BYU football: Williams on Virginia miscue: "I should have caught it."

Provo • Jamaal Williams is only 18-years-old, in case you haven't heard, but BYU's sophomore running back owned up to screwing up on the play that led to Virginia's 19-16 come-from-behind win over the Cougars like a grown man on Monday.

"It was on me, pretty much," Williams said of the pass that slipped through his hands and into the arms of Virginia's Anthony Harris. "I felt like I should have caught the ball. It might have been high. But Taysom [Hill] threw the ball, and I should have caught it. It touched my hands. ... I knew I should have caught it. I didn't."

Williams said by the time he boarded the plane for the flight back to Provo, he was over the miscue.

"I had my boo-hoos after the game, talked to my mom," he said. "My coaches from back home, they talked to me, too."

Williams said the Cougars worked hard on third-down situations in practice Monday, after going a miserable 7 for 23 on third down against the Cavaliers.

In Unga's absence

If mike linebacker Uani Unga (chest contusion) can't play Saturday, the starter at that spot will likely be senior Austen Jorgensen, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said Monday.

There's the possibility that buck linebacker Spencer Hadley could move to mike, in which case senior Tyler Beck would start at buck.

"It would come within those three, that combination," Mendenhall said.

Bronco knows Mack

Mendenhall and Texas coach Mack Brown are good friends. Mendenhall sits on the board of the American Football Coaches Association, of which Brown is the president. They have also been on at least seven junkets together with their wives as part of their endorsement deals with Nike.

"I think he is a good man," Mendenhall said.

Corners did OK

Mendenhall said he was encouraged by the play of his three cornerbacks, juco transfer Robertson Daniel, senior Skye PoVey and freshman Dallin Leavitt, against Virginia.

"I called the game like [Daniel] was Jordan Johnson," Mendenhall said. "I started out a little more tentative, just trying to see if he was going to be OK, and after about the second series, it required no consideration. And the same for Skye PoVey and Dallin Leavitt."

Briefly

Texas' Brown can tie Woody Hayes for 10th on the NCAA all-time coaches wins list with a win over BYU on Saturday. He has 237 victories; LaVell Edwards had 257. ... The Longhorns have won 11 straight nonconference road games. They haven't lost a non-Big 12 game away from home since a 27-24 setback at Stanford in 2000.

drew@sltrib.com

Twitter: @drewjay