Man what happened to the TCU defense that last drive and what was with the Frogs offensive coordinator not giving the ball to Aaron Brown. I understand that Dalton has been playing well in the last few games, but Brown could of ran you all the way to the BCS.

Alas, I am still somewhat thankful that the team from the North won only because it keeps BYU’s chances alive.

But how about the black clad MUSS storming the field after the win? There are going to be some splitting headaches tomorrow as students stumble into their basket weaving classes.

I digress….I was impressed with the way Utah has handled the close games. The Utes have probably the best kicker in the country, and they also continue to score when they need to in order to win. It was crazy to watch a team that hadn’t come close to scoring a TD all night drive down the field with determination and swagger to punch in the go ahead score.

BYU fans we can deny it all we won’t, but we have to admit that the Northern red headed stepchild team isn’t bad. Over rated…possibly, cocky definitely…..ripe for a blue beat down….without question. Utah fans are screaming that it will never happen three times in a row. They are holding their breaths, grasping onto the idea that their team is destine for the BCS. There is only one problem…fourth quarter, under a minute is when BYU has been playing their best football. If your shaking your head is disbelief, that’s OK you only have two more weeks to wait.

If you are looking for some recent history on the subject try and get a hold of Johnny Harline. He’s in the back left corner of your end zone, you shouldn’t miss him, he’ll be holding the ball under a pile of white jerseys. Oh yeah, you could also try and catch Austin. He’ll be running down the sideline at LES with his hand up, waving to help you find him. Dang you missed him to, better luck this year.

-John Beck approves this message-

I have been delaying this post for obvious reasons, but I have to be objective and give respect where respect is due. The team up north is playing good football. Their defense continues to shut down opponent’s running backs and secure good field position for their offense.

I am still not convinced that Brian Johnson is ready to shoulder the responsibility of an entire game. Instead the Ute’s running game continues to churn out great yardage, which gives BJ the comfortable position of playing second fiddle. He hasn’t stepped into the spot light and taken the offense into his hands. Even that last Air Force drive relied on Mack to make two big runs. Against TCU he will get his first major shot at being “the man”.

The Ute defense is good, but still gives up yardage in the passing game due to their aggressive style of play. It will be interesting to see how TCU attacks their pressure. I like two things about the Ute defense:

1. They play with attitude and are a little nasty -I like that in a defense.
2. Their defense adjusts well to what opponents are doing well. This is a compliment to both the Utah coaches and the Utah players.

It will be interesting to see how the red North handles this week off. Kyle Whittingham has been running around back east doing radio shows for ESPN. How will they prepare for an offense that ran up 70 points against SDSU? I don’t know, but I am glad we played UNM when we did.

To the MUSS:
Eat, drink and be merry because Nov. 22nd we are coming North and the records, statistics and streaks won’t mean one thing. That game will come down to whoever makes the last big play. I have already begun growing my finger-nails out.

September 22, 2008

Yes, I too, am keeping a close eye on the Utes as the season progresses.  To a true blue Cougar fan, all of these “other” games pale in comparison to the Utah game to be held in November.  Yeah…it’s nice to beat Wyoming, New Mexico and TCU.  Even the UCLA win was nice, but all of those wins won’t be the win everyone talks about for the next ten years.  Beating the Utes will be what everyone remembers and reminisces about.

So here is a little sampler, as we look forward to the Utes:

I have really enjoyed the way this season is shaping up, with three teams from the Mountain West in the top 25.  Utah is closing in the gap in the power ranks and TCU continues to show flashes of what made them a potential BCS buster over the past few seasons.  I have been very impressed with what the Utes have accomplished thus far this season.  They have survived the difficult segment of their road schedule undefeated and will now be expected to finish business at home so the match-up in November can be for both the conference championship and a BCS bowl.

In Saturday’s game, the Utes were put to the test by a very disciplined and capable Air Force team.  One thing about the cadets is because their junior varsity program they do a good job of developing their underclassmen.  So when seniors graduate and vacate a pivotal position, the next guy who has the same size, build and athleticism, steps into their place and assumes the vacant role.  They have a very well oiled machine in Colorado Springs.  Anyway, Air Force played very well and the Utes had some big mistakes.  Yet, they were able to produce a win despite themselves.

