Keys to a better season for BYU football in 2018
No better example of Murphy’s Law exists than BYU’s 2017 football season. Everything that could go wrong for the Cougars did go wrong. A flurry of injuries, an inept offense, and an inconsistent defense all combined to help BYU finish with its most losses in a season since 1955. Now, the Cougars are looking to […]
5 BYU newcomers who could make a splash in 2018
Many position battles are far from settled as BYU opened up its fall football camp on Thursday. That may not be a bad thing for the Cougars as they look to bounce back from a disastrous season. Competition at quarterback, receiver and other key positions is giving BYU a chance to develop some quality depth. […]
Quarterback vs. quarterback: who will lead BYU’s offense in 2018?
Injuries and ineffective play created a revolving door at quarterback for BYU last season. With a new offense in place, the Cougars hope to avoid a repeat scenario this fall. The search for the right quarterback to run this new offense will extend into fall camp. BYU finished spring ball with several players making a […]
BYU receivers seeking to elevate their game in new offense
Things feel much different for Dylan Collie in his second stint at BYU. Collie, a graduate transfer from Hawaii, is becoming a mentor to a group of receivers short on experience but long on potential. The senior definitely has plenty of wisdom to impart from his time with the Rainbows. But he has also learned […]
BYU counting on coaching experience to build a better offense in 2018
Experience has become the tool of choice for BYU in rebuilding an offense from the ashes. The Cougars sunk to unthinkable depths a year ago en route to a 4–9 season. Putting points on the board, or even moving the chains, became a virtually impossible task at times. Last season, BYU ranked among the bottom […]
Former BYU guard Kyle Collinsworth earning his NBA shot with the Dallas Mavericks
Playing at Vivint Smart Home Arena is not a new experience for Kyle Collinsworth. Still, this latest game carried a much different feeling for him than the previous ones. Collinsworth played in the arena many times during his college career at BYU. This time around, when he checked in late in the first quarter, he […]
What does BYU’s 2018 class reveal about the Cougars going forward?
Few surprises emerged for BYU on National Signing Day. A large percentage of the team’s 2018 football signing class officially joined the Cougars in the early signing period in December. This development ended up aiding head coach Kalani Sitake in a transition period. Coming off a 4–9 season, Sitake shook up his coaching staff during […]
5 things we learned about BYU football’s early signees
BYU is banking on athletes possessing large frames and versatile games to help turn things around after a difficult football season. The Cougars brought in 14 players during the early signing period on Wednesday and Thursday. If this first wave of recruits is an accurate barometer for how the remainder of BYU’s 2018 class will […]
10 highlights from a dark BYU football season
These are strange times for BYU football. For the first time since 2004, the Cougars will not play in a bowl game after enduring a historically bad season. BYU finished with a 4–9 record, tallying the highest number of losses in a single season since going 1-9 under Chick Atkinson in 1955. “I’ve said it […]
BYU punter Jonny Linehan making a name for himself on special teams and social media
Creating Halloween costumes can be an art. Jonny Linehan took it to that level while celebrating the 2017 edition of the holiday. The BYU punter donned a football referee’s uniform, complete with a yellow flag, and then popped on a pair of dark sunglasses and grabbed a walking stick typically used by a blind person. […]
Utah County hometown stars shining bright for BYU football
Putting on a BYU football uniform feels special for Micah Hannemann beyond the reasons you might expect to hear from a college athlete. It isn’t just a chance for the senior safety to represent his school. For the lifelong Utah County resident, it also gives him a chance to represent his family, his community and […]
3 ways to fix the BYU offense
A broken offense has left BYU’s season in shambles. The Cougars (1–6) are off to their worst start since 1968. Five of those six losses have occurred by double digit margins. They face a real possibility of missing a bowl game for the first time since 2004. Offensive ineptitude is a major reason for it. Through […]
5 plays that changed the game for BYU against Boise State
Nothing seems capable of waking the sleepwalking BYU offense. Even the return of Tanner Mangum to the lineup against Boise State did not change the end result. Mangum started against the Broncos on Friday night after being sidelined for two games with an ankle injury. A promising start quickly turned into a sour finish. The […]
5 plays that changed the game for BYU against Utah State
LOGAN – A flurry of turnovers doomed BYU’s chances to retain possession of the Old Wagon Wheel. The Cougars fell 40–24 to Utah State at Maverik Stadium on Friday night after committing seven turnovers. USU scored 26 points off of those takeaways. It marked the most turnovers Utah State forced in a single game since […]
Top 5 BYU quarterback performances in their first career starts
Starting at quarterback for the first time, against a Top-10 team, is always a daunting task. That’s the exact scenario Beau Hoge faced when BYU hosted Wisconsin on Saturday. It didn’t produce a positive outcome for him or his team. Hoge totaled 111 yards on 11-of-20 passing and tossed a pair of interceptions in BYU’s […]
5 plays that changed the game for BYU against Wisconsin
Things quickly turned sour for BYU against Wisconsin and it spoiled Beau Hoge’s debut as a starting quarterback. The Cougars could do little to slow the offensive machine operated by the Badgers over four quarters and suffered a 40–6 loss on Saturday. How bad did it get for BYU? Wisconsin totaled 491 yards and 28 […]
5 plays that changed the game for BYU against Utah
Once again, BYU came up a few plays short in a rivalry game with Utah. The Utes ran their winning streak to seven straight over the Cougars after grinding out a 19–13 win on Saturday night. Tyler Huntley came up big for Utah, throwing for 300 yards on 27-of-36 passing and rushing for 89 yards […]
BYU vs LSU: How do the Cougars match up against the Tigers?
