Recenty the BYU Cougars had their Football Media Day. It was a day spent in their new state of the art broadcasting center that will be used by BYUtv. From all accounts it is a very, very impressive center, rivaled only by the studios in Bristol, Connecticut. Also judging by the comments of Tom Holmoe and Bronco Mendenhall, the mere fact that they have such a nice broadcast center, means BYU is guaranteed to win a National Championship soon.
However the best quote to come out of BYU's media day wasn't made by Bronco Mendenhall, or Tom Holmoe. In fact it wasn't made by anyone related to BYU. Instead it came from Utah State Head Coach Gary Andersen, who when asked how he felt about BYU trying to stiff them by only wanting to do 2 for 1 contracts, responded by joking "Maybe Bronco and the Cougars are too afraid to make the drive through Logan Canyon".
Well fear not, because Red, Blue And Pigskin isn't afraid to make the trip, as today we will be doing just that, at least linguistically, as we'll talk about the Cougars down in Provo, and the Aggies up in Logan.
One of these two teams just so happen to have the best Running Back, and best Linebacker in the state, and it isn't really close. In fact these two players could make an argument for best two players in the state period. And it's not from the team you expect.
Supporting Arguments
Last week I mentioned that Utah's ascension to the Pac-12 makes them still the flag-bearer for Non-AQ's. At least for the next few years. For this reason, I mentioned that BYU fans, as well as fans of Boise State, and TCU would be wise to cheer for Utah success in their new conference. I also mentioned that Utah in the Pac-12 will have more of an effect than TCU in the Big East.
Apparently I wasn't the only one thinking the same thing.
The Tucson Citizen calls the Utes the
most important team in College Football during the upcoming season.
But Boise State cares. TCU also needs Utah to win. Interestingly enough, so does BYU. Any outsider program that wants its 12-0 record to be taken seriously needs the Utes to find big success in their new home.
On the other hand, the teams that have the most to gain if Utah fails are the members of the big six conferences, including the other 11 schools in the Pac-12. They don’t need an extra argument in favor of somebody from the Mountain West playing for a national championship. They don’t want two undefeated teams from Conference USA and the WAC claiming they both deserve BCS bowl bids in the same year.
And just in case, they aren't a prestigious enough publication, Sports Illustrated also
tackled the subject.
But it's also possible that perceptions around college football would be altered, bolstering a non-AQ team's shot at playing for the national championship while at the same time reinforcing Shurtleff's contention that the current system should be blown up because deserving teams are denied access. Which is why Boise State and yeah, even archrival BYU, should feel invested in the experiment. Right or not, the Utes' success or failure this season will reflect on those they've left behind.
Superhero Origin Story
Many Ute fans who watched Brian Blechen's play as a true freshman last year, started to think he was destined to become a super hero like Defensive Back, starting with his game clinching interception against Pitt in week 1.
Blechen is no longer a safety, but he now has his own superhero origin-like insect related incident.
During the first day of Fall Camp, Blechen had to leave practice early thanks to a bee flying into his mouth and
stinging him in the back of his throat. Not to be trifled with, Blechen ended up swallowing the bee.
History tells us what happens when mere bugs
intertwine themselves in the affairs of man. And in true fashion, Blechen didn't miss much time, as he was back out there the next day. So beware opposing offensive players who dare go across Blechen's middle, because there just might be some extra umph to those hits this season.
'Rise Up' In Excitement
Down south there seems to be a lot of excitement surrounding the team as fall camp starts. So much excitement, that Bronco's annual inspirational run up to the Y had to be cancelled, because there were too many fans in the parking lot, and lining up the path to the Y.
Fans are excited to see the revamped offense, now that Brandon Doman has taken over as Offensive Coordinator. Fans are excited to see an offense that sees Jake Heaps be the starting quarterback from day one, and not have to deal with a stupid quarterback rotation.
The excitement surrounding this team is at levels not seen since right before they began a "Quest".
