Inside the BYU offense

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Inside the BYU offense
Salt Lake Tribune beat writer breaks down Cougars' potent attack
Posted on 12/13/2022 by PonyFans.com

As the SMU Mustangs gear up for their Dec. 17 matchup with BYU in the New Mexico Bowl, Kevin Reynolds, an SMU alumnus who now covers BYU for the Salt Lake Tribune, offers a closer look at the Cougars' offense.
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PonyFans.com: Quarterback Jaren Hall has thrown for 3,171 yards this season 66 percent passing, with 31 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Is it too simplistic to say that as he goes, so goes the BYU offense?

Kevin Reynolds: If you threw in wide receiver Puka Nacua into that statement, it would be spot-on. Essentially, BYU goes as Hall and Nacua do. They need each other — as we have seen BYU’s offense struggle when Nacua is out — but they are clearly BYU’s two best players.

Hall is a decisive quarterback who doesn’t make many mistakes. He has thrown just 11 interceptions in 21 starts the last two years. Most of his mistakes aren’t usually his fault either. I can only think of maybe three throws this year where the blame can solely be placed at his feet.

The one thing that should be talked about more is Hall's legs. He is a dynamic runner who, when allowed to run, makes this offense much more difficult to stop. At the start of the year, BYU wanted to keep him healthy and not run him as much. The last three weeks, we have seen Hall cut loose with designed runs. As a result, he accounted for over 450 yards in the last two games before Stanford (when he got hurt).

PonyFans.com: Hall is a junior who reportedly has professional aspirations and got banged up (ankle?) toward the end of the season. Do you expect him to play, and should he?

Reynolds: Will he play and should he play are two separate questions. Should he play? I would say no.

He is an draftable player with an injury history, and is nursing an ankle injury right now. It would make sense for him to sit this one out. He will be 25 years old by the draft and his stock is nearing its ceiling. Playing a bad SMU defense won’t change any scout’s mind.

Will he play though? I am not sure. From everything I have gathered, I would also say that is also doubtful. He did not finish the final game against Stanford and head coach Kalani Sitake seemed to indicate they are preparing for a backup to start (something they have never said this year).

PonyFans.com: BYU’s backup quarterback, Jacob Conover, has entered the transfer portal. If Hall doesn’t play, who would be in the lineup, and what kind of quarterback is (backup)?

Reynolds: Conover did enter the portal and landed at Arizona State. So that means the backups are Cade Fennegan and Nick Billoups. Fennegan is a Texas kid, played at Woodrow Wilson. He is a typical pro-style quarterback who doesn’t do much with his legs.

Billoups might actually have a stronger arm and is mobile. We have only seen him in practice, though, and it is hard to tell what to expect.

Both backups haven’t played a snap at BYU, so expect a heavy dose of the running backs and jet sweeps if Hall is not in there. Frankly, even if Hall plays, expect a lot of that given his injury status.

PonyFans.com: Puka Nacua leads BYU this season with 48 catches and 625 receiving yards, and has five touchdowns, and seems to be the headliner of the group. But two other Cougars — Kody Epps and Keanu Hill — who had 39 and 36 receptions, and six and seven receiving touchdowns, respectively. Do Hall and the coaches view Nacua as “the guy,” or is their passing game really more balanced than that?

Reynolds: Nacua is one of the better BYU receivers in recent history. He can line up anywhere on the field and is used in pretty much every way imaginable.

He runs the ball out of the backfield. He catches balls in the slot. He lines up on the outside. As offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick says, there is no such thing as “too many” touches for Nacua.

Keanu Hill, another Texas kid, plays off of Nacua. Chase Roberts as well. Epps, as you mention, is hurt and hasn't played since October. That said, all the rest of the receivers are secondary characters. Nacua is the guy, far and away.

PonyFans.com: Nacua also is listed as a player with professional aspirations. Will he play in the bowl game?

Reynolds: Nacua says he will play in the bowl game. But, similar to Hall, it will be a question.

He is a draftable player who accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl. He has more eligibility left and still hasn’t said whether he will come back to BYU or head for the draft. Should he play? Probably not. Will he play? It is up in the air.

PonyFans.com: Running back Chris Brooks leads the Cougar ground game with 111 carries for 729 yards (6.6 yards per carry) and is tied for the team lead with five rushing touchdowns. Does the BYU offense use running back Chris Brooks in a variety of ways, or does his 6-1, 230-pound frame mean he is exclusively a between-the-tackles power back?

Reynolds: He is mostly a between-the-tackles power back. Typically, BYU will use Miles Davis or Lopini Katoa as more of a change-of-pace option.

However, Davis has been hurt off-and-on this year. So has Katoa. A new name to look for is Hinckley Ropati. He was once the fifth-string running back but also started the Utah Tech game down the stretch.

PonyFans.com: Right tackle Kingsley Suamataia earned Second Team Freshman All-America honors from College Football News after the 6-6, 325-pound Oregon transfer started 11 games this season. What superlatives have you heard about his ceiling/future?

Reynolds: The ceiling is about as high as you can get for an offensive lineman. He can play every position on the line except center. Roderick called him the best athlete he has ever seen on the line and Suamataia took a starting spot away from an older starter.

He has gotten better throughout the season. Still, he is young and can be reckless with penalties. That's one thing to look for in this game. If he picks up some unnecessary holding penalties, it could hurt a BYU team that wants to run the ball in New Mexico.

PonyFans.com: BYU ran for 358 yards in its regular-season finale, a 35-26 win at Stanford. Should that be viewed as evidence that the Cougars really are now a running team?

Reynolds: This was partially because Stanford is not a good football team and partially because Hall was injured.

That said, it was the best BYU’s run the ball all year. Brooks looked healthy for the first time in weeks and the line blocked well. BYU’s offensive line is among the best in the country at pass blocking, according to Pro Football Focus. In run blocking this year, though, it has been closer to 60th.

PonyFans.com: For the Mustangs to have success against BYU’s offense, what are the biggest people or areas of the offense that the Mustangs need to keep uncheck?

Reynolds: It has to start and end with Nacua and Hall. If they don’t play though, I would say it is going to be a heavy dose of Brooks and the rest of the running backs. I would also put a flyer on Roberts to be a deep threat in this game. BYU likes to take some deep shots to Roberts when Hall is in the game.

Without Hall, though, this offense’s identity will be the running game.