BYU Football 2017 Season Review, Part 2: Position Grades

This is part 2 of a four part review of the Brigham Young Cougars’ 2012 football season. Part 1 was a general recap of the season, and can be found by clicking here. Part 3--Season Awards will be posted Thursday, November 30. Part 4—Highlights and Milestones will be either Friday, December 1.

Credit: Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

While waiting for the new offensive coordinator to be named, and the next personnel moves to be made, BLUE COUGAR FOOTBALL continues to review the 2017 season. Today grades will be given out to offense, defense, special teams, position groups, and the coaching staff.

OFFENSE
Quarterbacks
This was the most disappointing position group in 2017. Expectations were sky high, and the quarterbacks, specifically Tanner Mangum, failed to meet those expectations by a mile. Injuries were a problem, but even before injury Mangum was underwhelming. Mangum and back up Beau Hoge were both injured twice. Koy Detmer, Jr. had a terrible showing in relief at Utah State. That bumped Joe Critchlow up to back up. Critchlow won two of three games as a starter. That is the only redemption for this position group.


 Att. 
 Comp. 
 % 
 Yards 
 TD  Int  Rating  Long  Rush  Yards  TD 
 Tanner Mangum 
147
257
 57.2 
 1540 
 8 
 9 
 110.8 
 46 
 34 
 -2 
 0 
 Joe Critchlow
 55 
 101 
 54.5 
 642 
 3 
 4 
 109.7 
 40 
 15 
 -49 
 0 
 Beau Hoge
 19 
 39 
 48.7 
 257 
 2 
 3 
 105.6 
 50 
 12 
 26 
 0 
 Koy Detmer
 7 
 20 
 35 
 91 
 0 
 3 
 43.2 
 39 
 1 
 1 
 0 
 TOTALS
 228 
 417 
 54.7 
 2530 
 13 
 19 
 106.6 
 50 
 62 
 -24 
 0 

GRADE: D-

Running Backs
With the troubles at quarterback, BYU needed a running back to take control and give the offense an outlet for production and points. Squally Canada was supposed to be that guy coming into the season, but he, too, was hit by injury. He was able to come back and finish the season strong. While he was out, there were several capable backs on the roster to fill Canada's shoes.

Ula Tolutau appeared to be the best. After his first few performances, he looked like he was going to be Harvey Unga 2.0. Tolutau's production started to drop once opponents realized there was no passing threat. Ball security, however, was a bigger problem. Tolutau had two killer fumbles against Utah State, and another critical fumble at Mississippi State. His biggest problem came off the field. Honor code issues forced coaches to sit Tolutau for the final five games of the season.

KJ Hall, Austin Kafentzis, Riley Burt, Trey Dye, and Brayden El-Bakri carried the load when Canada and Tolutau couldn't. Hall and Dye had their own injury issues. Coaches played musical chairs with Burt trying him at defensive back in the middle of the season, and switching him back later. Kafentzis arrived late and had to spend some time getting up to speed. By season end, he was the team's third leading rusher, and showed he has the skills and abilities necessary to contribute. 


 Carries  Yards  Ave.  TD  Long  Rec.  Yds  Ave.  TD  Long 
 Squally Canada 
 120 
 710 
 5.9 
 6 
 54 
 3 
 9 
 3.0 
 0 
 6 
 Ula Tolutau
 72 
 303 
 4.2 
 2 
 18 
 2 
 11 
 5.5 
 0 
 9 
 Austin Kafentzis 
 41 
 227 
 5.5 
 1 
 34 
 1 
 8 
 8.0 
 0 
 8 
 KJ Hall
 30 
 206 
 6.9 
 1 
 75 
 10 
 111 
 11.1 
 0 
 26 
 Riley Burt 
 23 
 111 
 4.5 
 1 
 21 
 1 
 3 
 3.0 
 0 
 3 
 Kavika Fonua
 18 
 87 
 4.8 
 0 
 34 
 2 
 14 
 7.0 
 0 
 8 
 Brayden El-Bakri 
 17
 67 
 3.9 
 1 
 2 
 9 
 80 
 8.9 
 1 
 26 
 Trey Dye
 9 
 31 
 3.4 
 0 
 9 
 9 
 77 
 8.6 
 1 
 18 
 TOTALS 
 330 
 1742 
 5.3 
 12 
 75 
 37 
 313 
 8.5 
 2 
 26 

GRADE: B


Wide Receivers
The receiving corps was another disappointing position group this season. This group showed potential, but there was no go-to guy. Part of that had to do with there being just one senior wide receiver on the roster--Jonah Trinnaman. Micah Simon, Aleva Hifo, and Talon Shumway were all sophomores. However, youth does not excuse the dropped passes that were a problem this season. While it is a two-part equation with the quarterback, the deep ball needs to have a bigger role. The speed seems to be there, but this group needs to improve at going up and getting the ball--even if that means fighting the cornerback for the ball.

