No. 8 Cougars aren’t panicking over their pedestrian passing numbers

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No power conference football team in the country has fewer passing yards this season than BYU, which has only 719 yards through the air through four games.

Does that mean it is time to panic in Provo?

Hardly, BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier, offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick and passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake said Tuesday as the No. 8 Cougars (4-0, 2-0) prepared to host Iowa State on Friday night (8:15 p.m. MDT, ESPN) at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

“Kind of an anomaly last game (versus TCU),” said Bachmeier. “I am very confident in our pass game. … I mean, we just want to play BYU football. We want to sling the pill around and be physical in the run game, so yeah.”

In the 17-10 win over TCU, Bachmeier completed only 11 of 24 passes for 62 yards, as a persistent drizzly rain and misty conditions in Fort Worth made gripping the ball and completing passes extra difficult, the quarterback said.

“It was one of those games,” Bachmeier said. “Luckily we got out of there with a win. … We knew it was going to be rainy, and there was a little mist that Saturday, too, but yeah, circumstances arose and I am just proud of the team and how we bounced back.”

Bouncing back meant Bachmeier put the outcome of the game on his legs, and rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-sealer from 21 yards out with 2:06 remaining.

“Like, we don’t have gaudy stats right now, but they’re blocking their butts off. They’re doing a great job lining up right, doing what they’re supposed to. They’re just happy we’re winning right now, but they also believe we will hit our stride in the passing game here soon.”

BYU passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake

Bachmeier and Sitake both brushed back against suggestions that receivers and tight ends weren’t getting open against TCU’s heavy zone defense in the secondary.

“They found voids (in the coverage), but obviously circumstances arose and we had to adapt,” Bachmeier said. “… BYU football is hard-nosed, and we’re going to run the ball and we’re going to take shots, and be dynamic in the run game and in the pass game.”

Asked Monday whether the receivers were struggling to get open against TCU and if that was a concern, head coach Kalani Sitake got right to the point.

“No, we will be fine,” he said.

Certainly, BYU’s run game has been dynamic, which is a major reason why the passing numbers have been pedestrian. As was the case last Saturday and in the second halves against Colorado State and Utah Tech, Roderick called plays designed to milk the clock and get the games over as quickly as possible.

“We do whatever it takes to win here, and that’s part of being a team, and it was a tough night. The weather was really bad,” Roderick said, while also praising TCU’s defense. “… We did have some struggles that were self-inflicted. They were our own problems. That game got to the point where it was just (time to) hunker down and do what you have to do to get out of there with a win.”

The Cougars are now 131st in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total passing yards (719) and 114th in passing yards per game (179.8). They are 132nd in pass attempts (89 passes) and 94th in passing touchdowns, with just six.

However, they are still among the more efficient passing teams in the country, averaging 8.1 yards per attempt (47th).

“I’ve been really pleased with the receivers,” Fesi Sitake said. “Like A Rod said, we haven’t really had the opportunity to throw the ball a lot. We’ve seen flashes, and we are excited for the chance to just let it go for four quarters.

“Like, we don’t have gaudy stats right now, but they’re blocking their butts off. They’re doing a great job lining up right, doing what they’re supposed to. They’re just happy we’re winning right now, but they also believe we will hit our stride in the passing game here soon.”

That could come as soon as Friday, as BYU is down to its third- and fourth-string running backs, Preston Rex and true freshman Journee Tonga. Roderick said freshman Devaughn Eka could also get some carries this week.

Top running back LJ Martin has been ruled out with an ankle sprain. Martin is averaging 7.8 yards per carry and 86.0 yards per game.

Roderick said the receivers have handled the situation well, noting that nobody is grousing about not seeing the ball enough.

“There was not one long face on our team about our passing stats or who touched the ball or anything,” he said. “If you see the final touchdown at the end of the game and the celebration in the end zone, it was a really good sign of what kind of team we have and how much the guys care about each other.”

BYU’s tight ends — starters Walker Lyons and Roger Saleapaga and reserve Keayen Nead — have combined to catch 13 passes for 131 yards. Saleapaga missed the CSU game and Nead is more of a blocking tight end.

“We just haven’t been able to play that much yet,” Roderick said. “We had two games where we played half the game and they both had an impact. … And then the Arizona game, I thought they both played well. Then last week that game did not go as planned with the weather.

“I think they’re both doing a lot of good things, and you are going to see a lot of them the rest of the year,” he continued.

‘Committed to the process’

Fesi Sitake has been saying since spring ball came and went without BYU making a move to replace Parker Kingston that he was happy with the makeup of his receivers room. Through four games, he hasn’t changed his stance on that, as freshman Legend Glasker and Kyler Kasper have emerged as BYU’s top two pass-catchers.

Glasker has 14 catches for 279 yards and two touchdowns, and Kasper has 11 catches for 138 yards and two TDs. Returner Jojo Phillips is off to a slower start, with six catches for 45 yards and one TD.

“The mantra in our room is being committed to the process without being emotionally attached to the results,” Sitake said. “The process right now is to do whatever we can to help the team win.

“There are going to be times where we have to throw for 400 yards, and then there’s times like we have had this season where we have to run the ball a ton,” he continued. “So, we’re good. These guys have bought into that message. And they are very aware of the opportunity we have ahead of us.”

Snow College transfer Reggie Frischknecht has two catches, while Tiger Bachmeier and Jared Esplin have one each. Sitake said a few other guys are “close” to seeing more playing time, most notably freshmen Jaron Pula and Terrance Saryon and sophomore Tei Nacua.

He said tight ends Saleapaga and Lyons “have a great relationship” and have “put any differences aside” for the good of the team.

“That says a lot about those two,” Sitake said. “They celebrate when each other does something well, and that’s trickled over into the receivers room. It is just a sign of a great culture, great leadership on this team, and we are glad to have those kinds of guys.”

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