BYU 2014 Regular Season Review

The Cougars concluded their regular season with an emotional 42-35 thriller over the Cal Golden Bears in Berkeley, California Thanksgiving Weekend. The win ended gave the Cougars a four game winning streak to end the season, completing the 4-4-4 (win-loss-win) streak in rhythmic fashion for the year. With high expectations and a favorable schedule, the 8-4 season was a letdown, to say the least. With only the bowl matchup against Memphis in the Miami Beach Bowl looming, Lawless Republic brings you the regular season review of the 2014 season.

September

Taysom Hill hurdles over the final Longhorn defender on his way to the endzone. (Austin, TX)

September was a magical month for the Cougars, with four straight wins to start the season, including a road win against UConn, revenge on the Virginia Cavaliers for their 2013 win over the Cougars, and a whooping of the Texas Longhorns in Austin. The Cougars climbed as high an 18 in the polls, was receiving national attention as a serious College Football Playoff contender (or at least New Year’s Six bowl) and had a legitimate Heisman contender in junior QB Taysom Hill. With improved passing efficiency (67% completion & 141.7 overall QBR) and 115 rushing yards per game, Taysom was a true dual threat QB. Perhaps the trademark play of September came virtue of Taysom’s legs as he hurdled the Longhorns and broke their backs on the way to a 41-7 bludgeoning.

October

QB Taysom Hill (#4, on ground) clutches his broken leg against Utah State (Provo, UT)

October was a month which must never be spoken of again in Cougar history. After rising to the #18 ranking, the wheels quickly fell off the Cougs. In the first matchup in October all of the momentum, Heisman talk, and major bowl game talk came crashing down faster than an extinct Las Vegas casino on demolition day. For the first time since 1978, the Aggies left Provo with a victory. The Cougars lost more than just the game that day, they also lost Hill for the season. The second that number four clutched his lower leg as he lay on the field “gasp” began trending on BYU social media. Later that evening news of Mr. BYU’s broken leg was confirmed. A leader not just on the field, but in the huddle, on the sideline, and in the locker room, Hill’s absence was immediately felt. Not just losing the Utah State game, but also the three following games to mediocre teams like UCF and Nevada (plus a blowout to Fiesta Bowl-bound Boise State) left the Cougar players and coaches, alumni, fans, and administration in a serious funk. Christian Stewart filled in admirably for Taysom Hill, but let’s not kid ourselves. The lights turned off in Provo in the first week of October and it’s really a small miracle that they turned back on.

I really thought October would never end. It felt like a nightmare that would never end. Losing Hill was one thing, but his injury was just the beginning. Also sustaining injuries on the year were:

• RB Jamaal Williams
• LB Alani Fua
• DB Dallin Leavitt
• DB Craig Bills
• OL Brayden Kearsley
• DB Jordan Johnson
• RB Adam Hine
• WR Terenn Houk
• LB Bronson Kaufusi

I better wrap up October. I thought that the healing was complete, that month is still an open wound…

November

November was a better month for the Cougs, although against opponents whose victory over BYU would have been so disastrous that the brethren may as well have just cancelled the program altogether. The Cougars rallied off four straight wins to complete a perfect November. Most importantly they did it with few added injuries and with a unified locker room.

QB Christian Stewart (7) celebrates with WR Mitch Mathews (10) after a touchdown. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

While Taysom Hill’s presence on the field was noticeable until the bitter end, the story of QB Christian Stewart helped lessen the blow. Stewart had been a QB at the very bottom of the BYU depth chart years ago before transferring to Snow College, where he had an illustrious career. After his playing days were behind him at Snow, he transferred back to BYU, though he hung up his cleats. It wasn’t until last spring that strength and conditioning coach Jay Omer saw Stewart on campus and encouraged him to come try out for the team again, after several QBs had transferred away from BYU following Taysom Hill’s remarkable 2013 season (with two seasons of eligibility still to go). Stewart accepted, never thinking he’d get on the field. Hill’s injury changed that in a hurry. Stewart filled in not just admirably, but remarkably in Hill’s absence, throwing for 2,262 yards and 22 TDs against just 6 INTs. Of note, three of those INTs came in the USU game, meaning that Stewart threw just three INTs in his final seven starts. Stewart, who acknowledged that his role was simply to hang around in case Hill got injured, resurrected a dying team and salvaged the Cougars season. It is stories like Christian Stewart that make college football the greatest game on earth. Stewart has no dreams of playing on Sundays, rather looking forward to beginning a job at a financial firm in San Francisco upon graduating from BYU. He played, led, and succeeded simply out of his love for the game and pride in wearing the “Y” on his helmet and jersey.

Looking Forward

The Cougars will wrap up the 2014 season on Dec 22 against the Memphis Tigers, winners of the AAC conference. The Tigers will be the second most difficult team the Cougars have faced all year (Boise St.) and victory will represent a great accomplishment.

As the team heals, gets in extra practices, and focuses on game preparation and final exams, the coaches have been busy on the recruiting trail. Pictures seemingly pop up daily on social media of coaches in the homes of hopefully-future-Cougars. If successful, the recruiting class could represent one of the strongest in recent memory, which will be needed with the upcoming 2015 schedule.

The 2015 schedule is poised, barring additional conference realignment (fingers crossed, everyone!) to be the most challenging scheduling in BYU history. Preliminary schedule includes:

• Sept 5 @ Nebraska
• Sept 12 Boise St.
• Sept 19 @ UCLA
• Sept 26 @ Michigan
• Oct 2 UConn
• Oct 10 East Carolina
• Oct 17 Cincinnati
• Nov 7 @ San Jose St.
• Nov 14 @ Missouri (Kansas City Chief’s Arrowhead Stadium)
• Nov 21 Fresno State
• Nov 28 @ Utah State