Big Story #1: Michael AlisaA lot was made about Riley Nelson taking over the reigns of the BYU Offense this week, and rightfully so. But I think another of the big offensive changes was the featuring of Michael Alisa at RB. The running backs have struggled to get much going on the ground between the tackles. Enter Michael Alisa, former fourth string tailback. He wasn't flashy. He was just a blue collar, tough, hard-nosed, fight for extra yards kind of back. He is the RB version of Riley Nelson. His 91 yards and 6.1 yards per carry made a huge difference tonight.
Big Story #2: Riley's Contributions
Now with Riley Nelson at QB, the playbook opened up a lot more in the first half. At least two of his three TDs came off of plays that could not have worked with Jake Heaps running the offense. The screen pass to Richard Wilson was set up because of the respect the D had for Nelson's running ability. He rolled left and 10 of the 11 guys went with him. Wilson had 2 linemen leading the way, with only 1 guy to block. The double-move deep pass to Jacobson was set up by Riley's mobility in the pocket and then the perfect amount of touch on the pass. Jacobson has run free like that before for Heaps, Jake just never gave McKay a chance for the TD reception.
In the second half, with the exception of one or two rushes by Nelson, Riley didn't really do anything. It was a very Jake Heaps-like offense in the second half. That was one thing I was looking for: could Riley sustain it for four quarters? He started 5-6 in the first quarter, with 69 yards and a TD. His second quarter passing was great (minus a red zone INT in which he got ZERO help from senior WR McKay Jacobson) as he was 5-8 with 2 TDs and 101 yards. He went 0-4, with an INT in the third quarter before reviving himself in the fourth quarter, going 4-6, 49 yards. He was efficient in quarter one, made big plays in quarter two, was completely absent in quarter three, and played well enough to preserve a win in quarter four. It wasn't an amazing passing performance, but it was better than any game Heaps has had in that regard, and his 65 rushing yards were a huge difference in the game that just cannot happen with Heaps at QB.
Big Story #3: Typical BYU Secondary
The defensive performance tonight highlighted perfectly the BYU defense's abilities. They were stout against the run, minus two SJSU rushes that went for 15+ yards (but both less than 20). The front 7 controlled the line of scrimmage and forced a lot of 2nd and 3rd and longs. However, the back 8 was atrocious in coverage. Yes, they had two INTs. But the coverage didn't force the picks, it was poor throws right into their waiting arms. WRs were getting behind them. SJSU was completing passes in front of them. And occasionally, just for good measure, they threw in between BYU defenders too. By my count, there were 4 pass plays that went for 20 yards or more, plus two pass interference penalties. The pass coverage didn't make any plays. They didn't cover anyone, short, medium, or deep. Next up, they have to go on the road against a more experienced QB, more talented WRs/TEs, and a better offensive coordinator. Oregon State is just a 1-4 team right now, but they are coming off their first win of the season, in which they completed 77% of their passes for 280 yards against a secondary no worse than BYU's. The safeties have always been poor and the corners have always played soft coverage, but now they are all getting beat deep. If BYU is giving 10-yard cushions, they cannot get beat deep too. It could be a long day next Saturday.
Big Story #4: BYU in Critical Situations
BYU's O turned it over in the red zone twice, but they also scored two TDs. The turnovers are nothing new and don't represent a regression, but the TDs were a very welcome sight. BYU also converted 8 of 11 third down opportunities. BYU was so effective on third down that they did not have to punt the entire game. That is tough to do. It's even tougher to imagine doing it in a game in which BYU only scored 29 points. On the other side of the ball, SJSU was 5-10 on third down. 50% is right about where BYU's defense has been the past three games after holding their first three opponents to just 10-37 overall, with 33% being the highest single game conversion percentage. Go figure: BYU is 3-0 in games where the opposing team is 50% or better on third down but 1-2 when opponents convert 33% or less. Maybe the offense needs time to make adjustments and 3 and outs don't allow for that?
Regardless, who knew that 29 points against SJSU would feel so good. The more impressive part is the 443 yards, with over half coming on the ground. 3 passing TDs for Riley Nelson is also a good sign. BYU must clean up the turnovers if it hopes to beat anyone of consequence, or do anything away from home. A 13-point win over SJSU at home is just not very impressive. The rushing O and D have stepped up, time for the passing games to pick up on both sides of the ball...
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