BYU's Defense Passed the Test in Win at Arkansas

The BYU defense comes full circle in win at Arkansas

What a turnaround. BYU's defense hit rock bottom last season in a 52-35 loss against Arkansas. That game was the beginning of the end for Ilaisa Tuiaki as BYU's defensive coordinator. With a new defensive staff leading the way, the Cougar defense came full circle on Saturday in a 38-31 win at Arkansas. BYU got six consecutive stops to end the game, allowing BYU to go on a 17-0 run to finish the game.

The box score hardly tells the full story. The Razorbacks finished with 31 points and 424 total yards of offense. However, seven points came from an 88-yard punt return in the first quarter. Three points came from a BYU fumble in their own territory. If "earned points" was a statistic in football like "earned runs" is in baseball, the BYU defense would only be responsible for 21 points against Arkansas.

It was BYU's ability to string together stops at pivotal moments of the game that made the difference. The BYU defense responded time and time again, putting the BYU offense in advantageous positions - even after a nightmare start to the game. BYU was down 14-0 after four minutes of game time.

BYU punted the ball back to Arkansas down 14 in the first quarter. It felt like the game was one more Arkansas touchdown from turning into a blowout. Instead, the BYU defense got a three-and-out, getting BYU the ball back at their own 47 yard-line. BYU needed only two plays to go 53 yards and cut the deficit to 14-7. That play changed the momentum of the game and was the turning point for BYU.

After that first stop, BYU's defense got four consecutive stops allowing only one first down on four drives. Those stops allowed the BYU offense to go on a scoring run of their own, taking a 21-14 lead in the second quarter.

After that scoring run, BYU faced more adversity when Arkansas went on a 17-0 scoring run to take a 31-21 lead midway through the third quarter. At that point, the game was in the balance when Arkansas held a 31-21 lead and was driving to extend the lead. On 4th & 1 from the 50 yard-line, the BYU defense held and gave the ball back to the BYU defense. 

After that stop on fourth down, the BYU defense dominated the game. On the next drive down 31-24, BYU defensive end Blake Mangelson pressured KJ Jefferson and forced an errant throw that landed in the arms of Max Tooley. Tooley returned the interception down to the Arkansas 20 yard-line. On the next play, BYU tied the game on a 20-yard screen pass to Parker Kingston.

After a missed field goal by Arkansas, BYU got the ball back and took the lead when Chase Roberts snagged the ball out of the air with one hand for the touchdown.

On the next drive, BYU got another stop. A three-and-out that netted only five yards for the Razorbacks. The BYU offense punted the ball back to Arkansas up 38-31.

Arkansas got the ball back with 4:31 remaining. On a critical third down, BYU cornerback Eddie Heckard came on a blitz and strip sacked KJ Jefferson. Tyler Batty recovered, and BYU got the ball back in Razorback territory. The BYU offense had a chance to seal the victory, but a Will Ferrin field goal sailed wide right, giving Arkansas the opportunity to tie the game once again.

That's when the BYU defensive line took over the game. On the last drive, BYU rushed only four on most plays and the defensive line was able to consistently pressure KJ Jefferson. BYU got a sack, forced a holding penalty, and ended the game by pressuring KJ Jefferson into a game-ending penalty.

The defensive performance directly benefited the offense. BYU's average starting field position was their own 39 yard-line. That's why BYU was able to score 38 points on only 281 yards of total offense.

Last year, Arkansas converted 12 out of 15 third downs. On Saturday night, Arkansas converted 2 out of 13 third downs. The difference between BYU's defense in 2023 and 2022 can't be overstated.

BYU's defense came full circle and passed the test against Arkansas. The players and the coaching staff deserve all the credit for such a quick turnaround.

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