This game was amazingly entertaining. It was filled with great plays from both sides of the ball. The Cougars performance was practically flawless. We couldn’t be stopped on offense and our defense produced turnovers, big hits and best of all kept a goose egg on the scoreboard. I think this game ranks among the best performances in BYU history. For me the best part of the game was the infectious energy of the crowd and the passionate display of athletic performances on the field.

How did I do?

• I was way off on UCLA’s defensive and offensive performances. I thought they would have been better prepared having two weeks of practice. Their play was positively absurd. Dropped balls, fumbles, penalties, and an overall inability to produce positive momentum.
• UCLA’s defense showed flashes of greatness in their Tennessee win and I thought some of the positive aspects of that game would be even better in this game. Their defense did play man to man and while they did bring pressure, they were continually disappointed by BYU’s ability to protect Max while our receivers exploited the one on one match-ups. Their normally capable corners looked like chumps. Austin, and Mike did a phenomenal job of creating space, and they also looked great catching the ball in tight spaces.
• I thought is was very important to start fast and the Cougars did. Not only did the offense start fast but our defense looked good out of the gate and carried their emotion and passion throughout the game.
• We put in a nickel package and Bradley the substitute. Scottie played the weak side linebacker and Brandon came in to replace Scottie at the boundary corner. This was a key adjustment, that helped neutralize UCLA’s short passing attack.
• Honestly I want to get to the breakdown. I gave UCLA way too much credit and I dwelt on our team’s weaknesses way to much. The simple fact is we dominated and UCLA looked like a pop warner team.

Offense

Running backs

• Harvey has 71 yards on 17 rushes while Fui had 34 yards on 9 attempts. In all honesty there isn’t much more to say about their performances. I love that Fui has taken it upon himself to clear the road for Harvey. I was pleased to see Coach Anae stick with the running game which set up incredible passing opportunities. Coach Anae has a tendency to throw, throw, and throw some more, so it was great to see our team run the ball too. With a game total of 184 yards on 45 attempts it is great to see BYU in the 50/50 range of runs to passes.
• My favorite part of the whole game was when Wayne Latu took the ball off tackle and into the end zone and then proceeded to try and give the UCLA’s corner a high five. The best part of the whole thing was that Wayne wasn’t doing it to be mean or taunt , but he is just a way nice guy that was probably just so excited to be in the end zone that he got mixed up. Wayne I am happy for you, but next time remember we are the team in DARK blue. It was priceless.

O-Line

• These guys played the game of their lives. UCLA had a very quick and athletic front seven that brought lots of pressure. Our Hogs strapped it on tight and took it to the Bruins all afternoon. Max had all the time he needed to find open receivers. He also had a beautiful pocket so he could step up and throw on time and accurate passes.
• While comparing our O-line to their D-line, I discovered for the first time that our guys are huge. Our line dwarfed their guys. The only UCLA player that was close in size was #93 and even he looked undersized in comparison.
• In the perfectly descriptive words of Mike Tyson, our lines protection’s were impregnable, our techniques were unstoppable, and our calls were perfecto. BYU’s line played extremely physical and was able to dominate the line of scrimmage. That domination lasted for the entire of the game – even when our back-ups were in. They truly played about as well as they could have, period.

QB

• Max solidified himself in BYU football history by being one of only three quarterbacks to throw for seven touchdown passes. He has established himself in the record book and I think records will continue to fall as long as he is healthy. He went 27 of 35 with 271 yards, 7 TD passes and 1 interception. Folks thats 77% completion percentage against a solid defensive secondary.
• He threw the ball with great accuracy and continued to find the open man, spreading the ball around to all his weapons. Last week UCLA put a ton of pressure on the Tennessee quarterback causing errant and untimely throws. Max stood strong in the pocket and found his receivers. When the pressure did come close, he found ways to buy extra time or tuck the ball for a few positive yards.
• Dare I say Heisman watch? A three and zero start with two wins over Pac-10 teams. Being the face of a top tear program with back to back 11-2 seasons. Keep it up Max, let the administrators deal with the press.

