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Texas 17, BYU 16

September 10, 2011

BYU looked great going into halftime, up 13-0, but Texas made some great halftime adjustments and outscored the Cougars 17-3 in the second half to win the game. BYU led the game until 8:34 remained in the fourth quarter and they had opportunities to win, but they simply came up short at the end.

It doesn’t make it any less painful, but I did pick Texas to win this game (23-17). BYU had great chances, and even had the lead until 8:34 remained in the 4th quarter. BYU’s offense ran out of gas somewhere around halftime, and the defense wasn’t able to come up with a magic touchdown like last week against Ole Miss.

Texas scores the go-ahead TD

So, what went right/wrong for the Cougars? Let’s revisit our keys to the game:

Domanation. Brandon Doman did a much better job with pace this game. There were times when the offense went no-huddle, to keep the defense on its heels, and when the Cougars did huddle, they tended to get plays in and be on the ball more quickly than last week. Play calling was very conservative, including a 3rd and 9 draw play that left many fans wondering if Robert Anae had snuck a play in.

Jake Heaps. Heaps did seem to throw a more accurate ball this week – at least I don’t remember there being quite as many that were too far in front of or behind the receivers. He ended up being 22/38 for 192 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT’s. That’s an average of 5.1 yards per throw. Heaps did spread the ball around again, hitting 11 different receivers, but the top two, Holt and Apo, only had 41 and 40 receiving yards, respectively. He was too quick to use his check-down receiver, especially in the second half. Highlight of the day was a 97 yard touchdown drive in the second quarter that put the Cougars up 13-0.

The Rush Attack. The rushing game was abysmal. The Cougars only managed 43 yards on 23 attempts…an average of 1.9 yards per attempt. Heaps lost nine, but that doesn’t help the picture very much. The rushing leader was DiLuigi who posted 39 yards on 14 carries. Quezada was second with 5 carries for 7 yards. Yeah. 7. The lack of a run game really hurt the play action – as it’s supposed to be the run that the defense bites on to allow you to make the throw to an open receiver. No run game made for a long day and too many passing attempts for Heaps.

Special Teams. You want a bright spot? Here it is. Justin Sorenson was 3/3 on field goals, all of which were right around the 30 yard line. That is a good bit of consistency at short-to-mid range that he hasn’t shown in the past. I wish he’d had the opportunity to go for the game winner, but the offense simply couldn’t get anywhere on their final three drives, netting 6, 7, and -6 yards, all deep in their own territory.

Bronco D. The defense had an amazing start to the game, shutting out the Longhorns through nearly two quarters. The Texas drives in the first half ended like this: punt, punt, interception, interception, punt, punt, field goal. The yards per drive: 6, -3, 5, 47, -1, 0, 19. Texas figured out a few things at halftime, and their next three drives averaged more than 50 yards each, and resulted in two touchdowns. A big part of the second half difference was that Texas did not play their starting QB, Garrett Gilbert, as he had been too kind to the Cougars, going 2/8 for 8 yards and 2 INT’s. In all, BYU gave up 123 passing yards and 166 rushing yards, with most of those coming in the second half.

What we know about Texas (2-0)

It is hard to tell a lot about a team early in the season. Mack Brown’s team certainly didn’t look like Texas in the first half, but they made enough plays to win it in the second. We will have a better picture of the Longhorns when they go on the road to UCLA next week, looking to avenge their big loss that came from the Bruins last year.

What we know about BYU (1-1)

The defense had a great first half, and the offense had a good first half. Both played a mediocre to poor second half, which is a concern. If Texas is back, maybe both teams really are “that good,” but I think this game left us with more questions than answers regarding just how good the Cougars are right now. Two long road-trips on consecutive weeks against BCS teams don’t make an easy start to the season, but it won’t get any easier next week, as the Cougars head home to face Utah. The Utes are coming off a close loss of their own, having lost 17-14 at USC, and both teams will be looking for a big win over their rival in week 3 to set the tone for the rest of the season.

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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.

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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.

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2011 BYU Season Preview

August 22, 2011

Independence is upon us, and it is a new beginning for the team, school, and fans alike. Last year at this time, Jaime Hill was the defensive coordinator. He was fired after the loss to Utah State during the 2010 season, and Bronco Mendenhall re-assumed the dual role of Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator. Robert Anae was released as offensive coordinator at the conclusion of the 2010 season, and was replaced by Brandon Doman, who had been the quarterbacks coach. Joe DuPaix has come over from Navy to coach the running backs, and Ben Cahoon retired from the CFL and became the Cougars’ wide receivers coach. The coaching staff is now defined by young, energetic leaders.

The rocket-man himself

Offense

Under the direction of new offensive coordinator Brandon Doman, the Cougars are introducing a pro-style offense, which will feature Jake Heaps more under-center, with drop back and play-action passes.  This will allow the Cougars to use a few formations to run many plays, making it harder for the defenses to read the play.

The offense is stacked, returning 4 of 5 offensive linemen, the top 3 passers, receivers, and rushers from 2010.

Jake Heaps threw for 2316 yards, 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, with a completion percentage of 57.2. Compared to previous years, the yardage is quite low: between 2005 and 2009, John Beck and Max Hall threw between 3,500 and 3,900 yards each season. But when you consider that Heaps threw for 2300 yards as a freshman, we should be able to expect great things from him this year, and for the next two as well.

In 2010, the Cougars had to find a replacement for the receiving yards vacated by tight-ends Dennis Pitta and Andrew George. That replacement didn’t come, and the passing game really suffered for it. The Cougars leading receiver last season was Cody Hoffman, with just 527 yards. Prior to that season, BYU’s leading receiver had caught between 800 and 1500 yards for at least 5 seasons. Hoffman  was closely followed by DiLuigi and Mckay Jacobson, who each had more than 400 receiving yards. These three will be joined by freshman Ross Apo, who missed last season due to a broken finger. These four players will be an amazing group to watch.

