‘07 Tulsa game, a defensive perspective…
I have been thinking about this game for a while now, mostly remembering all the emotions I felt during it….and well, the wound hasn’t healed. What makes remembering this game even worse is the fact that the offense was playing good football, and the defense just couldn’t stop a thing. As stupid as it may sound, the analogy of quicksand from The Replacements is a fitting description of this game. The defense just kept struggling and struggling but couldn’t get out and ended up deeper under ground.
If you asked Coach Mendenhall, he would probably say that he knew we didn’t have our minds right from the moment we arrived at the stadium. I remember very vividly that before that game there were players on the field tossing balls around, running routes and enjoying the night game atmosphere. I wouldn’t say we weren’t focused, we were just excited to be out of our hotel rooms and on the field.
As the game began, I thought it was going to be a blow out. We stoned their offense the first couple posessions, and our offense was moving the ball effectively against their defense. I really did think it was going to be smooth sailing. I guess our over-confidence got to us.
Little did we know, that Tulsa had this game circled on their calendar since the previous year’s beating they took in LES. Their coaching staff had been waiting and waiting for this game, and with an extra week to prepare, they had all kinds of tricks up their sleeves.
We knew going into the game that their quarterback -Smith- was their best player and we knew that if we could neutralize his ability to scramble and make plays we would be alright. What we didn’t know is that they would run 15+ trick plays. I am not lying, there where Tulsa guys running in every direction. And it wasn’t just your simple reverses. They had guys motioning, moving, shifting, and ending up in formations that we had never previoulsy seen from our film study. The Tulsa coaches had almost designed a specific package to beat our defense.
I just remember being on the field and trying to go through my progressions -reads- and I kept second guessing myself. After we were burned a few times, it was like I lost all confidence in my abilities to make the right defensive calls. Our defense just didn’t play the assignment style defense that we normally played. Guys where trying to do too much, then over pursuing, then the ball would cut back to where they should have been…. The defensive backs weren’t communicating correctly, and we became frustrated with the way other positions performed. During the offensive posessions, the sidelines were a mess. (I can now see how really frustrated the coaches were.) The coaches tried to correct mistakes and offer solutions, but when it came time for us to take the field again it was like we stepped across the white lines and disregarded every instruction we had just heard. Everyone just thought he was going to be the guy to make the big play, but we ended up trying too hard, and balls flew everywhere for touchdowns.
At least once in a player’s career, they experience the frustration and disappointment of a game like that one. I can’t speak for my teammates, but at times, I felt helpless. I tried lining up deeper, I tried different calls, I tried, and tried and tried, but nothing worked. The most frustrating thing was we would get the call from the sideline and Tulsa would come to the line, wait a few moments and then look to the sideline where they would recieve a different offensive call. They would then shift and move around and then run a play that exploited the specific coverage we were in. So we countered, trying to call a different defensive call after their coach had changed the offensive call. Even that back fired, as our communication failed and guys ended up making mistakes, blowing coverages and missing assignments. In this game we were beat, plain and simple. They prepared better, played better and they deserved to win.
I really think the game boiled down to a few things:
- Our defense’s inability to listen to the coaching staff, maintain a level of composure and then play through the mistakes. We just let the mistakes compound instead of just simply playing physical, smart football.
- This game was their Super Bowl, and we didn’t recognize how important this game was to Tulsa. For our team it was just another game, but they had all of this pent up emotion and motivation. They prepared for two weeks, not just to beat us but to embarrass us.
- The defense didn’t feed off the emotion and success of the offense. It wasn’t like the win was completely one sided. Our offense kept us in the game and gave us chances to win the game. The defense just couldn’t get that key stop, instead they would run a fake punt for a fourth down conversion. I am sure I cussed a blue streak when that play happened. At the end of the game I felt so disappointed in my own performance that I literally sat on the curb outside the stadium, head in hands, trying to figure out what I could have done to stop the “bleeding”.