Tight ends

• Pitta and George both had fewer touches, but they did provide a few fireworks during the game.
• Dennis had a very productive day with 5 catches for 47 yards and 2 touchdowns. The best part of his touchdown catches were watching the Bruin safeties trying to put big hit on him. Pitta would absorb the hits while the defensive back flopped to the ground. Guys, Pitta is 250. You had better bring the kitchen sink and a defensive end if you would like to knock him down.
• Andrew had some solid catches and went air born like C. Lewis, helping the corners of UCLA understand that they were truly outmatched. Our tight ends are gooooooood!

Wide Receivers

• Austin Collie…….Good. Mike Reed……..Good.
• Austin had a great day with 110 yards on 10 catches and 2 touchdowns. He dominated the match up against Verner. I almost felt bad for the guy. He was matched up man to man so much that I got tired of watching him get beat. They could of at least given him some safety help, but then Max would of found Pitta or George all day….so with a sigh and a shoulder shrug Verner had to keep coming back for more. Bless his heart.
• Mike continued to put up solid numbers and is playing very consistent. He created space beautifully by driving the corner into a fast backpedal, sticking his foot in the ground positioning himself between the defender and the ball and then catching it while absorbing the corners hit.
• This tandem is developing into a very dynamic duo. (Dunnanana dunnanana Cougars) Can you think of a duo that would be better?

Over all offense

Good- Honestly everything They started fast kept the pressure on throughout the game and most of all they threw the knock out blow when they came out of the locker room. They controlled the time of possession (37:36 to 22:24) total yards (521 to 239) and the turnover margin (4 to 1). I it was one of the most dominating performances I have ever seen. The second quarter was unreal. Five touchdowns in 15:00, that is amazing efficiency. They did get help from the defense, but hand it to them for capitalizing on every turnover.

Ugly- UCLA’s defense????

Defense

Defensive Line

• They created havoc all day. They kept Craft in the pocket and uncomfortable, while still being physical at the point of attack.
• They limited UCLA to 9 yards rushing. Yeah you heard me right n-i-n-e yards. I think it’s safe to say they earned their Cougar sticker.
• I particularly enjoyed the performances of Ian Dulan and Jan Jorgenson, who were relentless in their pursuit of the ball. It was also awesome to see Putnum, who is a freshman, get an interception. He swatted the ball out of the air, and brought it down and wrapped his paws around the ball. He did although get a D- for his moves after the catch. He just tucked the ball away, and tried to run over Craft. Running over the quarterback is great when you don’t have the ball and green grass for days on both your right and left.
• It was good to see how physical they played throughout the game. They squeezed the gaps nicely and fought off blocks tenaciously. I was extremely proud of the way they bounced back from last week. Way to go Coach Kaufusi.

Linebackers

• In all honesty I didn’t watch this group as closely this game. Colby Clawson played well in his first start, and with the Bruins only rushing for 9 yards I think I am safe in saying that they played better then last week.
• Our middle backers played well sideline to sideline and the outside backers did a good job at containing the running backs.
• I did notice the way our backers were running to the ball. Their pursuit angles were spot on and they did a good job of forcing the backs to either bounce to the outside defenders or have to dive back inside to their ‘inside out’ help. This group also played more physically throughout the game, which is not their strongest attribute. Good job Coach Lamb and Tidwell.

Secondary

• These guys produced. Yeah they game up 230 yards, but who cares. UCLA had zero touchdown passes, and the Bruins were 2 for 10 on third down. If those were the only two stats I heard after the game I would have known that our secondary played well.
• The nickel package help our defense keep the Bruins short and intermediate passing game ineffective.
• Personally I think the player of the game was Scottie Johnson. He learned to play the weak side linebacker position in one week, and did a great job of being physical up the seam while not getting out leveraged when the ball went to the perimeter. Plus, he murdered a good running back on the sideline causing a huge fumble. This provided an emotional boost that carried throughout the duration of the second quarter.
• I was also encouraged by David Tafuna’s play. He had two big hits and was in on numerous other tackles. Kellen Fowler continues to play consistent and is developing into a sure tackler. It can only benefit our whole team that a few of the backups got into the game. Andrew Rich, G Pittman and Brandan Bradley all played significant minutes and most importantly didn’t give up any touchdowns while they were in the game.

