BYU Tight Ends Could Be Difference Makers vs. Utah

The BYU Cougars could really benefit this Saturday at Utah from solid play out of their corps of freshman tight ends.

At a school that has churned out All-American caliber tight ends for decades, BYU has gotten very little production this season from this group.

The one guy that looked like he might be rounding into shape, Marcus Mathews, was sidelined for the season several weeks ago with a lacerated spleen.

Until last Saturday the tight ends had been conspicuously absent from the offense. But in the 40-7 win over New Mexico last Saturday, they emerged somewhat from their season-long hibernation and accounted for four of Jake Heaps’s 18 completions for 63 yards.

Devin Mahina caught two passes for 24 yards, while Mike Muehlmann and Austin Holt each had a reception for 22 and 17 yards, respectively.

Mahina is probably the best bet to eventually become the main target for Heaps at the position. His 6'6" frame, long arms and high level of athleticism should make Mahina a dangerous weapon for the Cougars in the future, assuming he continues to develop. He has had at least one reception in the each of the last three games.

Muehlmann’s catch on Saturday was a thing of beauty as he stretched out to reel in the pass. He found a nice seam between two Lobo defenders and made a difficult catch. It was nice to see after watching Muehlmann deal with some drops earlier in the year. He has now had a catch in three of the last four games.

Austin Holt meanwhile doubled his season output with his reception against the Lobos. Used mostly as a blocking tight end this year, Holt was flexed out into the slot for one of the few times when Heaps tossed him a 17-yard gain.

The tight ends continuing to step up their play could well be a key for Heaps, who will be taking his first snaps in this heated rivalry between BYU and Utah. During his breakout streak over the past few weeks, the true freshman has been kept virtually untouched by his offensive line.

The Utes are expected to come with pressure and blitz their linebackers, safeties and corners in this game in an attempt to rattle Heaps and protect what has been a suspect secondary in recent weeks.

It will be important for the young Cougar tight ends to recognize the blitz and get to the vacated areas of the field or cut short their routes in order to help out their quarterback.

They also need to be able to make plays when matched up with Utah’s linebackers and safeties. They will get a lot of man press coverage from Utes and they will need to use their big bodies well vs. one-on-one matchups against the safeties and create separation when covered by the linebackers.

If this group can produce at roughly the same level as they did last week, the BYU offense will be more effective in dealing with the pressure Utah is expected to bring.