This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Corvallis, Ore.
The same quarterback whose lazily floating pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown late in the second quarter nimbly stepped away from a rusher and delivered a long completion, launching a scoring drive to begin the second half.
Such is life with Riley Nelson.
BYU's new, apparently permanent QB was not exactly perfect Saturday in a 38-28 win over Oregon State, but there's something appealing about his style and the way his offensive teammates have responded to him.
"The attitude, the grit … it does change the way you play," said BYU lineman Matt Reynolds, and the improved results just keep coming. Nelson delivered three touchdown passes, the Cougars hit the 500-yard mark in total offense (until Nelson's last-play kneel-down subtracted a yard) and they scored a bunch of points, including two touchdowns with the outcome in doubt in the fourth quarter.
While the level of competition may have dropped off since September, when Jake Heaps was quarterbacking the Cougars, that's not all that's different. BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall suggested that someone who studied the offensive trends since the second half of the Utah State game would "find some commonalities."
Hmmm. Would the QB switch be a reasonable guess?
"He has changed their team since he has taken over," said OSU coach Mike Riley, and he should know.
Sure, some disclaimers were readily available at Reser Stadium. Nelson would not have topped 200 passing yards without a phenomenal effort from receiver Cody Hoffman. Oregon State's defense is hardly a vintage Pac-12 outfit. BYU's play-action passing scheme would not have worked so well without the powerful, shifty running of Michael Alisa and Nelson's own scrambling ability.
That's still the issue about this BYU offense: What happens when the Cougars truly have to rely on Nelson's arm?
Actually, there's another question: What if they never have to do that until 2012?
There's only one decent defense remaining on BYU's schedule, and Texas Christian is not its old self these days, either. The Beavers were determined to make Nelson beat them through the air, but they could not stop the Cougars from racking up 282 rushing yards — including Nelson's 87 and Alisa's 84.
"When you know you can run the ball like that, it takes pressure off everything else," Nelson said.
So does having a 6-foot-4 receiver such as Hoffman, working against shorter cornerbacks. "A big-bodied dude like that, as a quarterback, you like it because you don't have to be perfect," Nelson said.
Nelson never will be accused of perfection as a passer, that's for sure. More likely, there will always be one of those cover-your-eyes moments with him in every game. Imperfect example: his soft throw toward the sideline that OSU's Jordan Poyer turned into a touchdown to tie the game late in the first half, 14-14.
So to say that BYU has punted only once in the nearly 10 quarters since Nelson took over the offense is somewhat deceiving, considering the team's six turnovers. Yet by the end of Saturday's game, Nelson had generated 10 touchdown drives in that period, energizing a BYU offense in need of something that Heaps was not providing.
BYU (5-2) has confidence and momentum that seemingly only TCU can derail in two weeks, and not even the Horned Frogs could totally ruin the Cougars' season at this point.
Asked about Nelson's aggressive, contagious running style, Mendenhall said, "I love it."
So who knows where all of this will lead next year, but Riley Nelson clearly is your Cougar quarterback for 2011.
Twitter: @tribkurt