Adjustments made: How BYU shut down Texas State after a shaky start

PROVO — The BYU defense came out shockingly inept at stopping what Texas State showed offensively during the opening drive of the game, yielding 75 yards on just eight plays as the Bobcats took an early 7-0 lead.

To say things changed dramatically from then on would be an understatement.

From Texas State’s second possession of the game up until the somewhat silly time when starters were pulled in the fourth quarter, the Cougar defense proved downright stingy. The well-oiled machine the Bobcats showcased during the opening drive was rendered all but hapless after BYU adjustments were made and players became focused.

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As is often the case, the sheer numbers speak for themselves.

The Bobcats accounted for just 63 yards of total offense for the remainder of the first half following the 75-yard opening possession, and just 21 additional yards for the entire third quarter. Even when the Bobcats were set up in prime position at the BYU’ 10-yard line following a recovered fumble late in the first half, the defense stepped up to yield just four yards, and more importantly no points following a fourth-down stop.

According to BYU coach Kalani Sitake, the Bobcats’ initial blow was largely due to catching the Cougars off-guard with the consistent use of the so-called “Daffy Duck” offense, which involves splitting out offensive linemen.

“They had some new wrinkles in their scheme that we hadn’t seen all year long ... that first drive went kind of quick,” Sitake said. “Glad our guys settled down and our offense got on top of it, and scored some points, so we could make some adjustments to our scheme.”

“Credit to coach (Ilaisa) Tuiaki up in the booth,” said BYU linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi. “Just being up there gave him a new perspective and made some adjustments. But the main emphasis was just to settle down and play our game. ... That was the biggest reason we had that success.”

Sure, the Cougars weren’t exactly facing the 2005 USC Trojans or even this year’s Houston Cougars’ offense, but the defensive effort shouldn’t go diminished nonetheless.

Fittingly, the BYU defensive work by the starters all but came to a close with Kaufusi intercepting a pass, then weaving his way through would-be tacklers for a 32-yard touchdown return in the third quarter.

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“He willed that to happen. He’s been waiting for that for a long time,” Sitake said of the play. “... The things he does as a player I’m so impressed with and it’s such an honor to coach him.”

According to Kaufusi, he all but claimed some clairvoyance leading up to his standout play.

“It’s been a long time coming and I try and visualize those things. I’m a big believer in visualization,” Kaufusi said. “I saw myself getting into the end zone, and I texted a teammate of mine and said, ‘I’m going to get a pick-six’ for you while I was driving to the stadium.”

As for actually realizing what he visualized and shared with his unnamed teammate, among others, Kaufusi couldn’t have been more grateful.

“To have that pick-six in LaVell Edwards Stadium is a memory I’ll cherish forever,” Kaufusi said. “I’m just really pumped about it.”

As grateful as Kaufusi was for his own interception, he perhaps expressed even more for his teammate, backup safety Jared Kapisi, who has undergone several position changes just to get on the field. Kapisi intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter with his teammates celebrating the play wildly.

“That kid — a walk-on — has worked super hard,” Kaufusi said. “It was so cool. I was jumping around ... and you see the reaction, too, of all our teammates, just because of all he’s been through. He’s like a brother to all of us.”