BYU Offense:
Called Plays: 68
Called Passes: 36 (29 pass, 4 sack, 3 scramble)
Called Runs: 32
Number of Read Options (kept/given/pass):
BYU ran down the read option 15 times in this game, up from 5 times last game. Every time it was called, it resulted in the ball being handed off. Tanner struggled at times to make the right read as there were times that the read man went straight for the handoff yet Tanner still handed it off. As he gets better at learning how to read this play he will be able to run it more effectively and pick up yards with either his legs, or by passing the ball.
1st:
Give (Hine, -2), Give (Carter, 2), Give (Hine, 2), Give (Hine, 3), Give (Juergens, 0)
2nd:
Give (Brown, 1), Give (Hine, 2), Give (Hine, 4)
3rd:
Give (Hine, 5), Give (Brown, 0), Give (Hine, 21 TD), Give (Hine, 3)
4th:
Give (Brown, 20), Give (Carter, 0), Give (Hine, 19)
Time Mangum had in pocket on passes:
1st Q: 25.3/7 = 3.14 seconds
2nd Q: 25.9/7 = 3.7 seconds
3rd Q: 30.3/7 = 4.33 seconds
4th Q: 27/7 = 3.86 seconds
Game: 3.88 seconds
Time Mangum had in pocket before scrambling (avg gain on scramble):
1st Q: 7.9/2 = 3.95 seconds
2nd Q: 3.6 seconds
3rd Q: 9.2/2 = 4.6 seconds
4th Q: 12.7/3 = 4.23 seconds
Game: 4.175
How many man rush on scrambles:
1st Q: 10/2 = 5 man rush
2nd Q: 5/1 = 5 man rush
3rd Q: 8/2 = 4 man rush
4th Q: 13/3 = 4.33 man rush
Offensive Stats:
1st Q:
Tanner Mangum: 5/7 for 107 yds, 1 TD and 1 INT, 2 rushes for -2 yds; Adam Hine: 7 rushes for 9 yds; Nate Carter: 1 rush for 2 yds; Algernon Brown: 1 catch for -2 yds, 2 tgts; Mitch Juergens: 2 rec for 96 yds, 1 TD, 2 tgts, 1 rush for 0 yds; Mitch Mathews: 2 rec for 13 yds, 2 tgts; Nick Kurtz: 1 tgt, INT;
2nd Q:
Tanner Mangum: 3/7 for 62 yds, 1 INT, 2 rushes for -17 yds; Adam Hine: 4 rushes for 4 yds; Algernon Brown: 2 rushes for 3 yds, 1 rec for 6 yds, 1 tgt; Devon Blackmon: 2 rec for 21 yds, 2 tgts; Mitch Juergens: 1 rec for 41 yds, 2 tgts; Mitch Mathews: 2 tgts; Terrenn Houk: 1 tgt, INT;
3rd Q:
Tanner Mangum: 4/7 for 85 yds, 2 rushes for -9 yds; Adam Hine: 5 rushes for 44 yds, 1 TD; Algernon Brown: 1 rush for 0 yds; Mitch Mathews: 2 rec for 12 yds, 3 tgts; Devon Blackmon: 2 rec for 74 yds, 2 tgts; Mitch Juergens: 1 tgt; Nick Kurtz: 1 tgt;
4th Q:
Tanner Mangum: 5/7 for 55 yds, 1 TD, 5 rushes for -8 yds, 1 TD; Adam Hine: 3 rushes for 36 yds, 1 rec for 2 yds, 1 tgt; Algernon Brown: 2 rushes for 19 yds; Nate Carter: 1 rush for 0 yds; Devon Blackmon: 2 rec for 11 yds, 2 tgts; Mitch Juergens: 1 rec for 35 yds, 1 TD, 1 tgt, 1 rush for 4 yds, 0/1 passing; Mitch Mathews: 1 rec for 10 yds, 4 tgts;
The offense waxed and waned throughout Saturday’s game. Over the first 2.5 quarters there was virtually ZERO run game as BYU had -14 yds at the half and only 21 after 3 quarters. The issue didn’t necessarily lie in the running backs but resulted from the OL not being able to sustain blocks and missing their assignments. Ului Lapuaho had a tough game, I saw him consistently miss blocks and struggle with his footwork, particularly at guard. After he moved out to tackle and Tuni Kanuch filled in at guard, execution improved. Adam Hine had what was possibly the best game of his career (over the last 1.5 quarters), he hit the holes hard, used his hands, and followed his blockers.
Tanner Mangum came out on fire in the first drive, he hit Mitchell Juergens in stride for an 84 yd TD. After that, he struggled to sustain drives. BYU ran the read option more in this game than they did in the opener. Mangum struggled to make the correct reads as there were a few times that he would have been able to take off for a gain but he instead gave the ball. As talented as Tanner is, there were some noticeable mistakes he made where he held onto the ball too long in the pocket, or threw into double coverage across his body and the ball was picked off. Most of his throws were to the outside, there was a point during the 4th Q where a graphic appeared that he had only 2 pass attempts across the middle, teams will be able to realize this and will unload the box and force him to throw across the middle of the field.
