At this point, BYU's Hill should run wild


2 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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.

PROVO — So finally, more than one year after suffering a season-ending foot injury, BYU quarterback Taysom Hill is getting back to the dynamic level he displayed in previous seasons.

“He’s starting to feel a lot more comfortable running the ball,” said coach Kalani Sitake. “You can see that’s he’s starting to trust his foot.”

Good news, indeed, for a team that has started the season 1-3 and is mired in a three-game losing streak. The bad news, obviously, is that one-third of the season is history.

In some regard, BYU waited too long for Hill to find his comfort zone. As an independent, with a schedule that always is frontloaded, BYU needs to be as ready as possible to start the season. Unlike most teams that are in a conference, the Cougars don’t start off with easy games early in September that essentially serve as tune-ups before things get serious.

Once conference play starts around the country, BYU has a much harder time scheduling big-name teams willing to play a high-stakes game late in the season. Typically, BYU’s November schedules are filled with teams that Power 5 conferences normally play to start the season.

The point is, the Cougars won’t draw much attention for beating the likes of Southern Utah and Massachusetts, two opponents they play this November. To gain any kind of traction nationally, they have to win games in September against the more respected competition. And in order to do, they can’t afford to ease into the season with players still rounding into shape after coming off injuries or whatever.

As unfair as it may be, it’s also the reality for the Cougars.

Off the bat this season, BYU competed nearly evenly with three teams from the Pac-12 South Division. Maybe if Hill was ready to go from the beginning the Cougars would have had a better chance against Utah and UCLA, whom they lost to by a combined four points.

Related:

Hill’s situation also has been compounded by a new coaching staff that had no connection to the players. Only defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi was retained from Bronco Mendenhall’s staff. Naturally, the players and coaches needed time to get acquainted.

“We’re starting to kind of figure out our identity a little bit and understand maybe what we’re best at,” said BYU offensive coordinator Ty Detmer.

As long as Sitake and Detmer remain committed to Hill rather than Tanner Mangum, who showed promise as a passer last season as a freshman, the game plan needs to revolve around Hill’s running ability. BYU will continue to struggle to beat Power 5 teams if Hill, who isn’t noted for his accuracy, has to throw too much.

Against UCLA, in a game in which the offense scored only one touchdown until getting in the end zone with 37 seconds left, Hill had 49 pass attempts for 250 yards. A total of 87 yards came on BYU’s last possession when the Bruins were allowing completions in exchange for time running off the clock.

If Sitake is right in saying Hill trusts his foot more now, it showed in the last game against West Virginia. He looked like his old self, rushing 14 times for 105 yards.

With a healthy Hill, BYU’s offense looked drastically improved in the fourth game compared to the three against Pac-12 opponents. After not reaching 20 points in any of the first three games, the Cougars posted 32 points against the Mountaineers.

In a move reminiscent of a thrilling play against Texas two years ago, Hill tried to hurdle West Virginia defenders on one play. The athletic play was indicative of Hill’s ability to control a game with his legs.

“Hopefully, we’ll rely on him to do things with his feet as well as his arm,” Sitake said.

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Sports stories

Related topics

SportsBYU Cougars

ARE YOU GAME?

From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast