Beating the clock.
Whether it’s a play clock, a shot clock or the clock on the wall, time is always ticking, and the challenge to beat it is the running quest of a lifetime, both on and off the field, court or course. The solution is simple — being early beats being in a hurry.
Late departures from the house are when things, like phones or lunches — or even children, get left behind. Driving in a rush leads to fender benders or slide-offs. Eating too fast causes indigestion. Speaking without thinking can quickly turn conversations into calamities.
So many of life’s challenges can be conquered by slowing down — even replacing the hurry with being early. Clock management can calm the nerves, clear the head, and eliminate or at least subdue the last-minute chaos that challenges happiness every day.
Same goes for BYU in the Big 12. There are exceptions, but playing in a hurry has taught the Cougars a thing or two.
In the biggest home football game in years against No. 14 Oklahoma, BYU marched to the Sooners two-yard line late in the third quarter. Aidan Robbins electrified the crowd with a 22-yard run to give the Cougars a first-and-goal situation with the score tied 17-17.
Instead of huddling up, BYU hustled to the line of scrimmage to run another play just 13 seconds later. The strategy was to catch Oklahoma out of position. The decision proved to be costly.
In the rush, quarterback Jake Retzlaff, in only his third Division I game after transferring from Riverside City College, became confused with movement in the Sooners’ secondary. The shifting led Retzlaff to believe receiver Kody Epps would be open at the goal line, so he opted against handing the ball back to Robbins and threw a pass.
Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman read the young quarterback’s eyes, stepped in front of Epps, and returned an interception 100 yards for a momentum-shifting touchdown. One can only imagine what could have happened had BYU not been in such a hurry.
Mark Pope’s basketball team takes great pride in its 3-point shooting. For most of the season, no NCAA team had attempted or made more than BYU. The blueprint for the Cougars’ 12-1 nonconference performance was playing fast, but patient (yes, you can do both) and the team’s selflessness in passing up a good shot for a better shot well within the time allowed by the shot clock.
During BYU’s 1-2 start in the Big 12, their opponents have flipped the script. During key second-half sequences, Cincinnati, Baylor and UCF seduced the Cougars into speeding up. They changed the tempo with physical, tenacious defense and rebounding — which also turned up the temperature. Being hurried is different than playing fast, especially when the heat is on.
When BYU is playing fast, they distribute the ball, rebound, hit open shots, and look every bit like a top-25 team. There were moments when the Bearcats, Bears and Knights looked completely overwhelmed. Just the opposite happens when the Cougars get in a hurry. Instead of amassing assists, they tussle with turnovers, and they start shooting shots when there are better shots available.
Once they were sped up, BYU went nearly 10 minutes without a basket against Cincinnati. They lost a nine-point lead at Baylor and saw their 13-point advantage sliced to one at UCF. The Cougars managed to escape Orlando with their first-ever Big 12 win even as the Knights held them to one field goal during the last seven-plus minutes of the game.
How No. 20 BYU (13-3, 1-2) fares against Iowa State (13-3, 2-1) Tuesday (7 p.m., ESPN+) and every other conference clash will hinge on the Cougars playing fast, but not in a hurry.
Life and sports are both similarly confined to a clock. As time runs out, the dying man wishes for more, while the defeated competitor curses its existence — “We didn’t lose. We just ran out of time!”
No matter where the clock is, time is always ticking, and the challenge to make the most of it is the running quest of a lifetime, both on and off the field, court or course. Happiness awaits those who figure out how to manage it.
One remedy is clear — being early beats being in a hurry, or in the words of William Shakespeare, “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
Dave McCann is a contributor to the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.