The five best players BYU will face in 2013


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This week's assignment was to identify the five best players BYU will face in 2013. The task is formidable, considering the strength of the Cougars' schedule, and the assemblage of talent that has made those teams what they are--or what we think they will be this season.

Heading into the 2013 campaign, BYU opponents Texas, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Boise State have all received preseason Top 25 attention, and all of those teams have multiple players who could vie for recognition among the best individuals BYU will see this fall. You could arguably fill a top-five including nothing but Texas players, if you so desired.

Then there are the non-BCS teams that nevertheless feature standout athletes playing a little under the national radar; players like Utah State's Chuckie Keeton, for example.

In between are many opposing players on national award watch lists, any one of whom could merit mention among the best players BYU will face in 2013. What I tried to do was pick the players who will have the most notable impact in their meetings with BYU.

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I found nominees from all of BYU's 11 FBS opponents, eight of which had records of .500-or-better in 2012; the exceptions were Virginia, Utah and Houston.

Offensive players usually grab most of the attention, but BYU's opponents feature a high number of defensive and special team stars, including at least a half-dozen defenders whose names appear on various preseason All-America projections. Quarterbacks and running backs are next highest-profile players BYU will face in 2013, and they are also represented in my top five.

Some of my picks may seem about right, some might seem a little off-base, but I will attempt to justify every player's selection in his respective write-up.

We'll start with players who received honorable mention, in order of their chronological placement on BYU's 2013 schedule:

VIRGINIA

RB Kevin Parks: 734 rushing yards and 189 receiving yards in 2012; could be an All-ACC back in 2013 under new offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild.

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TEXAS

DE Jackson Jeffcoat: injuries have been his biggest obstacle, but when healthy, he's a force on the edge. He has 38 tackles for loss (including 14.5 sacks) over 26 career games played.

QB David Ash: The most experienced QB in the Big 12, Ash completed 67% of his passes last season, and ranked 21st in FBS pass efficiency. Not a real run threat, Ash is sturdy in the pocket at 6'3", 223 lbs.

WR Mike Davis: 57 grabs for 939 yards (16.5 ypc; 39th nationally) and 7 TDs in 2012; 7th on Texas' career receptions and receiving yards list.

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UTAH

TE Jake Murphy: a former BYU signee, Murphy almost single-handedly turned the game in Utah's 2011 win in Provo, and last season caught 33 balls for 349 yards and four scores; on the Mackey Award watch list.

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MIDDLE TENNESSEE

KR Regggie Whatley: 4th in FBS kickoff return average last season (school-record 30.4 yds/return), Whatley took a 96-yard return to the house for a game-winner at WKU.

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UTAH STATE

LB Kyler Fackrell: a FWAA Freshman All-American last season, Fackrell recorded 87 tackles, with eight tackles for loss, three sacks, three interceptions, three additional passes broken up, seven hurries, a fumble recovery, a fumble forced, and a blocked kick. Picked off a pass as part of a ten-tackle night against BYU in 2012.

C Tyler Larsen: a high-pick NFL prospect among centers, Larsen has started 38 consecutive games; is a nominee for the Lombardi Award, as well as the Outland and Rimington Trophies.

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GEORGIA TECH

KR/PR Jamal Golden: 10th in FBS kickoff return average and 6th in punt return average last season; returned two kickoffs for TDs in 2012, including one in a home loss to BYU.

DE/LB Jeremiah Attaochu: had 10 sacks from his OLB spot last season, but will likely play DE in 2013. Like Kyle Van Noy, appears on four defensive award watch lists currently.

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HOUSTON

K/P Richie Leone: it's not a good sign when the team nominee is the punter, but standout RB Charles Sims and leading WR Dewayne Peace both left the program in the offseason, while Leone was 7th nationally in punt average last season (one spot ahead of BYU's Riley Stephenson), with 20 punts of 50+ yards. One of 25 candidates for the 2013 Ray Guy Award (he's already a two-time semifinalist), he may end up doing double-duty as UH's placekicker this season.

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BOISE STATE

QB Joe Southwick: 2012 was a down year for the Boise State offense, which was led by Southwick in his first year at the helm. 38th in pass efficiency last season, he threw 19 TDs to seven INTs. Head coach Chris Peterson has a 51-2 record at BSU when returning his starting QB, so there's that.

WR Matt Miller: Biletnikoff Award nominee who caught 66 balls for 769 yards and five touchdowns in 2012.

