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PROVO — Now in his fourth season of college football, BYU offensive lineman Connor Pay is hard-pressed to believe that the Cougars don't have a game this week.
It's not that the first five weeks of the season have flown by the team, or that he isn't enjoying a move from center to right guard. Pay just isn't used to having a bye week before the calendar hits November.
"It's a little different, for sure," Pay said Monday after the Cougars' 35-27 win over Cincinnati. "I think we played 10 straight games last year before our bye, which is challenging."
The junior from Lone Peak who started all 12 games at center a year ago has had plenty to do in the first month of the season, including a position change after the coaching staff brought in former Utah center Paul Maile.
But Pay has handled the change in stride, and now admits the Cougars' off-week comes at a good point in the calendar.
"I think the bye week is really timely this year," he said. "Anywhere in that middle section of the season is nice … to get a chance to heal some of those bumps and bruises. For me, personally, it's a nice week to get my body right again and to get a jumpstart on TCU."
BYU (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) hasn't faced a depth of injuries by the bye week, as was often the case during the Cougars' run as an FBS independent.
𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗦 🔊@r_rehkow24 | BYE WEEK pic.twitter.com/Qe7KCHmoTh
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 2, 2023
But there are a few noteworthy injuries that have stood out, not the least of them being linebacker Ben Bywater's apparent shoulder injury that led to Harrison Taggart's first career start.
Bywater is among the players with a "good chance" at returning after the bye week before the Cougars kick off next Saturday against TCU (1:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN), BYUtv host Spencer Linton reported after filming Monday's "Coordinators Corner" program with offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick and special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga.
That's in addition to offensive lineman Weylin Lapuaho, running back Aidan Robbins and wide receiver Kody Epps, while no player has been ruled out for the season since safety Micah Harper (knee) and running back Hinckley Ropati (knee) went down during fall camp.
"We're still looking at getting guys back," BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. "I think there are a number of players that will come back for the TCU game. And then there are some that may need a couple more weeks."
Having a week in October, rather than November, will help with the "bumps and bruises" of the first month of the season, too.
Still, despite the overall strong start to the season — a start that few outside the BYU locker room expected — the Cougars know they are a flawed team, one that is built as much on defense and takeaways as offensive explosion.
There's the obvious one: BYU still can't run the football. Freshman LJ Martin is getting caught up to speed, but the Cougars still rank among the worst teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing yardage.
BYU's 2.28 yards per carry is 127th out of 130 FBS programs, ahead of just Hawaii, Colorado State and Colorado. The Cougars' 62.8 yards per game ranks the same, but took a step forward against a Cincinnati defensive front led by mammoth defensive tackle Dontay "The Godfather" Corleone.
That they took a step forward with Ian Fitzgerald and Brayden Keim starting for the first time in 2023 isn't lost on Roderick, either.
"They played their best game so far," Roderick said Monday. "That was a tough front, and they can only block five players on defense. I thought we did some good things being shorthanded without Weylin. Ian Fitzgerald has been a tackle for most of his career … and I thought they did a lot of good things.
"We need to be better blockers as a football team. That's our No. 1 goal this bye week is to be better blockers."
But the team has won in spite of those same deficiencies, including in last Friday's 35-27 win over Cincinnati when the Bearcats out-rushed BYU, 253-98. Being outgained on the ground, in fact, is becoming something of a trend for these Cougars.
Find a way to win, right?
"I think we've been timely when we've played really well during the games," Pay said. "When we needed it most, we were there to pull through, with the exception of Kansas. But when we really needed it in crunch time, we've had guys come through, on offense, defense and special teams."
