BYU Cougars

Cougars could put Hill on a leash

Published Jul. 13, 2015 2:16 p.m. ET

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In order for the BYU football team to maximize its potential this season the Cougars will need senior quarterback Taysom Hill to remain healthy. It’s with that in mind that BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall is looking to minimize the amount of times that Hill gets hit in 2015.

During BYU’s media day Mendenhall said the best way to protect Hill, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in the fifth game of the season last year, is to feature the running backs more in the running game.

“The intent was to have a more versatile run game and not so quarterback centered,” Mendenhall said. “From what I know about defense, one of the things that’s really difficult to prepare for is when the other team has multiple tight ends or wings moving, not only before the snap but after the snap.”

The 6-2, 232-pound Hill is a dual-threat QB who completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 975 yards and seven TDs in last year in four games.

With last year’s starting tight end Devin Mahina lost to graduation, Mendenhall has gone to Steven Richards and Tanner Balderree to fill the void.

Richards is a 6-3, 230-pound redshirt freshman, while Balderree is a 6-2, 250-pound sophomore, and together they have been dubbed the “Bash Brothers.”

“We looked at our roster at who is really tough, who has a good mindset, who isn’t afraid to block anyone” Mendenhall said. “And then possibly they’d be able to catch the ball as well. So Steven Richards and Tanner Balderree, they both came to mind. We did it in spring as an experiment and it took off.”

(h/t Daily Herald)

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