Provo • If these were the numbers that were presented to BYU’s coaching staff before Saturday’s game, they would have taken them. Not only that, they would have welcomed them.
BYU amasses 471 yards of offense. Jaren Hall throws for 356 yards. Puka Nacua goes for three touchdowns. The Cougars put more than 24 points on the scoreboard.
Problem solved, right?
“We don’t talk about it a lot, that number 24,” special teams coordinator Ed Lamb said earlier in the week, noting that if an offense scores more than 24 points it has over a 90% chance to win the game. “Sometimes it can kinda separate an offense and defense. ... But it is a really good benchmark for an offense and defense.”
This time, though, BYU’s offense and defense must be separated. Because while the offense had arguably its most effective performance of the season, the defense gave BYU no chance to win in a 52-35 loss to Arkansas. It is why Kalani Sitake knew the game was over as soon as the offense had a single three-and-out in the second half.
And now the pressure on Sitake to fix the defense — whether that means changing up the staff duties or shaking up the personnel — is at a boiling point. Unlike the last four weeks, there is nothing left to blame the losses and poor performances on.
“It’s tough,” wide receiver Kody Epps said when asked about the offense’s approach as BYU’s defense allowed eight consecutive scoring drives.
Nacua simply looked at the stat sheet and said, “Oh goodness gracious.” Everyone in the room knew what he was talking about.
The Cougars’ defense did not generate a single stop from the 10:36 mark in the first quarter until the final minute of the game. It led to Sitake questioning openly for the first time this season whether he needed to assume the role of defensive play-calling going forward.
“You aren’t going to win many games when you give up 52 points,” Sitake said. “... I’m the head coach. I have to figure this out. ... I’m going to go back and assess and review and make decisions as a head coach.”
The question is, what are those decisions? Sitake alluded to two things that could immediately be addressed. The first was the aforementioned play-calling duties. Defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki has been under fire for the last several years about his job security and this was BYU’s worse defensive performance since 2016 when Toledo had 692 yards in his first season as the coordinator.
Sitake is already involved in defensive play-calling to some degree now, he said. Plus, he has assumed play-calling duties for the defense in the past during his seven years as head coach. Tuiaki has been with him for all seven seasons.
“It is an option,” Sitake said. “I like our guys. I think the effort they give us is fantastic. We need to get focused on getting things done. I’m not close to any options out there [yet], [changing play-callers] being one of them.”
The second area Sitake said he could address is making personnel shakeups on the defense. There were a number of missed tackles and Sitake put part of the blame on the players. At one point in the first half, four BYU tacklers could not bring down Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson in the backfield and turned a potential punt into a 36-yard gain. It set up the Razorbacks for a touchdown that ultimately made it a two-score game.
“It’s going to be a tough few days with some honest conversations,” linebacker Ben Bywater said.
There were multiple times in the game when BYU simply looked outmanned as a faster, more athletic SEC opponent.
“If you are not playing up to the standard that is set, you could be pulled,” Bywater said. “That’s how football is. That is how professionals are. If you aren’t getting the job done, somebody else will... I think a lot of guys are going to be put in vulnerable spots. We are trying to win. It’s college football. This is [the coach’s] livelihoods. I don’t blame them.”
The offense leans into an identity
Last week, after BYU’s offense only put up 20 points in a loss to Notre Dame, Sitake lamented how the team did not get the ball more to Nacua and Gunner Romney.
This week, that was no trouble as the offense seemed to lean into using its best players and most reliable options. It looked like an offense that knew who it was, and was able to execute it for the majority of the night.
Nacua had 15 touches on the night and rewarded offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick’s play-calling with 161 yards and three touchdowns. BYU involved him running in the backfield, on a jet sweep, on a run-pass option and in the passing game. It basically force fed the ball to its best offensive weapon.
Beyond that, BYU also seemed to rely on Epps’ run-after-the-catch ability. It has become one of the constants that BYU can lean on and Roderick went to it often. Epps had 14 targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. He now has scored in each of the last five games.
“I thought we did some good things,” Nacua said. “... Obviously our team has had its struggles on both sides of the ball. I can only focus on the offense.”
Offensive players talked after the game about the turnovers, of which they had three. And certainly Hall’s interception at the end of the first half (that led to a touchdown on a short field) and a missed snap on a fourth down and one (that led to a touchdown) did not help the effort.
“We knew we were coming in for a shootout,” Nacua said. “Just execution [can be better].”
But it didn’t seem to matter where Arkansas started with the ball, regardless of the turnovers. Its average starting field position was its own 28-yard line and it still had seven touchdowns.
So to say turnovers doomed BYU would be a bit overreactive. Even a perfect turnover performance likely wouldn’t have helped BYU win. And overall, the offense looked centered for the first time in several weeks.
Third downs, again
With a defense that allowed 644 yards and 34 first downs, it is hard to pinpoint one specific area where things need improvement. The whole defense needs improvement.
That said, third downs have been a particular area of concern. Notre Dame last week went 11 for 16 on third downs. This week, Arkansas went 12 for 15.
“I’m really focused on third downs,” Sitake said. “That’s the biggest issue to me. Because even the moments where the crowd was into it, they had to take a timeout, third and long and didn’t get off the field. Credit to [them], but third down is the only down when it comes to defense.
“I mean they converted 12 out of 15. That is not good defense.”
Arkansas scored twice on third down and ran 82 plays as it didn’t have to get off the field. It has been the same issue BYU has had for the last five weeks.
“There were times we were playing good defense,” Bywater said. “But we just got to get off the field. We all saw it. We had a chance to sack them, they turn it into a 40-yard play. For us, the scheme, you can say everything you want. But at the end of the day you have to get off blocks and make tackles.”