Provided they continue to get better during the offseason, the experience from this year should pay off next year. This should be a good group in 2018, but they don't get any credit for that this year.


 Rec.  Yards  Ave.  TD  Long 
 Aleva Hifo 
 37 
 437 
 11.8 
 2 
 46 
 Micah Simon
 27 
 386 
 14.3 
 3 
 50 
 Talon Shumway 
 25 
 257 
 10.3 
 0 
 33 
 Jonah Trinnaman 
 24 
 305 
 12.7 
 0 
 45 
 Neil Pau'u
 14 
 139 
 9.9 
 2 
 28 
 Beau Tanner
 12 
 135 
 11.2 
 1 
 40 
 TOTALS 
 139 
 1659 
 11.9 
 8 
 50 

GRADE: C-

Tight End
This position group took a hit when Moroni Laulu-Pututau was injured during fall camp. Freshman Matt Bushman stepped up and filled the role nicely. He ended up being the teams leading receiver, and could receive Freshman All-American citations. However, Bushman also had his share of dropped passes, including one during the UMass game that would have made a huge difference in BYU's chances to win.

This position group would have earned a better grade if another guy stepped up to fill Laulu-Pututau's spot. It was no secret that offensive coordinator Ty Detmer wanted to do a lot of two tight end sets this season.


 Rec.  Yards  Ave.  TD  Long 
 Matt Bushman 
 49 
520 
 10.6 
 3 
 37 
 Tanner Balderee 
 2 
 26 
 13.0 
 0 
 14 
 JJ Nwigwe 
 1 
 12 
 12.0 
 0 
 12 
 TOTALS 
 139 
 1659 
 11.9 
 8 
 50 

GRADE: C+

Credit: George Frey, Getty Images

Offensive Line
The offensive line has been widely praised as the "best position group" for the BYU offense by others, but they were not that good. Let's not forget, BYU had -5 yards rushing against LSU. There were several downs when BYU needed just one or two yards to pick up a first down, but the opponent was able to stop them. For example, there was a 3rd and 1 at the ECU 2-yard line. With a good offensive line, that play is a touchdown. BYU lost two yards. There was also a key 4th and 1 against Fresno State that BYU could not pick up. 

With the quarterback situation that BYU had this season, the offense needed to run the ball effectively. During the stretch of Boise State, Mississippi State, and East Carolina the Cougar offense had less than 200 yards rushing and averaged less than 2.8 yards per carry. 

Let's not forget the UMass game. The offensive line could not handle the Minutemen pass rush. However, they did do well with the Hawai'i defensive front when the Warriors tried to bring pressure most of the game after BYU manhandled them on the first series.

GRADE: C-

Overall 
The BYU offense was terrible. The Cougars were 124th nationally in points per game (17.1) and 119th in total offense (325.2 yards per game). The 2003 season is the only season since LaVell Edwards took over in 1972 that BYU has averaged fewer points and yards per game (16.3 and 314.6). Third down conversions (35.75%) were awful, too. This was, actually, the fourth time since 1973 (1977, 2010, & 2016) that BYU has averaged less than 200 yards passing per game. That doesn't make it any more acceptable.

While none of the position groups received a failing grade, collectively, this offense failed, miserably. 

GRADE: F

Credit: Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

DEFENSE
Defensive Line
Sione Takitaki and Corbin Kaufusi were standouts. Kesni Tausinga had some bright spots. Freshman Khyiris Tonga had a few big plays, and showed a lot of potential. It would have been nice to see some more pressure on the quarterback, including five more sacks and five more hurries. Three forced fumbles is not enough. 

