BYU gamers huddle collectively forward of the Cougars’ sport in opposition to SMU within the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 17, 2022, in Albuquerque. BYU Photograph
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake watches the tip of the sport at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
BYU Cougars quarterback Jaren Corridor (3) passes through the sport in opposition to the Utah Tech Trailblazers at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. Spenser Heaps, Deseret Information
Brigham Younger Cougars linebacker Max Tooley (31) celebrates his landing after an interception in opposition to the Utah State Aggies in Provo on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
Brigham Younger Cougars punter Ryan Rehkow (24) punts at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
What a distinction a winless month makes.
That’s the underside line on the subject of analyzing the just lately accomplished BYU soccer season, because the Cougars marched out of independence and into the Massive 12 with an 8-5 document marred significantly by the 0-for-4 October wherein star quarterback Jaren Corridor performed damage, the Cougars’ protection totally collapsed and head coach Kalani Sitake’s program wobbled a lot that he was pressured to ultimately half methods with a number of lifelong mates/assistant coaches.
“This was a troublesome yr for our program (with) some adjustments and issues like that. However the religion and the love, all that stuff stays. Regardless that we went via a foul stretch, as a result of everyone appears on the (closing) outcomes, because the adversity got here, I used to be simply pleased with these guys. They caught collectively and labored via it and simply confirmed the unity that we now have on this program and in our tradition and in our crew.” — BYU soccer coach Kalani Sitake
Positive, the Cougars responded to that terrible October and losses to Notre Dame, Arkansas, Liberty and East Carolina in spectacular style, given the state they have been in, and completed the 2022 marketing campaign with 4 wins, together with a 24-23 victory over favored SMU with out Corridor when the protection, imagine it or not, saved the day.
However the lasting impression from Sitake’s seventh season, BYU’s final of 12 as an unbiased, is that the Massive 12-bound program regressed when it was anticipated to go away independence with momentum after going 11-1 in 2020 and 10-3 in 2021.
“This was a troublesome yr for our program (with) some adjustments and issues like that,” Sitake acknowledged after the win in New Mexico improved his bowl document to 4-2 and his total document to 56-34. “However the religion and the love, all that stuff stays.
“Regardless that we went via a foul stretch, as a result of everyone appears on the (closing) outcomes, because the adversity got here, I used to be simply pleased with these guys,” he continued. “They caught collectively and labored via it and simply confirmed the unity that we now have on this program and in our tradition and in our crew.”
Nevertheless, any good synopsis of the 2022 season should embody the commentary that there seem like cracks in that tradition, as no fewer than a dozen gamers who have been Cougars when the season started with the 50-21 pounding of South Florida had entered the switch portal, together with some key contributors similar to tight finish Dallin Holker, offensive linemen Campbell and Clark Barrington, linebackers Keenan Pili and Tate Romney, and cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally.
To be honest, each program within the nation has seen departures; BYU is under no circumstances alone in that regard.
As well as, a minimum of seven gamers who've eligibility remaining have declared for the NFL draft, most notably the aforementioned Corridor, receivers Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney, and linebacker Payton Wilgar.
Then once more, Sitake’s program is already drawing some possible contributors from the portal, standouts similar to former Pitt/USC QB Kedon Slovis, Boise State defenders Isaiah Bagnah and Jackson Cravens, and Utah State offensive lineman Weylin Lapuaho.
Followers ought to count on a number of extra earlier than spring camp begins in early March.
The 2022 season can even be remembered for a tragic incidence days two days earlier than the calendar moved to 2023.
Two weeks after the season ended, the BYU soccer household mourned the dying of promising offensive lineman Sione Veikoso, 22, who died Dec. 29 when a retaining wall collapsed on him and several other different development crew members in his native Hawaii.
For his half, Sitake took concern on a few events after the common season ended with the 35-26 win over Stanford with assertions from reporters that this system was backsliding a bit after the crew started the season with loads of returning starters on each side of the ball and lofty expectations galore. Finally June’s media day, all through fall camp in August and most of September till they have been pummeled 41-20 by Oregon, gamers spoke of getting the items in place to make it to a New Yr’s Six bowl sport.
“Wanting on the yr as a complete now, 7-5 (document), there are lots of (media) guys that predicted that may occur,” Sitake stated. “And now they're all shocked by it?”
