4 questions to be answered during the UConn game


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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 — With the UConn game looming, here are four questions for BYU football that will be answered in the season opener.

How far has Taysom Hill come as a passer?

Throughout his sophomore year, Taysom Hill established himself as one of the best running quarterbacks in the nation. Hill’s consistency as a running threat was only matched by how inconsistent he was as a passer. Hill’s throws were often erratic and unpredictable as evidenced by his mediocre 54% completion rate. The UConn game will be a good indication of how much (or not) Hill has improved as a passer. Of particular interest will be if his passes are on the money and on time. Besides Hill’s low completion rate, he also threw a high number of interceptions — many of which came from him throwing the ball late.

Who will step up amongst the wide receivers?

Last season, BYU was thin at the wide receiver position both in terms of talent and depth. Cougar coaches spent much of their recruiting time looking for wide receivers who could stretch the field and help the passing game. Friday will be the first test to see if this focus will pay dividends or not. Which newcomer will step up? Or will Ross Apo and Mitch Mathews lead the way?

Will the suspensions hurt?

Although coach Bronco Mendenhall tried to keep the suspensions under wraps, both Devon Blackmon and Jamaal Williams openly stated that they will not play against UConn. Williams is the Cougars' primary running back and Blackmon figures to be one of the team’s top targets at wide receiver. Will the suspensions hurt the Cougars? If Hill and the offense light up the scoreboard, this whole fuss will be much ado about nothing. However, if the offense struggles to produce, the “what ifs” will inevitably be directed towards these two talented athletes.

Can the Cougars avoid early season woes?

Teams under Bronco Mendenhall have well-documented difficulty at the beginning of the season. In his nine years as head coach, Mendenhall’s teams have only started 2-0 twice (2008 and 2009). In last year’s opener, the Cougars flopped to an ugly 19-16 loss to a Virginia team that did not beat another FBS team in 2013. Will the team be able to string together a better effort in the first game this season?

My prediction: BYU 31, UConn 14


Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com contributor. He can be reached via email at dylancannon86@gmail.com or by Twitter @DylanCannon11.

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