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PROVO, Utah -- OVERALL: B
The Cougar offense looked sluggish at the start of the game, but were never really punished for it because of the quality of the BYU defense. The defense held Weber State to 255 yards of offense. Though the Wildcats racked up a relatively robust 116 rushing yards against an FBS opponent, many of those yards came during garbage time in the 4th Quarter. The BYU offense eventually woke up, racking up over 300 yards by halftime and 532 yards for the game en route to a 45-13 victory.
Offense: B-
Riley Nelson was solid but unspectacular in just a half of play. He rested in the second after soreness from the first half. The Cougars were able to give their backup quarterbacks, James Lark and Taysom Hill, a lot of on-field experience. The offense racked up solid numbers, including 225 yards rushing. Still, it seemed BYU left a number of points on the field. The grade gets dinged largely because of the slow start.
Quarterbacks: B
Nelson made some ill-advised throws, as has been his track record dating back to last season. One on a 4th and 3 late in the first half was a ball that did not need to be thrown, and it resulted in an interception. James Lark got first backup reps in the second half, and registered 45 yards passing and a score on 7/10. He also rushed for a 6 yard touchdown. Taysom Hill looked like a beast out of the wildcat formation. He had 41 yards on 7 carries and 2 touchdowns. He was 1/3 for 18 yards through the air.
Running Backs: B
Mike Alisa posted a solid 53 yards and a score on 11 carries (4.8 ypc). Jamaal Williams had 2 carries for 18 yards. Paul Lasike got his first carry of the season, a 6 yard burst. The rushing numbers (36 carries, 225 yards) were bolstered by a 53 yard run from J.D. Falslev, who lined up in the backfield in a shotgun formation and ran the ball around the right end.
Wide Receivers: B+
Cody Hoffman showed why he is BYU's best receiving option and a game changer. He registered 7 catches for 115 yards and a score, and made it look easy. BYU's other starting wideout, Ross Apo, did not play because of a hamstring pull. In his absence, Alex Kuresa shined. He totaled 4 catches for 51 yards. Kaneakua Friel posted 4 receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Offensive Line: C+
The numbers on paper looked good, but BYU didn't seem to get as good of a push as it should have against an FCS opponent. The BYU ground game continues to require work heading into the Week 3 showdown with Utah. If you subtract the Falslev run, BYU had 172 yards on 35 carries (roughly 4.9 ypc). The Cougars arguably should have posted a better number. Nelson also faced a little more pressure than fans probably would have expected heading into the game.
Defense: B+
Truthfully, the first-string defense earned an A. While all starters were playing, the Cougars gave up no points and Kyle Van Noy and Spencer Hadley were terrors in the backfield. The Cougars registered 4 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. The Wildcats were able to make it over the 10 point barrier (13) with a late touchdown scored on backups. The defense gave up 116 rushing yards, but only allowed 2.7 yards per carry. The BYU secondary was strong, allowing just 139 yards and 5.0 yards per pass.
Defensive Line: B+
Freshman Bronson Kaufusi registered the first sack of what should be a long, honor-worthy BYU career. The Cougars maintained stuffed the run when it counted, and mounted solid pressure against Wildcat quarterback Mike Hoke.
Linebackers: A-
Kyle Van Noy did what Kyle Van Noy does best - disrupt the opposing offense and make big plays. He stripped the football late in the 1st half, forcing a fumble that was picked up by Uona Kaveinga. Kaveinga could have returned the fumble for a touchdown, but was accidentally tripped up by Mike Muehlmann's legs.
Secondary: B+
BYU's defensive backs didn't register any interceptions, but maintained solid coverage throughout the game. The only long pass the Cougars gave up really was on the last Weber State series when backups were in the game. The 39-yard pass to Chase Nakamura set up the Wildcats last score. BYU fans should feel good about the play of the secondary through two games.
Special Teams: A
BYU blocked a PAT, Riley Stephenson connected on his only field goal attempt, a 32-yarder to make it 31-6. Stephenson had a great day punting, averaging 53.2 yards on 5 punts, keeping 3 inside the 20. BYU's two kick returns went for 34 yards (Hoffman) and 44 yards (Joe Sampson). Falslev averaged 17.5 yards on 4 returns.
