SB Nation - Vic So'oto

Preview: Utah State vs. BYU

sroufe — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:15:22 -0000

Utah State Aggies (1-2) @ BYU Cougars (3-1)
LaVell Edwards Stadium - Provo, Utah
7:00 PM MST, October 2, 2009
TV - The Mtn.
Radio - 102.7 FM; 1160 AM (KSL)

Injury Report

Utah State: Out - OL Ty Rogers (leg), DE Darby Golden (back); Questionable - WR Matt Austin (foot)

Notes - Rogers is a junior that started for the Aggies against Utah and Texas A&M before breaking his leg. Golden started ten games last season but is out indefinitely. Golden is being replaced by junior Devin Johnson. Austin is a highly regarded JUCO transfer from southern California but has yet to play this season due to an injury suffered this past summer.

BYU: Out - DT Russell Tialavea (knee); DE Vic So'oto (finger)

Notes - So'oto broke his finger against FSU and played with a cast against the Rams last weekend. He has since had surgery but is expected to return next week against the Rebels in Las Vegas.

Overview

The Cougars are a 24-point favorite in this game. Last season, in Logan, BYU won 34-14 but played a less than stellar second half. Looking back, it wasn't a particularly good omen for the rest of the season. And while both schools appear to have improved upon 2008, the end results aren't expected to differ too much.

Obviously the biggest difference for the Aggies this season is first-year head coach Gary Anderson. Still, Utah State has been giving up a lot of points early this season. They'll hope to create some turnovers and out-score the Cougars. QB Diondre Borel is a terrific athlete that poses another mobile threat to the Cougar defense. RB Robert Turbin has been very good this season as well. He ran for 148 yards against the Utes last month - on just 13 carries. The sophomore is also a receiving threat as he caught four passes for 116 yards against SUU last week. USU's best WR, Stanley Morrison, is only 5'9". You can bet Brian Logan is pretty thrilled about that after the last couple of weeks.

Mendenhall said Wednesday night that USU is expecting an offensive breakout game very soon. USU returns nine starters on offense and the Aggies' offensive coordinator, Dave Baldwin, runs a spread option attack with these weapons. Baldwin was an offensive coordinator at New Mexico and Michigan State previously.

Defensively the Aggies aren't as sharp. BYU should put up big numbers tonight at home. Cade Cooper and the SUU Thunderbirds put up 34 on Utah State last week. USU returns six starters on defense. However, none of those are two time All-WAC LB Jake Hutton. Injuries have prevented Hutton from playing this season after leading USU in tackles in 2007 and 2008. Possibly the best Aggie on defense, that you should be aware of, is senior Paul Igboeli. Igboeli was also All-WAC last season and recorded 78 tackles last year - six for losses.

In summary, USU's offense should be as effective as Colorado State's last weekend, if not more so. However, the Aggies' defense is not as strong as the Rams. Still, Utah State put up a strong fight in College Station two weeks ago and played well against BYU in the second half last season. Barring catastrophic turnovers however, the Cougars should surpass last week's offensive total. Look for Max Hall to be largely error-free in this game and for Riley Nelson to see some significant second half action. I'm calling it BYU 49, Utah State 27.

Game Preview: BYU Defense

sroufe — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:21:27 -0000

View full size photo »

BYU’s offense matching up against the Sooner defense has already been discussed at length, whether it be over at Crimson and Cream Machine, or elsewhere. Maybe it's because Oklahoma's offense is considered (arguably) to be the best in the nation and BYU's defense (arguably) among the worst - but with the Gresham injury the Cougars without a doubt caught a break. Of course, while replacing an All-American isn't easily, Bob Stoops' program should be expected to fill in for Gresham nicely. For starters, Brody Eldridge could fill Greshams' spot and is an outstanding blocker (OU Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson called Eldridge the Sooner's "most consistent" offensive lineman - which includes standout LT Trent Williams). However, expect Gresham to be replaced by sophomore James Hanna or walk-on TE Trent Ratterree. The question remains then, what (else) has to happen for the BYU defense to keep the Sooner offense from exploding?

Mendenhall told Greg Wrubell this week that two coaching relationships aided in the preparation for Saturday's contest: 1 - Gary Patterson; and 2 - Urban Meyer. In their 2005 season opener, Patterson's TCU upset Oklahoma - in Norman. Last season the Frogs lost to OU in Norman, but held the Sooners to 35 points without forcing any turnovers. Obviously, Meyer's Gators were able to beat OU in last season's National Championship. Florida picked off Bradford twice and stuffed the Sooners at the goal-line on two separate possessions (once on a 4th and goal from the 1, the other with Bradford being intercepted at the 3 yard line).

