BYU vs. Georgia Tech Recap

The Good

•  Robert Anae has been criticized for what some has been deemed too conservative (is that possible in Provo?) of playcalling--particularly noting the lack of passing attempts on first down. In the first half, BYU threw on first down 8 times, with mostly success. This ability to keep Georgia Tech off-balanced help the run game and enabled BYU to score 24 first half points against a solid defense.  
• Hill's passes in the first half were beautiful. Not only did he complete a very high percentage (16 of 20), they were right on the money. Riley Nelson completed a decent 59% of his passes, last year, but many of these completions were low or behind his receivers. Hill was hitting his receivers in the chest and in stride which allowed them to actually do something with the ball. His touchdown pass to Hoffman was a great play by both players. 

 (Courtesy ESPN) 

• The defense dominated, again. While the game was technically fairly close throughout much of it, it never really appeared that the outcome was in doubt because of the defensive effort. They also caused two turnovers--one of which they scored a touchdown on. BYU's defense and special teams has almost as many touchdowns as the offense does through the air.
• Adam Hine is the most explosive returner I've seen at BYU since James Dye. Every time he returned a kick was exciting. He's had some hard luck with great runs being called back (including a 100 yarder against the U) but it's just a matter of time before he breaks one for a touchdown.

(Courtesy KSL Sports Beat) 

The Bad

• As good as BYU's offense was in the first half, it was that mediocre in the second. They only scored one offensive touchdown in the second half and had four 3 and outs. I attribute most of this to the offensive line. They were playing well when Georgia Tech was dropping guys into coverage and playing a bend but don't break (even though it did) defense. In the second half, they were much more aggressive and dominated BYU's line. Hill only attempted 7 passes in the second half and was sacked three times. 
• Another game, another field goal under 30 yards. While I am glad Sorenson has been making them this year (a major step up from last year), the Cougars' performance in the blue zone has been pathetic. BYU is 88th in the nation in percentage of time (78%) they score when in the red zone. While that number is bad, perhaps as equally troublesome to me is that many of those scores of been chip shot field goals. Of 26 drives to make it to the red zone, BYU has turned the ball over 5 times and has made 12 short field goals. If half of those are turned into touchdowns, BYU is averaging a touchdown more a game (which is not insignificant when your two losses have both come by 7 points or less).  
• Ross Apo. Will this guy ever become anything at the Y? He might as well have joined Jake Heaps at Kansas. He has basically been non-existent this year. The only pass I even saw where he was targeted was a fade route in which he drew a questionable pass interference on the defender. Jake Welch gives a good analysis of why Apo has not been successful in his article. 
• Third down conversions continue to be elusive to BYU. Against Georgia Tech, they were a paltry 3 for 10. This lowered their average on the season to 34% ("good" for 95th in the nation). A major part of the problem was not getting any yards on first and second down; BYU's average 3rd down yardage to go was 9. While Hill is improving as a passer, he is not to the point where you can ask him to get that many yards through the air when the opponent knows the pass is coming. 

The Petty

• For the second straight week, BYU gave up a pointless touchdown in the last minute and a half of the game. While it does not matter, it is slightly annoying that Georgia Tech and Utah State both ended up making the defensive effort look mildly less dominant. Again, this is petty, but I do not like giving up points no matter when they come. Still, BYU continued its impressive streak of holding teams under 21 points or under to 12 straight games. 

Overall Impressions

• Frankly, there were not a lot of surprises in this game. I expected BYU to win going away, and they did. The game was never in too much doubt. The defense dominated and the offense had moments of brilliance and then looked completely befuddled for most of the second half. I still feel that BYU has enough firepower at its skill positions on offense (with a staunch defense) to beat every team left on our schedule. However, it will all come down to whether or not the offensive line shows up.