Hawaii at BYU

Hawaii has a terrible defense, surrendering 49 points to a less-impressive-than-previously-thought USC in Week 1, and 69 points to Nevada in Week 3.

Their offense is also less than stellar, scoring 10 and 24 points each in the aforementioned games.

In a regular season, BYU should easily be able to roll this team, especially since it is in Provo.

But this year? A year in which Bronco is seriously considering starting Riley Nelson at quarterback tomorrow? One week after Nelson recorded a negative passer rating in Boise? A week after rumors came out that Nelson is dealing with severe back troubles? A week after Riley said he's probably lie to the coaches if they asked him if he thought he was healthy enough to play?

It says a lot about my current mindset that I believe even with BYU's fairly dominant defense and Hawaii's anemic offense, the Cougars could still easily lose tomorrow night of Riley Nelson is getting most of the snaps.

Now, do I believe Taysom Hill is the next Ty Detmer? Not really. I see Taysom as a healthier, more talented Riley; someone who can run effectively and pass less than effectively. But with BYU's defense, even a less effective passing QB should score enough points to win tomorrow.

All I want is a quarterback who can make every throw on the field with some consistency. The last one BYU has had was John Beck, and that was six years ago now. The Cougars have recruited and gotten a lot of big arms in the last few years (Heaps, Munns), and either these kids are busts or the coaching staff have had no idea how to develop them. There are some big names coming to BYU (Tanner Mangum, Billy Green), and I hope they can work out. Because this pattern of mediocre quarterbacks starting for the Cougars is becoming a trend.

My prediction: BYU 24, Hawaii 10. Nelson is given a short leash and Hill is able to do enough to get the win.