BYU's 2011 Football Opponents: WR/TE

As with QBs, BYU lucks out somewhat in the WRs it will face this season.  There are no All-Americans on the schedule, at least not that will be AA in 2011.  That will help ease the transition as BYU breaks in a mostly new secondary.  So here we are, with my rankings of the WR/TE units that BYU will face this season:

1) Oregon State
2) TCU
3) Texas
4) Utah
5) Ole Miss
6) Hawaii
7) UCF
8) SJSU
9) Utah State
10) Idaho
11) NMSU

Oregon State returns its top 3 pass catchers, plus it is expected that former First Team Pac 10-er James Rodgers will return from injury in early October.  WRs Markus Wheaton and Jordan Bishop and TE Joe Halahuni combined for 1,400 yards and 12 TDs last season as Oregon State broke in a new QB.  James Rodgers averages 75 yards/game for his career.  Bishop was an All-American in track last season, so he can run.  This group doesn't amaze with its size or its big play potential, but as far as BYU's opponents this season, with James Rodgers, this is the best the Cougars will see.  Without James Rodgers, the group slides down the list, in my mind, to the 3rd spot behind Texas.

TCU returns freshman All-American Josh Boyce, he is a game-breaker and a TD-maker.  He scored a TD every 5.5 catches last season and had 4 TDs of 30 yards or more.  Senior Antoine Hicks has shown flashes over his career, but has just never got over that hump.  After 478 yards and 6 TDs his sophomore season, he regressed in his junior season.  He still has the potential to be a solid second option.  Logan Brock is a typical TCU TE, a great run-blocker who is always open on that trick play that comes when least expected.  The unit is full of 3rd, 4th, and 5th year players, so I give them an edge over the younger, though perhaps more talented on paper, Texas Longhorns.

Texas has produced some phenomenal WRs over the years.  They have a lot of guys who look like they could be that next one on paper (6'2" or taller, 190 or bigger, 4.6 40-time or faster), but there hasn't been a lot of production on the field to show for it.  Mike Davis will probably step up as that guy as he is the top returner WR.  Really, I'm rating this group on potential.  A lot of these guys have game experience, but with the struggles at QB Texas had last season, they didn't produce much, which may not have been their fault entirely.

Utah has a pretty solid starting three: DeVonte Christopher, Luke Matthews, and Kendrick Moeai.  All three are juniors with a lot of experience.  Christopher stepped up in the Pitt game and never looked back.  The three combined for over 1,100 yards last season and 10 TDs.  The problem is that there isn't much experience behind them (and the guys weren't highly recruited either, for what that's worth).  For a team that runs 6 or 7 WRs/TEs through the game somewhat consistently, there seems to be a big dropoff after the first three.

Ole Miss is definitely more of a running team, and their lack of depth at WR proves that.  Melvin Harris and Ja-Mes Logan are big (6'6" and 6'2" respectively).  They have two decent-sized TEs, but only time will tell if they ever get involved in the passing game.

Hawaii replaces 5 of the top 6 pass catchers from last season.  Hawaii typically plays 7 or 8 WRs with frequency, so the backups may not have had many catches last season, but they did get game experience.  6 of the 8 on their 2-deep are over 6-feet tall.  Royce Pollard is the #1 returning WR in the WAC.

UCF loses its top 3/only 3 real WRs from last season.  They have 5th-year senior AJ Guyton, senior, and former QB, Rob Calabrese (only WR over 6'), and junior speedster Quincy McDuffie.  Adam Nissley is a behemoth of a TE and entering his 4th year as a starter for the Knights.

SJSU, Utah State, Idaho, and New Mexico State, as at most positions, have guys out there that aren't overly big, aren't overly fast, and aren't supremely athletic.  Each team has one guy that could make the All-WAC team, bot no one else to write home about among the group.  San Jose State, Utah State, and Idaho go ahead of New Mexico State because they also have a potential standout TE in Ryan Otten, Kellen Bartlett, and Taylor Elmo, respectively.  Names to watch are: Noel Grigsby (SJSU), Stanley Morrison (Utah State), Taveon Rogers (NMSU), and Armauni Johnson (Idaho).  Utah State brings back the most experience.  If they didn't, I probably would have slotted them below Idaho, in case you cared.  They are all pretty mediocre groups anyway.

If Apo is as good in his redshirt freshman year as Cody Hoffman was in his freshman year, BYU has a group that could rival TCU for #2 on the list, or even a Rogers-less Oregon State for #1.  Hoffman did very well down the stretch last season.  McKay Jacobson has struggled the last two seasons with injuries.  When he has been healthy, he's averaged over 20 yards/catch.  Devin Mahina looks like he could be the next great BYU TE, but BYU fans have to be realistic that it may not come to fruition until 2012 (though perhaps it could come as early as late-October).  BYU played 4 TEs last season and 3 of them are back at the position this season, so there is experience behind Mahina if my estimations of his abilities are off.  Spencer Hafoka and JD Falslev give BYU some experienced depth at WR as well.  As it is, I place BYU's group right about even with Texas' group at #3 at the start of the season.

Jacobson's health and Apo's "butterflies" are the wild cards that could push BYU up or down.  Either way, the group should be better than Ole Miss and Utah (at least in terms of quality depth right now).  It could even be better than Texas' group, though on paper that doesn't look really likely.  Next up, BYU's most "interesting" position group over the years: Defensive Back.