Brigham Younger Cougars quarterback Jaren Corridor (3) throws at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
After Saturday’s 41-20 thumping from the underrated Oregon Geese, BYU’s dream of constructing it into the School Soccer Playoff is lengthy gone and its hope to succeed in a New 12 months’s Six bowl recreation in its ultimate season of independence is on life-support.
From a big-picture perspective, that’s the place coach Kalani Sitake’s program is true now, sitting at 2-1 three video games into the 2022 season. The Cougars fell seven locations to No. 19 within the Related Press Prime 25 after the nationally televised debacle at Autzen Stadium, whereas Oregon jumped 10 spots to No. 15.
That’s in all probability nearer to the place the groups ought to have been earlier than the competition, a lopsided affair during which athletic and explosive Oregon uncovered a myriad of BYU’s weaknesses and points. And the Cougars piled on themselves as properly, committing a number of unforced errors that led to their largest margin of defeat since Washington drubbed them 45-19 in Provo in 2019.
“Yeah, chin up, chest out. Clearly we gotta study from this loss, take it on the chin. We're going to transfer ahead. I'm not too nervous about our guys. We simply gotta get again at it subsequent week.” — BYU linebacker Ben Bywater after the 41-20 loss to Oregon
Poor tackling, ill-advised pursuit angles and one other missed chip-shot subject objective have been essentially the most noticeable shortcomings.
“Yeah, the whole lot needs to be evaluated for us. I imply, now we have to seek out out what the problems and deficiencies have been in each side of our recreation, whether or not it's teaching, or gamers, or personnel, no matter it's,” Sitake stated. “I simply wish to make sure that we get again to the place we could be and we're prepared once we get again dwelling for our subsequent recreation.”
That subsequent recreation seems a bit tougher now than when the season began. Former WAC and Mountain West rival Wyoming arrives at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday (8:15 p.m. MDT) with a 3-1 file, a three-game profitable streak and a 17-14 victory over beforehand undefeated Air Power below its belt.
The Pokes of yesteryear by no means had bother getting up for the Cougars, and this 12 months’s iteration actually might be reminded all week about their predecessors’ disdain for BYU from the Wyoming media.
However Sitake has different points to fret about and work by way of, akin to why this extremely touted offensive line and prized Cal switch operating again Chris Brooks can’t appear to get a operating recreation going. BYU averaged 2.5 yards per carry towards the Geese and the now-No. 17 Baylor Bears.
“Nicely, that may be a concern for me. … I don’t know what the difficulty is,” Sitake informed the Deseret Information after Saturday’s 61-yard speeding efficiency. “We must hold watching the movie. I assumed that the defensive entrance of Baylor did a superb job. We thought we may discover some spots towards Oregon. Clearly they did a superb job shutting down the run.”
Sitake stated the shutdown made the Cougars one-dimensional and put them in some troublesome conditions on third and fourth down.
“And we couldn’t capitalize and make these performs,” he stated. “We couldn’t end drives. We'll get that mounted.”
However how?
Clearly, happening a notch or two in competitors will assist the following two weeks as BYU faces Wyoming after which instate rival Utah State (1-2) in a fast turnaround recreation on Thursday, Sept. 29. The Cougars might want to get it discovered earlier than they meet Notre Dame in Las Vegas on Oct. 8 and Arkansas in Provo on Oct. 15, or they might see a repeat of Saturday’s nightmare at Autzen.
For his half, quarterback Jaren Corridor isn’t dropping religion within the operating recreation, though the dearth thereof has put extra stress on the fifth-year junior than he went into the season bargaining for. Not having wideouts Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney has additionally been a burden Corridor has needed to bear.
“I belief our guys up entrance. That was a superb defensive position (that was) coached very properly,” Corridor stated after throwing for 305 yards and two touchdowns. “Our guys might be OK. We'll work out a option to get issues going there. I belief (offensive line) coach (Darrell) Funk to get issues going.”
Corridor, who was sacked simply as soon as and didn’t commit a turnover for the second-straight recreation towards a Energy 5 foe, defended Sitake’s choice to let the starters play to the bitter finish towards the Geese, saying it's simply not within the coach’s nature to wave the white flag.
“On the finish of the sport, we have been making an attempt to get the practice again on the tracks, making an attempt to do no matter we will to get some positivity from this to point out that we have been able to doing issues otherwise,” Sitake stated. “However we must have a look at this complete recreation and now we have to get higher from it. There is no such thing as a operating from it.”
On the defensive facet, the Cougars talked about their depth all through the offseason and fall camp, and now they'll want it. Line of defense starters Tyler Batty and Earl Tuioti-Mariner missed the Oregon recreation with accidents, and cornerback Kaleb Hayes left early with concussion-like signs.
Linebacker Max Tooley led BYU in tackles for the second-straight recreation, posting eight takedowns, whereas fellow LB Ben Bywater and defensive again Jakob Robinson had seven apiece.
“Robust, robust gig. I'm happy with my guys for a way we fought in direction of the tip,” Bywater stated. “Clearly we gotta crush the run recreation (and didn’t). They got here out sizzling, ran it down our throats. No excuses, simply one thing we gotta work on and subsequent week we might be again to the drafting board and determine it out.”
Bywater stated sticking collectively, resisting the urge to level fingers, and exhibiting resolve to enhance might be keys this week.
“Yeah, chin up, chest out,” he stated. “Clearly we gotta study from this loss, take it on the chin. We're going to transfer ahead. I'm not too nervous about our guys. We simply gotta get again at it subsequent week.”
Cougars on the air
Wyoming (3-1) at No. 19 BYU (2-1)
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. MDT
LaVell Edwards Stadium
Provo, Utah
TV: ESPN2
Radio: KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM