1. BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick has deemed BYU’s next six games as the toughest in program history. Do you agree with this designation and what’s a reasonable expectation with regards to how many of those six games the Cougars can win?

GURNEY: It’s very hard to disagree with Roderick here. Sure, BYU opened up with several tough slates during the independence era, but nothing compared to the length and subsequent quality of opponent the Cougars will face for the next month and a half. There’s not breaks during the stretch, beginning this week versus what looks to be a much-improved Arizona team in Tucson. It’s very reasonable to expect BYU to take some lumps, and should it manage to split the brutal six-game stretch, Cougar fans should consider it a success, all factors considered. Even coming out of the stretch with a 2-4 record would put the Cougars at a likely 8-4 for the season, which is a mark a lot of optimistic fans and pundits assigned to the team during the preseason.

DICKSON: I think we’ve already established that Roderick is way smarter than I am, right? So it must be true. There have been some tough stretches in BYU football history, for sure. The Cougars opened 2000 against Florida State, Virginia, Air Force and Mississippi State. In 2004, it was Notre Dame, Stanford, USC, Boise State and Colorado State.

What makes this season the toughest (in my opinion) is the nature of the Big 12. Games against teams from the bottom of the league can still wear you out and put you in a hole in terms of injuries. That every week grind can really put a hurt on a team. We’ll see how BYU makes its way through Arizona, Utah, Iowa State, Texas Tech, TCU and a much-better-than-expected Cincinnati. Yikes, that’s a tough road.

2. Of BYU’s next six games, which do you believe presents the toughest test?

DICKSON: I know that Texas Tech is probably the best team in the conference and will be a difficult test. But I believe the Utah game is the toughest game on the BYU schedule every year. I hearken back to Bronco Mendenhall, early in his tenure with the Cougars, trying to pass off the Utah matchup as just another game. Dude, you’ve got to be joking. I think he eventually figured out that the mental and emotional toll of the rivalry game was much harder to overcome not only that day but in following games. This year will be no different. Playing the Utes in October doesn’t make any sense to me. Ready for a conspiracy theory? I think the Big 12 is afraid to put BYU-Utah on Thanksgiving Week or near the end of the season because it would overshadow some of their other traditional rivalries. Or maybe I’m just a loon.

GURNEY: Prior to the start of the season I considered BYU’s October 25 matchup at Iowa State as the toughest on the schedule due to how good I believed the Cyclones would be coupled with the fact that it’s the week after what will certainly be a physically and mentally taxing game versus Utah. I’m backing off that consideration, though, due to Iowa State’s injury issues, which includes the loss of both of its starting cornerbacks for the rest of the season. The game at Texas Tech is the popular choice, and probably the right one, but I want to point out the November 22 game at what looks to be a very formidable Cincinnati team which looks like it can compete with just about any team in the Big 12 Conference at this stage of the season.

3. Which position group or specific player has impressed you most relative to the preseason expectations?

GURNEY: There’s several players who I believe have exceeded preseason expectations, and most of them reside on the defensive side of the football. Cornerback Evan Johnson is certainly a good choice, as is safety Faletau Satuala, but I’m going to go with defensive end Logan Lutui. Entering the season I considered the senior edge defender as a solid player who wouldn’t necessarily be a standout playmaker. I was wrong. The 6-foot-2, 260 pounder leads the entire team in total tackles through five games played this season, a remarkable accomplishment for any defensive lineman. Even BYU’s best defensive ends in year’s past haven’t managed leading tackler honors, and considering just how good linebackers Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker are, it makes Lutui’s team-leading tackles all the more impressive.

DICKSON: I think I’ll choose defensive tackle John Taumoepeau. All the preseason hype was for transfers Keanu Tanuvasa (Utah) and Justin Kirkland (Oklahoma State) on the interior. Kirkland has been slowed by injury but I would submit that John T (don’t make me type that crazy Poly name again. Do you realize there are seven vowels in his last name?) has been just as good, if not better, than Tanuvasa. Defensive tackles are the guys that eat up blocks so the linebackers can post cool tackle numbers and I think John T is making a name for himself with his teammates and coaches when it comes to stopping opponent’s run games.

4. Which position group of specific players hasn’t lived up to your preseason expectation?

DICKSON: I used to think I was a pretty good ball knower, but I’m being told repeatedly by Pro Football Focus and Hans Olsen that the BYU offensive line is prime. I guess my expectations are higher than 3.2 yards per carry against West Virginia (before LJ Martin’s meaningless 32-yard run with under a minute to play, anyway). I think Martin is a really, really good back but I’m just not seeing the kinds of holes he needs to really get going. I realize opponents are selling out to stop the run with run blitzes. Stanford had six tackles for loss, East Carolina eight, Colorado five and West Virginia three, so maybe the Cougars are getting things figured out. If Bear Bachmeier can continue to make teams pay for stacking the line with the passing game, great. I just think this O-line group should be able to road grade more consistently.

GURNEY: Outside of Lutui, there was a lot of hype assigned to BYU’s roster of young and exciting group of defensive ends. A lot was anticipated from top recruits like Hunter Clegg, Tausili Akana and Nusi Taumoepeau, among others, but there hasn’t been a much production from those players. Five games into the season and BYU’s defensive ends have yet to log a single sack, a fact that is sort of surprising and sort of alarming. Meanwhile John Henry Daley has proved to be one of the best edge rushers in the country for Utah, a couple of years after transferring away from Provo, making BYU’s lack of pass rush from the edge all the more frustrating to fans who had high expectations.

5. We’ve been able to see a lot of top performers show their talent at the prep level this season. Which Utah Valley high school football player has perhaps impressed you most with their abilities?

GURNEY: Utah County features a lot of top players, but to me, it’s Lone Peak receiver Jaron Pula. Granted I’ve seen Lone Peak play more than any other team in the valley, but still, Pula has managed to make big plays every time I’ve seen him take the field. The 6-foot-3 senior Utah commit has great speed, ball skills and overall skill that easily draws comparisons to some of the great receivers Utah County has featured in the past, most notably Chase Roberts. Roberts was a bit overshadowed by Puka Nacua during his high school career, but showed superior ball skills and a height-and-speed combination that has led to a standout collegiate career with BYU. I see a lot of Roberts’ overall ability whenever I’ve seen Pula perform this season.

DICKSON: Orem’s Kaue Akana was hurt and missed the early part of the season. I felt like he was the best overall player coming back in 2025 after a junior year that was absolutely stunning: 76 receptions, 1,227 yards (16.4 per catch) and 14 touchdowns receiving; 51 PAT’s and four field goals along with booming kickoffs regularly reaching the end zone and 21 tackles on defense.

At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, the BYU commit could play any number of positions in college, likely a safety or maybe even a linebacker. I love him as a big wide receiver, too.