This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
When BYU won a memorable game against Nebraska on Saturday, but lost its starting quarterback and team captain, Taysom Hill, Bronco Mendenhall knew there were adjustments and improvements the Cougars have to make to sustain their success, but he dialed in on one thing.
Before we hit it, first some of the ancillaries, at least from this vantage point.
BYU must find a run game • Against the Cornhuskers, the only guys who could consistently gain any yards on the ground were the quarterbacks. That's a good way to get your QB … well, never mind. Hill's injury seemed a bit of a fluke, planting his foot as he cut on his 21-yard TD run in the second quarter, suffering that Lisfranc damage. Heartbreak. Hill is a generational athlete, extraordinary, really, but, as it turned out, he's also china in a bull shop, having been lost three of the past four seasons with different injuries, all of them on running plays.
Tanner Mangum isn't as fast as Hill, but he can move. He should do so only when necessary. That means the offensive line will have to open holes for Algie Brown, Adam Hine, Nate Carter or someone, anyone else. The preseason loss of Jamaal Williams looks bigger now than it ever has. Nebraska put up a run-stop, gap-protection defense, against which Cougar running backs rushed 11 times for 27 yards. That straight won't get it done against most quality opponents. Mangum's passing might pressure defenses to cover all around, opening some daylight.
The secondary must get more athletic • So, that won't happen. Making average quarterbacks look good and good quarterbacks look great and great quarterbacks look other-worldly is more than a trend in Provo, it's a fact of life. Against Nebraska, BYU gave up 319 passing yards to Tommy Armstrong Jr. At times, it looked as though the quarterback could have taken seven to 10 yards whenever he felt like it, on account of the Cougar DBs being a step or two or three slower than the Husker receivers. From a technical standpoint, BYU's corners have to keep leveraging points on outside pass patterns and fly sweeps. They have to press that edge.
Another thing: BYU must pressure the QB to help the back end. The Cougars did bother Armstrong, on occasion, especially when they brought extra help, which is built into the 3-4 alignment. They're almost always going to bring at least one linebacker, and often they'll need to bring two. Problem is, if the offense attacks the vacated area, that's trouble. BYU must disguise and be creative with the blitz. The addition of Sione Takitaki and Kai Nacua should help in the overall effort.
Tackle better • It's the most fundamental fundamental. But it needs work. There were times when BYU defenders built a wall around Nebraska ball carriers only to have that wall crumble in the middle of stopping them. It certainly was the case when Jordan Westerkamp was contained for a loss and, next thing, the Nebraska receiver was celebrating a 14-yard touchdown. Bronson Kaufusi said afterward, it was just a matter of better executing basics, and the second and third guys not assuming the first guy would take care of business. Assumption is the mother of all … well, you know.
Mangum .44 • Mendenhall said the freshman is smart and capable and he'll have to be both because BYU needs a top-flight quarterback. It's all part of the record. It always needs a top-flight quarterback, but this season it needs one even more. (See No. 1). It needs a gun under center — in part, because the absolute strength of the 2015 Cougars, now that Hill is gone, is the receivers. Mitch Mathews, Nick Kurtz, Terenn Houk, and the others. Three months ago, Mangum was wandering through towns in Chile, preaching his church's good word. Now, BYU's season rides on his right shoulder, just as it did on Saturday, when he completed 6 of 10 throws before nailing that last one in the final seconds, making the national play of the weekend.
Offensive coordinator Robert Anae will dust off the old Max Hall offense and allow Mangum to lead a pass-first attack, relying on just enough help on the ground. It's an unusual position in which to put a freshman, but the talented Mangum is 22 years old, was co-MVP with Jameis Winston at the 2011 Elite 11 quarterback camp, and can flat play. It's just that the pie will be crammed into his mug now, against Boise State, UCLA and Michigan.
A new team identity must be found • This is the point Mendenhall rightly hammered hard. When Hill, a natural leader, went out last season, after a 4-0 start, things got loose, loose to the degree that BYU lost four straight games before sort of catching itself. He said too much of that reach fell on backup QB Christian Stewart. This time, he's looking for team leaders, for the team as a whole, to gut up and grow together, a difficult recalibration considering the Cougars have now lost their best running back, Williams, their best defensive lineman, nose tackle Travis Tuiloma (out four to six weeks, his absence in the 3-4 is huge) and their best player, Hill.
That will require acumen from the coaching staff, putting this particular group of players, on both sides of the ball, in schemes that best suit their talents and hide their weaknesses, and mental strength from the players themselves. It will take a mix of brainpower, psychology, discipline, preparation, maturity and cohesiveness.
The Cougars will have to quickly know … like, yesterday … what coaches want, what they expect, and both what the consequences are when those two things are not achieved and the rewards that come when they are.
Most significantly, Mendenhall and his assistants will have to reinforce with this team what it is capable of accomplishing without Hill, emphasizing what to do, how to do it, and then standing back and behind — rather than in front of — the team week by week, enabling and allowing the whole deal to be commanded by those team leaders.
That's how an identity is found.
And if it happens, even with a freshman at quarterback, especially with a freshman QB, all the players will not only take ownership of effort and execution, they'll take possession of their fate, facing down adversity, deserving whatever good things they force to come their way.
GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM and 1280 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.