This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • In Bronco Mendenhall's 11 seasons at BYU, the coach often met expectations, but rarely exceeded them. With a few exceptions, the Cougars pretty much won the games they were expected to win and lost the games they were expected to lose. They won nine games for the first time since 2011 in 2015, snapping a streak of three straight eight-win seasons, against a schedule that turned out to be less difficult than it was supposed to be.
Will the Cougars avert that decade-long course under new coach Kalani Sitake?
That's the question of the month as the former Oregon State and University of Utah defensive coordinator takes over in Provo with two assistants who are just as untested in their new roles — offensive coordinator Ty Detmer and defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki. On Saturday, Southern Utah head coach Ed Lamb joined the staff as an assistant head coach and special teams coordinator, an addition that should greatly help the rookie head coach's transition period.
Actually, against a loaded 2016 schedule that includes Power 5 schools Arizona, Utah, UCLA, West Virginia, Michigan State and Mississippi State and top-level Group of 5 schools Cincinnati, Boise State and Utah State, another 9-4 season would have to be considered remarkable, and far more satisfying than the 2015 campaign.
Even an 8-5 season would seemingly be palatable for most BYU fans, who have been energized by the hirings of Sitake, the recruiting ace, and Detmer, the Heisman Trophy-winning former quarterback.
There's a palpable optimism surrounding Sitake that was missing with Mendenhall the latter half of his tenure.
Sitake is in the process of deciding which position coaches he will hire and/or keep, decisions that will likely determine which of their 16 current committed recruits sign with them the first Wednesday of February, 2016. Receivers coach Guy Holliday, linebackers coach Paul Tidwell and defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi are the only holdovers that Mendenhall didn't take with him to Virginia. Retaining Holliday would be big, especially since Utah just released its receivers coach and has expressed some interest in Holliday before.
Lost in the excitement over the Detmer hiring is how it will impact the decision of quarterback Taysom Hill, who is not the dropback passer that Detmer was. Of course, freshman Tanner Mangum is. Hill has not announced whether he will return to BYU, transfer to another school, or enter the NFL draft in April, but was reported to be leaning toward returning before the Detmer announcement.
Another potential returnee, running back Jamaal Williams, is still giving indications via social media and the like that he wants to wear the Cougar blue again. The running backs corps should be deep in 2016 regardless, with Algernon Brown, Francis Bernard, Riley Burt and Squally Canada back complementing Williams, if he returns.
Whoever becomes BYU's offensive line coach will have plenty to work with, which couldn't be said when Garett Tujague took over the line three years ago. Four-year starter Ryker Mathews graduates, but Tejan Koroma, Ului Lapuaho, Tuni Kanuch, Brad Wilcox, Austin Hoyt and Kyle Johnson all return.
Top receivers Mitch Mathews, Devon Blackmon and Terenn Houk will be missed; Nick Kurtz, Mitchell Juergens, Colby Pearson and Moroni Lualu-Pututau will be back and bolstered by Snow College transfer Jonah Trinnaman, who has stayed true to his commitment despite the coaching change.
New Virginia offensive coordinator Robert Anae's offense at BYU in 2015 was also good, but not great — except in the red zone, where it significantly improved despite not having a dominating run game. The Cougars had the second-best red zone offense in 2015 and would have had the best, according to Anae, if they hadn't taken a knee late in the 51-28 win at Utah State.
They scored after entering the red zone 94.3 percent of the time, second only to Washington State's 94.5 percent.
Tuiaki inherits a defense that loses its best player, defensive end Bronson Kaufusi, and leading tackler, surprise contributor Michael Wadsworth, but not too much else. It could be outstanding if much-troubled linebacker Sione Takitaki returns and four-star recruit Troy Warner, Fred's brother, is as good as advertised. Rising seniors Kai Nacua, Travis Tuiloma, Logan Taele, Michael Davis and Harvey Langi are all solid.
With Mendenhall having taken the defensive play-calling duties back from defensive coordinator Nick Howell last January, BYU's defense got better in 2015, and is 28th in total defense (345.7 ypg.).
The Cougars found the pass rush they didn't have in 2014, finishing with 3.08 sacks per game, eighth-best in the country.
"We wanted to earn respect with how our defense played this year," Kaufusi said. "And that's something that this defense did, I feel like. That's something I am proud of, that no matter what the score was, that we were going to earn respect."
Special teams neither won, nor lost, the Cougars a game in 2015, although giving up a fake punt for a first down to Utah punter Tom Hackett in the bowl game killed some third-quarter momentum. Senior kicker Trevor Samson made a respectable 14 of 17 field goal attempts and graduates as the most accurate FG kicker in school history. He won't be easy to replace.
Rugby star Jonny Linehan returns at punter after learning the punting position on the fly in 2015.
All told, It was an OK season, BYU's second-best as an independent, but couldn't necessarily be labeled a satisfying one. Yes, a win over rival Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl likely would have tilted the season scale in that direction. But, alas, the 9-4 Cougars came up short in a 35-28 loss despite thoroughly outplaying the slightly favored Utes (10-3) in the final three quarters.
It was the ultimate "what if?" in a season full of them. What if BYU hadn't gifted the Utes five touchdowns six days before Christmas? BYU fans will wonder about that for eternity — or at least until the rematch Sept. 10 in Salt Lake City when Sitake takes the Cougars into Rice-Eccles Stadium for the first time.
He will be revered in Provo if he can end the Cougars' five-game losing skid to the Utes, just like Mendenhall did in 2006 when he stopped Utah's four-game winning streak in the rivalry with a 33-31 victory at Rice-Eccles. But that goodwill moment ran dry.
"I leave the program as [one] that wins about nine games a year, that has very good grades, that has players that want to be at BYU because of the standards, and that want to work hard. I think there is an outstanding foundation in place for someone else to come in and put their stamp on it. I leave with no regrets," Mendenhall said.
BYU's opponents in 2015 went 81-82 overall and 4-4 in bowl games, with only Michigan (9-3) yet to play in the postseason, on Friday against Florida in the Citrus Bowl.
Considering BYU had a freshman quarterback who returned from a church mission just three months before he took his first college snap, the season could not be termed a disappointment. But Cougar fans wanted more, something Mendenhall couldn't quite deliver.
It remains to be seen whether Sitake will. A new era has begun in Provo — but with the same high expectations.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU as an independent
2011 • 10-3, defeated Tulsa 24-21 in Armed Forces Bowl
2012 • 8-5, defeated San Diego State 23-6 in Poinsettia Bowl
2013 • 8-5, lost to Washington 31-16 in Fight Hunger Bowl
2014 • 8-5, lost to Memphis 55-48 (2OT) in Miami Beach Bowl
2015 • Went 9-4, lost to Utah 35-28 in Las Vegas Bowl —
BYU as an independent
2011 • 10-3, defeated Tulsa 24-21 in Armed Forces Bowl
2012 • 8-5, defeated San Diego State 23-6 in Poinsettia Bowl
2013 • 8-5, lost to Washington 31-16 in Fight Hunger Bowl
2014 • 8-5, lost to Memphis 55-48 (2OT) in Miami Beach Bowl
2015 • Went 9-4, lost to Utah 35-28 in Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl