During a short walk around our neighborhood tonight, I encountered two neighbors, both of whom offered an unsolicited "How about the Cougars' rankings?" People around here are paying close attention to this little Top 10 team from Provo.
What a weekend it was - and BYU didn't even play. Here's to more Top 10 upsets (as long as BYU is immune). After seeing all of the scores last night, I knew BYU would move up, but I thought only to 10, maybe 9. I was thrilled to check earlier today and see #8 and #7 in the Media and Coaches polls, respectively. Now we get to start playing that game of seeing who the teams ahead of the Cougars are facing each week. Here's what's on tap for the first weekend in October:
#1 Oklahoma @ Baylor - Sooners all the way.
#2/#4 Alabama vs. Kentucky - Barring a Georgia-like letdown, should be Roll Tide Roll.
#3/#2 LSU is on BYE.
#4/#3 Missouri @ Nebraska - The Huskers had looked tough until Saturday's loss to the ACC (VT).
#5 Texas @ Colorado - The Buffaloes had looked tough until Saturday's loss to the ACC (FSU).
#6 Penn St. @ Purdue - JoPa vs. JoTi (former Wyoming head man, Joe Tiller who has announced his retirement after this season...and the Cowboys will probably be coach-searching...hmmmm).
#7/#8 Texas Tech @ Kansas St. - The Wildcats are not who they were a decade ago. Neither are the Red Raiders.
I could see any of those last four home teams securing upsets, but given the quality of competition, even one would be fortunate. Besides cheering for the Cougars against the Aggies on Friday night, I guess we're all big Bears, Wildcats x 2, Cornhuskers, Buffaloes, Boilermakers fans.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Poked Around
I know I've mentioned this before, but I mention it again since I happened to be in Laramie again this past May. I'm shocked that Wyoming can recruit a football team to compete on the Division I (sorry NCAA...the FBS) level. Laramie in May was cold (but not snowing like it was in June the previous time I was there), brown, and extremely windy. Like 70 MPH windy. And there doesn't seem like there is much to do there (as is probably evidenced by the Wyoming fans' behavior at games in Laramie). So I'm impressed that Wyoming can get decent players to come spend 4 years in Laramie. It reminds me of LaVell Edwards' old quote, "I'd rather lose and live in Provo than win and live in Laramie". Speaking of Coach Edwards, we saw him up close and personal on Saturday.
One final thing about Laramie. I always hear the Utah media complain about the hotels and lousy accommodations on their trips to cover the Cougars/Utes there. They need to stay in the Hampton Inn. That's where we stayed and it was fantastic. Clean, comfortable, a great continental breakfast, and thick walls to shield you from the wind. Definitely the place to stay in Cowboy country.
Having said all that, some probably look at BYU's 44-0 trouncing of Wyoming and think, "Wyoming is able to compete at the Division I level?" Fair point. But the Pokes actually played better than the score indicates (and better than UCLA, too, for what that's worth). For example, Wyoming was marching down the field quite well on their first drive, until an incomplete pass (that ended up being a backwards lateral) fell innocently to the ground. BYU's Scott Johnson recognized it wasn't a pass and scooped the ball up. Sixty-four yards later in the endzone, Johnson had given BYU a lead and had deflated Wyoming. Their defense held up okay to start the game, but that was mostly because of the rustiness that Max Hall and Company had to shake off. Once they did, it was another 2 1/2 quarter day and the only suspense was whether or not a second straight shutout could occur. (It did.)
Speaking of shutouts, I think the best part of these two shutouts are that it gives the 2nd and 3rd string something to play for. They've got to try their hardest to keep the opponent out of the endzone to keep the scorelessness going. Plus, it will give the entire defense a reason to try against Utah State. Here's to a third straight shut out.
I arrived at the Wyoming game early. Early enough, in fact, to go to part of the pregame "tailgate" party. I'm not sure that it should be called a "tailgate" party when the nearest tailgates are like 70 yards away. It is true...BYU fans do NOT know how to tailgate. That's okay, though. They do know how to have their real estate investment, noni juice, and nail care businesses set up booths and have football tosses for prizes. And then call that a tailgate party. I was less than impressed at the tailgate party. In the spirit of Bronco's focus of turning the football program into a beacon for the Church, it seems like the Athletic Department could turn the "tailgate" party in to some sort of large scale service project. Can you imagine the humanitarian impact of dozens of quilting table frames set up in the west stadium parking lot surrounded by hundreds of blue-clad BYU fans holding needles and tying quilts for cold, suffering young children in Laramie? Seriously though, it seems like with so many people gathered together, they could perform some good of some sort. And if Bronco got behind it, fans would flock to help.
Here's a remarkable fact about BYU pregame tailgate parties. I have only been to 3. Ever. In my life. Saturday was the 117th game* I have been to at the Stadium, and I've only been to 3 tailgate parties. Once was when I was a freshman and thought, "Hey I live close enough now I can walk to the stadium and spend all day there." The other time was before BYU played Miami, and that was only to get my own official Heisman Ty.
So it was a historic day on Saturday, arriving early enough to "tailgate". The best part of the pregame happenings outside the stadium is hearing/seeing the marching band march down the street and into the stadium.
That just has college football pageantry written all over it.I mentioned the idea of some sort of service at the tailgate party. Maybe 5 years down the road, that will come to fruition, just as my idea from about 5 years ago has come to fruition this season. BYU has sponsored a fan commercial contest. Fans were invited to make a commercial about BYU football and the winners would be played at the stadium (and on the byucougars.com website type "football fan commercial" in the search box at top right of the page to view these). My idea was to let students make short films and have the winners shown at halftime. A little bit different, but still the same concept. You can't underestimate the creativity of BYU students/alumni. So I'm glad they are capitalizing on that to make gameday a better experience at the "Y".
The best reason to go to a BYU game early is to get to watch the players warm up. I've done this many times. I don't know why it is so fascinating to watch guys run 10 yards down the field, turn around, and catch a ball, but it is. I got to do that for a few minutes then headed over to see the team come out onto the field after their final locker room chat. As has been done for many years, the team is led onto the field by people holding giant BYU flags. When Bronco became the head coach, he began having one of his players, elected by teammates, carry the flag onto the field. This year, the Cougars have started a new tradition - a second flag (that actually goes out first before the players' flag) carried out by a former BYU player or coach. It is a way to honor BYU's outstanding football past. Coach Edwards carried out the flag before the first game of the season. Saturday, it was Ty Detmer's turn, accompanied by the widows of 2 of his offensive lineman while at BYU (who both died prematurely from two different diseases that I'm too lazy to look up right now).
Ty is behind these two ladies (in their husband's old uniforms) wearing a tan ball cap. I love this tradition and it is another reason Bronco is a genius. Seeing the current players come out with their flag is nothing short of electrifying.
(By the way, notice the new video scoreboard in the north endzone, as discussed after the UNI game.)All in all, it was a great pregame, a great game (or at least a great 2.5 quarters of a game), and another great win for the 4-0 Cougars. This coming week they will certainly record another shutout against BYE.
*This may be for my benefit only, but BYU is 88-29 in games I have attended, a 75.21% winning percentage. Since the stadium was expanded in 1982, BYU is 123-35 at home, which is a 77.85% winning percentage. I guess I'm bad luck for the team.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
59-0!!!
Wow. Is there any other way to describe BYU's drubbing of UCLA last Saturday? That was an unbelieveable game. More specifically, that was an unbelievable 2nd quarter at Saturday's game.
I arrived just a little bit late to the game and had just heard BYU's opening touchdown on the radio (following its 29th consecutive time of not allowing a TD on its opponent's opening drive - a phenomenal achievement). As I walked into the stadium, I commented that here is where we'll see if BYU has learned to put the hammer down, or if it will allow a team to hang around, as it did with Washington the week before. Well, we had that question answered.
As the first quarter ended, BYU was up 7-0, had the ball, and was driving in the "Blue Zone" (great job by Bronco, Greg Wrubell, etc. for this slight, but important, modification on "Red Zone"). Suddenly, just 5 minutes and 18 seconds later, BYU led 35-0. Game over. I have never seen a series of quick turnovers and quick touchdowns like that little stretch. Boy did the Cougars answer my question about putting the hammer down. They answered it with about 10 exclamation points!!!!!!!!!! In fact, I had my answer on the TD that put BYU up 21-0. Jan Jorgensen had just caused UCLA's QB to fumble and BYU recovered. BYU's offense came out and on the very first play, Max Hall hit Austin Collie in stride for a TD. That was the hammer. By the end of the first half, the scoreboard said it all:
Probably my favorite play of the 2nd quarter, however, was the blocked field goal. The Bruins, though clearly shell-shocked from the barrage of touchdowns that they were hit with, managed to put a drive together and march down the field late in the 2nd quarter. BYU's defense stiffened and forced a field goal. I'm sure it was running through the UCLA's kicker's mind, "The last time I kicked against these guys, they blocked my Las Vegas Bowl game-winning field goal attempt. And the last time they line up in kick defense position, they blocked Washington's 35-yard extra point try." Well, BYU brought the house and blocked that 2nd quarter attempt as well. That pretty much guaranteed the shutout, as they were in the kicker's head, evidently influencing his 4th quarter field goal attempt (wide left to preserve a shut out). Way to get in the kicker's head.
