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SALT LAKE CITY — BYU’s football schedule in 2013 is historic.
Take a look at the Cougars’ schedule, and a fan would notice there are only two weeks that don’t merit much attention (week four versus Middle Tennessee and week 10 versus Idaho State).
Sadly, for BYU fans hoping to shock and awe the college football world, the preseason has been a cruel reminder that history isn’t always kind. The Cougars have lost starters like cornerback Jordan Johnson, and continue to fight off a bevy of defensive injuries that have raised concerns about their ability to start a historic opportunity off with a bang.
Thus as BYU opens the 2013 season on the road against the University of Virginia, it’s important to note which personnel groups are most key.
In week one, it’s the Cougar defensive backfield versus the Cavalier wide receivers.
Why this matchup?
#WhoWins
BYU has had injury problems across the defensive board, but the defensive backfield is where it will struggle the most.
The Cougars have lost three players who were expected to contend for large amounts of playing time in 2013, and this leaves the potential of play falling a substantial amount if there is indeed an injury.
BYU still has hard-hitting Daniel Sorensen, who led the team in interceptions last season, and players like Craig Bills and Mike Hague. But it isn’t the core unit that raises questions — it’s the backups.
The Cougars will be tasked with covering an athletic Virginia receiving core, featuring players like Dominique Terrell, Darius Jennings and Tim Smith.
Jennings caught 48 passes last year, averaging 11.1 yards per catch. Terrell also had stout numbers on his catches, averaging 12.5 yards per catch.
Additionally, Smith, who is a fifth-year senior, has scored nine touchdowns in his career at Virginia, and he led the team in yards per catch, averaging more than 20 yards in 2012.
To add to the potential headache for the Cougars, Virginia has a running back who averaged almost five yards per carry last season, meaning receivers will get man-to-man coverage as BYU’s linebackers will have to be committed to shutting down the run first.
Here’s where the lack of Cougar depth and experience comes into play, as BYU isn’t sure it has three defensive backs who have the speed and athleticism to lock down three quality play makers for an entire game.
Who wins this matchup?
Even with Sorensen, Bills, Hague and newcomer Robertson Daniel, the Cougars’ secondary will struggle to contain three talented wide receivers for an entire game.
BYU will most likely try to hide its secondary’s woes by mixing up zone coverages, or having an athletic linebacker like Kyle Van Noy drop into coverage. However, if Virginia begins to run with effectiveness, it will be on the defensive backs to fend for themselves in one-on-one coverage, and this is where the Cavaliers can separate themselves from BYU.
Overall, the Cougars do have the firepower to come away with a victory if their defensive backs are caught at even a slight disadvantage, but they can’t consistently drop linebackers into coverage and expect to walk away with an easy victory.
In the end, Virginia has too much athleticism and too much speed at the wide receiver position for a patchwork BYU secondary to cover for an entire game.
If the Cavaliers exploit this matchup, it might be a sad beginning to a historic opportunity for BYU.
