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Provo • It has been well-documented four games into the season that BYU's offense has not been as good as advertised in preseason camp. Sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps has struggled mightily for all but a couple of halves.
Fingers have also been pointed at the running backs for tentativeness and the receivers for failing to get open downfield.
Add it all up, and the Cougars' offense is in the bottom 20 of almost every NCAA statistical category.
There's another culprit to blame for the embarrassing offensive production at a school known for offense, although it would be difficult to find a team that has gone against four better defenses than those at Ole Miss, Texas, Utah and Central Florida.
That's BYU's offensive line.
And that's puzzling, because this unit led by All-American left tackle Matt Reynolds and three other returning starters — senior center Terence Brown, junior right tackle Braden Brown and junior right guard Braden Hansen — was billed as one of BYU's better offensive lines last summer.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall agrees — almost.
"I think they are doing a really nice job at pass protection," Mendenhall said. "What they are not doing as well is knocking opposing fronts off the ball and then running for power. So the combination of either running backs having to run for more power, and/or offensive linemen coming off and blocking to create more push is something we have really focused on."
BYU quarterbacks have been sacked five times in 167 passing attempts, ranking the Cougars 35th in the country. Running backs failing to pick up blitzing linebackers account for at least two of those.
The offensive line's deficiency is clearly run-blocking. After rushing for a season-high 127 yards against UCF, the Cougars are still averaging just 68.0 yards per ground, 116th in the country.
"We simplified the run game last week. I think we saw signs of that improving. It is going to have to keep doing that," Mendenhall said. "So again, in relation to the question of offensive line, I am comfortable in how we are protecting, I would now like to see the physical component of the run game take some more traction than what we have had."
In fairness, the group has not been at full strength.
Starting left guard Houston Reynolds, who inherited the spot vacated by Jason Speredon, has been slowed by shoulder soreness and plantar fasciitis in his left foot, an ailment that caused him to miss the UCF game and has him questionable for Friday's game against Utah State at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Freshman Ryker Mathews showed promise in camp and likely would have rotated in at several positions, including Houston Reynolds' left guard spot, but needed season-ending surgery on his injured foot. And Hansen has still not reached 100 percent, Mendenhall acknowledged last week, after having surgery on both ankles last December.
Running back Bryan Kariya said after the UCF game that the running backs should share the blame for the offense's inability to run the ball better as much as the offensive linemen.
"The holes have been there some of the time," he said. "It's on us running backs to find them and go harder at them."
Tight ends also share the responsibility for run blocking, although Mendenhall said he's pleased so far with the play of Austin Holt, Richard Wilson and Marcus Mathews, a flex tight end.
The tight ends "are maybe a little more consistent than what I thought they would be," he said. —
An underachieving offensive line
Player Position
Matt Reynolds Left tackle Has protected Jake Heaps' blind side well
Marco Thorson Left guard Starting by default after injuries to two others
Terence Brown Center
Solid blocker, but his wayward snaps have hurt offense
Braden Hansen Right guard Not quite 100 percent after surgery on both ankles last December
Braden Brown Right tackle
Adept at pass protection, not a great run blocker