This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Austin, Texas • Middle linebacker Spencer Hadley — getting the start when starter Brandon Ogletree couldn't answer the bell after suffering a mild concussion last week — and safety Travis Uale didn't want to hear it in the postgame news conference.

But the supposition was clear: BYU's defense played well enough to beat the Texas Longhorns, but the offense sputtered too much and the Big 12 power took a 17-16 win on Saturday night at wickedly hot — until the sun went down — DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium.

"This one is going to hurt," said Hadley. "… But you can never really say you played well enough until you win the game. … Obviously, it wasn't enough."

The defense held a Texas offense that rolled up more than 500 yards of offense last week against Rice to just 289, including just 88 in the first half.

But as Hadley and Uale pointed out, when the Cougars really, really needed someone to make a play in the second half with Texas' quarterbacks befuddling them with zone reads and fly sweeps, it didn't happen.

"Our guys were just not making plays in critical moments," Uale said.

After showing plenty of trick plays in a 34-9 win over Rice last week, the Longhorns kept them in their pockets — until the most critical play of the game. Facing a third-and-6 with a few ticks less than three minutes remaining and BYU's defense desperately trying to get the ball back for quarterback Jake Heaps, the Horns sprang a gadget that worked to perfection. Wideout Jaxon Shipley took a pitch, then pulled up and found backup quarterback David Ash wide open for a 23-yard gain.

Ball game.

"We took our eyes off our keys," said Hadley.

It's not a given that Texas wouldn't have gone for it on fourth down, or that BYU's sluggish offense would have been able to move the ball into field goal range in the final two minutes. But Uale would have liked to have given it the chance.

Uale and Daniel Sorensen had first-half interceptions, and the offense turned Uale's into a 97-yard touchdown drive. Texas' only first-half points came after the Longhorns picked off Heaps at the BYU 25, and came just before halftime.

It was the seventh time in the last eight games that the Cougars held their opponent scoreless in the first quarter. But in the end, the defense was just holding on, and looking tired.

"I don't know that we wore down," Hadley said after making a career-high 12 tackles.

Uale said there's no chance the defensive players will go away feeling like the offense let them down.

"We stand behind our offense and we support them," he said. "We are going to stick by our offense no matter what."

Saturday night, that meant taking a loss when Hadley, Uale and company probably deserved better.

BYU's defensive highlights

• Daniel Sorensen and Travis Uale make interceptions.

• Texas was just 4 of 12 on third-down conversions and 1 of 2 on fourth down.

• Sorensen, Joe Sampson, Jordan Pendleton and Hebron Fangupo make tackles for losses.

• Hadley has a team-high 12 tackles in his first start as a Cougar.