UNM Post Game wrap-up
I would like to first echo one of the comments posted after the game yesterday.
Petey said:
“I’m just happy that the program has reached the point where people complain about only winning by 18! lol”
The game was cold and quick, honestly why would you complain? I left the stadium knowing that BYU is going to be alright. Whether we win by 50 or 1 we still have a team that builds off of each other’s success and continues to take their opponent’s best punch, smiles, and punch them right back between the eyes even harder.
The Offense
I have to admit I shook my head a few time during the game, asking myself why isn’t this going better? When in all actuality the offense got the job done. Statistically, the Cougars were amazing, 382 total yards (265 passing & 117 rushing), 21 points, and most importantly ZERO turnovers. That is not a bad day for any offense, especially when you take into consideration that we ran 11 fewer plays than the Lobos. That actually equates to one and a half or two less drives than the Lobos. Our offense also had the ball for less time, don’t let the ESPN recap fool you, the Lobos had the ball most of the first half and were able to run the clock down and force our offense to produce points with fewer touches.
Offensive line
The BYU line did a fabulous job of picking up the various blitzes and pressures that were thrown at them. They gave Max a great pocket and plenty of time to let routes develop down field. I can only remember a couple of times where Max had someone in his face pressuring him.
I also noticed Ray Feinga and Travis Bright looking like H1’s as they pulled around the corner to lead Harvey up field. On one specific play Harvey had a nine yard gain with Ray leading him eight yards of the way. This group consistently picks up the blitz, plows through defenders creating running lanes, and most importantly gets better as the game progresses. My hat goes off to this bunch.
Running Backs
Harvey carried the load this week with 22 rushes and 95 yards. I saw a different aspect of Harvey’s game that is sometimes overlooked because of his size and strength. He has tremendous vision. I noticed him using the defenders’ momentum against them as he cut back and forth, weaving his way past first down markers.
Receivers
It was good to see Mike Reed back in the lineup after being out with a small injury. His first catch for 16 yards was a welcomed sight.
Austin continues to put up huge numbers, 9 catches for 162 yards and one TD. WOW!! I am just amazed that teams haven’t tried to do more to take him away, or maybe they are, and I’m just not seeing it. If I were a defensive coach, I would start working on a way to get whoever is guarding him some help. Mental, physical, emotional, something because the only help the corners guarding Austin have received so far is from the water girls handing them Gatorade and towels on the sideline asking them if he’s faster with his blue cold weather tights on.
Quarterback
Max had a very productive game. His is stats were good and he didn’t throw any interceptions. What I thought he did the best was make checks and changes at the line of scrimmage. Numerous times he audibled and changed something at the line and every time it worked. That is a sign of confidence and maturity. He has confidence that he is understands the defense and how he can better exploit their weaknesses and maturity because he has spent the time needed to grasp those concepts.
Some of his best plays on Saturday occurred because he was able to stay patient in the pocket and allow his receivers to get open down field. He also hit those receivers in stride which helped them gain yards after the catch.
What can be improved:
Stop getting drive killing penalties. We still found a way to kill two potential scoring drives with errant penalties. This is one of the reasons why the Lobo defense had success. We found ways to bail their defense out of bad situations allowing them to recover, bring pressure and disrupt our conversion process.
We need more third down conversions. There were several we weren’t successful on first down, which forced us into long second and third downs. Our struggle was made worse by a Lobo defense that did a great job on third down.
Receivers need to create more space for Max to throw the ball. On Saturday the Lobo defenders got their hands on numerous balls. This happpened because they played well but also because the receivers didn’t do a good enough job of creating space between themselves and the defender.
Defense
They only gave up 3 points on 71 plays. That should be commended! They also created two turnovers and only gave up 130 yards rushing on 50 attempts that’s 2.6 yards a carry. Also, the only drive they gave up points lasted 12 plays and took 5:36. No offense can use that much time, run that many plays, only get 3 points and expect to win. BYU’s young defense stood in there against a very physical New Mexico offense and did their part in securing the win for the guys in blue.
Defensive Linemen
I thought our line played good enough for us to win. They disrupted blocking schemes and clogged up the middle which kept #21 from being able to hit holes running hard down hill. Jan also made one of the biggest plays of the day when he recovered a fumble that prevented the Lobos from draining more time off the clock. Jan’s recovery also gave our team their first emotional boost in the second half.