Friends, that's some fine networking skills. Under Mendenhall the Cougars have traditionally run a 3-4, whereas the Gators normally run a 4-3 (sometimes using a nickel back however). Patterson's team in Ft. Worth has run an extremely successful 4-2-5. Still, don't expect Mendenhall and Hill to change their system. They may throw some tricky formations at the Sooners a bit, but BYU's 1) seemingly lack of depth on the defensive line and 2) lack of experience at linebacker will prohibit some of this. Certainly, Bronco and his staff have been able to take some things from Meyer, Patterson and some other recent OU game tape that they can use to their advantage. Because of the game being first on the schedule - and such a marquee contest for the Cougars - the BYU staff is assumingly well prepared in terms of defensive stratagems.

Here's the projected defensive depth chart for Saturday's game:

LE: Brett Denney, Matt Putnam
NT: Russell Tialavea, Romney Fuga, Tevita Hola
RE: Jan Jorgensen, Vic So'oto

Jorgensen is BYU’s most notable defensive player and the only Preseason All-MWC selection. He has lost some weight in an effort to improve his agility and subsequently increase his sack totals in 2009. He will be solid. Denney and Tialavea are also veterans though without the stats or name recognition of Jorgensen. Both are good in terms of the MWC, but neither would be even close to starting for the Sooners. Depending on which side Denney and Jorgensen match-up, one of them will be going against Trent Williams – and that will be a very tough task. Tialavea will likely go head-to-head with Eldridge. It will be interesting to see So’oto’s transformation from TE to LB and finally to DE. He has the athleticism to perform well, but I’m not counting on him to come up big against the Sooners. Putnam is a real stud and should see plenty of action against OU.

SLB: Jordan Pendleton, Grant Nelson
MLB: Matt Bauman, Brandon Ogletree
BLB: Shawn Doman, Terrance Hooks
WLB: Coleby Clawson, Jordan Atkinson

Hooks was projected to be the starter at BLB, but an injury caused him to miss most of Fall Camp. He should see significant field time in Dallas nonetheless. Pendleton is only a sophomore and is very highly regarded. Expect him to have a significant impact on Saturday – his first game as a starter. Of course, Bauman is the leader of the core, coming off of junior season in which he led the Cougars in tackles (108). Bauman isn’t a Muirbrook, Morris or even Cameron Jensen but he’s a hard-worker and a banger. Clawson was a JC transfer last season and ended up starting 11 games – look for him to improve with the added experience. As a whole this LB group isn’t as strong as previous years. They’ll have they’re work cut out for them with all of OU’s athletes, especially at the skill positions.

FC: Brian Logan, Robbie Buckner, Corby Eason
BC: Brandon Bradley, Lee Aguirre
Kat: Andrew Rich, Shiloah Te'o
Free: Scott Johnson, Craig Bills

As I've said before, expect BYU's defense as a whole to be improved. They won't be even close to the same realm as those teams mentioned above (Florida, TCU) but they should be respectable in the MWC. The defensive line is experienced and the linebackers decent. The secondary was atrocious in latter 2008 – but expect them to be improved as well. JC transfers – Logan, Eason and Aguirre – have added depth and athleticism, while Bills is a big-time play maker. Eason barely made the trip after the NCAA declared him eligible academically. The switch to FS for Johnson should help as well. As long as they can stay healthy they should be able to create more turnovers than 2008 and compete with OU and the teams that follow.

With Gresham out Bradford will likely look more toward a pair of outstanding WR’s. Ryan Broyles and Adron Tennell are each spectacular athletes and could provide serious problems for the Cougar secondary. Tennell is an experienced senior while Broyles, just a sophomore, is lightening fast – and returns punts as well. RB DeMarco Murray was an All-Big 12 selection last year, ran for over 1,000 yards in 2008, and is considered one of the best backs in the nation. So, even without Gresham, Bradford has plenty of weapons.

While BYU’s defense overall should be improved from 2008, it is highly unlikely they’ll be able to keep the Sooners below 35 or even 40. If BYU is going to be successful they must create turnovers like Florida did in the National Championship picking of Bradford twice. Last season’s Cougars wouldn’t have kept OU under 50. This season however BYU fans should be optimistic that that can be accomplished and that Hall and the offense can put up the numbers necessary to be competitive.

