As a follower of BYU football, I am encouraged to hear the words coming out of the player's mouths this week. They are saying the right things. If they, as they say they are, truly a team that is rallying around Taysom's injury, getting behind Christian Stewart, and prepared to play defense with passion, then great. But they were also saying the right things ahead of the Utah State game. I have a few major concerns about the BYU football team for games 6-12.
1. Pound the Football
Jamaal Williams is a great running back. He's averaging nearly 20 carries and nearly 100 yards/game. He has amazing burst (but not necessarily great top-line speed), agility, and surprising power and ability to finish runs. Taysom had very similar numbers, though his running was a combination of power, speed (but not necessarily burst), and pure instinct. Lost in all of that is Adam Hine and Algie Brown. First off, two stats boggle the mind: 1) Paul Lasike has more carries than either of those guys and 2) Taysom/Jamaal each averaged more carries PER GAME than those guys have on the season.
This offensive line is built to run block; they aren't one of the top 10 rushing O-lines in the country but it's as good as BYU has had in some time. Against Texas, BYU was going to run the ball. They went right at Texas and just wore them down. One of the biggest front 7s in the country got worn down by the BYU rushing attack. BYU committed to running the football right at Texas, with attitude, with fire, and with absolute confidence. There was a game plan in place and they stuck to it. Texas slowed BYU up in the first half but BYU just overwhelmed them in the second (running pretty much the exact same plays). More so than an explosive Baylor offense did last weekend. But in the last 10 quarters, BYU had no obvious offensive strength outside of Taysom and Jamaal making something out of nothing. There has been no clear design on taking it to their opponents.
From the very start against Utah State, even before the injury to Taysom, BYU was all over the place on offense. Despite a large size advantage, BYU rarely tested the Aggies up the middle. They threw long passes and put the ball in Taysom's hands on the outside. Anae outsmarted himself. Algie Brown had one carry later in the game. Adam Hine had two total touches, and only one stemmed from the offensive playcalling. Jamaal and Taysom were clearly the best ball-carriers on the team, but they didn't need to carry all the load they did. Without Taysom now, can Anae re-engage more of a committee-style running game? It was as if, for a few games, he became enamored with Taysom for Heisman and Williams breaking Harvey Unga's all-time rushing record and forgot he had other guys (Algie did miss two games b/c of injury). Jamaal is now the leader of the offense, yes, but for him to make the plays necessary late in games, he's going to need more help from the rest of the backfield early in the games. If Hine and Brown don't get 10 carries, Anae isn't doing a good job.
2. Balance on DEFENSE
The BYU defense has prided itself on its ability to stop the run. Virginia had their way in the running game, going for 200 yards on 4.4 yards/carry. However, every other opponent has averaged 3.0 yards/carry or less. The DL has become so focused on, and so good at, eating up blockers in the run game that it appears they have spent zero time practicing, and zero effort in-game pursuing, their pass rush. Yes, there is technique that can help with a pass rush, but so much of a good pass rush, ESPECIALLY IN THE COLLEGE GAME, is just pure passion and aggression. Just once I would like to see a BYU DL push an OL backward, even if the DL gets his butt kicked and put on his back during the play: do something to change the status quo. Yes, BYU has done a pretty good job keeping opposing QBs in the pocket, but part of that is because they are so comfortable in their LARGE pocket that they don't need to move out of it.
BYU continues to blitz with their MLBs who continue to get no pressure. They aren't big enough to power rush the OGs they run up against. The DL aren't big enough threats to demand constant double teams so the interior can keep their eyes open for blitzing/crossing LBs. On one particular play against Utah State, BYU brought 6 guys and they got blocked by 5 guys: it should require 6 guys to block 5, even if your pass rush is average/mediocre. This isn't a knock on Nick Howell, but I'm guessing a veteran defensive coach like Bronco would have found a way to manufacture pressure against the Aggies.
BYU has gotten success bringing Safeties and Harvey Jackson playing Nickelback. Against spread offenses (like Houston, Utah State, Nevada, UNLV, and Cal) those blitzes from the secondary are more difficult to disguise. If you can't disguise it, those guys get picked up by RBs or, even worse for your pass rush, OTs. BYU's bread and butter blitz the past few seasons has been the OLBs. Even if the Cougars don't disguise it, those guys are big enough to deal with some opposing OL and fast/athletic enough to deal with the others. KVN and Ziggy Ansah used to blitz nearly every play, and opposing teams knew it, and they still got sack after sack after sack, hit after hit after hit.
BYU has to be willing to give up some of their run D to get into the head of opposing QBs! Utah State was doing double moves all night b/c they never had to worry that they wouldn't have time for the play to develop! They were probably on the sidelines drawing up plays in the dirt, or in the huddle on the palms of their hands. That is why 2 straight back-up QBs have had career days against BYU: they had all day to throw. Sell out on either the number of pass rushers or on the style of the DL's rush. At least once per possession send everybody like a bat out of hell.
3. Attitude
I have mentioned to several folks how the one thing missing right now from most of BYU's players is attitude. A Bronco-coached defense was always resilient in the face of adversity. No one ever scored a TD the next play after a turnover. No one ever threw a Hail Mary or an 80-yard bomb just before halftime. No one ever went an entire half (or game) without a three and out. BYU has showed some defensive grit in the 2nd half of the past three games, but a little more of that in the first half of those games would have gone a long way to producing a different final result.
Offensively, I don't see anyone getting over-aggression penalties. On defense, that is welcomed and almost encouraged. Nobody seems to have that edge, that desire to just blow someone up. There is no drive to open up a hole that a semi-truck could go through. It's been a few games since I've seen a hole that I could run through (or really that anyone besides Jamaal or Taysom could get through). Taysom, Jamaal, and Jordan Leslie are the only perimeter guys I have seen selling out on every play (Terenn Houk perhaps in his more limited time). Someone's going to have to take a stand this week against UCF. This will be the best defense BYU sees all season long. They are going up against it just two practices after Taysom's injury. Is there someone capable of putting it all on the line for the team and stepping up/filling the void left by Taysom? Lasike? Matthews? Mahina?
And the OL, where is the blocking we saw against UConn and Texas? Run-blocking is about technique and passion: I only see technique right now. For having such a deep OL, I don't see the bench being used as an in-game motivator for those just doing their jobs. You want to keep your job: pancake someone! Go watch how BYU attacked Texas. Go see what Anae's old O at Zona did to Oregon in Eugene last week. That is what BYU's O needs to look like, especially without Taysom.
BYU has not been the same team the past few games, and it's all about a lack of attitude. They started the year with a chip on their shoulder. Lately they've been playing like they had a clear, easy path to 12-0, like they were Alabama playing in the Mountain West Conference. Bronco says they're playing hard and the coaches are coaching hard. I don't think solid effort and conservative style are the same as playing/coaching hard. You can play aggressively and still be assignment-sound. Utah State brought passion to Provo and it made up for a lack of physical tools: they were playing hard. BYU needs to flip that script. And BYU needs to have fun doing it again!
If BYU wants to take a step forward against UCF this week: pound the rock, find balance on D, and just go absolutely crazy between the whistles.
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