Speaking of the kicking game, I really like BYU's recent emphasis on blocking kicks. I always viewed Virginia Tech and Air Force, perennially two of the nation's best at blocking kicks (and at special teams in general), and thought they used this strength as a great strategy - one that was a result more of effort than talent. I'm glad Bronco has realized this and begun to emphasize it. Now if they can do the same on kick returns.
One other thing on kickoffs. Late in the 3rd quarter after BYU scored its eigth and final TD, Justin Sorensen (a local hero in Provo despite this kick) shenked the kick and it flew out of bounds and landed right smack dab in the middle of a group of BYU Cougarettes huddled together. They scattered faster than rats in a subway.
I heard two stats (from my hero Ralph Sokolowsky via Greg Wrubell) about that 2nd quarter that I loved. UCLA's average starting field position for the quarter was its own 33-yard line (a bit of concern, actually as they had some pretty good kickoff returns) and BYU's starting average field position for the quarter was the UCLA 35-yard line. A two yard difference in starting field position. The other stat was that during that historic stretch, Max Hall hit on 7 of 8 passes, including 4 TD's. You don't see that everyday.
You also don't see 7 TD passes every day. In fact it has only happened twice before at BYU - once by Jim McMahon and once by Marc Wilson. It's been nearly 30 years. It caused a very interesting, and maybe somewhat troubling, thought. What if Max Hall ends up in the discussion for greatest BYU quarterback ever. In my mind Ty Detmer has had a firm grip on that spot for nearly 2 decades. McMahon is solidly in 2nd place. But if BYU keeps winning, Hall may end up with the stats and the winning percentage that rivals those two. I always thought that Detmer was and always would be BYU's best. I never considered that someone could even approach his greatness. Maybe Hall will. That's probably its own blog topic for another day.
Speaking of stats and Cougarettes, I calculated that the Cougarettes performed 307 legs kicks. More impressively, the ROTC had to do 307 push-ups on the day.
A couple of other anecdotes from the game: this was only the 3rd time in its history that BYU has shut out a team currently in a BCS conference (Kansas St. in 1977 and Arizona St. in 1935 were the other two)....This was the 3rd time in 1 year and 4 days that BYU and UCLA have battled. It was a fun little three game series....Former BYU quarterback Ben Olson finally got to take the field at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Too bad it was in street clothes and just for the coin toss....We left the game in the middle of the 4th quarter. Walking out, we passed two female fans wearing UCLA shirts, walking back toward the stadium as they finished their smoke break. I guess that's what this game drove them to.
Finally, in the past week and a half, I've had two opportunities to hear Bronco Mendenhall speak in two very differnt settings, but in both cases, I've been left feeling proud to be a Cougar fan. The first was two days before the UCLA game at a Cougar Club luncheon. Bronco used his time to primarly let us know what goes on in a daily team meeting. He showed a slide show that the outside linebackers had put together (and shown to the team) on Christ and His Atonement. He then read two letters that were read to the team, one from a player currently on a mission, and one from two military members in the Middle East who find inspiration from BYU's Quest. It was a unique look at a unique program. I'm sure some critics would be appalled that it was more of a Sunday School feel than a pep talk feel. The other time I heard Bronco was this past Wednesday as he was a guest on the Jim Rome Show, a nationally syndicated radio program. Rome seemed enthralled with Bronco and his descriptions of the kinds of kids he recruits, the Honor Code, the fact that football is BYU players' and coaches' 4th or 5th priority, and the team's Quest for Perfection (on and off the field). Most of it was not new to Cougar fans, but was new to Rome (and most of his audience as evidenced by later emails and texts to the show). He represented BYU and The Church well. There is a link to hear the interview if you click here. Bronco is also appearing on ESPN's College Game Day this morning.
So the ball is rolling. A 59-point blowout of a big-name team is exactly what BYU needed to get positive national exposure. Let's hope the Cougars can keep it going. It continues today with the Cowboys.
Friday, September 12, 2008
A Win is a Win is a Win
Despite last Saturday’s BYU-Washington game being on Fox Sports, I didn’t see any of the game. I was too busy building shelves in my garage. But Greg Wrubell, Marc Lyons, and Nate Miekle were there to keep me company. I did see the highlights that evening, so my thoughts will be relatively brief and mostly the result of hearing the game.
First let me say that I have added Washington’s Husky Stadium to my list of stadiums I really need to visit. Greg and Marc raved on and on what a beautiful setting it was. They even referenced some national writers (including Kirk Herbstreit) who have ranked it as one of the Top 5 or 6 places to watch a college football game. I’ve always liked that you can travel to the game by boat (Wrubell informed me that Tennessee is the only other stadium with that feature). I also found it interesting that the field runs east-west, instead of north-south like virtually any other football field. I wonder how they get away with this and I can only think that it is usually so cloudy up there maybe the sun isn’t much of an issue. One thing I’ve never liked about Husky Stadium is the loud horn they blare whenever Washington scores a touchdown. My disdain for this started in 1986 when BYU played up there and lost by a score of something like 52-21 (off the top of my head). That horn just kept going off again and again. Other than that tradition, I think I’d like the stadium and hope to get there when BYU plays there again in 2011.
The game ended with me having only one major concern for the offense. And it’s not the turnovers per se. The problem I see is that they weren’t able to throw down the hammer on Washington when they could have. After BYU methodically marched down the field for a touchdown on its first drive, the defense forced a 3-and-out. BYU got the ball back and if they could have produced another long drive, would have gone up 14-0 and used up nearly the entire 1st quarter. Instead they ran 3 plays and punted back to Washington (who went down and tied the score). Late in the game, BYU was knocking on the door for a touchdown that would have put them up 28-21 when Harvey Unga fumbled into the endzone. Washington recovered and got the ball back. The defense held and BYU scored on its next possession, but had Unga punched it in, the second score would have given the Cougars an unreachable 35-21 lead. They just need to seal the deal when they have the opportunities.
There are more concerns on the defense, but in one case my concern is similar to that of the offense. I believe it was early in the 2nd quarter when Husky QB Jake Locker (great football name, by the way) fumbled and the ball rolled toward the BYU endzone. Despite having a player with the best chance to recover the fumble, BYU failed to do so. It set Washington up with a 3rd down and 23 yard to go scenario – usually a sure stop for a defense. Instead, David Tafuna had a Locker pass go right between his hands and into the arms of a Washington receiver for a first down. Opportunity squandered. My other concerns with the defense are how open Husky receivers seemed to always be. Greg and Marc sounded like a broken record, “Locker overthrows his receiver again, but AGAIN the receiver got behind the BYU defense.” A more accurate QB will make BYU pay if they don’t fix that problem. Also, BYU’s depth at linebacker is a concern. The starters are fine (David Nixon and Colby Clawson on the outside and Matt Bauman and Shawn Doman on the inside), but behind them there is not much experience. Let’s hope for good health and lots of pressure on the QB from BYU’s outstanding defensive line. A few years ago, Bronco switched his defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 since he had more depth and talent at linebacker. Is it too late in the season to switch back now?
So BYU got the win, and a win is a win, but they should have won by much more. Hopefully they can get these wrinkles ironed out and have a big win against UCLA on Saturday. I have faith they can.
(Notice I made it through the entire post – until now – without mentioning “The Call”. I think much more has been made of it than needed to be. I can’t really decide if it was a good call or bad rule or both. My take: I thought it was basically an inconsistent enforcement of a rule. Utah had a player throw the ball seemingly just as high after a TD against UNLV the same day and did not receive a flag. There needs to be some consistency so that players really know what the consequence of their action will be. But no game, win or lose, can be blamed on one call. Especially when there is one play after the call. And it was a play on which BYU outplayed Washington. Nevertheless, that play certainly was affected by the call. The bottom line is that both BYU and Washington should be grateful for all of the national publicity they have received as a result of the call. Remember, there is no such thing as bad publicity.)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
BYU vs. UNI
It was a valiant effort. But in the end, You and I just couldn't compete against Brigham Young. He was too much for the two of us (you and I) to handle.
Every time Greg Wrubell referred to "UNI" on Saturday, I couldn't help but think "You and I". Then I had that Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gale song "Just you and I, sharing our love together..." in my head the rest of the day. And when I saw, UNI in print, I wondered if any of their fans thought that ESPN.com's "Uni-Watch" was a feature dedicated to Northern Iowa.
But in regards to the play on the field (instead of the play on words), BYU began their Quest for Perfection with a less than perfect showing. What else would have been expected though? As I prefer to do, I'll say very little of the actual plays, statistics, or game action. I will have more comments on the atmosphere, stadium, etc.
