This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Orlando • BYU lost another game and found a pass-rushing star.
Sione Takitaki, a freshman linebacker, registered two sacks and forced a fumble that he recovered, helping the Cougars stay close in Thursday's first half against Central Florida before losing in overtime, 31-24.
UCF quarterback Justin Holman passed for 326 yards and two touchdowns, but the Cougars disrupted him enough after the first quarter that he was much less effective and threw two interceptions. However, Holman passed for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime as the defense wore down again.
BYU (4-2) held the Knights to 63 rushing yards, enabling defensive coordinator Nick Howell to use situational schemes and personnel. His strategy helped the Cougars generate much more of a rush than in last week's 35-20 loss to Utah State, and they were particularly successful in the middle two quarters of the game.
Howell "moved different bodies around," said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.
Stopping the run helped, Mendenhall said, because "if we can continue to make offenses more predictable, we can dial up pressures."
The defense already was missing linebacker Alani Fua and safety Dallin Leavitt due to injuries, and then lost cornerback Jordan Johnson and safety Craig Bills in the first quarter. Yet Howell was able to rotate his remaining players, using his preferred packages in passing situations, especially, and the scheme worked fairly well.
The Knights opened the game with a 79-yard touchdown drive. After that, UCF's two touchdowns in the second half of regulation came via 37-yard drives that followed big kick returns.
BYU safety Skye PoVey intercepted a pass that led to a third-quarter touchdown and Kai Nicua's pickoff in the fourth quarter gave the Cougars a chance for a would-be winning drive late in regulation.
Takitaki's strip of Holman was critical, because the Cougars trailed 10-3 and UCF had the ball at the BYU 20-yard line in the last minute of the first half.
BYU's increased pressure reduced Holman's effectiveness overall. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 106 yards in the first quarter. After that, he was 18 of 36 for 220 yards, with two interceptions.
Despite BYU's efforts, Holman finished with 30 completions, the most for a UCF quarterback since 2004 - even with NFL rookie Blake Bortles having played the position for the Knights.
kkragthorpe@sltrib.com UCF quarterback Justin Holman's quarter-by-quarter statistics:
Quarter Comp. Att. Yds. TD Int.
1st 12 15 106 0 0
2nd 3 9 38 0 0
3rd 3 7 23 0 1
4th/OT 12 20 159 1 1
Total 30 51 326 2 2