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PROVO -- The BYU Cougars dominated on both sides of the ball in their 42-7 route of the Idaho Vandals.
From Jake Heaps performance off the bench to the collective group of running backs to the Cougar defense led by linebacking stud Kyle Van Noy.
Here's a look at the performance position by position:
Quarterbacks: A-
Riley Nelson had a short lived game, but was effective none-the-less (4/6 with 1 TD) before a broken rib sidelined him. Jake Heaps inherited the ball and had quite a night save one poorly thrown ball that ended in a pick. 15/20 is great accuracy and the two TDs seemed to come very easily and, considering the injury to Nelson, it might be another game that we'll see Heaps under center for the Cougars.
Running backs/Fullbacks: A
It was as if they ran how they pleased all over the Vandal defense that seemed more interested in ending the game than making a tackle. 250 yards on the ground for the Cougars and everybody got in on the action to make the Cougar offense a very balanced attack.
Wide receivers/Tight ends: A
Cody Hoffman was the star of the receiving core and he only had a half of work, but still got over the century mark (114 yards on six catches) in the first half. The ball was spread around to everyone and there were few drops to be mentioned on a night that the receivers had to do very little to get a win but they did it well.
Offensive line: A
When you have a balanced attack moving the ball in whichever way you please the offensive line is where that success starts. Holes for the backs to slash through, time for the QBs to throw in abundance and over 500 yards of offense begins in the trenches. I'll get nitpicky and mention their fourth holding penalty of the year, but I'll dismiss it so it doesn't affect the grade.
Overall Offense: A
The Idaho Vandals weren't much of a challenge for, BYU but in a game where you don't get pushed much you have to look at turnovers (1) and 3rd down efficiency which was very good (9/13) as a yardstick. They limited mistakes and ran the offense as if it were practice.
Defensive line: B
The grade suffers a little bit because of the 191 rushing yards allowed. Granted, 83 yards of that was on one play. The defensive line did an adequate job of keeping pressure on the Idaho quarterbacks.
Linebackers: B
The linebackers made their share of plays, and intensified their pressure on the quarterbacks in the second half. Alani Fua laid hands on the Idaho QB a couple times. Kyle Van Noy got in on a sack. Uona Kaveinga delivered a nasty hit on the quarterback in the 3rd Quarter. The linebackers assisted admirably in pass coverage. Spencer Hadley recorded an interception late in the 4th Quarter.
Overall Defense: B+
BYU's defense for the most part played very well, pitching a shutout until the 3rd Quarter. Idaho RB Princeton McCarty finally got points for Idaho on an 83-yard run with 3:56 left in the 3rd, when the Cougars were already subbing in players. BYU gave up too many rushing yards for the game (191), but were outstanding in pass defense. The Vandals had recorded negative yardage through the air well into the 3rd. Idaho ended with 50 yards passing, just 10 first downs and were 5 of 15 on third downs.
Special Teams: B
BYU continues to struggle from distance on its field goals. Justin Sorensen missed two field goals. Punting continues to be an adventure. The grade goes up a notch though, because kickoff coverages were outstanding, and the return game remains solid.
Email: aadams@ksl.com and akirry@ksl.com
