Well here we are. This is the week that originally inspired me to start writing this series. This is the game that always has a little something special to it. It's always my favorite entry to write. I'm of course speaking of Rivalry week.
This is a special rivalry week because it's the last one we'll get until 2016. Which means it's the last time I'll get to write my favorite entry until 2016.
First things first though, there were games this past weekend, and have to do a quick recap before we move full on into the Rivalry Game To End All Rivalry Games (Until 2016).
Dammed By The Beavers
What happens when one team decides it doesn't need to show up for the first quarter of the game? It spends the next three quarters trying to climb out of a hole. That's essentially what happened to the Utes on Saturday. The Utes failed to show up for the first quarter of the game, being outscored 10-0, being out gained 172-12, and forcing the boo-birds to come out early at Rice-Eccles Stadium. What followed in quarters 2 through 4+ was an offensive outpouring by both teams.
The Utes eventually outgained the Beavers 539 yards to 491, but unfortunately wasn't able to overcome them where it matters most, as they dropped the game in overtime 51-48.
While the offensive output was great for the Utes, it's the defensive lapses that cause problems. And while one would be tempted to look at Mannion's 443 yards passing and 5 TD passes and come to the conclusion that the secondary was bad, they'd be mistaken. While the secondary play wasn't up to the level Utah has grown accustomed to, as years and years of having to constantly reload the secondary has finally taken it's toll, the reason the Beavers were able to have such a successful passing night, was because of the big uglies up front.
A great throw, will always, always beat great coverage. Especially for a great Quarterback. Sean Mannion is exactly that. Add in that Brandon Cooks is arguable the 2nd, or 3rd best WR the Utes will face all year (Marqise Lee being #1, and the the other one in the conversation coming up this week), and the secondary was always in for a fight. What they really needed, was for our front 7 to get pressure on Mannion and make him feel uncomfortable. Something they just weren't able to do all night. Give someone like Mannion time in the pocket, and you'll be left scrambling all night. That's just what he did, as more often than not, the Corners were in good position, the ball just ended up in better position.
The Blessings Of Youth
The Utes are in a Youth Movement, and at the top of that movement is Travis Wilson. It's easy to forget that last night was only his 8th start. All that being said, there were moments in the game he looked like a seasoned upperclassmen, and moments when he looked absolutely dreadful.
Those three hideous, costly interceptions in the second half, were a great case of Wilson's youth. He made poor reads, and mistakenly thought he could squeeze the ball by the defender. After all, it's a throw he'd have made without any problems in high school.
Last year, I was against putting Wilson in when the coaches decided to. I still think it was at least a week early. However, without that training last year, I'm not sure Wilson is able to lead the team the way he has so far this year. Without that experience last year, I don't think he is able to bounce back from all three interceptions, with three touchdown drives immediately after.
Saturday was, in my opinion, Wilson's most impressive game in his career. It wasn't the numbers. It wasn't the way he ran past Pac-12 defenders. It was the way he led the team. The Utes haven't had leadership like that from the QB position since 2008. If Wilson can finish getting it together between the ears, he has the capability of having a couple great seasons.
Lessons Learned
Last week, and essentially all year, I've mentioned how we really still didn't know a whole lot about this Ute team. Things began to clear up a little this week. There are still many questions to be answered, but we're starting to get a feel for the Utes.
First Lesson: This team has heart. This team may end up with a 5-7, or 4-8 record, but it's still going to be my favorite Ute team since 2008. Last year, this team would have easily folded when faced with the adversity in the first half, and even with the adversity of the three Wilson interceptions. Instead, they fought, fought again, and fought one last time, eventually tying the game up and forcing overtime.
Second Lesson: This isn't your father's Ute Secondary. While I'm not as down on the secondary as many after last Saturday, it's clear this secondary isn't what Ute fans are accustomed to. Of course this is a very, very young secondary, and defense altogether, but consider going into the season that Eric Rowe was the only member of the secondary to start a college game at their current position.
Third Lesson: Utah's turnover problem is big. No the Utes aren't giving the ball away willy-nilly, despite Travis Wilson's day. The problem for the Utes is they just aren't forcing turnovers. This has actually been a problem the last couple years. The Utes aren't able to force the turnovers and get off the field.
Fourth Lesson: Bubba's the best of the Poole. James "Bubba" Poole, has won the running back job, and he deserves it. He works great with Wilson, and he doesn't hesitate. Not only that but he's fast. Again he's young, so he's not the best at reading holes and blocks, but he could end up being a nice replacement now that the Wolfman is gone.