General Preview: BYU vs. Oklahoma

sroufe — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:09:25 -0000

2009 Season Opener

Oklahoma Sooners vs. BYU Cougars

Dallas Cowboys Stadium - Arlington, Texas

5:00PM MST, September 5, 2009 (ESPN)

SB Nation: Cougars vs Sooners coverage

Crimson and Cream Machine (OU blog at SB Nation)

Quotes

"The first word that comes to mind is speed, and I'm starting with the defensive line," he said. "Their front four are able to get pressure on the quarterback. The teams we've struggled with in the past are teams that could get pressure on the quarterback without having to use blitzes. (Oklahoma is) certainly capable of doing that. I think they would start from that point. Knowing, as they study our film, if you're able to get pressure on our quarterback and get sacks without having to send extra rushers, then you reduce the risk. Because we're very good at throwing the ball in between zones and moving the chains kind of methodically, if they don't have to pressure, they don't need to." - Bronco Mendenhall on the Oklahoma Sooners

"Overall, we're looking forward to the challenge this weekend. We're starting against a really good BYU team, a team that has a great history of success and a great tradition. Our players and our program have been aware of that since we have had this game scheduled. The recent success under Coach (Bronco) Mendenhall and the success they have had over the last four or five years is really notable. They're an excellent team, winning conference championships, winning 10 or 11 games almost every year. We understand it's a big challenge, our players have known that all year." - Bob Stoops on the BYU Cougars

Injury Report

Oklahoma: Out - MLB Mike Balogun (Eligibility); TE Jermaine Gresham (Knee); MLB Tom Wort (Knee/ACL); Probable - C Ben Habern (Back; RB Demarco Murray (Hamstring);

BYU: Out - OL Houston Reynolds (Knee); OL Jason Speredon (Shoulder); Probable - CB Brian Logan (Hand); QB Max Hall (Finger); RB Harvey Unga (Hamstring); DB Scott Johnson (Concussion); DB Andrew Rich (Groin); OL Matt Reynolds (Hand); DE Vic So'oto (Ankle); RB Manase Tonga (Eligibility).

Overview

Since 1950, Oklahoma has won 32 conference championships and 7 national championships. They’ve won the Big 12 three years running and already have one national championship this decade (and nearly another last season). Because I shy away from war metaphors or Biblical parallels (i.e. David v. Goliath) it will serve to simply say the Oklahoma Sooners fit the definition of a college football powerhouse. So much so that OU doesn’t really need much of an introduction or preview from VTF. What are we going to tell you about Sam Bradford that you’re not already aware of? Bradford, by the way, is excellent – Heisman Trophy, No.1 NFL pick excellent. Unfortunately for the Cougars the rest of the team is excellent as well.

Oklahoma is currently ranked No. 3 in the AP and USA Today polls. This team should compete with Texas for the Big 12 championship - yet again - and the National Championship again with teams like Florida, USC and Alabama. The Sooner offense is phenomenal. I expect Bradford, Murray, Gresham and co. to put up big numbers against every team this season and that includes the Cougars. They have too many weapons and the offensive line, say what you want about lack-of-experience, will be exceptional. Even when their O-line falters Bradford isn't exactly a statue at quarterback. With several newcomers in the secondary, a largely unproven group of linebackers and a number of minor injuries, BYU will have their work cut out for them on Saturday.

Across the LOS the Sooner D-Line - led by Gerald McCoy and Jeremy Beal - is arguably the nation's finest. Without Matt Reynolds' expected return it was going to be a long day for Max Hall. It could be anyway. The linebackers, including Travis Lewis, are very solid. What the Sooner defensive secondary lacks in experience they should make up for in talent and athleticism. CB Dominique Franks is terrific. All that said - BYU's offense is good as well and I expect them to put some nice numbers on the scoreboard.

Don’t expect the Cougars to be able to hold the Sooners below 35 points. Actually, if the Cougars were to hold OU below 50 I’d still be excited about BYU’s chances of winning the MWC this season. Last season’s defense would not have held the Sooners below 50. This game will should be an indicator of how BYU’s defense will matchup latter in the season against Florida State, TCU and Utah.

I also don’t expect OU’s defense to shut BYU down offensively. It might take a few adjustments after some initial stops, but eventually I think Anae’s game plan and Hall’s experience will allow BYU to be competitive.

I’m calling it Oklahoma 48, BYU 31.

Biased Analysis

Do they know who've they scheduled? This isn't the Cougars of 2003 or 2004. This is Maximus Decimus Hallius we're talking about and OU is in trouble. Hey Bradford, the time for honoring yourself will soon be at an end...

