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QUARTERBACK B
It was a game that required patience from the quarterback spot, and Max Hall was OK in that regard. He finished 22-of-34 for 265 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. It was a lot better than last year in Albuquerque, when Hall had 22 incomplete passes. He had to scramble a few times because of pressure but wasn't sacked.
RUNNING BACK C+
Harvey Unga had a very workman-like game with 22 carries for 95 yards. His longest gain was eight yards, so he was taking quite a few hits and battled for every yard. Fui Vakapuna only had one carry (for nine yards) and was the lead blocker for Unga on almost every play.
WIDE RECEIVER/TIGHT END B+
Austin Collie continues to befuddle opposing defenses with his fourth straight 100-yard game and a career high in yardage (162). He's tough and excellent in one-on-one situations. Andrew George had two touchdown catches, but Dennis Pitta wasn't much of a factor.
OFFENSIVE LINE C
Where are the holes? For the second straight game, BYU's big front line was, at best, average in run blocking against a much smaller, quicker defense. Sure, Max Hall wasn't sacked, but there doesn't seem to be much running room for Unga. These guys should be plowing the road a lot better.
DEFENSIVE LINE C+
A tough game for the D-Line, which lost more battles than it won against New Mexico's physical running game. When BYU did manage to stop the run, it was the linebackers shooting gaps. Grade comes up a little because Jan Jorgensen had 11 tackles (10 assists) and a sack by Ian Dulan.
LINEBACKER A-
David Nixon (11 tackles, two tackles for loss) was excellent and Coleby Clawson had two sacks to end New Mexico's last-gasp drive. Against a team that ran the ball on almost every play, the linebackers were solid.
SAFETY B
Kellen Fowler had 10 tackles and David Tafuna added nine and an interception ¬-- courtesy of a tipped ball from Fowler. The good news is the safeties were active and in on a lot of plays. The bad news is that when the safeties are making a lot of tackles, the opposition is reaching the second level of the defense too much.
CORNERBACK B
Scott Johnson was the fourth BYU player with double-digit tackles (10). New Mexico didn't pass much, but it looked like it could have completed a 6-to-10-yard hitch all day long. BYU's corners didn't have much to do Saturday.
SPECIAL TEAMS B-
C.J. Santiago had three punts that pinned New Mexico deep in its own territory, which helped change field position. The coverage teams were good, but Justin Sorensen missed a 50-yard field goal. Not much impact from the return teams. |
