Starting on Sunday, the dress rehearsal was over.
Every week during the football season, the Daily Herald will highlight performances by athletes that have committed to BYU or are being recruited by the Cougars.
bull; Huge debut: BYU commit Collin Koeshian (6-2 225 RB/LB) started off his senior season with a bang, scoring six touchdowns to lead Santa Clarita Christian (Calif.) to a 68-28 thrashing of Christian Life Academy. Koeshian scored three touchdowns on the ground, two by reception and one on an interception return. He finished the game with 149 yards rushing on just eight carries and 77 yards receiving on three catches. On the defensive side, Keoshian posted 11 tackles and a sack.
bull; Unstoppable: BYU commit Drew Phillips (6-0 185 RB) ran 36 times for 248 yards and two touchdowns to lead Boaz (Ala.) to a 31-19 victory over Albertville. Phillips, who also had a forced fumble and an interception, scored the game-clinching TD on a 58-yard run in the final seconds.
bull; Setting up the big one: Oaks Christian (Calif.) shut out Muir 51-0 behind a defense led by BYU commits Zac Stout (6-2 220 LB) and Alani Fua (6-4 210 LB). Oaks Christian posted four sacks, two forced fumbles, six tipped passes and allowed just four first downs.
1. So why the slow start against Tulane?
bull; DICKSON: Boy, it's nice to back in the mountains where it's warm! The Superdome was an icebox, but maybe Tulane had something to do with the Cougars getting just a pair of field goals in the first quarter and a half. The Green Wave have some fast athletes and made a couple of nice plays on third down. But when BYU's offense and defense are clicking like they were on Saturday, it's only a matter of time before things break.
bull; FRANCHUK: You had to appreciate the support of Tulane's small crowd. It got fired up when the Green Wave held the Cougars to field goals. That's respect, baby. Tulane is like a lot of teams. It has the athletic ability to hang in there for a little while against BYU. But when Max Hall is clicking, and his teammates are doing their appropriate things, there's a measure of consistency that is hard for defenses to emulate.
2. Why did J.J. DiLuigi finally make the most of his opportunity?
bull; DICKSON: Anyone who's watched practice the past couple of seasons knows DiLuigi is a very good runner. Not a burner, but a guy whose quick feet can help him find openings and despite his size, he can move the pile. But I think he's also a guy who needs 10 or 12 carries to find his stride. The coaches have only used him in spot duty previously.
bull; FRANCHUK: DiLuigi told me afterward that he finally did what coaches have been stressing -- crease the hole. Rather than rely on his shifty feet, he's simply making the right reads and going forward. He likes to think of himself as a change of pace from contact seekers like Harvey Unga, Bryan Kariya and Manase Tonga. But the fact is DiLuigi can't work so hard at making defenders miss. He needs to take the right path when it's available and not be too fancy. Having a better feel for the offense, however, should help eliminate the fumble factor he carried last year.
3.Why is this year's BYU defense so much better than last year?
bull; DICKSON: The players have talked about how they're more confident, they're working harder, etc. But I believe the credit has to go to defensive coordinator Jaime Hill. Last year he didn't call the plays; this year Bronco Mendenhall handed the play-calling duties to him. He has the defense all working as one. A key stat: No one had more than five tackles against Tulane, but three players had five and four more had four tackles each. Everyone is doing their job well and is in the right place to make plays.
bull; FRANCHUK: The only thing some former players will pick on coach Bronco Mendenhall about is they didn't feel like he would use the blitz enough. Remember that home game against TCU a couple of years ago? The Horned Frogs were climbing back in because BYU played conservatively, and then it came down to a last drive. The Cougars finally unleashed some fury and it paid off in saving a win. Well, the new play caller, Hill, isn't waiting that long to make those decisions. Besides, if you hear him during practices, he's constantly saying the same thing: "Do your job." His players are so far.
4. Does Max Hall have a shot at the Heisman Trophy?
bull; DICKSON: There are too many other quarterbacks putting up huge numbers for his stats to wow anybody, but all Max has done so far is win. BYU would take that over a Heisman any day. The only way Hall could win the Heisman is if BYU went undefeated and won the national title.
bull; FRANCHUK: Yes, and no. Hall's overall portfolio -- as Double D mentioned, a perfect record and BCS bid -- would put him in range. But there could very well be some games when Hall isn't playing late because the score is out of hand. That's in BYU's best interests as a team, but the forfeit of statistics might limit Hall's national exposure. We'll see. But defending Heisman winner Sam Bradford's out of the picture at Oklahoma, and media might be getting tired of Florida's Tim Tebow (the winner two season ago) so possibly the voters will look for an unlikely choice.
5. Who will be BYU's toughest opponent this year?
bull; DICKSON: I'm sticking with my preseason pick of TCU, which pounded Virginia on the road on Saturday. The Frogs defense will keep the game close and put the Cougars home win streak in danger -- provided they get past Florida State and Colorado State.
bull; FRANCHUK: DD makes a valid point. TCU's good and its defense can negate some home-field advantage. But Utah's the biggest kink in the schedule. The last game of the season, so much could be on the line (as usual). Utah plays its best ball toward the end of each year, and the Cougars could be in a position where they have to avoid puckering. But, wow, wouldn't the Cougars like those chances? Right now the toughest opponent of the year is FSU, and after that it's Colorado State. Sorry, I guess I've been hanging around Mendenhall and his players too much.
Chris Fry created this group on SportProjections.com. 