If you can’t tell, I felt very responsible for our team’s poor defensive display. I understand I wasn’t the only one making mistakes, but I was the one who was supposed to cover for others mistakes. It was a learning experience. Like I said, there aren’t many game like that one in a player’s career. Luckily, we were able to take it on the chin and bounce back to win 11 games. Our defense regained their confidence and swagger, returning to physical and assignment-sound football.
I hope this helped heal a few wounds out there, or at least you’ll curse the name of Gooch for the loss. The defense and I learned a lot from that loss and it made us a more effective defensive team as the season progressed. Games like the Tulsa game have to be learned from to insure that they are never repeated. Go Cougars and stay classy, Provo.
Gooch — Great stuff. I appreciate the insight, as painful as it may have been.
I was at the game and have a few questions:
1) You mentioned how Tulsa’s offense would line up and then look to the sideline for a new call. How common is an approach like this? Their system seemed farily elaborate.
2) Someone else asked this as well, but did it seem that Tulsa was faking some of their ‘injuries’?
3) Despite Tulsa’s trick plays, etc. BYU was ahead at the half. What was the thinking at half time? Were the adjustments you mentioned at half time? During the second half? The entire game?
4) Was the film from the Tulsa game used any more or less than other games in learning process for the players? Do coaches ever do as they often say after an ugly loss and ‘forget the game’ and ‘throw away the tape’?
Thanks
I’ve gotta say the players weren’t the only ones at fault during that game. i think our coaches were out coached during that one. I’ve seen the a couple NFL teams use the strategy of switching up the formation at the line of scrimmage. It seems pretty effective. i wonder our offense would ever incorporate that? I’m surprised we haven’t seen it from the Yewts.
I remember watching this game from my hotel room in Hawaii on my laptop. I was so damn pissed because I had to watch it on the CSTV website with low, low speed internet. I was watching a box about 4″ square with crappy resolution which refreshed every 5 seconds. The plays that I did not miss all seemed to be Tulsa touchdowns or BYU turnovers. The only thing that I wanted to do was go down to the lobby and knock out the dude working the counter at the convenience shop. Every game I have a victory Coke sitting on ice, well the thought of spending $3.50 on a victory Coke was not setting well at this point. Upset does not even begin to explain. I was the mormon dude with the BYU gear dropping bombs left and right. To make it worse it was Air Force appreciation day on the beach, so throughout the game jet engines were rattling the windows of the hotel. That game ruined my vacation.
Gooch my man- you are not the only one with scares. Keep your head up.
So your #2 point, is that why Utah has been able to hang with BYU the last 2 years? BYU clearly has been the better team the last 2 years, and especially last year. However, Utah seems to be able to match man for man with the Cougs and hang to the bitter end. That has been the most frustrating thing as a fan to see.
Gooch, I’m not gonna lie. I watched that game last year and out of every player on the defense, I thought you looked more lost than anyone else. Reading your thoughts helps me understand that you a) were lost, and b) were even more frustrated than I was about that game. We were all disappointed, but I’m glad that you and the rest of the defense came back after that and showed the next 10 teams how dominant you are. That was a horrible night, but it wasn’t a good representation of what the team is about.
I remember I said to my buddy in the middle of the 4th quarter: “Even if BYU comes back to win this game, this game already feels like a loss. It shouldn’t be this way.”
Two questions:
1. Same question as above–can you tell us something more about Tulsa and their bogus injuries?
2. The odd-colored goal line seemed to be another one of Tulsa’s gimmicks. BYU had one play on offense where it was 1st or 2nd and goal from the 6-yard line and Max Hall ran a QB sneak. Was this strange play call a result of the greenish-yellow-painted goal line?
Quinn,
How did you get your pre-game snowcone stain out of your jersey. That picture looks like it really stained it.
