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AUSTIN, Texas — Coming off a week one win where they controlled the tempo and the game from start to finish, the Cougars may not be so worried about the revenge aspect for Texas.
The truth is BYU has plenty to do in preparation for Charlie Strong’s team. Despite dismantling the Longhorns in Provo a year ago, the Cougars are looking at the here and the now, knowing both teams were in very distinct situations last season that hold little relevance.
Texas hands the ball to sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes, who will be making his first collegiate start, while BYU returns five players — Jamaal Williams, Devon Blackmon, Robertson Daniel, Jordan Johnson and Marques Johnson — suspended for the UConn game.
Oddsmakers now have the visiting Cougars as one-point favorites as they hope to move to 4-1 all-time versus the Longhorns.
Back from a one-game suspension, Williams will look to replicate the form that led him to rush for 182 yards on 30 carries against the Longhorns last season. It’s a performance that gets somewhat overlooked when remembering the 40-21 win, but it was crucial to Taysom Hill’s monster game.
BYU ran the zone read option to perfection, and to force Texas to crash its defensive ends, the Cougars should first establish Williams between the tackles. He might need a few touches to get going, but if BYU has success on running plays, the edge will again be open for Hill to exploit.
Williams’ presence can also force opposing safeties to set up closer to the line of scrimmage, aiding Hill in the passing game.
Bronco Mendenhall said on his weekly radio show Wednesday night that he liked the aggression his players were playing with to protect Hill, alluding to the holding calls. However, he added that there were some aspects the team will have to “clean up.”
Fifteen penalties for 150 yards will make that necessary. The offensive infractions in the first half stalled two of the only three drives BYU didn’t score on — the other ended after a Mitch Matthews fumble.
On defense, the Cougars may have never allowed a touchdown if it hadn’t been for somewhat of a phantom pass interference call on a third and goal. Still, anyone watching the game could tell BYU was ready to bury the Huskies in the second half.
The flags kept coming, though, and UConn was able to make it to the Cougars’ 10-yard line with a chance to make it a two-possession game midway through the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to a roughing the passer call.
Nine different receivers caught passes from Hill in the season-opening win. That number might even increase against the Longhorns now that Blackmon is back in the fold. Part of what was so impressive in BYU’s domination of UConn is how spread out the Huskies appeared to be. Hill connected with Matthews, Terenn Houk, Colby Pearson and Algernon Brown for plays of 25 yards or more.
If he can continue to spread the wealth, a talented Longhorns secondary will have a difficult time keying in on any one receiver. And, maybe, the Cougars can even get their tight ends involved to keep linebackers deep. Perhaps it’s nit-picky since he was still learning a new offense, but Hill completed only 9-of-26 passes for 129 yards and an interception in the Provo contest last year. Look for play calls to integrate various targets throughout the game.
Sure, any team that wins the competition in the trenches on both sides of the ball is probably going to come out on top. But Texas players this week have discussed being “embarrassed” by how they were physically manhandled by BYU. That isn’t to say the Cougars have any less motivation. BYU will likely hold an advantage when rushing the quarterback and defending against the run due to nose tackle Marques Johnson being back and a depleted Longhorns offensive line, which will feature a group that collectively has made just five total starts.
The big men in blue protecting Hill and opening holes for a stable of running backs, on the other hand, will meet a Texas defense that allowed just 32 rushing yards and registered four sacks in the starters’ three quarters of play in a 38-7 win versus North Texas. A nine-man rotation was highly effective for BYU in the opener and will look to build on that statement of evident improvement.
Trevor Samson missed his lone field goal try — a very makeable 33-yarder. Samson also struggled on kickoffs, where he couldn’t deliver a single touchback. Andrew Mikkelsen and Corey Edwards are back, and Moose Bingham is still available. Mendenhall suggested either Mikkelsen or Edwards might handle kickoff duty. It’s unclear if any of them have surpassed Samson for the job on field goal attempts, though.
Scott Arellano’s punting wasn’t bad considering his final one traveled 51 yards after a favorable roll. His other two went just 38 and 40 yards, so there is room for progress. The Cougars could significantly help themselves in terms of field position if they avoid special teams penalties.
Mitchell Juergens had the lone highlight for the unit — a 24-yard punt return. Setting up the offense across the 30-yard line would go a long way in helping BYU run its offense how it wants to.
