BYU Football: Grading the first half of the 2018 season

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
4 of 4
PROVO, UT – NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars greets kicker Rhett Almond #26 after his 20 yard field goal in the fourth quarter against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at LaVell Edwards Stadium on November 12, 2016 in Provo Utah. The Brigham Young Cougars beat the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 37-7. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
PROVO, UT – NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars greets kicker Rhett Almond #26 after his 20 yard field goal in the fourth quarter against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at LaVell Edwards Stadium on November 12, 2016 in Provo Utah. The Brigham Young Cougars beat the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 37-7. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)

Coaching – C+

Once again, two games keep this grade from being much, much lower. You have to give credit to the coaching staff for putting together brilliant game plans against Arizona and Washington, and they did it on both sides of the ball.

More from Lawless Republic

The other four games? Not so awesome, and most of it stems from one key problem.

In-game adjustments.

Until Jeff Grimes opened up the passing game in the second half against Utah State, there has been very little done this entire season to make adjustments as games progress.

That’s especially the case on defense. The defensive line has had nearly zero success in getting to the quarterback, yet nothing has been done to make the changes necessary to disrupt offensive flow.

It’s as if the word “blitz” is a foreign concept in Provo.

The Cougars are on the edge of another fall similar to the one in 2017. They’ve lost two straight blowout games, and the energy that surrounded the team early in the season is gone.

It’s on the coaching staff to find a way to get that fire back. If not, there’s likely going to be a lot of changes made at the end of the season.

Schedule

Schedule