Sitake continued: “What I've seen is from the start to the tip is there was lots of progress in our program. … We're higher and we're going to this bowl sport to get our crew prepared (to springboard) into 2023.”
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake watches the tip of the sport at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
The Cougars returned 85% of their manufacturing from the earlier season, together with Corridor, who had sat out the 31-28 loss to UAB within the 2021 Independence Bowl.
On reflection, if there was a play that considerably altered the Cougars’ 2022 season, it got here on Sept. 29, when Corridor took a tough hit within the fourth quarter of an eventual 38-26 win over Utah State and suffered a shoulder harm that may linger effectively into October.
Does BYU beat Notre Dame in Las Vegas with a wholesome Corridor? That’s debatable. What isn’t in query is that the Cougars’ lack of depth was uncovered. For example, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick believed a less-than-healthy Corridor gave BYU a greater probability to win that sport and three extra after that than any of the backups, most notably Jacob Conover, who has transferred to Arizona State.
“Yeah, we're excited to go to the Massive 12. It will likely be lots of enjoyable,” Sitake stated after the win over SMU. “We gotta work arduous. We gotta be a extra bodily crew. And that goes via the offseason.”
December, and early January, introduced as a lot information off the sphere than on it, as Sitake employed former Weber State head coach Jay Hill as his defensive coordinator (and safeties coach) to interchange Ilaisa Tuiaki and crammed out the rest of his defensive employees with particular groups coordinator and defensive ends coach Kelly Poppinga, defensive tackles coach Sione Po’uha and linebackers coach Justin Ena.
Jernaro Gilford was retained as cornerbacks coach.
Citing the necessity for a change, Sitake additionally launched his prime two power and conditioning coaches, Nu’u Tafisi and Justin McClure.
Need extra proof that this system slid in 2022? As of Jan. 2, the Cougars have been No. 61 in Jeff Sagarin’s school soccer rankings for USA At the moment, and No. 65 in ESPN’s Faculty Soccer Energy Index. They have been No. 34 and No. 41 in these two gauges final yr.
In response to Sagarin, the Cougars performed the 66th most troublesome schedule within the nation, after having performed the sixty fifth hardest schedule final yr.
How did BYU’s offense carry out in 2022?
The offense obtained off to a blazing quick begin, actually, as Nacua took a fly sweep 75 yards to the home on the primary play of the season in opposition to South Florida. Led by Corridor, Nacua and an skilled offensive line that included possible NFL draft choose Blake Freeland and Clark Barrington, who joined his brother, Campbell, at Baylor, the offense remained the power of the crew for the third straight yr.
Accidents to Nacua, Gunner Romney, Corridor, receiver Kody Epps and working backs Lopini Katoa, Chris Brooks and Miles Davis slowed the offense significantly in October, as has been talked about, however the unit nonetheless completed forty fourth within the nation in scoring offense (31.3 factors per sport) and thirty sixth in complete offense (426.3 yards per sport).
In 2021, when Tyler Allgeier emerged as top-of-the-line working backs at school historical past, the Cougars have been twenty ninth in scoring offense and seventeenth in complete offense.
Just like the crew as a complete, the offense didn’t fairly stay as much as expectations in 2022, however did a exceptional job taking good care of the soccer. BYU had simply 10 turnovers all season, the second-lowest of any season at school historical past. It had 9 within the 12-game 2020 season. They misplaced simply three fumbles, the fewest ever, to interrupt the document of 4 misplaced fumbles in 2006.
The offense recovered properly in November, placing 31 factors on Boise State, 52 on Utah Tech and 35 on Stanford when the Cougars unleashed a big-time dashing assault and ran everywhere in the Pac-12 Cardinal.
The group was additionally adequate to eke out that 24-23 win over SMU with a four-string quarterback, Sol-Jay Maiava-Peters. Credit score to Roderick and his employees for devising a sport plan to make the most of the third-year redshirt freshman’s strengths and pulling out a win after not finishing a cross your complete second half.
The most important knock on the offense in 2022 was the fixed failures on third-and-short and fourth-and-short conditions, failures which will have value the Cougars wins in opposition to Notre Dame, Arkansas and East Carolina. The Cougars have been an affordable thirty first within the nation on third down (44.6%), however have been 126th in fourth-down conversion proportion (8 of 26, for 30.8%).