 Tackles
 Sacks 
 TFL 
 Yards 
 PD 
 QBH 
 Int 
 Yards 
 FF 
 FR 
 Sione Takitaki 
79
 5 
 12.5
 62 
 2 
 4 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Corbin Kaufusi 
 67 
 6 
 7.5 
 47 
 1 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 2 
 0 
 Handsome Tanielu 
 30 
 0 
 1 
 3 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Kesni Tausinga 
 29 
 0 
 2 
 4 
 2 
 1 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Merrill Taliauli
 27 
 0 
 0 
0
 2 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 1 
 Khyiris Tonga
19
2
3.5
17
3
0
0
0
1
0
 Trajan Pili 
 17 
 1 
 2 
 5 
 0 
 2 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Solomane Wolfgramm  
11
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
 Tevita Mo'Unga 
 7 
 0 
 1 
 1 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Langi Tuifua
 7 
 0 
 0.5 
0
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Uriah Leiataua
 5 
0
0
0
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Rhett Sandlin
 5 
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
 Lorenzo Fauatea
4
0
0.5
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
 TOTALS
 307
14
 30.5 
139
10 
 9 
 0 
 0 
 3 
 1 

GRADE: B

Linebackers
Compared to the expectations, the linebackers were a little disappointing. Adam Pulsipher, Matt Hadley, and Grant Jones did their best to fill in for Francis Bernard, but they weren't the same. Butch Pau'u missed two games, and didn't seem to have the same impact as he did a year ago. However, Fred Warner was the exception. For about half the season, he was the only reason Cougar fans had to cheer.

The linebackers provided little pass rush support (three sacks, two quarterback hurries). They weren't that active in pass coverage either with just two interceptions and nine passes defended. BYU needed more turnovers from the linebackers, too.


 Tackles
 Sacks 
 TFL 
 Yards 
 PD 
 QBH 
 Int 
 Yards 
 FF 
 FR 
 Fred Warner 
87
 1 
9
 21 
 5 
 0 
 1 
 26 
 1 
 1 
 Butch Pau'u 
 74 
 0 
3
 10 
 2 
 1 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Adam Pulsipher 
 54 
 0 
 1 
 2 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 1 
 1 
 Matt Hadley
 23 
 0 
 1.5 
 4 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Morgan Unga
 16 
 1 
 1 
1
 1 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Johnny Tapusoa
14
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
 Isaiah Kaufusi
11
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Grant Jones   
10
1
2.5
7
0
1
1
20
0
0
 Va'a Niumatalolo  
 10 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 TOTALS
 299
3
 18 
45
9
 2 
 2 
 46 
 2 
 2 

GRADE: C

Defensive Backs
Pass defense was not good this season. While not all of it rests on the defensive backs, they are the primary position group. They can influence it more than the others. Six interceptions is far too few. This group averaged less than two passes defended per game. Troy Warner was injured during the East Carolina game, but that didn't have a big impact on the overall performance of the group.


 Tackles
 Sacks 
 TFL 
 Yards 
 PD 
 QBH 
 Int 
 Yards 
 FF 
 FR 
 Zayne Anderson
61
0
0
 0 
 2 
 0 
 2 
 27 
 3 
 0 
 Dayan Ghanwoloku 
 58 
 0 
 1 
 1 
 6 
 0 
 2 
 105 
 0 
 0 
 Micah Hannemann
 48 
 0 
 1 
 1 
 2 
 0 
 1 
 46  
 1 
 0 
 Troy Warner
 36 
 0 
 1 
 2 
 5 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 1 
 Chris Wilcox
 32 
 0 
 1 
1
 5 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
0
 Tanner Jacobson
28 
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
 Marvin Hifo
 18 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Austin Lee
15
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
 Michael Shelton 
 11 
 0 
 1 
 1 
 2 
 0 
 1 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Trevion Greene
 9 
 0 
 0 
0
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Chaz Ah You
 9 
0
1
2
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 0 
 Kamel Greene
 6 
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
 Cody Stewart
 3 
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
 Gavin Fowler
 1 
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
 Hiva Lee
 1 
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
 TOTALS
 336
0
 6 
8
22
 0 
 6 
 178 
 4 
 1 

GRADE: D

Overall 
The defense had a bad season. It wasn't as bad as the offense, but it was still far below BYU standards. They did play well enough to win the Utah State and UMass games, and probably Fresno State. East Carolina, however, was not a good game for the Cougar D.

Stopping drives was a challenge. BYU was 80th in the nation in stopping opponents on third down (40.6%). That contributed to BYU being 109th in the nation in time of possession (27:53). The Cougars were 116th in sacks per game with 1.31. Tackles for loss was even worse. BYU came in at 121 with 4.23 per game.

The biggest difference from last year was the lack of turnovers. BYU was second in the nation in 2016. This season, the Cougars are tied for 70th, and that number could get worse. Georgia and Clemson are one turnover behind BYU. They both have conference championship and bowl games to play. Other bowl teams are either tied or behind BYU.

