DICKSON: Considering the recent events in Michigan and the death of church president Russell M. Nelson, the chants seem particularly tone deaf. College students aren’t generally known for their sensitivity or compassion (especially when drunk or high) but you would think somebody in that crowd would have a sense that it wasn’t cool. The fine and reprimand were appropriate and the university came out with a statement as well, saying the chants were unacceptable. What it really comes down to is accountability. If CU intends to put their money where their mouth is, they’ll start removing fans who are involved in such chants and revoke their attendance privileges. If not, it’s just words. And fans will continue to say hurtful and dumb things when it comes to BYU.

GURNEY: I really don’t think it will, to be perfectly honest. I mean, we’re talking about dumb and largely drunk college students who are often actively engaged in being as disruptive or as profane is possible within their group dynamic. To me, there’s a big difference when impugning a school or football team opposed to a specific religious sect, but given BYU’s very close ties to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it becomes pretty muddled. Do I think the chants are fine? No, absolutely not, but I’d be surprised if we didn’t hear like chants when BYU travels to Arizona in a couple of weeks given the past behavior exhibited by those fans.

2. What areas of concern do the Cougars have to address in the short week leading up to Friday’s home game against West Virginia?

GURNEY: BYU’s defensive line took a step back against Colorado, or were exposed relative to what the position group had shown through the first three games of the season. Colorado was able to gash BYU’s front on too many occasions and the defensive ends again showed little to no effective pressures when the Cougars weren’t blitzing. Those areas need to change as the competition will become steadily elevated with every game played for the rest of the season. I did notice the entire defensive line group spending 15-20 extra minutes following Tuesday’s practice session after the other position groups had exited the Indoor Practice Facility, so it’s pretty apparent coaches understand the strides that need to be made within that position group.

DICKSON: Gurney is right about the defensive line. They should take this week as a challenge to step up better than they did against Colorado. I’d point to the offensive line as well. It’s kind of crazy that the Cougars are No. 9 in the country in rushing yards per game because they haven’t shown the ability to line up and run the ball right at a defense. Sure, LJ Martin has broken loose on some runs and the quarterback rushing attack of Bear Bachmeier has been very good, but I’ve been disappointed that BYU has struggled so much establishing a traditional running attack. Pass protection has been pretty good, but I’d like to see a few more “road grader” situations against West Virginia.

3. BYU is ninth in the country in rushing yards per game (251.3), boosted, of course, by a 468-yard performance in the opener against FCS Portland State. What are your thoughts on the Cougar running game?

Courtesy BYU Photo

DICKSON: I’m just kind of continuing my thoughts from Question No. 2, but the running game really needs the offensive line to step up. Opponents have been pretty consistent in focusing on stopping the BYU running game. Stanford had six tackles for loss, East Carolina eight and Colorado five. Most of those are on run blitzes. That’s a bit concerning. I would say offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick has found ways to attack and take advantage of the opponent’s commitment to stopping the running game with Bachmeier throwing and running the ball. That’s a good thing. I like the idea of getting Jovesa Damuni, Preston Rex and Enoch Nawahine involved in the ground attack. They all offer a change of pace from Martin and could help break things loose a little bit.

GURNEY: I know that Kalani Sitake expressed a lot of confidence in his running back depth during Monday’s press conference, but I still have my doubts. The work LJ Martin has done this season has gone far beyond his stellar rushing stats and any injury to him could effect overall offensive production considerably. Also, the offensive line wasn’t busting open the wide open holes last week against the Buffaloes that we saw during the first three games of the season. Again, the competition is bound to get tougher for the remainder of the season and better run production is certainly warranted.

4. Which BYU offensive player needs to get the ball more?

GURNEY: It sounds crazy to say this given that he’s currently BYU’s top receiver, but it’s Chase Roberts. As teams continue to stack the box against the Cougars Roberts is often afforded single coverage and he can torch that on almost every occasion. Yes, the senior has 16 receptions through four games played, but I think it needs to be close to double that, given his overall talent and the need the offense has to stretch opposing defenses. I think BYU would do very well affording Roberts double-digit targets for the remainder of the season.

DICKSON: How about sophomore wide receiver Cody Hagen, the guy who’s taken two Tornado Reverses for touchdowns? I dig his running style, which is legs and arms flapping around like crazy. He’s not one of those guys who makes it look effortless but, man, that guy can motor. Get him in the middle of the field with a catch and if he makes the first guy miss, it’s probably off to the races. Opposing defenses are certainly honing in on Roberts and tight end Carsen Ryan, so there should be some things open for Hagen to exploit.

5. OK, other side of the ball: Which BYU defensive player deserves more game reps?

DICKSON: I know he’s getting a lot of reps anyway but I’ve been really impressed with the progress of junior safety Raider Damuni. He is good in coverage and absolutely one of the best hitters in the secondary. He looked a little lost last year at times but he is showing a lot of ability so far this season. It’s obvious he knows the defense and that’s allowed him to be better at anticipating the opposing offense. I know BYU likes to rotate a lot of guys on defense but I believe Damuni is one of three or four guys that should probably never leave the field, he’s that important.

GURNEY: Wow, this is a very tough question since it’s all but impossible to poke holes in Jay Hill’s very stout and impressive defensive rotations. But I’ll go with John Taumoepeau and certainly Keanu Tanuvasa here. It was very apparent how much weaker BYU’s interior line proved when those two players were rotated out. I understand that you need to rotate defensive tackles out frequently, given the physical tax that position endures, but I think both players need to be afforded 70% of the reps moving forward, at least during games versus top opponents.