Provo • BYU ran most of its plays with its quarterbacks under center through spring camp last March, training camp last August and the bulk of its first three games. The pro-style attack that second-year offensive coordinator Ty Detmer wanted to bring back to Provo slowly was taking form with pocket passer Tanner Mangum.
Then Mangum suffered a left ankle injury on the Cougars’ final offensive play against Utah on Sept. 9 — after BYU had started to move the ball a bit with him at shotgun in the fourth quarter, ironically — and Detmer was forced to tweak his offense the following week against Wisconsin with the run-first Beau Hoge at the helm.
Mangum has returned, but the tweaking hasn’t stopped. And the shotgun appears to be here for good because the junior prefers it over being under center and Mangum’s mobility still is limited by his sore ankle.
“It is just steadily getting stronger and feeling better,” Mangum said Tuesday as the 1-6 Cougars continued to look for ways to improve a moribund offense that is among the worst in major college football. “I am happy with that. I need that to be myself and play more like myself, so it feels good to get stronger. It is still not 100 percent, but definitely getting closer.”
BYU at East Carolina<br>Saturday, 5 p.m.<br>TV • CBSSN
East Carolina, the Cougars’ opponent Saturday, has one of the worst defenses in the country. But Mangum said the Cougars have been so shaky on offense that they can’t take anything for granted. He recalls ECU being loaded with excellent athletes when he guided the Cougars to a 45-38 win over the Pirates in 2015 in Provo.
Mangum said the offensive style “is still pretty similar” to what it was last month but acknowledged the shotgun requires less stress on his ankle.
“We still have the same mindset that we want to establish a good power running game,” he said, noting that it was a priority in training camp. “We definitely have to be better in the run game. We all know that. That’s everyone. That is linemen, receivers, tight ends, running backs, myself making checks. So that falls on all of us.
“We got to be better there. We have to be able to establish the run because that opens up the pass. And so we are still just trying to play that game where we execute each play, where we get things done and create some big plays.”
Detmer said that Hoge, who struggled in the shotgun against Wisconsin but was finding some rhythm at Utah State before leaving the game with a concussion, still is not ready to play.
“We are going to err on the side of caution with him and make sure he is right and [then] he will be an option,” Detmer said.
BYU’S OFFENSIVE RANKINGS <br>Category • Actual • National rank <br>Passing offense • 154.6 ypg • 118th <br>Passing efficiency • 92.87 • 125th <br>Rushing offense • 87.9 ypg • 125th <br>Scoring offense • 11.4 ppg • 128th <br>Total first downs • 83 • 128th <br>Third-down conversions • 33 percent • 107th <br>Yards per completion • 9.93 ypc • 124th <br>Time of possession • 24:58 • 127th
The former Heisman Trophy winner said his offense is “a little different” now than it was in camp due to some personnel losses at tight end, Mangum’s health and generally needing to be more conservative with a turnover-prone team.
“We lost Moroni [Laulu-Pututau], and that was a piece to the puzzle that we thought we were going to have more of,” Detmer said. “It is similar scheme, we are just doing it a different way. … We are definitely different than what we saw in camp, so with that comes some of the mistakes of changing and the little nuances of running something different.”
The other pass-catching tight end, Tanner Balderree, also is out with an injury, Detmer said, so freshman Matt Bushman is being called on to play too much, and he’s tiring in the second half. As a result, BYU is using more four-receiver sets despite the loss of starting receiver Talon Shumway to an injury.
Running back Trey Dye is Detmer’s latest offensive weapon to go down with injury, but fellow running back KJ Hall is expected to return from an arm injury this week.
“Gain one, lose one,” Detmer said. “Hopefully we get back to full strength here at some point and find some consistency on the field.”
As for why BYU ran three times on fourth-and-long against Mississippi State, Detmer said MSU was dropping eight and was vulnerable to the run.
“And taking care of the football” was a consideration, he said. “We have had some interception problems, so that factors into your play calling at times. … We should be able to get it if they are dropping eight.”