Posts Tagged ‘conference’

Older Entries »
h1

BYU should flee the Big East-MWC love triangle

November 21, 2012

By Danny Holmgren

So you really thought that the conference re-alignment situation from 2011 had settled, did you? Not so fast there, my friend! After a relatively quiet 2012 season, conference shuffle-wise, the realignment talks are back in full swing this week.

Though nothing really happened immediately after it, the root cause of the 2012 version can be traced back to the BCS finally agreeing to a playoff. Under this playoff, the top 4 teams in the BCS rankings will be paired in a four team playoff with the winners squaring off in the National Championship Game. Under this re-structuring the Big East will no longer be defined as a “power conference” and will not have the automatic qualifying status it held under the previous 14 year reign of the BCS. How more Big East teams didn’t start abandoning ship before now is beyond me, but they’ve finally caught on and are on the move. With Rutgers officially announcing today that they are joining the Big 10 Conference, four of the Big East’s stronger football programs have now left he conference since last season. The Big East has scrambled to replace them, but frankly, adding San Diego State, SMU, and Memphis is hardly beefing up your resume. The Big East is hurting.

Meanwhile, BYU has just gone about it’s merry way in football independence. 2012 marked one of the toughest schedules that BYU has ever had and 2013 is even tougher. Nearly all games have been played on ESPN, who reports that ratings have been solid on the BYU broadcasts. That should bring hope to sweeten the $4M /year deal that BYU currently has with the worldwide leader.

Then the realignment fireworks started flying this weekend. Rutgers leaving the Big East and Maryland leaving the ACC normally wouldn’t have any impact on BYU, but in the case of the conferences fighting for survival, BYU suddenly has had itself voluntarily or involuntarily thrown back into the conference conundrum. Reports surfaced Monday afternoon that the Mountain West Conference has been in talks with BYU, SDSU, and Boise State to rejoin the conference, which would all but kill any hopes the Big East had of becoming a “power” conference again. After most BYU fans finished projectile vomiting over the idea of rejoining the dreaded MWC that they abandoned in 2011, they were left to wonder why the MWC would want them back and why BYU would ever even consider answering the call. Just last week BYU had scheduled a home-and-home with UNLV, many assumed as a sort of a slap in the face to MWC commissioner Craig Thompson. Does it make any sense to join any conference, much less rejoin the one that aggravated you to the point of secession?

That really depends on what the purpose of the BYU football program is and what the the conference can offer. To Coach Doman, the purpose of BYU football is to run pitch-option to the short side of the field on 3rd-and-long situations while wondering what might have been with Saint Heaps. To Coach Mendenhall, the purpose of the program is to be a missionary tool for the LDS Church, showing how young men can develop into men of character and integrity, while demonstrating a strong work ethic and commitment to team. To Athletic Director Tom Holmoe, BYU wants to be on the map as one of the elite football teams in the nation, a team that continuously recruits top talent, wins big games, is recognized and respected on a national level, and maybe even win a championship. In any of those situations, I can’t see how playing in the MWC is helpful in any way. Coach Mendenhall said it best when asked about the possibility after Monday night’s practice. “It’s about the same access we had before, the way I see it. We’ll still have to be undefeated, I think, to be considered.”

Re-joining the MWC does nothing for BYU in terms of TV contracts, TV revenue, scheduling, respect and recognition, competitiveness, or overall exposure to the program.What else is there? Beats me. I tend to think that the rumor of these discussions taking place are just that: rumor. If not, I hope that BYU will treat the MWC like the ex-girlfriend that you broke up with promising to stay friends, but really have no intention of ever speaking with again. Don’t take her calls, BYU. Don’t respond to her texts. If you see her walking across campus towards you, turn and walk the other way. You broke up with her for a reason.

Posted in Feature | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

h1

Week 7 Preview: BYU @ Oregon State

October 12, 2011

After losing to Texas and Utah in consecutive weeks, the Cougars are now on a three game winning streak, and will head back out on the road to face the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis. The Beavers haven’t been good this year, and the Cougars haven’t been great. It should be an interesting game, as both will be looking for something to build on here at the halfway point of the season.