Overall Defense

Good- This group showed that they were not the weak link. The out played the Bruins on every play. They blocked another field goal and caused 3 turnovers. I was very impressed with the passion and desire that this unit played with. Their play made the UCLA offense look sloppy and ineffective throughout the game. They were physical, (I think I saw 4 Bruins hobble off the field) they tackled well, and when the ball was on the ground they ended up on top of the ball. Lets give credit to the coaches for correcting the mistakes from last week and making sure that their players bounced back this Saturday.

I loved watching the defense play. Defense needs to be played with passion and effort, which will then result in big hits and turnovers. They got it done!!

Ugly- The way the UCLA defense quit after the first touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Special Teams

• Our punting improved with a 50.1 average on 2 punts.
• Sorenson’s kick-offs were great when the wind was at his back. The kick-off coverage was suspect at times. They allowed a few big returns, but I am not worried. The UCLA’s wedge was blown-up on every return, but after we smashed the wedge they missed the ball carrier.
• I hope Sorenson rests his leg this week cause he is getting a lot of work.
• Chambers’ continues to show promising flashes during kick-off return and I think they could bust a big one next week.

This might have been one of the biggest beat-downs I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Celebrate for a few minutes then put your game face back on because conference play is here now. Go Cougars.

September 11, 2008

I’m sorry this is off topic, but I had to bring it up.  How could you expect your team to be focused on a huge game when you have Snoop Dogg handing gatorade out on the sideline?  I guess the USC AD has 150-200 sideline passes for this weeks game in the Coliseum.  These passes will go to former players (OJ Simpson, please), administration, rappers, movie stars, and who knows who else.  Maybe Lauren from the Hills, just as long as Heidi isn’t there.  I’m not mad at USC, I am just saying I would rather have my players worrying about who they are playing on the field not who they are going to high five after a TD.

Who could we get on the BYU sideline?  Donny Osmond?  David Archuleta?  Larry Miller?

Here is the articles link from the Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-spw-uscsideline11-2008sep11,0,2090427.story

I would expect his offensive unit to spread the field out, and use their speed to their advantage.  Their line is average so I would expect Chow to give his young quarterback simple, quick throws or boot him out.  This would give him a chance to develop a rhythm and his offensive line won’t have to hold up too long.  Craft can throw the ball on a rope when he is running.  He does make some bad decisions, but by using short throws and working the sidelines, Chow can help his quarterback minimize mistakes.

With a young quarterback, a questionable line, and a feature back with an ankle injury, the offense does have some problems to overcome.  They also have an extra week to prepare, lets hope they didn’t study the Tulsa tape too closely.  I will get the tape tomorrow afternoon, and the scouting report will be up Friday.  Are there any crystal balls out there that you all are looking into?

“I’ve been waiting for this game since that field goal was blocked,” Carter said. “Tennessee, SEC, great game, but this game touches my soul. I was crying after we lost that game. That hurt bad. That is probably up there on my top two or three most painful moments of football.”

“I’m looking forward to this game. I want to dominate,” Carter said. “I don’t want to just win. I want to dominate. I want them to feel like I did after that bowl game, and the only way to do that is to beat them.”

There was also a small, but mostly true jab taken at the BYU’s players ages.

“This is a BYU team that is better than Tennessee,” Harwell said. “It’s a different (type of) game. This team is a different age. We’re playing a bunch of grown men.”

Ok, maybe it’s not the best bulletin board material but I can sense some serious animosity.  Thanks to one of my readers these quotes were found, so that all may enjoy the rivalry that’s brewing.  I can tell this game is going to be an epic battle, it could only be expected with two teams meeting each other 3 times in a little over a year.  Plus, the series is tied one to one and UCLA is coming into Lavell Edwards stadium as an underdog.  The Cougars have been handed the title of the BCS buster, and the Bruins would give everything to dash those hopes and move into the top 25.  There better by some extra stretchers lieing around cause I have a feeling some folks are not going to make it out with all their limbs attached.

