BYU football: Offense cause for concern, but not panic
By Shaun Gordon
The BYU football offense under performed against Portland State, but it’s way too early to hit the panic button on the season.
365 total yards. 20 points.
That’s what BYU football put up against Portland State.
Those aren’t horrible numbers, but when they come up against an FCS team, they don’t meet expectations.
That’s a disappointing output offensively for BYU football.
The offense sputtered at times, and hurt themselves with costly penalties at other times.
Four BYU drives stalled as a result of penalties. One of those took six points off the board, ending the drive a missed field goal instead.
The Cougar receivers struggled to get separation against the Viking press coverage. Tanner Mangum made some good throws, but he was often forced to check down or hold onto the ball too long.
The offensive line struggled to open holes in the running game early. They did better as the game went along, wearing down an undersized Viking defensive line.
Frankly, BYU football looked like a team that came out complacent and expected a cakewalk.
But it’s not time to hit that panic button just yet.
Next: What We Learned From BYU vs Portland State
It’s said that the biggest improvements come between the first and second game. There’s definitely plenty of room to improve, but it can be done.
Look for the offensive line to cut down on mistakes and improve their timing.
The receivers need the most work. If they can’t beat Portland State cornerbacks off the line, they’re going to be in for a long night against the Tigers next week.
Expect to see a lot more of the playbook opened up against LSU. The playcalling by Ty Detmer against the Vikings could best be described as vanilla.
Most importantly, look for a fire in the offense that wasn’t there in game one.
Just look at 2013. BYU football opened the season with a thud, only scoring 16 points against a woeful Virginia squad. They followed it up by thumping No. 15 Texas, hanging 40 points on the Longhorns.
It may not take 40 points to beat LSU, but it will take a lot more than what BYU put up against the Vikings.