Boise State and Stanford, and one more home game against Utah Tech. Assuming that they can beat Utah Tech, they will still need to win one road game against either the Broncos or the Cardinal. With the way the team is playing right now, two wins and a bowl invitation seem less and less likely by the week.
It’s sad to say that this team went from New Year’s Six hopes to now fighting in the final weeks to even make a bowl game at all. It will be interesting to see what changes, if any, are made during the course of this offseason. Going into the Big 12 next year, there need to be some changes made or it’s going to be a very difficult transition for the Cougars to make.
Up next
The Cougars (4-5) now travel to Idaho, taking on the Boise State Broncos (5-2) on Saturday, Nov. 5.
The kick-off time and the channel for the game have yet to be announced.
BYU fans, former players frustrated; react to embarrassing loss at Liberty
