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Provo
BYU almost lost another football game Friday after a shotgun snap bounced off the chest of Toledo's quarterback, who turned the fumble into a go-ahead two-point conversion with a pass into the end zone.
If not for the BYU offense's responding with a drive for a field goal in a 55-53 victory, the Cougars (2-3) would have suffered a fourth straight defeat by three points or fewer. That crazy two-point play would have been long remembered but just partly to blame, with considerable discredit to a BYU defense that allowed 692 total yards.
Yet the Cougars escaped with a win, adding to the adventures of coach Kalani Sitake's first month on the job. BYU claims a pair of two-point victories with field goals by two different kickers as time expired, with those three tough losses in between. Add it up, and Sitake has experienced a start of his head coaching career that undoubtedly is unlike anyone's in college football history.
Utah State's Matt Wells, in contrast, coached 37 games before having five contests decided by three points or fewer (or in overtime). Sitake endured five such endings in September, attributable to a schedule of five solid FBS programs and BYU's inconsistency on offense and defense.
"We just need to play to play a complete game as a group," Sitake said Monday.
The series of dramatic finishes tends to be slightly exaggerated. BYU scored a touchdown with 37 seconds left just to get within 17-14 of UCLA, and then an onside kick went of bounds. Yet the Cougars had the ball with opportunities to win (or tie) games vs. Arizona, Utah, West Virginia and Toledo. They succeeded twice and failed twice.
"Stressful," summarized BYU receiver Colby Pearson, whose 33-yard catch launched the winning drive vs. Toledo. "I think we've had enough of that for a little while, so let's take a break on those."
Of course, breaking the trend could mean a rout by an opponent, such as Michigan State, Mississippi State or Boise State in October.
More likely, the Cougars will keep playing close games — and there's a lot of this stuff going around.
Utah was denied at the 1-yard line in Saturday's 28-23 loss at California, as both the Cougars and Utes were involved in win-or-lose final plays on the same weekend.
The previous weekend, Utah beat USC 31-27 with a touchdown pass in the last 16 seconds. Southern Utah clinched a 45-31 win over Portland State via a 98-yard interception return with 12 seconds left . Weber State beat UC Davis 38-35 with a field goal on the final play after losing a 22-point lead and then recovering a fumbled punt.
But no team has experienced BYU's volume of dramatic endings to start the season. Even without those finishes, September would have been interesting enough for Sitake and his coordinators, Ty Detmer and Ilaisa Tuiaki.
Each has lived through a horrible game, with Detmer's offense topping 200 yards against UCLA only on the last drive and Tuiaki's injury-depleted defense being shredded by Toledo. They've also produced some excellent showings, with the BYU offense delivering 586 total yards (including Jamaal Williams' school-record 286 rushing yards) vs. Toledo and Tuiaki's defense holding Pac-12 opponents Arizona, Utah and UCLA to a total of 53 points.
Asked about his coordinators' lack of experience, Sitake defended Tuiaki's previous work. "Where was that issue in those games? [It's] no issue now, either," he said.
Say this for Detmer: Quarterback Taysom Hill and the offense have put together some clutch drives in fourth quarters. Even discounting the 91-yard TD drive that came too late vs. UCLA, the Cougars covered 53 yards against Arizona and 71 yards against Toledo to set up the winning field goals. They also went 75 yards for a touchdown against Utah, leading to a failed two-point play in a one-point loss. And prior to an interception vs. West Virginia, BYU had gone 66 yards from its 6-yard line to the edge of field-goal range in a 35-32 defeat.
"We go into a [final] drive knowing that we're going to score," said offensive guard Parker Dawe. "We're not scared, we're not nervous."
They've been there, after all.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Coming close
Number of games for selected coaches of Utah schools to begin their tenures before having five contests decided by three points or fewer (or overtime), with their records in such games:
Coach, school Games Record
Kalani Sitake, BYU 5 2-3
Kyle Whittingham, Utah 20 3-2
Bronco Mendenhall, BYU 23 2-3
Gary Andersen, USU 28 1-4
Gary Crowton, BYU 29 4-1
LaVell Edwards, BYU 30 1-3-1
Matt Wells, USU 37 1-4