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PROVO — Only 10 FBS teams ranked worse than BYU in touchdown red- zone efficiency in 2013.
Robert Anae’s first year installing a hurry-up offense in Provo, which was second in the nation in total plays, provided six points on just 48 percent (27 of 56) of Cougars scoring opportunities inside the 20-yard line.
Adjustments during the offseason have emphasized the necessity of utilizing plays and personnel that offer the best chance of converting red-zone possessions into touchdowns.
“We’ve talked about scripting our best plays for that area instead of going down the list,” quarterback Taysom Hill said. “Along with scripting those plays, we have personnel packages for the red zone.”
It doesn't matter how good of coverage you have on them, they're always open.
–Taysom Hill on his tall wide receivers
Hill will have the luxury of looking for two 6-foot-6 wide receivers in go-to man Mitch Matthews and juco transfer Nick Kurtz, and he said he expects those packages to often feature Ross Apo and Jordan Leslie on the field at the same time with Matthews and Kurtz when BYU is near the goal line.
“It doesn’t matter how good of coverage you have on them, they’re always open,” Hill said of his big receivers.
Anae expressed a desire to cut down on the amount of incompletions the Cougars threw near the end zone and might be equipped with the deepest group of BYU pass-catchers he’s ever had.
And although Anae knows the speed at which his offense runs is not something a young player easily acclimates to, he expects the newcomers to quickly settle in: “Of all the positions on the field (wide receiver) has the easiest learning curve,” he said.
Expectations are high for Matthews, who, of the receivers, has developed the best chemistry with Hill. The junior learned how to take advantage of his height before a season-ending shoulder injury against Wisconsin caused him to miss the final four games last season.
“You can be the fastest person on the planet and it's hard to get open in the red zone unless you're big and you can make plays down there,” Matthews said. “We've been starting to throw a lot more fades and back-shoulders.”
Ideally, BYU won’t always need to reach the red zone to put touchdowns on the scoreboard. Anae said he plans to utilize the depth at receiver as many ways as he can, including testing defenses with deep passes.
Owning the 10th-best rushing attack in 2013, the Cougars forced opposing defenses to commit additional players to stopping the run, an adjustment they think can exploit.
“Looking back at our game tapes last year, they brought safeties down. Some guys would play us at 10, 12 yards deep,” Hill said. “We stretch the field and they’re not able to do that. ... Even if we don’t hook up on all of them, it will still show that there’s a threat and a presence there.”
To throw the ball down field, BYU will need better protection up front, first and foremost. The Cougars surrendered 38 sacks last season, ranking 115th in the country.
Anae said he realized that the best offensive linemen he had in 2013 were the ones that were the most fresh. He doesn’t expect that to be the case this year.
He added that a few guys have made significant strides in their conditioning and execution, and he said that will allow them to be more dominant and stay on the field for longer periods of time.
That may also help an already dominate ground game that Anae said needs to continuously gain four or more yards on red-zone rushes to set up for more manageable third downs.
