BYU football beat writer Jared Lloyd gives his grades for the Cougar position units and coaches for Saturday’s game against USC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles:

Quarterback

Jaren Hall ended up 20-of-32 for 276 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, which is a fairly standard stat line for the sophomore except for the last item. It looked like the first pick was a miscommunication, while the second was on Hall for throwing deep into double-coverage. Both plays gave USC a boost, which drops the marks.

Grade: C+

Running back

Tyler Allgeier pounded his way to 111 yards on 21 carries with two touchdowns, but was worn out as the game progressed. He put the ball on the turf twice but fortunately the Cougars recovered both times. Jackson McChesney proved ready for the spotlight when he got his opportunity late.

Grade: B+

Wide receivers/tight ends

Puka Nacua and Keanu Hill both caught long TD passes and for the most part this group was sure-handed. Injuries have decimated the unit but guys like Hill, Samson Nacua and Dallin Holker have come up big.

Grade: B+

Offensive line

This group continues to be revamped as injuries take their toll but overall this unit did well enough to put 35 points on the board. BYU finished with 189 yards rushing, reduced because of an intentional-grounding sack on a blown-up screen pass.

Grade: B

Defensive line

This group had moments of brilliance and times where it couldn’t do anything right against the USC run game. Atunaisa Mahe shed a block and made a key stop on USC’s final drive to force the final fourth-down attempt.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

This group didn’t make every play that was out there to be made but Max Tooley and Ben Bywater each had 13 tackles for the game. It struggled to consistently slow the Trojan run game (surrendering 210 yards) and at times was gashed through the air by USC’s offense.

Grade: C

Secondary

This was Kaleb Hayes’s week to shine and he made some critical plays when the ball was in the air. He also made BYU’s final tackle to force the turnover on downs that secured the Cougar victory.

Grade: B-

Special teams

This unit didn’t make many big plays but did give up a 62-yard kickoff return to start the game. Ryan Rehkow and Jacob Oldroyd took care of their responsibilities effectively.

Grade: B-

Coaching

BYU was prepared for what USC was going to do on both sides of the ball but didn’t always execute at a high level. The Cougar coaching staff wasn’t able to put BYU in position to run away with the victory but they did enough to get the win in then end.

Grade: B-

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