football: Loving the player sites

I'm loving these past BYU player blogs.

Jonny Harline

Gooch, Staffieri, and Criddle

#9??!!!!

Wow. Wow. Wow. #9 here and #12 here. Don't get freaked out Cougs!

E

fun: StarFall

Love Love Love this site for Pre-preschoolers. Lil G will hear the keys typing on the computer and ask for "R, R, R, R." If you have a toddler - 1st grader check it out!

BYU Football Post-season Wrap up

The only time a 10 win 3 loss season hurts is when 2 of the losses come in your last 2 games, one against your rival and one to a lowly Pac-10 team that hasn't been to a bowl game in 10 years.

In reality, 3 straight years with 10 wins or more and finishing in the top 25 isn't too shabby. I'm not sure the team will still be ranked after losing to Arizona last night, but there is a lot of promise going into next season.

As I look back on my thoughts before the season began, BYU really did overachieve this season. We won several games that we had no business winning with the way we played and pulled out squeakers that in the last 2 years would have been blow outs. The defense was my biggest worry going into the season and they promptly washed those fears away with big shut out wins against UCLA and Wyoming and followed up allowing only 3 points to New Mexico and a couple 4th quarter garbage TDs to Utah State.

Then TCU happened and both the offense and defense were exposed. The D was what we thought they should have been prior to the start of the season and the offense showed that if things don't go their way, they get flustered and make big mistakes. However, prior to that game even, I saw things that worried me. When the defense forced turnovers in the New Mexico game, the offense couldn't capitalize and ended up wasting a chance to score. That started to happen more and more and really put pressure on the D and probably took some wind out of their sails. Our team started to look like they were just going through the motions and there wasn't any passion for the game. They showed that now and again as the season went on, but again last night, the offense at least made it look like they didn't know why they were out there in the first place.

Two things need to change to continue being successful next season. First, the offense has to learn how to have fun again and therefore capitalize on the successes of the defense. The defense will be more experienced now and I'll expect them to step up and make more plays and know their opponents better so that they can read the offense prior to the snap.

If those two things can happen, 2009 can be really special for BYU and they could continue the success that began in 2005 with Bronco Mendenhall at the helm. Bronco's a great coach and has a great staff around him. It's time for the players to step up and buy into his philosophies and have fun doing it.

Here's to a great 2008 and a better 2009.

Go Cougars!!!!

Here it Comes!

The Cougars did it, they managed to come back from a slow second quarter and get fired up for the second half. They rattled off 21 unanswered points in the second half to beat Air Force 38 to 24 setting up what is probably the biggest game in the history of the BYU-Utah rivalry. Never have both teams been ranked this high going into the game with the conference title on the line. They have both been ranked before but not like this and it's setting up to be something special. Both teams are fairly evenly matched in that the strengths of one team plays to the strength of the other and weakness goes against weakness.

Who will win out? I have no idea but it's going to be a great game. BYU holds a 2 game win streak after pulling out miracle plays 2 years in a row. One of the good things is that Utah has more pressure on them to win because they are currently undefeated and BYU will be the underdog going into Salt Lake. I give Utah the slight advantage since the game is on their turf, but in this rivalry, anything can happen.

BYU 34 Utah 28

Go Cougs!!

Undefeated at home for 3 years

BYU finally showed up on defense and proved the opponent to be what they were supposed to be, not good. BYU 41 SDSU 12. We've been making so many not so good teams look much better than they actually are that I was starting to wonder if we'd be able to pull this off. However San Diego State is just plain bad and it was a great confidence booster for the Cougs going into the toughest stretch of the season.

The great thing was the final home win marked the third straight season that BYU has gone undefeated at home, a new school record. We said goodbye to 22 seniors and while they will be missed, there are plenty of players ready to step in and take over and should give us another great year of football next year too.

Next up is at the Air Force Academy which despite being a young team has played really well this season and provides quite a few mismatches against our D. I still think our offense is good enough to win this one in the end and I'll look to our D to get just a couple stops so the O can capitalize and give us a cushy 2 score lead.

After AFA is Utah at Salt Lake. This is not going to be easy. The Utes have a great defense and an offense that plays to BYU's defensive weaknesses. The equalizer here is that it is the rivalry game and anything can happen. We're holding a 2 game win streak over the Utes and would like to make it 3 along with being the first team to put them behind on the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Go Cougs!!

Defense wasn't as bad as it looked

Now that I've had some time to look at the game objectively, I've realized that despite giving up 42 points and scoring 45, our defense didn't look that bad, but our offense didn't look as good as it could have either.

The score will be deceiving because it doesn't tell you that there was a fumble returned for a touchdown or that 2 other turnovers late in the game turned into another 14 points almost immediately.

