Mississippi State vs BYU football 2016
BYU"s three losses this season are to Power 5 Conference schools by a total of seven points, but questions remain regarding how good this BYU team is. A plethora of issues surfaced, or resurfaced, at LaVell Edwards Stadium, including quarterback Taysom Hill"s inaccuracy (57 percent passing) at times, sloppy tackling and coverage woes in the secondary, miscommunication between Hill and his receivers, a porous offensive line, and an inconsistent pass rush.
Also, the Cougars were abysmal when it came to stopping the Bulldogs (2-4) on third-and-long or fourth-and-long. Mississippi State"s second TD came after it converted a third-and-6 with a 22-yard reception, a fourth-and-11 with a 14-yard reception and a third-and-8 with a 17-yard play. Safeties Kai Nacua and Micah Hannemann bailed BYU out with interceptions that thwarted Mississippi State drives that were fueled by third-down pickups.
"They exposed some of our discipline issues on defense," BYU coach Kalani Sitake said.
Inconsistent and mistake-filled play notwithstanding, it is clear that Sitake has brought toughness, confidence and a never-say-die attitude to the program.
"Overall, I am just really proud of the guys and the way they played," Sitake said, wryly. "All these games that are close, they"re taking their toll."
There were plenty of positives, too. Offensively, the Cougars were a sparkling 9 of 17 on third down, and moved up to No. 16 in the country (49 percent) in that statistic.
"That"s been what our team has proven this entire season," Hill said. "We"re just resilient. When we have an obstacle and we need to get something done, we get it done. I was really impressed with our offensive line, the way they stepped up in overtime."
Jamaal Williams broke Harvey Unga"s school record for rushing yardage (3,455) with 76 yards on 26 carries, and now has 3,468.
"I am grateful to get it," Williams said. "I have to give credit to all my linemen, tight ends, everyone who blocked for me in my career. Kudos to almost everyone out there former linemen, linemen now. Honestly, I wish I could put them [on the record] before my name because you can"t do it with the line, you can"t do it without everybody and their effort."
Tight ends Tanner Balderree and Hunter Marshall caught touchdown passes, and sophomore Moroni Laulu-Pututau made some spectacular grabs, including one for a 15-yard touchdown.
"The fans deserve the win," Sitake said of the field-storming that brought some good-natured ribbing from ESPN"s College GameDay crew on Saturday morning. "Some of the earlier losses we had were kind of heartbreakers for them."
drew@sltrib.com
Twitter: @drewjay
Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sports/4469781-155/byu-football-cougars-displayed-sitake-inspired-toughness
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