The 5 Most Telling Stats for BYU This Season

On the heels of a season-saving win at Middle Tennessee, BYU has a bye week before its final three games. But with most of the season already finished, now is a good time to look back on the first nine games.

Numbers never tell the whole story, but a lot can be learned from this season's statistics. There's no way to describe a convincing four-game winning streak and subsequent losing skid with numbers, but there are several stats that tell a lot about the season.

So, what are the Cougars' five most telling stats? Here they are.

If there's any stat that proves how crucial offensive efficiency is, it's turnovers. In BYU's wins, they have turned the ball over only 1.2 times per game; in losses, that number more than doubled to 2.75.

If the bizarre four-turnover win against Houston is taken away, BYU's average for TOs in wins goes down to 0.5, over five times less than those in losses.

Naturally, the team that has fewer turnovers usually wins the game, but this is especially obvious this season for BYU. 

There may not be a team in the country that has be hit harder by injuries than BYU. Although many Cougars have faced injuries and recovered within the past few weeks, a handful of players are done for the season.

Four players—Taysom Hill, Jordan Johnson, Jamaal Williams and Nick Kurtz—have been sidelined for the year by injuries. Three of those players were proven starters, and Kurtz likely would've started if he played this season.

There's no doubt that these injuries have hurt BYU, and having the four players healthy would make a huge difference for the Cougs.

BYU's pass defense has been a glaring weakness all season, but looking at the numbers makes it look even worse. The Cougs rank 113th in the nation, allowing 285 passing yards per game.

Injuries and suspensions have limited the defense, with Jordan Johnson, Craig Bills, Dallin Leavitt and Robertson Daniel having all missed games this season. This has forced inexperienced players—like Jordan Preator and Kai Nacua—onto the field. We have yet to see Trent Trammell and Sam Lee, two seemingly promising players, get much time on the field.

Obviously, the issues the Cougars face defensively are much bigger than personnel, but they could use any help they can get.

Through nine games, Scott Arellano has punted the ball over a mile.

Let that sink in.

Not only does this mean that Arellano has one heck of a leg, which he obviously does, but he has been incredibly consistent. He has punted 47 times this year and averages 45 yards per punt.

But this stat doesn't just prove Arellano's worth as a kicker—it exposes BYU's inefficiency as an offense. He has punted 32 times in the past five games, which is an ugly number for any team.

If the Cougars want to end this season on a good note, they'll need to lighten Arellano's load.

If there is any statistic more telling than BYU's winning percentage since Oct. 1st, I'd be shocked. As a 1-4 team in the past month, nothing says "collapse" like winning 20 percent of your games.

I don't mean to say that the Cougs have reached rock bottom—they got a big road win over MTSU last week and seem to be back on track—but at this point, it isn't realistic to expect three straight wins to end the season.

We can only hope that the Cougs are officially back on track. Getting a win over UNLV would be big, and going into the bowl game with a victory over Cal would be huge. But statistically speaking, nothing tells the story of the past five games like BYU's record.

All stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.