Jake Heaps Tracker
Jake Heaps still sucks. As was pointed out by Rhett, and noticeable in what little I actually watched of the Kansas Game, Heaps is still afraid of contact, as he panicked a couple times as it looked like he was about to take a sack. On the day, Heaps was pretty poor going 13/28 for 157 yards 1 TD and 2 Interceptions as the Jayhawks lost to Rice by a score of 23-14.
One Final Note, Then It's The Holy War
I'm calling my shot now. After close road calls the last 4 years in Auburn, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Provo, and Salt Lake City, the Aggies finally put it together on the road this week, and cause the chants to Fire Lane Kiffin get louder, and louder.
Sometimes You Must Lose Something, To Truly Appreciate It
Utah and BYU have played each other non stop since World War II. In a time where traditions, and rivalries are getting put aside, it's sad to see it go. And with the College Landscape being in such turmoil, it's hard to guarantee exactly what College Football will look like in 2016.
The Holy War really is one of the greatest rivalries in the nation. There are so many magical moments, on both sides of the rivalry, especially over the last 20 years. Some would argue that there is too much vitriol in the rivalry anymore, which there is a lot of it, but some would say it's only a minority, and that the majority of the rivalry is just right.
Either way it really will be missed over the next two years.
The reason I started writing Red, Blue And Pigskin was because I wanted an excuse to write this breakdown between the two teams prior to the 2009 meeting. Not sure about how it is to read, but it's always the entry I most enjoy writing. I will miss it the next two years. But why be concerned with the future. We can always burn that bridge when we get there, for now it's all about Holy War 2013.
Schedule
For the third straight year, the Utes lost the game prior to the Holy War on the last play of the game. The Utes have faced in-state opponents Utah State, and Weber State, as well as Pac-12 conference mate Oregon State, and enter 2-1.
Byu lost to Virginia, and then royally thumped then-ranked #15 Texas. While Texas then lost badly again this week to Ole Miss, for name, and name only Texas is enough to tip the scales BYU's favor.
Advantage:
BYU
Statistics
As usual the caveat: Stats don't lie, statisticians do.
Utah is 16th in the nation with 539 total yards per game, 27th nationally with 248.7 rushing yards per game, and 29th with 290.3 yards passing per game. They're also scoring a lot better than last two years, currently 9th with 49.3 points per game.
Defensively the Utes are 72nd in points allowed, with 28.0 per game. 62nd in passing yards per game, giving up 225.0 a clip. They are much better against the run, giving up 96.7 per game to be ranked 14th, and in Total defense the Utes are sitting at 62, giving up just shy of 400 yards per game (394.3).
After their first two games, BYU ranks 20th nationally with 520.5 yards per game, 2nd nationally with 368.5 yards per game, 102nd at 152 passing yards per game, and 65th overall in points at 28.0 per game.
Defensively the Cougars give up 334 total yards per game to be ranked 32nd. They allow teams to run for 120.5 yards per game, good enough to be 29th, and teams pass for 213.5 yards a game, ranking them 56. Opponents are able to get only 20 points per game, good enough for 39th nationally.
Because there's such a small sample size for both, and each team has had that one game that will really skew early sample results. It's a push.
Advantage:
Push
Quarterback
For Utah, the Utes actually enter the Holy War with something of a warm pulse at the Quarterback position. While Wilson is young, and is still liable for some youthful mistakes, his progress from his freshman year, to his sophomore year has been great. While Wilson showed ability with his arm last year, he's added a new wrinkle this year, with his proficiency in the zone/read option. He may not be Taysom Hill on the ground, but he's definitely forcing defenses to account for him both on the ground and through the air.
Meanwhile for the Cougars, I'm still waiting for anything from Taysom Hill to tell me he isn't simply a faster, smarter Riley Nelson. While Hill is a major threat on the ground, we've seen absolutely nothing from him in the passing game. Much like the last two years when Riley was under center, Taysom is too willing to just make a single read and take off with his legs, or simply throw up a prayer to Cody Hoffman.
Of course Hill is only starting his 4th game this week, but his inability to pass, and the fact that I give him more credit in the next section, makes this a huge red advantage.
