Utah State vs. BYU: Game Grades, Analysis for the Cougars
The big story from this game, beyond the BYU loss, will be the loss of Heisman hopeful Taysom Hill after suffering a broken leg late in the second quarter. The season-changing injury for the Cougars didn't, however, have as much impact on the game as many might have expected.
In the first half, Utah State had essentially dominated play, and went into halftime with a 14-point lead. After the half, despite holding the Aggies in check a little better, the Cougars were unable to answer when it was needed most. Perhaps Hill could have helped their cause, but it just seemed as all of the breaks (no pun intended) went the way of the Aggies.
| Pass Offense | C | D+ |
| Run Offense | B | B+ |
| Pass Defense | C- | D |
| Run Defense | B+ | B |
| Special Teams | C | B- |
| Coaching | Inc. | C |
Pass Offense
We can really break these grades down into two quarterbacks. Our first half grade, a C, really belongs to Taysom Hill and his receivers. Meanwhile, the final grade belongs more to Christian Stewart.
Hill wasn't all that effective before his injury, going 8-of-11 for 99 yards and touchdown. Not bad, but certainly not what we were expecting from the Heisman contender.
After halftime, Christian Stewart took over and went 10-of-29 for 172 yards. He never found the end zone but found three Aggie defensive backs.
Because he was unexpectedly pressed into service, we're willing to give him a little bit of a break. But not much of one. A D+ is probably generous.
Run Offense
BYU ran the football 34 times for 154 yards and a touchdown, led by Jamaal Williams with 99 yards on 17 carries. Overall, not a terrible evening, but the run game became irrelevant late in the game as the Cougars fell behind by three scores.
Still, a solid B+.
Pass Defense
Here is where the wheels really came off for the Cougars.
Utah State's Darell Garretson, a backup, remember, went 19-of-25 for 321 yards and three touchdowns. Garrettson and his receivers constantly burned the Cougs' secondary deep, and BYU never really had an answer for the long bomb.
When BYU was able to get pressure on Garretson, it wasn't strong enough to contain him and prevent a throw or a solid scramble for positive yards.
If there was one facet of BYU's performance that cost them the game, this had to be it. Because of the massive yards put up by a backup quarterback in a big rivalry game, we're handing out an ugly D to the pass defense.
Run Defense
The run defense, in contrast to the passing defense, was fairly solid. No Utah State rusher had more than 57 yards, but the Cougars did allow two rushing touchdowns (although one was on a broken pass play scramble from Garretson).
If Utah State hadn't been able to throw as effectively as it did, this game would have been much different, given the decent night the front seven had when defending the run. A straight B for the boys up front should be a nice consolation on an otherwise awful night for BYU.
Special Teams
Special teams were a mixed bag. After a questionable first half, a couple of big plays in the second half gave BYU at least a chance to get back into the game. Of course, the biggest play came on what appeared to be a short kickoff that was muffed by Utah State and recovered by BYU. Unfortunately, an offside penalty negated the recover and BYU was forced to re-kick.
Special teams were also the only way BYU could score after the half, with a pair of field goals. We upgraded the first half C to a final B-.
Coaching
Bronco Mendenhall has a sterling reputation as a head coach, and for good reason. Unfortunately, we didn't see the greatest of nights from him or his staff against Utah State.
BYU was constantly put behind the eight ball, and there didn't seem to be enough impetus to get back into the game late into the second half. We will, however, give credit to the coaching staff for keeping the team's heads up after Hill went down to injury. At the end of the first half, BYU looked flat and a bit dejected. After halftime, for a while, the Cougars seemed to be playing with energy.
But, as we mentioned, once Utah State extended its lead to three scores, all of the wind left the BYU sails. And the coaching staff wasn't able to pull the team out of the doldrums.
Unless otherwise noted, quotes or references to quotes were obtained firsthand by the writer.
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