Deep Shades of Blue

After listening to the nightly news, I was discouraged to hear how much pressure the Cougars are feeling. With the increased pressure of having to win comes a giant bulls-eye and all the “negatives” that come along with being the team to beat.  Also with the #7 rankings comes the crucible of being the “BCS buster,” the Cinderella, the “It” team with the perfect record. I think they are starting to see that perfection is very possible, and the only ones that can screw it up are themselves.

History is filled with choke artists like the 1990 Buffalo Bills, Chris Webber and the fab five, and who could forget this past year’s Memphis Tigers? (All they needed to do was make some free throws. Come on, you saps!) (more…)

If you haven’t been paying attention to the last two years of college football, the talent gap is closing on the previously perceived lack of parity between “BCS” and “non-BCS” teams. The last two seasons (starting with BSU’s win over OU) proved that on any given week, any team can win.

One reason is that junior high and high school programs have progressed forward by leaps and bounds in the past 10 years, giving colleges a larger pool of players from which to choose. I am continually surprised by how high school programs have developed. No longer do we find exemplary facilities, coaches and teams only in Texas, California, and (more…)

Considering we have dominated the series, and the Beehive Boot has found a comfortable home in Provo, I’d say they loathe BYU about as much as a swift kick in the jewels. When the Aggies played in LES in 2006, I was on the receiving end of a few cheap shots, one of which was warranted due to my somewhat late hit on their quarterback. On the play after my penalty for the late hit, the Aggie tight end smashed me in the back way after the play was over. A few pleasantries were exchanged, and the refs moved the ball back. This resulted in them getting a field goal blocked. I laughed and laughed at that tight end, but you can’t blame him for trying to avenge his quarterback. I would have done the same thing.

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Our coaching staff needs to ride our guys the whole week. That’s the only way they’ll be earning their pay checks. They have to be extremely attentive to every detail of practice. We cannot afford to lose a day due to some relaxed attitudes. Whether the fans like it or not our team is still very young at key positions. Young players are good for two reasons: 1. They usually don’t recognize pressure and 2. They respond better to coaches that are demanding everyday, driving them to be successful.

I hope no one begins to read the media or listen to the radio because I don’t want any players recognizing the magnitude of this season. Let’s keep our team focused on winning every week and let the AP poll and coaches’ poll take care of themselves. As long as our (more…)

How common is the approach of lining up in a offensive formation and then looking over to the coach your coordinator to change the play?

I don’t think it is a very common occurrence. There are only a few offenses in the country that use these tactics when playing a game. It is used because the coordinator in the box is able to see what the defense is playing and can then talk to his assistant on the sideline, who will signal in a new play. It is elaborate, but it worked that night against the Cougs.  By the way, if you watched the TCU game, Oklahoma had a few offensive possessions where they employed similar tactics. They probably did it because of TCU’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme, which is also unconventional.

Did Tulsa fake some of those injuries?

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I think TCU has a serious shot to upset a powerful Oklahoma team. TCU will rely heavily on their defensive strength. The mighty Horned Frogs have done an exceptional job of limiting their opponents’ rushing yards. They are currently holding their opponents to 30.5 yards rushing and 183 total yards, which is tops among FBS teams.

The Frogs defense is extremely talented with an experienced secondary and a physical and athletic front seven. It will be interesting to see how they play against an opponent that will match up to them toe to toe. One thing that TCU has going against them is their offense isn’t a unit that will pound the ball between the tackles. TCU has always depended on their speed, out running teams to the edges and being able to turn the corner.

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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.

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With the mighty Trojans losing to the Oregon State Beavers, how will the top 25 rankings be affected? Well, the Cougars will be moving on up in the standings. It will most likely only be one spot, but when was the last time the Cougars have been in the top ten this early in the season?

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I was snooping around on the internet and came across the only fan blog for the Utah State Aggies and I found one of the single most inspiring quotes I have ever read.

After USU’s incredible victory of the Univeristy of Idaho, Brent Guy lets us know how he fired his boys up before the game.

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