What we know about Oregon State (1-4, 1-2 Pac12)

After going 5-7 last season, with a low point of losing at home to then 1-9 Washington State, I’m sure the Beavers had hoped for better things this season. Unfortunately for the Beavers, they have started 1-4, opening with a home loss against FCS Sacramento State. Their lone win came against Arizona (1-5) last week. Arizona’s lone win came when they actually managed to beat their FCS season-opening cupcake, Northern Arizona. What do we know about the Beavers? They aren’t a good team this year, but they do feature a decent passing attack, averaging nearly 280 passing yards per game. They have given up an average of 30 points per game, while scoring an average of just 20.

What we know about BYU (4-2)

Halfway through the season, the Cougars are nearly where I thought they would be, at least as far as their record is concerned. I expected them to be 5-1, with a loss at Texas. The Utah game was an unwelcome surprise, but I feel the team has responded well. Another unforeseen difficulty has been with Jake Heaps. Most people thought he’d be rolling along with around 1500 yards and a dozen or so touchdown passes by now. But as he has struggled, Riley Nelson has come in to replace him, for nearly the last game and a half. The Cougars are well on their way to the Armed Forces Bowl, but only time will tell if they will sort out their QB situation and get this offense really rolling by the end of the year.

Keys to the game

Doman. Coach Doman’s biggest challenge this game will be in adjusting to the Oregon State defense once they’ve adjusted to the Nelson-led offense. I’ve said it before, I don’t think Heaps would have a great game coming off the bench, so with Riley starting, Doman’s got to have a great gameplan for him.

Nelson. Riley had an amazing first half against SJSU last week. He threw for three touchdowns and at one point had a +330 passer rating. In the second half, the Cougars managed only two field goals, but it was more than enough to beat the Spartans. Riley is an all or nothing type of QB – the Cougars didn’t punt at all last game, either getting points or giving up a turnover. The Beavers will make Riley pay more for his mistakes, so he’ll have to make better decisions than he made against SJSU.

Receivers. This group has seen incremental improvement throughout the season, and really had some great moments last week. The highlight was a 40 yard TD grab by McKay Jacobson. A huge indicator for success in the passing game will be if the tight ends can be involved. Getting the ball to Wilson and Mathews early and often will be crucial.

The Rush Attack. Mike Alisa broke out last week with 91 yards rushing, and the team ended with 224 yards on the ground. If Nelson can rely on other runners like Alisa, and have open targets down field when he’s passing, it will free Nelson himself up to make even more running plays. The coaches love to reward performance, so I think Alisa will have the opportunity to repeat his great performance from last week.

Special Teams. Special teams determine field position, and field position wins close games. It takes pressure off of the defense and off the offense. Justin Sorensen has been great this season getting touchbacks on kickoffs, and he has been pretty good on his field goals as well. It would be a huge boost if Hoffman could break another big run, but I don’t think we’ll see any fireworks from him this week.

Bronco D. The Beavers actually have a decent passing attack, racking up an average of 280 yards through the air, and they add an extra 110 rushing yards. Unfortunately for them, all of those yards only translate to about 21 points per game. The Cougar defense will likely hold the Beavers well under 100 yards rushing, and will force them to win on their passing attack. This will put the pressure on BYU’s secondary to shut down the OSU receivers and really frustrate the Beaver offense.

Prediction

The Beavers are 1-4, but make no mistake, this isn’t San Jose State. The Cougars will have to play a better game this week, and I think this will be a close game, decided by which team wins the turnover battle. I think the Cougars win a thriller in Corvallis, 23-16.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

BYU 24, UCF 17

September 25, 2011

After the blowout loss to Utah last week, the Cougars were hoping to use this game as a turning point – something to build on – to define the rest of the season. BYU was able to accomplish that goal by pulling out a win against a tough UCF team – reigning C-USA champs who went 11-3 last season. While the Knights outgained the Cougars by nearly 140 yards, BYU won the game as I called it: on strong plays by the defense and by winning the turnover battle. Here’s a look at what went right and what didn’t, as we review our keys to the game.

