'Camp Cougar' Questions: 15 points to ponder


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On the eve of the start of BYU Football's annual August training camp, I've identified 15 questions that could be answered in the coming four weeks.

No particular attempt has been made to strictly prioritize the issues addressed, but the order of the questions is less important than the questions themselves, and their value relative to one another could be debated.

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15. Who will be unexpectedly absent?

Whether due to academic difficulties, administrative paperwork issues, health problems or a violation of team rules, it is all but inevitable that a player or players expected to play notable roles in 2014 will be missing the start, part, most or all of camp.

The fact is that the situation repeats itself every August, so it's probably best to just expect unwelcome personnel news at some point. That's where the 105-man camp roster comes in handy--there a lot of "next guys" ready to step in and step up.

14. Will the tight ends be featured?

Gordon Hudson. Trevor Molini. Chris Smith. Chad Lewis. Itula Mili. Jonny Harline. Dennis Pitta. Those seven tight ends rank among BYU's top 30 in career receptions. Tod Thompson, Clay Brown, Byron Rex and Daniel Coats are all in the top 50. Andrew George, David Mills, Tevita Ofahengaue and Spencer Nead are all in the top 80. What do you notice? Of those 15 tight ends listed, none have played since 2009, leaving a void that has not been filled since Pitta and George last saw the field.

Since the mid-1970s, every traditional college career span (four seasons, give or take) has been marked by the emergence/presence of a dominant (or at least very reliable and oft-used) BYU tight end. Tod Thompson: mid-late 70s. Clay Brown: late 70s-early 80s. Gordon Hudson and David Mills: early-mid 80s. Trevor Molini: mid 80s. Chris Smith: late 80s-early 90s. Byron Rex: early 90s. Itula Mili and Chad Lewis: early-mid 90s. Tevita Ofahengaue and Doug Jolley: late 90s-early 00s. Spencer Nead: early 00s. Daniel Coats: early-mid 00s. Jonny Harline: mid 00s. Dennis Pitta and Andrew George: mid-late 00s.

Since 2009? The tight end has faded from the BYU offense--an offense now coordinated by a coach (Robert Anae) who as a BYU offensive lineman worked alongside a trio of tight ends (Hudson, Mills, Molini) who combined for more than 350 receptions, accounting for almost six-thousand yards and 36 touchdowns. In his first stint as BYU's offensive coordinator, Anae utilized a stable of tight ends including Pitta, Harline, George and Coats, who combined for almost 500 catches, 6,500 yards and 58 touchdowns.

Clearly, Robert Anae realizes the value of productive tight ends, but in three of the last four seasons, BYU's top tight end has maxed out at 11 receptions--less than one catch per game. In 2012, Kaneakua Friel's 30 catches for 308 yards and five touchdowns ranked 4th, 4th and 2nd respectively on the BYU stat sheet, standing out as a blip on an otherwise flat-line reading for the tight ends since 2009. Friel ended his BYU career with 48 catches over four seasons--a reception total that ranks last among all BYU tight ends in the career-receptions top 100.

With Friel now gone, the most productive tight end on the BYU roster is Devin Mahina, whose 26 career receptions through three seasons rank tied for 137th all-time. His 310 career receiving yards rank 148th. Terenn Houk is more of an inside receiver/flex-tight than a true tight end, with only a couple of catches to his credit. Colby Jorgensen and Matt Sumsion possess more prototypical tight-end builds, while Bryan Sampson could be expected to grow into that position.

Regardless of who occupies which role on the line or flexed out/in the slot, BYU has to get more out of a position that has historically stood out on the Cougars' most prolific offensive teams. Robert Anae knows what a great tight-end game looks like; we'll soon see if he thinks greatness is comprised in this season's lineup of TE talent.

13. Which WRs are ready for prime time?

Ross Apo peaked early, with nine touchdowns as a freshman, and only four over the next two seasons. He has struggled to stay healthy, and has not been the kind of receiver to get on a go-to roll in any given game. Mitch Mathews' promising 2013 campaign was cut short by a shoulder injury, and his absence contributed to the downward spiral on which BYU's pass attack ended last season. Both receivers are back, and reportedly healthy, but while Mathews in particular appears primed for a breakout season, it is the addition of a handful of newcomers that has most observers excited about the Cougars' downfield possibilities.

Jordan Leslie comes from UTEP, where over three seasons he racked up 125 receptions for more than 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns, which means that Leslie has more career scores than any other receiver on the BYU roster. He'll be ready to play right away.