Advantage:
Utah
Running Backs
After two games of giving York the try to win the staring job, it's clear the Utes have moved on from him, giving Bubba Poole the starting job. Bubba Poole has 208 yards on the season, having only been spot duty for the first two games. After Poole the Utes have Karl Williams, Lucky Radley, and still have York at their disposal. Travis Wilson has also shown effectiveness the last two weeks, gaining nearly 200 yards in each game, from the zone/read option play.
While I'm hesitant to believe that BYU is even half as effective of a running team as they showed against Texas, which by the way, half of what they did against Texas is still a really good running team, they still have the two best running threats in this game. Jamaal Williams nearly gained 1000 yards as a freshman, despite not starting until the 6th game of the year. Quarterback Taysom Hill may also be just as fast as Jamaal Williams. Neither player will juke themselves open much, they'll both definitely outrun a defense.
While BYU hasn't shown to be much of a threat through the air, as Texas learned, if a defense isn't assignment sound, Hill and Williams will rack up the yardage on the ground. BYU's running game is a Home run threat each time they touch it.
Advantage:
BYU
Wide Receivers
Here's an age old question for you to ponder: Quality or Quantity? That's what we get in the Wide Receiver matchup. Top to bottom the Utes have the better corps. Even without Kenneth Scott. Dres Anderson is the Junior leader of the corps, and is the speedster on the team. The one thing stopping Anderson from making the jump from good to great, is his proclivity to drop too many passes. Although there seems to have been some improvement in this area this season, he's still not a 100% reliable. While Anderson is the edge guy, the Utes like to have Anthony Denham be the big, tall threat in the middle. Sean Fitzgerald is another tall guy the Utes like to use as the third selection.
For the Cougars, the entire depth doesn't match up to the Utes. Skyler Ridley, and JD Falslev are the slot guys, and while both are wiry, and slippery, neither one will wow you with any of their abilities, and instead leave you wondering how in the world they can make a play. Ross Apo is now failing with his 3rd quarterback, and is starting to show that the common problem is him. Apo should be a more dominant force than he is, but just doesn't seem to want to work hard. Where the Cougars excel is with their #1 option. Cody Hoffman is a legit stud at the WR. Cody Hoffman may be the best WR to ever play at BYU. While other star WR's such as Austin Collie had decent passers throwing to him, Hoffman has had to play his career with a rotating crap factory at QB. Despite this, Hoffman's on pace to break Receiving records at BYU.
It's a tough choice, and one I'm not sure I can make right now.
Advantage:
Push
Tight Ends
Neither team uses their tight ends enough. The last two years Jake Murphy has absolutely enjoyed torching the team that didn't have a scholarship for him after his mission. He and Westlee Tonga are both big fast TE's that can get open in the middle of the field, and are difficult to bring down. Unfortunately the Utes haven't been using either one of them enough so far this year.
For the Cougars, a good Tight End might be just what the passing game could use, especially as part of the zone/read option game Byu runs. Last year Kaneakua Friel had a good start to the season, but disappeared as the season went on, and has continued to be non existent this year. Brett Thompson has been the TE used so far this season but he has only 3 receptions.
While both teams don't use the TE enough for their offenses, the fact that the Utes actually know who their TE's are gives them the advantage.
Advantage:
Utah
Offensive Line
The Utes offensive line hasn't been nearly as bad as they were to start 2012. They also haven't been as good as they should be so far this season. While they've done a decent job opening some holes for the running backs, in all three games the Offensive Line has been slow to start. True Sophomore Cedric Poutasi came in last season during the USC game, and help lend stability to what at that time had been a mess. The Utes offensive line has stability going for them, but should be better than they are.
As for Byu, I'm once again left to wonder just how much of the Texas game to take seriously. And if that improvement really is legit, why didn't those guys win the job to start the season against Virginia? Or is the Virginia performance more true to how this team will be?
While the Texas performance was impressive, there is just too much that still unclear about the BYU Offensive Line.
Advantage:
Utah
Defensive Line
So far throughout the season the Defensive Line has at times been an effective beast for Utah, and a great disappointment. Nate Orchard, and Trevor Reilly have been on an absolute tear through the first three weeks. Although he was relatively stifled last week Tenny Palepoi has lessened the loss of Star in the middle by causing havoc with pressure up the front. This year's line moves laterally much better than any line in recent Utah memory. While the Utes don't have the depth of year's past, they do have a lot of youngsters on the team providing valuable depth for the future, but there is a drop off after the 1's.