Are you kidding? You obviously don’t know much about Tulsa. The BYU game wasn’t their “super bowl” by any means. Tulsa feels their program is just as good as yours. And the last time the two of you played, they won. They have had one of the best offenses in the nation for two years now. They didn’t design anything specifically to beat you. It’s just what they do. No one has stopped them. They hung over 400 yards on Oklahoma last year.
And NO, their coaching staff had not been waiting for that game due to losing to BYU the year before. How do I know? It was a totally different coaching staff. How about doing your homework?
As far as “trick plays”…that is just the offense. It is very intricate. You might try watching them…they’re on ESPN a couple times coming up.
Last year, they had the nation’s best offense and earned the largest margin of victory ever in a bowl game. This year, they are at it again. They made New Mexico’s defense look like a Div-2 squad, putting up 606 yards and 56 points.
How about you man up and just say you got beat by a good program.
Your right Jim I don’t know much about Tulsa, but I was on the field and I do remember a jug of Gatorade being poured over your coach and your players jumping for joy. If those things don’t say – this was a huge game – then why not pour Gatorade over your coach every week?? And yes those are trick plays, “normal plays” don’t call for linemen aligned as a receiver. I will give you this, they do have a great offensive scheme and good skill players. Go Tulsa, I hope they can win the Conference USA title this year.
LOL at the claims of “bogus injuries.” Are you guys serious with that? I am glad that at least Quinn did not make mention of that crap. That is one of the lamest, if not THE lamest, excuses I’ve ever read.
Quinn, Tulsa did not run 15 trick plays in that game. They put a lineman out wide once. They may have run 5 trick plays. But for the most part, Tulsa’s offense is so incredible that many plays that other teams would describe as “trick plays” are in fact basic plays in Tulsa’s scheme. Obviously, you were so confused while attempting to stop it that you couldn’t tell the difference between a “normal” and “trick” play. All the big plays appeared to be “trick” plays because you just couldn’t believe how much better the Tulsa offense was in comparison to your defense. When Brennan Marion and Charles Clay completely left your defense in the dust on deep patters, that was just a matter of them being more athletic than you. No tricks involved, just better players, period.
As far as it being Tulsa’s “Super Bowl,” you are mistaken on this point Quinn. You try to use the Gatorade soaking as proof of your point, but you didn’t think of all the other factors that went into that. The victory was the new coaching staff’s first home victory. It was their first “real” game, as their 1st game of the year was on the road against Louisiana Monroe. So, although you think that you are were so awesome that a win against you called for a Gatorade shower, in fact there were other factors that played into it, i.e. a new coaching staff’s first home victory.
Jim,
Why don’t you do YOUR homework?
1. the year prior, BYU did beat Tulsa
2. Tulsa’s program is NOT BYUs, sorry to tell you
3. The week prior they mostly ran the ball, they NEVER called the offensive formation at the line and rarely passed. If you watched the game the week before, you would understand that BYU was “their superbowl”.
4. I think Gooch just wrote an ENTIRE article about how they got beat (with a BYU D prospective of the details and why). I don’t think you can argue that if BYU played better on D they would have won. What is so big about that?
5. Also they unleashed a whole new offensive set and plays for BYU, and didn’t hold out for Oklahoma.
6. Perhaps most of the coaches where different, but the AD, the players were the same and it doesn’t take a genius coach to know how to use the year prior as motivation (this is why I worried about UCLA so much this year).
7. Go back to the Ute board (if they even have one).
No wonder you got your tails handed to you. With that kind of unfounded arrogance I’d jump up and down too if I got a chance to put one of your players on the turf. I was at the game and you guys got hurt, punished and demoralized by a better team that night. Can’t you handle the truth? Obviously not!
Gooch,
Thanks for your thoughts on this game. How much of a factor was Tulsa’s speed? It seemed that they were getting behind us as the ball went over the top several times. I realise that we may have simply been out of position and thus appear to not have the speed to keep up with the Tulsa players.
Your thoughts?
Thank you for discussing one of your most dissappoing games.
