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Provo • It speaks volumes that BYU could not score a rushing touchdown until the season's fourth game.
During the first half of the Cougars' 24-17 victory against Central Florida on Friday night, it was more of the same. BYU's offense sputtered as a trio of backs ran for fewer than 50 yards.
At one point, J.J. Di Luigi temporarily knocked one of his own linemen out of the game with a head plant to the chest. The play resulted in a loss of yards.
That all changed in the second half. The numbers weren't spectacular — 127 total rushing yards — but Di Luigi, Bryan Kariya and Josh Quezada took control of the game between the tackles.
Kariya gained 53 yards, including 23 on three consecutive carries that resulted in the Cougars' third and final touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Midway through the third quarter, it was Di Luigi bounding around right end for a 16-yard touchdown to tie the game 10-10.
"We simplified the number of runs with fewer looks and easier assignments," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "We sacrificed a lot of the deception or possible disguise."
In other words, with quarterback Jake Heaps in the midst of an inconsistent game, the Cougars decided to play smashmouth football in the second half.
Ground defense was Central Florida's calling card. The Knights had been holding opponents to 72.3 yards rushing.
"It feels good to help our team win," Kariya said. "We'd been looking to make a good contribution the past two weeks."
Kariya had helped too much, having to fight the effects of a shoulder stinger he picked up earlier this season. Kariya had just one carry against Utah and none against Texas.
"It was really nice to score a few touchdowns … and really contribute to a good team win," he said.