Much of the talk this week is about BYU's relatively inept 3rd quarter where they didn't score and where 2 fumbles led to 2 Northern Iowa TD's. Add 2 other fumbles to that and some fans/media are concerned about upcoming games against PAC-10 teams. Here's my take: BYU's defense was 2 big plays away from pitching a shutout - the long run UNI's QB made to set up the short field goal, and the trick play after Wayne Latu's fumble near the Panther 20-yard line. UNI's only other TD came on Max Hall's fumble in the end zone. So I had no problems with the defense. The offense's big problems were the four fumbles. Two of the fumbles were by backups who will not see much time when a game is on the line, at least when Fui Vakapuna is eligible to play (technically he was eligible, but he hadn't practiced all week due to some academic reasons, so Bronco rightly held him out when he became eligible late-Friday). One of the fumbles was a bad snap while Max Hall was in shotgun. That will get ironed out soon (remember, the center is Dallas Reynolds who is new to the position) and even until it does, it seems like fumbled snaps actually end up as turnovers less than 50% of the time.
The Max Hall fumble is a little more concerning. When I first saw the play live, I thought, "Oh no, here we go again with Hall fumbling the ball on a blind-side hit." Seeing the replay made me realize the fumble was because he had started his throwing motion, not because of ball protection. However, I still can't believe Hall can't be aware of the guys coming, especially when he is standing in the end zone. So that (and the fact that a UNI got that free to hit Hall like that) bother me. The two teams best suited to exploit that weakness are probably UCLA (but their best pass rusher from a year ago graduated) and Utah (thankfully, BYU has some time to fix the glitch).
Overall, I thought the game was about what could be expected. Northern Iowa is decent, but not in BYU's class. Max Hall was very good and Dennis Pitta was awesome, but the rest of the team I thought was pretty average for the opponent.
By the way, how bad were the Cougars' kickoffs this year if one of the game's outstanding performers was Justin Sorensen who had touchbacks on 5 of his 7 kickoffs?
A couple of notes about the stadium:
-On the back of the south scoreboard, BYU has put up a large "Y".
This is an awesome addition to campus (that type of "Y" anywhere but the helmets is starting to grow on me) as it can be seen from almost the entire campus. What a great use of blank space.-On the outside of the west stands (facing the large parking lot and the intramural field) BYU has put up three long banners, each with a word at the bottom (Tradition, Spirit, Honor). One has a photo of Max Hall, one has Jan Jorgensen, and one has Bronco Mendenhall. It's a nice touch. I'll shoot a photo sometime soon and include it in a future post.
-The north endzone now has a video scoreboard. The video screen is smaller than the south scoreboard, but has a more crisp picture. Gone now is the tradition of the entire south stands turning around in unison to watch the replay of a controversial call.
-I knew going into the game that the grass might not look as incredible as it usually has, thanks to a note in Greg Wrubell's blog (about halfway down the page). Greg uses the word "patchy" and I would agree. While most of the grass looks superb, there are a few places where the green isn't quite as brilliant. I'd never noticed this in past season openers, but I have noticed the field seemed wear down more quickly over the course of a season than in year past. It looks like BYU has got an extra 20 years or so out of the grass, though. I'm excited to see what it looks like next year. By the way, I didn't know I'd need to replace my sod every 5 to 7 years. Maybe I'll install field turf.
-The 4:00 start time was perfect for an August game. The temps were pretty hot to start with, but weren't really too bad for most of the game.
So BYU is 1-0, but hasn't really proved much yet. Washington this week should be a pretty good barometer game. I only wish I were going.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
We Made It!
Congratulations Cougar fans everywhere! The long offseason of college football officially came to a close late Saturday night (though not as late as I stayed up to watch the USA gold medal in men's basketball). That's when "game week" officially started. Any week of the season, the "game week" for a particular opponent begins once all of the college games for the week prior have concluded. So if I say that the "season" doesn't start until the first game next Saturday, I'm technically cutting my college football season short by a week. And it's already short enough, so I don't want to do that.
The season officially starting means such things as making an extra effort to live right (remember, magic happens), religiously refusing to wear the colors of the week's opponent (or red at all from now until after the Utah game), finally starting to learn about the next week's opponent (I refuse to breakdown Northern Iowa's 2nd string offensive linemen 6 weeks before the game), hitting KSL on the radio dial on Wednesday nights (the Bronco Mendenhall show), and planning laundry so that my one blue BYU T-shirt is available for home games (maybe I should break down and buy "The Quest" T-Shirt for $5).
The only problem with getting "The Quest" T-shirt is if BYU loses a game, doesn't the shirt become somewhat obsolete? It definitely can't be worn the week of the Utah game or anytime you might be seen by our Young Men's President, who would never let you live it down. By the way, doesn't the shirt also become obsolete if BYU wins all of its games (and thus fulfils its Quest).
Speaking of "The Quest", there has been much debate regarding the appropriateness of it (the slogan, not the T-shirt). In fact, I think it may be the most controversial team slogan since Bobby Bowden used "Let's Roll" soon after September 11 popularized that phrase. Many people feel that speaking of a "Quest for Perfection" violates Dealing With Sports Media Rule #1 - "Never, never, never actually speak to the media about what you are really trying to do in sports (WIN!)." Doesn't every team want to win every game? Isn't every team beginning its "Quest for Perfection"? So I have no problem with the slogan.
Now if we can all unite in our Quest for Perfection, we will be living right and magic WILL happen. (Be sure to remind your Ute friends of that.)
The season officially starting means such things as making an extra effort to live right (remember, magic happens), religiously refusing to wear the colors of the week's opponent (or red at all from now until after the Utah game), finally starting to learn about the next week's opponent (I refuse to breakdown Northern Iowa's 2nd string offensive linemen 6 weeks before the game), hitting KSL on the radio dial on Wednesday nights (the Bronco Mendenhall show), and planning laundry so that my one blue BYU T-shirt is available for home games (maybe I should break down and buy "The Quest" T-Shirt for $5).
The only problem with getting "The Quest" T-shirt is if BYU loses a game, doesn't the shirt become somewhat obsolete? It definitely can't be worn the week of the Utah game or anytime you might be seen by our Young Men's President, who would never let you live it down. By the way, doesn't the shirt also become obsolete if BYU wins all of its games (and thus fulfils its Quest).Speaking of "The Quest", there has been much debate regarding the appropriateness of it (the slogan, not the T-shirt). In fact, I think it may be the most controversial team slogan since Bobby Bowden used "Let's Roll" soon after September 11 popularized that phrase. Many people feel that speaking of a "Quest for Perfection" violates Dealing With Sports Media Rule #1 - "Never, never, never actually speak to the media about what you are really trying to do in sports (WIN!)." Doesn't every team want to win every game? Isn't every team beginning its "Quest for Perfection"? So I have no problem with the slogan.
Now if we can all unite in our Quest for Perfection, we will be living right and magic WILL happen. (Be sure to remind your Ute friends of that.)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
These are a few of my Favorite Things
Yesterday's post felt like a little bit of a downer. Today I want to list only good things - things that really make me happy. This list gets a little long, but bear with me, I think you'll agree with the list.
-BYU's 2007 football radio promotional advertisements. These simply consisted of Greg Wrubell's call of "Beck to Harline" followed by a deep-voiced announcer saying, "once in a lifetime moments...happening again this season at LaVell Edwards Stadium". (I'll forgive the one flaw of the commercial - Beck to Harline didn't happen at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Nevertheless, the point is the same.) This commercial was priceless for 2 main reasons: 1) We got to keep hearing that play over and over ("Caught for the Touchdown! Caught for the Touchdown! Caught for the Touchdown"); and 2) Utah fans in the radio market had to hear that call over and over as well - an important reminder that Harline is still open.
-BYU's new and improved website. From better video player to a photo blog to better access to the athletes, things are much better now at www.byucougars.com . Welcome to the 21st Century, guys!
-Greg Wrubell's CougarTracks blog. This one may be in part because I secretly wish I had Greg Wrubell's life (at least his professional one). I love the name of the blog, the logo, the style, and the content. In fact, unless there is something specific I want to read up on at another website or blog, my daily BYU-related internet rounds are limited to CougarTracks and www.byucougars.com .
-The now-annual BYU-Utah golf tournament. This event is held each summer at the precise point on the calendar when football still seems hopelessly too far away. The venue is Thanksgiving Point (a very neutral location between the two schools). The day consists of famous alumni, coaches, players, etc. playing in the morning representing their team. Their team scores carry over to the afternoon when the fans (at least the rich ones who can afford it) take their turn playing. The best overall team gets major summertime bragging rights, while some charity or the schools (I don't really remember which) get all of the proceeds. Great idea. Fun event. Keep it up.
