BYU sports experts Darnell Dickson and Jared Lloyd address five of the big questions facing Cougar athletics this week:

1. Should Miles Davis be RB1 for the BYU football team after his performance against Wyoming on Saturday?

DICKSON: Davis was certainly electric in his first extended playing time, wasn’t he? Very quick, sure footed and explosive. The running game has really needed a boost and Davis provided it against Wyoming. Coach Kalani Sitake said the coaches decided to go with the hot hand (or legs, in this case) against the Cowboys. I would expect Chris Brooks and Lopini Katoa to still get some solid reps against Utah State. Brooks only had two carries against Wyoming (one of them for a TD) and Katoa had some good moments. But I would really think Davis has earned some more carries and will get his chance to carry the load against the Aggies on Thursday.

LLOYD: I think the idea of being the starter is becoming less and less relevant in college football. It’s all about which player gives you the best opportunity to succeed on the field on a given play. I think BYU has seen good things from Davis for a long time and felt like he earned the chance to show it. He had a solid game, although most of his yardage came on one big play. He did have the ball get away from him once and that has to be looked at very carefully, since ball security is huge. The bottom line is that I don’t think Davis is the answer to all of the run-game issues but I think he deserves to have his opportunities to contribute.

2. What was your favorite Jaron Hall play in the win against Wyoming?

LLOYD: I would probably pick the same throws from virtually every game this season and those are the back-shoulder fades and timing routes. I don’t know how many people realize just how hard it is to throw the ball to the sidelines with such impeccable timing that the receiver can be looking like they are going deep, then stop and have the ball right there on the outside shoulder. Imagine being a defensive back in great position but with no chance to turn and make a play on the ball because they don’t even realize it is there until it is too late. Hall is making those throws so consistently that it has become the expectation. Those are elite, NFL-calibur plays and I love seeing Hall execute them at such a high level.

DICKSON: The 65-yard touchdown throw to Keanu Hill was a real gem. It traveled probably 60 yards but the most important part of the throw was that Hall put enough air under the ball to let Hill run under it. It’s pretty common to underthrow that ball but Hall made it look easy. His quarterback tutor, former Cougar John Beck, said Hall has worked really hard on those kinds of throws in the offseason. It’s the kind of throw that NFL scouts are taking notice of, for sure.

3. There were 24 defensive players in the Wyoming game credited with a tackle or quarterback hurry. Do you like the Cougars constant shuffle of defensive players into the game?

DICKSON: My initial reaction is that it would be difficult for players to get in a rhythm running in and out of the game and there may be times you won’t have your best 11 defenders on the field. The positive view is that you’re keeping a lot of guys happy getting them into the game and they are more likely to stay after the season than transfer. The coaches say they are matching personnel with the opposition and trying to keep their defenders fresh, because tired players get hurt. It all sounds logical, but I’m old school. I want BYU’s best 11 guys on the field for the majority of the game and I’m not sure that’s happening.

LLOYD: Since BYU has 15 positions listed as defensive “starters” on the depth chart, it’s not surprising to me that they are getting contributions from a lot of players. A big part of that is matchups, of course, since offenses go with such a wide variety of running back/tight end/wide receiver formations. But the platoon system is designed to go beyond that, to attempt to keep guys from getting fatigued and the resulting mistakes that come with it. Football makes that approach uniquely applicable, since it is a series of repetitive sprints instead of having continual flow like basketball, hockey and soccer. You see athletes in those sports regularly taking time to recover by walking around instead of sprinting. BYU is just having their defenders get that break on the sideline instead of in the game. To me, the two things that have to happen for it to work is that the players have to buy in and be ready for each rep they get and then it has to be smoothly choreographed so the transition is effective. I do believe, however, that in key situations you need to turn to your very best players and believe they can overcome a little fatigue to make the play you need.

4. Not that we believe in curses, but … with as many BYU quarterbacks that have been injured against Utah State in the past half-dozen years, should Jaren Hall even play on Thursday?

LLOYD: I’ve watched how Hall has played during this season and though he clearly isn’t afraid of contact, I feel like he has been smart about how he has taken hits. He gets down or gets out of bounds, limiting the risks. That will certainly be important against the Aggies, but no more so than any other game. Could it happen again where a USU tackle injures him? Yes, but no more so than any other game. He just needs to keep playing smart football and he’ll have a good chance of making it through unhurt.

DICKSON: It’s weird, isn’t it? The Aggies knocked Taysom Hill out of three separate games. I don’t think Utah State is doing anything dirty, but it’s a strange coincidence that so many BYU quarterbacks have been injured in games against the guys from Logan. I don’t believe in curses so I’d play Jaren Hall. But … if the Cougars have a big lead late, I would take him out a little early just to be on the safe side.

5. What player on the BYU men’s basketball team are you most excited to watch this season?

DICKSON: The progress of big man Atiki Ally Atiki last season was stunning to watch. He wasn’t expected to play much in 2021-22 but injuries forced him into more minutes. He’s an elite rebounder on both sides of the court. He is way above average as a leaper and shot blocker. His offense, with mainly short hook shots, was a big surprise. The Cougars will be trying to push the ball more this year and Atiki can really run the floor as well, so expect some pretty spectacular fast-break dunks from him. If he can make another big leap this season I think he’s got NBA potential.

LLOYD: I often felt like sophomore forward Fousseyni Traore wasn’t used as effectively as he could have been in 2021-22. Even though he is just 6-foot-6, I felt like he could be a force inside and that BYU needed to get him touches down low where he would score or get fouled. If that happened enough, it would force opposing defenses to drop down more and in turn open up more looks for the shooters. If he has improved and has the trust of the Cougar coaches, that could pay big dividends for the rest of the team. I’m also going to add a second guy that I want to see in action and that is Trey Stewart. The sophomore from American Fork had a lot of chances to learn from Alex Barcello and I’m interested to see what that translates to on the floor for BYU this winter.

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