Breaking down BYU: Heavily-hyped Heaps will get first career start
BY THE NUMBERS
1 is the number of touchdowns quarterback Jake Heaps has led his team to in the 18 drives he’s led this season.
0 is the number of career starts Heaps has made in his career. Heaps is a true freshman.
271.7 is the number of rushing yards BYU is allowing per game this season (119th in the nation).
302 is the number of rushing yards per game the Nevada offense averages per game (fifth in the nation).
13 is the number of touchdowns Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick has scored this season (seven passing, six rushing). He’s accounted for 1,097 yards this season, has a 70.4 completion percentage and has not thrown an interception.
BYU quarterback Jake Heaps. Photo courtesy of BYU athletics department
TRUE FRESHMAN HEAPS GETS FIRST START
The biggest news out of Provo, Utah this week was the loss of starting quarterback Riley Nelson for the season with a shoulder injury.
Up to this point, Brigham Young University alternated Nelson and true freshman quarterback Jake Heaps just about every series to try to play both equally. With Nelson gone, Heaps will be the go-to guy when BYU (1-2) plays Nevada (3-0) at 3 p.m. Saturday.
The Cougars have not had much success on offense this year with Heaps under center. Both Nelson and Heaps have each quarterbacked 18 series, but Nelson has led the team to four touchdowns and only been sacked once, while Heaps has led only one touchdown drive and been sacked six times.
Heaps’ first career start will not come without fanfare. According to BYU’s athletics site, the 6-foot-1 quarterback was offered scholarships by more than 25 schools including Oklahoma, Florida State, USC, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame, Alabama and Georgia.
While BYU has already passed 100 times in three games this year, expect more attempts through the air. Nevada’s secondary has definitely shown improvement from past years, but the team is still giving up 247 passing yards per game this season (91st in the nation).
Other than Nelson’s injury, BYU will have to deal with injuries to starting defensive backs Andrew Rich, Brian Logan and Steve Thomas. Thomas will not play (concussion), but Rich and Logan are both probable. Also, starting tackle Matt Reynolds and starting center Terence Brown are both probable with leg injuries.
Finally, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall suspended wide receiver O’Neill Chambers for two games earlier this week for disciplinary reasons, according to the Daily Herald.
BYU running back JJ Di Luigi. Photo courtesy of BYU athletics department.
CONTAINING DI LUIGI WILL BE KEY
The Cougars will rely on running back JJ Di Luigi to handle the ball about 20-25 times, whether it be on the ground or on a catch. Di Luigi leads the team in carries (38) and receptions (10) and is a big-play threat (averaging 8.5 yards every time he touches the ball).
Di Luigi is small at 5-foot-9, 190 lbs., but Nevada usually has problems with smaller, shiftier backs (see Eastern Washington running back Taiwan Jones). The Wolf Pack defense is very aggressive, but its aggressiveness tends to backfire from time to time when players over-pursue a play. Di Luigi has the ability to make people miss in space and create big plays.
The Wolf Pack’s tackling has improved greatly during the past two games, but Di Luigi is slippery enough to turn a simple toss play into a 60-yard touchdown.
Di Luigi’s stats: 38 carries, 265 yards (7.0 yards per carry), one touchdown. 10 catches, 144 yards, 1 touchdown.
BYU linebacker Jordan Pendleton. Photo courtesy of BYU athletics department.
DEFENDING THE PACK
On defense, the Cougars haven’t been able to stop much this year. BYU allows 271.7 yards per game this season on the ground (119th in the nation) and gives up 5.8 yards per carry. This is not good news, considering they’ll be going up against the No. 5 rushing offense in the country (302 yards per game).
A Cougar defender who will be on the Wolf Pack’s radar is Jordan Pendleton. The 6-foot-3, 239 lb. linebacker is big, fast, strong and scary. Pendleton is second on the team with 25 tackles and leads the team in tackles for loss (3.0) and sacks (2.0).
Making sure Pendleton is blocked will be a priority for the Wolf Pack who will probably run the ball about 50 times.
SATURDAY KICKOFF: 3 p.m. Pacific time. 4 p.m. Mountain time
WATCH THE GAME: The Mtn. (DirecTV Channel 616)
LISTEN TO IT: On 94.5 KUUB
CHECK IN TO: nevadasagebrush.com for up-to-the-minute updates on the game, full post-game wrapup a photo gallery and highlight video.
Juan López can be reached at jlopez@nevadasagebrush.com.
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