BYU football beat writer Jared Lloyd gives his grades for the Cougar position units and coaches for Saturday’s game against Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City:

Quarterback

Jake Reztlaff had an inconsistent outing, mixing big-time plays with a missed opportunities and miscues. He ended up going 15-of-33 for 219 yards with no interceptions and no touchdowns passing, but he did score the only Cougar offensive TD with his leap at the goal line. There were passes he wanted back and what could’ve been a disastrous fumble, but he got some extra credit for leading the Cougars on two long fourth-quarter drives.

Grade: B-

Running back

LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati had limited success on the ground, but Martin broke one big run to set up a field goal and Ropati got a key first down on the final drive. They combined for 106 yards rushing, while also being frequently called on to stop Ute defenders from getting to Retzlaff.

Grade: B-

Wide receivers/tight ends

There were a couple of fantastic catches and a couple of missed drops. There were times where BYU receiver found holes in the Ute pass defense and times where they got smothered. But the unit came up big with the game on the line, with Chase Roberts making a huge diving grab and Jojo Phillips forcing a Utah defender to grab him to prevent him from getting open on the fourth-down play.

Grade: B

Offensive line

This unit got banged up and had a tough time against the strong Ute defensive front, surrendering three sacks and numerous hurries. BYU did gain 120 yards rushing, but had too many negative plays. There was also a bad snap on a third down that could’ve gifted Utah a TD, but center Bruce Mitchell managed to recover it.

Grade: C

Defensive line

After a terrible second quarter where BYU did everything wrong, the Cougar defensive line stepped up big in the second half. Utah wanted to run the ball and kill the clock, but BYU filled the gaps and made big plays. The Cougars got a huge stop on third-and-1 on the last Ute drive, with Tyler Batty breaking through and forcing a Utah lineman to pull him to the ground, drawing a flag.

Grade: B-

Linebackers

Harrison Taggart led BYU with eight tackles, while Isaiah Glasker had seven and appeared to get a sack, only to have it turn into a Ute first down for a disputed face-mask penalty. BYU had trouble early at stopping Utah quarterback Brandon Rose and tight end Brant Kuithe, but improved in the second half.

Grade: C+

Secondary

Although Brant Kuithe got free for a wide-open touchdown and Dorian Singer made a big grab, the performance of the BYU secondary generally was one of the highlights of the game. Jakob Robinson and Crew Wakely took advantage of passes thrown right to them to get interceptions, while holding the Ute passing game to just 112 yards. They had a number of pass breakups and also were needed in run support.

Grade: B

Special teams

This unit just missed out on getting a perfect grade because it gave up a long kickoff return and had a costly penalty on a punt return, but those were the only blips. Will Ferrin was the hero of the night, making all three field goals including the 44-yard game-winner with time winding down. Keelan Marion had a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, while Sam Vander Haar averaged almost 45 yards per punt.

Grade: A

Coaching

There were long stretches where BYU appeared out of sync both in terms of game management and play-calling decisions. Utah put together three straight scoring drives while the Cougars struggled to get on track. But BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill made good adjustments and the Cougars stayed confident to the end, making all the key plays down the stretch. Not a great showing, but just enough to win.

Grade: C