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Provo • Fifth-year senior quarterback Taysom Hill put the blame for BYU's offensive struggles on his own shoulders Wednesday after practice, saying "Everything falls on the quarterback," and "Yeah, I've got to play better."
Offensive coordinator Ty Detmer took a different approach as the Cougars continued preparation for Saturday's game with West Virginia at FedEd Field in the Washington, D.C., area, saying the offensive coaches, including himself, and all the offensive players should share the blame equally for the performances.
Hill, Detmer and receivers coach Ben Cahoon also agreed that the Cougars (1-2) have faced three good defenses in Arizona, Utah and UCLA. Having averaged 17 points and 338.7 yards per game, BYU is 119th in scoring offense and 105th in total offense.
"We have got to be better on every facet of our team, offensively," said Hill, whose efficiency rating is a career-low 102.89 through three games. "We have to do better at recognizing man and zone [defenses] in the secondary and making sure the routes we are running are man routes, and making sure the ball is out on time."
On Monday, head coach Kalani Sitake reiterated that Hill will be the starter against the Mountaineers, even though sophomore Tanner Mangum waits in the wings after posting a 136.0 efficiency rating last year in 13 games, albeit against weaker competition overall than the Cougars have faced in 2016.
Detmer said Hill has handled the adversity well, and is "positive and upbeat" in practice and meetings.
"When you have a guy like Tanner sitting behind you, everyone always wants the new, next best thing," Detmer said. "And the grass is always greener on the other side when things aren't going exactly right. But after watching the film a couple times, you understand that [Hill], at times, is doing all he can do."
Reminded that the Cougars started 0-3 his senior year, with losses to Florida State, UCLA and Penn State before reeling off eight wins and two ties, Detmer said he knows more than anybody that it takes a team effort.
"I hadn't changed as a player," he said of the start following his Heisman Trophy-winning season. "But sometimes you are only as good as the guys that are playing around you, at times. [Hill] feels like he is doing his part, but can be sharper."
Receiver Mitchell Juergens said Hill's resolve this week has been strong.
"Taysom is a gamer, and we always have his back," said Juergens, pronouncing himself healthy after a wicked hit against the Bruins. "After that [UCLA] game, every single person on the field has things to work on, including myself."
Sitake said the offense could be tailored this week to things that Hill does well, and Detmer acknowledged the need to simplify the attack a bit to avoid paralysis by analysis.
"It has been a little bit of everything," Detmer said. "It is a guy here, a guy there, a drop here, a missed block there. We gotta tighten up all across the board. So it is not one guy, one thing. It [will take] us playing as a unit."
Detmer said a makeshift offensive line that was absent three-year starter Ului Lapuaho against UCLA "hasn't been terrible" and is performing reasonably well. Receivers coach Cahoon said the scrutiny and criticism of the receivers is deserved and their play and how they've been coached is "not good enough" so far.
"Last week was a little bit of an aberration," Cahoon said. "We have identified the issues and made the corrections."
For his part, Hill believes he has picked up Detmer's new offensive system well. He thinks Detmer's plan to simplify things is helpful.
"There were a lot of good things we can learn from those [late-game] drives, and make sure we carry them over and we have that same urgency throughout the entire game," Hill said.
Twitter: @drewjay —
Where BYU's offense ranks nationally
Category Rank Actual
Total offense 105th 338.7 ypg.
Passing offense 78th 212.3 ypg.
Rushing offense 107th 126.3 ypg.
3rd-down conversions 65th 40.1 pct.
Scoring offense 119th 17.0 pts.