Cougars’ secondary is back at full strength, but will be tested against UCF

When starting BYU defensive backs Therrian “Tre” Alexander III and Jayven Williams left the game on the same Notre Dame drive toward the end of the third quarter last Saturday, an Irish touchdown seemed somewhat inevitable.

Given outstanding field position after the Cougars muffed a punt at their own 40-yard-line, the visitors had serious momentum and advantageous mismatches all over the field.

For BYU, seldom-used reserves Matthias Leach (a redshirt sophomore) and Jordyn Criss (a redshirt freshman) joined veteran Evan “Schmev” Johnson in the secondary to match up with outstanding Notre Dame receivers Jordan Faison, Micah Gilbert and Jaden Greathouse.

Not only did BYU’s patched-together defense rise up and force a field goal on that ND possession, it forced a field goal on the Irish’s next possession when BYU’s fake punt attempt went awry. Alexander returned to the game, but Williams was cramping up and Leach played the remainder of the game, an eventual 28-24 win for BYU.

“They knew what I was capable of, and I know what I’m capable of. When I came into the game they let me know, ‘Man, Matthias, you were meant to be here. You’re supposed to be here. Just go have fun.’ That put me in a different mindset.”

BYU cornerback Matthias Leach

“Super proud of Matthias Leach and how he came in and played,” said BYU defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga. “I thought he performed really well at the end of the game when those guys went down (and almost scored). I thought he stepped up to the occasion.”

While Johnson was on Greathouse like glue on the final play of the game when CJ Carr’s errant throw hit the south end zone turf, Leach was in the vicinity and peeled off the receiver he was guarding to make the throw just a little bit more difficult for the Irish quarterback.

“Matthias is a guy who hasn’t played a lot of football, so to be able to go in that moment in one of the biggest games of the season and be able to play the way he did, and make some plays too, as well, was big,” Poppinga said of the third-year defensive back from Fort Worth, Texas. “He made a big-time tackle on a third down, then gets a (pass breakup) on that last drive where one of their best players had a chance to catch a fade ball, and he makes a play on the ball.”

The play of Leach and Criss, who is from Arlington, Texas, “just shows that we have more depth at the corner position than I thought,” Poppinga said.

The first-year defensive coordinator said all the defensive backs practiced on Tuesday and the unit is at full strength for the first time since senior safety Raider Damuni suffered a left knee injury in the opener against Utah Tech. Damuni was BYU’s second-leading tackler against Notre Dame, with seven. He also broke up a pass.

Raider Damuni’s return was big

Immediately after the game, Damuni said he would take Evan Johnson playing man defense on any receiver in the country “every single time” and that having the senior in there is “a blessing” for the defense.

“To be able to tackle like Schmev tackles and play man like he does helps our defense so much,” Damuni said. “I don’t think there’s a better corner in the country than him.”

Damuni also mentioned the play of the reserves when Williams and Alexander went out.

“I want to give a shoutout to Matthias Leach. He came in, and Jordyn Criss came in, and we didn’t take a step backwards. We continued to play man. We continued to trust those guys, and I think that’s the (great) depth that we have on the defensive side of the ball.”

Monday, star freshman receiver Legend Glasker also paid tribute to BYU’s starting corners, Johnson and Alexander, saying that those two veterans prepared BYU’s receivers to go against Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore (considered to be a top 10 NFL draft pick next April), DJ McKinney, Christian Gray and Jayden Sanders.

“Before we even played them, going against Tre and Schmev all through spring ball and fall camp, I feel like it wasn’t really that crazy going against the cornerbacks on Notre Dame,” Glasker said. “… Going against (Moore) on Notre Dame, it wasn’t really anything big for me. They really prepared me for that.”

Said safety Faletau Satuala on the play of backups like Leach and linebacker Kendal Wall: “We have great coaches who know that you have to prepare every single person to be ready to play. … Those dudes (were) ready because they always practice well, and at practice we kind of split reps a lot with everybody. So those dudes are getting just as much work in as we are, and preparing just as much as we are. … Shoutout to those guys for being ready.”

BYU’s secondary faces another big test

Leach, who took the time to help Greathouse get to his feet after the final play — a gesture that went viral — as BYU fans stormed the field after the big win, said he was ready because of his offseason work with Johnson, Alexander and BYU’s secondary coaches.

“When my name was called, it wasn’t like anything changed for them or anything changed for me,” he said. “They knew what I was capable of, and I know what I’m capable of. When I came into the game they let me know, ‘Man, Matthias, you were meant to be here. You’re supposed to be here. Just go have fun.’ That put me in a different mindset.”

BYU’s entire defense will be tested again this week as the No. 2 Cougars take on UCF (3-3) at the Bounce House on Saturday (1:30 p.m. MDT, Fox) in Orlando, Florida. Poppinga said UCF has some of the fastest receivers the Cougars will see all year.

BYU’s secondary will also try to get back to its ball hawking days. The Cougars’ defense has gone consecutive games without an interception for the first time since November 2023, when it went three straight games without a pick.

Both teams in Saturday’s game are tied for 33rd in the country in interceptions, with six.