Hoffman takes it to the house!

Doman. The BYU OC moved up to the box for this game. I won’t say that was why they won, but it certainly can’t hurt to be able to see the whole field of play, and thus be better able to identify the strengths and weaknesses that the opposing defense is showing you. Credit Doman for not losing the second half battle – as was the case the previous two weeks. The Cougars overcame deficits of 10-3 and 17-10 to eventually win the game.

Heaps. Jake continues to be a work in progress. His accuracy was below 50% this week, at 16/34 for a mere 133 yards and an INT. He was competent enough to win the game. One really encouraging piece, the leading receiver in the game was TE Marcus Mathews, who caught 4 passes for 35 yards.

The Rush Attack. BYU’s rushing crew had a much better night this week, combining (less the Heaps sack) for 137 yards. Kariya rushed for 52, DiLuigi for 38, and Quezada for 26 yards. Kariya and DiLuigi each scored a touchdown on the ground as well. After the game, Bronco said that they had simplified some of the running game. Whatever they did, I hope they do it again, and that it continues to be effective.

Special Teams. Special teams! From an abysmal game last week to saving the game this week! I cannot fully express how big an impact special teams had on this game. In the second half, BYU was finally able to put together a touchdown drive, only to have that be followed by a UCF touchdown drive, which put the game right back where it was. On the ensuing kickoff, Cody Hoffman accomplished what no other Cougar had done in 13 years: he returned that ball for a touchdown. 93 yards, and all he needed was one monster block as he ran the ball all the way back, untouched. It was an amazing moment for the team and for the fans. It also demoralized the UCF team who had just scored what would be their last points of the night.

Again, in the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 17, UCF’s JJ Worton muffed a Riley Stephenson punt, which was recovered by BYU’s Michael Alisa. Michael ran it into the endzone and the entire team gathered around him to celebrate. It was something these guys needed to help ease the pain of the week before, when nothing went the Cougars’ way. They got flagged for a celebration penalty, and the touchdown didn’t count because you can’t advance a muff, but 3 Bryan Kariya rushes later, BYU had that touchdown and the winning score 24-17. Further, 4/5 Sorenson kickoffs were for touchbacks, and Riley Stephenson averaged 45 yards per punt on 6 punts, with a long of 67. It was really an amazing night for Cougar special teams.

Bronco D. The defense really had a great game. UCF came in averaging more than 200 yards per game on the ground, and the BYU defense was able to hold them to just 81. They were also held to just about half of their usual points per game, at just 17. The defense, like the offense this week, did not fall behind due to poor halftime adjustments, as they allowed only one scoring drive in the second half. Standout performances by Joe Sampson (impressive Sack early on, and an INT to seal the game), Uona Kaveinga (who continues to force fumbles and just be plain nasty), and Kyle Van Noy (who showed off a wicked vertical leap to tip the ball that Sampson intercepted).

The biggest weakness for the defense continues to be Corby Eason. He dropped a potential INT that hit him in the numbers, and the UCF quarterbacks were targeting (and having success against) his side of the field all game long.

What we know about UCF (2-2, 0-0 C-USA)

UCF expected to come in and win against BYU this week. Their players were frustrated by the loss, especially when they were able to dominate the offensive statistics. UCF has a bye this week, so they will have plenty of time to dwell on the loss, and prepare to open C-USA play on October 8th against 1-3 Marshall. The following week will be a rematch of last year’s C-USA championship game at SMU.

What we know about BYU (2-2)

This game felt much like last year’s game against San Diego State. It was a close, hard-fought game, which I felt helped to define the season. I applaud the fact that the players were able to come together to win a tough, close game, just one week after having so much go wrong against Utah. Hopefully the Cougars can build on what they did in this game as they take on Utah State next week.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

h1

Week 2 Preview – BYU @ Texas

September 8, 2011

It’s week 2 of college football! This weekend’s matchup will pit the Cougars against the Texas Longhorns. The Cougars are 2-0 against Texas, from a two game deal that was played in 1987 and 1988.

