PROVO — Coaches and players alike have said all week that BYU’s offense won’t change much with redshirt freshman Jaren Hall starting at quarterback on Saturday at South Florida in the place of injured sophomore Zach Wilson.
But will the Cougars execute better, improve their third-down efficiency (37.7 percent) and score more points? That’s the primary question that confronts head coach Kalani Sitake, offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes and passing game coordinator Aaron Roderick as 2-3 BYU finds itself in another crossroads game without two of its best four offensive players, Wilson (fractured thumb) and running back Ty’Son Williams (ACL tear).
“Yeah, third and short, let’s get it. That’s what it comes down to. Those are the easier ones to convert, and we should have a higher percentage of converting those.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake
“I am not going to give away the game plan too much, but I think we can do a lot of things better than we have shown,” Sitake said. “To me, it is just executing, whether it is a run or pass, it doesn’t really matter. We just need to score points.”
With Wilson taking all but a handful of snaps against what USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin says was the 11th-most difficult schedule in the country, the Cougars are averaging just over 22 points per game, which ranks them 104th nationally in that category.
They are 89th in total offense (376.0 yards per game), a disastrous 123rd in rushing offense (102.0 ypg.) and a respectable 39th in passing offense (274.0 ypg.).
Receiver Aleva Hifo said the inability to sustain drives and score touchdowns once they reach the red zone has plagued the Cougars. Pre-snap penalties and turnovers have thwarted promising drives.
“We are shooting ourselves in the foot,” said Hifo, who has emerged as BYU’s best offensive threat, along with tight end Matt Bushman. “Those (mistakes) create a lot of worry within ourselves. Then we start to miss assignments and things like that. Bottom line is we just need to play, beat the guys in front of us. That’s when we are the most efficient.”
Against Toledo, a combination of penalties and blown blocking assignments resulted in BYU not picking up several third-and-short opportunities.
“Yeah, third and short, let’s get it,” Sitake said. “That’s what it comes down to. Those are the easier ones to convert, and we should have a higher percentage of converting those.”
Grimes said there will be some “slight adjustments and wrinkles” with the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Hall running the show, but no wholesale changes like there were last season when Wilson took over for the less-mobile Tanner Mangum.
“Jaren is capable of doing the same things that Zach did, and he has been repping those things in practice,” Grimes said. “So it will be a very similar look.”
Grimes said taking the bulk of the reps last spring when Wilson was recovering from shoulder surgery put Hall ahead of the curve for a “young quarterback,” and that, coupled with the former Maple Mountain High star’s studiousness that nearly rivals Wilson’s work in the film room, will have him ready to face an athletic and speedy Bulls defense.
“I know that we as a coaching staff and the entire team has a lot of confidence in Jaren,” Grimes said. “We are excited to see him play.”
Grimes said redshirt sophomore Joe Critchlow and redshirt freshman Baylor Romney are also getting reps in practice, but coaches have not made a final decision on which backup would enter the game if Hall goes out.
Hall made some big plays with his running ability in the spring scrimmage and is known for being one of the fastest players on the team. But with one fewer healthy body in the quarterbacks room, will coaches tell him to run less?
“No,” Grimes said. “We won’t be haphazard with him, just as we weren’t with Zach. But we will run the ball with him when we feel like it is advantageous, and then part of it depends on what the defense gives as well. A lot of times when Zach has been making decisions, the defense has keyed on him, so it has been advantageous to hand off. But there are a lot of opportunities where he could have carried it, and the same will apply to Jaren as well.”
Sitake said Hall was recruited to play quarterback because he has “excellent quarterback skills” and his ability to take off and run when plays break down is an added bonus.
“We have a lot of different things in the offense that we put in early in fall camp, so I think we can pick and choose from what we have already established and what we already run as a system,” Sitake said. “Obviously Jaren has a lot of strengths that are different than other quarterbacks. But he can throw the ball, too, so I think we will see what happens on Saturday.”
Fifth-year transfer running back Emmanuel Esukpa, who rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown against Toledo in relief of Williams, said the offense is poised for a breakout game.
“I think we need to have just one game where we blow the other team out and just score a bunch of points, and after that we will be ready to roll,” he said.
Saturday’s game in Tampa would be a nice place to start, considering Mountain West powers Boise State and Utah State are up next for the Cougars.
“We plan on getting the offense figured out,” Hifo said.
Cougars on the air
BYU (2-3) at South Florida (2-3)
At Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
Saturday, 1:30 p.m. (MDT)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM