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PROVO — By all accounts and objective measures, BYU football had a good season a year ago with its second-straight 10-win season, a 10-3 final record and a spot in the top 20 nationally in back-to-back years for the first time since 2006-07.
The Cougars went 6-1 against Power Five opponents, including a 5-0 mark against the Pac-12, with wins over eventual Pac-12 champion Utah, Mountain West champion Utah State and a narrow loss to Big 12 champion Baylor mixed in.
Objectively, a good season.
But don't call it a great season, the Cougars say. The 31-28 loss to UAB in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana, still leaves a sour taste in the mouths of most of BYU's returning players.
If nothing else, it's a motivating factor in the final week of spring camp for a team that returns 88% of its production from a year ago, including 97% of its defensive production and 80% on offense. That's the second-most nationally, according to the formula behind ESPN's SP+ ratings.
"We obviously did not play as well as we could've in that last game of the year; we didn't go out the way we wanted to go," said center Connor Pay, who steps into the middle of the offensive line following the departure of James Empey. "That's very motivating. But even earlier on in some of the wins, we didn't play the way we knew we could play.
"That's been a huge focus for us this offseason — making sure we get to that consistency to be a competitive team at the highest level all the time. That's something that we're really working towards: eliminating all complacency, because we don't deserve to be complacent after the season we had. There's so much more to improve upon, so much more to be better, and that's what we are focusing on."
It's obvious that BYU players are taking the mantra of former offensive line coach Eric Mateos — one made famous by Alabama head coach Nick Saban — to heart: success and praise are nothing but "rat poison." And now is not the time to drink the poison.
From an outside view, the Cougars have turned a corner from the malaise of back-to-back 7-6 seasons under head coach Kalani Sitake — a pair of middling seasons that followed the disastrous 4-9 campaign of 2017 that forced several staff changes, including an offensive overhaul.
BYU rekindled its offense in the past two years, pouring on points and sending players like Zach Wilson and Dax Milne to the NFL, with running back Tyler Allgeier expected to follow them this April. At a program that became known for its defense under 11-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall, it suddenly became cool to be offensive again.
And yet, there's always been an excuse for that offensive renaissance, it seems. When Wilson led BYU to an 11-1 record in 2020 that was less than 3 yards at Coastal Carolina away from an undefeated season, the knock was on the Cougars' schedule, which was ripped up in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and pieced back together using an all-comers mentality.
A year later, when Allgeier was setting BYU rushing records and piling up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, similar doubts encroached. Sure, the schedule was populated with power conference logos instead of the mishmash of Conference USA, Sun Belt and American Athletic Conference teams like 2020.
But how difficult was the schedule when teams like Arizona, Arizona State, and even mighty USC didn't live up to their former standards?
All the way, Pay and his offensive line teammates heard these critiques — and the chip on the edge of their shoulder pads continued to grow. It still grows to this day, even.
"We've got something to prove. We've got something to prove," the 6-foot-5, 312-pound former Lone Peak standout said, repeating it with emphasis. "Last year, it was how can you keep up the same productivity the 2020 O-line had. Now, it's, well, your running back is gone. What are you gonna do now?
"We want to show people that we can elevate our game, that we can control the line of scrimmage all the time. That takes a lot of work that we're going to have to do throughout the offseason, to work all summer long, to not take any of that for granted. We play some very good teams this year, and we're going to have to be prepared week in and week out to do that. I think it definitely gives us a chip on our shoulder."
In the final year of independence before joining the Big 12 in 2023, BYU certainly has the schedule to send another message. From Baylor to Oregon, Notre Dame to Arkansas, and former conference and regional rivals Wyoming and Utah State, the Cougars have the schedule to prove that last year — no, the last two years, even weren't a fluke.
It all starts up front, too, with an offensive line that features 26 players with starting experience. Pay played in all 13 games in 2020, starting in 10, including slide over to center from right guard to replace the injured Empey for the final five contests of 2021.
He'll likely be joined in the starting trenches by returning All-American guard Clark Barrington and Joe Tukuafu, the only other returning lineman who has taken snaps at center in the spring (though Idaho State transfer Sam Dawe has begun rotating at center, as well). Former Herriman all-around athlete Blake Freeland returns to anchor one tackle spot, and the Cougars added former five-star tackle recruit Kingsley Suamataia from Oregon midway through last fall.
That could push players like Harris LaChance, Brayden Keim and Campbell Barrington to rotate off the bench — and Snow College transfer and junior college All-American Lisala Tai is expected to join the team in the summer, as well. Keanu Saleapaga has also returned to BYU after spending last summer enduring tragedy back home, and has been rotating among the ones and twos during the spring.
There are a lot of players, and few spots on a starting five — unless the Cougars scheme a way to play more than five linemen at one time, or (more likely) utilize that depth to rotate heavily in the trenches.
"The big boys lead the way," Sitake said. "The linemen do the hard work that nobody gives them any credit for. Offensive line is going to be interesting since there are several different lineups we are testing.
"It's good to see Keanu back, to see him and Joe and Kingsley and others playing different positions. I think we will have a really good opportunity to rotate some guys at O-line."
The offensive line is loaded with veteran talent, a group still fighting for respect, — from everyone outside the trenches. It's also an athletic group — a different level of athlete on the line, Pay likes to say — with former high school basketball standouts like Freeland, the Barrington brothers from Gonzaga's backyard, and 3-point marksman Pay who previously boosted both the Knights' post play and field-goal percentage.
Most importantly, though, is the cohesion developed in the trenches over the past few years.
"We love each other. We do everything together, have fun; that helps us play well, too," LaChance said. "We know the offense like the back of our hand, and we're out there having fun. It runs really smoothly."
With veteran brotherhood also comes accountability, though. BYU offensive line coach Darrell Funk has said his group "sets the bar" for the rest of the team, and his linemen aren't afraid to call each other out if the bar dips.
"It's up to us personally and as a group to continue to raise that bar," LaChance said. "But if you're not busting your butt, you're not having fun.
"We have a call as brothers, and brothers get called out. Brothers fight. But brothers also love each other and help each other get better."
