BYU growing into new defense, 4 linemen set


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PROVO — New BYU defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki is quickly leaving his mark on a Cougar defense that has rated among the top-25 in the country for several years.

The changes aren’t always easy. But the shift to a 4-3 defensive formation puts more pass rushers as close to the line of scrimmage as possible, and it has his players excited to put it to work.

That doesn’t mean it’s been easy.

“I think now, everyone is multiple in a way,” Tuiaki said. “Whether it’s in coverage or front, we’ll do a little bit of both.”

The defensive linemen are no longer as concerned with eating up multiple gaps from an opponent’s offensive line. And that means more chances for players like Travis Tuiloma, Logan Taele and Sae Tautu to do things that linebackers like Harvey Langi and Fred Warner have been doing for years.

“It’s really nice. Now we get to attack instead of react and take up blockers,” Tuiloma said. “It’s all about attacking and trying to get into the backfield to make plays.”

The excitement of the new defense is beginning to wear off, too. Even Tautu is finding himself more free to make plays.

The 6-foot-4 variable linebacker/defensive end combo from Lone Peak High School had nine tackles for loss and four sacks as a junior in 2015, playing almost entirely at linebacker. A little more time spent with his hand in the dirt will only help boost that number in 2016, he said.

BYU linebackers Butch Pau'u and Austin Heder. (Photo: Brandon Judd, Deseret News)
BYU linebackers Butch Pau'u and Austin Heder. (Photo: Brandon Judd, Deseret News)

“It’s starting to feel like old habit,” Tautu added. “With Bronson (Kaufusi, now with the Ravens) here the last couple of years, even though we ran a three-man front, it had a bit of a four-man emphasis because he’s such a good pass rusher.

“Really, it’s not too much different than what we are used to. A lot of the hard part is just terminology; getting down new words for everything and new signals. But that’s coming along.”

Tuiaki makes the transition a little easier, as well. The former Timpview High grad who played at Snow College and Southern Utah isn’t throwing out the entirety of the old defense. He’s followed head coach Kalani Sitake through much of his career, and the bulk of his experiences comes from coaching linebackers and defensive linemen at Oregon State and Utah, with a stop as running backs coach at Utah State for three seasons.

In other words, Tuiaki knows what he is doing, despite his inexperience as a coordinator.

“He’s an awesome coach. He is one of those coaches who pays a lot of attention to the technical details of the game for our positions,” Tuiloma said of Tuiaki. “The thing that makes it easy for all our players is that even as he is bringing in the new stuff, he simplifies it. It’s as easy as he can make it for us.”

Don’t think that a move to a 4-3 defense, or a modified 3-4 even, is only affecting the front seven. Senior safety Kai Nacua said the secondary has been on its toes as the defense has undergone its metamorphosis over the past eight months.

“When we get on that field, it’s party time,” Nacua said. “We make sure we are doing our assignments, but also that the ball doesn’t go where we want it to go.”

The defensive backfield isn't as changed by the move to the 4-3 set. But there are still subtle differences, fellow safety Micah Hannemann said.

“It’s still somewhat the same," Hannemann said. "We play more man-coverage at safety, but one is playing more man and the other is more zone. I’m usually playing more man-coverage, which is good since I was at cornerback last year. Kai is playing more on the run and in zone coverage.”

The linebackers have given the secondary a little help in that regard, too — in the form of linebacker Harvey Langi. The former Utah running back recently made a move to defensive end, where the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder has been banging in the trenches.

BYU Fall Camp Update

“With the defense running a four-man front, we’ve got to get to the quarterback faster. We’re putting our DBs in a tough situation,” Tautu said. “Anyone who can pass rush and get off the edge, we’re trying to find them.

“Harvey’s a beast. He’s a giant, fast and strong, and it’s fun to see him coming off the edge.”

The Cougars entered the offseason loaded at linebacker, with the collective experience of guys like Langi, Fred Warner and converted running back Francis Bernard to manage the box. That depth made Langi’s move forward a little easier to digest.

So did the emergence of sophomore Butch Pau’u. The former Servite High standout in Anaheim, California, accumulated just eight tackles in eight games last year after returning from a two-year mission for the LDS Church in Honduras. But he’s taken a big step in the spring and fall, bulking up his frame and impressing coaches with his explosive style.

“Butch is a really savvy football player,” Tuiaki said of the 6-foot Pau’u. “He’s tough. That guy is dynamite. He’s probably the shortest backer we have, but he’s explosive and really physical. He runs well, and he’s a savvy ball vet. It makes for a good backer.”

With two weeks left in fall camp, Tautu is confident the Cougars’ new defense won’t be a work in progress by the time BYU kicks off Sept. 3 against Arizona.

“We know we are running a new package, so everybody has added a learning curve,” he said. “Everyone is doing it, and we are right on track where we want to be.”

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