Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the BYU season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– BYU Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 7-6 overall
Head Coach: Kalani Sitake, 4th year: 20-19
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BYU OFFENSE
– Maddeningly inconsistent, the offense came up with a few big performances late in the season, but it hit a major power outage in the middle of the campaign. With the emergence of sophomore QB Zach Wilson, the offense has its franchise star to work around. It’s no coincidence that his emergence led to the strong finishing kick, and now the O is his to run as the next great Cougar quarterback.
– Wilson has a strong group of targets to throw to, too. TE Matt Bushman is way too good to not get the ball a whole lot more – he led the team with just 29 catches – and just about everyone else returns. Dylan Collie is done, but Aleva Hifo on the inside, Gunner Romney on the outside, and the decent pass catching backs should do far more for a passing game that averaged just 212 yards per game.
– The running game is along for the ride, but Wilson can move, and Lopini Katoa is a strong back who’ll average over five yards per pop behind a line that gets back four starters. It’s not going to be a killer front five, but it’ll be deep and effective.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BYU DEFENSE
– Fantastic last year, the Cougars finished 18th in the nation in total defense despite the lack of a steady pass rush. The secondary was strong, the run defense helped up well – allowing 130 yards per game – and in all, allowed more than 21 points just four times. There’s just enough talent coming back to keep it all going.
– Corbin Kaufusi is done on the line and leading tackler Sione Takitaki is gone from the linebacking corps, but seven of the next eight tacklers are back. The line isn’t going to get into the backfield, but around 340-pound Khyiris Tonga, there’s great bulk up front. It won’t be that disruptive a line, but good luck running on this group.
– Around junior Isaiah Kaufusi, the linebacking corps has a whole lot of promise and potential on the outside. Now the stars have to emerge on the inside, with Trajan Pili and Jackson Kaufusi needing to grow into volume-tackling stars. The safety combination of Austin Lee and Dayan Ghanwoloku, if he doesn’t move to corner, is going to be fabulous as the year goes on – they’ll combine for well over 100 stops – but the corners have to come up with more big plays and picks after doing next to nothing last year.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP BYU PLAYERS
Best BYU Offensive Player
QB Zach Wilson, Soph.
Just when it looked like the BYU offense was about the sputter and cough into the abyss – and it sort of did, anyway – at leas there was a ray of hope with the emergence of Wilson. The 6-3, 200-pound sophomore can run – he scored two touchdowns on the ground – but he’s a passer, connecting on 66% of his passes for 1,578 yards and 12 touchdowns with three scores in his half season of work. Just when the excitement was growing, he hit all 18 of his throws for 317 yards and four scores in the bowl win over Western Michigan.
2. TE Matt Bushman, Jr.
3. WR/KR Aleva Hifo, Sr.
4. OT Brady Christensen, Soph.
5. RB Lopini Katoa, Soph.
Best BYU Defensive Player
LB Isaiah Kaufusi, Jr.
The 6-2, 210-pound junior blew up in his role in the linebacking corps – sort of – finishing third on the team with 50 tackles with a sack and six tackles for loss and four broken up passes. He missed the bowl game hurt, but he’s back and ready to see time in a variety of spots. He moved around where needed, but he’ll lock down one of the outside jobs from the start.
2. S Austin Lee, Sr.
3. NT Khyiris Tonga, Jr.
4. S/CB Dayan Ghanwoloku, Sr.
5. DE Trajan Pili, Sr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The BYU Offense
The running game has to add even more to the mix. Zach Wilson is going to take off and add yards with his legs, but the O can’t risk the franchise quarterback taking a ton of shots. The running backs have to do the work, because when they do, BYU wins.
The Cougars ran for more than 100 yards eight times last season and went 7-1. How were they when under the century mark? 0-5. The program is 0-11 over the last two seasons when it doesn’t run for 100 yards.
Biggest Key To The BYU Defense
It would be nice if the defensive front could get into the backfield from time to time. Generating pressure behind the line hasn’t been a thing for the the Cougars over the last few seasons and the production has been fine. The pass rush wasn’t bad with 27 sacks, but there were just 59 tackles for loss on the year. Easy math time – a mere 32 plays were made behind the line that weren’t sacks. That’s a wee bit by design, but again … it would be nice.
Key Player To A Successful Season
WR Aleva Hifo, Sr.
The slot target has to be more of a go-to guy for a passing game that can and should be much better. Matt Bushman is a talented target at tight end, and options are there on the outside to stretch the field, but the 5-10, 190-pound Hifo has the running back toughness to handle a whole lot of work. He ran 30 times and scored twice, and caught 28 passes for 358 yards and two scores. Throw in his return ability, and he’s a dangerous all-around weapon.
Key Game To The BYU Season
Utah, August 29
Come on, BYU. Win the Holy War again already. It’s not just that the Cougars need to break the eight-game losing streak – with almost all of them in painfully close fashion – it’s that it’s the season opener with a brutal stretch to follow. Lose, and with at Tennessee, USC, Washington, at Toledo, at USF, Boise State, and at Utah State to follow … uh oh.
– BYU Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 BYU Fun Stats
– 2nd Quarter Scoring: BYU 106 – Opponents 51
– 4th Down Conversions: Opponents 14-of-24 (58%) – BYU 9-of-20 (45%)
– Field Goals: BYU 11-of-16 – BYU 7-of-19
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. BYU WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
BYU will be one of the toughest calls. The team was just good enough to hang around with just about everyone last season, and now it’s even better thanks to the emergence of QB Zack Wilson and a veteran receiving corps that should put up consistently good numbers.
The defense is a big plus, too, even with a slew of key parts needing to be replaced up front and with a whole lot more pick off production needing to come from the corners. Throw in the good special teams, and all of the parts are there to go bowling again.
But can the Cougars make more noise than just finding a way into a 13th game?
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 7
It’s the eternal issue for the program. If it’s not going to play around with the College Football Playoff chase, then where’s the carrot at the end of the stick? At least last year there was the regular season finale against Utah, but that’s at the beginning of the year this time around.
The Cougars are more than good enough to beat USC, Washington, and/or Boise State in Provo, and/or Tennessee in Knoxville and/or San Diego State on the road. But those are a whole lot of strong teams to try getting by, and that doesn’t include road games at Utah State and USF.
They’ll win their share of those – and roll by Liberty, Idaho State and UMass – but they have to win at least four of the other nine nasty games to be relevant.
They’ll do that and get bowling, but it’s not going to be a breeze. Expect a whole lot of close, tight games, but with the Cougars getting by in most of them.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
