This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
TULSA, Okla. - Forget about suffering a letdown. The Brigham Young football team suffered a complete defensive breakdown.
One week after having its 11-game winning streak snapped, BYU lost its second straight as pass-happy Tulsa delivered the Cougars a 55-47 blow on Saturday night at H.A. Chapman Stadium.
Another turnover and penalty-plagued performance by BYU dropped its record to 1-2 and left its players humbled at the hands of a Conference USA team.
While BYU's previous Pac-10 opponents played it conservative on offense, Tulsa (2-0) wasn't afraid to let it fly.
Senior quarterback Paul Smith torched BYU's secondary with several long passes while the Golden Hurricane receivers sprinted past BYU's linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties.
"We flat out, in my opinion, lost the football game," BYU linebacker Bryan Kehl said. "You can't ask any more of our offense than to score 47 points. You may hear a few people say different things, but you cannot give up 55 points and expect to win a football game. It's not going to happen."
Smith finished 21-for-35 for 454 yards and five touchdowns while his BYU counterpart, Max Hall, completed 34 of 54 passes for 537 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions as the teams combined for 1,289 yards of total offense.
Four BYU receivers finished with more than 100 yards, and running back Harvey Unga rushed for 103. Yet even with the statistical trump card, BYU still lost.
The Cougars were penalized 14 times for 138 yards, and turned the ball over four times.
The first half turned into an offensive blitzkrieg, with the teams trading scoring drives like they were playing in the Arena League.
BYU's defense entered the game yielding only 17 points and 245.5 yards of total offense, but Tulsa easily eclipsed those marks in the opening 30 minutes, with 31 points and 336 yards.
Smith threw touchdown passes of 43, 17, 75 and 18. But BYU's offense displayed its own firepower, with Hall tossing touchdown strikes of 45, 13 and 15.
Hall's final touchdown pass to Matt Allen with 3:11 remaining gave BYU a 34-31 advantage at halftime.
But Tulsa jumped back on top right out of the locker room by converting two straight interceptions into touchdowns.
The Golden Hurricane capitalized on another Hall turnover in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead to 52-40 when Hall fumbled at the Tulsa 25-yard line, and Smith found Charles Clay for a 37-yard touchdown pass five plays later.
Hall gave BYU a ray of hope for the comeback victory when he found Mike Reed for a 36-yard score. But Smith's mighty arm led Tulsa on a field-goal drive, and the Golden Hurricane had the "measuring stick" victory they were hoping for in a home opener that lasted nearly four hours.
"The defense didn't play assignment-sound football and they were able to trick us on a number of big plays," BYU cornerback Ben Criddle said. "I take the blame because I wasn't concentrating on one cover and got beat over the top."
The loss marked the third consecutive season BYU has started 1-2 under coach Bronco Mendenhall. Last year, the team rebounded with a 10-game winning streak.
The upward climb starts again next weekend as the defending champion Cougars begin Mountain West Conference play against Air Force.
But the players realize their title defense will require more defense.
"We did not come down to Tulsa, Oklahoma, ready to play the football game," Kehl said. "They outplayed us today, and the scoreboard shows that."