DALLAS — On paper, BYU and Tulsa looked like a very competitive match-up, and each team's play during BYU's thrilling 24-21 victory Friday at the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl bore that out.
Five keys during the game stood prominent in helping the Cougars end the year with a bowl win.
Riley Nelson
Throughout most of the first half, Nelson provided what might have been some of the worst QB play BYU fans have ever seen. He had more passes leave his hand that should have been picked off than completions, but hey, we've all seen this before.
In typical Nelson-type-fashion, he settled down, didn't give up and provided some very key plays during important junctures to lead BYU with the victory. Nelson brings an all-or-nothing-roller coaster-style to the position, but in the end the ride proved to be a good one as he hit Cody Hoffman in the endzone for the game-winning score with just 11 seconds remaining.
Nelson's stats weren't anything to write home about — 17-of-40 passing and two interceptions and just 15 rushing yards — but he made enough key plays during crucial junctures. Those plays define him as a quarterback and as a football player.
Cody Hoffman
Hoffman was once again Nelson's primary target. Like Nelson, Hoffman got off to a slow start, but ended in very strong fashion.
The Cougars' leading wide receiver ended the game with eight catches for 122 yards, but more importantly, he was on the receiving end of all three BYU touchdowns. Nelson and Hoffman have been in sync all season long and finished the season with what may have been their best collective effort.
Special Teams
The Cougar special teams stepped up big, particularly the punt coverage unit. Riley Stephenson finished with eight punts with seven of them being downed inside the 20-yard line, helping give BYU the field position edge throughout the game.
Special teams also accounted for a turnover, which changed the course of the game. Late in the first half, Tulsa had a 14-3 lead and all the momentum before a forced fumble during a punt, which later led to BYU's first touchdown right before the half.
JD Falslev and the punt-return team also stepped up big in providing BYU with good field position. Overall, Falslev averaged 16.3 yards on his three returns.
Kyle Van Noy and the defense
After getting hit in the mouth on Tulsa's opening touchdown scoring drive, the Cougars bore down and dominated the play. A big key was keeping Van Noy — BYU's best defensive play-maker — in to spy Tulsa QB G.J. Kinne.
Van Noy made numerous key plays along with the rest of the defense throughout the second half. Overall, they limited the prolific Tulsa attack to just 268 total yards and just 37 yards rushing.
Van Noy wasn't the only one making key plays, however. Preston Hadley, Uona Kaveinga, Brandon Ogletree, and Hebron Fangupo, among others, also made some key plays.
Going for it on fourth-and-nine
With 2:54 left in the game and with just one timeout remaining, the BYU coaching staff decided to go for it on fourth-and-nine at midfield, trailing 21-17. Coach Bronco Mendenhall is fond of putting the ball in Nelson's hands during key situations, with Nelson responding well yet again.
During the play, Nelson didn't spend much time looking downfield. Rather, he trusted his legs and broke an open-field tackle while falling far past the first-down marker. After that conversion, it seemed a given that Nelson would eventually guide BYU into the endzone for the game-winning score.
Email: bgurney@desnews.com
Twitter: @BrandonCGurney