Linebackers
They did a great job of not letting Ferguson get out into the open. They did a better job of playing downhill, forcing the offensive linemen to engage a defender sooner. This reduces the space between the linemen and running back and doesn’t allow the running back to gain momentum through the hole. Basically we watched 45 scrums, which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just not as exciting to talk about the day after.
Oh yeah, do you remember that pile up on second and 5? It brought up a third and 4 and on third and 4 do you remember how big that pile was? Man that was awesome! Was it exciting? – No, but was it exactly what they were supposed to do? – yes.
Defensive Backs
For the most part they played very consistent. They didn’t give up any passing touchdowns and they created an interception. They also did a good job of cleaning up the mess when Ferguson was able to squirt throw the line of scrimmage.
They tackled better than last week and did a great job of keeping everything in front of them.
Their day wasn’t that eventful. They weren’t tested down field at all and they only had to defend a limited amount of passes. This is a game where I would have finished and said, “What did I do all game?”
What can be improved:
The defensive backs had some mental breakdowns against 4 verticals. They didn’t do a great job of altering the receivers routes or exchanging guys as they ran through zones.
Our outside linebackers need to work on getting to their flat responsibilities in specific coverages making the quarterback have to throw to his second or third option.
We need to work on our option responsibilities. New Mexico was able to move the ball in large chunks when they ran both the speed option and ride option. Specifically we need to play the quarterback better. This means our inside linebackers aren’t scrapping hard enough or they where over-pursuing and leaving cut back lanes open and unmanned. Option assignments will be crucial against a TCU team with two quarterbacks that run the ball well.
Special Teams
We won the field position battle with Santiago punting a 43.2 average. We also blocked a punt and almost broke a huge kick-off return. I guess the many periods of practice time are paying off.
I especially hope everyone noticed the punt return team flinging their bodies over the personal protectors with no regard for life or limb. It takes a special person to run ten yards and attempt to jump over an offensive or defensive linemen’s head whose sole purpose on the field is to put his helmet into your stomach and throw you to the ground.
Blue #48, Micheal Alisa, Fr. LB, I salute you and hope your neck is OK after landing on it numerous times on Saturday.
Let’s extend that winning streak to 17 on Thursday.
It is pretty sad when we complain after winning. New Mexico was right with our receivers all night. I think they realized they weren’t going to get to Max, and really focused on the receivers.
The play calling was a little odd, and I found myself frustrated that two possessions in a row the receiver ran underneath the sticks on 3rd down. I know our team usually has a lot of success with yards after the catch, but it was still hard to understand the reasoning.
The defense would do great on first and second down, but New Mexico would just stand on the sideline at the first down marker and pick up first downs over and over again. Why were we playing so far off that receiver? Who’s number 5, I can’t remember, but I watched him have to run 4 yards to the receiver every time.
I’m glad we won, don’t get me wrong, I guess when you’ve seen how good we can be, it’s hard not to want that success every time. We as fans also feel we have to prove ourselves all the time because we’re not bcs.
Quinn,
You have explained in the past that the reason the CBs line up so far off (10-12 yards) the receiver is they are playing zone. But it happened on every play vs. NM. Then as the play began, the DB backpedaled further. The receiver went to the first down marker, turned around to catch the pass, and the DB then had 10 yards to make up. Not only did NM get easy first downs, many times the DB was coming up so fast that he was easily juked and missed the tackle completely. This happened over and over again. I know that the coaches don’t want to give up the big play, but it’s not like NM had a great QB. It’s to the point of being ridiculous!
As a fan it’s frustrating to see BYU give up easy conversions on hitch routes on a few third and long because BYU plays so far off the line, but I can’t argue with the results: 3 points.
It seems to me BYU knew that UNM didn’t have the constancy to execute all the way the field, and even if that means giving up a few first downs, they keep the points off the board.
I would love for the D to press and go for the pick every time, but if you’re that aggressive on D, i guess you risk the big play.
The part you said about UNM having its best success running option plays and that TCU runs the option well makes me nervous about Thursday, especially thinking back to Locker’s success against BYU.
