If Jernaro Gilford called his shot before the end of BYU’s training camp, then this week could be the ultimate test.
The Cougars’ cornerbacks coach believes this year’s group is the best he’s seen since the 1990s. And, against Baylor, the Cougars’ path to victory largely rests on Gilford’s claim being proved right.
The No. 9 Bears roll into town after putting up 69 points in the first week of the season. Even if it was against the Albany Great Danes, Baylor’s passing attack showed what can happen when you marry speed at the wide receiver position with a strong-armed quarterback. The Bears took shots down field and wore out a secondary that was too slow.
“I think we had 12 guys get over 20 miles per hour,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “And we had players hit 20 miles per hour 30 total times. So we are playing really fast and we want to continue that.”
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake admitted that if his team is going to win this game, it will have to find any way to limit Baylor’s deep shots. New Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen had a 47-yard touchdown and a 38-yard touchdown in the season-opener.
The Bears will undoubtedly test how fast and technically sound BYU’s secondary is early and often. For now, the Cougars’ secondary showed some cracks against South Florida last week in Tampa. There were multiple blown coverages that could have led to points against a better team.
“Shapen has a really strong and accurate arm,” Sitake said. “You mix that all up [with speed] and it becomes a problem. We have to prepare for their best and hopefully we can match up against them. We feel good about our team. It will be a great test to see where we are at.”
Life without the top two receivers
BYU‘s top two receivers in Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney will be game-time decisions this week.
Nacua walked off the field at Raymond James Stadium on crutches after an apparent ankle injury. Romney has not been seen at practice in several weeks.
While they haven’t been ruled out, the coaching staff hinted at the fact that they are preparing for the offense to be without them.
“Whether we have Puka or Gunner or not, all the rest of the receivers were in the mix to play with or without them,” offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said, noting he still feels confident in the offense if they can’t go. Wide receivers coach Fesi Sitake “does a great job of keeping those guys fresh and rotating bodies in there.”
But just because there is depth in the wide receiver room does not mean that the offense looks exactly the same without those two players in the game. Romney and Nacua both stretch the defense for the Cougars.
Romney was Jaren Hall’s favorite deep-ball target, averaging almost 20 yards a reception a year ago. And Nacua’s speed brought a different element that defenses had to account for.
Without them, Hall does not have a proven receiver he likes to take those bigger shots down field with. Last week, people saw how the offense changed without both of those guys on the field. Hall rarely threw a ball more than 15 yards downfield when Nacua went out.
There was one long shot, a 34-yard pass to Keanu Hill. However, that ball was dropped and Hall never went back to the well.
Out of the remaining options, Chase Roberts is a guy who has been a good deep-ball receiver in practice. Brayden Cosper, to some extent, has done it too. But Hall hasn’t tested those players in games. Nacua and Romney were battled-test veterans. Now, what will the offense look like on Saturday?
It puts a lot of pressure on Chris Brooks and this rushing attack to establish itself early and open up more room for the receivers.
Jaren Hall taking care of the ball
This is not usually an area BYU has to worry about. Hall threw five interceptions all of last year. But he threw a bad interception in the first week of the season that wiped away a 12-play drive in the end zone.
If Nacua and Romney aren’t playing, the Cougars are likely going to need a lot of long, methodical drives to win this game. The running game will need to be established early. The short passing situations to players like Kody Epps, Roberts and even Hill will be key.
Not to mention, keeping the defense off the field against Baylor’s speed with be a necessity.
So, if BYU is going to play that way, Hall needs to play a near-perfect game in the turnover department. His interception was an afterthought against USF. This week, wasting a double-digit play drive could be the difference.
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