*** NCAA Football Preview - BYU ***
From The My Sportsbook
By Gregg Xenakes, College Football Staff Writer
2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: Last year's version of the Cougars was a far cry from the one just a few seasons ago when BYU was one of the top scoring squads in the entire nation. The team used four different players under center because of injury, which is a major reason why the Cougars emerged with a 4-8 record, just 3-4 in Mountain West Conference play. Aside from a 44-36 shootout against San Diego State during the first week of October, BYU had a very difficult time putting points on the board. Only two other times, versus Georgia Tech in the opener (24-13) and on the road at UNLV (27-20 in OT) late in October, did the Cougars manage to put up more than 18 points. More often than not the offense was looking at two touchdowns or less, with the low point coming in the season finale at home against Utah on November 22 when they were shutout, 3-0. The Utah game marked an end to a streak of 361 straight contests in which the Cougars scored, dating back to the 1975 campaign. Because of the difficult season, head coach Gary Crowton, who jumped aboard in 2001 and led the Cougars to a record of 12-2 and a berth in the Liberty Bowl, now finds himself on the hot seat with a three-year mark of 21-17 in Provo. While the offense had its difficulties, the defense did its best to at least keep opponents close, translating into the eighth best passing defense in the nation, allowing only 176.2 yards per contest. Overall, BYU had the 14th-ranked defense in the country, but even that elite status could not keep the group above water and out of harm's way.
2004 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: Both Matt Berry and John Beck, who combined to throw for more than 2,300 yards (the team totaled only 2,580 yards through the air) will be competing for the starting job under center. Since they both showed and ability to hang in the pocket last year, Crowton may not be gun shy when it comes to inserting one over the other in certain situations. Running back Rey Brathwaite made some noise for the Cougars coming out of the backfield in 2003, picking up 812 of their 1,195 rushing yards, but he and Tafui Vakapuna (the second-leading rusher with 175 yards on 30 carries) are both gone, which means the unit is putting a little more pressure on Marcus Whalen (139 yards in 2003) to bounce back from an injury-plagued campaign. In 2002, Whalen was one of the top ground gainers in the MWC with close to 1,000 yards, so there is hope that he can again carry the unit regardless of who is handing him the ball. Three of the top four receivers are back in the fold as well, with Daniel Coats getting most of the attention due to his 30 catches for 378 yards and four touchdowns. As far as the offensive line is concerned, Jake Kuresa is the only returning starter, which means the BYU signal-callers will have to be quick on their feet while the new members in the trenches get their timing down.
DEFENSE: As the only returning defensive player who earned first or second team All-MWC honors in 2003, lineman Brady Poppinga will get most of the attention up front, especially since the Cougars typically run a 3-3-5 scheme with the speed rusher breaking down the front line. Poppinga finished with 54 stops, 10 behind the line of scrimmage, and was the team leader a year ago with six sacks. Taking some of the pressure off Poppinga will be Aaron Francisco, who padded his stats early on in 2003 and eventually tallied 116 tackles from his spot in the secondary. He finished with three picks and three forced fumbles, while tying Poppinga with a pair of fumble recoveries. Although he didn't play last year because of injury, linebacker Paul Walkenhorst is back on the field for the Cougars, another reason that Poppinga should have better numbers this time around. Joining Walkenhorst in the middle of the field are a couple of youngsters in sophomore K.C. Bills and junior Bryant Atkinson, who saw action in eight games and managed only 14 stops. Operating with five defensive backs means that Francisco will not be able to make all the plays himself, which is why Jon Burbidge (32 tackles and four breakups in 2003) and Brandon Heaney are expected to carry even more of the load, and then unload on unsuspecting offensive threats.
SPECIAL TEAMS: For the third straight season Matt Payne is going to take on the responsibility of both the punter and field-goal kicker. Payne managed to land more than a quarter of his 78 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line, with a long of 67 yards and having just one kick blocked. His 77.8 percent accuracy (14-of-18) in the field-goal kicking department made him one of the more accurate men at his position in the MWC. He was one of only two returning players, the other being Poppinga, who earned any sort of All-MWC recognition, which is why BYU is floating his name as a possible All-American candidate. Were he to focus on one aspect of the kicking game over the other, that might just be the case but because he is spreading himself thin, he simply remains a powerful enforcer for the Cougars.
OUTLOOK: If Whalen can return to form and take some of the pressure off the quarterback position, the Cougars should see their share of success in 2004. However, kicking off the campaign with a date against Notre Dame (originally scheduled for October 30th and USC playing in the opener instead) may not have been the best idea. Obviously if you want to be considered the best you have to beat the best, but getting those two, along with Stanford and Boise State from the WAC is a little bit too ambitious for this school at this stage in time. BYU will probably finish in the top half of the league standings, but that's not saying very much with schools like San Diego State, UNLV and Wyoming crawling behind.
