Sitting at 6-0 midway through the 2008 football season, BYU seems to be right where it wants to be.

"I would say we're where we want to be," said BYU junior defensive end Jan Jorgensen. "At 6-0, you can't ask for anything better than that. I think we're progressing every week. We'd like to be progressing even faster, but you can't complain about being 6-0 and giving up just five points a game at home."

Here's a look at how we rate the Cougars through the first half of 2008.

Quarterback B+

Max Hall had a hot start and threw seven touchdown passes, tying a school record, against UCLA. Lately he's been forcing the ball into coverage and definitely has his favorite receivers. Still, who can complain about 1,845 yards, 70 percent on completions and a TD-to-interception ratio of 20-4? While the Heisman talk has cooled down lately, Hall is still having a great year.

Running Back B

Harvey Unga's numbers are similar to last season but it seems as if yards are more difficult to come by, especially on pass routes out of the backfield. Unga really took off during conference play last year, so expect a surge. A solid backup hasn't developed yet, which could be an issue later on. Fui Vakapuna has relished the role of lead blocker from the fullback spot.

Receivers/Tight End A

Tight end Dennis Pitta started off on fire, then teams adjusted and are doubling him almost every game. The beneficiary is wide receiver Austin Collie, who has four straight 100-yard receiving games. He makes big plays and continually beats man-to-man coverage. Getting Michael Reed back from a knee injury should open things up in the offense.

Offensive Line B

An up-and-down year for this big and experienced group. They dominated against two Pac-10 schools (Washington and UCLA) but struggled to open holes against Utah State and New Mexico. Pass blocking they've got down pat: Only two sacks given up in six games. Moving Dallas Reynolds to center and bringing in his brother, redshirt freshman Matt Reynolds, to play left tackle has worked out well.

Offense Overall B+

The points came fast and furious for a while, thanks to an opportunistic defense. The loss of Reed seemed to make the offense more predictable. The running game has yet to really take off, but Hall's great start opened up a lot of eyes nationally.

Defensive Line B

One of the deepest areas on the defense, the most effective player has been the new starter, left end Brett Denney. He is second on the team with six tackles for loss. Jan Jorgensen has only two sacks this year but had 10 tackles against New Mexico. Expected more of an impact from nose tackle Russell Tialavea but some of his work doesn't get measured in a stat line.

Linebacker B+

The feature group of the defense continues to make plays. Matt Bauman leads the team in tackles (46) while David Nixon and Coleby Clawson have 7.5 tackles for loss each. The loss of Vic So'to has given Clawson, a ferocious hitter and pass rusher, a chance to shine. A talented group of freshman and the return of Terrence Hooks and Grant Nelson make this group solid.

Defensive Backs C+

Scott Johnson has been a sure tackler but the corners really haven't been tested much. Teams don't seem to attack the deep route that much. Brandon Bradley has excelled as a nickel back. The safeties are solid and don't seem to make a lot of mistakes.

Defense Overall B

With so many new faces, who (besides Bronco Mendenhall) knew what to expect from this group? Yet the Cougars are near the top in the country in points allowed. The conservative approach used by Mendenhall and defensive coordinator Jaime Hill seems to work well.

Special Teams C

Justin Sorensen's kickoffs have been a big plus in field position, but every field goal is still an adventure between Sorensen and Mitch Payne. Coverage teams have been good, minus a few longer-than-normal kickoff returns. C.J. Santiago has had some terrific kicks this year and has also aided in the field position game. O'Neill Chambers still owes Cougar fans a kick return for a touchdown.

Coaching B

No one utilizes talent like Mendenhall and his staff. One wonders if there anything left, though, for the stretch run. Can they keep this team improving? That will be the key if the "Quest for Perfection" continues.

Biggest surprise:That so many freshman have stepped into important roles. Mendenhall said in fall camp that anyone who was good enough would play, and he meant it.

Biggest surprise II: That the Cougars are in the nation's top 10 midway through the season. That's important because of where BYU started the season in the polls (around No. 15). The more BYU is in the minds of the nation's voters, the better.

Biggest disappointment: Junior Vic So'oto moved from tight end to linebacker this spring and was looking to have an impact season. But an injury against Washington derailed those plans.

Biggest hitter: So far it's been JC transfer linebacker Clawson, who moved into So'oto's position after the injury. Clawson absolutely blew up Northern Iowa quarterback Pat Grace and his huge hit on Utah State quarterback Diondre Borel caused one of three first-quarter turnovers.

Back it up: Brash freshman O'Neill Chambers, who won the kickoff return job and also returns punts, told coaches he was going to bring one back to the house this year. We're waiting, O'Neill.

Defining moment of the season: (So far) The blocked extra point to preserve the win against Washington. Sure, a lot of college football analysts focused on the unsportsmanlike penalty called on Jake Locker but the Cougars still had one more play to win the game, and they did.

Best individual performance, offense: Max Hall's seven-touchdown day against UCLA was truly a wonder to behold. Consider the fact he threw seven TDs in roughly two and a half quarters of play. He could have thrown 10 or 12.

Honorable mention to tight end Dennis Pitta in the opener against Northern Iowa (11 catches for 213 yards) and Austin Collie against New Mexico (nine catches for 155 yards).

Best individual performance, defense: This one is tough because the defense doesn't really feature any one player. But against Utah State, junior defensive end Brett Denney had three tackles for loss and a sack ¬­-- in the first quarter. He finished with six tackles (four for losses) and a sack.

Offensive MVP: Jr. WR Austin Collie

Early on Max Hall was the frontrunner, but Collie has had a sensational run of four straight 100-yard games, even though the opposition knows he's Hall's favorite target. He started a little slow, but Collie is really carrying the BYU offense right now.

Defensive MVP: Jr. LB Matt Bauman and Sr. LB David Nixon

Again, it's difficult to pick an MVP on a defense that spreads the action around. So here's two guys. The team leader in tackles is Bauman, who is a demon for the ball. Nixon makes big plays every game and is a tremendous leader.

Best Offensive Play: Max Hall-to-Austin Collie for a 76-yard score against Utah State

Collie came back to the ball like he's been taught and his stiff-arm at the 20-yard line would have made Dallas Cowboy running back Marion Barber jealous.

Best Defensive Play: Scott Johnson's alert pickup of a lateral by Wyoming, which turned into a 64-yard scoring play.

Johnson is always around the ball and this got the Cougars going after a slow start.

Newest trend: Teams that have played BYU man coverage with blitz packages in the past are zoning up and dropping into coverage. Wyoming did it, so did Utah State and surprisingly, so did usually aggressive New Mexico. So far, BYU has struggled to adjust its game plan to attack this new strategy.

Key Stat: Turnovers. BYU is plus-9 in turnover margin and has recovered 12 opponent fumbles.

What's Next? The biggest test of the season in TCU. The Horned Frogs don't really scare anyone offensively but their defense is one of the top-rated in the country. It's fast and doesn't give up much on the ground. The Cougars won in Fort Worth two years ago and need another strong performance to repeat that big win.

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Darnell Dickson can be reached at 344-2555 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it