BYU football: Cougars fall in disappointing fashion to Mississippi State

Another week, another loss for BYU football. Now the Cougars have started 1-6 for the first time since 1968. So what’s next?

It’s not too much fun watching BYU football this season. It’s less fun trying to figure out how to find the silver linings, the little victories.

I’m sure it’s not much fun reading, either.

My wife summed it up pretty well around halftime. She got up from the couch, grabbed our grocery list and headed for the door.

“BYU stinks,” she said. “I’m going to get the shopping done.”

So we’ve officially reached the point where BYU football is significantly less fun than doing grocery shopping.

That left me alone, with nothing other than the despair of watching Dayan Ghanwoloku pick off passes, only for the offense to stall.

Then it happened. The Cougars scored. Great protection, a perfect post route from Aleva Hifo and a Tanner Mangum circa 2015 throw got BYU football to pay dirt.

Then Mississippi State fumbled the kickoff. BYU recovered. The Cougars had a shot to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 28-17. Instead, Mangum was under intense pressure, he rolled right and was picked off.

The despair came back. It only grew as Mississippi State extended its lead.

As things were winding down, I was trying to think of what we learned from the game.

Then it hit me.

We didn’t learn anything. Nothing new happened.

BYU football is just… bad. Putrid, really.

Sure, there were great moments. Ghanwoloku played well, and deserves praise. The Mangum to Hifo touchdown was picture perfect. Fred Warner, until he was sidelined with an injury, played great.

But none of those things really matter at the moment. Discussing whether or not the glass is half full or half empty is meaningless when we should be discussing just what, exactly, is in said glass.

Statistically speaking, this Cougar team is the worst we’ve seen in decades. We have to go back to the pre-LaVell Edwards era to find another squad this poor. The last time BYU football averaged fewer points per game while also finishing under .500 was in 1963. The Cougars scored just 9.3 per game.

I’m not really sure what to say at this point. The defense is bad, the offense is literally one of the worst in the nation. I still have a hard time believing there’s no talent on the roster, but I think it’s safe to say that the nine players on last season’s team that are currently in the NFL masked a ton of personnel and coaching deficiencies.

Next: Should BYU's Coaches Be On The Hot Seat?

Truth be told, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if Reno Mahe, Ben Cahoon and Ty Detmer were all let go this offseason. But really, the recruiting cycle takes time – and that’s exactly what they need.

But you can’t be this bad and reasonably expect four or five full years.

And that’s what it comes down to. It’s not being bad – it’s being horrible. It’s being over-matched regularly.

If BYU football didn’t look entirely overwhelmed against LSU, Wisconsin, Utah, Boise State and Mississippi State then I don’t think we’d be quite as upset. Sure, the losses would still sting, but at least our list of bright spots would be much larger.

At least we wouldn’t have to celebrate when the Cougars cross the 50-yard line. At least the broadcasts wouldn’t have to resort to Ed Orgeron impressions, the Provo bar scene, local BBQ joints, mascot dance offs and cow bells.

Instead, here we are. One of the worst teams in the nation, still without an identity – outside of being bad.

Mississippi State racked up more than 530 yards against the Cougars on Saturday, holding the ball for about 35 minutes. The Bulldogs lost the turnover battle and still dominated the game.

I still believe in Kalani Sitake. He’s certainly the right man for the job. However, if BYU doesn’t do some serious evaluations this offseason, I don’t know how anyone could take the program seriously anymore. Surely, for a team to start 1-6 there’s someone who isn’t pulling their weight/isn’t qualified for the position they hold.

Now things get lighter for the Cougars. It would be nice to think they’ll run the table, but we have no reason to think that’s possible at this point. If BYU football wants to extend its bowl streak, it needs to win five of its final six games.

So what did we learn? The same thing we learned three weeks ago.

BYU is in trouble.