Closer Look at BYU's 2012 Opponents: #11 Idaho

Last year: 2-10, including a 42-7 loss at BYU.  Only 1 win over an FBS team (at San Jose State).
Need to Replace: QB, top 2 RBs, #2 WR, and 2 players at each level of the defense
Returning Starters: 5 on offense (2 WRs, 1 TE, 2 OL), 5 on defense (2 DL, 1 LB, 2 DB), K, and P
Last year vs. BYU: Lost 42-7, outgained 505-241.
Contributions last year vs. BYU returning in 2012: David Micheletti had 2 catches for 27 yards, Michael LaGrone 2 for 11, and Justin Veltung 2 for 9.  Taylor Davis 5-12 for (MINUS) 6 yards, with 3 rushes for 12 yards.  Gary Walker, Conrad Scheidt, Aaron Grymes, and QuayShawne Buckley each had 7 tackles.

Offense
Idaho had a lot of holes to fill on what was a reasonably inept offense (3.5 yards/carry and a 53% completion percentage).  A lot of those were filled with Transfers from JC or FCS schools.  They have two former Pac 12 recruits highlighting that group with QB Dominique Blackman, formerly a Washington Commit, and RB Ryan Bass, once a highly regarded prospect at ASU.

Skill Positions: Blackman is a bit of a wild card at QB, after spending last season on the scout team.  Bass could be a big threat at RB, but never made it at ASU and spent most of last season out with injury.  WR Mike Scott and TE Michael LaGrone can bring in a lot of balls.  WR Justin Veltung is the home-run threat.  There's a reasonable amount of experience behind those guys, but one would assume not a lot of talent, since those four players may struggle to make All-Conference in a very weak WAC.

OL: 3 starters are gone from a below average Offensive Line in 2011.  There are only 31 career starts for this unit coming into the year.  To give you an idea of how few that is: BYU LG Braden Hansen has more starts by himself and RT Braden Brown is just short of that mark.  The OL is big, as is typical with a Robb Akey, Idaho OL, averaging 6'3" and over 305 pounds.  Big doesn't always mean effective, and this looks to be one of the more ineffective groups in a weak WAC.

Defense
There is a lot less question about the defense than the offense this season.  They return only 5 starters, but have a wealth of experience on the defensive side of the ball.  They had 2 or 3 guys who return this year that would have started last year but for season-ending injuries prior to the season.  So while they only have 5 "starters" returning, they have 9 positions where there is starting experience.

DL: The defensive line isn't amazingly big and it likely won't be amazingly productive, which was one of Idaho's major problem's last year.  However, there is more experience and depth there this year.  A lot of these guys are JC transfers, which can sometimes indicate a lower football IQ, late bloomer, or behavioral issues.  The fact that the JC transfers ended up at Idaho means their physical abilities aren't able to make up for these potential deficiencies (or else they would have ended up at better schools).  I suspect BYU will control the Idaho DL.

LB: Idaho will be starting 3 seniors at LB to begin the year.  All of them have seen significant playing time over the years.  This is a pretty sound group, from what I remember of Idaho last year and in 2010.  But they can only do so much if the DL isn't holding the OL off.  I'd expect 25 tackles from this group when they meet BYU in Provo.

DB: 3 of the 4 DBs are seniors.  Gary Walker is the kind of free safety that can change games with his hard-hitting mentality.  But if the DBs aren't causing turnovers, the rest of the defense will struggle.  The top 8 on the depth chart combined for only 1 INT last season, in spite of reasonably significant time on the field.

Overview
There is a reason why Idaho is #11 on BYU's schedule in terms of game difficulty.  BYU won 42-7 last year and, while Idaho might be marginally better (at best), BYU should be significantly better.  It's tough to predict that big of a blowout again, but I'd also be shocked to see the score change that much.  A lot will depend on how the two teams' seasons are going, but still, BYU should mash them on Senior Day in Provo.  If Idaho is 3-6 or worse going into the game, BYU wins big.  If BYU has 6 wins or more heading into the contest, BYU destroys them. 2-7 Idaho vs. 7-2 BYU: I can't even imagine the beat down that would be laid...