2013 Season Analysis- Gm. 2 AT BYU

By Adam Sweeney

WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 7

SERIES RECORD: Texas 1, BYU 2

LAST:  #24 Texas 17, BYU 16 (2011)

TEXAS KICKS OFF its road schedule with a trip to Provo, Utah, where the team will face the BYU Cougars. The Longhorns beat the Cougars 17-16 two years ago in a come-from-behind win that featured performances from Case McCoy and David Ash (both of whom came off the bench), and  [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] some classic trickery from former offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin.

BYU once held the moniker “QBU,” in honor of the team’s prolificacy at the quarterback position, but Cougar Town hasn’t seen the likes of anyone resembling Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer in a long time. Dual-threat sophomore Taysom Hill will lead the BYU offense as they look to claw their way back to respectability. Still, the Cougars finished 2012 with an 8-5 record. They also struggled at the quarterback position, starting three different players throughout the season.

Longhorn fans can sympathize and respect the effort.

On the defensive side of the ball, head coach Bronco Mendenhall has built a strong reputation for BYU. They possess a potential Heisman candidate in linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Van Noy ranks as a legitimate top-10 NFL draft prospect and lit up quarterbacks last season, notching 13 sacks on a defense that ranked third nationally in scoring defense. Don’t expect the same numbers, however, since the team lost seven starters on defense, including Ezekiel Ansah. (Ansah was the fifth overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft.)

The Cougars will provide the first true test to the Longhorns in 2013 and won’t go quietly into the night. If the Texas offensive line can keep David Ash off the ground, the Longhorns will receive the edge in a unifying victory. A loss would serve as a red flag for Texas, which will face much stiffer competition deeper in the schedule.

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

2013 SCHEDULE

AUG 31 at Virginia

SEP 7 vs. Texas

SEP 14 vs. Utah

SEP 21 vs. Mid Tennessee

OCT 4 at Utah State

OCT 12 vs. Georgia Tech

OCT 19 at Houston

OCT 25 vs. Boise State

NOV 9 at Wisconsin

NOV 16 vs. Idaho State

NOV 23 at Notre Dame

NOV 30 at Nevada

 

HEAD COACH:  Bronco Mendenhall

STADIUM NAME AND CAPACITY:  LaVell Edwards Stadium, capacity 64,045

2012 FINAL CONFERENCE STANDING:  2^nd (IA Indep.)

2012 RECORD: 8-5

ALL TIME RECORD: 484-369-26 (.565)

 

DID YOU KNOW?

BYU originally had two live cougar kittens, Cleo and Tarbo, as school mascots in 1924. The kittens were chosen after David Rust, a BYU alumnus, captured a mother cougar and her three kittens in 1923.

 

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