Jake Retzlaff had a tough time getting the pass game going, finishing 8-of-19 for 167 yards. He did put the ball on the money on a couple of downfield passes, but a lot of his contribution came through his running. He finished with nine carries for 57 and had a pair of QB draws that got to the end zone. The fumbled snap was one he definitely wishes he had back.

Grade: C+

Running back

It was the LJ Martin show for the BYU offense  as he had 22 carries for 87 yards. Sione I Moa was sprinkled in occasionally, including going for a touchdown when Martin was the decoy. The group ran hard and were part of a solid rushing attack, although there were a couple of fumbles.

Grade: B-

Wide receivers/tight ends

The cold may have played a factor but there were probably more drops than any other game this season, which was disappointing. Jojo Phillips and Chase Roberts got chunk plays, while Keelan Marion and Parker Kingston picked up some yards on jet sweeps.

Grade: C+

Offensive line

This unit was reshaped for this game and it showed at times, but it generally did fairly well at creating lanes for the BYU run. The home team finished with 189 yards rushing on 39 carries, with just 19 passes. Not a bad job by the revamped group, although it officially gave up a sack.

Grade: B-

Defensive line

Tyler Batty made his last home game a memorable one, including grabbing an interception and creating a lot of problems for the Houston offense. He ended up with nine total tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and two quarterback hurries. John Nelson, Isaiah Bagnah, Blake Mangelson and the rest of the unit didn’t have those numbers but made big-time contributions at times.

Grade: B-

Linebackers

Jack Kelly was also very versatile, getting an interception, a forced fumble, two QB hurries, a sack and 2.5 tackles for a loss to go with his seven tackles. Miles Hall and Aisea Moa did OK in filling in for Harrison Taggart, but there were some missed tackles all around as well.

Grade: B-

Secondary

Tanner Wall had to come up and make some key plays from his safety spot, tallying a team-high 13 tackles for the game. Jakob Robinson and Crew Wakely were active as well, while the coverage down the field was generally good as well (Houston had just 156 passing yards).

Grade: B

Special teams

This unit had a huge play in Talan Alfrey’s onside kick recovery that he returned 58 yards for a touchdown, but that was somewhat canceled out by Parker Kingston’s muffed punt. BYU kicker Will Ferrin hit his field goal attempt and the extra points, but didn’t (or couldn’t) get the ball to the end zone on kickoffs and the coverage unit was spotty. There were also a couple of composure penalties on PATs.

Grade: C-

Coaching

BYU coaches can’t be blamed for the number of times they put guys in great spots to make plays, only to have defenders not wrap up or offensive players drop passes. It had to be frustrating to see so many small details neglected. BYU made some adjustments and played a number of players, but the bottom line was that they got the job done.

Grade: B