Where Does BYU football Go From Here?
Well, it’s over. Despite a 5-2 start to the season, BYU failed to make a bowl game, and did so in spectacular fashion. In many ways, BYU’s loss to Oklahoma State was a microcosm of the entire season: start hot and completely collapse. I’m not sure I can remember a loss as painful as that one - and I was in Salt Lake when BYU blew a 20-point third quarter lead to Utah. But after a day or two removed from the agony, it’s time for a moment of clarity on where BYU’s program is today and where BYU goes from here.
First off, BYU isn’t that far away, at least not as far away as we may feel today. After a catastrophic middle of the season, Kalani didn’t lose the locker room and had two ranked conference opponents on the ropes. Ultimately, BYU wasn’t good to finish the job, but its progress.
Credit: BYU Photo
BYU clearly needs changes in both coaching and personnel. The offense was largely a disaster, but I think it looks vastly different with the right quarterback. Aaron Roderick isn’t going anywhere. It’s best to make our peace with it now as to not spend our next 12 months of fandom yelling at clouds about third and long screen passes that literally every coordinator in the game does too. He has some serious questions to answer, though, including the way he calls games when BYU takes a three-score lead. That's been a pervasive issue for the last three seasons. BYU has only beaten an FBS opponent by 18+ once since he officially took over play-calling duties, while his offenses have only put up 40+ points twice. That is unacceptable at this level. If he can’t fix that next season, I don’t expect him to receive a third crack at the Big 12.
The defense has gotten a pass this season, but they have major questions to answer as well, namely why can’t they get off the field on 3rd and long? BYU is 115th in the country in third down defense this season, and it’s kept BYU from winning games. Fans will point to the offense as the sole reason BYU failed to reach bowl eligibility, but in BYU's 7 losses, BYU allowed at least 35 points in 6 of them. Even if BYU did have a competent offense, I’m not convinced BYU wins any of those games with that kind of production on defense.
BYU wasn’t good enough on either side of the ball to be bowl eligible. Plain and simple. Is that on coaching or talent? Both. BYU needs to be better at every level. They need to practice differently, recruit differently, and play differently if they want to get to the level they want to be at.
Credit: BYU Photo
But I repeat, BYU isn’t as far away as we feel today. BYU dropped the ball in their final two games, literally and figuratively, but the fact that either game came down to a dropped ball is a sign of progress. BYU is in heated recruiting battles for multiple high 3-star and 4-star players as signing day approaches. That is a sign of progress. Losing seasons don’t happen very often at BYU. 2023 is only the fifth one in the last 50 years. That's why it hurts so much, but we need not forget that the diamonds that were the 2020-2021 seasons were forged in the fires of the 2017 season.
BYU will need to lick their wounds, regroup and begin again tomorrow. There are no excuses or moral victories. No fooling themselves into thinking they were good enough by sneaking into a bowl game in the 11th hour. They have no choice but to look in the mirror at the failure staring back at them and deal with it. It must fuel every rep, every meal, and every film review session this offseason.
Those who are unwilling to put forth the effort required will likely leave for what they view as greener pastures, and that’s ok. That mentality is what got BYU to 5-7 in the first place. What BYU needs most in this program is athletes that want to be here. More players like Eddie Heckard, Aidan Robbins, and Tyler Batty.
I think BYU has the head coach and coordinators necessary to win, but they need to be better. They need to retool at certain positions, namely at QB and along the offensive and defensive line, whether that’s with players currently on the roster or not. They need to address core issues with their respective schemes, even if that means being humble enough to add “co-“ to their job title. Can BYU get it turned around? Time will tell, but they’ve done it before under Kalani and I believe they can do it again.
