CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- BYU took a late lead in the fourth quarter before falling to the University of Virginia 19-16 in a defensive battle in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday.

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Virginia took the final lead of the game, 19-16, on a 13-yard run with 2:36 left in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers took only one play to score after an interception following a tipped ball.

The game was a defensive struggle that saw a combined 24 punts.

Cougar linebacker Uani ‘Unga and defensive lineman Eathyn Manumaleuna led the way with 10 tackles each. Seven other Cougars finished with five or more tackles, and Kyle Van Noy finished the game with 2.5 tackles for loss. The defense held UVa to 223 yards of total offense and to just 6 for 20 on third downs.

BYU quarterback Taysom Hill finished the game 13 of 40 for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Running back Jamaal Williams led the team in rushing with 144 yards on 33 carries, just 11 yards off his career high in single-game rushing yards.

In the fourth quarter, the Cougars took a late lead after the offense went on an 11-play, 92-yard drive that was capped by a 1-yard keeper by Hill for a 13-12 advantage. On the drive, Hill went 3 for 5 for 32 yards, and Williams added four rushes for 31 yards.

BYU increased its lead on the following kickoff, when linebacker Austen Jorgensen forced a fumble that was recovered by Blake Morgan. Kicker Justin Sorensen nailed a 36-yard field goal to increase the lead to 16-12 with just over five minutes left in the game.

The first quarter proved to be a defensive stalemate with seven combined punts between the two teams. The stout BYU defense picked up where it left off last season, holding the Cavaliers to just 1 for 6 on third down. In 2012, the defense ranked No. 1 in the country in third-down defense.

In between the first and second quarters, there was a lightning delay that stalled the game for two hours and nine minutes as the teams were asked to leave the field and fans had to evacuate from their seats in Scott Stadium.

After BYU was forced to punt in its first possession following the weather delay, Van Noy hit the UVa quarterback to induce a bad pass which led to an interception by safety Craig Bills.

Captain JD Falslev sparked the Cougars on their first scoring drive of the game in the second quarter. The senior returned a punt for 17 yards to set BYU up on the Virginia 32-yard line. Falslev caught a pass from Hill and snuck up the sideline for 24 yards before grabbing a four-yard touchdown pass to put BYU up 7-0.

Virginia hit a 53-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to bring the score to 7-3 in favor of BYU.

With 12:28 left in the third quarter, Virginia increased its lead following a blocked a punt, scoring three plays later on an 11-yard touchdown pass for a 10-7 advantage. The Cavaliers increased their lead again to 12-7 after a botched snap by the Cougars was recovered in the end zone by Hill for a safety with 2:38 left in the third quarter.

For the game, BYU totaled 362 yards to UVa's 223 and recorded 21 first downs to the Cavaliers' 14 but Virginia still earned the win on its rain-soaked field. 

The Cougars return to action against Texas in the BYU home opener on Saturday at 5 p.m. MDT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

The BYU Cougars kick off their 2013 season on the road against the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 31. The game will be broadcast live from Scott Stadium on ESPNU and the Cougar IMG Sports Network 1160 AM, 102.7 FM and BYUcougars.com.

The Countdown to Kickoff pregame show will begin at 2:30 p.m. EDT on BYUtv and BYUtvsports.com. Fans can also tune in to BYUtv and BYUtvsports.com for the live postgame show at the conclusion of the game. Radio coverage will begin at 1:30 p.m. EDT on the Cougar IMG Sports Network 1160 AM/102.7 FM and BYU Radio (SiriusXM channel 143).

BYU (0-0) at Virginia (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013 3:30 EDT
Scott Stadium
Charlottesville, Va.

Complete BYU-UVa game notes

SERIES INFORMATION
This marks the fourth meeting between BYU and Virginia. BYU won the last matchup, 38-35 on Sep. 2, 2000 in Virginia under coach LaVell Edwards, but trails the series, 2-1. 

HOME OPENERS
BYU has won six consecutive season openers. Those victories have come against Washington State (2012), Ole Miss (2011), Washington (2010), Oklahoma (2009), Northern Iowa (2008) and Arizona (2007). All but one of those season-opening wins has been over a BCS conference program.

ACC HISTORY
The Cougars are 7-12 against ACC foes, with the last victory coming against Georgia Tech on the road in 2012. BYU defeated the Yellow Jackets 41-17 in October.

ONE OF EVERYTHING, AGAIN
After being the only Division I player to record a statistic in each of the major defensive categories in 2011, senior linebacker Kyle Van Noy repeated the same feat in 2012. The 6-foot-3, 245 pounder needed only a fumble recovery to duplicate his 2011 feat, which he did in the Poinsettia Bowl, stripping the San Diego State quarterback in the end zone and recovering that same fumble for a touchdown. The 2013 All-America candidate--who is also on the Bednarik Award, Nagurski Trophy, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, Lott Impact Tropy, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award watch lists--was No. 3 in the nation in sacks (13) and No. 4 in tackles for loss (22). Van Noy led the No. 3 defensive unit in four categories, including tackles for loss (22), sacks (13), quarterback hurries (8) and forced fumbles (6)--a school record.

PRESEASON ATTENTION
Eleven Cougars were named to preseason watch lists, highlighted by Preseason All-Americans Kyle Van Noy and Cody Hoffman. The 11 players were named to 14 different major award watch lists.

CAPABLE OFFENSE
BYU has not been shut out for 113 consecutive games. The last time the Cougars failed to score was in 2003 in a 3-0 loss to Utah. That loss was the only other time BYU has not produced points since 1975. The Cougars have scored in the last 475 of 476 games since 1975.

THE HOFF SHOW
Cody Hoffman has an opportunity to end his Cougar career as one of the best receivers in BYU history. He enters 2013 needing just 19 receptions, 538 yards and three touchdowns to take the top spot among the all-time leaders. As of now, Hoffman has amassed 203 receptions, 2,718 yards and 28 receiving touchdowns in his career, good for fourth, fifth and third, respectively, at BYU. Hoffman holds the record for receiving touchdowns in a game (5) and needs four 100-yard receiving games to have the most in program history. 

NO. 3 TOTAL DEFENSE
BYU finished the 2012 season ranked No. 3 in total defense. The unit returns five starters to a defense that arguably was the best in team history. BYU finished the season No. 3 in the nation in total defense, ranking behind only Alabama and Florida State. The Cougars held opponents to an average of 266.1 yards per game, the lowest since 1974 when the Cougars held offenses to an average of 261 yards. The powerhouse held seven top-10 defensive rankings, including six top-5 rankings highlighted by the No. 1-ranked 3rd down defense and the No. 2 red zone defense.