I'll agree on Baylor. But that wasn't on scheme or tactics, they were just flat out a better team.

People always try to excuse the atrocious offense against Coastal Carolina as somehow the fault of the defense. That the BYU offense managed 3 points in 6 second-half possessions because the defense didn't get the offense in rhythm or something. Nobody ever considers that maybe the defense was gassed and less because the BYU offense kept pretty much immediately giving Coastal Carolina the ball back.

And that's really my point. We make excuses for the offense, even if it requires a huge stretch. "Sure BYU actually had a pretty reasonable number of possessions against CCU and still didn't do anything with them, but that's just because they had longer breaks between them. Offense can't be expected to play well if they get breaks that are longer than they'd ideally like". But we never make excuses for the defense. "Sure, the defense had to go out and repeatedly defend a tiring RPO offense again and again with minimal breaks, but they've got to get those stops anyway. No excuses".

I don't think the defense (or Tuiaki) is necessarily good...but I do think he sometimes gets scapegoated as the root of all problems - even when that isn't fair. And CCU is a huge example of that.

Part of that is the 'Pau Gasol phenomenon' I've mentioned elsewhere, where we're so reluctant/unwilling to criticize the offense or Zach Wilson that we have to scapegoat someone else, part of it is that his style isn't necessarily enjoyable or appealing to watch. I don't mind criticism of Tuiaki when it's deserved. But we often go way beyond what is deserved.