BYU's season has a familiar look to it


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SALT LAKE CITY — For all the justifiable excitement BYU’s new coaching hires generated, in the end it probably did not add up to anything more than the previous staff would have accomplished.

In Kalani Sitake’s first season as the head coach, the Cougars finished the regular season with a respectable 8-4 record. However, they beat only one FBS team – Toledo – that ended up above.500.

Looking inside the results, the ledger resembled what Bronco Mendenhall did during the last five years he coached after BYU left the Mountain West to become an independent. In general, as an independent, Mendenhall’s teams handled the lesser competition and lost to the better teams.

Facing a weak schedule – one which athletic director Tom Holmoe put together on short notice – BYU went 10-3 in the first season as an independent in 2011. The Cougars were 8-5 the next three seasons and closed the Mendenhall era at 9-4 last year.

This season, the collective record of the FBS teams BYU beat was 29-55. Opponents that beat the Cougars were a combined 31-16. West Virginia, which is 9-2 closes the regular season this week. UCLA, which beat BYU 17-14 in the third game, went 1-6 after quarterback Josh Rosen was lost for the season with an injury.

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The point is not to lessen BYU’s success under Sitake this season, but rather put it into perspective. Many prognosticators had the Cougars struggling to reach the required six wins for bowl eligibility. I had BYU going 7-5, missing only the Michigan State game. The Spartans, who made the four-team college playoff last season, stumbled to a disappointing and highly surprising 3-9 record.

The defense was BYU’s strongest asset this season. The offense was at best inconsistent, leaving many to question why Tanner Mangum never got to a chance to replace quarterback Taysom Hill, whose passing and running skills clearly weren’t the same after suffering three prior season-ending injuries.

The excitement surrounding Sitake’s hire was not limited to on-field results this season. It extended to his coaching staff, especially offensive coordinator Ty Detmer, that included all but one who played for BYU.

Sitake is considered to be more personable and approachable than Mendenhall, who often seemed uncomfortable mingling with BYU fans. One of perceived strengths of the new staff is its collective ability to recruit better talent.

The following is a recap of Utah’s other two FBS teams:

Utah

Utah Utes quarterback Troy Williams (3) in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Boulder, Colo. Colorado won 27-22. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Utah Utes quarterback Troy Williams (3) in the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Boulder, Colo. Colorado won 27-22. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

It says a lot for the Utes to go 8-4 and still be disappointed. Yet, that is the case, even though they met preseason expectations to finish in third place in the Pac-12 South Division.

For the third consecutive season, Utah stayed in contention in the South into November only to fade over the final month. Even if it is old hat by now, the dismal ending this season stings far worse than the prior two years.

Sitting with a 4-1 conference record (7-1 overall), the Utes were in solid position to win the South and possibly draw consideration to make the four-team playoff. But, as usual, they crumbled down the stretch, losing three of the final four games.

Losing to Washington and Colorado, who would up winning the North and South divisions, respectively, was no disgrace. But the loss at home to Oregon, whose eight losses were the program’s most in 25 years, was a bitter disappointment.

Predictably, the culprit was Utah’s offense. By now, the struggles on offense have become a broken record. The Utes took it to a new level this year, being unable to finish drives inside the 20-yard line far too often.

I was off by one game, picking the Utes go finish 9-3 and 6-3 in conference. Until – or unless – the offense finally matches the defense and special teams, it is best to go conservative on the preseason predictions.

Utah State

Nevada running back James Butler runs through the attempted tackle of Utah State's Marquan Ellison (3) in the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)
Nevada running back James Butler runs through the attempted tackle of Utah State's Marquan Ellison (3) in the second half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2016 in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Tom R. Smedes)

Unfortunately, the Aggies (3-9, 1-7) are a mess. They closed the season losing eight of nine games, beating only Fresno State, which went winless in Mountain West play and finished 1-11.

Recent numbers are far too ugly to not consider the coaching staff’s jobs in jeopardy without significant improvement next season. Going back to November 2015, USU has gone 4-13.

As would be expected in these situations, the Aggies need help in multiple areas. They also have to figure out how not to blow leads late in games.

My prediction ended up as embarrassing as USU’s season. I had the Aggies finishing 7-5, with a decent shot at 8-4.

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