Arkansas lit up our defense to the tune of 644 yards and 52 points. There have been games where the defense was put it tight spots by the defense, but the offense played pretty well, this was 100% all on the defense. They got picked apart. I'm going to look at all 7! of Arkansas' touchdowns to show where our defense went wrong.

HB Off-Tackle 15-yard TD run

Bad angles, this is a recurring theme in how our defense was beaten over and over again. Wilson and Alfrey take bad angles and can't make the tackle. If the RB ran to the right this play would've been stopped for a loss, but the RB makes a simple read to the weak side of the field and goes for 6.

Pitch and Catch 6-yard TD pass

This is just bad defense. #7 jogs to the goal line and gets an easy touchdown. There's no disguising this play, it's just a simple spot route and Wilson lets him run right by him.

Man-to-Man Breakdown 4-yard TD pass

Another coverage breakdown, but this time in man-to-man coverage. Hayes leaves his man to cover the crossing TE, a critical mistake. Jefferson sells this extremely well, only looking to the WR in the endzone right as he throws it. If Alfrey takes a better angle on #7, Hayes probably doesn't leave his man. Pili hesitates with the crossing TE, if he presses the QB he would've been in the throwing lane and could've forced some QB pressure. I don't know his assignment on this play.

Open Field Pick 15-yard TD pass

This is a pick play, but a down-field pick play. Arkansas knows BYU is in man coverage, and #9 stops his curl directly in front of Alfrey. I don't know if I would call this a bad angle by Alfrey, he made the wrong call, but I don't know if I blame him (if he cuts off the deep wheel route, it would've been an easy first down). All-in-all the defense here isn't great, but the offense play design is so good I don't know what you could possibly do here. This is a man defense killer. Brilliant play design.

Sluggo 39-yard TD pass

The sluggo is executed to perfection here. Even though BYU is in a favorable play call for the route, Jeudy-Lally bites so hard that it's an easy touchdown. If Jeudy-Lally doesn't bite on the fake Jefferson has to make a perfect throw into tight coverage on either seam or settle for the (admittedly wide-open) checkdown. Jeudy-Lally should realize he has coverage help underneath from the LBers and play the deep route, his primary responsibility.

No Trust 5-yard TD pass

There's a lot that goes well on this play. Batty flat-out embarrasses his man with an extremely nice hesitation step, the linebackers pass off the mesh routes perfectly - the play starts well. But Alfrey overplays the corner, despite Robinson being in the perfect position to undercut a fade route. As a result #3 gets significant inside leverage in a gap in the zones for an easy touchdown. Jefferson makes a good play to step up into the pocket.

Ice the Game 64-yard TD run

This play essentially makes the game out of reach. Multiple bad angles turn a big gain into a huge gain. Arkansas hadn't been pulling the guard very often, but it's executed perfectly here. BYU responds with a very poor defensive effort, with multiple bad angles and Batty's uncharacteristic bad angle of attack. The Arkansas wins every block and #5 speeds for a long touchdown

Conclusions: Change is needed on defense. After the past few games, my mind has changed regarding the state of the defense. The defense has significantly regressed and the decisions being made are beyond my ability to comprehend. From the mass substitutions to the consistent playing of reserves in critical downs, the defense was exposed last week as never before. 

There were real improvements in the defensive scheme this past week vs prior games. We weren't running plays with a DE lined up covering a wideout, and we didn't have incorrect personnel packages consistently on the field, but none of these basic improvements mattered. Players were either still out of position or not able to make the plays when required. I'm not going to throw any players under the bus, but some get more playing time than they should, subbing out the more talented players, despite being a liability. 

We've seen this play out over and over again, and drastic change is needed to make the defense better. A new DC would be an obvious step, though I do not expect that mid-season. Whatever the course of action taken, we need to see significant improvement quickly. Our defensive effort on Saturday will not be enough to win many of our remaining games if we want to salvage this season.