Brigham Young Cougars
Independent
As soon as BYU reached six wins, they knew they were headed to the Poinsettia Bowl. And the Cougars reached six wins a bit earlier than expected thanks to a big 41-17 win at Georgia Tech on October 27th. Besides a late loss at San Jose State, BYU does not really have a bad loss on the schedule.
2012 Record: 7-5
Coach: Bronco Mendenhall
Coach Bowl Record: 5-2
Big Wins: 8/30 Washington State (30-6), 10/27 Georgia Tech (41-17)
Bad Losses: 10/13 Oregon State (24-42), 11/17 at San Jose State (14-20)
Strengths:
The Cougars gave up 42 points to Oregon State, but other than that the defense has been very good. This is a team that gave up just six points to Washington State, seven to Boise State, three to bowl-bound Utah State and 17 points to both Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. The rush defense is the third best in the country, allowing just over 84 yards per game on the ground. Linebackers Brandon Ogletree and Ezekiel Ansah lead the way, but the Cougars have depth and talent all over Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s defense. The offense has some talent, most notably quarterback Riley Nelson and wide receiver Cody Hoffman. Nelson missed the final regular season game of the 2012 campaign with a rib injury and may not be ready to go for the Poinsettia Bowl. However, BYU got a great performance out of backup quarterback James Lark in his first career start. With Hoffman, who caught 90 passes for 1,134 yards and 11 scores, catching everything thrown his way, it may not be as big of a deal as it sounds if Riley is not 100 percent in time for the bowl. The offense may get more recognition through the air, but this is a balanced attack. Jamaal Williams has quietly put together a solid campaign, rushing for 744 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Weaknesses:
The problem on both sides of the ball is turnovers. Nelson has thrown 12 interceptions in nine games. However, Lark has not thrown an interception all season, but most of his playing time has not been at key moments in games. The offense just has a knack for turning it over. And the defense rarely creates big turnovers either. That is really the lone weakness for the defense. The unit will not take big risks, which is why the numbers are so good, but forcing a turnover can change a game and BYU has been on the losing end of those game changing turnovers this season.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Jamaal Williams, RB, 744 yards
Passing: Riley Nelson, QB, 2,011 yards
Receiving: Cody Hoffman, 1,134 yards
Tackles: Brandon Ogletree, LB, 92
Sacks: Ezekiel Ansah, LB, 4.5
Interceptions: Daniel Sorensen, S, 3
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 161.58 (63rd in nation, 4th among Independents)
Passing Offense: 247.50 (51, 1)
Total Offense: 409.08 (57, 3)
Scoring Offense: 29.17 (63, 1)
Rushing Defense: 84.25 (3, 1)
Pass Defense: 182.08 (13, 1)
Total Defense: 266.33 (3, 1)
Scoring Defense: 14.67 (6, 2)
Turnover Margin: -0.42 (86, 3)
Sacks: 2.58 (23, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 2.33 (85, 4)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2011 Armed Forces Bowl Tulsa (24-21)
2010 New Mexico Bowl UTEP (52-24)
2009 Las Vegas Bowl Oregon State (44-20)
2008 Las Vegas Bowl Arizona (21-31)
2008 Las Vegas Bowl UCLA (17-16)
*all team stats through 11/24
