Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/208902
Game Preview: BYU Jeff Call, who covers BYU for the Deseret News, said a 31-14 win over instate rival Utah State was the turning point for Anae's offense. "They ranked last in the country in pass efficiency [before that game]. Around here, that's like heresy," Call said. "They made some tweaks since that time with the way they run the passing game, and Taysom Hill has been extremely effective. He's extremely accurate." Hill, a sophomore, completed 66 percent of his passes against Boise State during the final week of October in his best performance to date. He threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in the 37-20 win. Increased accuracy has helped some of the Cougars' talented wide receivers get more involved in the fast-paced offense. Senior Cody Hoffman has more touchdown grabs and total receptions than any player in BYU history. He missed two games early in the season, but still led the team with 29 catches (for 524 yards and three scores) after eight games. Fellow senior JD Falslev wasn't far behind. He had 24 catches for 257 yards, but will likely miss the rest of the regular season with a broken hand. Falslev suffered the injury while riding a simulated surfing machine on a team bonding trip during BYU's bye week to start November. "It's a big loss because he's a senior and he's experienced," Call said. "He's a slot receiver. He makes a lot of plays, a guy that usually comes up big on third down. The other thing that hurts BYU is he is their main punt returner and he's had some great returns this year." Hill is also the type of mobile quarterback that has given Notre Dame fits during the 2013 season. Only Jordan Lynch from Northern Illinois finished the first two months of the college football season with more rushing yards (1,150) as a quarterback. Hill ran for 841 yards in his first eight games, and Game Info Notre Dame Vs. Brigham Young Date: Nov. 23, 2013. Site: Notre Dame Stadium (80,795). Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Television: NBC. Radio: This broadcast can be heard on SIRIUS Satellite Radio (channel 129). Series Facts: This is the eighth meeting between Notre Dame and Brigham Young. The Irish hold a 5-2 advantage over the Cougars, and won the last meeting 17-14 in South Bend in 2012. Coaches: Notre Dame — Brian Kelly (35-14, fourth season); Brigham Young — Bronco Mendenhall (80-32, ninth season). Noting BYU: Brigham Young is one of seven independent teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision; Notre Dame plays two fellow independents this season, Navy and BYU, and all seven of the conference-less programs play at least one other independent this season … No team has won more than two consecutive games in this series, but the Irish have a chance to become the first if they win this season … Notre Dame has scored at least 40 points in three of five wins against the Cougars; most recently Brady Quinn's 2006 team scored 49 in a record-setting performance.