A: Taysom Hill has gotten better each game he has played this season. He seems to have a deeper understanding of the offense and is gaining important chemistry with his teammates. He has the tools to be a very good dual-threat QB and he is starting to tap into his potential more and more. Credit needs to be given to Robert Anae and his offensive staff, as well. They have modified the scheme and let Hill begin to flourish. It was nice, last week, to see Hill get a chance to throw downfield. His overall tremendous effort earned him ESPN's Impact Player of the Week award.
One modification that Anae needs to make, this week, is to keep Hill upright. It is never a good thing when your QB gets hit about 40 times in a game. Taysom was bruised and bloodied everywhere after the Houston game. No matter how tough he is, at some point, these hits will affect his game. BYU needs to protect him much better while he's in the pocket and limit the amount of times he runs (particularly planned runs). I think that Anae will make the necessary adjustments to keep his QB healthy for the difficult stretch of games coming up
With the adjustments, I think Hill's overall numbers will be more human this week. I believe Jamaal Williams will be called upon more to shoulder some of the load for Hill in the run game. Hill should have success when he does run since Boise is only 55th in the nation defending the run. He should also have success airing it out since Boise is only 79th in the nation defending the pass. While Boise gives up a lot of yards, they are doing fairly well at keeping teams out of the end zone (giving up 23 points a game). They have also had success getting to the QB (29th in the nation) and forcing turnovers (31st in the nation). Hill's line will need to hold up and he will need to take good care of the ball.
Given all of these factors, I predict Hill will complete 25/40 passes for 280 yards and rush 15 times for 75 yards. I think he'll get two touchdowns through the air and one more on the ground. I predict he will be sacked 3 times and throw an interception.
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| Can the O-line keep Hill on his feet? Courtesy Desert News. |
A: Ross Apo (finally) had a strong game against Houston in which he caught 2 TD passes. He was slowed down in the second half and did not have as much of a factor in the final two quarters (1 catch for 5 yards). Mitch Matthews had a solid game with 4 catches for 68 yards. However, he was passive on a few balls and did not have as much of an impact as he could have. Skyler Ridley and JD Falslev gave the Cougars some good shorter routes and possession receptions.
Still, I think the receiver that will have the biggest game is BYU's all time leading receiver, Cody Hoffman. In the last two games, Hoffman has regained his 2012 form. Against Georgia Tech and Houston, he had 12 catches for 255 yards and 2 TDs. After a slow start to the season due to a nagging hamstring injury, a suspension and Hill's early season inaccuracy, Hoffman appears poised to have a big second half of the season. This game will be his last opportunity to win a meaningful game at LES and will be an opportunity to raise his draft stock as the BYU-Boise game is the only matchup on ESPN tonight.
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| Hoffman with another circus catch against Houston. Courtesy heraldextra.com. |
Q: Will the defense bounce back after its poor showing against Houston?
A: Houston is the first team since Oregon State (13 games previous) to score over 21 points against BYU's defense. They scored 38 in the first half in a sloppy defensive performance by the Y. In the second half, however, Houston's O only accounted for 6 points even though they had almost identical amounts of yard gained. In the first half, BYU tackled poorly and were burned by big plays. In the second half, the D was more sure in their tackling (though still poor by their standards) and played more of a bend but don't break scheme. Bronco was more prudent in the use of blitzes in the second half and it allowed the D to do just enough to keep the game within reach.
Houston's offense spread BYU out and they appeared to have a distinct speed advantage over the Cougars. Bronco was smart in his adjustments and he was very successful in slowing down the red Cougars' offensive attack. It is important to note that the week after giving up 42 points to Oregon State last year, BYU's D responded by only giving up 17 to Notre Dame and 20 or less in the rest of their games. It is also important to note that 16 of Houston's points were scored by their defense or special teams.
I am inclined to think that last week's game was a fluke and that the D will come prepared. Craig Bills was sidelined with a head injury. Many of the big plays that were given up were due to blown assignments by his replacements. Also, KVN had an uncharacteristically poor showing. He will make up for it, today, and bring his A game in front of a national audience.
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| Look for KVN to bounce back after last week's game. Courtesy byucougars.com. |
Q: Final prediction?
A: BYU's offense is finding its groove. They've scored at least 31 points every game in their 4 game winning streak. The D will bounce back from a poor game, last week. While I do not think they will dominate Boise, I think they will come away with a W.
BYU 28, BSU 21
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