There’s a saying in sports when a team with a lead begins to play conservatively, the offense seems content to run down the clock, and the defense shifts to a prevent scheme, and the players, coaches, and fans all sport a dumb, “Well, I sure hope this game ends soon”-look.
BYU Plays Not To Lose, And Wins
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And that’s exactly how BYU played down the stretch tonight. It’s called “playing not to lose.” And for BYU, the impotent offense and toothless defense allowed Utah to come back from a 20-6 deficit in the fourth quarter to tie their hated rivals. The strategy was typified on Utah’s game-tying kick.
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With the clock at 45-seconds, BYU decided NOT to use one of their 3 timeouts and give their offense a chance to score quickly. Instead, they’d be content to let it go to overtime, with Utah holding all of the momentum.
↵And you know what? It worked. Despite a horrible day from star QB Max Hall (12-32 for 134 yards…ugh), and the tail-between-legs strategy mentioned above, Hall hit TE Andrew George for a 25-yard touchdown in overtime, and just like that, the Cougars won it.
↵For anyone who watched the second half, they probably shouldn’t have won it, but then… Well, sometimes sports just make no sense.
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