The blessing for the team was that CSU scored quickly after the interception leaving Max Hall and Co almost 2 minutes to drive the field and I'm sorry but against an offense like that, that's a silly move.

In the end, the plays were made and the Cougs pulled out a win. It was a nerveracking but very entertaining football game and I'm looking forward to our final home game against San Diego State this weekend. Unless they pull of the game of the century, this should be an easy win. SDSU lost to Wyoming 35 to 10. We beat Wyoming 44 to 0. hmmmm

I'd Rather be Lucky than Lose

So with 6 minutes left to go in the game, BYU was losing, that's right losing, to UNLV 35 to 34. The defense hadn't been able to stop them all game long. The offense was a different story, they moved the ball quite well and looked pretty sharp in most cases. I was pleased with how they came back from the loss to TCU, but I digress.

The offense got the ball and took a nice long drive to score, putting BYU up 40 to 35. Unfortunately, we still left 1:45 on the clock for UNLV, so we went for 2 and converted! UNLV would have to score a touchdown and kick the PAT to tie it up. It sure looked like they were going to do it to, but #57 Putnam from BYU got into the back field and finally got the QB. That pushed UNLV back between the 25 and 30 yard lines and took lots of time off the clock. With only 7 seconds left, they knew they had to heave it and hope. Fortunately the entire BYU defense converged on the receivers in the end zone and someone picked it off with no time remaining. The interesting thing is there was so much blue in the endzone I couldn't tell who the QB had been throwing to.

So luckily, BYU pulled off the win against a UNLV team that has improved quite a bit after several years of being the whipping boy in the conference (kinda like Washington State in the Pac-10). We'll have to watch for them in the next few years as they are a young team that is coming together quickly. Their defense isn't great, but neither is BYUs and look where we are at this point.

Hopefully our D can get whatever is bugging them worked out and start performing like they did against UCLA and Wyoming.

Next week we travel to Colorado State and get to face a pocket quarterback for the first time since Wyoming. That basically means the QB isn't one of those athletic guys that can run and throw. They are the type that do much better when they have time to sit in the 'pocket' created by their linemen and throw the ball. Our defense has succeeded against this kind of offense so far this season, so I'm looking for a real strong performance from them on the road this next week.

BCS Hopes Crushed in Texas

Well, that was it. TCU came out and did everything they needed to do to stop BYU. They got up early and the emotion rolled from there. That is one really good football team. If they'd played like that at Oklahoma, they would've taken the top spot in all the talk about BCS busters.

Now it's time to finish the season strong and win a good bowl game. After that, we come back next year with nearly everyone returning and some good talent to replace those that leave.

TCU is now the team to beat in the MWC.

Go Cougs!!!!

Bowl Eligible

Well, that's 6 wins and BYU is officially bowl eligible. The offense was kind of slow getting started and the defense gave up some big plays, but held in the end.

It wasn't the most exciting game, but we won. Erica and I had the chance to be there thanks to a friend from work that gave us their tickets. It was cold, but not too bad. It was supposed to snow, but didn't, so that was good.

Again, it wasn't the prettiest of wins, but conference play is rarely easy. I think holding a team that beat Arizona to 3 points wasn't too bad.

Now we have the short week and a Thursday night game against a TCU team that has been struggling as of late as well. It should be interesting to see which team is able to pick up the pieces and put together a clean game. (I vote for BYU).

The game will be on Versus for all of you that don't have the Mountain. I'm not sure what time kick off is yet, but I'll try and let you know.

Go Cougs!

Ugly Win

Okay, so after Washington, I said a win is a win regardless of the score and that is still true, but could it have been any sloppier?

All in all the team played well in the first quarter and the defense really pounded away on the Aggies, but after jumping out to a 24 to 0 lead in the first quarter, I think the offense got a little complacent and didn't look as sharp as they have the last few games.

This forced the defense to be on the field longer than normal which led to some frustration and big plays by Utah State. We all know that frustration leads to those 'fun' personal foul penalties that have a way of shifting the momentum of a game.

I guess it was time for the team to have a game like this so they realize they can't just walk all over opponents and give up. They have to finish every game before they get a break. Hopefully they've learned that lesson and it will help as we move forward.

Execution will have to be much cleaner as we get ready to play New Mexico this weekend.

Go Cougs!

Coach Mendenhall on the Jim Rome show

BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall gave an interview on national radio today with one of the more famous radio hosts, Jim Rome. Rome has been known to be tough with his interviewees and is sometimes considered controversial.

Bronco did so well that Rome actually kept him on the show a little longer than normal. He touched on several topics from recruiting to the excessive celebration penalty from the Washington game.

