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The BYU offensive line prepares to run a play during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU freshman running back Sione I. Moa runs the ball during the non-conference game against Wyoming in Laramie on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024.

Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo

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The BYU offensive line had to switch some things up before the Wyoming game last week, since sophomore starter Sonny Makasini wasn’t available.

That meant junior Austin Leausa (a transfer from Southern Utah) was going to be called on to face the solid Cowboy defensive front.

Wednesday after practice, Cougar senior captain Connor Pay gave his assessment of how Leausa did.

“I thought he did really well overall,” Pay said. “Obviously there were probably a few plays I’m sure he wants back. In your first start ever there are going to be some mistakes. But he’s played a lot of football at Southern Utah and I thought he did really well overall.”

BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick agreed, saying he didn’t notice any drop off at the right guard spot.

“He played well,” Roderick said. “Sonny had played well in the first two games and Austin did as well. I didn’t even think about it during the game.”

Leausa wasn’t the only one who had a couple of miscues. BYU had a few offensive line penalties against Wyoming when it had been fairly clean prior to that game.

“We were trying to play fast and sometimes when you are playing fast, stuff happens,” Pay said. “I always seem to get a holding call against Wyoming for some reason. We just got a little sloppy with our hands when we were playing fast.”

Even with the penalties, Pay and Roderick both feel like the offensive line unit are getting to where they want them to be.

“It’s close,” Pay said. “Obviously we’ve had some changes, but I feel like this unit is gelling really well. We all have a pretty good feel for each other and hopefully that continues so we get better week to week to week. That’s what the best o-lines do. They improve their cohesiveness and technique every week of the season.”

Roderick agreed that although the offensive trench play isn’t quite where they want it to be yet, it’s getting there.

“I’m seeing improvement,” Roderick said. “We are running the ball better than we did a year ago. There is still a long way to go and a lot of improvement to make. And this week we are going against a defense this week that has been one of the best run defenses in the country for the last three years.”

As Roderick pointed out, now the competition is going to be tougher as BYU gets into Big 12 conference play starting this weekend when it faces No. 13-ranked Kansas State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo (8:30 p.m. MT, ESPN).

Part of the responsibility to have success on the ground against the Wildcats depends on the running backs, but Roderick said the Cougars aren’t certain at this point who will be ready to run through the holes the offensive line creates.

“It’s still pretty fluid,” Roderick said. “LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati are both getting better every day. We feel like both of them could play without a lot of practice reps because they are both veteran players that we trust. I’m sure they will be ready, though, so we have been giving a lot of the reps to the same guys who played in the Wyoming game. I do expect to get Enoch Nawahine back. He should be ready to roll.”

But while this will be a big test, Pay said that he doesn’t feel like he will be able to gauge just how well the line has done until he gets the see the full body of work.

“I think you have to make a statement that you’ve improved every week,” Pay said. “I don’t know if I would weight one game over any other, but as we get into conference play we are going to have to see each week if we can continue to improve. When we get to the end of the season and can look back, that will be more of a litmus test of how far we have come.”