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PROVO — Four days away from the BYU football team's season opener at Virginia, offensive coordinator Robert Anae should be working on a game plan to pile on the points on the Cavaliers.
There's some of that. But Anae, who returned from a two-year sabbatical as co-offensive coordinator at Arizona, has enough to worry about with his own team.
The Cougars could start any one of nine guys on the offensive line, with only sophomore center Terrence Alletto cementing himself in the trenches. Every other position on the two-deep depth chart features co-starters, including junior Michael Yeck — the only lineman who saw time in every game a year ago.
In his three years in the program, Yeck has heard plenty of gripes about his o-line teammates — and the chatter motivates each of them.
"I definitely think everyone here plays with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder because of that," Yeck said. "I was here last year and that's all we ever heard, ‘offensive line needs to step it up.' I think we've had that mentality training throughout our offseason, all throughout spring ball ... and now all throughout fall camp; I really think that's going to show come the season."
Only one senior, right guard Manaaki Vaitai, is listed on the two-deep roster. Juniors Yeck, Brock Stringham, De'Ondre Wesley and Solomone Kafu bring upperclassmen experience, while sophomores Alletto and Ryker Mathews and freshmen Brad Wilcox and Brayden Kearsley will also take an increased role in protecting quarterback Taysom Hill.
The nine linemen have compiled only 21 starts, all of them in 2012, and none of them from Alletto, Yeck or Stringham.
With the constant shifting of Anae's "Go Fast, Go Hard" offense, and a few offseason injuries that kept several Cougars off the practice field during spring and fall camps, chemistry and continuity were hard to come by. The lack was softened by implementing a basic offensive scheme that will call for a lot of running mixed with lots of hard hitting.
"It takes all the complicated calls, anything difficult that we might have had before, and just simplified it," Stringham said. "All we have to think about is getting off the ball; firing off and hitting the guy. How simple is that? I really love that because we can just focus on killing the guy in front of us."
With youth and inexperience come learning and mistakes. But new offensive line coach Garett Tujague isn't concerned with the former--only the latter. "Personally, I could care less if they make a mistake," Tujague said. "If they're going a hundred miles an hour and 100 percent, I'm right there with them; I want to reward that effort."
The quick tempo and fast pace take some getting used to. But Stringham says there's a way to handle that. "Coach Tujague says if you haven't thrown up, you're not going hard enough," Stringham said with a grin. "Yeah, I've thrown up. Not today, but I have."
You can listen to audio from Robert Anae, OL coach Garett Tujague, offensive linemen Brock Stringham and Michael Yeck, Taysom Hill and slot receiver Eric Thornton by clicking on the audio in "Cougar Cuts," above left.
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Anae said the offense is preparing for a 4-3 defense, with plenty of speed in Virginia's linebacking corps. But he isn't putting too much stock in preparations based on last year's game film, because of several changes in fourth-year Virginia coach Mike London's staff.
"They've changed a lot since last year," Anae said after Tuesday's practice. "I have a hunch they will play a four-man front, so we're preparing for them."
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Both Anae and Tujague have tried to remake the offensive line in the same vein as their former mentor, Roger French, who coached the Cougars' offensive line from 1980 to 2000. Parts of their quick tempo are taken from the retired coaches' playbook from Anae's playing days.
"He challenged your every wit, every ability, "Anae said of French. "If you made it through, that was a badge of honor. He built the culture on the offensive line."
The similarities in French and Tujague even causes Anae to take pity on his current pupils.
"There are times when I look at them, and I feel sorry for them," he said.
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Senior running back Michael Alisa's return to the practice field has been received warmly by the entire offensive staff. Alisa, who has been slow to fully recover from a broken arm suffered last season, will compete with sophomore Jamaal Williams for the bulk of the carries out of the backfield.
"To his credit, he's battled back," Anae said of Alisa. "There's going to be some catch-up time. But he's all in, and I'm very excited to have his leadership."
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Several media outlets are reporting that former Timpview High School product, Chris Badger, is transferring to BYU.
Badger signed with Notre Dame in 2010. Following an LDS mission to Ecuador, he redshirted with the Irish in 2012. The 5-foot, 11 1/2-inch safety would three seasons of eligibility left, if as projected, he sits out the 2013 season on transfer rules.
Sean Walker is a KSL Newsradio BYU Intern.
