PROVO — One word encapsulates BYU's woes this season.
Turnovers.
The Cougars have turned the ball over 36 times — second-most in the nation — and have surrendered a staggering six touchdowns directly to opposing defenses — that's 36 points — due to interceptions and fumbles.
Yes, BYU has been its own worst enemy at times.
If the Cougars have any chance of upsetting Utah Saturday, they will have to protect the football.
"Our turnovers continue to be a sore spot. We're working on that," said coach Gary Crowton. "We're evaluating as many different ways as possible to correct those things."
But it's not easy. In an apt analogy, Crowton compared trying to stop his team's offensive struggles to trying to stop a snowball bounding down a mountain. "If you put your hands in front of the snowball," he said, "it's going to roll right over you."
Not only has the Cougar offense given up touchdowns to the opposition, it also has put the defense in bad situations.
BYU will try to reverse the season-long trend against Utah.
"This is a big game from an offensive standpoint," said co-offensive coordinator Robbie Bosco. "We want to be able to move the ball well and cut way down on turnovers. Hopefully, we'll have a game where we don't have any turnovers."
According to Utah coach Urban Meyer, BYU would be a very good offensive team if not for turnovers. "Everybody's criticizing their offense. Their offense, if they take care of the ball, is explosive," Meyer said. "That's what we need to prepare for. At some point, they're going to take care of the ball."
Crowton said he is holding players accountable for not holding on to the ball. In the first half against Notre Dame, running back Tafui Vakapuna fumbled and did not play the rest of the game.
On Monday, Crowton had a long talk with quarterback Matt Berry about the turnover plague. If Berry continues to make mistakes, Crowton said he will replace him with walk-on Jackson Brown. "If I get a chance to play (Brown), I will," Crowton said. "We'll see how it goes."
This is how it's gone for the Cougars. In the last two games, Berry has thrown six interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown against Boise State. Against Stanford, a John Beck interception deep in BYU territory late in the game led to the Cardinal's game-winning TD. Against Wyoming, Cowboy linebacker Tyler Gottschalk returned a Beck interception 60 yards for a touchdown, which turned out to be the difference.
Perhaps the Cougars will focus on establishing a running game against the Utes. After all, New Mexico rolled up 407 yards on the ground in a victory over Utah, and BYU coaches say they are studying film of that contest carefully.
The Cougars have a stable of solid running backs, including Reynaldo Brathwaite, who has rushed for 812 yards (5.6 yards per carry). Marcus Whalen, who has been hampered by injuries, is playing better.
"Marcus is getting stronger and he's playing with a lot of confidence right now," Bosco said. "He's a strong runner. I think you'll see Marcus a lot more (Saturday)."
"That's always our main goal on offense, to establish a running game," said offensive lineman Brandon Stephens. "If we can establish a running game, it opens up the passing game, and that's what BYU does best. If we can establish a running game without turning the ball over early, it will give us momentum that will push us through the rest of the game and open up things for the passing game."
On the other hand, if the Cougars continue to commit turnovers, expect Utah to roll right over BYU.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com
Dirk Facer contributed to this report