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Provo • It's happened 62 times in three games this season.
BYU's Taysom Hill tucks the football under his arm, flashes across the line of scrimmage and attacks defenses with a combination of speed and power rarely found among college quarterbacks.
Every time, Cougar Nation holds its breath, exhaling only after Hill bounces up and readies himself for the next play.
Hill's effectiveness as a runner cannot be overstated. He averages 118.7 yards per game, gains 5.7 yards per carry and he's 6 for 6 in picking up first downs when running the ball on less than third-and-8.
In last week's 33-25 win over Houston, Hill ran for 160 yards on 26 carries. But therein lies the only concern about the way he's playing.
Because Hill is so valuable to the unbeaten Cougars, he might be putting himself in the crosshairs of large, fast, angry defenders too often for BYU's long-term good.
Hill is not concerned.
In fact, he sounds slightly annoyed when asked about the situation.
"I felt fine after the [Houston] game," he said, politely but firmly. "After the game, I was asked about that and my response was, 'I'm ready and willing to do what it takes to win football games.' That's my mindset. …
"We won the football game. There are going to be critics who analyze and over-analyze the things we did in the game. But the bottom line is we won. That's what I'm worried about."
The questions will continue, however, if Hill keeps running so often.
Consider:
• BYU's all-time leading rusher, Harvey Unga, carried the ball 696 times in his career. If Hill continues to average over 20 carries per game, he will pass Unga midway through next season.
• This year, including a likely bowl game, Hill is on a pace to run 268 times. That would easily break Ronney Jenkins' 16-year-old single-season record of 252.
• Among quarterbacks, Hill is currently the No. 2 rusher in the country. Tyler Murphy of Boston College has gained 401 yards — 45 more than Hill. But Murphy has carried only 42 times — 20 fewer than Hill.
"I need to be disciplined and do my best to protect myself," he said.
Referring again to the win over Houston, Hill added, "… I thought, for the most part, there weren't too many [hits] that were too big. I thought I did a pretty good job of getting down and protecting myself."
Said offensive lineman Michael Yeck: "We all know Taysom is tough as nails. We know he understands his body — when to slide and when to power through. He knows what he can take. So there's a ton of faith in him. … That's his domain."
Protecting a dual-threat quarterback who uses the whole field, of course, puts more demand on those who block for him.
"We all take a deep breath after some of the bigger hits," Yeck said. "But it all comes down to doing what we can control. That's finishing our blocks. …
"Ultimately, we don't know where Taysom is going because he's so dynamic. He can do anything. The important thing is to keep battling, whether we think the play is going away from us or not."
Asked if helping keep Hill healthy is a nerve-wracking job, Yeck smiled.
"It's a big responsibility, but it's a lot of fun," he said. "When you are pass-protecting for a guy and, all of a sudden, you see this blur go past you toward the end zone, it's a lot of fun."
BYU plays Virginia on Saturday, when Hill and the Cougars try to avenge one of their most disappointing performances of last season.
During the Cavaliers' 19-16 win, Hill rushed for only 42 yards. He completed 13 of 40 passes for 175 yards and threw a critical interception.
"We just didn't execute at a high level — every position and every level," Hill said. "We did some good things, but we couldn't capitalize."
BYU's 2014 rushing leaders
Player Att Yds Avg Long TDs
Taysom Hill 62 356 5.7 30 6
Jamaal Williams 47 228 4.9 31 2
Paul Lasike 13 72 5.5 14 0
Algernon Brown 12 64 5.3 15 0
Adam Hine 13 50 3.8 16 2 —
Virginia atNo. 21 BYU
O Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
TV • ESPN