-BYU's (and specifically Bronco's) annual Women's Football Clinic. This is held on precisely the date that guys need to start making their plans to go to a road football game (their wives get back from the Clinic all fired up and ready to say yes to a September trip to Seattle and a January trip to Tempe). I admit at first I was skeptical of the Clinic and its potential success. It's turned into a great thing and really ensures the next generation of BYU football fans (not to mention recruits - isn't this the earliest recruiting tool Bronco has?) will be in good hands. One good thing about this year's Clinic (the 4th, by the way) was that only 17 men were arrested for impersonating a woman. This is a record-low, and for the first time didn't include Kyle Wittingham.
-The fireside that Bronco, his wife, and the team put on the night before each game. The idea to do this on the road was good, yet maybe predictable. The idea to have one somewhere in Utah the night before home games was absolutely brilliant. You better believe I'll be taking our Young Men's group to the August 29 fireside - somebody's got to do it, the Young Men's President is a Ute fan. Read this statement from Bronco, and tell me he's not a genius, "Football is simply the vehicle we use to help others come to a knowledge of what really brings joy and happiness to our lives. Football is not the priority. Some people don't understand that. These firesides are a way for all of us to help consider our priorities through understanding the purpose of life." (By the way guys, read that quote to your wife and you've got one more road trip for the year!)
-Along those lines, I love that MAGIC HAPPENS!
What other things about BYU football make you happy?
-BYU's 2007 football radio promotional advertisements. These simply consisted of Greg Wrubell's call of "Beck to Harline" followed by a deep-voiced announcer saying, "once in a lifetime moments...happening again this season at LaVell Edwards Stadium". (I'll forgive the one flaw of the commercial - Beck to Harline didn't happen at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Nevertheless, the point is the same.) This commercial was priceless for 2 main reasons: 1) We got to keep hearing that play over and over ("Caught for the Touchdown! Caught for the Touchdown! Caught for the Touchdown"); and 2) Utah fans in the radio market had to hear that call over and over as well - an important reminder that Harline is still open.
-BYU's new and improved website. From better video player to a photo blog to better access to the athletes, things are much better now at www.byucougars.com . Welcome to the 21st Century, guys!
-Greg Wrubell's CougarTracks blog. This one may be in part because I secretly wish I had Greg Wrubell's life (at least his professional one). I love the name of the blog, the logo, the style, and the content. In fact, unless there is something specific I want to read up on at another website or blog, my daily BYU-related internet rounds are limited to CougarTracks and www.byucougars.com .
-The now-annual BYU-Utah golf tournament. This event is held each summer at the precise point on the calendar when football still seems hopelessly too far away. The venue is Thanksgiving Point (a very neutral location between the two schools). The day consists of famous alumni, coaches, players, etc. playing in the morning representing their team. Their team scores carry over to the afternoon when the fans (at least the rich ones who can afford it) take their turn playing. The best overall team gets major summertime bragging rights, while some charity or the schools (I don't really remember which) get all of the proceeds. Great idea. Fun event. Keep it up.
-BYU's (and specifically Bronco's) annual Women's Football Clinic. This is held on precisely the date that guys need to start making their plans to go to a road football game (their wives get back from the Clinic all fired up and ready to say yes to a September trip to Seattle and a January trip to Tempe). I admit at first I was skeptical of the Clinic and its potential success. It's turned into a great thing and really ensures the next generation of BYU football fans (not to mention recruits - isn't this the earliest recruiting tool Bronco has?) will be in good hands. One good thing about this year's Clinic (the 4th, by the way) was that only 17 men were arrested for impersonating a woman. This is a record-low, and for the first time didn't include Kyle Wittingham.
-The fireside that Bronco, his wife, and the team put on the night before each game. The idea to do this on the road was good, yet maybe predictable. The idea to have one somewhere in Utah the night before home games was absolutely brilliant. You better believe I'll be taking our Young Men's group to the August 29 fireside - somebody's got to do it, the Young Men's President is a Ute fan. Read this statement from Bronco, and tell me he's not a genius, "Football is simply the vehicle we use to help others come to a knowledge of what really brings joy and happiness to our lives. Football is not the priority. Some people don't understand that. These firesides are a way for all of us to help consider our priorities through understanding the purpose of life." (By the way guys, read that quote to your wife and you've got one more road trip for the year!)
-Along those lines, I love that MAGIC HAPPENS!
What other things about BYU football make you happy?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Success Breeds...Nervousness
I'm not sure if this is a characteristic of Cougar fans only, or if it is common to all sports fans, but when our team has success, we start to get nervous. I don't mean nervous for the next game. Nervous for the future.
Like, what if BYU fulfils its "Quest" this year and goes undefeated? What if they end up in the Fiesta Bowl as this year's BCS Buster? What if they go in to the Fiesta Bowl ranked #5 and knock off #4 Texas? With all of their skill players just juniors and sophomores this year, with a relatively young defense, with one of the game's hottest coaches, and on the heels of such a highly successful season, what if the Cougars entered 2009 ranked in or close to the Top 5? What if they ran through the schedule again undefeated (including a win over Florida St.)? Would they legitimately have a shot at the National Championship in 2009?
These are questions I ponder and start to get excited about. BUT. BUT. But, then I get to thinking what if Max Hall rides a high Heisman finish and fantastic 2008 in to the NFL draft?
What if Austin Collie wants to get paid, rather than risk injury in a senior season? What if Dennis Pitta decides to follow BYU's long line of tight ends in the NFL? What if Harvey Unga pulls a Luke Staley? What if Jan Jorgensen succumbs to the temptation to try and record a sack against Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? And what if some BCS school lured Bronco away from Provo? These are also questions that I ponder.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not out on a ledge worrying about these things. But I do worry about them. I just hope Hall, Collie, Unga, Pitta, Jorgensen, and Mendenhall can foresee the possibilities that could be in store for 2009 the way I do. After all, I think I could live with a National Championship every 25 years or so.
Like, what if BYU fulfils its "Quest" this year and goes undefeated? What if they end up in the Fiesta Bowl as this year's BCS Buster? What if they go in to the Fiesta Bowl ranked #5 and knock off #4 Texas? With all of their skill players just juniors and sophomores this year, with a relatively young defense, with one of the game's hottest coaches, and on the heels of such a highly successful season, what if the Cougars entered 2009 ranked in or close to the Top 5? What if they ran through the schedule again undefeated (including a win over Florida St.)? Would they legitimately have a shot at the National Championship in 2009?
These are questions I ponder and start to get excited about. BUT. BUT. But, then I get to thinking what if Max Hall rides a high Heisman finish and fantastic 2008 in to the NFL draft?
What if Austin Collie wants to get paid, rather than risk injury in a senior season? What if Dennis Pitta decides to follow BYU's long line of tight ends in the NFL? What if Harvey Unga pulls a Luke Staley? What if Jan Jorgensen succumbs to the temptation to try and record a sack against Tom Brady or Peyton Manning? And what if some BCS school lured Bronco away from Provo? These are also questions that I ponder.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not out on a ledge worrying about these things. But I do worry about them. I just hope Hall, Collie, Unga, Pitta, Jorgensen, and Mendenhall can foresee the possibilities that could be in store for 2009 the way I do. After all, I think I could live with a National Championship every 25 years or so.
Friday, August 15, 2008
1,000 Days and Counting...
1,000 sunrises. 1,000 sunsets. 1,000 calendar pages turned.
That's what we've experienced since BYU last lost a conference game, back on November 19, 2005. That's pretty remarkable. However, it's not the first time BYU has gone this long without losing a conference game.
Between a 39-38 loss to Air Force on September 25, 1982 (the inagural kickoff in the expanded Cougar Stadium) and the 23-16 nighmare at UTEP on October 26, 1985, 1,127 days elapsed. BYU would need a third consecutive undefeated season to accomplish that (in which case they would shatter the record and get to at least about 1,400 days).
All of this got me thinking about how much Bronco stresses consistently winning within the conference. Even though the team has BCS aspirations and dreams of national prominence, Bronco is always quick to point out that in the National Championship year of 1984, BYU completed its 9th consecutive conference title. Especially in the non-BCS conferences, you've got to prove dominance over a number of years. And BYU did that in the 70's and 80's. Here's the conference loss totals from 1976-1985: 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, and 1. (I promise that's not some sort of binary code - they never lost more than 1 game in a season.) That's 7 conference losses in 10 years. Pretty amazing. Then during the next 11 years, BYU only lost 16 conference games. So 23 losses in 21 years (1976-1996). That's dominance. (By comparison, Gary Crowton lost more than half that many - 12 - in just 3 years.)
Bronco is right on in putting the emphasis on winning, and dominating, the conference. The Cougars have done it two years straight. Here's to one more.
That's what we've experienced since BYU last lost a conference game, back on November 19, 2005. That's pretty remarkable. However, it's not the first time BYU has gone this long without losing a conference game.