I remember watching the game and hearing guys on the Tulsa side line say “watch Bronco” and I remember thinking that it seemed almost as if they were reading our defensive calls and calling their offense accordingly. How are the D plays called in and is this at all possible? I know that some teams on O have 50 guys on the sideline calling plays in so you never know what is the right one. Just a thought that I had.
Jim, or is it James? Anyway, BYU turned the ball over 4 times and still had a chance to win that game in their final drive. Nobody is telling you to stop wearing Tulsa gear or being a Tulsa fan, we are just explaining that it took a bunch of gimmick plays and 4 turnovers for your team to barely beat us. Enjoy your season, drink your Kool-Aid (personally I like Capri-Sun, but you do what you got to do), and don’t forgot to wear your helmet when you leave the house.
Wow–that really got a few Tulsa fans’ collective panties in a wad.
Tulsa has done very well offensively lately. Give them that. We split the last two games (we won a blowout in Provo, Tulsa won a nailbiter in Tulsa). But equivalent programs? How about finishing ranked just once before making that claim?
Hmm. Clayton and Jim want to imply playing BYU was no big deal for the ‘07 Tulsa coaching staff? Here’s a few quotes from head coach Todd Graham in his BYU pre-game press conference.
“Like I told you before, they [BYU] are one of the most under-ranked teams in the country. They’re a team that’s been 11-2 and won 11 of the last 12. I see them as a top 25 team in the country. This is a deal where our kids know exactly what they’re going into. This is to find out where you are. These guys have been playing against some big-time programs. They dominated Oregon in the bowl game last year. They’ve beaten some really quality teams. This is to measure where we’re at as a program, to play a team like this. This is a great measuring stick.”
Question: COULD THIS MAKE A NATIONAL STATEMENT WITH A WIN?
“No question. To go out and be successful against a BYU team would speak volumes of where we’re at.”
Question: LAST YEAR THE DEFENSE GAVE UP 49 POINTS. THEY DON’T WANT TO DWELL ON THAT, BUT WHERE THEY BRUISED A BIT BY THAT?
“They’re very upset about how that game went.”
“I do think that game left a sour taste in their mouth. I know Coach Patterson [DC in '07] has a sour taste in his mouth. We’re excited. This is our opportunity. We’ve got an opportunity and this is what you practice for.”
“To come back here and play BYU on national television for the second week in a row and have an opportunity to put our program on the map, this is what you play for and we’ll find out where we’re at.”
As far as the questions about faked injuries? Yeah, they were “lame”. Quinn wouldn’t have been involved because the charade was performed only by Tulsa’s defensive players. BYU was running a no-huddle offense and Tulsa used the ploy (pseudo-cramps, wind knocked out, twisted ankle, etc.) to disrupt BYU’s offensive momentum, rest defensive personnel and allow different defensive tactics without calling a timeout. Mostly, it was “lame” and pretty ridiculous when the “injured” player trotted onto the field 2-3 plays later. Tulsa must have felt it was useful, because they repeated the trick about 5-6 times.
To say, as Clayton did, that Tulsa’s trick plays had nothing to do with Tulsa’s offensive success is ludicrous. To propose that BYU’s defense was helpless because of Tulsa’s superior athletes is equally silly if you care to examine the data. If that were the case, BYU wouldn’t have held both Arizona and UCLA to under 240 yards total offense despite “superior athletes” such as Arizona’s Mike Thomas and UCLA’s Brandon Breazell.
Vs. Tulsa, if BYU had either played the steady defense they were capable of, or if the offense hadn’t given up 4 turnovers to Tulsa’s 1, BYU wins this game. Gooch was simply giving an inside view of why the former didn’t happen. If you don’t want the perspective, don’t look.
Tulsa, last year, played an inspired, emotional game vs. BYU. They created oportunities, exploited them, and overall outplayed BYU. Tulsa’s coaches did a good job of preparing them and are still doing so. Good luck to Tulsa the rest of 2008.
