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Provo • To no one's surprise, BYU dropped out of the national college football rankings on Sunday afternoon after Friday's 35-20 home loss to Utah State. The Cougars (4-1), who were No. 18/19 last week, received a few votes in both major polls, but their drop was precipitous and not unexpected.
It will probably take a run of three or four straight wins for BYU to climb back into the Associated Press Top 25 or the Amway Coaches Poll, beginning Thursday when the Cougars travel to Orlando to take on 2-2 Central Florida (5:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN).
But coach Bronco Mendenhall suddenly finds himself with much greater concerns than the national perception of his program.
First, there's the defense, which has been shredded the past few games, giving up a combined 976 yards and 68 points the past two games against Virginia and USU.
Second, there's the impossible task of replacing the production of junior quarterback Taysom Hill, who suffered a season-ending left leg fracture in the second quarter against the Aggies.
In steps a senior with zero major college football starts to his credit, former Snow College star Christian Stewart. What Stewart lacks in experience, however, he makes up for in confidence. That was evident in Friday's post-game news conference, when the Timpanogos High product assured BYU fans that the offense is in good hands, despite completing just 10 of 29 passes for 172 yards and three interceptions in a little more than a half of playing time against the Aggies.
"I think BYU fans can be encouraged," Stewart said. "Just because Taysom went down … doesn't mean we aren't going to be great this season. We still have an opportunity to do big things."
Trouble is, Central Florida's defense is stout. The Knights held Houston, which put up 25 on BYU, to just 12 points last Thursday on UH's home field. The Knights are 30th in the country in overall defense, allowing just 334 yards per game against Penn State, Missouri, Bethune-Cookman and the red Cougars.
Stewart will be making his first start since leading Snow to a 47-21 win over the ASA College Avengers in the inaugural Carrier Dome Bowl in Syracuse, N.Y., in December of 2012.
"It is a terrible thing that Taysom went down," Stewart said. "No one wanted to see that. But if there's a guy that's ready to step up to the challenge, it is me. That's why I came here. That's what I am about. I am a leader and a confident guy in my ability, and I know my teammates have that same confidence in me."
Mendenhall said the offense didn't change in the second half Friday - although the desperate Cougars began throwing on every down while facing big deficits - and won't change much for the quick turnaround game Thursday.
"The execution now has to be at a higher level because of Taysom's ability to create and change things to go the distance," Mendenhall said. "Everything within our offensive system will now have to be executed at a higher level. … I think Christian tried really hard. He was forcing things there toward the end, but certainly the grit, determination and heart were there."
Stewart got extensive work in fall camp, getting nearly as many repetitions as Hill did. Coaches hope that work pays off now that he's needed to rescue a once-promising season.
"Christian likes to get the ball downfield, and that's good for us. He's like a gunslinger," said receiver Jordan Leslie. "He's just as mobile as Taysom and he likes to look downfield and find the open guy, so we are looking forward to Thursday."
Twitter: @drewjay -
Thursday's game
P BYU at Central Florida 5:30 p.m. MDT
TV: ESPN