Nick Kurtz and Devon Blackmon both arrive at BYU via the juco ranks, but Kurtz had the benefit of spring ball with the Cougars, meaning Blackmon has some catching up to do. With his speed, catching up may come naturally, and more easily, if offensive intricacies come second to straight-line performances.

A former prep standout who rarely saw the field in four years at Stanford, senior-transfer Keanu Nelson is a mystery. Kurt Henderson, Colby Pearson and Mitchell Juergens have some roster experience and a few stats (courtesy of Henderson), while incoming freshman Trey Dye has the benefit of pedigree aiding his entry into a crowded competition for a high spot on the depth chart.

The end of last season saw BYU grasping at straws behind Cody Hoffman; this season should see a bevy of attractive options for Taysom Hill. A two-deep may not be deep enough for this crew.

12. Whither Craig Bills?

The moment he arrived on the scene as a hard-hitting freshman, Craig Bills announced himself as a would-be mainstay in the BYU defensive backfield. Having played most of his career downs at free safety, Bills says he expects to see a majority of his snaps at Kat safety in 2014. August camp will give us an early indication of defensive coordinator Nick Howell's actual plans for Bills, who was second to middle linebacker Uani 'Unga in total tackles last season and tied for 4th on the team in passes broken up.

Wherever he plays in 2014, Bills will be part of a safety rotation that could be the most deeply talented of the Bronco Mendenhall era, with Nebraska transfer Harvey Jackson, sophomore Dallin Leavitt, senior Skye PoVey and sophomore Kai Nacua all sporting playing time in their portfolios, while 2013 standout Rob Daniel is able to play either safety or corner. Holdovers Mike Wadsworth and Chris Badger are among vets who will try to get themselves in the mix, while incoming freshman Kavika Fonua could be a dark-horse. It will be interesting to see if he can force his way up the depth chart in August.

11. How blitz-heavy will Nick Howell be in his first season as defensive play-caller?

Entering his second season as defensive coordinator, but first as play-caller, Howell has hinted at an aggressive signature in taking over for Mendenhall, who will assume an overseer's role in 2014. I'd be surprised if Howell doesn't blitz more than has been BYU's tendency in recent seasons, with the style as much a function of defensive personnel depth as the coach's own personal preferences.

It is true that media observation periods may not accurately reflect the defensive game plan for either the Connecticut opener or the season as a whole, but I would anticipate seeing Howell's charges bringing the heat during the scorching days of August.

10. Can last season's injured cornerbacks make it all the way back?

Transfer Trent Trammell's first day of spring practice ended his 2013 season before it began, with the high-profile corner going down with a torn ACL. Early in last season's August training camp, Jordan Johnson went down with essentially the same injury. Transfer Sam Lee suffered a preseason back injury that negated his 2013 campaign. Of the trio, only Trammell was back in time for 2014's spring exercises, but the word from Howell was that Johnson was on pace for a full-speed August return; a ruling on Lee was less certain, and I'm not counting on his comeback.

The return of Johnson and Trammell bodes well for BYU, freeing Rob Daniel to play safety if needed or to press either player for playing time at corner. Corners Jordan Preator and Trevor Bateman have impressed Howell, and Michael Shelton was a highly-considered mid-year enrollee. Michael Davis has flip-flopped from wideout to cornerback and perhaps back again; we'll see which colored-jersey he shows up in on Friday.

9. Who will make BYU's kicking game click?

Moose Bingham is the presumptive replacement for Justin Sorensen as BYU's starting placekicker, and there is unexpected good news on the special-teams front, as Kevin O'Mary returns as deep snapper. He was on the list of BYU seniors last season, but his eligibility has been adjusted on the roster, and is projected to take back his spot as the team's long snapper--good news for Mendenhall, who was otherwise on the lookout for a reliable new deep man.

Trevor Samson and returned missionary PK Cory Edwards will also participate in August, and we'll see if anyone new joins the race--I wouldn't be surprised if an additional kicker (who may also punt) surfaces to increase competition for the starting nod. Whichever kicker ends up replacing Sorensen, BYU hopes not to need that player as frequently inside the 20-yard line in 2014. Last season, an overwhelming majority of BYU's field-goal attempts (21 of 26) were snapped from inside the red zone; of the opponents' 24 FGA, only 11 were red-zone bailouts.

Punter Scott Arellano returns for his senior season.