For each of the five years prior to 2010, BYU had a 1,000 yard rusher. Curtis Brown broke the mark in 2005 and 2006, and Harvey Unga did so in 2007, 2008, and 2009. Last year, JJ DiLuigi came up just short, reaching 917 yards. Bryan Kariya and Josh Quezada added more than 500 yards each, though, and with all three backs returning, this will be an impressive group once again.

Defense

Kaveinga the Beast

The best thing to ever happen to this defense was the firing of Jaime Hill halfway through last season. The change was immediate. The defense played with energy and purpose, and the results were seen on the field the very next week as BYU was able to beat a tough San Diego State team. The biggest difference between the Bronco D and the Hill D was run defense. Hill’s defense gave up 242 rushing yards to Utah State. Against SDSU, the very next week, only 53 were given up. Even TCU, who averaged nearly 250 rushing yards per game en-route to a perfect season, only managed 108 yards against Bronco’s defense. And this season, Bronco has had these players under his immediate direction since Spring camp.

The defense lost an amazing leader in Andrew Rich (S), who led the team in both tackles and interceptions, and Vic So’oto who led the team in sacks. This year, the strength of Bronco’s defense will likely be at the linebacker position, where we will see Uona Kaveinga, Brandon Ogletree, Kyle Van Noy, Jameson Frazier, and Jordan Pendleton. Kaveinga is a USC transfer who had previously committed to BYU, went to USC instead, and came back to the Y last year. Reports out of camp have been amazing, and all signs point to him having an amazing year for the Cougar D. Up front, the Cougars will have a talented, experienced trio, led by Eathyn Manumaleuna, Romney Fuga, and Matt Putnam. If there is a weakness in the defense, it will be in the secondary, which graduated most of its starters.

Bronco’s defense will take away the run. They will force your team to become one-dimensional. The front 7 are experienced and have an amazing amount of talent. Teams that rely on the run, teams with inexperienced quarterbacks, will be driven from their comfort zone, and they are likely to flounder against this stout D.

Special Teams

Special Teams was a focus during fall camp. The coaches wore black retro Cosmo shirts, and the players will be wearing black shoes and socks to remind them of the special teams focus this season. Riley Nelson will reportedly be taking a leading role on the special teams this season, and it will be exciting to see his contribution there. Justin Sorensen has returned from his mission, and will resume his kicking duties. He fills the void left by Mitch Payne, who left BYU as the all-time leading scorer. Sorensen has amazing range, easily making field goals of 40-59 yards, but he struggles a bit with the shorter kicks of 20-39 yards.

Bronco has chosen to emphasize special teams this year, and because of that we’re going to see some great plays from these units. Watch out for blocked kicks, more yardage on on kick and punt returns, and (hopefully) more consistency from our kicker.

Season Prediction – 11-2 overall (including bowl)

Last year, I was overly optimistic regarding what the program would achieve, but honestly, who picked BYU to lose to Utah State? Anybody? Bueller? I do feel that a few adjustments earlier in the season would have netted more wins. 1. Heaps as starter from day one. 2. Bronco leads defense from day one. 3. Robert Anae listens to Doman more.

But that was last year. This year, we have another year that has a few difficult games and several cupcakes, and once again a schedule that is front-heavy. The difficulty with picking the wins and losses this season is picking the losses. I feel that we have a very talented team, and they truly could win any game on the schedule. That said, I don’t think BYU goes undefeated this year. I would be overjoyed if they did, but I don’t see it happening. My best guess for losses are @ Texas and the “neutral” game against TCU. I chose Texas because, down or not, winning in Austin is not an easy thing to do. I chose TCU because somehow, Gary Patterson just has Bronco figured out. The short week leading up to TCU doesn’t help either.

Some people have BYU losing to Ole Miss and Hawaii. I don’t think these will be losses because Bronco has shown us that when he has extra time to prepare for a team, he delivers the W. BYU has won four straight season-openers, including Oklahoma in 2009. I also think the two weeks to prepare for Hawaii will be enough for the Cougars to get the W on the islands.

BYU is contracted to play in the Armed Forces Bowl this year, assuming bowl eligibility. They play the #3 team in C-USA. I think that will end up being Houston or Southern Miss (Behind SMU and UCF). For the purposes of the pick, I chose Houston.

Sept. 3 – @ Ole Miss – W

Sept. 10 – @ Texas – L

Sept. 17 – Utah – W

Sept. 23 – UCF – W

Sept. 30 – Utah State – W

Oct. 8 – San Jose State – W

Oct. 15 – @ Oregon State – W

Oct. 22 – Idaho State – W

Oct. 28 – @ TCU – L

Nov. 12 – Idaho – W

Nov. 19 – New Mexico State – W

Dec. 3 – @ Hawaii – W

Armed Forces Bowl Dec. 30 – Houston – W 

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Preseason Top 25

August 21, 2011

Here is my College Football preseason top 25 poll.

You may notice the absence of BYU. I think they’re around 32, but if they win their first game or two (at Ole Miss and at Texas) then they’ll surely make this list.

1. Oklahoma
2. Alabama
3. Oregon
4. Boise State
5. LSU
6. Florida State
7. Texas A&M
8. Stanford
9. Virginia Tech
10. Nebraska
11. Oklahoma State
12. Notre Dame
13. Arkansas
14. South Carolina
15. TCU
16. Ohio State
17. Georgia
18. Wisconsin
19. Michigan State
20. Florida
21. USC
22. West Virginia
23. Texas
24. Mississippi State
25. Missouri

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