However, I’m optimistic that the BYU coaches are putting together a great game plan.
Not to be negative, but is Brandon Howard as weak as he appears to be to the uninformed. He lines up 12 yards away from the receiver, immediately backpedals, and NEVER can make a tackle. What gives here? is this part of zone defense? The sideline patterns were open the whole day. Why do the corners line up so far away from the receivers?
On the KSL post game they discussed in detail the rational for the defensive backs lining up so far from the receivers.The idea is to keep everything in front, never giving up anything deep. Sure, New Mexico can convert several, but when they’ve got at least 80 yards to go for a score can they convert enough of them to keep the momentum going? The answer in this game was “no” and it’s been the same in several others as well.
Yes, it frustrates us. But it has been working. It is the same rational that had us punting rather than going for it on 4th and short. You want to always give the opponent a long field.
It’s a conservative philosophy but with the nation’s longest win streak, how can you argue with the result?
[...] is to engage the O-line and let the linebackers fill the gaps and make the stops? (see Quinn Gooch http://deepshadesofblue.com/unm-post-game-wrap-up/#more-1591 ). They also made some big plays in the game, and ultimately only gave up 3 points. Again, D-line, [...]
From the perspective of doing what was needed to win the game, I thougt Bronco Mendenhall’s postgame comments were insightful.
“* Happy with your defensive effort?
“The No. 1 objective we have is to control the points. And so there were times when we were a little more patient than we needed to be, or, that I would have liked to be. Yet, I didn’t want to have a chance to give up a double move, or a play action [pass] or a gadget play, something like that, at the risk of not giving our offense the ball enough, through time of possession, to win the football game.
That was the interplay going on. As it worked out, it was, I think, managed appropriately. And, there will be many that look at the score and wish it would have been more or less. I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It was exactly what I think we needed to do to win this football game, which is our objective.”
* Is is difficult to be patient in those situations?
“Very, it takes every defensive coach telling me to be patient, all through the game, for that to happen. I like the type of game that this was, though. It was physical football. And both teams played with a lot of heart. And that to me is kind of [football] in the purest sense. It doesn’t surprise me at all, because that is what the Lobos are about. But yes, it is difficult to be patient.”
Bronco Mendenhall called the defensive plays against his natural aggressive inclination, to manage points – not to “win” the time of possession statistic, or the 3rd down conversion statistic, or to get easy field position at the risk of giving up big plays by UNMs offense. He balanced BYU’s offensive effectiveness with a defensive strategy calculated to maximize the probability of BYU winning the game.
He did it very well.
The defensive players stayed within their roles also. They weren’t perfect, but the system and the strategy helps account for that.
As a result, BYU outperformed UNM in a critical stat by a factor of 7 to 1. It is the one stat which most contributes to success. Scoreboard, it’s a beautiful thing!
Quinn-
I received permission from Duane Busby to organize a group of fans (open to the public) to meet the team when they arrive at Provo airport at about 2:15 am on Friday. I could use your help to get the word out. Please call me at
Thanks,
Walt Hanssen (the guy that served McConnell’s ice cream to the team last August 12)
I’m not used to these blue-goggled blog posts from you Quinn. The team had a good win on Saturday, true, but the positions you highlighted above did not play well. It was not a good game, for the offense or for the defense.
I guess I was just expecting more of a real summary and reaction, not a PR write-up.
Mars, you want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!
The offense and the defense (and special teams) accomplished their #2 objective, winning the game. By Quest for Perfection standards, they didn’t achieve their #1 objective of individually giving their best performance on each play.
I saw some mistakes. I’m sure there were a lot I didn’t notice. But mostly, their “sin”, if you’ll admit it, was not looking exciting or dominant enough. They played a tough team that didn’t quit. Rocky Long made sure of that. He employed new defensive tactics designed to limit big plays by BYU that I doubt he has ever used before.
For the most part, though, BYU did the job that they were asked to do by the coaches. They matched or exceeded UNM’s intensity. They stayed focused, and played disciplined football. They dominated on the scoreboard.
You expect Quinn to be caustic because you’re feeling critical? Relax, dude.. breathe in, breathe out, you’ll feel better.
Leave your response!
Categories
Good Info.
Archives
Meta
Tags
Most Commented