PROVO — BYU kicks off its 2018 college football season a week from Saturday, traveling to Arizona to take one of college football’s most electric talents in Wildcats quarterback Khalil Tate.

Tate is by far one of college football’s most dangerous running quarterback and will be a difficult test for the Cougars’ defense.

The good news for BYU is that for as many problems as they had last season, the Cougars were surprisingly solid against the run. While they gave up over 40 rushing attempts per game — a sign of opposing teams playing with a lead — BYU gave up just 3.8 yards per rush, which was good for 30th in the country. BYU’s 152 rushing yards allowed per game was good for 45th in the nation.

While that’s middle of the pack nationally, it's a promising sign for a team that won just four of its 13 games.

The bad news for BYU, though, is that Tate himself rushed for more than 152 yards in a single game four times last season, including an absurd 327-yard performance on the road at Colorado. But before BYU can worry about Arizona’s quarterback, they must first decide who their top signal caller will be in their season opener.

The Cougars have narrowed their search down to senior Tanner Mangum, once the heir apparent to BYU’s long line of superstar QB’s, and upstart true freshman Zach Wilson from Corner Canyon High School. Mangum brings the experience but is coming off his worst season as a starter. He took a significant step back as a junior from his breakout freshman season. Wilson brings significantly more upside as a freshman but could be in over his head through BYU’s first six weeks of the season. BYU is favored to win just one of its first six games by ESPN.

The Cougars face a similar question at running back. While veteran Squally Canada seems like the obvious choice as a senior, redshirt freshman Zach Katoa is pushing BYU’s offensive staff for reps. Canada has improved each of the last two seasons at BYU, but he has lost his starting job to younger players in the past. Katoa, like Wilson, has more upside, and with a bigger frame, is maybe better suited as an every-down back for the Cougars. But would an all-new offensive coaching staff feel confident playing two freshmen at the two most crucial positions on a team that struggled to move the ball last season?

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The Cougars play six Power Five schools in the 2020 football schedule. Those games alone are enough to make BYU’s schedule one of the more daunting in the nation, especially for a team that doesn’t have the financial or recruiting advantages of other Power Five teams.

Additionally, while the Cougars were stout against the run last season, it remains unknown how they will fare defending the pass. BYU allowed opposing offenses to complete 68 percent of their passes last season, ranking 125th in the country — nearly dead last.

Star freshman Chaz Ah You is serving a church mission, while BYU’s coaches are experimenting with moving both Dayan Ghanwoloku and Troy Warner from cornerback to safety. This is a great sign if the coaches feel they have two adequate corners that are good enough to allow more proven players to shift positions. The Cougars struggled to get their 11 best players on the field defensively last season, and this would be a step in the right direction. If BYU can’t find better success defensively against the pass, it could once again be a long season.

After a rough 2017, the Cougars are in need of a bounce-back season. And while BYU’s schedule presents a challenge, solving their own questions before the season opener is a top priority. Until those answers are revealed, BYU’s season will remain an intriguing mystery.

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