BYU Football: How will modified schedule affect Cougars in 2020?

Yards must translate to points in 2020

The 2019 version of the BYU offense was great at pushing the ball downfield, averaging more than 440 yards per game to rank in the top 30 nationally.

What the Cougars failed to do, though, was turn all that productivity into points. BYU finished the year 120th out of 130 FBS teams in the red zone, as they failed to score on 26.7 percent of their trips inside the opponent’s 20 yard line. The end result was a pedestrian 28.5 points per game, middle of the pack in the FBS.

That translated into another seven-win season for the Cougars, as they scraped together several overtime wins over Power Five opponents but also faltered in four road losses against Group of Five foes. Zach Wilson struggled in his sophomore season, as the quarterback’s completion rate dropped by 3.5 percent and his interceptions tripled.

Even then, the Cougars boasted a top-30 passing attack. Where they struggled was finding balance in the running game. Injuries certainly hampered the team, as South Carolina transfer Ty’son Williams tore his ACL against Washington and left a huge hole in the backfield. Finding better balance in their offense will be critical for the Cougars in 2020.

Focusing on the BYU offensive line

A big hope for BYU fans this year is that a deep and experienced offensive line improves even further on last year’s marks. Cam Mellor of Pro Football Focus rated the Cougars line as the 12th best in the country last season, as they maintained solid efforts even as they dealt with a rotating cast of characters in the backfield.

All five starters are back for the Cougars this year, including standout left tackle Brady Christensen, but there is definitely still room for improvement. Last year, BYU rated 77th in sacks allowed and 57th in tackles for loss allowed. The running game averaged 160 yards per game, putting them 68th in the country. And a large part of the team’s struggles in the red zone can be attributed to a line that buckled when the field got shorter.

With a depleted schedule, that line won’t be challenged by nearly as many tough defenses as they expected a few months ago. If that doesn’t translate to far grander offensive numbers this year, BYU will really be in trouble.