Sacks are back in the No. 11 BYU football team’s defensive attack.
After sacking TCU quarterback Josh Hoover four times in their 44-13 victory over the Horned Frogs Saturday night, the Cougars received Big 12’s Defensive Line of the Week honors on Monday.
“Man, it’s always an honor just to see the fruits of our labor,” BYU defensive end VIliami Po’uha said. “We’ve been putting in (work) since January. I feel like that’s all from us buying into what the coaches have set up for us.
“Everybody’s willingness to put trust in one another, to trust the game plan, put trust in the coaches, put trust in the strength staff (has paid off). We are just trusting each other, trusting God and then continuing to perform on Saturdays.”
The Cougars are now tied for 26th in the country in team sacks, with 25 through 10 games (2.5 per game). Despite having a standout defense last year, they struggled to take down opposing quarterbacks and finished No. 109 in the country in sacks, 1.54 per game.
Interior defensive line coach Sione Po’uha, Viliami’s father, said all the credit has to go to the players after they made getting more sacks and putting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks a priority in the offseason and throughout preseason training camp.
Saturday, cornerback Evan Johnson, defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa and defensive end Nusi Taumoepeau were credited with sacks and Tausili Akana and John Taumoepeau got credit for combining on a sack.
“I am just super proud of those guys,” Sione Po’uha said. “Their performances are really just a byproduct of the hard work that they have put in. “Their determination to work at their craft and pay attention to the small details has been impressive.”
Even in the 29-7 loss at No. 6 Texas Tech, the Cougars got sacks, taking down Red Raiders quarterback Behren Morton four times in the first half. Linebacker Jack Kelly had two sacks in Lubbock, while Isaiah Glasker and Siale Esera had one apiece.
Defensive ends Bodie Schoonover (two) and Hunter Clegg, defensive tackle Anisi Purcell (two) and linebackers Max Alford, Cannon DeVries and Choe Bryant-Strother (out for season with ACL injury) have also recorded sacks, or shared on sacks, this season.
The Cougars have registered 15 sacks in their last four games, a 3.75 sacks-per-game average that would rank them No. 2 in the nation if they had been averaging that all season.
“Yeah, we thought they would be good,” head coach Kalani Sitake said Monday. “We talked about developing them and getting them where they want to be. A lot of people question it. That’s fine. We’re playing really good football right now, and we’re sitting in a really good spot. The D line is improving. Everyone’s improving.”
Remarkably, the front seven has been mostly doing it without two players who were expected to be key contributors — Bryant-Strother and Oklahoma State transfer Justin Kirkland, who was recovering from a knee injury when the season started, and has played in only four games. Defensive coordinator Jay Hill said last week that Kirkland, who hasn’t played since the Utah game, will probably remain out and consider this a redshirt year.
“I’m pleased with the way the guys are working, the belief they have in themselves and in each other, and in the system,” Sitake said. “It works hand in hand. The coverage has to be there in order for the pass rush to get there, too. So it’s usually a good sign if we’re getting more sacks and more hurries and more disruption. When we do things like that, we’ll have an opportunity to get interceptions and create some havoc.”
Indeed, the interceptions have been there, too. BYU is tied for seventh nationally in picks, with 14. Evan Johnson, Faletau Satuala and Tanner Wall have returned interceptions for touchdowns. Only Louisiana Tech (five) and Maryland (four) have more pick-sixes than BYU.
Redshirt junior Tanuvasa, senior John “JT” Taumoepeau, redshirt junior Bodie Schoonover and super senior Logan Lutui bring experience, but the rest of the defensive line group is young, Sitake said.
“So they’re coming along really nicely, and it is the right timing. We’ll see what happens. We got another beast this week, in Cincinnati, which throws the ball all over the place,” Sitake said. “So this will be a good opportunity for those guys to see what they can do.”
Cincinnati (5-2, 7-3) hosts BYU (6-1, 9-1) on Saturday at Nippert Stadium (6 p.m. MST, Fox) in a huge Big 12 showdown for both teams.
Cincinnati features one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league in Brendan Sorsby, a 6-foot-3, 235-pound redshirt junior who began his career at Indiana.
Sitake credited the unselfishness of the veterans for playing a role in the development of the younger defensive ends.
“What you’re seeing is a nice rotation, guys who are trusting each other and then doing it for the greater good of the team, rather than just trying to get (their) personal stats,” Sitake said. “ So I appreciate the brotherhood that they have and their willingness to share and understand that they don’t have to do it all by themselves.
“Those (younger) guys are still babies, man,” he continued. “Those guys are going to get big and stronger. I mean, they are going to be a force. And right now it’s good to see that they have an opportunity to contribute. … When they grow up and get bigger and stronger, it is going to be pretty scary.”
