BYU Football: Final Report Card for the Cougars in 2018
By Shaun Gordon
Defense
Defensive Line – B
While the Cougars weren’t great at running the ball, they were very good at stopping the run. BYU ranked No. 26 nationwide in run defense, giving up just 129.4 yards per game, and the defensive line was a key part of that.
But BYU was No. 121 in tackles for loss and No. 73 in sacks. Unless there was a blitz the line struggled to get regular pressure in the backfield.
Linebackers – B+
The linebacking corps were hit hard by injuries, hampering Butch Pau’u, sidelining Zayne Anderson, and pressing Isaiah Kaufusi into a featured role.
Fortunately Kaufusi played very well (50 tackles, 6 TFL, 4 deflections), joining Sione Takitaki (118 tackles, 9 TFL, 3 sacks) in anchoring the defense’s second line.
Safeties – A-
Dayan Ghanwoloku’s transition to safety was a success, as he and Austin Lee teamed up to patrol the defense’s back-end.
Troy Warner’s move to safety wasn’t as seamless, and the secondary struggled when Ghanwoloku missed time midway through the season. It’s no coincidence that BYU’s two worst defensive outings, Washington and Utah State, came while he was out.
Cornerbacks – B+
Michael Shelton and Chris Wilcox were a great one-two punch at the corners until Wilcox went down with injury. With Wilcox out it was time for the youngsters to step up – D’Angelo Mandell, Keenan Ellis, and Jaylon Vickers.
That inexperience reared its head at times, but the corners did an admirable job overall in spearheading the No. 31 pass defense in the country.