DE DeMarcus Lawrence: led the MWC and tied for 18th nationally in sacks per game last season. Had a sack and forced a fumble in a home win over BYU.

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WISCONSIN

RB James White: while Montee Ball grabbed the headlines with 1,830 rushing yards, White added 806 yards and 12 TDs on the ground. Yet, this senior may not be the Badgers' marquee back in 2013 (see below).

WR Jared Abbrederis: hauled in 49 catches for 837 yards (17.1 ypc; 26th nationally) and five TDs in 2012. For his career, he averages just under 17 yards per reception.

LB Chris Borland: a stout inside backer, Borland was First-Team All-Big Ten in 2012, hitting the century mark in tackles, with 5.5 tackles for loss and 6 PBUs.

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NOTRE DAME

NT Louis Nix III: frequent 2013 preseason All-America selection at 6'3", 357 lbs, Nix III stuffs the run, bats down passes, but can also get into the backfield (5.5 TFL, 3 hurries in 2012).

LB Prince Shembo: a play-maker from the edge, Shembo racked up 7.5 sacks, three tackles for loss and 12 hurries last season.

LT Zack Martin: has started all 39 games of his Fighting Irish career, and has been voted Notre Dame's offensive lineman of the year in each of the last three seasons. On the Outland and Lombardi Award watch lists for a third straight year.

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NEVADA

WR Brandon Wimberley: 70 receptions for 845 yards and 4 TDs in 2012; on the Biletnikoff Award watch list.

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TOP FIVE PLAYERS BYU WILL FACE IN 2013 ======================================

5. Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame: a multiple First Team All-America selection last season, Tuitt is listed by some observers in the same general neighborhood with Jadeveon Clowney. A fearsome combination of size (6'6", 322 lbs.) and speed, Tuitt in 2012 recorded 13 tackles for loss, including a Notre Dame single-season record 12 sacks, nine hurries, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup and one blocked kick. Tuitt returned that one fumble 77 yards for a touchdown. Big man can motor.

4. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin: so, why is this sophomore who was only third on the Badgers' rushing tally last season showing up in my top five, ahead of senior teammate James White? Well, part of it is a hunch, and part of it is the fact that in only 62 carries last season, Gordon gained 621 rushing yards. I'll give you a second to let you do the math.......and yes, his 10.02 yards-per-carry average led the FBS.

3. Chuckie Keeton, QB, Utah State: one of the nation's top dual-threat QBs, Keeton rolled up 3,373 passing yards and 619 rushing yards (eight rush TDs) in 2012; completed 68% of his passes for 27 TDs and nine INTs. Against BYU, Keeton was very limited; he threw for a modest 202 yards (on 38 attempts), was sacked three times, and was held to only 23 rush yards, as the Cougars kept the Aggies out of the end zone in a 6-3 victory.

2. Cody Fajardo, QB, Nevada: I'm sure I like Fajardo more than most, but of the FBS' returning signal-callers, Fajardo had the fifth-best total offense number in 2012. Following in the footsteps of Colin Kaepernick, the 6'3", 210 lb. Fajardo is doing a pretty good impression of his predecessor; last season, he threw for 2,786 yards and ran for 1,121 more (12 rush TDs). A 67% passer in 2012, Fajardo aired out 20 TDs, to nine INTs. Like Kaepernick, Fajardo is always a threat to break a big play; he had 42 runs from scrimmage of 10+ yards last season, fifth-most among all QBs (Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was second nationally, with 47).

1. Jonathan Gray, RB, Texas: like my Melvin Gordon pick, this might be a bit of a stretch, but I like my chances with this onetime consensus First Team HS All-American. Yes, he is sharing the backfield with the talented Malcolm Brown, and yes, he has only five starts to his credit (late in his freshman campaign of 2012), but this 5'11", 207-pound speedster (4.4) still ran for 700+ rushing yards last season, adding another 150+ yards through the air (13.7 yards/reception).

To this point in his career, Gray has never had more than 20 carries in a single game. In the Longhorns' new up-tempo offense, that should change in a hurry. As a prep star in Aledo, Texas, Gray set the national HS record for career TDs with 205, once scored 70 TDs in a single season, ran for almost 11,000 yards in his high school career and picked up three consecutive state titles. Now a full season removed from his prep days, Gray is primed to assume the lead-back role for Mack Brown and start compiling some serious college numbers.

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