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Provo • As the boisterous Air Force Falcons celebrated their 35-14 win over BYU outside their locker room Saturday afternoon, freshman quarterback Jake Heaps stood just a few feet away and insisted his confidence was not shaken a bit by the fact he didn't play a single down in the second half.

Heaps rotated series with starting quarterback Riley Nelson in the first half, but didn't play again after getting intercepted by AFA's Reggie Rembert with 5 minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the second quarter. That was the first play of Heaps' third series.

"It was very hard to watch" the second half from the sidelines, Heaps said. "When you turn the ball over like that, it is kind of hard to come back, so it is a good lesson for us to learn, a good lesson for us to take home and focus on, and we will come back more prepared for Florida State."

But will Heaps play Saturday against the Seminoles (1:30 p.m. MDT, ESPNU) at Doak Campbell Stadium? That question lingered at Falcon Stadium on Saturday even longer than the Cadets, who enjoyed their first victory over BYU since 2003.

"It is still back to the way it was, so we will let the coaches decide what they want to do," Heaps said when asked if he now considers himself the backup quarterback.

About the only clue coach Bronco Mendenhall gave regarding how the quarterback rotation — or lack thereof — will evolve against an FSU team coming off its own embarrassing defeat, 47-17 at Oklahoma, was to say after the game, "there's a lot to be reviewed."

Getting his first shot with the score tied 7-7 midway through the first quarter, Heaps moved the team, only to see the drive end when J.J. DiLuigi fumbled after a 43-yard run to the AFA 10. His second possession was a three-and-out after Bryan Kariya picked up 6 yards on first down, and his third possession was thwarted by Rembert, who baited the freshman into the throw by feigning coverage on an underneath route and then backing up to take away a deeper route.

"It is not anything that I can control," Heaps said about sitting in the second half. "I was just going in and taking the opportunities I was given. … I didn't take full advantage of the opportunities that I had, and coaches made the decision that they made. I respect their decision."

While the Cougars were passing for just 88 yards, their lowest output through the air since 2003, Florida State was having trouble stopping the pass. Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones completed 30 of 40 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns out of a no-huddle offense.

When asked if the second half was an indication that he's now BYU's No. 1 quarterback, Nelson replied, "You will have to ask the coaches [about] that. We will proceed as the best way the coaches believe is to proceed."

Nelson hurt the Falcons with his legs in the first half, but fumbled after picking up a first down at midfield with 5:53 remaining. He was held in check in the second half.

"It was the coaches' decision" to leave him in the game, Nelson said. "I am just a little disappointed that I couldn't move my team a little bit better. I felt like my guys battled really well, though, especially up front." —

Saturday's game

P BYU (1-1) at Florida State (1-1), 1:30 p.m. MT

TV • ESPNU