BYU Football: Grading the Cougars' Game vs Idaho

It wasn’t exciting, it was never in doubt and it wasn’t all that compelling, but BYU did what it was supposed to do by beating up a pretty bad Idaho team in Provo 42-7.

And it wasn’t even that close. BYU basically stopped playing in the middle of the third quarter and even prior to that was grinding out the game on the ground and reducing the possessions.

While we can’t take a ton from the performance, the Cougars did get much needed rest last week and a tune up game as they come down the home stretch.

Now, we hand out the grades…

Quarterbacks: A

Considering the competition, anything less than an A would have been a poor grade.

While Jake Heaps got some time in cleanup duty against Idaho, we saw him take important snaps for the first time in four games.

After Nelson went down on the second drive, Jake Heaps stepped in and completed 15 of 20 passes for 185 yards.

Heaps played well, making just one mistake throwing a pick in the red zone. 

Offensive Line: A

Again, it was mostly a cakewalk for the horses in front of the cart, but they did what they were supposed to: Dominate an overmatched opponent.

Except for a couple stuffed runs in the second half, the backfield had plenty of holes to run through and time to pass. 

Running Backs: A

It’s becoming a trend for the Cougars. The BYU backfield ran for over 200 yards for the fifth time in six games.

Michael Alisa continues to surge ahead of the pack, this time averaging nearly 10 yards per carry, racking up 99 yards on just 10 rushes. In fact, every back averaged over five yards per carry in the game. 

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: A-

The minus comes from McKay Jacobson, who dropped a pass right in his arms and continues to underperform.

Aside from that blunder, the receiving corps continues to improve, especially Cody Hoffman who has emerged as a premier target. Hoffman grabbed six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns Saturday.

More impressive than Hoffman’s stats is the spectacular manner in which he’s hauling in catches. He’s learning to use his height and timing to overpower smaller defensive backs and is making his quarterbacks look good.

Marcus Matthews is emerging as the top tight end target in the offense. 

Front Seven: A

Other than one play, this group wouldn’t have given up 100 yards until garbage time. Idaho running back Princeton McCarty ran for 127 yards, but 82 of those came on a touchdown drive in the third quarter when the game was 42-0 and the Cougars brought in the backups. 

Defensive Backs: A

Idaho quarterbacks Brian Reader and Taylor Davis never could get anything going. The pair combined for 11 completions for just 50 yards.

The total marks the lowest given up on the season for the Cougars. 

Special Teams: C

Cody Hoffman had a big return, and JD Falslev ended up mostly with fair catches.

But Justin Sorensen was 0-2 again on field goals and has never lived up to the billing this season. 

Coaching and Intangibles: A

This is the first game this season there wasn’t a glaring misstep by the coaching staff. But against an opponent like Idaho, you’d have to work at it to mess it up.