OVERALL: C

SPECIAL TEAMS
Placekicking 
Rhett Almond made 13 of 19 field goals (68%). He hit a career long of 46 yards, but anything beyond 40 had little confidence to split the uprights. That is very frustrating. In the 1990s and early 2000s, BYU always had a good placekicker. Many field goals were successfully kicked from 50 yards and beyond. Why hasn't that happened the last several seasons?

GRADE: D

Punting
Jonny Linehan was solid again as a punter. He had a goof 42.9 yard average. Zero punts were blocked, 26 (44%) were inside the opponents 20-yard line, and 10 (17%) were 50 yards or longer. His longest punt was 59 yards.

GRADE: B+

Returns
Kickoff and punt returns were not good, especially punt returns. Jonah Trinnamann and Michael Shelton did the bulk of the kickoff returns (30 of 38). Neither one averaged over 20 yards per return. As a team, BYU ranked 122 nationally in kickoff return average (17.6).

For most of the season, BYU was in the bottom three nationally in punt returns. The only thing that kept the Cougars out of that spot was playing UMass. The Minutemen are the nation's 122nd worst team at defending punt returns. Michael Shelton had a big day returning punts that day, but he couldn't do anything against San Jose State (127), UNLV (125), Fresno State (119), and East Carolina (110). That makes five opponents ranked 110 or worse at defending punts. BYU should have done a lot better than 4.9 yards per punt return, which was 110th best nationally.

On the other hand, BYU was really good at defending punts (3.56 yards per return, 12th nationally) and kickoffs (18.5, 22nd).

GRADE: D 

Overall 
Special teams is one-third of the game. It can impact the outcome of a game. Bronco Mendenhall understood that, and put the necessary emphasis on special teams--except placekicking. This phase of the game has regressed since Kalani Sitake took over.

GRADE: D+

Coaches
The fact that the overall grades for the offense, defense, and special teams don't match the average of all the position groups is a sign that there was a coaching problem. Not only did it get tiring listening to Sitake publicly complain and call out players and assistant coaches each week, it was unprofessional. There is a good chance it was divisive in the locker room, too. 

Ty Detmer put together good game plans, but his players didn't seem capable of executing it. That is a coaching issue. He probably put too much on Tanner Mangum's plate, and that contributed to Mangum not living up to expectations. He was not ready to think about everything Detmer was asking him to process. Detmer then made the same mistake with Critchlow after his first start, which contributed to the loss to UMass. 

Ball security by running backs was a concern. While the raw numbers were good, there was no excuse for what happened at Utah State. After the Aggies stripped the ball the first time, coaching should have gotten the ball carriers to not let it happen again. Instead, Utah State was able to strip the ball two more time. 

Wide receivers were dropping too many passes. The Utah game might have ended as a win if wide outs caught the ball. Dropped passes had an impact on the outcome of the UMass game, too.  

Opponents, for the most part, were able to do whatever they wanted against the defense. Those that wanted to run were able to run. Those that wanted to pass were able to pass. Getting opposing offenses off the field was an issue. Coaching is involved in all of that.

Changes must be made, and the grade reflects that.

GRADE: D


The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com

Comments

  1. QB play: D- is in the right range, though probably rather generous.

    RB: B. This shocked me. For most of the year, this group was bad. The were slow to find the holes and couldn't follow their blockers. The reason Sitake announced that Tolutau was the "future" despite being horribly out of shape and unable to hold on to the ball was because he was the only back who could reliably follow the blocks.

    Admittedly, Squally did get better at that. As a group they might have earned a B for the last 5 games, but when you add in the other 8, not so much.

    WR: C-. This is the worst group of Cougar WR I can remember. They couldn't get open, the dropped balls. C- is generous, though not to far off.

    TE: C+. Only 4 TE in the country have more receiving yards than Matt Bushman. That is much more impressive when you consider the terrible QB play (BYU was 117 in passing offense) by the Cougars this season. Yet the TEs (which is basically Bushman) got a C+. TE clearly earned the highest grade on the offense.

    OL: Huge variance in play, sometimes even from game to game. I could understand any grade from D to B- here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good insights.

      QB: Couldn't give the entire position an F since Critchlow did win two games as a true freshman. Need to reflect that positive point somehow in the grade.

      RB: I would have to do some intense film review to see if it was poor O-line or RBs not finding the open hole.

      WR: I am not penalizing them for the poor QB play. They would have better numbers if QB play had been better.

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