All of the excitement seems to have made fans forget that this is a 7-6 team. Fans are excited over the way the team finished last year, and how the offense seemed to get rolling in the second half of the season last year, and culminated with a close loss to the Utes in the rivalry game, and a dismantling of UTEP in the Bowl game.
One point that seems to get skipped over, is that the schedule that corresponded with the second half turnaround last season included only two teams with winning records. BYU went 1-1 in those games, with both games having been tainted by a horribly wrong replay.
So what do we have in these Cougars? Will they be good? Honestly we really don't know.
One Cook, But Maybe Too Much Stew?
After the embarassment up in Logan last year, Cougar Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall
scape-goated fired Defensive Coordinator Jaime Hill, and took over the defense. Over the rest of the season the defense had a fire that was missing the first half of the year.
Mendenhall has decided to keep the Defensive Coordinator duties, along with his head coach duties. This is a very high-risk, high-reward move for the Cougars. Without a doubt, Mendenhall is the best defensive mind on the team, but I worry very much about Bronco being able to maintain correct focus on everything, while having to worry about the entire defense, as well as the head coach duties.
About That Defense
On the field, there are questions abounding in that defense. The secondary, which has never been BYU's strong point, is losing two of it's best players. Safety Andrew Rich, and CB Brian Logan are both gone. Of course, Logan's replacement will be an improvement as long as he's taller than 5'6". I don't care how good of a CB someone is, if they are only 5'6", as Logan was, there has to be a better option.
The Linebackers, may actually be the strength of this defense. Sophomore Kyle Van Oy is a beast. One of the idiocies of Jaime Hill's defense at the beginning of last year, was that Van Oy was not on the field. It's not a coincidence that once Bronco took over, Van Oy got on the field, and the Linebackers had more energy, more fire, and just made more of an impact. Van Oy will be an NFL linebacker soon.
Oft Injured Jordan Pendleton, says he's healthy and ready to go. Pendleton is a big hitter, which can also be an issue, as his big hits, have at times left himself injured. If Pendleton can stay healthy, he's a major defensive contributor.
The line has talent, but is a bit of a worry. Romney Fuga is coming back off of a cheap shot induced knee injury that caused him to miss most of last season, and will probably still be affected by the knee as he comes back. Brian Meuhlmann, and Eathyn Manumanaleuna will have to be the anchors of the defensive line.
Light Up The Scoreboard
To be honest, I'm not 100% sold on Quarterback Jake Heaps. Heaps showed great flashes last year. Heaps definitely played the best of the three people to take Quarterback snaps in last year's rivalry game. At the same time there was a lot of question marks that showed up.
Heaps is entering his sophomore season. Unlike last year, this is Jake Heaps' team. He won't have to worry about splitting reps with Riley Nelson, who is now going to be the third quarterback, which begs the question what the heck was Bronco doing last year? One huge benefit of this, is that the WR's don't have to keep adjusting to a different QB throwing the ball each drive.
That's good for BYU, because they are deep at WR. McKay Jacobsen was their best WR last year, and may end up being their third best WR this season. Chase Hoffman, and Ross Apo round out a WR corps that is not just a single threat, and will allow BYU to spread the field.
As far as the ground game, it will be a two man crew, with JJ DiLuigi being the primary back, and Josh Quezada being the secondary back. Quezada is the better of the two, but JJ DiLuigi is one of those players that nobody can quite figure out why he's as successful as he is.
There is a lot we don't know about this BYU team, and even if Jake Heaps goes through Sophomore Struggles, with the teams the Cougars will be playing this year, they will still be able to put points up on the score board.
The Stench In The Room
One of the reasons that BYU will be able to put points up on the board, and one reason why the fact that most of BYU's 2010 success came against a bunch of second rate teams is irrelevant, is that this year's schedule is even worse than last year's schedule.
Oh Sure BYU starts the season with names such as Utah, Ole Miss, Texas and Oregon State. That is until you realize the only one of those teams that had a winning record last year was Utah. It's true that you can't really predict how a team will change from year to year. For example, many don't expect there to be any way possible Texas doesn't improve dramatically. There's also a chance that Utah isn't quite as good in 2011 with a step up in competition. However Oregon State, and Ole Miss are teams that seeing them stay where they were last year wouldn't be a surprise. At the same time seeing either of those two teams beat BYU, wouldn't surprise me either. None of the 4 games above, are games that BYU can take for granted.
