BYU Football: The offensive line and two other keys to beating Arizona

The Quarterback

This one’s a no-brainer.

After a heated quarterback battle throughout the offseason, Tanner Mangum is back at the helm of the offense.

If he’s the same Tanner Mangum that burst on the scene as a freshman in 2015, the Cougars will be able to turn the offense around. If he’s the quarterback that was largely ineffective through 2 1/2 games last year he won’t be the starter for long.

The 2018 Tanner Mangum probably lies somewhere in the middle, but three drives from last season should give BYU fans hope.

In the final three drives against Utah, Ty Detmer finally opened up the offense and let Tanner Mangum work solely from the shotgun.

In those three drives, Mangum went 13/20 for 124 yards and a touchdown, and two of those incompletions were key drops by his receivers on the final possession.

He looked much more comfortable in the shotgun, and had he not gotten injured in that game it would have been interesting to see how the rest of the season would have turned out.

But the past is the past, and Mangum has one last season to live up to that promise that he showed as a freshman.

If Jeff Grimes has shaped the offense in a way that fits Mangum’s strengths, then he’ll have a solid year. Maybe not an earth-shattering one, but a good one.

Arizona will score points. Tate and the Wildcat offense is too good to shut down completely. If Mangum can manage the game and keep the offense balanced, then the Cougars can keep up on the scoreboard and have a shot at the upset.