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