Each week we will be handing out helmet stickers to the top performers after every BYU Football game. Let’s hand out some stickers for BYU’s 33-25 win over the Houston Cougars.
OFFENSE/Misc
Jamaal Williams
Jamaal is looking like a man this year. There is a noticeable difference between the Jamaal of this year and the one we saw from the previous two seasons. He rarely goes down after the first hit. Even after being wrapped up by two or three guys, he always seems to keep churning his legs to eke out an extra yard or two.
After only having nine carries in the first half, the offense fed him the rock in the second half and he finished with 139 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns. Many of Jamaal’s runs came in between the tackles, but Offensive Coordinator, Robert Anae, seems to have more trust in Williams’ speed, and is giving him more opportunities to run on the edges.
The one-two punch of Taysom and Jamaal wore down Houston in the second half and BYU was able milk out the clock and seal the victory. Expect to see a lot of that going forward as BYU wears down defenses over the course of a game.
Jordan Leslie
When BYU jumped out to that 23-0 lead, Leslie was a focal point of the offense. That 35 yard catch-and-run he had was beautiful, as he followed his blockers down the field and made defenders miss along the way. Jordan’s experience and maturity are a big asset to the offense.
It seemed that he had less plays called for him as the game went along, and the offense sputtered at the same time as well. I don’t think that is a coincidence. Jordan needs to be a focal point of the Cougar offense going forward.
BYU Sports Marketing
The marketing team hit it out of the park with their 9/11 tributes. The “we will never forget” cards that the east stands held up were awesome and recognized by the whole country. SportsCenter sent out a tweet of the images and it was retweeted over 10,000 times.
Great ideas from the marketing team to honor those that lost their lives on 9/11.
Touching moment in Provo, as BYU fans hold up signs in honor of September 11. pic.twitter.com/2IzyNBUEpO
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 12, 2014
Defense
Craig Bills
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Bills was wreaking havoc from the safety position, laying the wood to unsuspecting defenders throughout the night. He broke up multiple passes throughout the night by punishing defenders. His aggressiveness cost him a targeting penalty in the first half, but was overturned after being reviewed.
The captain of BYU’s defense led the team six solo tackles and seven total tackles. Bills just has a nose of the ball, and is in the mold of other great Cougar safeties Andrew Rich and Daniel Sorenson.
Alani Fua
Fua was great. He did not record a sack, but he was disruptive in the run game and provided solid coverage against Houston’s quick slot receivers.
Fua is one of BYU’s most versatile defenders. He is a 3-down linebacker, and is effective in rushing the passer, playing against the run, and playing pass coverage. While not quite up to the level of Kyle Van Noy, Fua has already shown early in the season that he is an NFL caliber linebacker.
Zac Stout
Stout made his presence felt early, when he got in the Houston backfield and recorded BYU’s first points with a safety. Combined with Fua and the rest of the Cougar defense, Stout made it clear early that Houston would not be able to run on the BYU defense, and made Houston pass virtually the whole game from the second quarter on.
While his play was limited more in the second half due to BYU playing in more nickel and dime packages, Stout looks to be a regular starter in the inside linebacker core. Finally great to see Stout show off the promise that made him a highly coveted prospect coming out of California in that 2010 class.