Between a 39-38 loss to Air Force on September 25, 1982 (the inagural kickoff in the expanded Cougar Stadium) and the 23-16 nighmare at UTEP on October 26, 1985, 1,127 days elapsed. BYU would need a third consecutive undefeated season to accomplish that (in which case they would shatter the record and get to at least about 1,400 days).
All of this got me thinking about how much Bronco stresses consistently winning within the conference. Even though the team has BCS aspirations and dreams of national prominence, Bronco is always quick to point out that in the National Championship year of 1984, BYU completed its 9th consecutive conference title. Especially in the non-BCS conferences, you've got to prove dominance over a number of years. And BYU did that in the 70's and 80's. Here's the conference loss totals from 1976-1985: 1, 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, 0, 0, and 1. (I promise that's not some sort of binary code - they never lost more than 1 game in a season.) That's 7 conference losses in 10 years. Pretty amazing. Then during the next 11 years, BYU only lost 16 conference games. So 23 losses in 21 years (1976-1996). That's dominance. (By comparison, Gary Crowton lost more than half that many - 12 - in just 3 years.)
Bronco is right on in putting the emphasis on winning, and dominating, the conference. The Cougars have done it two years straight. Here's to one more.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Playing Hooky
Today, about 567 friends and I took a "long lunch" and headed out to the BYU Practice field to watch fall camp's only open football practice.
I had thought to bring my camera and shoot a few photos to install here, but thought better of it mostly because I don't like carrying a camera around and partly because Jeff Reynolds and the BYU Sports Information staff have done such a great job of providing us with good photos (and more) of this year's camp.
One photo taken by Jeff Rey-nolds was taken right below where my friend Justin and I were standing on the Student Athlete Center balcony. We were literally "looking over Bronco's shoulder" at this point of the practice.
Once I got to the field, I also would have been deterred by the signs asking people to not take any photos or video or to post anything on the internet. I know I'm technically violating that last item, but I know little enough about the terminology, nitty-gritty, etc. of football plays and playbooks that I'm no threat to giving anything away. (Just in case that's not really true, I have a quick message for all of you Ute coaches out there reading this - Max Hall has been converted into an option QB and BYU now runs all of its sets out of the wishbone. So prepare for the triple option wishbone attack. Got it?)
The tradition of opening practice to the public began in 2004 when Gary Crowton needed to throw a bone to the Cougar fans. This was right on the heels of two losing seasons and the now-infamous freshman "party" at University Villa. Crowton tried to win some fans back by inviting them to practice.
The excitement has grown each year since (it's not a coincidence that the team has improved each year since). Last year there were four open practices, with attendance ranging between about 500 and 1,200 at each one. I'll bet close to 3,000 folks watched practice last year.
This year the team officials were very hush-hush about the open practice. Other than Greg Wrubell's brief mention in a couple of blog posts, I never saw anything about open practice. And I consistently and diligently checked the new-and-improved byucougars.com website for the past few days. Nevertheless, I attended, just as I have every other year (except 2006 when I couldn't make it down from my job in Salt Lake). Here are a few observations:
- The defense that everyone is worrying about looked pretty good. Even the DB's. The cornerbacks had a number of nice plays.
- The offense only scored once and it was basically against the 3rd string defense. The 3rd team played until the offense had the ball inside the 10 yard line. Then they put the 1st string in, but they couldn't prevent a Max Hall-to-Harvey Unga TD pass.
- Max Hall is a pretty fiery competitor. The loudest yell towards another player came from him - not from any coach (who all seem to be well-endowed in the vocal chord department).
- Justin Sorensen had some nice kicks, but none of the jaw-dropping kind he's been fabled to have.
- New center Dallas Reynolds (just moved there in the absence of injured Tom Sorensen) had a few miscues snapping the ball. Hopefully he and Max spend a lot of time practicing that shotgun to be in a good rythm come the first game.
- Michael Reed is quietly one of BYU's best players. With Austin Collie catching only tennis balls while he rehabs a stress fracture, Reed is by far the best wide receiver out there. He blocks, catches, and runs real well.
- The coaches really rely on their upperclassmen to teach. In one instance where a second-string linebacker missed an assignment, Coach Lamb shouted over to David Nixon (who was watching from the sideline with the 1st team) to make sure he went over the missed assignment with that LB. Collie, Reed, and Jan Jorgensen were all observed doing a similar thing.
- Look for Bronco to actually be out there playing on the punt coverage team. During that drill, he was the only one running down toward the player catching the punt.
- Luke Ashworth (WR) and J.J. DiLuigi (RB) both stood out today, despite on easy drop each. Ashworth is just off a mission and he got the biggest cheer of the day as he made a diving catch right in front of the fans.
- Defensive players that stood out include Scott Johnson (DB), Brandon Bradley (DB), and Shawn Doman (LB).
- Ty Detmer was on hand at the practice.
- Cosmo was also out there looking like he was in midseason form as his "fall camp" consisted of getting some video footage shot out on the practice field (presumably for his next "Cosmo Reloaded" series).
All in all, it was just good to get back out and see some football again. It was fun to watch and sure beat being at work for the hour and a half. This one practice will have to hold us over from now until kickoff in 22.5 days.
I had thought to bring my camera and shoot a few photos to install here, but thought better of it mostly because I don't like carrying a camera around and partly because Jeff Reynolds and the BYU Sports Information staff have done such a great job of providing us with good photos (and more) of this year's camp.
One photo taken by Jeff Rey-nolds was taken right below where my friend Justin and I were standing on the Student Athlete Center balcony. We were literally "looking over Bronco's shoulder" at this point of the practice.
Once I got to the field, I also would have been deterred by the signs asking people to not take any photos or video or to post anything on the internet. I know I'm technically violating that last item, but I know little enough about the terminology, nitty-gritty, etc. of football plays and playbooks that I'm no threat to giving anything away. (Just in case that's not really true, I have a quick message for all of you Ute coaches out there reading this - Max Hall has been converted into an option QB and BYU now runs all of its sets out of the wishbone. So prepare for the triple option wishbone attack. Got it?)
The tradition of opening practice to the public began in 2004 when Gary Crowton needed to throw a bone to the Cougar fans. This was right on the heels of two losing seasons and the now-infamous freshman "party" at University Villa. Crowton tried to win some fans back by inviting them to practice.
The excitement has grown each year since (it's not a coincidence that the team has improved each year since). Last year there were four open practices, with attendance ranging between about 500 and 1,200 at each one. I'll bet close to 3,000 folks watched practice last year.
This year the team officials were very hush-hush about the open practice. Other than Greg Wrubell's brief mention in a couple of blog posts, I never saw anything about open practice. And I consistently and diligently checked the new-and-improved byucougars.com website for the past few days. Nevertheless, I attended, just as I have every other year (except 2006 when I couldn't make it down from my job in Salt Lake). Here are a few observations:
- The defense that everyone is worrying about looked pretty good. Even the DB's. The cornerbacks had a number of nice plays.
- The offense only scored once and it was basically against the 3rd string defense. The 3rd team played until the offense had the ball inside the 10 yard line. Then they put the 1st string in, but they couldn't prevent a Max Hall-to-Harvey Unga TD pass.
- Max Hall is a pretty fiery competitor. The loudest yell towards another player came from him - not from any coach (who all seem to be well-endowed in the vocal chord department).
- Justin Sorensen had some nice kicks, but none of the jaw-dropping kind he's been fabled to have.
- New center Dallas Reynolds (just moved there in the absence of injured Tom Sorensen) had a few miscues snapping the ball. Hopefully he and Max spend a lot of time practicing that shotgun to be in a good rythm come the first game.
- Michael Reed is quietly one of BYU's best players. With Austin Collie catching only tennis balls while he rehabs a stress fracture, Reed is by far the best wide receiver out there. He blocks, catches, and runs real well.
- The coaches really rely on their upperclassmen to teach. In one instance where a second-string linebacker missed an assignment, Coach Lamb shouted over to David Nixon (who was watching from the sideline with the 1st team) to make sure he went over the missed assignment with that LB. Collie, Reed, and Jan Jorgensen were all observed doing a similar thing.
- Look for Bronco to actually be out there playing on the punt coverage team. During that drill, he was the only one running down toward the player catching the punt.
- Luke Ashworth (WR) and J.J. DiLuigi (RB) both stood out today, despite on easy drop each. Ashworth is just off a mission and he got the biggest cheer of the day as he made a diving catch right in front of the fans.
- Defensive players that stood out include Scott Johnson (DB), Brandon Bradley (DB), and Shawn Doman (LB).
- Ty Detmer was on hand at the practice.
- Cosmo was also out there looking like he was in midseason form as his "fall camp" consisted of getting some video footage shot out on the practice field (presumably for his next "Cosmo Reloaded" series).
All in all, it was just good to get back out and see some football again. It was fun to watch and sure beat being at work for the hour and a half. This one practice will have to hold us over from now until kickoff in 22.5 days.