2.  He wanted to participate in UCLA’s annual underwear run.  All they had at BYU was the Rex Lee run, and the race for the cure.

3.  He liked the dark blue helmets, with the gold stripe down the middle.  Plus, the stretched Y disgusted him.

4.  He Just knew that the woman he wanted to marry was in sunny California, not at a school where every LDS girl dreams of going.

5.  I guess Kehl wasn’t a very good roommate.

6.   His philosophy on throwing the ball differed from Coach Anae’s.  Coach Anae would of asked him to throw the ball 35-45 times a game, and no quarterback wants to do that.  He instead wanted to establish the run game, to slow the game down.

7.  He would be more likely to play in the NFL if he went to UCLA.  BYU just hasn’t had enough quarterbacks get drafted and have success in the NFL.  But, UCLA had Cade McNown.

I could go on for days, but there are more important thing to talk about.

The crowd also can have an effect on the game.  The noise generated from 64,000 screaming fans can confuse and distract and grants the home team a little emotional boost.  I have been on the field when the crowds energy was electric.  When you hear 64,000 fans are in your corner, willing you towards success it can elevate your performance.  I also loved the sound of the Cougars growl after a big play.

If you don’t believe in the emotional effects of playing at home.  Here are a few statistical facts.

Scoring margin at home:

• 2008______+24 points
• 2007______+17.33 points
• 2006______+35.16 points (BYU record)
• 2005______+6.8 points

All-time record at home:

• 264-126-6 (67.4%)

Stadium record since 1982 expansion:

• 122-39 (75.8%)

Coach Mendenhall made it his mission to become a dominate force at home.  He instituted the scrimmages in the stadium, making it clear to his players that when we come to our home stadium we play harder, faster, and more precise.  If we didn’t perform to his expectation, then we would return the next day to do it again.  He had Coach Lavell Edwards speak to us about the long history of dominate home wins and the Cougars storied winning tradition.  It has been Bronco’s mission since taking over to restore the programs traditions in excellence and home field dominace.

September 8, 2008

I just want to shed some light on the hiatus that Neuhisel took from the college game.  I have a good friend who played high school ball in Washington during slick Ricks coaching tenure there.  He was an outstanding defensive lineman that wound up choosing BYU over Washington.  He recently relayed to me a story about how his mom, to her wonder and amazement, would answer the phone and Ricky “callem at any hour” Neuhisal would be on the other end, guitar in hand playing the Husky fight song…singing like his life depended on it.  My friend would find these phone calls very strange and illegal considering they were not between the allotted recruiting dates.

I just thought that we needed to expose Ricky while the week was young.  I can imagine, slicker then grease Rick, is finding new and inventive ways to send text messages/ SMS messges to recruits around the Los Angeles area.  Then again, some booster from USC is probably padding the pockets of a few kids in the same area.  (aaahummm, Reggie Bush)  One thing I hope is that Neuheisal has completely changed.  With the type of pressure he is going to be under to win, those desires to pick up the old acoustic guitar and make a few calls will be stronger then ever.  This guy will have a my space page before next week, and I am sure his facebook page is up and running.  A zebra can’t change it’s stripes, and when guys start to feel pressure they sometimes revert to old tendencies.  Some guys you can just tell are lying.  How can we know he’s lying, you ask?  His mouth will be moving.

For more outrageous recruiting stunt info, I found this:

http://www.dailynews.com/ucla/ci_10407755

September 8, 2008

Complete statistical domination, yet the turnover margin cost us the game.  I think I saw a few shots of yours truly on that video.  One thing about the 07′ match-up and this 08′ match-up is that the high powered Cougar offense will again face off against a stingy D. Walker defense.  This game is huge for both teams so emotions will be running high.  We will really have to keep our composure throughout the game.  If there is one thing a Pac-10 team does well it is talk, and the Cougars can not afford stupid penalties that will stall quality scoring opportunities.   (The bowl game was a great game, and a huge win.  I wish this video was just better quality)

I know I have beat this saying to death, but UCLA made one more play then we did in 07′.  Then during the regular season our team perception and desire changed.  When the Vegas Bowl came around we were a different team and could not be denied.