PROVO -- All spring long, BYU coaches and players have declared that the offense will return to its traditional attack this season and throw the football with a vengeance.
Sound familiar?That's the same tune the Cougars were singing last spring after averaging 227 passing yards per game in 1997. As it turned out, they threw for 237 yards per outing in 1998. Not exactly the type of increase BYU boosters had in mind.
Yet when the Cougars say they are going to rely on the pass in 1999, well, this time they mean it.
Without running backs like Brian McKenzie and Ronney Jenkins, as BYU had at its disposal the previous two campaigns, and with a shotgun-oriented offense in place, the Cougars plan to air it out in 1999. Honest.
"We're going to throw the ball a lot," promised offensive coordinator Norm Chow. "You may never see a run."
The latter statement was facetious, we think, but it says a lot about BYU's approach in '99.
"The biggest reason why we didn't throw a lot last year was because of Ronney," Chow said. "He was the best running back in the Western United States, and it doesn't take a genius to know you've got to take advantage of that."
This year, the Cougars will take advantage of their strengths at receiver and quarterback by implementing the shotgun formation on a regular basis. Chow says his offense will be in the shotgun 75-80 percent of the time and he hopes it will jump-start a passing game that has become very un-BYU-like the past couple of years.
Chow believes quarterback Kevin Feterik will benefit from the change, and Feterik agrees.
"I like the shotgun a lot," said the senior QB. "As spring has gone on, it's become natural to line up back there. I can see the field better and it will give me more time to set up."
In addition, the shotgun will take heat off the offensive line, which is breaking in a couple of new tackles.
Count quarterbacks coach Robbie Bosco as a convert to the shotgun this spring. He remembers going to the shotgun rarely during his fabled BYU career. The Cougars resorted to it when Bosco was hobbled against Michigan in the 1984 Holiday Bowl.
"I've never been a big fan of the shotgun," Bosco said. "But I've changed my mind; I really like it. It's helped this team."
"It will keep defenses off-balance, and it will open up the running game," Feterik said. "That's what Tulane did to us."
Oh yeah, Tulane. Remember Green Wave quarterback Shawn King in the Liberty Bowl against BYU? Chow does. He was so impressed with Tulane's shotgun scheme he invited Clemson assistant Rich Rodriguez, who was Tulane's offensive coordinator last season, to Provo for a tutorial on the subject.
"We've always had the shotgun as a part of our offense," Chow said. "It gives the quarterback an additional half-a-second in the pocket. The downside is it can upset a guy's rhythm and timing. (Rodriguez) showed us how to tie everything together with the 'gun.
He showed us how we could do everything we've always done out of it."
Utilizing the shotgun makes sense for BYU. For the first time since 1996, the Cougars have experienced players at receiver and tight end.
Wideouts Margin Hooks, Ben Horton and Jonathan Pittman have turned in impressive performances this spring while tight ends Carlos Nuno and Tevita Ofahengaue have improved.
"Our receivers have come a long way since last year," Feterik said. "They've worked hard and it's going to pay off in the fall."
"Pittman has been awesome," said running back Junior Mahe. "He and Margin and Horton are going to make plays. Our offense is going to surprise people next year."
Running backs like Mahe, Kalani Sitake and Jaron Dabney should fit nicely into the shotgun as well. "They're versatile," Feterik said. "They run good routes and can catch the ball. They'll get the ball a lot next year -- just that they will be catching it instead of running it."
So, is this the year the Cougar offense, which has passed for 300-plus yards only six times in its last 15 games, breaks out of a two-year slump?
Chow doesn't know for sure, but he is optimistic. "We'll go down with our guns blazing," he said.
Shotguns, that is.