For BYU they have a mix of three things. The Steady Vet, The Promising Youngster, and The Big Hole. The Steady Vet is Eathyn Manumaleuna. He's doing what he does. Nothing flashy, but is a steady force on his side of the line. It should also be noted, that he sometimes has his best games against the Utes. The Promising Youngser would be Bronson Kafusi. Kafusi is a year or two away from being an absolute beast of a 3-4 defensive end. And now while he will still make the occasional play, through the first two weeks he still seems to be adjusting and has seemed lost at times. The Big Hole is whoever they have at Nose Tackle. Unfortunately for the Cougars it hasn't been good. Both Texas and Virginia would frequently find success running the ball when they would just go straight up the gut, and frequently it was achieved by blowing up the Nose Tackle position.
Neither side is really great, but the Utes are more Athletic, and the Cougars have more question marks.
Advantage:
Utah
Linebackers
The Utes are in better shape than they were last year with their Linebackers, as they don't seem to always be five steps behind and five steps slow, but they still aren't anything close to a strength of the defense. Jason Whittingham, and Jared Norris are the anchors. Trevor Reilly and Nate Orchard will occasionally drop out of their DLine position and act as a roving linebacker. LT Filiaga, VJ Fehoko, and Jacoby Hale are the rotation for middle linebacker. The dark horse at this position is Pita Taumoepenu, who is a late season addition to the team, but as a true freshman appears to be athletic, yet raw.
The Cougars they have this guy you may have heard of. Goes by the name of Kyle Van Oy. Van Oy will be the best player on the field during this game. He's improved from last year, and just continue to make play after play, and is someone the offense has to account for on every single play. In fact his best play of the year, is one he'll receive zero statistical credit for. With Texas on the two yard line looking to run the ball in for a score, Van Oy recognized the hole, and just threw his body in it. He wasn't trying to make a tackle, he was just plugging a hole. The running back changed direction and lost yards.
Van Oy isn't alone, as Spencer Hadley returns for his senior year, and they are joined by Alani Fua. Fua especially enjoys the fruits of Van Oy's labor, as he gets to make the plays caused by the offenses worrying about Van Oy.
Byu's Linebackers are a fast, gambling squad. They are the reason why you can't run side to side on the BYU defense, and why you can't have any long developing plays. Their pure athleticism makes up for all of the other flaws on the BYU defense.
This is a major, major mismatch.
Update: Spencer Hadley has been suspended by Bronco for a violation of team rules, so this category is now downgraded to a major mismatch.
Advantage:
BYU
Secondary
As mentioned earlier, the Utes have a young, and semi inexperience secondary. Eric Row returns as an anchor, but the rest of the positions are manned by players who entered the season having never played their position. As such, the Utes secondary is more susceptible this year, than they have been for almost a decade. As such, the Utah defense has had to revert to more zone this season than they have in year's past, although it looked like in the OSU game, that Sitake and Whittingham were more willing to leave them on an island.
BYU meanwhile has had major problems finding bodies at Cornerback. BYU's Cornerbacks have to line up 5-7 yards off of their WR's simply because they are outmatched. Senior Safety Daniel Sorenson can occasionally bail out his corner backs, but isn't something you'd want to rely on often. BYU's biggest area of concern is the secondary, but as I've noted before, it's nothing new to BYU. They always have a bad, slow secondary.
Advantage:
Utah
Special Teams
Reggie Dunn is gone, and the Utes haven't found his replacement yet. Although Delshawn McClellon showed some speed as the Kick Returner each of the last two weeks, and seems to be the choice as the main return man. Punter Tom Hackett is a good directional kicker, adept at pinning teams inside the 20. Place Kicker Andy Phillips entered the season having never kicked in a football game in his career, and so far has answered every bell, in every pressure situation. Phillips has yet to miss a kick. Even so, I'm still not sure he's 100% trusted by Ute fans who spent the last two years being burned by Coleman Peterson.
BYU Returns JD Falslev as their returner. Falslev always manages to make one or two returns a game that sets his team up in great field position. Justin Sorenson, who had a disastrous season last year in the place kicking duties, has seemed to be improved this year, but again I wonder how much he's trusted.
There's just not quite enough trust to go around, but the Utes barely squeak this one out.
Advantage:
Utah
Coaching
It seems every couple years Bronco and Kyle switch positions of which coach gets the most national recognition. Right now Bronco seems to be the popular guy due to his success on defense last year, and the dismantling of Texas. This is just more evidence that these two will always be linked while in their current gigs.