Brian Johnson has had some great games and memorable performances, but he has also shown a tendency to try and do too much, which makes him susceptible to fumbles and interceptions. He needs to get back to playing sound football.  When the play breaks down, Brian, take off running!  He has the athleticism and speed to make teams pay for dropping numerous players into coverage.  Take what the defense gives you, move the chains, and rely on your running game to open up the passing game for you.

I believe that as of right now the Utes have the two best backs in the conference.  Each back individually may not be the best back in the conference, but both of them in combination present a very formidable task in defending. In Saturday’s game both backs were over one-hundred yards and Mack was the difference maker Utah needed to march down the field with five minutes on the clock.  With Mack and Asiata combining for 217 yards, I would venture to say they will be running the ball more.

With the Utah receivers finding it hard to get open against the Falcons coverages, Brian Johnson was forced to take a few sacks.  This is good to hear for Cougar fans because the Falcons and the Cougars run a very, very similar defensive package.  The one thing that Utah does well: they have great misdirection plays and they execute those plays very well.  I can remember numerous times during my career against Utah where my head was spinning as I saw red jerseys flying by me.

  The Utes dominated the statistics of the game and yet the score was very tight.  It is always disheartening when you march up and down the field, only to send your defense back out to get the your team the ball again.  The mistakes the Utes made on Saturday are correctable.

The Utes defense looked very good.  They were very stout against a solid Falcon running attack and their defensive backs kept the Falcon receivers blanketed for most of the game.  Kruger continues to show that he is a force at his defensive end position.  He has a great burst off the line and shows the speed necessary to turn the corner on the offensive tackle and accelerate to the quarterback.

I have played in these types of games and it is always a relief to get off of the field with a win.  I am sure many Ute players went into the locker room and let out a sigh, followed by a “let’s not do that again.”  Among all of the negatives about the Ute performance there is one gleaming positive.  When the game came down to one 80 yard drive, the offense showed the moxie to drive the field and win the game.  Close games will always come down to one side of the ball having to make a play to win the game.  The past two years the Cougars have relied on their offense to win the games.  It will be interesting to see what side of the ball will be asked to win the game in November.  If I were a Ute I would hope it was my offense, but we’ll see.

If the game were played tomorrow, I would pick the Cougars to win big.  Let’s hope the Utes can withstand a Beaver defense and a Cowboy’s revenge to make it till November unscathed.  This could be a “perfect storm” type of a season for the Mountain West.  Man, I wish I was playing.

All the talk about the Mountain West being inferior can stop.  The past two weeks Mountain West teams were 5-0 against Pac-10 teams.  UNLV beat Arizona State in a thrilling overtime victory that stunned the Sun Devils on their home field.  UNLV’s win may have also saved Mike Sanford’s job, and breathed some life into a struggling program.  TCU rolled over Stanford to the tone of 31-14, positioning themselves just outside of the top 25.  If they win against Oklahoma, the Mountain West will have three ranked teams.  Right now, only the Big 12, Big 10-leven, and the SEC are the conferences with three or more teams in the top 25.  The mighty Pac-10 is tied with the Mountain West with two a piece.

What makes it so sweet is the fact that the Pac-10 brings all their own officials, BCS money, and overpaid coaches against our “little Mountain West” teams and gets worked.  Yeah, some of the games were close but the MWC got it done.  I don’t want to hear the excuses from the national media, especially Mark May and Kirk Herbie-boy.  I don’t want to hear anyone talk about the Pac-10 teams being young or that they “just had a bad night”.  I would like their coaches and players to man up and say, “Yes, our four and five star recruits looked like doodoo - We were out played, out coached, and quite honestly, out classed by our MWC opponents.”  If they would just say it, I’d be happy (5-0, with UCLA receiving their second worst beating in their illustrious football history).

This year’s Mountain West conference battle is shaping up to be great competition.  BYU has raised the bar in hopes of busting the BCS, yet other programs aren’t just sitting back waiting for the Cougars to trounce them.  I am hoping and praying it comes down to BYU and Utah for the Conference title/BCS berth game.  If the stars align and the Utes and Cougars make it through the season undefeated the game will go down as the best game in rivalry history.  I said it, and I am hoping it happens (try not to lose, Utah).

Did I mention that the Pac-10 was 0-5 against Mountain West teams these last two weeks?  I guess the Trojans are going to breeze through the regular season on their way to a National title apearance.  Who is going to beat them?  That whole conference is overrated.  I am predicting that Washington will win 5 games and who knows, maybe Tyrone won’t get canned.