If you've ever wanted to know why BYU football does what it does and where they are heading, this is a great interview to get that point of view. Bronco also touched on this season's them 'The Quest for Perfection.'

Listen to the interview here and let me know what you think.

BYU hosts Wyoming this weekend. It looks like it could be another whipping like last week. The last time the Cowboys came to Provo they left on the short side of a 55 to 7 score. That Wyoming team was better than this year's, whose only real strength is their running game. Their defense can play tough, but typically tries to overplay when they come to Provo which leads to lots of big plays for our offense. I think coach will be merciful and only put up 44 points on the Cowboys.

Prediction: BYU 44 WYO 0

Every Week Can Change the Season

Wow, just wow. If this weekend didn't convert you to being a college football fan, there's no hope.

When schedules were made and contracts signed, I'm sure Arizona St wasn't thinking UNLV could even play against their second string let alone block a field goal in over time to upset the Sun Devils at home. I bet UNLV even got a fair chunk of change out of it just for showing up. Some have reported that Utah got
$800,000 just for showing up at the Big House to start the season.

I'm sure Arizona thought, 'New Mexico, out of the MWC. Meh, they aren't BYU or Utah, should be cake.' Oops. Another Pac-10 loss to a MWC team. TCU taught Stanford all about the eye of the storm and BYU treated UCLA by handing them their worst beating since 1929.

The only bright spots for the Pac-10 were USC tromping THE Ohio State University (sorry Jesse) and Oregon sneaking out a win over Purdue in double OT while putting another QB on the injury list.

Today's Coaches poll has BYU as the 11th best team in the country and after watching them on Saturday, I'd say it's pretty accurate. Unfortunately, every week can change the season as they say and there's a lot of tough games ahead. I really hope someone in the Pac-10 wakes up and knocks USC off their horse.

Any team can win anytime, anywhere against anyone. That's why they play the game.

I love this game! GO COUGS!!!!

We love #45 Harvey

Frockly T-Shirt Giveaway

Clik on the link if you'd like to win a Frockly Harvey T-Shirt

My favorite quote from Sports Center tonight was "Fui on you!"

By the smallest of margins

Yes, I know, BYU didn't beat UW nearly as badly as Oregon did, but it was a non-conference road win over a BCS conference team, something BYU hasn't done since 2001.

The big talk about the game is the questionable penalty on UWs Jake Locker after scoring a touchdown with 2 seconds reamining. Locker jumped up, chucked the ball behind him and went to celebrate with his teammates.

I was thinking, shoot, here comes overtime, but wait for it, the flag was thrown and UW was penalized 15 yards for Locker's "unsportsmanlike" conduct. UW was backed up to kick the extra point and BYU pushed through and got the block. You'll notice in the picture that Jan Jorgensen (the guy that blocked the kick) is clearly being held as he fights through the line, but he got to it anyway. He made the play that won the game. The officials did not lose the game for UW.



The interesting thing about football is that on any given Saturday, any team can win. The players on the field play a part in it. The coaches on the sidelines play a part in it. The coaches in the box play a part in it. The fans in the stands play a part in it. AND the officials calling the game in the booth and on the field play a part in it. Officials cannot be blamed for a loss any more than fans can. They are part of the competition and both teams have to deal with bad calls. That's just the way it is.

UW's offensive line held BYU all game long and had several blatant blocks in the back that were not called but were significant in keeping UW drives alive. Is it upsetting? Yes. Is it fair? Yes. That's part of the game, good calls and bad calls.

I say good show BYU. You put everything into it and despite turning the ball over twice, you managed to win the game and keep hopes alive for a big money BCS bowl game.

I like the motto of the East Carolina football team. 1 and 0. They always think 1-0. Be it this game, this week, or this one practice or this one play. They always focus on executing in the moment. Every game starts out 0 to 0 and teams can start anew every week. That's why I love college football.

That is how you create a winning football team.

GO COUGS!!!!

It's Football Season!!!

Phew, what a squeaker. They better not turn the ball over like that against some of these bigger teams or it's going to be a long season.

BYU 41 UNI 17

Miracles Do Happen

http://justanotherdumb.com/byu/2007/BYUvsUCLA2007.wmv

I don't know how I could have forgotten with all of the other stuff that happened last month but I'll be in big trouble if I don't mention the BYU game. Oh wait or is that a game we want to forget about? Does barely squeaking in a win count? Just kidding we are happy that by some miracle BYU won the bowl game!

"The Answered Prayer" BYU vs. Utah 2006

Football highlights. John Beck completed a pass to Johnny Harline with no time left in this heated rivalry. Harline caught the pass in a kneeling position as if he were praying, thus "The Answered Prayer."