In addition they took a step again within the pink zone, scoring simply 79.5% of the occasions they moved the ball contained in the 20. They scored 26 touchdowns and kicked 9 discipline targets in 44 pink zone appearances, which ranks 102nd within the nation. Final yr, they ranked twenty sixth within the nation in pink zone offense.
BYU Cougars quarterback Jaren Corridor (3) passes through the sport in opposition to the Utah Tech Trailblazers at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022.
Spenser Heaps, Deseret Information
Offensive MVP: Corridor completed his fifth and closing season at BYU with 3,171 passing yards and a passer effectivity ranking of 160.8, finishing 248 of 376 passes for 31 touchdowns with simply six interceptions. He’s the straightforward choose for crew offensive MVP, after Allgeier obtained the nod final yr.
Honorable point out nods go to Nacua, who mixed with Corridor to make the play of the season, that fourth-down landing catch that beat Boise State 31-28 on Nov. 5, and Cal switch Brooks, who ran for 817 yards and 6 touchdowns in 11 video games.
Left sort out Freeland, a third-team AP All-American, was additionally a key element for an offense that protected Corridor effectively and allowed simply 13 sacks in 13 video games.
How did BYU’s protection carry out in 2022?
There’s a motive Sitake shuffled his defensive employees. BYU’s protection struggled, starting with the 41-20 loss to Oregon and persevering with via October, even when Sitake took over defensive play-calling duties.
Positive, there have been some season-ending accidents to key cogs similar to security Malik Moore, linebackers Chaz Ah You, Payton Wilgar and Max Tooley, defensive lineman Josh Larsen and cornerback D’Angelo Mandell, however the depth Sitake and his employees have labored so arduous to develop didn’t totally materialize.
BYU completed with simply 15 sacks (a hundred and thirtieth within the nation) and nonetheless didn’t wreak havoc on opposing offenses, though the protection did flip in three pick-sixes, two by Tooley and one by Ben Bywater. Bywater’s interception return for a landing within the bowl win stands out because the defensive play of the season, adopted intently by Jakob Robinson’s game-winning cease of Tanner Mordecai on SMU’s two-point conversion attempt.
The Cougars completed 96th in scoring protection (29.4 ppg.) and ninety fifth in complete protection (408.1 ypg.). For the third-straight season, they struggled to get off the sphere on third down, rating 123rd (46.1%) in that class.
Brigham Younger Cougars linebacker Max Tooley (31) celebrates his landing after an interception in opposition to the Utah State Aggies in Provo on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
Defensive MVP: Earlier than he suffered a season-ending harm within the seventh sport, Tooley was having an outstanding season and rising because the defensive playmaker BYU has so desperately wanted. Regardless of lacking six video games, he completed as BYU’s fourth-leading tackler and will get the nod from right here as defensive MVP. Tooley additionally had three interceptions, a sack and a pressured fumble.
Bywater (team-leading 98 tackles) and cornerback-turned-safety Micah Harper (62 tackles, three cross breakups) additionally deserve consideration.
How did BYU’s particular groups carry out in 2022?
Kicker Jake Oldroyd’s well-documented struggles on discipline purpose makes an attempt in opposition to Baylor, Oregon and Utah State got here from out of the blue and put a damper on an in any other case respectable yr for BYU’s particular groups. The graduating senior completed 9 of 14 on discipline purpose makes an attempt, however was 45 of 45 on PATs.
Hobbs Nyberg was stable on punt returns for the second-straight season, averaging 12.8 yards per return, with a protracted of 42.
The Cougars gave up an 89-yard kickoff return for a landing to South Florida’s Jimmy Horn within the opener, however usually coated kickoffs and punts effectively.
Brigham Younger Cougars punter Ryan Rehkow (24) punts at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Information
Particular groups MVP: Punter Ryan Rehkow will get the nod for the third straight yr after a gradual begin, by his requirements. Rehkow punted 40 occasions for a 46.2 common, with 12 touring 50 or extra yards. He obtained off a 71-yard in opposition to East Carolina and was significantly efficient within the New Mexico Bowl, setting the bowl document for longest punt, 67 yards, after a 65-yarder earlier within the sport.
Rehkow pinned opponents inside their 20-yard-line 16 occasions.