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BYU football vs Utah: 4 things we learned

By Nathan Cunningham

Sep 10, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake argues a call and had to be separated from the officials in the third quarter against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 10, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake argues a call and had to be separated from the officials in the third quarter against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The BYU football team clashed with the Utah Utes on Saturday in the Holy War: 2016 edition. Here’s what we learned from the game. 

Defense leads BYU football

BYU football’s Francis Bernard celebrates after a third quarter interception against the Utah Utes. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)
BYU football’s Francis Bernard celebrates after a third quarter interception against the Utah Utes. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports) /

In its previous four games against BYU, Utah had just two total turnovers. On Saturday, the Cougars forced four turnovers in the first half alone, and six altogether. It should have been more than enough to win the game (especially considering the defense only allowed 13 points), but that’s not how it played out.

If we exclude the pick-six to open the game (a play in which the defense wasn’t involved), the Cougar defense is allowing just 14.5 points per game. They attack, they initiate contact and they punish opposing offenses. I don’t think the defense will remain this dominant throughout the entire season, but I do think the defense can carry BYU this season.

Part of that might be out of necessity as well, because…

BYU’s offensive line needs a lot of work

BYU football’s Taysom Hill scrambles from the pocket against Utah. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)
BYU football’s Taysom Hill scrambles from the pocket against Utah. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports) /

I was bullish on the Cougars’ offensive line going into Week 1. But now after watching them for eight quarters of play, one thing is becoming clear: they aren’t as good as I thought they’d be.

They weren’t horrible against Arizona – although Kenyan Norman struggled, especially in the run game – but they certainly weren’t good. Then against Utah they were mauled. They couldn’t protect Taysom Hill consistently and they were unable to open up holes in the run game.

I do think that Utah’s defensive line is the best the Cougars will face all season, but the fact of the matter is that teams like UCLA, Boise State, Michigan State and Mississippi State have defensive lines that are closer to Utah’s talent level than Arizona’s. So the Cougars will need to make some fixes.

I’m not sure if there’s a guy on the roster that can make a big enough impact overnight. But, these first three games are a pretty brutal way to get your feet wet in a new offense, so perhaps by the end of the season the offensive line will shore itself up.

Taysom Hill still isn’t a quarterback

BYU football’s Taysom Hill scrambles for a touchdown against Utah. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)
BYU football’s Taysom Hill scrambles for a touchdown against Utah. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports) /

This one will likely upset some people. But Taysom Hill just isn’t as good of a quarterback as Tanner Mangum is.

He struggles going through his progression (still), he gets happy feet in the pocket (still), he doesn’t know when to put some touch on his passes (still) and he struggles feeling pressure (still).

The reason I stay “still” is because these are things he’s struggled with since he first stepped on the field in 2012.

Hill’s athleticism is a huge asset (we saw that against the Utes). And I wanted Sitake to be hired (I wasn’t a Niumatalolo guy), so I trust him and his staff to make the right decisions. If they think that’s Hill, then I’ll roll with him.

But he’s not the best fit for a pro-style offense. He still won’t throw receivers open (something Mangum was great at doing) and once he breaks off one run, he gets antsy in the pocket.

His story is an incredible one, and I know Cougar Nation loves him, but I can’t help but think Mangum should be the starter.

Utah still cares about the Holy War

It was the fifth-largest crowd in Rice Eccles Stadium history on Saturday night. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports)
It was the fifth-largest crowd in Rice Eccles Stadium history on Saturday night. (Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports) /

There was a lot of talk about how this game didn’t matter anymore. Utah fans claimed it wasn’t a rivalry. They said they were the big brother, BYU was the little brother, and there was no significance.

That certainly wasn’t the case on Saturday in Salt Lake.

It was the fifth-highest crowd in the history of Rice-Eccles Stadium and the city was buzzing.

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Make no mistake about it, Utah fans still care about BYU and the Holy War.

Now Utah has won each of the last six games (their longest win streak since the 1960’s), but 16 of the last 21 games were decided by seven points or less. It will be interesting to see if things shift once Sitake has a full recruiting class of “his guys” become upperclassmen. Maybe BYU can once again become the premier program in the state.

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