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A year ago BYU’s defense ranked among the worst in the country and had just 11 sacks all season long. How does the Cougars defense rank this year and could it be considered a top-25 defense at this point in the 2024 season?
After its 4-0 start and climb to No. 22 in the AP poll, here’s a look at where BYU stands in NCAA defensive statistics:
- 23rd total defense
- 71st rushing defense
- 15th passing yards allowed
- 3rd pass efficiency defense
- 18th scoring defense
- 23rd turnover margin
- 23rd fourth-down defense
- 32nd red-zone defense
- 58th third-down defense
- 4th TDs allowed per game
- 16th yards per play allowed
- 20th fumbles recovered
If you take those 12 categories that cover defensive play, the average is 25.5. So, when considering key defensive indicators through four games, BYU’s defense ranks 26th in the country. The Cougars have not allowed a passing touchdown this season and against P4 opponents SMU and Kansas State, they have allowed zero touchdowns.
BYU is tied for fourth nationally in offensive touchdowns allowed per game at .7. No. 1 Georgia is first.
“Their defense is astonishing,” ESPN analyst and former Cougar offensive lineman Trevor Matich said on BYUtv.
If you tossed all those defensive categories and kept just two, the 23rd total defense and 18th scoring defense alone make BYU a top-20 defense.
“I think it is technique and the scheme of the defense,” said defensive tackle John Nelson. “I think our whole mentality of being aggressive has helped me to play more aggressively.”
There is little question that defensive coordinator Jay Hill, after getting acclimated last year to BYU’s personnel and with a round of recruiting under his belt, has made a huge difference in elevating play on that side of the ball.
Of the K-State win, Hill said, “To hold that offense to 9 points is a big deal.”
Hill also declared on BYUtv’s “Coordinator’s Corner” that BYU’s defense still needs improvement, “but we’ve been resilient.”
Not to give the Cougars a big head, but CBS Sports has BYU winning the Big 12 after last week. In this piece by Jay Drew, he reports on how Kalani Sitake is working to make sure the team remains humble and working hard.
Cougar Insider predictions
Question of the week: What did we learn from BYU’s blowout win over K-State? Are the Cougs legitimate or was that win a fluke?
Jay Drew: We learned that BYU’s home-field advantage is all that it is cracked up to be in the Cougars’ 38-9 win over Kansas State last week. I haven’t seen a LaVell Edwards Stadium crowd have as much impact on a game since the Cougars beat Arizona State 27-17 in 2021. It was a true home-crowd advantage for the Cougars.
So how much of the lopsided score was BYU’s own doing? Quite a bit, but Kansas State helped with a boatload of costly errors. Many of them unforced errors. My take is that BYU probably isn’t as good as the final score suggests, and K-State isn’t quite as bad.
I’m going to lean more toward calling it a fluke than I am saying BYU is a legitimate top-25 team. If the Cougars can knock off Baylor on the road in Waco in a dreaded daylight-hours game on Saturday, I will give them their props. That is going to be a big test. Any road win in the Big 12 is impressive, in my opinion.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Saturday’s blowout win for BYU was that K-State ran for 228 yards when BYU was loading the box a lot of the night to stop the run. That’s not sustainable in the long run.
Prediction: Baylor 28, BYU 24
Dick Harmon: I agree about BYU’s home-field advantage. In this game, it was a definite, tangible energy factor and when things went wrong for K-State, it elevated BYU and drew the life out of the visitors.
This win reminded me of the way Utah coach and former BYU team captain Kyle Whittingham seems to win games. He wins with big defensive plays, special team gems, short-field scoring drives, big momentum changes via big and dramatic plays. All of this allows an offense that struggles to do enough to win. This is a clone of Whittingham’s success over his tenure. And why not? Sitake, Jay Hill, Gary Andersen and Chad Kauha’aha’a all worked for Whittingham.
We’ve learned that QB Jake Retzlaff is making better decisions, is capable of elite throws (TD pass to Chase Roberts), and is a far better quarterback than he was in Week 1 and 2 of this season. We learned BYU’s defense is top 25 and capable of bending but not breaking in the red zone — this has been a consistent feature of this Hill defense this season.
We also learned that this team has great chemistry, players are trusting coaches and each other. That’s a recipe for success.
BYU’s fortunes at Baylor this weekend will hinge on avoiding turnovers while getting some takeaways. If this happens, I’d expect BYU to go 5-0.
Prediction: BYU 24, Baylor 21
Cougar tales
BYU’s 38-9 upset of No. 13 Kansas State created a ton of storylines. Here’s our coverage of that iconic Big 12 victory:
- Moments to remember from BYU’s big night (Jackson Payne)
- BYU, Utah make “SportsCenter” Top 10 plays (Brandon Judd)
- Cougars top K-State in stunning fashion (Jay Drew)
- BYU uses all phases to whip K-State (Dick Harmon)
- How social media reacted (Jackson Payne)
- Where Kingston’s punt return ranks in NCAA history (Jackson Payne)
From the archives
From X-verse
Extra points
- Making sense of BYU win over K-State (Provo Daily Herald)
- K-State QB: BYU atmosphere was weird (Wichita Eagle)
- BYU fans chip in to help K-State QB’s coach (Deseret News)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
BYU shredded all the doubts and naysayers last night just like they did the K-State defense and offense. I’m hoping they don’t have a letdown against much lesser teams as BYU is apt to do. This team is capable of a 10-win season if they stay humble and avoid too many injuries. Having said that, they have proven they have built depth and can withstand a few injuries. The RB depth chart just got deeper. Love the heart that Moa showed last night against a very good defense. — periloustimes
“The last time BYU kept its first four opponents from scoring more than 15 points in a game was in 1984, when it won the national championship.”
This little gem is for all my Ute fans out there. We’re going to win it all baby!!!
Seriously, that was one of the most fun games I’ve seen in the last few years. I thought Retzlaff played quite well. He made good decisions and made good throws. I’ve got to say it again and again, Chase Roberts is the man.
That is a talented defense. There will be a lot of film however on how not gap sound they were. Hopefully they can tighten things up for Baylor, but I love how disruptive they are. Keep it going Cougars!!! — natedog1
What a game! Defense was absolutely amazing, and the muffed punt turned into a touchdown was wild.
For offense, I loved watching S Moa run. We have a ground game again, and that is huge! When LJ Martin is healthy we’re going to have a really potent running attack, which opens up a lot of options for us. And while I didn’t love watching K-State sack Retzlaff a couple times, those sacks showcased Retzlaff’s growth. I loved watching him be smart and just cover up the ball instead of try to make a play that wasn’t there. Also, his first passing touchdown was great when he diagnosed that his first read was covered and instead found a good seam to his receiver in the end zone. He’s growing, and that’s what we need for continued success.
Game ball to the defense, for sure. I think Coach Hill is BYU’s highest paid assistant ever, and the man deserves a raise. Defense carried us to this win. Special teams did its part, and our offense is showing some promise. What a great day to be a Coug. — MesaAZCoug
Up next
- Sept 25 | 8 a.m. | Women’s golf | Red Raider Invitational | @ Lubbock, Texas
- Sept 25 | 7 p.m | Softball | Snow College | @ Provo
- Sept. 26 | 7 p.m. | Women’s soccer | Oklahoma State | @ Provo
- Sept. 26 | 7 p.m. | Women’s volleyball | Colorado | @ Provo
- Sept. 28 | 10 a.m. | Football | Baylor | @ Waco, Texas
