GRADE B-
Offense
The Cougars outgained ranked Boston College 547 yards to 471, with John Beck completing 38 of 59 passes for 436 yards and one touchdown. But the offense should have produced 26 points by halftime instead of 13 and two interceptions by Beck, his first of the year, proved costly. BYU rushed for 111 yards, but again, should have produced more touchdowns against the Eagles.
GRADE B-
Defense
Once again, the Cougar defense looked solid except for two plays, a 79-yard pass from Matt Ryan in the first half and a 25-yard Ryan TD strike in the second overtime. The defense forced four fumbles, got two of them and had two interceptions — enough to produce a win against a top 25 opponent if other facets of the game had proved more efficient.
GRADE C
Special teams
BYU held the nation's No. 1 kick returner, Jeff Smith, to 41 yards and generally were solid on coverages. Jared McLaughlin made three of six field goals, including the longest of his career at 50 yards, but a
high snap on another field goal led to a kick that hit the flag on the upright and a failed attempt and a fumbled snap by Jason Beck on another try in overtime proved costly.
GRADE B-
Overall
Take away a play here or there and BYU played even or outplayed Boston College, ranked No. 23. The offense generated a ton of yards but not enough points. The defense had two breakdowns that BC capitalized on and special teams was not perfect enough in a close game to deliver a victory.