Originally published September 8, 2020.
While it was certainly hard to watch BYU’s masterpiece of a 2020 schedule disintegrate as conference after conference suspended play, Tom Holmoe deserves all the credit in the world for somehow piecing together an eight-game slate including a couple of name-brand opponents, including a Navy team that went 11-2 last year to open the season on ESPN Monday Night Football. Pretty exciting, right? At least, it was for about the first two possessions. After that, the game was wonderfully, satisfyingly boring, as the Cougars blasted Navy 55-3.
Pretty much everything went right for BYU last night—the Cougars looked disciplined and prepared from the first snap of the game. However, I’ll get this caveat out of the way right from the start: it is virtually impossible to draw significant conclusions from this game because Navy was clearly completely unprepared to play. Yes, BYU dominated every facet of the game, but that was as much due to Navy’s lack of readiness as to anything BYU did well. Still, I liked what I saw from the Cougars in this game, and I think it bodes well for the rest of the season if they can maintain discipline and stay healthy.
The Offense: Everything on offense starts with the play of the offensive line, and all I can say after this one is WOW. Zach Wilson was never once pressured the entire game, and Lopini Katoa and Tyler Allgeier had monstrous holes to run through. The big boys up front made this game ridiculously easy for the rest of the offense. Allgeier and Katoa both looked fantastic in this game, and it will be interesting to see who gets the bulk of the carries going forward. At quarterback, Wilson looked crisp and (finally) fully healthy and recorded a phenomenal passer rating of 206.04; it was also fun to see both Baylor Romney and Sol-Jay Maiava get mop-up reps at the end. The offense’s only miscue, a Wilson interception, came after Neil Pau’u tripped and fell and a pass intended for him went over his head. And speaking of the receivers, Gunner Romney had himself a game—four catches, 132 yards, and a touchdown! Romney wasn’t the only BYU receiver to have a great game, either, as Neil Pau’u, Dax Milne, and Lopini Katoa each had three catches for over 30 yards. The offense got whatever it wanted throughout the game.
The Defense: If I was impressed and satisfied by the offense’s performance, I was completely floored by the defense. Look—Navy clearly didn’t come ready to play, but that alone doesn’t explain the level of complete and utter dominance shown by the Cougar D in this game. Simply put, Ilaisa Tuiaki put together a masterpiece of pre-game preparation. Having never coached against the triple option, he really nailed the mental preparation portion of the game. The physical action of defending the triple option is relatively simple—no crazy formations, just smash-mouth assignment-sound football. What makes it so difficult is the mental game—defensive players instinctively want to pursue the ball carrier and make the stop, and that’s exactly how the triple option burns you. The Cougars would have none of it. They were mentally ready for this game, and that reflects really well on Tuiaki.
Special Teams: Jake Oldroyd looks automatic (a relief after last season’s struggles), and Jonny Linehan’s reaction to Ryan Rehkow’s first collegiate punt was priceless. There’s an old football adage that you know special teams played well when you don’t hear about them after the game, and I agree. Nothing to see here.
Overall impressions: As I said, it’s hard to draw any real conclusions from this game. I’ll give the Cougars a solid ‘A’ for a great performance, but Navy was not the best team to measure them against. Army, a more talented team that eviscerated Middle Tennessee State this week, will be a much better yardstick. With that said, though, a lot of Navy’s weaknesses—especially their lack of size and athleticism on both their offensive and defensive lines—apply to Army as well. If the defense can stay disciplined and assignment-sound, the Cougars’ monster offensive line and talented position players should propel them to an easy win.