How good is BYU's defense?
Not even Cougar coaches know.
The 11 points per game they've allowed after their first four outings is impressive but inconclusive. Replacing eight starters from an 11-2 conference championship team a year ago isn't easy, but is doable, head coach Bronco Mendenhall claimed back in August.
After feasting on double-digit turnovers and scoring shutouts of UCLA and Wyoming, on paper he might be right.
Or is he?
"Obviously, scores indicate things are going well, but we haven't played offenses that are explosive yet," said defensive coordinator Jaime Hill. "When we do, hopefully we'll be up to the task."
Honesty.
The Cougars rank first in the MWC in pass efficiency defense (27th nationally), first in scoring defense (7th nationally) and second in the league in fumbles recovered with eight. One thing that's really helping Hill's defense is a Cougar offense that is capable of holding onto the ball and churning out 80-yard, six-minute drives.
But again, have they been tested?
Mendenhall told reporters last week he didn't think his
defense was that good — yet.
"I don't think this defense is necessarily that good right now. We have played a couple decent football games and we are improving," he said. "How dominant we will be, and how good we will be? There are eight more weeks to play. I do think the defense will play to a manner and to a level to help us limit the points where we will be in every football game we play, and I did know that at the beginning."
On Friday, the Cougars will face Utah State, an offense ranked 82nd in scoring and 91st in total offense. The Aggies, for all their challenges, are averaging more points than New Mexico, Michigan, Auburn, Washington, Tennessee, Washington State, CSU, UCLA and Wyoming.
The past two weeks, Hill and his defensive coaches have added and taken away. They've tweaked things in order to improve play.
I liked the answer I got from Cougar outside linebackers coach Barry Lamb, who has been in the business a long time. He might as well have been speaking as an Aggie or Ute coach — the matrix of college football is different every week and nothing is more important than the next play.
"Every Saturday or Friday or whenever you play is independent of every other time you play," said Lamb. "So, it's never over. Are we good or are we bad? You're only as good as your last play, not even your last game or last series, because you have to come out and execute every single play.
"We saw last Saturday and Thursday night (when top-ranked USC lost to underdog Oregon State) what happens if you don't come out and play hard and play to win every snap. You are just going to lose some games if you're not focused, and we aren't immune. You have to play every game like it is The Game."
Lamb said that, as BYU evaluated itself the past two weeks, the Cougars found some issues.
"We looked at one thing we weren't really happy with. It wasn't necessarily the kids," he said. "It was some other things we were trying to do in that down-and-distance situation that wasn't allowing them to execute that play very well.
"But as we evolve as a defensive team and as a defensive staff, you know, we're going to find out more about what we can do and who we are. We are not defined yet. We're not defined. We might not be defined for another six games. I don't know when it will happen. I know we're playing hard."
This week's predictions:
UNLV 28, COLORADO STATE 10: The Rams lack the firepower — or the option attack — to stick it to the Rebels, who looked confused against Nevada. Rebs will roll in Fort Collins.
NAVY 28, AFA 24: The Midshipmen are fresh off an upset win over Wake Forest and have the athletic ability to make the Falcons pay for losing so many key players from a year ago.
TCU 27, SDSU 9: This is a no-brainer, but the Aztecs have been moving the ball through the air with some consistency. If they could run it, too, they'd have a sliver of a chance, but the Frogs will close the door quickly on this one.
NEW MEXICO 17, WYOMING 7: The Cowboys are on the verge of a meltdown after scoring just 10 points at home in a loss to Bowling Green. The Lobos have the defense to make the Cowboys pay for a sloppy and uninspired offense.
UTAH 27, OREGON STATE 21: So far the interior defensive line of the Utes has held up and was impressive in holding AFA to a mere 53 yards rushing. One of the biggest tests comes tonight against USC-killer Jacquizz Rodgers. The Utes load the box and OSU can't take advantage of it against Utah's talented secondary.
BYU 42, UTAH STATE 10: The Cougars are working on a third-straight shutout and haven't played their first-line players into the fourth quarter in the past two games. Look for turnovers to play a big role Friday night.
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com