Bronco is 75-30 in his career, slightly better than Kyle's 73-33.
Kyle is now 5-3 in the rivalry Game
Postseason Bronco has won 6 of his 8 bowl games, Kyle has only lost 1 of his 8 attempts. (Kyle is recognized as co-Head Coach for the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.)
Big Game Criteria is now separated into two eras, pre and post Pac-12 (Pre Pac-12 covers 2010 and earlier). For both era's there are some similarities. Notre Dame, Ranked Teams, Rivalry Games, and Bowl games count. For the Pre Pac 12 era there are other situations that need to be taken into account. For 1 the rivalry both teams had with TCU, meaning TCU pre Pac-12 is considered a big game. Also due to the national significance of any non-AQ versus AQ win, all games against teams from an AQ conference were considered big games pre Pac-12. Post Pac-12 only ranked opponents from AQ conference count, as well as any team of extremely national significance such as (Alabama, USC, Florida, Texas, Michigan, Ohio State). With this criteria in mind Bronco is 17-23 in big games, while Kyle comes in at 21-16.
High point for Bronco is still 2006-2007 and 2 consecutive undefeated years in conference. 11 wins both seasons, and beating Oregon and UCLA in consecutive Vegas Bowl.
Kyle's high point also hasn't changed, but it's hard to top 13-0 and beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl to finished as the 2nd ranked team, and only undefeated team in the nation.
Low Point for Bronco is the ridiculous decision to go with, and stick with the two QB system in 2010, and then trying to distance himself from any responsibility for the decision. For Kyle it's hard to get lower than being shut out by UNLV in 2007.
Coaching Staffs have changed dramatically over the last couple years, as the Utes have brought in Dennis Erickson, to spur to life an offense that was dreadful each of the past two season, with success so far in the early season. Defensively, the Utes are still led by Kalani Sitake.
BYU meanwhile went back to the old girlfriend by bringing back Robert Anae, after having suffered through the Brandon Doman experiment the previous two season. Results of Anae's "Go Fast, Go Hard" have been mixed to drastically varying degrees through the first two weeks. It's also important to note that Anae was 3-3 during his previous stint with BYU against Utah. Bronco still is the mastermind of his fast, attacking defense.
As is typical, this game will come down to coaching, and while Byu had the great Texas win, I still don't think Bronco makes good in game adjustments, while Kyle has actually made great adjustments in two of his first three games to help the Utes overcome a slow start.
Advantage:
Utah
The Crowd
While I usually like to take shots at the BYU crowd, and most of them deserved, I think this may be the most hyped up crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium in a while when you factor in the game two years ago, this being the last Holy War before the hiatus, and the emotion from the Texas game, the fans will be amped up high. It'll be something the Utes will have to overcome, should they want to win the game.
Advantage:
Byu
X-Factors
There is a lot going on in this game. Obviously the Hiatus adds something new to the fire as neither team wants to lose the last game to be played until 2016. On top of that, the BYU Seniors are attempting to avoid being the first class swept in the rivalry since BYU's class of 2005. On top of that, a loss would also mean, it's the first Redshirt Sweep, and Missionary Sweep in the rivalry since Utah lost 9 straight between 1978 and 1987.
It's really really hard to win 3 games in a row, let alone 4 as Utah is attempting to pull off.
For BYU they've put a lot of eggs in this basket. Kyle Van Oy and Cody Hoffman both admitted that one of the reasons they came back for their senior seasons was that they didn't want to leave school having never won this game. Despite the score last year, each of the past two games haven't really been that close of a matchup, so BYU is really trying to exercise some demons this time around.
BYU enters the game coming off of a bye last week. While that has some advantages, such as extra time to scheme, and get players healthy, one has to wonder if it also didn't leave BYU with too much time to deal with the emotion of the Texas game, and the emotion of the upcoming rivalry game.
And let's not forget the revenge factor from the last time they played this game in Provo. I'm sure Arby's will be more careful about their promotions.
Turnovers have absolutely killed BYU the last two years, having given up 13 of them. However this year, the Utes haven't been able to force many turnovers so far. Will it change this week?
