Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Call it a "tale of two seasons"; one that ended on a Friday night in Logan, and the other that is five games old and counting.
*******
At 1-4 on the season after a 31-16 loss at Utah State, BYU was on the verge of a meltdown. A month and a half later, after a 49-10 win at Colorado State, BYU is on a 4-1 run and on the verge of a sixth straight postseason appearance.
The only thing standing between the Cougars and a bowl bid is a New Mexico team making a strong run at the title of Worst Team in College Football. A win over the Lobos next week should cap BYU's about-face that started with the loss in Logan, and continued with the scoring frenzy in Fort Collins.
*******
Since Bronco Mendenhall shook up his coaching staff and his team-wide personality in the week before the San Diego State game, BYU has ended up flipping the switch on both sides of the ball.
Under new coordinator Mendenhall, BYU's defense has made mammoth strides.
After the October 1st loss to Utah State, BYU ranked:
120th in rush defense
85th in pass efficiency defense
101st in total defense
87th in scoring defense
--
After Saturday's win over Colorado State, BYU ranks:
74th in rush defense
61st in pass efficiency defense
47th in total defense
49th in scoring defense
--
While the overall improvements on the other side have been more incremental, BYU's punishing ground game has keyed BYU's offensive resurgence.
After the October 1st loss to Utah State, BYU ranked:
94th in rush offense
80th in pass offense
96th in total offense
114th in scoring offense
--
After Saturday's win over Colorado State, BYU ranks:
47th in rush offense
87th in pass offense
83rd in total offense
89th in scoring offense
--
Behind freshman QB Jake Heaps, BYU's passing game is now reaping the benefits of a ground attack that has averaged 209 yards per game over the last five games.
BYU has five 200+ yard rushing games this season, the most in a single season since the 2001 campaign with Brandon Doman at the helm.
In the meantime, Doman's pupil Heaps has seven touchdown passes and only one interception over the last three games. In his first seven games (including four starts), Heaps had one TD toss and six picks.
*******
Mendenhall maintains that despite his winning record as a true freshman starter, Heaps has yet to earn clear-cut starter status for next spring and that he expects Riley Nelson to compete for the #1 QB post again. That said, there is little doubt that BYU fans are watching the Cougars' next great signal-caller secure the job for years to come.
Heaps' pass efficiency rating of 242.64 at CSU was the eighth-best single game performance in BYU football history, trailing only seven single-game efforts of Ty Detmer, Max Hall, Steve Young, Marc Wilson, Gifford Nielsen, John Beck and Steve Sarkisian.
Heaps told us on our postgame show Saturday that he embraces BYU's QB standards and that "hopefully by the time I'm done with this place, I'll be the number one guy on there, so that's my goal."
*******
Heaps could very well end up sharing MWC Offensive Player of the Week honors with WR Luke Ashworth, with whom Heaps connected on four first-half touchdown strikes at Hughes Stadium.
Ashworth tied BYU and MWC records for TD receptions in a single game, and set the stadium record for single-game touchdown catches. His four scoring grabs are the most in a game pitting two MWC teams.
Luke Ashworth this season--
First seven games:
11 receptions, 53 yards, 4.8 ypc, 0 TDs
--
Last three games:
15 receptions, 253 yards, 16.9 ypc, 6 TDs
*******
BYU converted 12 of 13 third-down attempts at Colorado State. The Cougars' season-long third-down performance--
First five games:
28/79: 35%
--
Last five games:
43/76: 57%
--
Through ten games: 45.8%; FBS season ranking - 26th
*******
BYU's defense is making more plays. Through eight games, BYU had forced only six turnovers. In the last two games, the Cougars have equaled that tally with six takeaways.
*******
With BYU one win away from bowl eligibility, the 1-9 New Mexico Lobos visit Provo next Saturday. I'm not saying UNM has not shot at a win, but... well, actually I am saying UNM has no shot at a win.
The Lobos have the nation's longest road losing streak at 15 games, accompanied by the following statistical smorgasbord--
104th in rush offense
98th in pass offense
116th in total offense
115th in scoring offense
120th in rush defense
113th in pass efficiency defense
118th in total defense
119th in scoring defense
102nd in 3rd down conversion percentage
109th in 3rd down conversion percentage defense
103rd in turnover margin
106th in turnovers lost
114th in pass efficiency
117th in sacks
104th in tackles for loss
--
Bronco Mendenhall is 5-0 against the Lobos, with the victories coming by an average score of 29-17.
*******
