This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Landover, Md. • Replay booth reviews haven't been good for the BYU Cougars the first quarter of the season, but they were on Saturday at the end of the first half against West Virginia.
After replay officials put one second back on the clock, Rhett Almond booted a 25-yard field goal to cut WVU's halftime lead to 21-13.
After the Cougars had driven to the WVU 10 yard-line late in the half, a holding penalty backed them to the 20. Mitchell Juergens caught a pass from Taysom Hill along the sideline, but tried to score instead of going out of bounds.
With no timeouts left, Hill spiked the ball, but the game clock expired on the field, prompting the replay review. As West Virginia fans booed, Almond hit the field goal, his second of the first half.
The Cougars fell behind 21-10 when Rasul Douglas stepped in front of a Hill pass intended for fullback Brayden El Bakri and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. It was the second pick-six that Hill has thrown this season, the other coming against Utah.
Shorthanded Cougars
The Cougars played Saturday without two key players, right tackle Ului Lapuaho and kicker Jake Oldroyd. Lapuaho missed his second-straight game with a leg injury, while Oldroyd has an undisclosed injury that kept him out of the second half of last week's 17-14 loss to UCLA.
Thomas Shoaf, a freshman, made his first career start at right tackle, while Almond handled the place-kicking duties in Oldroyd's absence.
Nose tackle Travis Tuiloma suited up for the Cougars for the first time since suffering a Lisfranc foot injury in the Las Vegas Bowl last December and began playing in the second quarter.
Flag carriers
BYU's alumni flags were carried onto the field by former players Bart Oates, Vai Sikahema and Peter Tuipolotu. Oates and Sikahema had long NFL careers, with Oates playing for the New York Giants from 1985-93 and the San Francisco 49ers from 1994-95. He was a member of three Super Bowl championship teams. Sikahema played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles before retiring after the 1993 season.
Linebacker Adam Pulsipher and receiver Mitchell Juergens carried out the team flags.
Briefly
Representatives of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers attended the game, as well as reps from the Russell Athletic Bowl and the Reece's Senior Bowl. … Temperature at kickoff was 72 degrees. … West Virginia brought its band to the game; BYU did not. .. BYU's coaching staff wore the AFCA Coach to Cure MD patch to recognize the need for research of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. … Former BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall got his 100th career victory on Saturday as Virginia beat previously undefeated Central Michigan 49-35.
Twitter: @drewjay