What a time to be a BYU fan!
The Cougars are coming off a program-altering win over Notre Dame and have vaulted all the way up to No. 2 in the country. Given the way the Cougars handled the Irish, there's no doubt Kalani Sitake's squad is a legitimate national title contender.
But only if they keep winning and avoid a "letdown" game against UCF. With Notre Dame now in the rearview mirror and another Top 10 matchup with rival Utah looming in a couple of weeks, the Cougars can't let up. In order to run their record to 7-0, here are the three potential problem areas BYU needs to address.
Problem No. 1 - Avoid a slow start
Anytime the Cougars go on the road to the state of Florida, it can be a cause for concern. Maybe it's Florida's heat and humidity. Maybe it's playing in the Eastern time zone. Maybe it's the quantity of elite athletes that dot the rosters of Florida-based teams.
In order to stay perfect, the Cougars are going to have to start fast.
In last year's game against UCF in Provo, the Knights jumped out to a 14-0 first quarter lead. Now, the Cougs went on to outscore UCF 41-7 from there, but the slow start was a concern. This will be doubly true on the road.
Last week BYU jumped out to a 21-10 lead against Notre Dame with some sharp quarterback play by Bear Bachmeier, and a similar hot start is a must versus UCF.
Problem No. 2 - No muffed punts!
BYU has lost two muffed punts in back-to-back games now with two different punt returners in Tiger Bachmeier and Cannon DeVries.
Last year Parker Kingston was removed temporarily as a punt returner because of his fumble issues.
When watching football in general, whether college or the NFL, fans are simply accustomed to watching punt returners simply secure a fair catch or secure a punt before a short return. It's not normally a concern. But for BYU fans, we feel a perpetual sense of dread when opposing teams punt to us. Some Cougar fans on social media have half-jokingly suggested we simply not put a punt returner deep and just let the ball hit the ground and bounce.
Now, while Cannon DeVries muffed a punt last week, he has otherwise been a solid punt returner. He makes good decisions about when to let the ball go, when to fair catch it, and when to run.
If Cannon DeVries simply secures every one of UCF's punts with a fair catch, that would go a long way in helping the Cougars secure a win.
Problem No. 3 - Kalani Sitake learning the difference between "aggressive" and "reckless" on fourth down
Look, I love Kalani Sitake. I want him to be LaVell Edwards 2.0 and lead the Cougars to glory for the next 20-plus years. Given his on-field success and off-field goodness, Kalani is quite literally the perfect coach for the BYU Cougars. As a BYU graduate myself, I am incredibly proud to have Coach Sitake leading the program I love.
However...
On fourth down, Kalani needs to learn the difference between "reckless" and "aggressive".
BYU's defense is playing so well right now that the Cougars should simply take easy field goals when facing fourth-and-short in the red zone. Just take the three points and put even more pressure on the opposing offense when facing BYU's suffocating defense. And Kalani should never, ever, ever, ever run a fake punt again. Had the Cougars lost to Notre Dame, Kalani's disastrous decision to attempt a fake punt in BYU's own territory would have haunted him quite literally for years.
Just take field goals.
No more fake punts.
Provided BYU overcomes these three self-inflicted problems, and I'm confident they can, then the Cougars will leave Florida with a perfect 7-0 record.
Prediction: BYU 30, UCF 17
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