Jaren Hall had a poor start, throwing an interception, a near-interception and getting sacked for a safety in the first half. He did much better in the second half in leading the Cougar rally and finished 9-of-17 for 120 yards, but wasn’t able to complete the comeback. Certainly not the best we’ve seen from Hall.

Grade: D+

Running back

Chris Brooks had a big 28-yard TD run and Lopini Katoa converted a third-and-17 with a 20-yard gain on a draw play to start the BYU resurgence. Both will probably feel like they didn’t get the job done on the final Cougar drive. Hinkley Ropati got a carry but had the ball knocked free.

Grade: B-

Wide receivers/tight ends

Kody Epps found some open grass and led the Cougars with four catches for 100 yards and two TDs, but the other BYU receivers and tight ends didn’t accomplish much. Puka Nacua had a couple of passes he would say he should’ve caught including a big third down drop after he was interfered with.

Grade: C+

Offensive line

This unit was pushed hard in both the run and pass game, and had an up-and-down showing. It surrendered two sacks, including the safety, and Jaren Hall was frequently pressured but it did enough to get the Cougars 156 yards on the ground. It wasn’t able to get the push it needed on the final drive, which cost BYU a chance to tie.

Grade: C-

Defensive line

This unit had moments where it did well tying up blocks and making plays on Notre Dame’s running backs, like getting the goal-line stand and forcing the Fighting Irish into two short field goals. There just weren’t enough of them as Notre Dame controlled the clock.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

Payton Wilgar’s tipped ball and Max Tooley’s interception gave BYU a chance to take the lead, which did elevate the grade of this unit. But overall it just wasn’t able to be as consistent as it needed to be. The Cougars gave linebackers a lot of opportunities to blitz with limited success. Tooley led BYU with 13 tackles.

Grade: C-

Secondary

BYU struggled to contain Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer and wide receiver Jayden Thomas, giving up three TDs and 192 yards receiving to those two players. Even when the Cougars were in decent position, they struggled to make plays on the ball as Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne was 22-of-28 for the game.

Grade: C-

Special teams

Hobbs Nyberg had a 42-yard punt return that set the Cougars up for a touchdown, but Justen Smith missed an extra point. Ryan Rehkow was more like himself punting the ball, averaging 46 yards on three kicks. The coverage and kickoff teams did their jobs.

Grade: B

Coaching

The player personnel problems in the first half were inexcusable, and the decision to go with Lopini Katoa instead of the bigger, more powerfully built Chris Brooks on the final run was head-scratching. BYU attempted to mix things up on offense and defense but struggled to be consistent enough in both areas. The coaching helped the Cougars rally after halftime but wasn’t good enough to win.

Grade: D+