The receivers showed their depth again this week, this time it was Mitch Juergens and Devon Blackmon who stepped up in place of Mitch Mathews and Nick Kurtz, the latter of which who had 0 catches and was only targeted twice in the game. It appeared that Kurtz was benched because of his lack of effort on a one-on-one ball that was intercepted. Devon Blackmon has really showed up over the last two games and has provided the contribution that was expected of him when he signed to BYU and has become a weapon that can get YAC and make opponents miss. Taysom had better chemistry with his entire receiving core as he’s been with most of them for 2-3 seasons, as Tanner progresses through the season he’ll be able to feel more comfortable with the group and distribute the ball better.
BYU Defense:
Defensive Stats:
Michael Wadsworth: 11 tackles (7-4), 1 TFL (-2 yds)
Fred Warner: 9 tackles
Manoa Pikula: 6 tackles (4-2), 1 sack, 1 TFL (-2 yds)
Harvey Langi: 6 tackles (4-2), 2 sacks, 3 TFL (-13 yds)
Bronson Kaufusi: 6 tackles (4-2), 1 TFL (-2 yds), 1 QBH
Kai Nacua: 5 tackles (4-1), 3 INT, 1 TD, 1 PBU
Logan Taele: 3 tackles (0-3), .5 sack, .5 TFL (-2 yds)
Graham Rowley: 1 tackle (0-1), .5 sack, .5 TFL (-2 yds)
Most Targeted Player:
Kai Nacua: 2/7 3 INT, 1 TD, 1 PBU
complete zone, complete zone, INT, PBU, INT, INT (TD), incomplete zone
Mike Davis: 3/5
complete zone, complete zone, incomplete zone, incomplete, complete zone
Micah Hannemann: 4/4
complete zone, complete, complete zone, complete zone
Michael Shelton: 0/3, PBU
PBU, incomplete, incomplete
Manoa Pikula: 2/2
complete, complete zone
Michael Wadsworth: 2/2
complete, complete
Michael Shelton: 1/1
complete
Harvey Langi: 1/1
complete zone
Swing/Screen/Dump Pass: 9/9
screen (5x), swing (2x), dump (1x), flat (1x)
The product seen on the field was a Bronco Mendenhall defense, there were twists, stunts, and packages that were able to confuse the OL. While they had some lapses, mostly in wrapping up, these are easy technical fixes that can be expected to improve heading into week 3 against UCLA. Bronson Kaufusi, Harvey Langi, and Kai Nacua arguably had the best games of their careers. Bronson was all over the field, running down skill players and blowing past the OL like he was an NFL player on an HS field. Langi did a great job in taking the correct angles and creating pressure in the backfield as well, coming up with 2 sacks. While Nacua, who has received several national accolades for his performance had 3 INTs and will have future opponents second guessing challenging the centerfield of the defense. One package that was very effective that was used on 2nd and 3rd down was a dime package AKA “monster formation” where there is one DL, five LB, and five DBs. This cerated some confusion was the OL doesn’t know who or how many in the front 6 is coming and was very effective in confusing the QB.
The defensive line played pretty well with the loss of Travis Tuiloma. Logan Taele did a great job holding the nose and creating holes for the linebackers behind him. BYU’s defense was able to hold Boise State to only 64 yds rushing on 31 attempts. This coming after they had 185 yds the week before against Washington. As noted above, Bronson looked like a man among boys and was constantly in the backfield creating disruption in both the run game and the passing game, he was able to affect the whole defense as they tried to adjust and plan for him.
The linebacking core looked good, held down by Langi, Manoa Pikula, and Fred Warner. Warner was the second leading tackler on the team and made some nice plays but had some issues with physicality and getting off of blocks at the point of attack. As the season progresses, he’ll get more comfortable and be able to make plays in the open field similarly to what he did last year. Harvey Langi impressed coming on delayed stunts and was a good 1-2 punch on creating disruption with Kaufusi, he was able to blow linemen back and push RBs back, take good angles, and he came up with 2 sacks and 3 TFL. Pikula had some lapses where he failed to fill the whole but looked good overall, he missed one tackle on the sideline where he whiffed and the player coming off of a screen was able to run for a TD. Another linebacker who came back and was expected to have a major contribution was Sione Takitaki but he was very undisciplined and took poor angles and had a huge personal foul roughing the passer that kept a Boise State drive alive that resulted in a TD.
The safeties looked great, best part of the defense against Boise State, by far. Nacua showed his athleticism and playmaking ability from the FS position where he can read the QBs eyes and jump route and pick off the ball. Wadsworth is a great fit at the SS position being able to come up and clean up on the field side of the ball and make tackles, fundamentally he is the most sound tackler in the secondary. Michael Davis has shown a great ability to cut off routes and lockdown the short side of the field, he still struggles with contact but came up in support a few times and was able to force the ball carrier out of bounds. Hannemann improved this week, even tho Finley was 100% when targeting his receiver, outside of 2 plays, he was solid. Hannemann tripped and fell and allowed the longest completion of the game, another issue that he had was where he went for the PBU instead of making the tackle and the player was able to turn a 7-8 yd gain into a longer completion. Michael Shelton stepped up as the 5th DB and had a nice game with a PBU when matched up against Jake Roh who has a 7″ advantage on him. Shelton should be expected to get more playing time because of his performance.