What we know about Texas

Texas, not unlike Ole Miss, was down last year. They only managed a record of 5-7, despite starting out 3-0. It was also strange to note which games the Longhorns did win – as they beat up on cupcakes like Rice and FAU, and even took down then #5 Nebraska, but failed to beat the likes of Kansas State and UCLA. Texas will never be down for long though, and they are hoping to be back on track this year. They started out the year with a more impressive win over Rice than they had last year. While the score was similar, Texas’ offense managed to roll up about 200 yards more than last year, while the Texas D held rice to one less touchdown. Still, the Texas QB, Garrett Gilbert, didn’t look very sharp, only going 13/23 passing.

What we know about BYU

BYU of course, opened the season with a win against Ole Miss. It was a come-from-behind win; in fact, the greatest come from behind win since Bronco Mendenhall became the head coach in 2005. BYU’s defense was dominant throughout the game, and especially in the fourth quarter, as the Ole Miss offense grew tired, the BYU defense was still sharp and had the ability to make the plays necessary to win the game. Not only did the defense score a touchdown, but they held the Ole Miss offense to a pair of field goals. The Cougar offense was shaky. Many plays were broken or hurried because of bad snaps, and Heaps threw many passes that were not on target, including a pick-6 that was a half a second away from being a BYU touchdown. Hopefully having the first game done with will have worked out some of the quirks for the new offense – they should look much better this Saturday.

Keys to the game

Domanation. The offense appeared to lack energy, and much of that had to do with the tempo of the play calling. BYU averaged more than 30 seconds between plays against Ole Miss. Brandon Doman admitted that he needs to step it up – and he does. Look for the Cougars to have quicker play calling, which should translate to keeping Heaps in rhythm, and keeping the defense more on its heels.

Jake Heaps. Texas is a better team than Ole Miss, and while the Texas offense may be somewhat of a question mark, the defense is not. Heaps will have to make more accurate throws than he did last week, and he may have less time to do it. Hoffman and Apo will need to do better at getting open – wherever they happen to be on the field.

The Rush Attack. JJ DiLuigi and Bryan Kariya made up most of the yards last week, because Josh Quezada had a migraine. I do hope the “Juice” is back this week, because he is a dynamic runner that could really break out some big plays. Having three guys capable of carrying the ball each play also helps keep each of them more fresh for later in the game.

Special Teams. Last week, Jacobsen and Hague averaged 26 yards per kick return, and Falslev returned one punt for 27 yards. It’s amazing to watch, and I will be excited to see if these guys can pull off some more big plays against Texas. A concern on special teams is the short to mid range kicking game. Justin Sorensen has the ability to boot the ball 60+ yards accurately, but he is very inconsistent in the short range. Last week he missed a 31 yarder. Honestly, if the game were on the line and we were in range for a short kick, I’d rather have Heaps in there throwing the ball to win the game. If Sorensen can’t improve quickly, BYU will have to look elsewhere for their short range field goals.

Bronco D. This is the area I am not worried about at all. The defense has been truly amazing since Bronco fired Jaime Hill after the Utah State game last year. Even the top rushing teams in the country struggle to reach 100 yards rushing against this defense. BYU will shut down the Texas run game and force the Longhorns to beat them through the air. There will be plenty of pressure on Garrett Gilbert though, and how he deals with that pressure will make or break the game for Texas.

Prediction

This game is a toss-up. I did choose it as one of two BYU losses on my season preview, but I do feel that it could go either way. I think it will be a close game, with a big play being the deciding factor. I think Texas will be surprised at how difficult this game is for them, but I think Texas will win the game 23-17.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

h1

BYU 14, Ole Miss 13

September 5, 2011

The Cougars went down to Oxford and came from behind to beat the Rebels of Ole Miss by one point. My call was 35-13 in favor of BYU, and while the final score was 14-13, I did at least predict the winner, and the score of the loser. So what went right and what went wrong down south? Let’s revisit my keys to the game:

Enter the Doman O. The offense has taken a lot of heat for not producing points. After reviewing the game, the offense looked out of sync, made mental mistakes, and lacked energy. That’s not to say it was all bad. The Cougars were able to move the ball quite well, and the halftime adjustments made by Doman had great impact. According to @CougarStats, BYU had 102 yards on 36 plays in the first half, but in the second half they were able to gain 214 yards on 33 plays. I am happy to see that halftime adjustments were made, and that they were effective. That’s a far cry from what would have happened with an Anae-led offense. Oh yeah, and the Cougars came from behind to win. The biggest come-from-behind victory in Bronco’s tenure.