Monday, August 4, 2008
10th Anniversary? Team
Have you ever heard anyone brag about their "Mountain West Conference" education? You know, like an "Ivy League" education? If you haven't, there's probably good reason. The Conference itself can't even count.
Right now the MWC is celebrating it's 10th anniversary and honoring an "All Decade" team in each sport. While I think such a celebration and honor is a great idea, I think they jumped the gun. You see, the embryo known as the MWC was conceived on May 26, 1998 (in a Denver airport, if I remember correctly). The new conference was officially born on July 1, 1999 - just over NINE years ago now. The first season of competition occurred in the 1999-2000 season. I know. I was at the first football game ever in the new conference - a 34-13 BYU victory over Colorado St. on September 16, 1999 in Cougar Stadium. (Plus, I still have my white ESPN hat proving I was at that game.) Now, starting with that season, let's count forward football seasons:
Season #1 - 1999
Season #2 - 2000
Season #3 - 2001
Season #4 - 2002
Season #5 - 2003
Season #6 - 2004
Season #7 - 2005
Season #8 - 2006
Season #9 - 2007
How can you have an All-Decade team that doesn't cover an entire decade? Now, true, the MWC is entering its 10th year of competition. But that's like saying that after you have been married for 1 year and 1 day that you are going to celebrate your 2nd Anniversary since you are entering your 2nd year of marriage. Let just call it fuzzy math.
Nevertheless, despite the MWC's apparent inability to count correctly, I still dutifully filled out a ballot online and voted for the All-Decade Football team. Here are a few of my favorite aspects/quirks of the ballot in a random stream of consciousness format:
-Four of the eight quarterbacks on the ballot were BYU quarterbacks.
-Didn't DonTrell Moore play a full decade (not a baker's decade)? That's what it seemed like. Still, though, props to him for being the only 4-time All-MWC player in MWC history
-It is a little sad that BYU averaged nearly 3 starting wide receivers per year and only 1 starting quarterback per year, but had 4 QB's nominated compared to only 3 receivers.
-On second thought, after Gary Crowton's QB juggling act, maybe BYU averaged closer to 3 starting QB's per season as well. Ha!
-How did Ben Moa get nominated? He played for a school and in a system that employed the tight end as a sixth blocker or a sideline clipboard holder. Moa had one good play - that little "jump shot" pass on a 2-point conversion to beat Air Force. How does one play get you the chance to make the All-Decade team?
-Now, in regards to the All-Short-Name Team, Moa is a first teamer. So is Max Hall.
-The offensive line is where we'll see which school ended up having the most voters vote online. Like anyone is going to vote for any offensive lineman besides their own favorite team. Other than 3 stinkin' Utes (one of whom is a brother of 2 BYU players), I've never heard of any of those non-Cougars. I haven't even heard of Matt Johnson who evidently played for BYU in 1999.
Right now the MWC is celebrating it's 10th anniversary and honoring an "All Decade" team in each sport. While I think such a celebration and honor is a great idea, I think they jumped the gun. You see, the embryo known as the MWC was conceived on May 26, 1998 (in a Denver airport, if I remember correctly). The new conference was officially born on July 1, 1999 - just over NINE years ago now. The first season of competition occurred in the 1999-2000 season. I know. I was at the first football game ever in the new conference - a 34-13 BYU victory over Colorado St. on September 16, 1999 in Cougar Stadium. (Plus, I still have my white ESPN hat proving I was at that game.) Now, starting with that season, let's count forward football seasons:
Season #1 - 1999
Season #2 - 2000
Season #3 - 2001
Season #4 - 2002
Season #5 - 2003
Season #6 - 2004
Season #7 - 2005
Season #8 - 2006
Season #9 - 2007
How can you have an All-Decade team that doesn't cover an entire decade? Now, true, the MWC is entering its 10th year of competition. But that's like saying that after you have been married for 1 year and 1 day that you are going to celebrate your 2nd Anniversary since you are entering your 2nd year of marriage. Let just call it fuzzy math.
Nevertheless, despite the MWC's apparent inability to count correctly, I still dutifully filled out a ballot online and voted for the All-Decade Football team. Here are a few of my favorite aspects/quirks of the ballot in a random stream of consciousness format:
-Four of the eight quarterbacks on the ballot were BYU quarterbacks.
-Didn't DonTrell Moore play a full decade (not a baker's decade)? That's what it seemed like. Still, though, props to him for being the only 4-time All-MWC player in MWC history
-It is a little sad that BYU averaged nearly 3 starting wide receivers per year and only 1 starting quarterback per year, but had 4 QB's nominated compared to only 3 receivers.
-On second thought, after Gary Crowton's QB juggling act, maybe BYU averaged closer to 3 starting QB's per season as well. Ha!
-How did Ben Moa get nominated? He played for a school and in a system that employed the tight end as a sixth blocker or a sideline clipboard holder. Moa had one good play - that little "jump shot" pass on a 2-point conversion to beat Air Force. How does one play get you the chance to make the All-Decade team?
-Now, in regards to the All-Short-Name Team, Moa is a first teamer. So is Max Hall.
-The offensive line is where we'll see which school ended up having the most voters vote online. Like anyone is going to vote for any offensive lineman besides their own favorite team. Other than 3 stinkin' Utes (one of whom is a brother of 2 BYU players), I've never heard of any of those non-Cougars. I haven't even heard of Matt Johnson who evidently played for BYU in 1999.
-I can't believe that female kicker who missed a PAT for New Mexico in a bowl game a few years ago wasn't nominated.
-How about Brady Poppinga being nominated at 2 positions. He'll probably end up as a co-defensive lineman and a co-linebacker.
-If it seems like Utah QB Brian Johnson has been around awhile, he has. In 2000 and 2001 he suited up on New Mexico's defensive line.
-You don't realize how pedestrian BYU's cornerbacks have been recently until you see that you have to go back to Jenaro Gilford in 2001 to get an all-conference performer there.
-Okay, I'll admit it. I voted for Eric Weddle. But only because he went up and congratulated John Beck after Beck-to-Harline.
-Matt Payne is definitely in my Top 3 favorite kickers/punters BYU has ever had along with Lee "Barefoot" Johnson and Brad "The Mad...Punter" Hunter. Leonard Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a close 4th. I've never seen a kicker hit like Payne. Unfortunately, there was one period of time in the Crowton years that I was pretty sure Matt Payne was the best special teams, defensive, and offensive weapon on the team.
-How come no All-Decade Coach to vote for? Wait, I take it back. I really don't want the Urban love fest to start again.
Well, there you have it. Click here if you haven't seen the official results yet. It's a fun little thing to help keep us occupied until the season starts. Only 26 more days!
In the meantime, maybe more of the the mtn television programming time should be devoted to things like math and counting. And capitalization.
-How about Brady Poppinga being nominated at 2 positions. He'll probably end up as a co-defensive lineman and a co-linebacker.
-If it seems like Utah QB Brian Johnson has been around awhile, he has. In 2000 and 2001 he suited up on New Mexico's defensive line.
-You don't realize how pedestrian BYU's cornerbacks have been recently until you see that you have to go back to Jenaro Gilford in 2001 to get an all-conference performer there.
-Okay, I'll admit it. I voted for Eric Weddle. But only because he went up and congratulated John Beck after Beck-to-Harline.
-Matt Payne is definitely in my Top 3 favorite kickers/punters BYU has ever had along with Lee "Barefoot" Johnson and Brad "The Mad...Punter" Hunter. Leonard Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a close 4th. I've never seen a kicker hit like Payne. Unfortunately, there was one period of time in the Crowton years that I was pretty sure Matt Payne was the best special teams, defensive, and offensive weapon on the team.
-How come no All-Decade Coach to vote for? Wait, I take it back. I really don't want the Urban love fest to start again.
Well, there you have it. Click here if you haven't seen the official results yet. It's a fun little thing to help keep us occupied until the season starts. Only 26 more days!
In the meantime, maybe more of the the mtn television programming time should be devoted to things like math and counting. And capitalization.
Monday, July 21, 2008
MWC Football Predictions
If you've followed the Mountain West Conference much the past few years, you know the COnference's favorite two letters are "co". Virtually each week, just like parents who adamantly maintain they won't select a favorite child, the MWC honors co-players of the week. They even took it to an extreme last basketball season when Lee Cummard and J.R. Giddens shared the "Co-player of the Year" award. And I thought that in sports, ties are like kissing your sister. (By the way, this topic could also be applied to soccer, but we'll save that for another day, like the MWC soccer predictions.)
So it was tempting to select "Co-champions" for the conference in making my predictions. After all, that might match the conference's results later today. And I just can't wait to see who the "Co-special teams players of the year" will be.
Instead, I will rank the teams 1-9. The team at the top may seem a little familiar, given my biases. Hope springs eternal at this time of year, and I even had BYU winning the conference in 2002 - 2004. This year, however, many of the national pundits (and more than likely the conference media itself) agree with me. We'll see how the rest of the conference shakes down.
