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Provo » Having had a week to watch the gory details, like how TCU's rather average offense gashed them for 412 yards and several big and momentum-changing plays, the BYU Cougars said Monday there's no need to panic.
Not yet, anyway.
The 6-2 Cougars, who had a bye last weekend, turned their total attention to Wyoming on Monday, after spending a big chunk of their bye week trying to figure out what went wrong defensively in the 38-7 loss to TCU on Oct. 24.
"It was nice to be able to get in the film room and be able to really see that the things we are doing wrong aren't that drastic," said defensive end Jan Jorgensen. "They were drastic enough for TCU to take advantage of them and really get us with them...but it is just little execution things here and there that are lacking."
The numbers say the No. 25 Cougars have issues defensively, especially when they have faced quality quarterbacks. Just as Florida State's Christian Ponder did in that 54-28 beatdown back in September (27 first downs and 512 total yards), TCU's Andy Dalton had his way with BYU's defense in the showdown at LaVell Edwards Stadium, averaging better than 18 yards per completion.
But coach Bronco Mendenhall said no "radical changes" are in store, and no starters have lost their jobs due to ineffectiveness. He did say that there might be some fatigue issues among the frontline players that will cause coaches to
"I think a lot of it is just execution and concentration," he said. "Again, six of the eight games, I am very comfortable with the way those have gone, and if you look at the identity of the two games we have lost, [they are] quite different in terms of the nature, and so to say that there is an increasing or a looming problem, or an uncorrectable problem, I don't think that is the case."
After acceptable outings against Utah State and UNLV, which have quarterbacks not especially adept at throwing the football, the defense looked vulnerable against San Diego State's Ryan Lindley (21-for-33 for 298 yards) and TCU's underrated Dalton.
The Cougars are now seventh in the MWC in passing defense (244.38 ypg.) and 93rd in the country in that category. Their rushing defense (104.38) ranks second in the conference.
"While many get tired of hearing me say this, execution still had a lot to do with our last setback versus TCU, not only in the secondary, but in terms of pressure, and in terms of coverage by the linebackers," Mendenhall said. "But there were a lot of really positive plays. So concentration, execution in itself, will be the main things [we try to correct]. When you give up a one-play drive, whether it be in a pass play or a long run, those things change momentum very quickly. So that's the main thing we have to do is just to focus."
The Cougars are fourth in the MWC and 50th in the country in total defense, yielding 348.75 ypg. But if the yardage totals in only their two losses were measured, they would be 115th in the country in total defense (462. ypg.) out of 120 teams.
Jorgensen, a defensive team captain, said the unit's confidence is still intact.
[If] people hold contain, people do their jobs in that football game in critical points, that [TCU] game is a completely different game," he said. "It was good for players to be able to see that to realize that we are not in as bad of shape as we thought we were, and we are still a very good football team, and we are able to move forward."
The most glaring weakness is the propensity to give up big plays. UNLV, SDSU and TCU all had big passing plays against the Cougars.
"There are a lot of things that could be done. But in the end, the scheme that we have, it was just small things, guys not doing their jobs. It was not complete breakdowns. It was just simple jobs here and there," Jorgensen said. "It was just little breakdowns. So I don't think there is a ton that needs to be changed right now."
| Category | Actual | Mountain West | National |
| Total Defense | 348.75 ypg. | 4th | 50th |
| Scoring Defense | 24.63 ppg. | 5th | 66th |
| Rushing Defense | 104.38 ypg. | 2nd | 21st |
| Passing Defense | 244.38 ypg. | 7th | 93rd |
No. 25 BYU at Wyoming, noon
TV: The Mtn.
