BYU-New Mexico Post-Game Wrap-Up

I would like to first echo one of the comments posted after the game yesterday.

Petey said:

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“I’m just happy that the program has reached the point where people complain about only winning by 18! lol”

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The game was cold and quick. Honestly, why would you complain? I left the stadium knowing that BYU is going to be all right. Whether we win by 50 or one, we still have a team that builds on each other’s success and continues to take their opponent’s best punch, smile, and punch them right back between the eyes even harder.

The Offense

I have to admit I shook my head a few time during the game, asking myself, why isn’t this going better? In all actuality, however, the offense got the job done. Statistically, the Cougars were amazing: 382 total yards (265 passing and 117 rushing), 21 points, and most importantly, ZERO turnovers.

That is not a bad day for any offense, especially when you take into consideration that we ran 11 fewer plays than the Lobos. That actually equates to one-and-a-half or two fewer drives than the Lobos.

Our offense also had the ball for less time—don’t let the ESPN recap fool you. The Lobos had the ball most of the first half and were able to run the clock down and force our offense to produce points with fewer touches.

Offensive Line

The BYU line did a fabulous job of picking up the various blitzes and pressures that were thrown at them. They gave Max a great pocket and plenty of time to let routes develop downfield. I can only remember a couple of times where Max had someone in his face pressuring him.

I also noticed Ray Feinga and Travis Bright looking like H1’s as they pulled around the corner to lead Harvey upfield. On one specific play Harvey had a nine-yard gain with Ray leading him eight yards of the way.

This group consistently picks up the blitz, plows through defenders creating running lanes, and most importantly, gets better as the game progresses. My hat goes off to this bunch.

Running Backs

Harvey carried the load this week with 22 rushes and 95 yards. I saw a different aspect of Harvey’s game that is sometimes overlooked because of his size and strength. He has tremendous vision. I noticed him using the defenders' momentum against them as he cut back and forth, weaving his way past first down markers.

Receivers

It was good to see Mike Reed back in the lineup after being out with a small injury. His first catch for 16 yards was a welcome sight.

Austin continues to put up huge numbers: nine catches for 162 yards and one TD. WOW! I am just amazed that teams haven’t tried to do more to take him away, or maybe they are and I’m just not seeing it.

If I were a defensive coach I would start working on a way to get whoever is guarding him some help—mental, physical, emotional, something, because the only help the corners guarding Austin have received so far is from the water girls handing them Gatorade and towels on the sideline asking them if he’s faster with his blue cold weather tights on.

Quarterback

Max had a very productive game. His stats were good and he didn’t throw any interceptions. What I thought he did best was make checks and changes at the line of scrimmage. Numerous times he audibled and changed something at the line, and every time it worked. That is a sign of confidence and maturity.

He has confidence that he understands the defense and how he can better exploit their weaknesses and maturity because he has spent the time needed to grasp those concepts.

Some of his best plays on Saturday occurred because he was able to stay patient in the pocket and allow his receivers to get open downfield. He also hit those receivers in stride, which helped them gain yards after the catch.

What can be improved

Stop getting drive-killing penalties. We still found a way to kill two potential scoring drives with errant penalties. This is one of the reasons why the Lobo defense had success. We found ways to bail their defense out of bad situations, allowing them to recover, bring pressure, and disrupt our conversion process.

We need more third down conversions. There were several drives where we weren’t successful on first down, which forced us into long second and third downs. Our struggle was made worse by a Lobo defense that did a great job on third down.

Receivers need to create more space for Max to throw the ball to. On Saturday the Lobo defenders got their hands on numerous balls. This happened because they played well, but also because the receivers didn’t do a good enough job of creating space between themselves and the defender.

Defense

They only gave up three points on 71 plays. That should be commended! They also created two turnovers and only gave up 130 yards rushing on 50 attempts for 2.6 yards a carry.

Also, the only drive where they gave up points lasted 12 plays and took 5:36. No offense can use that much time, run that many plays, only get three points, and expect to win. BYU’s young defense stood in there against a very physical New Mexico offense and did their part in securing the win for the guys in blue.

Defensive Linemen

I thought our line played good enough for us to win. They disrupted blocking schemes and clogged up the middle, which kept No. 21 from being able to hit holes running hard downhill.

Jan also made one of the biggest plays of the day when he recovered a fumble that prevented the Lobos from draining more time off the clock. Jan’s recovery also gave our team their first emotional boost in the second half.

Linebackers

They did a great job of not letting Ferguson get out into the open. They did a better job of playing downhill, forcing the offensive linemen to engage a defender sooner. This reduces the space between the linemen and running back and doesn’t allow the running back to gain momentum through the hole.

Basically we watched 45 scrums, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just not as exciting to talk about the day after.

Oh yeah, do you remember that pile up on 2nd-and-5? It brought up a 3rd-and-4, and on 3rd-and-4, do you remember how big that pile was? Man, that was awesome! Was it exciting? No, but was it exactly what they were supposed to do? Yes.

Defensive Backs

For the most part they played very consistently. They didn’t give up any passing touchdowns, and they created an interception. They also did a good job of cleaning up the mess when Ferguson was able to squirt throw the line of scrimmage.

They tackled better than last week and did a great job of keeping everything in front of them.

Their day wasn’t that eventful. They weren’t tested downfield at all and only had to defend a limited number of passes. This is a game where I would have finished and said, “What did I do all game?”

What can be improved

The defensive backs had some mental breakdowns against four verticals. They didn’t do a great job of altering the receivers' routes or exchanging guys as they ran through zones.

Our outside linebackers need to work on getting to their flat responsibilities in specific coverages, making the quarterback have to throw to his second or third option.

We need to work on our option responsibilities. New Mexico was able to move the ball in large chunks when they ran both the speed option and ride option. Specifically, we need to play the quarterback better. This means our inside linebackers aren’t scrapping hard enough, or they were over-pursuing and leaving cutback lanes open and unmanned.

Option assignments will be crucial against a TCU team with two quarterbacks that run the ball well.

Special Teams

We won the field position battle with Santiago punting for a 43.2 average. We also blocked a punt and almost broke a huge kickoff return. I guess the many periods of practice time are paying off.

I especially hope everyone noticed the punt return team flinging their bodies over the personal protectors with no regard for life or limb. It takes a special person to run 10 yards and attempt to jump over an offensive or defensive lineman whose sole purpose on the field is to put his helmet into your stomach and throw you to the ground.

Blue No. 48, Michael Alisa, Fr. LB, I salute you and hope your neck is OK after landing on it numerous times on Saturday.

Let’s extend that winning streak to 17 on Thursday.