This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Ann Arbor, Mich. • Now playing for the Detroit Lions, former BYU stars Ziggy Ansah and Kyle Van Noy anchored a defense that carried the team in 2012 amid the offense's troubles.
BYU senior lineman Remington Peck remembered the examples of those defensive players Saturday, after a 31-0 loss to Michigan. "We just really try hard to not point fingers," Peck said.
Such a team-dividing response might be merited by the way BYU's defense performed in the second half at Michigan Stadium, in contrast to the offense's full afternoon of futility that resulted in 11 punts. Then again, the defense had enough of its own problems in he first half, allowing 317 yards and 31 points, to keep those guys from blaming anyone else in defeat.
That remained true, even after the offense's lowest production (105 yards) in any game in 41 years. Even so, Peck and BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall — who runs the defense — were proud of their group's response in the second half, when Michigan gained 131 yards. The Wolverines controlled the ball for 38 minutes, 38 seconds to BYU's 21:22, reflecting the Cougars' struggles on both sides, but the BYU defense managed to keep Michigan off the scoreboard in the second half.
By Peck's account, Mendenhall told the team at halftime, "You have a choice," about whether to keep playing or give up. The defense responded well, even though the offense couldn't generate any drives and never came close to scoring.
The defense lost linebacker Harvey Unga and cornerbacks Michael Davis and Micah Hannemann to undisclosed injuries during the game, Mendenhall said. Langi and Peck each recorded a sack and Hannemann was credited with 10 tackles and two pass breakups. BYU didn't force any turnovers, but made a fourth-down stop late in the game when Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh decided against adding a field goal.
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