BYU Preview – 62 Days Until Kansas Football
The Kansas Jayhawks’ first Big 12 opponent is the BYU Cougars’ first foray into a new conference and the new-look Big 12. BYU will travel to Lawrence in week four for its first conference game as a non-independent program.
Pre-Game Notes
Christmas Day. Hawaii. Bowl game. This was the context for the only meeting between Kansas and BYU up to this point. The two programs faced off in the 1992 Aloha Bowl in Hawaii on Christmas Day, with Glen Mason’s Jayhawks coming away with a 23-20 win over a Cougars team quarterbacked by Steve Young’s brother Tom. This was KU’s first bowl win in 31 years, so it was a memorable holiday for Kansas.
The Mike Plank Four-Down Scouting Report
First Down
BYU is coming off an 8-5 year and a win in the New Mexico Bowl over SMU. This was head coach Kalani Sitake’s sixth winning season in seven years as the Cougars’ head coach. BYU made it as high as No. 12 in the AP poll after beating No. 9 Baylor in week two and remained in the polls for six weeks before a four-game losing streak mid-season. The Cougars rebounded, winning their final three regular-season games.
Second Down
The Cougars have a great track record recently of having a high-powered offense. That includes averaging 31.3 points per game a season ago led by quarterback Jaren Hall. Hall threw for 3,171 yards and 31 touchdowns (to just six interceptions), while also rushing for 350 yards and three touchdowns. But now it’s college football veteran Kedon Slovis taking the helm in his final year of eligibility. Slovis played at Pitt and USC and has thrown for nearly 10,000 yards over the course of his career so far.
Third Down
Running back Christopher Brooks and receiver Puka Nacua are gone, but Slovis does have some options at receiver. The BYU receiving corp includes Kody Epps, Chase Roberts, and Keanu Hill, who combined for 97 catches, 1,388, and 16 touchdowns in 2022.
Fourth Down
The BYU defense struggled in 2022, giving up 29.5 points and 408 yards per game. The performances led to an overhaul of the defensive coaching staff, and now Jay Hill is taking over as defensive coordinator this year. Hill coached at Utah from 2005 to 2013 and then was the Weber State head coach until 2022. Tyler Batty is one of the Cougars’ best pass rushers and now BYU will have FCS All-American cornerback Eddie Heckard, who came from Weber State to join Hill.
Matchup On Paper
The big difference in BYU’s offense in 2023 will be the quarterback. Jaren Hall was a dual threat who ran it 86 times last year (for reference, Jalon Daniels rushed 77 times in nine games), but Slovis is strictly a pocket passer. He’s going to stand back and throw it 30 times per game. How BYU’s line can protect him will be a key question.
On defense, BYU gave up 173 yards per game on the ground, and opponents rushed for 200 or more yards in six games. The biggest beatdown was Liberty putting up 300 rushing yards on 48 carries and three touchdowns in a 41-14 win. That will likely be the biggest focus for Hall and the new defensive coaching staff, and an area where Kansas can take advantage if the issues aren’t fixed.
Final Whistle
Kansas plays three of the four new Big 12 teams this year, with BYU and UCF coming at home. It should be a great crowd for Family Day in Lawrence, and it will be the second straight road game for BYU, who travels to face Arkansas the week before.