1. BYU Cougars (12-0, 8-0) - How can you pick against any team that has completed a full round of home and away games against the entire conference without losing? Under Bronco, BYU is 11-1 against MWC teams on the road and 10-2 at home (with both losses coming in overtime). One of Bronco Mendenhall's great strengths has proven to be the ability to win the games he should (other than at SDSU in 2005). That's why I expect BYU to breeze through conference games until meeting the Utes on November 22. By that point, BYU's relatively inexperienced defense (as cited by many experts as the team's weakness) will have had a year together. And the offense will have had two years together. Despite the Utes always going all out to beat BYU, I expect the game to be over BEFORE the last play of the game. But it will still be close. In nonconference games, I think Washington poses the only real threat, and I think BYU ekes out a win there.
2. Utah Utes (9-3, 6-2) - Some have predicted that BYU and Utah will both be undefeated when they matchup against each other. That would be pretty cool as both would likely be in the Top 10. I never root for Utah to win, but if they keep winning, at least I'll have that possibility as a consolation prize to look forward to. In reality, I expect the Utes to lose at the Big House (as there is a rule that every writer MUST refer to Michigan Stadium as) and to lose at New Mexico. Utah always tends to drop at least one conference game they shouldn't and I think it will be the Lobos this year. However, other than BYU, I think they will win the remainder of their games assuming QB Brian Johnson remains healthy. If not, they could easily take a slide down the standings. By the way, one game I would absolutely LOVE to see the Utes lose is when they host Weber St. I'll finally get to cheer for Ron McBride!
3. New Mexico Lobos (8-4, 5-3) - I know that popular opinion views the MWC in three tiers, each with three teams. And TCU is generally considered the third team in the top tier. But I think New Mexico supplants them this year for three main reasons: 1) I think they will beat the Horned Frogs in the season opener in Albuquerque; 2) They have a better QB who is entering his 3rd year as a starter (Donovan Porterie); and 3) TCU's defense lost two great players (Chase Ortiz & Tommy Blake). By the way, how about New Mexico's home schedule which includes Utah, Arizona, and Texas A&M. That's quite a coup for getting teams to Albuquerque. The Lobos probably split those two BCS-non-conference games and lose three conference games. By the way, Rocky Long is now the Dean of MWC Coaches, having completed 10 seasons in New Mexico. (On a related note, Wyoming's Joe Glenn joins Rocky as the only other coach to have been coaching in the MWC longer than Bronco.)
4. TCU Horned Frogs (8-4, 5-3) - I expect TCU to lose to the three teams ahead of it and beat the rest of the conference. Their only non-conference loss will be to Oklahoma. The Horned Frogs are always a pretty tough team, but how good can a team in purple really be? Name one purple team that is good. The Minnesota Vikings have never won a Super Bowl. The Colorado Rockies are back to mediocrity after failing to win the World Series last year. The Jazz even changed their colors to avoid purple (and went to the NBA Finals the first two years after doing so). Neither the Lehi Pioneers or Tooele Buffaloes are Utah state high school powerhouses (although they do have two of the state's best nicknames). Bottom line: purple doesn't win.
5. Wyoming Cowboys (7-5, 4-4) - At first I was amazed and impressed when I saw that Wyoming has 7 home games this year. Having been in Laramie, I'm always surprised they get one visitor there, other than the 4 conference teams required to go each year. I can also see why Wyoming will never lead the nation in passing - impossible in 65 MPH winds. Anyway, after examining the schedule a little more closely, I'm not as impressed. The Cowboys' three non-conference home games are Ohio (the Bobcats, not the Buckeyes), North Dakota State, and Bowling Green. They should win those three, but get annihilated at Tennessee. Add in a .500 conference season, and Wyoming should be bowl eligible, meaning that a bowl whose revenue depends heavily on alcohol sales should be happy to invite the Cowboys.
6. Air Force Falcons (5-7, 3-5) - Air Force's main problem this season is a lack of experience at quarterback. As much as any team in the league, their success seems tied to the QB's experience. And 4-year starter Shawn Carney (it seemed more like about 8 years he started there) is gone, the Falcons will be breaking in a new QB. Since they now run less option, it may be an easier transition, but still will be tough to repeat last season's magical #2 finish in league. While Air Force is clearly out of the running for a conference championship, the Commander-in-Chief's trophy is probably just a good game against Navy away.
7. San Diego St. Aztecs (5-7, 2-6) - For me SDSU and UNLV are a toss up and since the Aztecs host the Rebels on the last day of the season, I'm going with SDSU here. It seems like Chuck Long should be a great coach, given his pedigree, but I'm yet to see very impressive results. While I think UNLV and Colorado State are their only conference wins, I see them going 3-1 out of conference, thanks to a steady diet of WAC and D-2 (or Football Championship Series, as they now prefer to be called) schools. The loss will be at Notre Dame.
8. UNLV Rebels (4-8, 2-6) - Another team with 7 home games, although that is not at all a surprise in Las Vegas. Since a former Ute is the coach of the Rebels (Mike Sanford), I kind of enjoy seeing them struggle. I don't see much of a change this year. Sanford is 6-29 through 3 seasons. His has to be the hottest seat among MWC coaches this year.
9. Colorado St. Rams (2-10, 1-7) - Any respect votes Sonny Lubick used to get are now gone. I expect the Rams to have a rough rebuilding season. They return 8 starters on offense, but their top returning QB has thrown for 91 yards. In his career. That's an average quarter for Max Hall. The Rams' top returning receiver isn't much ahead of his QB, he has 183 yards receiving. Between inexperience, a new coach and system, and a relatively tough schedule, I think Colorado St. has a tough year.
This scenario would produce five bowl-eligible teams. I expect BYU in a BCS Bowl (probably the Fiesta, although I'm rooting for a PAC-10 versus Big-10 National Championship with no other teams from their conferences BCS bowl-eligible, giving the Rose Bowl cause to seriously consider BYU), Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, and New Mexico and TCU in their home stadium bowls. And Wyoming in the B-double E-double R-U-N Bowl.
So it was tempting to select "Co-champions" for the conference in making my predictions. After all, that might match the conference's results later today. And I just can't wait to see who the "Co-special teams players of the year" will be.
Instead, I will rank the teams 1-9. The team at the top may seem a little familiar, given my biases. Hope springs eternal at this time of year, and I even had BYU winning the conference in 2002 - 2004. This year, however, many of the national pundits (and more than likely the conference media itself) agree with me. We'll see how the rest of the conference shakes down.
1. BYU Cougars (12-0, 8-0) - How can you pick against any team that has completed a full round of home and away games against the entire conference without losing? Under Bronco, BYU is 11-1 against MWC teams on the road and 10-2 at home (with both losses coming in overtime). One of Bronco Mendenhall's great strengths has proven to be the ability to win the games he should (other than at SDSU in 2005). That's why I expect BYU to breeze through conference games until meeting the Utes on November 22. By that point, BYU's relatively inexperienced defense (as cited by many experts as the team's weakness) will have had a year together. And the offense will have had two years together. Despite the Utes always going all out to beat BYU, I expect the game to be over BEFORE the last play of the game. But it will still be close. In nonconference games, I think Washington poses the only real threat, and I think BYU ekes out a win there.
2. Utah Utes (9-3, 6-2) - Some have predicted that BYU and Utah will both be undefeated when they matchup against each other. That would be pretty cool as both would likely be in the Top 10. I never root for Utah to win, but if they keep winning, at least I'll have that possibility as a consolation prize to look forward to. In reality, I expect the Utes to lose at the Big House (as there is a rule that every writer MUST refer to Michigan Stadium as) and to lose at New Mexico. Utah always tends to drop at least one conference game they shouldn't and I think it will be the Lobos this year. However, other than BYU, I think they will win the remainder of their games assuming QB Brian Johnson remains healthy. If not, they could easily take a slide down the standings. By the way, one game I would absolutely LOVE to see the Utes lose is when they host Weber St. I'll finally get to cheer for Ron McBride!
3. New Mexico Lobos (8-4, 5-3) - I know that popular opinion views the MWC in three tiers, each with three teams. And TCU is generally considered the third team in the top tier. But I think New Mexico supplants them this year for three main reasons: 1) I think they will beat the Horned Frogs in the season opener in Albuquerque; 2) They have a better QB who is entering his 3rd year as a starter (Donovan Porterie); and 3) TCU's defense lost two great players (Chase Ortiz & Tommy Blake). By the way, how about New Mexico's home schedule which includes Utah, Arizona, and Texas A&M. That's quite a coup for getting teams to Albuquerque. The Lobos probably split those two BCS-non-conference games and lose three conference games. By the way, Rocky Long is now the Dean of MWC Coaches, having completed 10 seasons in New Mexico. (On a related note, Wyoming's Joe Glenn joins Rocky as the only other coach to have been coaching in the MWC longer than Bronco.)
