This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On his way to the locker room Saturday evening in Cincinnati, BYU coach Kalani Sitake flashed the "Y" sign and blew kisses to Cougar fans in the end zone.
Moments earlier, as caught on videotape, Cincinnati coach Tommy Tuberville had responded to a taunting fan after a 20-3 defeat, telling the guy to "Go to hell" and "Get a job."
BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe hugged Sitake after the coach finished postgame interviews. Cincinnati's Mike Bohn issued a statement Sunday defending his coach's actions, under the circumstances.
The conclusion: BYU's football season at times may be frustrating for fans, but it could be a lot worse. The Cougars have reached another checkpoint of their schedule with a 5-4 record, and that's more than acceptable. BYU is positioned to take an 8-4 mark into the Poinsettia Bowl, which would make Sitake's first season successful.
The disclaimers are that some of BYU's Power 5 opponents have not met expectations in 2016 and the Cougars could or should have won some other games. Yet when you break down the first three-fourths of their schedule, with six Power 5 schools and three solid Group of 5 programs (and essentially six road games), the Cougars have performed well.
Part of my judgment is based on my 3-6 projection to this point, after which the schedule would ease considerably. It's also true that the five teams BYU has beaten have a collective 7-20 record in conference play — and that's boosted by Toledo's 4-1 mark. Arizona and Michigan State are winless in their leagues and Cincinnati is 1-4. Mississippi State's upset of Texas A&M last Saturday is by far the biggest achievement for any of BYU's victims.
Having said that, the fact that each of BYU's wins required some effort is a compliment to the Cougars. Quarterback Taysom Hill has made critical plays in every victory, via some combination of passing and running. And with seven games decided by seven points or fewer, the odds say BYU's winning three of those contests (plus two 17-point victories) is about right.
I'll back up and say that as of late February, when Hill announced he would play for BYU as a fifth-year senior, I never imagined him taking every meaningful snap through nine games. I'm a Tanner Mangum advocate, and I thought Hill would be a complementary player. And that actually may have been BYU's best use of its personnel.
Even so, I'll argue with those who say the Cougars would have won the games they lost if Mangum were playing, instead of Hill. West Virginia, maybe. But not Utah, UCLA or Boise State. The fact is that Hill got the Cougars in position to tie or beat Utah at the end. And with running back Jamaal Williams limited or absent and the pass protection a big issue vs. UCLA and Boise State, I question how effective Mangum could have been in those games.
BYU's staff must make a commitment to play Mangum significantly against Southern Utah, Massachusetts and Utah State, such as giving him the second quarter of each game to help him get something out of 2016 and prepare for his junior season as Hill's successor.
Mangum will thrive in Ty Detmer's offensive scheme, as long as BYU develops dependable, playmaking receivers and tight ends. With the current personnel, though, I'm not sure Mangum would have matched the results of his freshman season, when BYU had receivers Mitch Mathews and Devon Blackmon.
Passing inconsistency aside, Hill deserves credit for a 5-4 record. He's now 20-10 as a starting quarterback with a good shot at four more wins — counting the bowl game vs. a Mountain West opponent, likely Wyoming or San Diego State. Hill is tied with Steve Young on BYU's all-time victories list. If he gets 24 wins, he'll finish behind only Max Hall (32), Detmer (29) and Jim McMahon (26).
Twitter: @tribkurt