BYU football beat writer Jared Lloyd gives his grades for the Cougar position units and coaches for Saturday’s game against Wyoming at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo:

Quarterback

Jaren Hall was truly impressive, putting the majority of his throws right where he wanted them to be on his way to 337 yards through the air and four touchdowns. The only element that drops the grade at all was not making sure to get the ball to the sticks on big third downs early, but it was still a great game.

Grade: A

Running back

Miles Davis enjoyed one big breakout run (a 70-yarder) and a decent game otherwise (131 total rushing yards), showing his burst and his ability to get past lunging defenders. Chris Brooks scored the first touchdown and Lopini Katoa got some plays, but Davis was certainly featured.

Grade: B

Wide receivers/tight ends

It was Keanu Hill’s turn to shine as he finished with five catches, 160 yards and two TDs. Brayden Cosper and Kody Epps were also big, each getting a touchdown, and Isaac Rex got some looks too. Puka Nacua made a couple of nice plays before getting hurt again.

Grade: A-

Offensive line

Once again the pass blocking was strong, allowing only one sack and that came on what appeared to be a busted play. The stats show solid run blocking (188 yards on the ground) but a couple of big runs got a lot of that yardage. This group is struggling to get to grips with guys on the slant run-blocking scheme.

Grade: B-

Defensive line

After a poor start, this unit raised its level of performance as the contest progressed. John Nelson and Tyler Batty both had sacks, while Lorenzo Fauatea, Hunter Greer and Bruce Mitchell also came up with big plays. Once they got more aggressive at taking on blocks and shedding them, this group played well.

Grade: B

Linebackers

There were still missed tackles and the Cougars allowed Wyoming to control the game early. But the unit kept battling and making the plays that were there, led by Ben Bywater and Keenan Pili each getting five tackles. A group this experienced, however, shouldn’t take as long to get on track.

Grade: C+

Secondary

Micah Harper was the star in the backfield, leading the team with six tackles and making 1.5 tackles for a loss. BYU rotated a lot of players with starters being hurt and guys like Ethan Slade and Talan Alfrey saw a lot more reps. The big pass plays late hurt but in general the defensive backs played fairly well.

Grade: C+

Special teams

The special teams gave up a couple of long kickoff returns but in most ways this was a big step forward for this group. Punter Ryan Rehkow finally appear to make the kicks he is capable of with a 59-yard bomb and two that pinned Wyoming deep. Justen Smith made a short field goal and Jake Oldroyd was generally good on PATs and kickoffs (although he tried too hard on the long kickoff and squibbed it out of bounds).

Grade: B

Coaching

One of the most head-scratching aspects of the game was all the play call and player personnel turmoil coming from the sideline. BYU was able to overcome it enough to win, but it certainly wasn’t a well-oiled machine. The Cougar coaches do deserve credit for getting BYU to settle in and take control in the second half, but there were plenty of decisions that need to be re-evaluated as well.

Grade: C+

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