PROVO — It's a problem most offensive coordinators would love to have.

BYU's Robert Anae has two outstanding senior tight ends at his disposal — Dennis Pitta and Andrew George. Opposing teams know it, so they do everything they can to stop them.

Fortunately for the Cougars, they also have other offensive weapons.

"So much of what Dennis does — even though he makes spectacular plays — defenses are focused right on him," Anae said. "To have Andrew on the field at the same time, it takes a lot of pressure off of the offense."

In last Saturday's 52-0 victory over Wyoming, Pitta caught three passes for 35 yards and George didn't record a reception. But as quarterback, Max Hall pointed out that Pitta and George made a huge impact on the offense anyway.

"(The Cowboys) were so worried about Dennis and Andrew that it opened things up for the guys on the edge," Hall said. "Wyoming was so Dennis-conscious that it opened up a ton of stuff underneath. It allowed us to do some things. Dennis is going to have big games every once in a while and there's going to be games where he and Andrew are going to receive the bulk of the coverage, and other guys need to make plays."

While Pitta and George just might be the best tight end duo in the nation, Anae, who played on the Cougars' 1984 national championship team, considers them "as good a tight end duo as we've had here."

Pitta stands as BYU's most productive tight end ever with the all-time lead in catches (200) and yards (2,640). He is complemented by George, who has 57 receptions for 652 yards in his career. Together, they've combined for 257 catches, 3,292 yards and 27 touchdowns.

BYU has boasted some impressive tight end tandems before, such as Jonny Harline and Daniel Coats a few years ago. In the mid-1990s, Itula Mili and Chad Lewis formed perhaps BYU's most famous dual threat. Mili had 125 grabs for 1,763 yards, while Lewis caught 111 passes for 1,376 yards — a total of 236 catches, 3,139 yards and 21 TDs. Both went on to successful NFL careers.

"They're really similar to us," Lewis said of the Pitta-George combination. "Dennis has caught a lot more balls than Andrew, but it's not because Andrew is not as good. Itula and I were both very competitive, really good friends and we worked with each other to get each other open. It was a game to us to get each other open. I see similar things going on with Dennis and Andrew."

Lewis, a former Pro Bowl tight end, believes both Pitta and George will be playing in the NFL next season.

Though Pitta receives most of the attention, awards and recognition — and owns the gaudy stats — George said he doesn't mind playing in Pitta's shadow.