There are two ways the story of BYU's 17-10 loss to No. 15 UCLA could be written: 1. Gee, did they ever stink it up in getting behind 17-0; and 2. Boy, did they play a terrific 26-minute stretch in the second half.
It's the old "Is the glass half-empty or half-full?" dilemma.For two games now, the pattern has been the same. BYU comes out flat, gets behind, arouses itself in the second half, threatens to win but makes a crucial mistake to end it. Last week the crucial mistake was a fumbled punt. At Cougar Stadium on Saturday, it was quarterback Steve Clements' interception on first and goal at the UCLA 10-yard line, with a minute and a half left to play.
One way or another, these guys are finding a way to not get it done.
BYU coach LaVell Edwards admitted after the game that his team's tendency to start poorly has him concerned.
"As I mentioned to the team," he said, "that's an area we're going to have to work on. We need to come out and execute better right from the opening gun."
If the Cougars were combining those poor starts with poor middles and poor ends, it wouldn't be so mystifying because they'd be consistent. But the fact is that at times they look very good. In the second half, the much-maligned BYU defense held UCLA to 83 yards total offense, and scoreless for 28 minutes. The offense, meanwhile, moved inside the UCLA 30-yard line on four of seven second-half possessions.
Early in the game, it looked as if UCLA would move the ball at will, while BYU would be lucky to get within sight of midfield. The Bruins took the opening kickoff 80 yards on 17 plays, mostly Kevin Williams right, Kevin Williams left, Kevin Williams up the middle, Kevin Williams In Your Face, BYU. The Bruin tailback rushed 11 times for 46 yards on that drive, but he paid a price. On first-and-goal at the BYU 2-yard line, Cougar noseguard Lenny Gomes and linebacker Shad Hansen dumped Williams for a five-yard loss, and in the assault Williams tore a chest muscle. From that point, he wasn't a factor, gaining 20 yards on his next seven carries.
That drive even ended in a victory of sorts for the Cougar defenders, when they forced UCLA to kick a 22-yard field goal. BYU was behind, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
The BYU offense, on the other hand, was about as bad as it could be. Starting quarterback John Walsh completed two of nine passes in the half for 52 yards. Clements, who had been told before the game that he'd play the second quarter, came in at the 9:49 mark to cheers from the crowd and responded by completing one of six for 43 yards. The Cougar ground game netted 16 yards.
Remember, now, it was UCLA that wasn't supposed to have a quarterback. The Bruins' starter, Wayne Cook, suffered a season-ending injury last week and was replaced by Rob Walker, a redshirt freshman. But Walker completed 14 of 16 in the half, for 160 yards, including six completions on a second-quarter drive that ended in a UCLA touchdown and 10-0 lead.
Going into the locker room at halftime, both teams were wondering where BYU had gone.
"I didn't think we could come up here and hold BYU scoreless in the first half," said UCLA coach Terry Donahue.
And why wouldn't he think that? BYU hasn't been held scoreless in the first half in 40 games. For that matter, they haven't been held to 10 points at home since 1986, and have never lost two in a row at home in the Edwards era.
In the second half, the Cougars came up with an offensive game plan that nearly worked. But first, just to be sporting, they spotted the Bruins another touchdown. Steve Christensen fumbled the opening kickoff, giving UCLA the ball at the BYU 23-yard line. Four plays later, Bruin tailback Daron Washington rambled in from the 2 and UCLA was up 17-0.
BYU's response? No huddle. The Cougs went into their hurry-up offense with most of the second half left to play, and caught the Bruins flat-footed. And fatigued.
"It was a brilliant strategic move," Donahue said. "It really tired our football team."
On three straight BYU possessions, the Cougs moved within scoring range. The first ended on a 22-yard field goal by Dave Lauder; the second when Walsh was intercepted on the goal line; the third on a 19-yard TD to Drage just before the third quarter closed. The BYU defense, meanwhile, was taking control. Four straight UCLA possessions went four plays and out - three ending in punts, one on an interception by safety Derwin Gray. (Gray, incidentally, played one of the best games by a Cougar defender in recent memory, with eight unassisted tackles, three assists, one tackle for loss, recovery of a fumble that he caused, and the interception.)
In the fourth quarter, the BYU defense continued to dominate while the offense reverted to form. Walsh opened the quarter with his second interception, this one a pass waaaaaaay over the head of tight end Byron Rex and into the grateful arms of UCLA safety Carlton Gray.
The BYU defense ended the ensuing UCLA threat with a blocked field goal (by Kevin Nicoll), giving the Cougars the ball at their own 34. Six plays later, on first-and-10 at the UCLA 45, Walsh and fullback Kalin Hall failed to connect on a handoff and Walsh was tackled hard near the UCLA sideline. The result: A third-degree shoulder separation, similar to the one suffered by Ty Detmer in the Holiday Bowl against Texas A&M. That brought in Clements, who lost 20 yards on the next two plays, threw an incompletion, and forced BYU to punt.
The defense stopped UCLA again, giving the offense one last chance, with 6:06 to play. This time Clements was more cautious. Going almost exclusively to his backs, Hall and Jamal Willis, he marched the team to the UCLA 10-yard line, with just under two minutes to play. There, on first down, the sophomore rolled left, looking into the end zone for Drage. Just before he hit the sidelines, he fired a pass - into the chest of UCLA safety Marvin Goodwin.
"I tried to do too much and force it in there," Clements said.
Rookie mistake, 65,000 fans thought. At least the nice ones.
The loss leaves BYU 1-2 on the season, with a tough schedule ahead - including a visit to Hawaii next Saturday - a defense that may be coming around and an offense that is more and more mystifying. One thing has been settled, however - the quarterback controversy. Walsh's shoulder injury will keep him out at least 4-6 weeks, and if he elects to have surgery he's out for the season. That makes Clements the man, probably for the rest of the season, which may take some pressure off and allow him to play more relaxed.
"Knowing that you're the starter, you have a different perspective," Clements said.
GAME NOTES: It's possible that Walsh could take a medical redshirt, since it's only three games into the season. Bryce Doman did that last year after breaking his collarbone in the third game, against Penn State . . . Offensive tackle Eli Herring suffered a knee sprain, and Hall an ankle sprain, but both are expected to play against Hawaii.