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BYU football offense hopes bunches of points are just around the corner

By Jared Lloyd - | Sep 22, 2021
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BYU freshman tight end Isaac Rex catches a touchdown pass during the 27-17 Cougar win over Arizona State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (Courtesy BYU Photo)
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BYU junior wide receiver Neil Pau'u celebrates scoring a touchdown during the game against Arizona at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. (BYU Courtesy Photo)
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BYU junior running back Tyler Allgeier scores a touchdown during the 27-17 Cougar win over Arizona State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo)
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BYU junior wide receiver Neil Pau'u breaks away from the Arizona defense on a 67-yard touchdown reception at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. (BYU Courtesy Photo)

Asking a college football offensive coach or player whether they would like to be scoring more points is like asking a lineman whether he gets hungry around dinner time.

The answer is absurdly obvious.

The goal for every offense is to score points every time it takes the field but, of course, that doesn’t always happen.

The more realistic goal is for an offense to score more points than the other team does, something the BYU offense has done successfully in its first three games.

That’s thanks in large part to the performance of the Cougar defense, according to BYU junior wide receiver Gunner Romney.

“I think in the last couple of games, we have left a lot of points on the field,” Romney said during Wednesday’s press teleconference. “It hasn’t really hurt us yet because the defense has been playing phenomenally.”

But the Cougar offensive players are determined to find ways to improve upon their 25.7-point scoring average.

“I think we are just right on the edge right now,” Romney said. “We had a conversation at the beginning of this week and no one on the offense is satisfied right now because we know what the capability of this offense is. We know how many points we can put up if we play well. One breakout game is all we need and then I think we’ll be solid. The offense is kind of working toward that.”

He believes BYU has shown flashes in the first three games of how good it can be. Now it just needs to do it more.

“I think it’s about the consistency and the execution,” Romney said. “You see points in the games where we go three or four series in a row where we are driving the ball super-well and scoring. Then you’ll see some lulls where we will have a couple of three-and-outs. We’re really killing ourselves, so I think once we get over the mistakes and start playing as a unit a little bit better, that’s when it will happen.”

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, however, was quick to point out that the Cougar opponents haven’t made life easy.

“Part of it is the defenses we’ve played against are good,” Roderick said. “We didn’t play anybody last year that was even close to the last two teams we played on defense. No one was even in the same world as those two defenses, so it’s tough. It’s tough to score when you’re playing Arizona State and Utah, and there were a lot of unknowns in the first game.”

But he doesn’t want any of the BYU players or coaches using the fact that they are playing good defenses as an excuse for poor play.

“We can talk about how good the defenses are and make excuses or we can be accountable to ourselves and each other and figure out how we can play better and play a little cleaner,” Roderick said. “I think we’ve improved in every game and I think you’ll see continued improvement.”

BYU sophomore offensive lineman Harris LaChance said the Cougar offensive line takes ownership of being the engine on that side of the ball, so it has to be better.

“We’ve been putting a big emphasis on owning the trenches on every play,” LaChance said. “That’s what we’ve been doing, as well as focusing on completing our assignments on every single play. We need no missed assignments and great technique. We’re just tuning it up right now.”

Roderick sounded confident that taking care of the little things will eventually make a big difference on the scoreboard, something that may happen Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium against South Florida (8:15 p.m. MT, ESPN2).

“The points will come with improved execution,” Roderick said. “I’m not panicked about it at all. I think we’re I think we’re right on track. And considering who we’ve played. I’m proud of where we stand right now.”

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