4. TCU Horned Frogs (8-4, 5-3) - I expect TCU to lose to the three teams ahead of it and beat the rest of the conference. Their only non-conference loss will be to Oklahoma. The Horned Frogs are always a pretty tough team, but how good can a team in purple really be? Name one purple team that is good. The Minnesota Vikings have never won a Super Bowl. The Colorado Rockies are back to mediocrity after failing to win the World Series last year. The Jazz even changed their colors to avoid purple (and went to the NBA Finals the first two years after doing so). Neither the Lehi Pioneers or Tooele Buffaloes are Utah state high school powerhouses (although they do have two of the state's best nicknames). Bottom line: purple doesn't win.
5. Wyoming Cowboys (7-5, 4-4) - At first I was amazed and impressed when I saw that Wyoming has 7 home games this year. Having been in Laramie, I'm always surprised they get one visitor there, other than the 4 conference teams required to go each year. I can also see why Wyoming will never lead the nation in passing - impossible in 65 MPH winds. Anyway, after examining the schedule a little more closely, I'm not as impressed. The Cowboys' three non-conference home games are Ohio (the Bobcats, not the Buckeyes), North Dakota State, and Bowling Green. They should win those three, but get annihilated at Tennessee. Add in a .500 conference season, and Wyoming should be bowl eligible, meaning that a bowl whose revenue depends heavily on alcohol sales should be happy to invite the Cowboys.
6. Air Force Falcons (5-7, 3-5) - Air Force's main problem this season is a lack of experience at quarterback. As much as any team in the league, their success seems tied to the QB's experience. And 4-year starter Shawn Carney (it seemed more like about 8 years he started there) is gone, the Falcons will be breaking in a new QB. Since they now run less option, it may be an easier transition, but still will be tough to repeat last season's magical #2 finish in league. While Air Force is clearly out of the running for a conference championship, the Commander-in-Chief's trophy is probably just a good game against Navy away.
7. San Diego St. Aztecs (5-7, 2-6) - For me SDSU and UNLV are a toss up and since the Aztecs host the Rebels on the last day of the season, I'm going with SDSU here. It seems like Chuck Long should be a great coach, given his pedigree, but I'm yet to see very impressive results. While I think UNLV and Colorado State are their only conference wins, I see them going 3-1 out of conference, thanks to a steady diet of WAC and D-2 (or Football Championship Series, as they now prefer to be called) schools. The loss will be at Notre Dame.
8. UNLV Rebels (4-8, 2-6) - Another team with 7 home games, although that is not at all a surprise in Las Vegas. Since a former Ute is the coach of the Rebels (Mike Sanford), I kind of enjoy seeing them struggle. I don't see much of a change this year. Sanford is 6-29 through 3 seasons. His has to be the hottest seat among MWC coaches this year.
9. Colorado St. Rams (2-10, 1-7) - Any respect votes Sonny Lubick used to get are now gone. I expect the Rams to have a rough rebuilding season. They return 8 starters on offense, but their top returning QB has thrown for 91 yards. In his career. That's an average quarter for Max Hall. The Rams' top returning receiver isn't much ahead of his QB, he has 183 yards receiving. Between inexperience, a new coach and system, and a relatively tough schedule, I think Colorado St. has a tough year.
This scenario would produce five bowl-eligible teams. I expect BYU in a BCS Bowl (probably the Fiesta, although I'm rooting for a PAC-10 versus Big-10 National Championship with no other teams from their conferences BCS bowl-eligible, giving the Rose Bowl cause to seriously consider BYU), Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, and New Mexico and TCU in their home stadium bowls. And Wyoming in the B-double E-double R-U-N Bowl.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Summertime Blues
A quick sampling of my radio station-shifting on an afternoon drive this summer:
1320 KFAN: "The player personnel rating for Jazz draft pick Kosta Koufous is extremely high making this..."
Next.
1280 KZN: "And so the guy in front of me at the Ultimate Fight Night produces a bodily function..."
Okay, let's try again.
700 KALL: "Call us and tell us the Top 5 Sporting Venues you've ever been to. Here's mine..."
Still no football?
KSL 1160: "And Krulosekjlwkjsd Wodkjeneisiski now sports the yellow jersey in the Tour de France after winning Stage 16. And that's your 90-second sports ticker on your home of the Cougars...KSL Newsradio 1160"
That's all I get? Even on the home of the Cougars? Three sports stations and the Cougar flagship station and I can't find anybody talking college football? What is wrong with these people?
As my all-too-common dialogue suggests, my summer commute has been filled with country music, Sean Hannity, and even silence.
Either those stations mentioned above are missing their demographic or I'm on the outside of the demographic circle. And by circle, I mean talking in circles about Brett Favre or Utah Jazz free agency.
Despite low expectations, I still check each station every 10-15 minutes, just in case they've shifted their conversation to college football. Inevitably, I end up with Paul Harvey for..."the REST of the story."
So, you can bet my ears perked up the other day during my daily station-checking ritual. Was Bill Riley really talking about the Mountain West Conference football preseason poll? Sure enough. That night I made it a point to get on the Mountain West Conference's website to see when their annual summer media day would be. July 21-22, 2008. Football talk is right around the corner!
Media day has held an even greater significance for me the last five years. After all of my roommates had graduated from college and moved away from Provo, I took it on myself to write a detailed report of each game, specifically focusing on the atmosphere, subplots, etc. of the game - things you wouldn't read in a game summary on ESPN.com. At least from the feedback I got from those roommates, they loved the updates on that 2002 season. The next year, I started earlier by previewing the Mountain West Conference on its media day. I "published" my picks before the experts did to see how I stacked up.
My audience grew from those three former roommates to about 25-30 people, all of whom found a hefty email in their Inbox each week. Email was my best method of delivery. Until now. Now people's inboxes won't overflow and I can still get my reports out to those that want them. If you like what you read on the blog, keep checking back in. If you don't, I'll never know.
So before next Monday's Media Day, I will be posting my MWC preseason picks. In the meantime, there is a wonderful thing to participate in on the MWC website. They are compiling their "10th Anniversary Team". Click here to vote (be sure to pick the football link - unless you have a good handle on MWC Cross Country runners over the past 10 years). Having voted will give you better perspective when I comment on the nominees for the team in a future post. Plus, it will probably give BYU players a better chance of making the 10th Anniversary Team (read: vote for Cougars whenever possible).
1320 KFAN: "The player personnel rating for Jazz draft pick Kosta Koufous is extremely high making this..."
Next.
1280 KZN: "And so the guy in front of me at the Ultimate Fight Night produces a bodily function..."
Okay, let's try again.
700 KALL: "Call us and tell us the Top 5 Sporting Venues you've ever been to. Here's mine..."
Still no football?
KSL 1160: "And Krulosekjlwkjsd Wodkjeneisiski now sports the yellow jersey in the Tour de France after winning Stage 16. And that's your 90-second sports ticker on your home of the Cougars...KSL Newsradio 1160"
That's all I get? Even on the home of the Cougars? Three sports stations and the Cougar flagship station and I can't find anybody talking college football? What is wrong with these people?
As my all-too-common dialogue suggests, my summer commute has been filled with country music, Sean Hannity, and even silence.
Either those stations mentioned above are missing their demographic or I'm on the outside of the demographic circle. And by circle, I mean talking in circles about Brett Favre or Utah Jazz free agency.
Despite low expectations, I still check each station every 10-15 minutes, just in case they've shifted their conversation to college football. Inevitably, I end up with Paul Harvey for..."the REST of the story."
So, you can bet my ears perked up the other day during my daily station-checking ritual. Was Bill Riley really talking about the Mountain West Conference football preseason poll? Sure enough. That night I made it a point to get on the Mountain West Conference's website to see when their annual summer media day would be. July 21-22, 2008. Football talk is right around the corner!
Media day has held an even greater significance for me the last five years. After all of my roommates had graduated from college and moved away from Provo, I took it on myself to write a detailed report of each game, specifically focusing on the atmosphere, subplots, etc. of the game - things you wouldn't read in a game summary on ESPN.com. At least from the feedback I got from those roommates, they loved the updates on that 2002 season. The next year, I started earlier by previewing the Mountain West Conference on its media day. I "published" my picks before the experts did to see how I stacked up.
My audience grew from those three former roommates to about 25-30 people, all of whom found a hefty email in their Inbox each week. Email was my best method of delivery. Until now. Now people's inboxes won't overflow and I can still get my reports out to those that want them. If you like what you read on the blog, keep checking back in. If you don't, I'll never know.
So before next Monday's Media Day, I will be posting my MWC preseason picks. In the meantime, there is a wonderful thing to participate in on the MWC website. They are compiling their "10th Anniversary Team". Click here to vote (be sure to pick the football link - unless you have a good handle on MWC Cross Country runners over the past 10 years). Having voted will give you better perspective when I comment on the nominees for the team in a future post. Plus, it will probably give BYU players a better chance of making the 10th Anniversary Team (read: vote for Cougars whenever possible).
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