WELCOME TO THE NEW ERA OF
BYU FOOTBALL ANALYTICS
As the analytics revolution continues to transform sports, we delve into its impact on player evaluation, game strategy, and the future direction of BYU Football.
Check Out BYU Football Statistics
2024 BYU Player Stats
Past Games
Kalani Sitake
BYU Football Head Coach Kalani Sitake has demonstrated a remarkable openness to using advanced analytics. His enthusiasm for integrating these tools into decision-making is evident in the team's adoption of metrics like expected points.
Trends
Average yards from pass attempts increased from 4.66 in 1960 to 5.8 in 2005.
Teams separated from average by executing 3-5 additional plays per game.
Gameplay
BYU has embraced the use of expected points (EP) to provide a deeper understanding of player performance. However, contrary to common belief, it was BYU’s own former quarterback, Virgil Carter, who pioneered the expected points concept in 1970. White and Berry later refined it using advanced regression techniques, offering more precision beyond Carter’s original 10-yard increment system.
Coaches now grade every player on each play, and Knowlton and Fellingham have used these grades to measure the impact of each position on expected points. They found the running back to be the second most important offensive position after the quarterback, not the left tackle as suggested by The Blind Side. On defense, the boundary corner was identified as the most crucial position.
Additionally, a quarterback’s touchdown pass from 10 yards out adds 3.1 expected points. on first-and-10. Conversely, an interception leading to a touchdown for the opponent reduces expected points by –10.9, but these numbers vary based on the game situation.
Biometrics and Motion Capture
BYU has also integrated biometrics into its training program, leading to a 20% improvement in players' recovery times. More recent advancements include:
1. Motion Capture Technology (2017): BYU uses third-party technology managed by Domo to track receiver performance on plays, including blocking and route-running accuracy.
2. NFL Study on Hamstring Injuries: BYU collaborated with medical schools at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Virginia, and University of Michigan on a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedics. This study identified linebackers and defensive backs as the most prone to hamstring injuries.
3. AI in Film Study: BYU professor DJ Lee and his team of graduate students developed an AI system that can identify players from film footage with 90% accuracy and recognize play formations with 85% accuracy, significantly reducing the time coaches spend manually annotating film. Their findings were published in Electronics.
Looking Forward
BYU Football continues to navigate this new era by blending traditional approaches with advanced analytics, capitalizing on both the rich experience of its coaching staff and the innoative insigths provided by data. Sitake's tenure has built on the foundation laid by Bronco Mendenhall, with an even stronger commitement to integrating analytics into the program's strategy.