3 Key Players
QB Tanner Mangum (So.)/ Taysom Hill (Sr.)
We took two quarterbacks here, awkward, right? Here is the thing, the Cougars have a serious QB battle on their hands.
UCLA Bruins
Does new Offensive Coordinator Ty Detmer go with the consistently-named-#1-but-has-season-ending-injurys Hill or does he choose Tanner “Hail Mary” Mangum? Either way, what you should know is that BYU has two very good QBs at their disposal, so it does not matter who starts for the Cougars, because both are going to give the Bruins a hard time.
RB Jamaal Williams (Sr.)
Williams was on a roll in 2014 and could have done some real damage if it was not for the fact that a knee injury sidelined him after eight games. But then it got worse as he was suspended for the entire 2015 season. With drama out of the way and only 929 yards to the BYU all-time rushing record, Williams looks to properly have his head on his shoulders this season which gives BYU’s new power offense some punch.
S Kai Nacua (Sr.)
Nacua is deadly in the pass defense. He has good coverage, is agile and is not afraid to get dirty. Last year he totaled 6 interceptions which he ran back for a total of 137 yards. Last season he was 4th on BYU with 66 tackles and looks to improve on that this year.
Stats
- BYU was 21st in passing in the FBS last season with 296.5 ypg
- The Cougar’s game Vs. UCLA was the only one they scored more than 30 points and lost
- UCLA gave up 405 total yards to BYU, the first of 9 games the Bruins gave up over 400 yards.
- UCLA leads the all-time series, 8-3
- The last time UCLA went to Provo (2008), they lost to BYU, 59-0
Next: Offenses Vs. Defenses