Texas rushes past BYU team still struggling with season-long offensive execution issues

Where will 5-3 BYU get its sixth win and become bowl-eligible?

Is it possible?

It will take a complete game, an accomplishment head coach Kalani Sitake has struggled to see out of the Cougars so far this season after eight games.

In Austin, Texas, on Saturday, BYU showed it had a defense that had the will and toughness to earn a sixth win, but the offense settled for a pair of field goals and could not create any momentum.

Fix that and there’s a chance at a bowl.

No. 7 Texas scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat BYU 35-6. It was a game of similar statistics, time of possession, number of plays and equal first downs, but Texas scored 21 points on three BYU turnovers and scored its first touchdown on a 74-yard punt return.

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Once again, BYU took to the road and simply gifted the other team points right out of the chute — a punt return TD.

Again, it made everything discombobulated from the start.

You can’t do that in the Big 12 and get away with it.

“At times we had success,” said BYU senior quarterback Kedon Slovis. “We were in the game with a chance, but it was one play or one drive that killed us. Whether it was execution or what, they are a good team and made execution harder.”

Slovis is a pocket passer. Unlike his predecessors Jaren Hall and Zach Wilson, he needs protection and elite playmakers around him who play at a high level of execution. Is he getting all that?

It’s a debate many will take into the rest of the season where there appears to be confusion in lining up and a lot of timeouts are used to make a fix.

BYU’s defense gave the Cougar offense every chance to battle in this game, forcing a pair of turnovers early, and mustered a trio of goal-line stands.

But the team got nothing for the effort from the offense off those turnovers, a big formula that has led to the team’s five wins this season.

“What stood out to me is missed opportunities in all three phases and our inability to weather a few things and take advantage of things we had,” said Sitake. “Credit Texas. They are a great team and there’s a reason they are in contention for a playoff spot.”

Yes, do credit Texas for much of that. The Longhorn defense stuffed BYU’s struggling rush game, pressured Slovis, tipped passes and forced the quarterback to fumble.

BYU’s late-game red zone chance to score blew up when Aidan Robbins bumped into Keelan Marion on a jet sweep. Before the half, BYU settled for a field goal after being flagged for a delay of game near the goal line moments after taking a timeout to think over a fourth-and-goal scenario from the 2.

In BYU’s eighth game, the offense had a myriad of misfires, missed assignments, overthrown balls and targets way short of the line to gain. The Cougars had late throws on timing routes and struggled again to convert third downs.

The Cougars now travel to Morgantown to play West Virginia — another road game, and it is on the road where BYU is struggling — mostly on offense — in losses to Kansas, TCU and now Texas.

After going to West Virginia, the Cougars will host defensive juggernaut Iowa State and then Oklahoma before closing the season in Stillwater against Oklahoma State.

BYU’s offense played without freshman stalwart running back LJ Martin. In his place, UNLV transfer Aidan Robbins got more time and familiarity with the offense. That could help next week.

At a time the game was 14-0 for Texas, BYU freshman safety Crew Wakley intercepted Maalik Murphy and ran it inside the Texas 20 only to have an illegal block bring it back to midfield.

Isaiah Bagnah got a sack, strip and fumble recovery to stymie another Texas drive inside the red zone. Both those gems resulted in zero BYU points.

Wakley led BYU’s defense with nine tackles. Another freshman, linebacker Siale Esera, had eight. BYU’s front, comprised of Blake Mangelson, Tyler Batty and Jackson Cravens, was physical and active against a talented Texas offensive line.

In short, defensive coordinator Jay Hill got a tremendous competitive effort out of his defense, from the front to the back.

Texas managed just one long drive in the game, a 75-yard, second-quarter touchdown effort. The rest of the time, the Longhorns had short fields off three BYU turnovers — two interceptions and a fumble by Slovis.

BYU’s defense stopped Texas twice inside the five on fourth-down conversion attempts.

“(The defense) played great,” said Slovis. “They are a tough unit. We go after them every day in practice and I love that they are our defense and are on our team.

“They do a great job of standing tall in those short-yardage situations. They kept us in the game and gave us a chance. We have to make the most of those opportunities.”

Senior transfer linebacker VJ Vongphachanh put it in simple terms: “At the end of the day, we weren’t perfect. We have a lot of things to clean up.”