MADISON, Wis. -- Not many college football teams possess an offense so quick and so relentless that the outcome of one game can lead to the firing of an opponent's defensive coordinator less than 24 hours later.
Then again, not many offenses look like BYU -- a well-conditioned, breakneck-paced, new-school edition of fastbreak basketball on grass. In just one season, the Cougars have created the very latest in a line of up-tempo spread offenses meant to decimate defenses by keeping them on the field for nearly 100 plays per game.
All indications show this freshly coated model is working quite well.
Take, for example, the now infamous game between BYU and Texas on Sept. 7. The Cougars ran 99 offensive plays and steamrolled the Longhorns 40-21, rushing for 550 yards -- the most rushing yards Texas had ever allowed. BYU quarterback Taysom Hill ran for 259 yards -- second-most in school history. In fact, BYU so thoroughly embarrassed Texas that defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was fired the next day.
Just three weeks ago, in a 47-46 victory against Houston, BYU's offense tied the all-time FBS record by running an astounding 115 plays from scrimmage. The Cougars also converted a school-best 41 first downs.
In other words, No. 21 Wisconsin (6-2) certainly will have its hands full when it plays host to BYU (6-2) at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday during a rare November nonconference game at Camp Randall Stadium.
"The spread bug is going around the nation," Badgers safety Dezmen Southward said. "But they do a really, really good job of it. You have to be impressed at the things they're able to do. . . .
"Everyone has their own spin on the spread game, what it is today. At the end of the day, if you're able to move the ball down the field and put up points, hey, more power to you. And that's exactly what they've been doing."
Consider that BYU has run 173 more offensive plays than Wisconsin this season and ranks No. 1 in the country in average number of plays per game (89.8). Five times this season, BYU has eclipsed the 90-play mark. Wisconsin, meanwhile, hasn't had more than 80 plays in any game and averages 68.1 plays per contest.
"It's not always pedal to the metal every snap," Badgers coach Gary Andersen said. "It's on and off back and forth a little bit. You watch the teams they play, they get physically tired. BYU does a lot of great plays and there are a lot of missed tackles in the games, especially late in drives."
Unlike some "air raid" up-tempo offenses, BYU is not particularly pass-happy. The Cougars actually run the ball on 61.2 percent of their plays. Wisconsin runs on 63.1 percent of its plays. While Wisconsin's famed running attack ranks No. 10 nationally (287.0 yards per game), BYU ranks No. 14 (258.8).
Wisconsin linebacker Borland called BYU's pace "a red flag" for Badgers defenders to take note of and compared the Cougars to Oregon. But he added Wisconsin's defensive line was better suited to play an up-tempo team because of the number of players that rotated through those positions this season.
"We've got a lot of depth at d-line," Borland said. "That's the position I think you're most concerned about. Those guys getting fatigued really changes the way they play. They're big guys, so it happens. But we've got six to eight guys that can really play on that front line."
Southward said he wasn't concerned about BYU's intention to run at least 100 plays per game. If Wisconsin's defense -- which ranks No. 6 nationally, allowing 286.1 yards per game -- performs up to its standards, he believes the Cougars could have their own issues.
"It works both ways," Southward said. "If you let them get 100 plays off, it can really destroy morale. It can definitely tire a defense out. But if you get three and out, and you get our offense back on the field, give them a chance to pound them on the ground a little bit, it can work in the opposite direction to where their defense is pretty tired. It all depends on how well we're able to get off the field."
A year ago, BYU averaged roughly 77 plays per game -- still a relatively high number in college football. But Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall kicked the offense into high gear for 2013. He brought in offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who worked as an offensive line coach in 2011-12 at Arizona and spent last season under spread offense guru Rich Rodriguez.
Hill, the BYU quarterback, noted opposing defenses were having a difficult time trying to match up and were scrambling to make adjustments over the past month as the Cougars' reputation has grown.
"Now, what we're running into, is teams don't know how to stop our guys on the outside because our guys are tall and not easy to defend," Hill told reporters this week. "They try to play off the receivers, so we throw underneath routes. Then they press and we throw over the top. That's the battle we've seen so far."
Hill and his teammates recognize BYU will be in for its toughest battle of the season on Saturday, when the Cougars take their lightning-fast offense to Madison.
"Going to Wisconsin gives us an opportunity to make noise on the national level," Hill said. "They're ranked in the top 25. They are a well-known program throughout the country. It gives us an opportunity to go into a hostile environment and show what we can do against a very good opponent."
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