This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
After the play-call that may stand as his most memorable mistake as BYU's offensive coordinator, Ty Detmer did not get defensive.
Meeting with the media Wednesday, when BYU's offensive coaches and players are made available, Detmer blamed only himself for the failed two-point conversion attempt in a 20-19 loss at Utah. He acknowledged letting Taysom Hiil persuade him to call a quarterback draw, while wishing he had ordered a play with some kind of pass option against Utah's blitzing defense. Detmer said he "should know better" than to have called an "all-or-nothing" play, after Hill was tackled near the line of scrimmage, 3 yards short of the goal line.
So credit Detmer for handling his failure impressively. Now, back to the issue of BYU's offensive struggles.
Officials may have to stop Saturday night's game vs. UCLA in Provo and make a presentation when the Cougars complete their first 20-yard pass of the Detmer era or score their 20th point in any game. Even with successful late-game drives — beating Arizona via a field goal and giving themselves a chance to tie or beat Utah after scoring a touchdown — the Cougars have averaged 371 yards and 18.5 points.
BYU's offense will have to do much more to beat UCLA. Factoring in a schedule of three Pac-12 opponents, Detmer is going through much the same struggles as former offensive coordinators Robert Anae (two stints) and Brandon Doman experienced early in their tenures. Anae produced three points against Boston College in his 2005 debut, Doman delivered one offensive touchdown in each of his first three games in 2011 and Anae presided over showings of 16 points vs. Virginia and 13 vs. Utah in 2013 (that account skips Anae's 40-point, 679-yard shoeing vs. Texas, but the Longhorns fired their defensive coordinator the next day so he doesn't get full credit).
The schedule will turn in Detmer's favor, as BYU faces the more accommodating defenses of West Virginia and Toledo in the coming weeks. But then he'll meet Michigan State and Mississippi State, so the offense has to get going by October.
Aside from the two-point play that could have changed the perception of Detmer's work and the entire program's performance under coach Kalani Sitake, the BYU offense's biggest problem was failing to take advantage of the defense's effort at Utah. In the first half, takeaways gave the Cougars the ball at the Utah 29- and 37-yard lines and their own 47, and they produced only two field goals from those possessions.
Given any such opportunities against UCLA, the Cougars must capitalize. The alternative is sustaining long drives and completing long passes, or even some medium ones.
Twitter: @tribkurt