Well Cougarbandit, that just about summed it up… sad thing is the Tulsa fan will read two lines and then give up reading the rest cause the truth hurts… that game was far from “any other game” to them.
Some of those quotes were due to TU having a new coaching staff with a brand new offense and coordinator. They were just trying to establish their program. Everything was new and different and our players hadn’t adjusted to the offensive system yet. But for BYU to imply they would go on the road to a team that had played in a bowl game the year before and win “on form” is pretty revealing in an unfounded arrogant kind of way.
Rabid, it would have been arrogant for BYU to assume victory over Tulsa just by showing up. I don’t feel that’s what’s been described here. Gooch said:
“As the game began, I thought it was going to be a blow out. We stoned their offense the first couple posessions, and our offense was moving the ball effectively against their defense. I really did think it was going to be smooth sailing. I guess our over-confidence got to us.”
Granted, taken by themselves, the first and the last sentence could be taken to imply arrogance, but when viewed in the context of the rest of the paragraph, not so easily . BYU did start out very well. The defense forced a three and out, BYU drove for a touchdown, BYU’s defense forced another three and out, and followed up with a third down interception. At the start, things were apparently well in hand. It wasn’t pregame arrogance but the on-field events generating the confidence that Gooch is describing – the defense had a great start.
For my part, saying that BYU would have won by eliminating turnovers or playing at their usual defensive capabilities is not due to assumed superiority of BYU’s team over Tulsa’s. It’s based on my analysis of the potential difference in the outcome had either of those been true.
In the first case, BYU turnovers led to a) a TD int return b) killing a mid-field drive and setting up TU for a mid-field TD drive c) killing a 12-play drive at the TU 26 and d) killing BYU’s last chance drive at mid-field. TU’s one interception, OTOH, led to a missed BYU FG attempt. My estimation is that BYU’s turnovers definitely accounted for a 7 pt margin and probably, based on field position, led conservatively to a total scoring difference of -7 for BYU and +10 for TU, leading to a potential outcome of BYU 54, TU 45.
My confidence in BYU’s 2007 defensive capability relies on the fact that aside from the TU game, BYU allowed only two other TD plays of 10 yards or longer for the entire season. More particularly, after the TU game, they did not permit any scores or long gains from gadget plays, though several teams tried multiple times.
TU’s TD’s were from passes of 43, 17, 75, 18, and 37 yards, along with a 10 yard run and a 49 yard int return. You’ve got to admit that BYU’s defensive performance vs TU was unique. For BYU fans (and the BYU defense) it was shocking. The mystery on the BYU side wasn’t that TU could have won, especially on their home field, it was why the BYU defense fell apart, which looking at it objectively, it did.
TU had a very productive offense in 2007, enough to carry them through most of their games. BYU wouldn’t have stopped TU completely, but playing with their usual composure, it’s not unreasonable to think they would have kept 10 to 14 of TU’s points off the scoreboard. That’s all I’m saying.
Word, rap on CougB. Rap on!
You’ve got to wonder if the game would have played the same way if Tulsa had played Oklahoma prior to BYU.
Would film study of the ACTUAL Tulsa offense (not the watered-down version they played in their opening game) have better prepared BYU’s D, and led to better overall defensive play? Likely so.
Conversely, would Tulsa, opening up their O for the first time against OK instead of BYU, have scored more on OK than they actually did? It’s certainly possible.
The only way to really know would have been for the two teams to have met later on in the season. As it is, the only conclusive thing you can really say is that on that day, Tulsa’s O had BYU’s D beat. Simultaneously, BYU’s O had Tulsa’s D beat.
That is an interesting notion. It would of been interesting and helpful to have the OK film to study. We would of had a better gauge of Tulsa’s team speed. I remember from the film that we studied that the recievers had limited touches, so we paid more attention to other details. Big mistake.
I’d sure like to see BYU have the opportunity to play them again. We do pretty well in rubber matches–ask UCLA.
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