This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Some post-game notes and quotes tonight after BYU dropped Georgia Tech 38-20 in front of 60,320 at LaVell Edwards Stadium: Coach Bronco Mendenhall's overall thoughts on the game: "I am proud of our team. I thought we played hard, I thought we played well. I think after our last two outings that we are gaining momentum. We are playing better and better each week. After our third win in a row, we are seeing more and more positive things….. "The game was kind of a defensive struggle in the second half," Mendenhall continued. "I thought Taysom [Hill] played really, really well. He made good decisions and was accurate and did a nice job with his legs. I am coaching some really talented players and men that work really hard. It's just fun, really fun. I have to say that how hard this team is working is showing in how well they play. Georgia Tech is a difficult opponent to beat, so I am proud of our team."Mendenhall on the return of Spencer Hadley, whose 5-game suspension was reduced to three games by the school's administration on Wednesday: "He's experience. He's tough and he's a good leader. He's athletic and he cares a lot. He plays with his heart. It was great to have a phone call on Wednesday from the athletic director and from the university saying he has met all his obligations and they have lifted their suspension early. It was a celebration and a tribute to him."Here's what Hadley said when asked what it felt like to be back: "It felt amazing to be out there with the guys and contribute. We had a good night as a defense and it is a lot of fun to play a game like that. It's good to be back." A few notes: * Georgia Tech dominated the game in one category: time of possession. The Jackets held onto the ball for 36 minutes, 43 seconds. BYU had it 23:17. * BYU had more first downs, 26, than any Tech opponent this season, but just five in the second half. * Eighteen penalties were called in the game, but only three in the second half. Georgia Tech had more penalties in the first quarter, five, than all last week against Miami (three). * BYU's 345 yards in the first half were the most in the first half for a Tech opponent in a first half since Florida State had 403 in 2009. It was the 12th-most yards in a half against Tech in its last 50 seasons. * BYU is 7-2 in homecoming games under coach Bronco Mendenhall. * BYU is 15-0 under Mendenhall when the defense scores a touchdown. Alani Fua's 51-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter gave BYU a 31-13 lead. * The Cougars have held 12 straight opponents to 21 points or fewer. Oregon State's 42-24 win last year was the last time BYU has given up more than 21 points at home. * Blake Morgan filled in for Craig Bills when the Cougars' starting free safety left the game with a concussion in the first quarter and recorded 11 tackles, a career-high. Austen Jorgensen had a career-high 11 tackles, and Uani Unga had 10. A few comments from Ga. Tech coach Paul Johnson: "There's not a whole lot to say about it. It's pretty disappointing. I thought it was kind of a tale of two halves. Our first half, defensively, we couldn't get out of our own way. Offensively, we had a bunch of penalties, but we managed to move the ball a little bit. In the second half, we got squared away defensively, and we made some plays and got down the field, but we couldn't finish a drive or do anything offensively. You know, special teams wasn't much different either." On the team's morale: "I can promise you, there ain't no quit in me. I don't think there's any quit in those guys in the locker room. We'll go back and work and see if we can get squared away."Tech QB Vad Lee: "We were killing ourselves. BYU has a good defense, and you can't kill yourself against a good defense. They played the same as last year. Their defense doesn't change; they just line up, they out-man you, and that's what they did to us … I challenged our offense to come back out and score [at halftime], and we just couldn't do it."