Special teams coordinator and defensive ends coach Kelly Poppinga has a theory on why BYU's pass rush was one of the worst in college football last season, and it might not be what you think.
His reasoning sort of explains why the Cougars didn't hit the transfer portal hard for an accomplished pass rusher, instead relying on the improvement of returning contributors Tyler Batty, Isaiah Bagnah and Logan Lutui.
"Last year, the main reason we couldn't rush the passer (effectively) is we couldn't stop the run," Poppinga said. "And if you can't stop the run, you can't control the game. That was our issue a year ago, is we could never really get our pass rushers going because we could never control our opponent's run game."
So BYU's defensive coaches focused their efforts on stopping the run in the offseason, which meant getting better up the middle — at middle linebacker and the interior defensive line. Whether that tactic works remains to be seen.
Their plans suffered two major setbacks in the offseason. One of the top tacklers in school history, Ben Bywater, had to take a medical retirement because of nerve damage in his surgically repaired shoulder. And one of their top recruits in the 2024 signing class, Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College defensive tackle Danny Saili, transferred to Arkansas after shining for BYU in spring camp.
The Cougars are hoping that Weber State transfer Jack Kelly, Siale Esera, Harrison Taggart and Isaiah Glasker can make up for the losses of linebackers Bywater and Max Tooley in terms of plugging the rushing lanes. Additions to the interior defensive line include junior college transfers John Taumoepeau (Snow College), Luke To'omalatai (Long Beach City College) and freshman Dallin Johnson of Springville High.
Seniors Blake Mangelson and John Nelson have moved inside, joining juniors David Latu and Joshua Singh.
"If we stop the run, I promise you the sack number is going to go up. It is a team effort," Poppinga said. "With John Nelson and Blake Mangelson moving to the inside, I am excited about that group. It is veteran-led and experienced. So there is really no excuse for us not taking a big step forward this year."
BYU finished 109th out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams last year in defending the run. The Cougars gave up 177.7 rushing yards per game, which partly explains why they had just 11 sacks in 12 games. Their average of .92 sacks per game was tied with Virginia for lowest in the country.
Poppinga said Bagnah, Batty and Lutui will get the bulk of the defensive end reps, barring injury. Redshirt sophomore Bodie Schoonover, returned missionary Viliami Po'uha and true freshmen Kini Fonohema and Ephraim Asiata are also in line for playing time, particularly Asiata.
"We are very deep at defensive end," Poppinga said. "We have three veteran guys in their sixth year, with that COVID year. And we got a slew of guys who are really young, but really talented. There are going to be some growing pains along the way, but the one thing I think we can do in that group, is rush the passer."
Batty had 5.5 sacks last year, while Bagnah had one and Lutui none. Batty did have 19 quarterback hurries, and Bagnah two, for what that's worth. Clearly, and for whatever reason, the pass rush was not nearly good enough, and one of the reasons BYU went 5-7.
A Boise State transfer, Bagnah said the trio of seniors has heard the critics and will respond with their play on the field.
"You look at why my guy Batty came back, why I came back, why Logan came back. We have a chip on our shoulder. We have something to prove," Bagnah said. "We know that we left a lot of production on the table last year. This year we are coming back with a vengeance."
Lutui said an overlooked factor is that head coach Kalani Sitake brought in some "defensive line experts" in former Utah State, Wisconsin and Oregon State head coach Gary Andersen and former UCLA, UNLV and USC defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a to help BYU defensive line coach Sione Po'uha and Poppinga with their assignments.
"We have had a way bigger emphasis on pass rush, and urgency, this year," Lutui said. "We have coach (Gary) Andersen, and coach Chad helping coach Poppinga and coach Po'uha. They have all brought their knowledge of pass rush and the success they have had. I feel like we have seen it a lot throughout camp, and even in spring ball. So we are excited to showcase that."
With not much pressure from the other side, or resistance in the middle, Batty was often double-teamed in 2023 , which was not sustainable. Poppinga said the development of the other guys will be another key to getting more heat on opposing passers.
"Batty was one of the top havoc players in the Big 12 last year," Poppinga said. "We need to have three or four other guys on the front that are creating as much havoc as he is. They gotta complement each other.
"We didn't really have that last year. We had a one-trick pony that was sort of doing everything. So if we have pressure that Batty continues to do, along with our D tackles increasing their havoc, and the rush end, whoever that ends up being, we will (be better)," Poppinga continued. "We need to have four guys doing it, rather than just one."
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Asiata was a huge get for Sitake and defensive coordinator Jay Hill out of Herriman High last winter, and somewhat of a steal considering his father, Matt, played running back for the University of Utah and in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings .
The true freshman quickly turned heads in the spring with some bone-jarring hits and speed off the edge, and might be the wildcard on this year's BYU defense, if he can continue to add a few pounds.
"Yeah, we need to get him to that 210, 215 range," Poppinga said. "I always compare it to Fred Warner and Kyle Van Noy , where they played for me here as freshmen, they were in that 210 to 215 range. So we are working to get there (with Asiata). But man, he is a special athlete. And even more, a different athlete than those guys as far as his change of direction and explosiveness. There is even another level with him there that is pretty impressive."
That's high praise, considering Warner is one of the best linebackers in the NFL, and Van Noy has had a long and productive career in the league.
"So we are going to have to find a role for (Asiata), somehow, some way, to get on the field. But he will be a special teams contributor. The kid loves football," Poppinga said. "The weight part will come. We are trying to figure some things out nutritionally. But he is going to be fine. We are not worried about that at all. The love that he has for the game has fired me up, and just the special athlete that he is."
When asked about the overall improvement of the defense last week, Hill pointed to guys who are "playing at a super high level" in fall camp and specifically mentioned three defensive linemen: Batty, Mangelson and Nelson.
"We are deeper on the defensive line, so that is good," he said.
While acknowledging that they are relying on continuity more than newcomers this year, Sitake said the Cougars have "no choice" but to develop a better pass rush.
"Part of that is get a lead, make teams throw the ball on us. Win first and second down, so you put them in a third down situation where they have to put the ball in the air, or be happy to be conservative and punt the ball," he said. "When we put ourselves in that position, we get more sacks. And you get more leads when the offense is clicking and can be complementary."
Sitake noted the improvement of Bagnah, and the additions of Asiata and Kelly as reasons he believes the Cougars will get more sacks this year.
"There are a bunch of variables that go into it. One is get the talent, and develop it. We felt like we did that," he said. "Now we have to play football so we can get teams to throw the ball on us, get turnovers. … It is not like we thought we had the answer last year. So we made adjustments and I think we have done the right things with all the different variables that go into it. So I anticipate us doing better this year."
Ephraim Asiata looks on during practice at BYU's indoor practice facility on Aug. 12, 2024. | Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo
