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Miami • Known as a defensive guru, BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall has already acknowledged that reputation took a hit this season. The Cougars weren't as good defensively, weren't as deep and talented as Mendenhall thought they would be when the 2014 season began.
Due to the success he's had on that side of the football the past half-dozen or so years, Mendenhall erroneously believed he could plug players into his system, rinse and repeat.
It didn't happen. Leaky defense — weakened considerably by a string of injuries to stars such as Craig Bills, Alani Fua and Bronson Kaufusi — was mostly blamed as the culprit for the Cougars' four-game losing streak in October. Defensive coordinator Nick Howell lost his play-calling duties for the Boise State game, then regained them.
The Cougars (8-4) outscored California 42-35 and got a huge defensive stop in the final minutes to end the regular season with positive feelings about their defense, but questions remain heading into Monday's bowl game (noon, ESPN) against 9-3 Memphis. Has Howell's group turned the corner? Or will it be the same story next year, when BYU plays a September schedule that includes Nebraska, Boise State, UCLA and Michigan?
Howell described the defense's performances as "a battle, a fight," and acknowledged it didn't live up to expectations, "which haven't changed."
The bowl game will provide a good barometer on that progress, although the Cougars will be without their two starting safeties. Bills won't play, and sophomore Dallin Leavitt has already left the program, bound for Utah State.
Statistically, Memphis will present the third-best offense the Cougars will see in 2014, behind only Boise State and Cal, and ranks 50th in the country with a 422.7 yards-per-game average. The Tigers are 62nd in passing offense and feature a capable, 6-foot-7 quarterback, sophomore Paxton Lynch, and senior running back Brandon Hayes (943 yards on 174 carries). They are 39th in rushing offense.
Inexperience at the four linebacker positions, especially when preseason awards candidate Fua couldn't play due to multiple sprained ankle issues, was probably the defense's biggest Achilles' heel. And moving defensive end Kaufusi to outside linebacker didn't work well when the 6-foot-7 junior was asked to drop into pass coverage: His father, defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi, said he would like to see Bronson move back to defensive end next season "and play with his hand on the ground."
Inside linebackers coach Paul Tidwell played six guys at the outside and middle linebacker spots, searching for better tackling and deviating from past formulas that produced two or three mainstays who would lead the team in tackles. After the Cal game, Tidwell said the unit made significant progress and will be better next year, losing only Zac Stout to graduation.
"I like how they have developed," Tidwell said, noting that Teu Kautai, Harvey Langi, Jherremya Leuta-Douyere, Manoa Pikula and Austin Heder will form a solid nucleus next year. Pikula and Stout will start against Memphis.
Steve Kaufusi said the defensive line will return mostly intact, losing only nose tackle Marques Johnson, a part-time starter, and seldom-used Josh Carter, a former offensive lineman. Junior walk-on Logan Taele, who recently earned a scholarship, became a late-season surprise, and nose tackle Travis Tuiloma started to develop into a star.
Next year, Howell hopes that returned missionaries Matt Hadley and Micah Hanneman can make an impact in the backfield, and the Cougars are hoping, against long odds, that the NCAA grants cornerback Jordan Johnson another season of eligibility.
"I wouldn't say there is [a lot of] satisfaction [regarding how the defense played]," said Heder, one of the inside linebackers who emerged late. "We came away with performances good enough to get wins, but in no way are we satisfied. It is a hungry group. So this bowl game [will be] a good springboard for us to meet higher expectations and go into next season."
Twitter: @drewjay —
Miami Beach Bowl
P BYU vs. Memphis
Marlins Park
Monday, noon
TV • ESPN —
BYU's departing defenders
Player Position Class/Status
Craig Bills Safety Senior
Dallin Leavitt Safety Transferring to USU
Marques Johnson Nose Tackle Senior
Alani Fua Linebacker Senior
Michael Alisa Linebacker Senior
Zac Stout Linebacker Senior
Robertson Daniel Cornerback Senior
Jordan Johnson Cornerback Undetermined
Harvey Jackson Safety Senior
Skye PoVey Safety Senior
Note: Jordan Johnson and Craig Bills are injured and won't play the in bowl game. Johnson seeks a medical hardship waiver for another year of eligibility. Dallin Leavitt has already left the team.