BYU Football: Grading the Cougars' Game vs. Idaho State

It’s hard to dole out grades when the competition isn’t much stiffer than Timpview High School (Provo, UT).

But The Cougars did exactly what they were supposed to Saturday, walloping an over-matched 1AA (or F-whatever-S) team from Pocatello.

There weren’t many revelations, but there are grades to be given nonetheless.

No Fs this week, BTW…

Quarterbacks: A-

Again, this is probably a reflection of the competition as much as anything, but Riley Nelson was 11-of-17 for 215 yards with a passer rating that was off the charts. He also ran for 62 yards.

Jake Heaps came in early in the third and short-armed a deep ball, and threw a poor pass that ended up getting intercepted and resulting in a field goal for Idaho State's only score. But despite that, he did complete 8-of-10 passes for 67 yards, albeit against the third-string defense of a bad 1-AA team. 

Offensive Line: A

The second offensive drive for the Cougars tells you everything you need to know about how the O-line performed. Michael Alisa took a handoff from the left tackle and ran through a gaping hole untouched to the end zone.

There were a few downs where the line mysteriously couldn’t gain leverage against a significantly smaller defensive front, but when a team rushes for nearly 300 yards, it’s hard to nitpick. 

Receivers: A

In one of those “seriously?” lines in the box score, Cody Hoffman and Ross Apo both caught five passes for 71 yards.

Hoffman had two TD grabs, while Apo got one.

For the most part, these two gave us a glimpse of what we hoped the entire season would look like for the Cougars, and what we hope the future holds. 

Defensive Front: A

This is the easiest grade to give…ever. But mainly because Idaho State gained rushing yards on basically one play, and Bengal quarterback Kevin Yost was pestered all day.

In the end, the Cougars recorded six sacks and gave up a net 20 rushing yards. 

Secondary: B

Sure, the Bengals only gained 231 yards in 60 passing plays.

But there were times when the soft zone coverage of the Cougars was exploited for long drives, especially early in the game. And that was knowing a pass was coming.

But a couple of picks and tightened D on third down showed how the bend-don’t-break defense is supposed to work. At least against poor competition. 

Special Teams:

Well, Riley Stephenson only attempted two punts and they were both decent. Justin Sorenson never kicked any extra points, but was solid in the kickoff game.

And a solid performance in the return game left little to work on. 

Coaching and Intangibles: A?

Again, hard to say, but the play-calling was good for Riley Nelson, but wasn’t near as good for Jake Heaps.

For some reason offensive coordinator Brandon Doman insists on calling timing out-routes for Heaps despite the fact they haven’t worked, well, ever.

All in all, however, the Cougars lived up to expectations and turned in a solid performance.