Something else to watch out for, will be the new targeting rules. It's not a stretch to say these two teams hit each other, and hit each other hard. BYU actually seems to hit the opponent harder in this game, than they do any other. Both teams, usually have one or two hits that are borderline, if not flat over the line, illegal hits during the game. This year those hits are more costly. The new rule states, if a player is deemed to be targeting, they get the usual 15 yard penalty, and are ejected from the game. If they are ejected in the first half of the game, they miss the rest of the game obviously, but if they are ejected during the second half of the game, they are suspended for the first half of the next game. So far, neither team has been subject to this ruling, but it wouldn't surprise me if it comes into effect. That may be one advantage of Blechen not playing for Utah, and Travis Uale having left a couple years ago. If they were both still playing, I'd almost guarantee the rule to get used.
Advantage:
BYU
When Utah Has The Ball
As weird as it is to say, I'm not sure this matchup is all that important to the outcome of the game. Both Utah's offense and BYU's defense will do their thing and make plays. For Utah, they need to attack the corners on the edges through the air, and when they try to run, it needs to be up the gut. What Utah will have to avoid is the passes to the running back in the flat. The Cougars defense excels at shutting down plays on the edge. What they'll want to do is try to identify where the pressure from the line backers is going to come from, and pass to the vacated area. Most importantly they need to not make Texas' mistakes, and be sure to take what the Cougar defense is going to give them. There will be room for the WR's to work, Utah just has to be willing to take, and not try to force the issue, as Erickson has sometimes seemed to want to do this year.
When it comes to the running games, quick misdirection plays will work fine, as long as they are not of the draw variety. To beat the BYU defense, you must attack the BYU defense, and especially up the middle.
For BYU's defense, the key will be for that front 7 to get pressure and not allow the WR's to work against the BYU secondary. If they can pressure Wilson, and force him to scramble, and not make his reads, he has been apt to make bad passes, that can cause the offense to stall.
When BYU Has The Ball
This is the matchup of the game. The game will be won and lost on how well Utah can maintain the BYU running attack. From a defensive scheme standpoint, the Utes will need to play assignment football, as well as bring the safety up to stack the box with at least 8 defenders on almost every play. Dare Taysom to beat you throwing the ball, you just can't let them beat you on the ground.
Jamaal Williams, and Taysom Hill will both have positive running plays. The key will be, much like when playing a triple option attack like Air Force, to brush off that play and go back to gap control, and assignments on the next play. Option teams really succeed when a defender gets greedy. Utah's defense will need to play under control.
From a passing stand point, the Utes will probably want to just man up the wide receivers, so that they can focus more on the running attack. On the obvious passing downs, they'll probably roll a safety to help out Hoffman. Where the corners for Utah will have to be smart, is not peaking into the backfield when Taysom looks like he's going to run the ball. Let the line backers and the defensive line take care of Taysom.
Essentially the Utes will want to stack up the front, stop Taysom and Jamaal, and take their chances with the passing game, unless/until Taysom shows them that the passing game is something to fear. Although, an interesting rivalry tidbit for you: the last time BYU beat Utah by more than one score, it was with a similar offense. In 1996 they ran for 366 yards, passed for 70, and won 37-17.
Final Thoughts
This is probably the most evenly matched up Rivalry game in a while. Each of the past few years, one team or another has had a glaring advantage in multiple spots. This year it's quite a bit of strength on strength (Utah's run defense versus BYU's running attack), and weakness on weakness.
Add into that the magic that always seems to surround the Holy War, and we could be in for a heck of a fight on Saturday. Plus there's almost a sense that BYU might be "due", though of course I still think It's Utah's game to win.
Enjoy it, because it's gone for a while after that. Who knows, maybe absence will make the heart grow fonder. Those fans on both sides, who think their team doesn't need the other, might realize how much they miss the game. Then again, there is always the chance the latter happens, and it's just not missed that much during '14 and '15, and comes back even more bastardized than moving it to early in the season has already done.
All I know, is I will miss it. I love this game. Even if I absolutely loathe the game for the 210 minutes or so it's happening.
Bucket List Item Being Crossed Off
No matter who wins, there isn't going to be much of a recap next week, if there's anything. I'm leaving early Monday Morning to go to St. Louis for my first ever NFL game, as I'll be in attendance during next Thursday St. Louis Rams game against the San Francisco 49ers. Therefore, I seriously doubt I'll have time to get much of my thoughts up before I leave, and won't have time to do it while I'm gone. That also means, there might not be much of a preview of the following weeks games when Utah takes on UCLA during the annual
marketing gimmick blackout game, or when Byu takes on cream puff Middle Tennessee.