Wisconsin's 2018 season is still a few months away, but it's never too early to get the inside scoop on the teams the Badgers will square off against this fall.
The Badgers will host BYU on Sept. 15, so we asked Jared Lloyd of the Provo Daily Herald a few questions about what the Badgers should expect to see when the Cougars make their return trip to Madison after Wisconsin's road trip to Provo in 2017.
Our questions and Jared's answers are included below.
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I should probably start by asking what the heck happened to BYU last year? The Cougars had been one of the most consistent teams in the FBS - they hadn’t finished below .500 since 2004. Can you give us a run-down of what went wrong - and should program watchers have seen it coming?
Jared Lloyd: There were a combination of factors that resulted in BYU's unexpected nose dive in 2017. The most significant was injuries in key place, particularly at quarterback, tight end, linebacker and in the secondary. The Cougar coaching staff looked to plug holes with young players and the result was a lot of inconsistency. There was also the on-going process of changing systems from the previous coaching staff and that meant they didn't necessarily have the right fit in place. In addition, poor showings in losses to LSU, Wisconsin, Boise State and Mississippi State sapped the energy and confidence for the Cougars.
From an outsider’s perspective it seemed like BYU’s biggest struggles came on the offensive side of the ball last year. Is that a fair reading of the situation, and what have the Cougars done to get things back on track in 2018?
Jared Lloyd: The offensive side of the ball was indeed the most glaring issue, since BYU only scored 17.1 points per game (123rd in the nation). The Cougar offense and particularly the quarterbacks never really found a rhythm, especially against good opponents.
That resulted in extensive offensive coaching staff changes as BYU brought in Jeff Grimes (who most recently was offensive line coach at LSU) to be the new offensive coordinator and added four other new offensive position coaches. The Cougars are optimistic that Grimes' experience will make them more adaptable.
What do you expect to see on the defensive side of the ball this year? Is there any re-tooling going on there?
Jared Lloyd: There were fewer changes for BYU on defense but the Cougars lost some key contributors, such as Fred Warner (now with the San Francisco 49ers) and Micah Hannemann (now with the Cleveland Browns). BYU appears to be relying on the same scheme and hope the many young Cougar players who contributed last year will improve the overall effectiveness of the team.
What are the biggest question marks left for the team to figure out with their spring football season in the rear-view mirror?
Jared Lloyd: The big question is still who will be the starting quarterback for BYU. The Cougars have three athletes returning with starting experience, plus a freshman who turned some heads in spring. With a new offensive coordinator and some limitations due to injuries in spring, there are a lot of unknowns regarding what direction BYU will go when it comes to signal-caller.
What are the odds that BYU can get back to winning at least eight games (or so) this season? Was last year just a blip, or do they have a larger hole to climb out of than you would expect?
Jared Lloyd: The truthful answer is that no one knows exactly what direction the Cougars will go in 2018. In 2016, BYU was four or five plays from being undefeated, losing four games by a total of eight points. Then things went downhill in 2017. Whether that was an anomaly or a sign of bigger problems is yet to be determined.
One reason many prognosticators predict another tough year is the schedule, which includes road games against Wisconsin, Washington, Arizona, Boise State and Utah, plus a home game against Cal. Still, the Cougars want big challenges and this is another chance to do big things.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
