September 13, 2008

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.