Jake Heaps and the Receivers. Jake Heaps had a mediocre first half, going 11/22 for 74 yards, but again, the second half adjustments were favorable to the BYU quarterback – he came out and threw 13/16 for 151 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. It is worthwhile to note that many of the broken plays were the result of poor snaps or missed blocking assignments. So, even though Heaps will take most of the heat (as QB’s do- though they also get the accolades when the team does well…) it is important to remember that his supporting cast has much to do with his success. Ross Apo was the Cougars’ leading receiver, with four catches for 46 yards and one touchdown, with a long of 25 yards.

The Rush Attack. DiLuigi and Kariya led the Cougar rushing attack with 56 and 35 yards apiece. The team was only able to gain 91 yards on the ground, which made this one of the few BYU victories in recent memory that BYU did not rush for at least 100 yards. Quezada left the game with a migraine after the second quarter, so he would have had a greater impact had he been able to stay in.

Special Teams. Special teams were up and down. McKay Jacobson and Mike Hague combined for an average 26 yards on kick returns. Justin Sorensen missed his only field goal attempt, and Riley Stephenson punted five times, with the kicks ranging from 11 to 53 yards. On the other side, BYU held Ole Miss kick returner Jeff Scott to a 13.5 average, though he was able to return a punt for 44 yards.

Bronco D. The defense won this game. They were energetic, excited, and rarely looked surprised by Ole Miss. The players were flying around the field like heat-seeking torpedoes towards whichever unfortunate Ole Miss player happened to be carrying the ball at the time. Each of Ole Miss’ top three RBs were taken off the field with an injury at some point. Last year, Ole Miss had the nation’s 18th best rushing attack, averaging 207 rushing yards per game, but they were only able to manage 64 yards on the ground, despite having the nation’s biggest offensive line. Uona Kaveinga and Preston Hadley combined to cause a fumble, which was recovered by Daniel Sorenson. This was a huge play, as it off-set the short punt by Stephenson. And of course, there was the game-winning play by Kyle Van Noy. Ole Miss was looking at a 3rd and 27, on their own 21 yard line. Van Noy released from the edge and reached Ole Miss QB Zack Stoudt, stripped the ball, and scooped it up as he tumbled into the endzone for a Cougar touchdown. The ensuing extra point put BYU ahead at 14-13. Not only did Bronco’s defense hold Ole Miss to just two field goals, they also scored a touchdown.

KVN in for the touchdown!

What we know about Ole Miss

If you were listening the the ESPN commentary, you know that Ole Miss is from the SEC. Over and over and over throughout the game, all we heard was SEC size, SEC speed, SEC…crap. You don’t win games because of a patch on your jersey. Ole miss had an opportunity to win this game, but they were dominated by the “less talented, non-SEC team” of BYU. Ole Miss has a nice, easy game against Southern Illinois next week, but that’s followed by a jump into their SEC schedule, which will not favor the Rebels, who went 1-7 in conference play last year.

What we know about BYU

The Defense is solid. I do not believe any team will rush for 100 yards against BYU this year. The Offense has some kinks to work out, but the unit has the correct scheme and the talent to be successful. Special teams have got to become more consistent – especially in the short to mid range field goals. If Sorenson can’t kick them, we need to find someone who can. BYU heads down to Austin next week, where they will face-off against the Longhorns of Texas; the second of four brutal weeks to start the season, with Utah and UCF to follow.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Older Entries »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

%d bloggers like this: