2013 Outlook - BYU

Last year, HC Bronco Mendenhall led his BYU Cougars to a 10-3 record.  How long can this team keep up this pace as an Independant?  With no conference affiliation, the team has to perform at that kind of level or better for any chance of a significant Bowl invite.  Will they be able to do that again this year?



SR QB Riley Nelson is an atypical BYU QB.  He is small and quick and lacks the arm strength that BYU QBs have been known for.  As a starter, he has not has a full season yet, and thus his production reflects that.  This year however, Nelson goes in as the clear cut starter, and if he can stay healthy, he should be productive.  At RB, the team will rely on JR Michael Alisa.  Alisa took over as the primary back last season about half way through the year.  This year, he is slated to be the team's feature back, and he could be in line for a nice year.  As far as weapons go, Nelson has two very nice ones to throw to this year.  JR WR Cody Hoffman, and SO WR Ross Apo are both nice size/speed combo guys.  Each has good hands, and runs nice routes.  Both should be effective.  The fellas up front are going to be led by the Braden Boys.  SR OG Braden Hansen will be one of the better guards in the country. I'm not predicting All-American, but I think he is just below that level.  SR OT Braden Brown has been effective during his time in the starting lineup, and i expect him to have another solid year.  Overall, this offense has the pieces to be good.

Defensively, the biggest concern for the team will be their front 3.  They lost their best player, Hebron Fangupo and now have to rely on some good, but not great players.  NT Romney Fuga flashed some nice potential in '09, but had disappointing season a year ago, ending with a medical red-shirt.  He is back for his 6th year of eligibility, and the Cougars will need for him to return to his '09 form.  The linebacking corp is amongst the best in the nation.  All four starters have the chance to put up all-independent seasons this year.  The inside backers, SRs Uona Kaveinga and Brandon Ogletree are a little undersized, but play big.  The outside backers, JRs Spencer Hadley and Kyle Van Noy are both playmakers.  This should be the best unit on the defense, easily.  The secondary has two standouts as well.  SR CB Preston Hadley had a fine season a year ago, and could build upon that this year.  JR S, Daniel Sorensen, may not be the most physical of players, but he is reliable, and he too could repeat or better last season's performance, which was good enough for all-independent honors.

The bottom line on BYU is that they are good.  Repeating their 10 win performance from a year ago is a real possibility, especially when you factor in their schedule.  They should win every game they play in Provo this year.  Their contests will come in 4 road games versus Utah, Boise State, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech.  Winning even one of those four would line them up for another 10 win campaign.