We feel the pressure as coaches. Our job is to keep that off the players and let them go play. As coaches, we always take it on ourselves to keep them going – Ty Detmer
BYU (1-3) at Utah State (2-2)
Friday, 6 p.m. MDT Maverick Stadium TV: CBSSN
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
PROVO — For BYU offensive coordinator Ty Detmer, it has to be surreal, not to mention distressing, to realize that the offense he oversees is dead last in the NCAA, out of 129 teams, in scoring.
The Cougars are averaging 9.8 points per game and they have only scored four touchdowns this season. BYU averages 144.3 yards passing per game, No. 119 nationally.
When Detmer was a Cougar quarterback, he recorded two of the top five single-game passing performances in school history (599 against San Diego State and 576 against Penn State, respectively) and holds the school record for TD passes (121), passing yards (15,031) and total offense (14,655).
The year Detmer won the Heisman Trophy, in 1990, the Cougars averaged 40 points per game.
Through four games this season, BYU has scored a total of 39 points — and just 19 against its last three opponents, Louisiana State, Utah and Wisconsin.
It’s a puzzling juxtaposition.
When it comes to fixing BYU’s offensive struggles, Detmer’s approach is a mix of urgency and patience.
“It’s a fine balance between panicking and still developing the guys into what you want them to be down the road,” he said. “We’re a young team, but we feel like we have some playmakers. We’ve got to be able to stay with it and continue to let them get reps and learn from mistakes. It’s a tough stretch."
Detmer knows his offense needs to start scoring points as the Cougars visit Utah State Friday (6 p.m., MDT, CBSSN). But he understands the massive gap between expectations and production.
"We feel the pressure as coaches. Our job is to keep that off the players and let them go play," he said. "As coaches, we always take it on ourselves to keep them going. We’ve got to keep them upbeat. As coaches, we may feel the other side of it behind the scenes. We’ve got to stay the course, continue to improve and we’ll end up being a pretty good team at some point.”
The Cougars have faced a rough schedule, and they've lost starting quarterback Tanner Mangum to an injury. Sophomore Beau Hoge made his first career start Sept. 16 in a 40-6 loss to Wisconsin.
It’s not known whether Mangum will return to the field Friday, but it seems likely that Hoge will be taking snaps against the Aggies.
“All of the sudden, Beau comes in and we’re a little bit different type of offense now, so we’ve got to work on those things that are maybe better for him to do, taking advantage of his skill set,” Detmer said. “You tweak the offense a little bit, and you’ve got to fine-tune the little things of that.”
Hoge’s first pass attempt as a starter was intercepted on the game’s opening drive. How does Detmer assess Hoge’s first start?
“Not bad for the first start. That first throw, you never know where that first one is going. But, after that, he settled in,” he said. “There are some things you see on film that he sees he could have read differently whether in the run game or the pass game. But against that type of defense it was going to be tough. He hung in there, maybe moved around a little more than I’d like to see. But I don’t want to take that away from him, either. The scramble ability is a strong point, just be smart with it when you do."
Hoge showed his ability to keep plays alive against the Badgers. Late in the game, while scrambling around in the end zone, he gave up a safety.
Detmer doesn’t want Hoge to be consumed with the pressure of being BYU’s starting quarterback.
“I told him today, ‘Smile a little bit. You used to joke around. It’s okay to still joke around and get our work done,’” Detmer said. “He takes it serious, and he knows that this is a great opportunity for him. But I want him to be loose and have fun playing.”
Certainly, BYU’s offensive troubles aren’t all attributed to quarterback play.
“We’ve got to do a better job of keeping drives alive. It’s not a certain guy. It’s a guy on this play or something happens on this play," Detmer said. "Sometimes, that’s the way it bounces for you. It’s not due to lack of effort. It’s little mental mistakes. And when you’re playing good teams, those will get you. It’s a combination of things right now.”