Now the real test begins for BYU. Facing tough opponents in September is nothing new to the Cougars. Still, an upcoming gauntlet of Power Five teams over the next three weeks is guaranteed to test BYU’s mettle in every conceivable way. It all starts with LSU. “LSU has a lot of tradition and they’re a […]
How critical are turnovers to BYU winning football games?
If you win the turnover battle, you win football games. That’s a philosophy numerous football coaches embrace and preach to their teams. This idea certainly seems to make a ton of sense when you look at how BYU performed last season. The Cougars overcame a 1–3 start to win nine games in Kalani Sitake’s debut […]
Kalani vs Bronco: The evolution of BYU’s defensive scheme under Sitake
Learning a new defense did not slow down BYU from stopping opponents last season. The Cougars finished in the Top 50 in several defensive categories while transitioning to a 4-3 scheme under new head coach Kalani Sitake. BYU held opponents to just 19.5 points and 365.0 total yards per game. The Cougars did their best […]
3 BYU speed demons capable of going deep in 2017
Five years have passed since a BYU receiver last produced a 1,000 yard season. Graduating the top three receivers from the previous season doesn’t seem like an ideal scenario for reversing such a trend this fall. Still, the Cougars aren’t lacking confidence when it comes to how things could play out in the passing game. […]
How will Tanner Mangum run BYU’s offense in 2017 vs his freshman season?
No mystery surrounds what Tanner Mangum can do for BYU. Mangum is not going through fall camp as a typical quarterback climbing the ladder from backup to starter. He has already been down this path once before. Mangum got thrown into the fire fresh off his mission in 2015. He took over as the starting […]
BYU turning into a destination for talented transfers
Once Kalani Sitake convinces a recruit to come visit BYU, he feels like he doesn’t have to do much to sell why the football program could be a good fit for that player. A rich legacy of Top 25 finishes, bowl games, record-setting quarterbacks and a beautiful campus nestled against the Wasatch Mountains does most […]
BYU football is building in the trenches
Rome isn’t the only thing that took longer than a day to build. BYU’s offensive line required some major construction work heading into last season. The Cougars didn’t fit the blueprint of what Kalani Sitake wanted to see in the trenches. BYU had a cadre of smaller linemen who were built for an up-tempo spread […]
BYU aims to craft a balanced offense in 2017
Classic BYU football starts and ends with throwing the ball and lighting up the scoreboard. The Cougar offense took on a much different form in Kalani Sitake’s debut season. BYU ran opponents into the ground most of the time behind all-time leading rusher Jamaal Williams and Taysom Hill. Now that Williams and Hill have graduated, […]
McKenna Bull rewriting record book as BYU softball ace
Every pitch McKenna Bull throws for BYU is a tangible result of blood, sweat and tears. From the backyard of her childhood home in Ogden, Utah to the circle at Gail Miller Field, Bull has put in countless hours into honing her skills. What fans don’t see are the moments of frustration. Bull has hit […]
Top 5 BYU NFL prospects for 2017
Who will be the latest former BYU player to make a name for themselves on Sundays? The Cougars have only churned out a small number of NFL players in recent seasons. Underscoring this trend is a reality that several BYU draft-eligible prospects are not even on the radar for many NFL teams. There are a […]
5 things we learned about BYU football during the 2017 spring scrimmage
Optimism reigns supreme for BYU. The gloomy conditions brought on by a rainstorm at Saturday’s annual spring scrimmage didn’t mirror the feeling on the sidelines or in the locker room. Several starters and experienced backups return on both sides of the ball. The Cougars are no longer working on overhauling an offense or defense. All […]
5 major recruits BYU landed on national signing day and 5 that got away
BYU did not make a huge splash on national signing day on Wednesday in terms of reeling in a slew of highly rated recruits. The Cougars brought in a 2017 class mostly composed of players who committed early and flew under the radar. Major recruiting services ranked BYU’s class solidly in the middle of the […]
Rising stars from BYU’s 2017 national signing day class
Versatility is the defining characteristic for BYU’s latest crop of new players. The Cougars brought in many players on 2017 National Signing Day who can play at multiple positions on both offense and defense. BYU announced 24 high school signees on Wednesday in addition to six mid-year signees previously announced. The Cougars also welcomed back […]