BYU Football: 3 keys to victory in 2019 Holy War showdown vs. Utah

2. Zach Wilson needs to push the ball downfield for big plays

In BYU’s loss last season, Zach Wilson did an admirable job leading the Cougars offense. Starting as a true freshman against the Utes, Wilson finished 20-of-29 for 204 yards in the Holy War. He threw for two touchdowns, but he also threw a pick-six that proved critical in the final score.

What is notable about those numbers, though, is that Wilson was handled fairly conservatively by the coaching staff. Only four of his completions went for more than 20 yards, with the bulk of his passes more akin to quick-release gains of between three and five yards.

For a school that was instrumental in popularizing the downfield aerial attack under LaVell Edwards, dinking and dunking their way down the field is not going to cut it if the Cougars hope to finally beat Utah for the first time in more than a decade.

Kalani Sitake and offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes need to take the kid gloves off Wilson and give him the green light to push the ball further downfield through the air. That will depend on relying less heavily on tight end Matt Bushman and looking more frequently for senior receivers like Talon Shumway and Micah Simon.