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BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS BY DAN MURPHY YU's offense ranked 64th in scoring with 28.7 points per game last season, which wasn't enough for head coach Bronco Mendenhall. The coach, who is heading into his final season under contract with the Cougars, called on his former assistant Robert Anae to try to pump some more gas into the offense as the team's new offensive coordinator. Anae spent the last two years coaching the offensive line in Arizona and spent time with Mike Leach at Texas Tech. He'll try to bring a version of the breakneck-tempo, gunslinging offense to a normally much more conservative team this fall. "It's really interesting to watch them get used to the conditioning level of playing at the pace," said Jeff Call, a reporter who covers the team for Desert News. "At times, they looked like they got it pretty well, and then at other times it looked like they were struggling a little bit." The new system plays to the strength of sophomore quarterback Taysom Hill. The Idaho native started only one complete game last season before a freak knee injury sidelined him for the year and kept him shrouded in a thin veil of mystery. Hill ran for 336 yards and completed 59.2 percent of his passes during six appearances a year ago. His athleticism and speed have helped him take over the reins of Anae's new offense for the 2013 season. Senior wide receiver Cody Hoffman is a security blanket for any relatively new starter. Hoffman (203 receptions for 2,718 yards) is on pace to easily break most of the program's major career receiving records. He caught 100 balls a year ago and won honorable mention for the Sports Illustrated All-America team. Call said he thinks Hill will also have two impressive young running backs to help allay B 2013 Schedule Date Aug. 31 Sept. 7 Sept. 21 Sept. 27 Oct. 4 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 25 Nov. 9 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 126 ! Opponent at Virginia Texas Utah Middle Tennessee at Utah State Georgia Tech at Houston Boise State at Wisconsin Idaho State at Notre Dame at Nevada 2012 Result — — L, 24-21 — W, 6-3 W, 41-17 — L, 7-6 — — L, 17-14 — GAME 11 • NOV. 23 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM some pressure. Sophomore Jamaal Williams led the team last season with 775 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He was pushed for reps in the spring by fellow sophomore Adam Hine, a highly recruited prospect out of high school. "When he committed, people were pretty excited about what he could do, but injuries sidetracked that," Call said. "In the spring he's looked very, very good. He said he was healthy and he's starting to look like the guy BYU thought they would have when they signed him." Mendenhall didn't need to worry about making many changes on defense. The cornerback position is a little vulnerable, but with a core group of returning contributors up front, the group that finished third nationally in points allowed (14 per game) should be a dominant force again this year. Prediction Notre Dame 20, BYU 10 — The Irish aren't a team built to win many blowout games in 2013. BYU's talented front seven gave Notre Dame problems last season, and this year's trip to South Bend shouldn't be much different. BYU's fast-paced offense won't faze Bob Diaco's group, who will help the Irish survive a late-November scare. Quick Facts All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 5-2 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 17, BYU 14 (Oct. 20, 2012, at South Bend, Ind.) Head Coach: Bronco Mendenhall, 74-29 (9th year) 2012 In Review: 8-5 overall Final 2012 Ranking: Unranked 2012 Stats Rankings: 60th total offense (400.4 yards per game) and 3rd total defense (266.1 yards allowed per game) Returning Starters: 14 (9 offense and 5 defense) Key Losses: LB Brandon Ogletree (102 tackles) and DE Ziggy Ansah (62 tackles) 2013 Preseason Rankings: No. 37 by Phil Steele's, No. 39 by Lindy's and No. 43 by Athlon Last Bowl Appearance: 2012 (Poinsettia Bowl, San Diego State, W 23-6) Did You Know?: Notre Dame and BYU combined to fill 17 of the 22 spots on the FBS All-Independent Team in 2012, 12 for Notre Dame and five for BYU … The Cougars' 1984 national championship makes them the eighth team on Notre Dame's 2013 schedule that claims at least one national title … BYU wide receiver Cody Hoffman has topped 100 receiving yards in 15 different games during his first three seasons. Returning Leaders X-FACTOR: Senior linebacker Kyle Van Noy is a game-changing playmaker on BYU's aggressive defense. He played a role in 11 turnovers last year. During a 23-6 bowl victory in late December, he had touchdown returns on a fumble and an interception, and blocked a punt. PHOTO BY JAREN WILKEY/BYU PHOTO Strength: Defensive Front Mendenhall has always had strong linebacker groups at Brigham Young. Last year, Alabama was the only team that gave up less than the Cougars' 86.9 rushing yards per game. That group does lose leading tackler Brandon Ogletree and defensive end Ziggy Ansah, a top-five pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. However, they got a pleasant surprise when Kyle Van Noy decided to return for his senior season after a stellar bowl performance. He'll be around to wreak havoc while the rest of the front seven plugs the holes in its lineup and in opponents' rushing attacks. Rushing: Jamaal Williams (775 yards, 12 TD) Passing: Taysom Hill (425 yards, 4 TD) Receiving: Cody Hoffman (1,248 yards, 11 TD) Tackles: Daniel Sorensen (68) Sacks: Kyle Van Noy (13) Interceptions: Daniel Sorensen (3) Weakness: Offensive Line Building a talented base of offensive linemen has been a struggle in Provo during the past few seasons. This year's group is counting on significant contributions from players that have yet to set foot on campus as official students. The Cougars signed four junior college transfers and four freshmen this February after losing a half-dozen linemen to career- or season-ending injuries. Freshman Brayden Kearsley, a 6-5, 298-pound fourstar tackle, will have a chance to win a starting job in August. Transfers Josh Carter, Tim Duran, Edward Fusi and De'ondre Wesley are all in the running as well. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 116-127.Opponent Previews.indd 126 6/25/13 2:55 PM