8. Has BYU made red-zone improvements?

Again, it may be tough to draw too many conclusions from limited media-observation periods during camp, but observers should be able to get indications of improved red-zone productivity. BYU's 2013 campaign ended with the Cougars ranked 115th of 125 FBS teams in red-zone touchdown percentage, at 48%. 20 teams had a red-zone TD rate of 70% or better last season; that should be BYU's goal in 2014.

BYU's frantic offensive pace in 2013 never really slowed inside the 20, but maybe it should just a bit in 2014. Plays near the end zone are too important to run without a 100% commitment to the tactical efficacy of the plays; it seemed that in going fast and hard near the end zone, BYU often ran too many empty plays, with too many offensive penalties (false starts, primarily). Taking time to make sure the right plays are run with the requisite level of concentration should be key in camp.

7. How sharp a passer is Taysom Hill?

The word out of spring ball was that Hill met or exceeded his pass-completion percentage goals, set at 65% for 2014. After a dreadful start to the 2013 season, with three straight sub-40% games, Hill rebounded adequately, with a completion rate of 65%-plus in five of his last ten games. In the end, however, a 53.9% season rate spelled out the glaring necessity for Hill and the offense: improvement in the passing game, starting with a higher percentage of completed passes. Observers will track that August stat as best they can.

It bears noting that pass-completion percentage is not solely the responsibility of the quarterback; Hill's blockers need to provide him more time to throw and the the receivers need to a better job on their end. BYU's drop-rate rose in 2013, after steadily declining over the previous seasons.

6. Who will make up the offensive line's 'top ten'?

During Media Day, Robert Anae expressed confidence in the offensive line, predicting improvement in performance, and competition. He said that for the upcoming season's games, he'll take only ten O-linemen on the road, and that the battle for those precious charter-plane seats will be fierce.

Of the 11 linemen who started at least one game last season, ten are back, so there's your group, right? Not so fast. You can add Ului Lapuaho and Tuni Kanuch to the list of top-shelf linemen, while freshman Tejan Koroma appears prepared to give the veterans and coaches someone to think about, and Manu Mulitalo is back off his mission. A handful of other roster linemen give BYU a potential group of 18 players, presuming no camp absences.

So, about that top ten, which could conceivably be a different group of guys from week to week...

The list of players you'd think are locks for the two-deep includes Edward Fusi, Brayden Kearsley, DeOndre Wesley, Kyle Johnson, Terrance Alletto, Ului Lapuaho, Tuni Kanuch, Brock Stringham and Michael Yeck. That leaves exactly one spot to complete a ten-man group. Will that tenth man be the rookie Koroma? The oft-injured Ryker Mathews? Occasional starters Solo Kafu or Brad Wilcox? Will one of the "locks" lose that designation? The offensive-line depth chart will be one of the most interesting things to follow through the month of August.

5. What will the linebacker lineup look like?

The switch from defensive line to linebacker for Bronson Kaufusi is the headline-maker, but there are some equally intriguing elements to consider when evaluating the "4" in BYU's 3-4 defense. Kaufusi and Alani Fua are solidified as starters at the two outside spots, but three exciting newcomers will make bids to put themselves in the two-deep, ahead of players with more tenure, but not much more playing time (Sae Tautu and Michael Alisa). Those three freshmen--Tyler Cook, Fred Warner and Troy Hinds--were all big-name gets for BYU during the recruiting process, and all three possess the talent level to make a push for playing time as rookies.

Inside, Zac Stout and Manoa Pikula are projected as starters at Mike and Buck, respectively, backed up by Austin Heder and Jheremmya Leuta-Douyere. The return of Philip Amone will give us a newcomer to track, while Toloa'i Ho Ching should be back from injury and ready to play. Adam Pulsipher won't be ready for the start of the season after an Achilles injury in the spring. On the presumption that returned missionary Harvey Langi will play linebacker, 2014 could be a redshirt season for him.

Losing Kyle Van Noy, Uani 'Unga, Spencer Hadley and Tyler Beck will put considerable pressure on the linebacking unit this season, but I don't think BYU should lose too much if anything in the turnover of talent.

4. How healthy will BYU be on August 29?

The next four weeks will include injuries that will cause players to miss multiple practice sessions--the maladies are an unavoidable part of the preseason. How well BYU can recover from those injuries in time for the UConn opener will be worth watching; Cody Hoffman hurt a hamstring late in the preparations for Virginia last season, and was not ready by gameday. In a game BYU never should have lost, Hoffman's absence might have been the difference between victory and defeat in Charlottesville.

