Cliff Kirkpatrick

The tight end as an offensive weapon could make the difference in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The Oregon State football team uses sophomore Joe Halahuni and BYU has senior Dennis Pitta.

Halahuni has come on this season as a reliable receiving option for QB Sean Canfield. He caught 34 passes for 474 yards and three touchdowns, and is fourth on the team in receiving.

“Whenever you have a tight end who is effective, that enhances a lot what you do,” coach Mike Riley said. “That’s a key to balancing our offense.”

Pitta leads BYU in receiving with 57 catches for 784 yards and seven touchdowns. The Cougars often split him out as a wide receiver to create a mismatch with a linebacker out of position.

“He’s going to be the best tight end we’ll see all year,” LB Keaton Kristick said. “It’s going to be a challenge.”

BYU has the advantage in the tight end area because of Pitta and how he’s used. Pitta is the team’s all-time tight end leader in career receiving yards (2,856) and receptions (216).

SI.com, CBSSports.com, Sporting News and Rivals.com named him a first-team all-American this season.

“He’s among the best tight ends to play at BYU,” BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “And that says a lot with the tradition of that position at BYU.”

Check out my story in Thursday’s GT here. It’s the QB comparison between OSU’s Canfield and BYU’s Max Hall. And the Beavers spread some Christmas cheer here.

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