How BYU Football Succeeds in 2020

Back to football for a bit. With a short lull in BYU Basketball season, before the team takes on Pepperdine in the season finale this weekend, I’m going to look toward next August for a moment, and what I believe it would take for the 2020 gridiron year to be successful. With Spring ball heating up in the coming weeks, we’re going to get a first look at how the team plays together, so I’d like to set a few benchmarks for success in the coming year before those first snaps hit Lavell Edwards Stadium.

The schedule is relentless, and the team could be improved without it showing in the wins column. With this in mind, I’m going to look beyond the final record to see what goals this team needs to hit for the program and fanbase to feel satisfied next offseason.

Here’s my thoughts:

1. Zach Wilson needs to start at least 10 games, and to finish the season healthy. In the event he gets injured, BYU needs to have no more than two starting QBs for the season. It would be very tough this year to go through another quarterback carousel, with the associated controversies, and still win at a good clip. We need to keep Zach Wilson healthy, and ensure a system is in place to do so
2. Lose no more than 2 non-P5 games. This would be the best mark for such games in several years. With the amount of above-average FBS teams on the schedule, losing only 2 games outside the power conferences shows progress toward avoiding the letdowns from past seasons.
3. Win over half of the P5 matchups. At first glance, that seems very optimistic. However, with how aggressive the scheduling was for the 2020 season, the Cougars need to show they can handle the pressure and win with the hand dealt. It will be difficult to justify the loaded schedules going forward if the team is unable to navigate the gauntlets with one of the most experienced rosters they’ve had for some time. This year, it’s time to win the tough games.
4. Generate defensive pressure to rank within the top 50 FBS marks. There’s a number of stats to track this, but I’ll be looking specifically at sacks and tackles for loss. The team was deficient in those areas last season, and it showed against oft-passing offenses. To have a chance against quality teams, BYU needs to improve at stopping plays at or before the line of scrimmage. It would go a long way toward the goal of putting up points enough to win those matchups.
5. Get the ball to Matt Bushman. In his senior season, with the weapon he is, Bushman needs at least 800 receiving yards. This would take pressure off a largely unproven receiving corps, and create a trustworthy go-to for Zach Wilson when under pressure. The 2020 offense needs to feature the pass-catching tight end.
6. Win the bowl game, allowing Kalani a winning record in the postseason.
7. In the final team rankings, finish as a top 50 overall team. With the difficult schedule and slightly lower win expectations, this would be a slight over-performance. Kalani has met expectations 3 out of 4 years. He will need to exceed them now that his core players are in place and his guys are on staff.
8. Beat Utah. It will be tough to feel successful if we can’t win 1 out of 10 against the Utes, and unable to beat them in what’s considered a down year. This will be a strong litmus test for where the team and coaching staff is at after consecutive losses to end 2019, and would be sure way to keep fans engaged for the season opener. The Cougars need a rivalry win now more than ever.

I’m optimistic that the team can achieve these goals. They’re experienced, and that leadership should pay dividends during the coming year. Even without a 10-win season, BYU Football can be successful in 2020 by reaching those eight benchmarks. If they do so, it will be a football season to be remembered. BYU Football may yet have a big season forthcoming.

Mark Pope: Passing the Improbable

Mark Pope was never supposed to be here. He was never supposed to be anywhere close. As the 2020 season heats up in the West Coast Conference, BYU’s head coach continues to defy improbability. 

In a career spanning across the continental U.S., conventional wisdom would say that Pope should have broken down at any number of pit stops. A born country-boy out of Nebraska is not supposed to become a star varsity basketball player in Washington. A lanky “6-10” forward should never win freshman of the year in a loaded PAC 12, or heavily contribute to a National Champion at Kentucky. If naysayers were to be believed, that same player should not have heard his name called at the 1996 NBA draft. Mark’s Pope’s critics were rarely correct about his playing career. Somehow, his coaching years have been at least as surprising.

Appearing on the coaching staff of a struggling Wake Forest team, many careers would have been derailed by a middling product. Instead, in a league with the country’s best young players, Pope took what he had and coached big man Travis McKie to an ACC All-Freshman award. When he gained his first opportunity as a head coach at Utah Valley University, a program with less than a decade of full Division I membership, Mark Pope made it work. He “made it work” to the tune of the first consecutive 20-win seasons in program history, and multiple front court all-conference awards.

This is Mark Pope’s business: He deals in improbabilities, and he makes them work.

When he came to BYU without the expectation of initial success, Coach Pope knew it was just another improbability. It was improbable to convince all-time great BYU big man Yoeli Childs to return for a senior season. It was improbable to bring in star Arizona recruit Alex Barcello, an athlete with few program ties. After a significant suspension to Childs, followed by a mid-season injury, there was little faith that the Cougars would accrue a tournament-worthy resume in his absence. 

Even accounting for so many hurdles, Coach Pope sat before the media in May 2019 and boldly declared, “We are going to win, or I get fired.” It didn’t stop there. He added, “I am just dumb enough to think that we can accomplish everything that you dream about accomplishing in college basketball. I believe we can do it right here.”

Entering the final three games of conference season, Mark Pope appears anything but dumb. BYU Hoops began the week ranked as the 23rd best team in the country, their highest ranking in nine years. They have made it there despite injuries, a top schedule, and Yoeli’s suspension. According to Coach, he’s not done exceeding expectations this season. His vision for the Cougars is higher than a ranked team and potential tournament berth. When he mentioned his aspirations before stepping on the floor as head coach, few would have imagined that those visions were for his first season. Yet, the Cougars’ ringmaster continues to assert that the time is now.

“We’re chasing lofty goals,” Pope recently stated. “We’re chasing things that we don’t even like to say out loud because they’re so scary.”

Only his assistant Chris Burgess was willing to clarify. Burgess explained, “We’re trying to be in the second to third week of the tournament.”

That’s just another place Coach Pope isn’t supposed to be. Throughout an illustrious playing and coaching career, Mark Pope has rarely fallen short of his own expectations. The current season has been no exception. Don’t count him out just yet.