TCU-BYU part II

TCU's offense against BYU's defense.
Strength:
The Running Game
TCU's offense ranks 11th in the country at 225 yards/game, 26th at 4.7 yards/carry, and 5th in rushing TDs with 17. They are a fairly dynamic rushing attack in that they utilize a lot of different aspects. 1) the option game, particularly the speed option. This keeps the safeties honest. 2) the running QB. There are two different types of mobile QBs: the running QB and the mobile QB. TCU utilizes the running QB: he is a big part of the running game; he's involved in options, QB draws, and scrambles frequently when his first and second read aren't open. A mobile QB is the kind of QB who moves around the pocket well and scrambles only when he knows that tucking and running will be more effective. 3) end-arounds and reverses (i.e. they get the wide receivers involved in the running game). 4) the Wildcat, or Wildfrog in this case. Kerley is a great punt returner, and he uses those same skills very effectively from this formation.
BYU's defense ranks 23rd in the country at 101 yards/game, 44th at 3.5 yards/carry, and 38th in rushing TDs allowed with 7. Other than the Florida State game, no BYU opponent has rushed for more than 120 yards or more than 3.8 yards/carry. The problem is: the Florida State game counts. They got annihilated on the ground (and in the air, and in turnovers, etc.) to the tune of 313 yards, only 2 negative plays, and 6.4 yards/carry. TCU's run game is slightly similar in nature to Florida State's but the personnel are very different, which works to BYU's advantage. One, Ponder was a mobile QB, which BYU typically struggles with, but Dalton is more of a running QB, which BYU's defense hasn't had as big of problems with the past few years. Two, Florida State killed BYU with a small scat-back type runner, who hid behind the line and waited for an opening, BYU never got a good grasp on him as he wormed his way through the defense. TCU utilizes shifty power backs. BYU has some big hitters on D, so a power back won't really hurt them with missed tackles as much as a short, wiley kind of runner. When Kerley is involved in the run game, you will see a similar threat to what Florida State did, but you'll see it a lot less than the 25 or so carries FSU's guy had. One final note: Scott Johnson will play at Free Safety this game (he was out against FSU with a concussion). He does a great job keeping the defense in position. He's become a bit of a ball hawk with 3 picks in his last 2 games. He hits hard and plays hard. He makes a huge difference.
Thoughts: TCU's run offense is so dynamic and diverse, it gives teams fits. I don't anticipate BYU being able to consistently stop it, or if they do stop it, I expect that they will give up one or two BIG plays. I give the advantage to TCU's run O over BYU's run D.
Weakness:
The Passing Game
TCU's pass offense ranks 74th with 206 passing yards/game. You might say they have a balanced offense, since the reason they are 74th isn't because of an inefficient passing game so much as a less-used passing game. They use the passing game enough to keep teams from loading up on the run. They use a wide variety of running plays, which prevents them from needing the passing game as much. Another reason they rank so low: they are always holding on to a lead in the second half, so they run more than they throw. It is a weakness though, because if they NEED to rely on the passing game (the run game isn't working or they are behind), it might not be efficient over a long period of time.
BYU's pass defense ranks 89th in the country giving up 239 yards/game. Part of it is playing pass-oriented teams, part of it is getting ahead of teams early, part of it is just doing a good job of run defense and forcing teams to pass, and a large part of it is having a not great secondary. Their best cover corner is small, at 5'6" and probably 170 pounds. He does hit hard and is a sure tackler in the open field. Problem is, he can't prevent a completion, he only cuts down on yards after the catch. The other cover corner is fast but doesn't have the cleanest technique and change of direction abilities. He is bigger and plays the ball better, but he also isn't always close enough to the offensive player to make a play. The safeties are assignment sound and big hitters, but they are slow and prone to give up the deep ball. They are run-stopping safeties, essentially. The LBs do a decent job in coverage, but they aren't breaking up passes or getting interceptions consistently. The pass rush has also been an issue, as they rank 70th in the country in sacks/game. TCU does a good job protecting the QB, and, with Dalton's mobility, he doesn't get taken down behind the line of scrimmage very often.
Thoughts: if BYU can't get pressure on Andy Dalton, the secondary won't hold up. TCU is a run-first team, but can pass. The question is: can they rely on it to win the game? Dalton is an adequate thrower. He is a winner though and his receivers will be a tough cover for BYU. So weakness on weakness, I give the edge here, again, to TCU's passing O over BYU's passing D. Normally, I'm not sure they can rely on the passing game, but against BYU's soft zone coverage I believe they can.