More on Alisa
Michael Alisa had, as highlighted by just about everyone that cares about BYU football, one heck of a game on Saturday night in Provo. 16 carries, 91 yards. Incredible. First, the guy was a LB until very recently, converted to RB for this season. Nobody thought he'd see much time this season with the three-headed "monster" of DiLuigi, Kariya, and Quezada. Second, he's only a sophomore, recently returned from a mission. Third, the guy hadn't had more than 2 carries in a game since 2007, when he was in high school. Fourth, in 16 carries he was only tackled for loss 1 time, and it was only a 1-yard loss. His next shortest rush was 3 yards.
The most impressive part of all might be this: I can't remember the last time a BYU RB had 16 carries for 91 yards in a game, with only one TFL, and without a fumble. And that's regular, recruited to play running back RBs, not converted LBs, just home from a mission, who hadn't had more than 2 touches in a game in 4 years. He is doing what I thought Quezada would do for BYU this season: run like a LB!
Old Mainstays Back to Form
Jordan Pendleton and Matt Putnam took the field on Saturday night for the first time in quite some time. They made their presence felt early, and, in JP's case, often. Pendleton had two tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hurry (when he forced a bad throw that was intercepted by Kyle Van Noy), and 5 tackles total, all solo. Putnam's first snap of the season was a nice Tackle For Loss on a San Jose State running play. He finished with 2 tackles and helped provide depth to the defensive line that stymied the Spartan rushing attack most of the evening.
If these two can play at a high level the remainder of the season, there isn't a challenge that the BYU defense can't face up to and succeed against. Hopefully, this was just the beginning. With how much BYU's D has seen the field recently, adding two more able bodies will help keep guys fresh.
Tracking Seniors
BYU's Defense had 18 tackles, 3 TFLs, 1 INT, and 2 pass break ups by seniors. 37 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 INT, and 1 pass break ups were by guys that should return to the team next season. Offensively, 145 yards and 2 TDs were accounted for by seniors (though junior Riley Nelson did throw the pass). 298 yards and 1 TD were by guys that should return next season. On special teams, the biggest contribution by a senior was from holder Matt Marshall: all the yards and points were by guys that should return next season. Seniors accounted for roughly 33% of the production, and 42% of the scoring, of the team against San Jose State.
We knew this was a young team, but it's probably been a long time since a BYU team with a win percentage of 67% saw such production totals from non-seniors. The future continues to look bright for the Cougars. And hey, let's be honest, with the rest of the schedule, BYU should probably go at least 4-2 the rest of the way. Next year, BYU should have its best chance for on-field success with the proper mix of experience and talent. They just have to survive a brutal road schedule with games at Georgia Tech, Utah, and Boise State. In September. They also travel to Notre Dame in October.
Crossing the 50
BYU had 8 "meaningful" drives on San Jose State's side of the 50. This is a slight improvement from the 7 they have been averaging. They turned it into 27 points. This is the first time this season, BYU has averaged more than 3 yards/possession across the 50. BYU also scored on 5 of the 8 drives. Both of these represent progress, which is all BYU fans have been wanting. Now, BYU just needs to stop turning it over when they have a chance to score: they had 3 turnovers within field goal/TD range. BYU fans never quit, do we?
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