3. Who's the man to replace Manumaleuna?

This question may have a multiple-part answer, since a few guys will get the chance to fill the diverse role occupied by graduated nose tackle/end Eathyn Manumaleuna. Howell says both Travis Tuiloma and Kesni Tausinga are equipped to play inside and outside, while Marques Johnson may play more exclusively at nose. Former offensive lineman Josh Carter is still learning the ropes on the other side of the ball, but gives BYU another big body inside. Remington Peck and Graham Rowley could be the starting ends on opening day, with Tomasi Laulile, Theodore King and Logan Taele in the mix.

Stout freshman Jaterrius Gulley has a lot of players in front of him as he sees his first practice snaps at the college level. Steven Richards is just off his mission and will take his place lower down the batting order at end. Howell said on Media Day that whereas he rotated only 4-5 top-level guys through the D-line spots last season, this year could see that number jump to 6-8. If he thinks he has that kind of depth in 2014, the loss of a standout like Manumaleuna should be mitigated.

2. Who will be the under-the-radar revelation?

A player not currently considered a likely significant contributor is bound to emerge as a wild-card consideration during camp. The caliber of BYU's freshman/returned missionary class wouldn't make any of those players' emergence a huge surprise, but it's always fun to watch the guy no one really saw coming make plays that earn him more snaps higher up the depth chart over the month of August.

Of course, getting it done in camp and being trusted in-season are two different things; it takes a special player to truly go from no-name to big games.

1. Will actions speak louder than words?

If there was ever a season for BYU to go on a run and make some national noise, 2014 appears set up for just such a scenario. Passed over in realignment and on the outside looking in on the group of 65 teams occupying college football's top organizational tier, BYU is a high-profile outlier, seemingly worthy of inclusion in the sport's upper echelons, but on an island just the same. The Cougars could help bridge any current perception gap with the "special season" that has been so elusive.

The schedule is challenging, but certainly not overwhelming, with a number of "target games" that if won can establish BYU's bona fides and give it the meat on the bones needed to withstand scrutiny.

Road games at Texas, Central Florida and Boise State headline the contests that would earn the most style points, with testers at home against Houston, Utah State and perhaps even Virginia helping to round out the tougher half of the Cougars' slate.

If BYU is to produce that breakthrough, undefeated season, the season-opener at UConn carries more weight than the oddsmakers have assigned it. The first week in Hartford is reminiscent of last season's lid-lifter at Virginia; East-coast venue, against an underdog opponent, with Texas waiting in the week to come. BYU's first-week slip-up in 2013 was the first sign that a special season would be too much to ask of a team breaking in a new offense, with a quarterback, who while supremely talented, was required to do too much on his own. The lack of support was ultimately the Cougars' undoing; in 2014, BYU's offense should more multi-faceted.

2013 was also a reminder that for all of the Bronco Mendenhall era's admirable accomplishments, slow starts have been a calling card by which BYU would rather not be known. Six times in Mendenhall's nine seasons, the Cougars have opened the season 1-2 through three games. Only once in those nine seasons has BYU gotten through September undefeated, and the 6-0 start to the 2008 season ended with a 4-3 slide.

Mendenhall has spoken of carrying a "chip on the shoulder," when it comes to certain conferences choosing to exclude BYU from "Power 5" schedule consideration. The collective chip might be more beneficially placed on the shoulders that bear the weight of the schedule's opening weeks. As an independent, with no ostensible entrée to the 2014-15 New Year's or playoff bowls but an undefeated season, BYU is in serious need of a strong start.

Indications of such a start won't be found in post-practice or picture-day soundbites; indeed, positive talk is cheap. However, if this year's team is capable of something special in 2014, signs should be readily observed in the next four weeks. If the two-deep is to be the deepest of the Mendenhall era, practices will show it. If BYU is to be a better third-down and red-zone team in 2014, 11-on-11 reports should portray it. If Bronco Mendenhall's decision to withdraw from the defense and aid the offense is to pay ultimate dividends, the offense will need to star over the next month.

BYU's defense under Mendenhall has a track record, and it is one of consistency and performance on a par with the best units in the nation. The offense, meantime, has been marked by inconsistency and a passing game that has slipped from the program's previous lofty standards. An excellent defense is not enough to win the biggest games for BYU; it is up to the offense to start pulling its weight again. In the Mendenhall era and historically, stats have shown that a prolific BYU offense tends to matter more than a stingy defense.

Robert Anae has not been shy in projecting success for his charges in 2014; he expects the offensive side of the ball to be great again. If he's right, BYU could be on the verge of a special season. It will be interesting to see if the signs of such a season are present over the next month.

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Greg Wrubell

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