BYU vs. Virginia: Helmet Stickers

OFFENSE

Taysom Hill

The rock of BYU’s offense, Taysom was once again key to the Cougar offensive attack. While the Cavs actually did a pretty good job of containing Hill, Taysom came up in clutch moments when he was needed most. His touchdown run when he stiff-armed and carried Virginia defenders on the way to the end zone was vintage Taysom.

One alarming trend is that his completion percentage has gone down each game. With a bye week to rest up, and the return of highly-touted recruit Nick Kurtz just around the corner, look for Hill to continue his improvement in the passing game.

Tejan Koroma

An 18 year old true freshman, Koroma has come into the program and already established himself as one of the best offensive lineman on the team. Offensive line coach Garrett Tujague said during fall camp that Koroma was the strongest guy on the team.

Playing against a very talented defensive line in Virgina, Koroma more than held his own and gave Taysom good protection. He gives this line a nastiness that has been lacking in past years. While that may result in more penalties at the moment, the line has been performing better so far than last year’s line.

With Koroma and fellow freshman Ului Lapuaho starting at center and left tackle, respectively, the Cougars have the 2 most important positions on the offensive line locked up for the next 4 years.

Devon Blackmon

While he did not necessarily have a dominate outing, it was good to see more of the former High School All-American more involved in the offense. His day was highlighted by a 56 yard catch and run and a 25 yard punt return where he made several Cavalier defenders miss. He also had a catch on a screen play where he was quickly tackled, but it was nice seeing Anae calling that play for one of the most gifted athletes on the team.

As Blackmon continues to learn the offense, the coaching staff is giving him a little bigger role each game. Look for Blackmon to take more reps from Mitchell Juergens as a punt returner, and for him to be more utilized on fly sweeps and screens as the season rolls along.

Defense

Robertson Daniel

While Daniel allowed some catches and was penalized a few times, his first-half interception was a momentum changer. The Cougar defense was not putting up a lot of resistance at that point, but Robertson’s pick helped settle things down for awhile and allowed the Cougars to tie the game.