Most BYU fans I know hated last year's home schedule. Of their 6 games, only Utah, and UCF have been any good recently. After that comes Utah State, which one can actually talk themselves into, by remembering that they kicked BYU's teeth in last season. The rest makes last year schedule look like a buffet of prime rib, compared to the array of Turd Sandwiches they face. The rest of their home schedule is San Jose State, Idaho State, Idaho, and New Mexico State.
The Schedule, especially the 2nd half of the schedule is going to be a big road block to BYU being taken seriously this year, no matter what happens in the first 4 weeks.
Traveling Through The Canyon
Up in Logan, the leash is getting tighter. After consecutive 4-8 season, Gary Anderson must start showing results soon. Utah State no longer is accepting two money games per year. This year they only have the one at Auburn. With a WAC Conference that is ripe for being dominated starting in 2012, the time for the Aggies to make their move is now.
Anderson has now had 2 years of recruiting, to get his players in. Another 4-8 season, may not get Gary fired, but it will certainly be considered unsuccessful. Last season Gary helped the Aggies break through against BYU. Now the Aggies need to break through the next barrier and get to 6-6, and a bowl game.
Difference Making Players
It's not often that the Aggies have one player who can be considered
among the best at their position in the State of Utah. This season though, they have two players who are the best at their position.
In the preseason last year, Running Back Robert Turbin suffered a knee injury and was lost for the season. Most Ute fans remember Turbin as the guy who sprinted 98 yards for a Touchdown in 2009. After rehabbing for the offseason Turbin is back, and so far looks like he not only has he not lost a step, but seems to actually be a bit better. Needing to break in a new QB, the Aggies are going to lean heavily on Turbin for the offensive production.
Defensively, the Aggies are led by Senior LB Bobby Wagner. Wagner had 135 tackles last year, and starts this season on the watch lists for the Nagurski, Lombardi, and Butkus awards. An impressive feat for a player from the WAC.
Issues Standing In Their Way
Of course some major issues standing in the way of the Aggies breaking that 6 win barrier is the fact that they do have a new QB this year. Last season Borell was a play maker. This year the roster includes 3 freshmen and a Junior College transfer. In other words, the Aggies have no experience at the position, and can expect some major growing pains. Let's hope they paid attention to BYU last year, and decide on a single player, and don't attempt a committee appraoch.
The Path They Trod
The good news for the Aggies is that the schedule breaks for them, to actually be able and break through to a bowl game. Gone are multiple money games, Gone is Boise State.
Of course they still have one Money Game as they open the season at Auburn. Even though Auburn is now without the best quarterback that money could buy last year in college, I'm pretty comfortable saying this one is a loss for the Aggies.
Fresno State, Nevada, and Hawai'i don't bolt for the MWC until next year, and look to be the cream of the WAC crop this season. The Aggies also travel to Provo to face off against BYU. This is an embarassed BYU team, one that will be looking to get vengeance for last year.
The rest of the schedule includes Div. 1-AA and in-state foe Weber State. Home against a down Colorado State, and a home game against Wyoming. As well as conference clashes with the same type of Turd Sandwiches that also happen to be BYU's home schedule this year, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Idaho, and New Mexico State. A 4-3 conference record may not be a certain, but is a realistic possibility. The Aggies should also beat Weber State. That means that the Aggies need only win one against CSU, Wyoming, or BYU, or pull off an upset against the top 3 in the WAC to break the barrier. As long as the Aggies find their QB early in the season, they should be able to pull off one of those wins, and yes I'm looking at your Austin Carta-Samuels-less Wyoming.
Joining The Club
So it looks like the Aggies should be able to join the bowl eligible club this season. One club we know has been joined, is the big boy club. Next week I preview Utah's inaugural Pac-12 season, as well as a quick breakdown of the rest of the Conference.