Arkansas
How much did victory over Arkansas change BYU’s Big 12 expectations?
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BYU will take its 3-0 record into Lawrence, Kansas, on Saturday riding high from an upset of Arkansas in Fayetteville. In that win over an SEC team, BYU turned a lot of heads and converted nonbelievers who thought that wins over Sam Houston and SUU left a myriad of questions.
Here are some of our stories about the Arkansas win and the state of the team heading into its conference opener against 3-0 Kansas:
Predictions
Question of the week: Heading into the first Big 12 league game for the Cougars, from what you’ve seen so far, how ready is BYU to be competitive and challenge these P5 teams? What will the score be Saturday?
Jay Drew: A week ago, I probably would have said the Cougars are not quite ready to be competitive in a Power Five conference. Let’s face it, BYU did not look good in wins over Sam Houston and Southern Utah.
Then last Saturday’s 38-31 win over Arkansas happened. Some might say it was a bit flukish — Arkansas won virtually every statistical category but the final score — but after the first five minutes the Cougars looked like they belonged on the field with the SEC team.
They were just as good in the trenches, and not as overmatched in the speed department as it looked like they’d be after the Hogs’ first two scores. BYU settled in, started to execute, and the way it came back from two double-digit deficits was pretty impressive.
So I am going to say that the Cougars can be competitive in the Big 12 this year, beginning this week at Kansas, with one caveat: They have to stay healthy. Depth might still be an issue.
Prediction: BYU 34, Kansas 31.
Dick Harmon: I’m guilty of doubting this football team’s abilities to win in Fayetteville. That’s on me. What I saw in the win against the Razorbacks was a team that needed some breaks to go its way, but a team that fought, showed guts and grit, never quit when down and more importantly, believed.
Arkansas had a top-22 recruiting class last cycle, had speed, size, home-field advantage and a 14-0 lead within minutes. Yet, what we saw is a BYU team that looked in better shape and condition late in the fourth quarter. For BYU’s defensive line to hassle, touch, put down and rock KJ Jefferson late in the game with a four-man rush was impressive. If you’d told me BYU would win without Keanu Hill and Kody Epps catching a pass, I’d say you had too many Cougar Tails in your belly. Jay Hill is the real deal for constructing this defense and Aaron Roderick’s play calls in SEC territory were brilliant. Finally, BYU still has a lot of improvement to make. We haven’t seen the Cougars play at their best or at full strength.
Kansas has an explosive offense and quarterback Jalon Daniels, who is an accurate and efficient passer. BYU will need to get pressure on him and be disruptive and Roderick might need to match points with his own arsenal. It’s looking more and more like Isaac Rex is a matchup nightmare for teams and BYU’s receiver depth with Parker Kingston and Chase Roberts and the two transfers is, indeed, there. Hopefully, BYU’s offensive line is coming together, communicating and working in sync in this league opener.
Prediction: BYU 28, Kansas 24.
Cougar tales
BYU’s women, ranked No. 1 in the nation, endured a tie with TCU at home and then lost to Utah State in Logan this past week. Former Cougars receiver Puka Nacua set several NFL records this past week playing for the Los Angeles Rams. Retired basketball coach Dave Rose was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame on Monday. Dave McCann had it covered in this piece. BYU fielded a team of alumni golfers and won a $40,000 check for the program by winning the University Cup in St. George at Sand Hollow Resort.
From the archives
From the X-verse
Extra Points
Fanalyst
Comments from Deseret News readers:
Note to A-Rod. Next time play to win, go for the TD. Don’t run up the middle three times and just hope the defense holds them off on the road vs. high-level teams, or you will lose! You have to take some small chances to win in big games and put trust in your QB to not throw an interception in those big moments. Playing not to lose ultra conservative running up the middle to burn clock and hope for the best has burned BYU over the years way more than it has helped them, and many of those coaches that have done that are no longer coaching. You got lucky and made this way closer than it needed to! At the very least, you probably make that field goal at the end without losing those 10 extra yards rushing up the middle also!
— Terry
If sending players away from the game for two years was a major advantage you can bet that every other coach would be encouraging Peace Corps and other organizations for players. But they know that it only hurts them athletically so they will not be doing it. What the coach should be saying is that it is admirable for these young men to sacrifice two years of their prime athletic lives to provide this service.
— JMH21
Up next
- Sept. 20 | 7 p.m. | Women’s volleyball | Houston | @ Provo
- Sept. 21-22 | TBA | Women’s tennis | USTA Intercollegiate | @ San Diego
- Sept. 21 | 6 p.m. | Women’s soccer | Baylor | @ Waco, Texas
- Sept. 22 | 12:45 p.m. | Women’s cross-country | Bill Dellinger Invitational | @ Springfield, Oregon
- Sept. 23 | 1:30 p.m. | Football | Kansas | @ Lawrence, Kansas
Former BYU star Puka Nacua, tries to avoid a tackle by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. While the Rams fell short it wasn’t for a lack of effort on Nacua’s part, who finished the day with 15 catches.
Gregory Bull, Associated Press