BYU Football: Is the defense in serious trouble?

BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 6: Quarterback Cade Fennegan #8 of the Boise State Broncos gets sacked during second half action against the BYU Cougars at Albertsons Stadium on November 6, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. BYU won the game 51-17. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - NOVEMBER 6: Quarterback Cade Fennegan #8 of the Boise State Broncos gets sacked during second half action against the BYU Cougars at Albertsons Stadium on November 6, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. BYU won the game 51-17. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
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HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 16: George Udo #7 of the BYU Cougars intercepts a pass intended for Marquez Stevenson #5 of the Houston Cougars on a two point attempt in the second half at TDECU Stadium on October 16, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 16: George Udo #7 of the BYU Cougars intercepts a pass intended for Marquez Stevenson #5 of the Houston Cougars on a two point attempt in the second half at TDECU Stadium on October 16, 2020 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Secondary

If you have made it this far, you may be a bit concerned. Well now it’s time to get nervous. Last year’s secondary was probably the weakness of the BYU defense.

George Udo and Micah Harper are the best returning defensive backs for the Cougars. Those two combined for 31 solo tackles and three pass breakups. Udo showed speed and potential, but also lacked discipline and was out of position on deep routes. Harper ended up starting for a few games last season and showed a lot of potential to be a lockdown corner.

The Cougars did get two three star transfers, Kaleb Hayes (Oregon State) and Jakob Robinson (Utah State), which could be helpful, but both are unproven and shouldn’t be expected to be game changers this season.

The hope is that some players with a lot of prior hype like D’Angelo Mandell, Hayden Livingston and Malik Moore step it up, but as things are currently, this is the position group to be the most concerned about.

Schedule

Schedule