BYU 41, OU 38

Oklahoma Sooners 2009 Season Previews

- Crimson and Cream Machine Preview
- (CC Machine) OU Defensive Secondary Preview
- (CC Machine) OU Special Teams Preview
- CBS Sports - OU's Biggest Questions
- Scout.com Oklahoma Offense Preview
- Scout.com Oklahoma Defense Preview
- The Quad Countdown: No. 4 Oklahoma (NY Times)
- CNN-SI: No. 3 Oklahoma
- College Sports-Fans: Oklahoma
- ESPN Preview/OU Team Page
- Sporting News - Oklahoma No. 3

Other Quotes

"They execute very well," he said. "There are a lot of teams around the country that have really good athletes just like Oklahoma. But they just execute. Sam Bradford runs that offense the way it's supposed to be run, and he does an incredible job." - Jans Jorgensen, BYU DE

"They're quick up front. McCoy is very talented, very hardworking. It's a great opportunity. When you have someone that talented, you really have to use your technique and play hard. If we're technically sound, I think we'll be OK. If we don't play our technique and start doing things as an O-line that we're not supposed to do, he'll definitely exploit that." - Terence Brown, BYU OG

"They're the best team I will have ever faced in my career. With a Heisman quarterback, a great offense and a defense that returns all of their starters except for the two safeties, we have a lot of work ahead of us. But, at the same time, I like our team. I like our chances. We're going to go down there and fight." -Max Hall, BYU QB

Sam Bradford Photo via blog.pennlive.com

Sooner Sports Notebook - September 2nd

dishingoutdimes — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:05:24 -0000

With college football season starting tomorrow, and plenty of Sooner news headlines from now to the end of the semester, I've decided to renew my quasi-daily "Sooner Sports Notebook". For football season I'll probably have the bulk of the information about the football team, and then a section at the end about other Sooner sports.

Next Game

Oklahoma Sooners vs. BYU Cougars
Dallas Cowboys Stadium - Arlington, Texas
6:00PM CDT, September 5, 2009 (ESPN)
Cougars vs Sooners coverage | Vanquish The Foe (BYU Blog)

Injury Report (source)

For Oklahoma: MLB Tom Wort is Out For Season (Knee/ACL), MLB Mike Balogun is Ineligible (NCAA). For BYU: OL Jason Speredon is Out For Season (Shoulder), OL Houston Reynolds is Out (Knee), CB Brian Logan is Probable (Hand), QB Max Hall is Probable (Finger), RB Harvey Unga is Probable (Hamstring), DB Scott Johnson is Probable (Concussion), DB Andrew Rich is Probable (Groin), DL Vic So'oto is Probable (Ankle), OL Matt Reynolds is Probable (Hand), RB Manase Tonga is Probable (Academics).

Quotable

"He [Brody Eldridge] is as good as the guy that played last year [at center], right now," [Offensive Coordinator Kevin] Wilson said. "He blocks those big guys we got who are as good as anybody we’ll see, right now."

The Pundits

(link) CBS Sports previews the Sooners' first game.
(link) Sports Illustrated power rankings.
(link) The Oklahoman September 1st practice report.
(link) Brody Eldridge will be playing with two numbers, two jerseys and two shoulder pads.
(link) Sooners need not worry.
(link) Not surprisingly, BYU is focused on Sam Bradford.

Today's Thoughts

I'm not surprised that the Sooners are playing Brody Eldridge at center. They have long been raving about his blocking. Plus, with Gresham as more of a receiving threat who has put in hard work this offseason improving his blocking, that position is getting a bit more crowded. James Hanna is another guy who will see the field behind Gresham who is built out of a similar mold. I'm not worried about Brody starting at center.
Everyone will obviously be worried and anxious to see how Sam Bradford opens up the season. However, I see no reason why this won't continue to be a very balanced attack. Offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson usually mixes things up fairly well. I see the first couple of drives being more conservative with lots of bubble screens and runs. The good news is that the Sooners have so many versatile players that they could line up in several different positions. I think we'll also have good pace and keep their defense on the field if we can rack up the first downs.
Broyles is moving back to the slot, which is great news because that's where I thought he was best anyways. I'm excited to see Cam Kenney who is one of the fastest players on the team and he has a 40" vertical. I think he could be one of the better deep threats we've had in awhile. I have heard Dejuan Miller has been improving and obviously Adron Tennell is a veteran, so I think we'll be better than expected at receiver.

That's all for now. It's a brief notebook today with perhaps some more meat and potatoes tomorrow.

BYU Notes: Matching Up Against Cougars' Defense

Nestor — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:00:06 -0000

We opened up our notebook for the BYU game by starting a discussion on Cougars’ offense. Thanks to everyone who offered up their takes in that thread. Our defense will have its hands full with Cougars’ West Coast/spread offense as they are going to look to pick apart Walker’s inexperienced secondary with short passing attacks. It will be up to our offense to put together some clock chewing drives against the BYU defense to make sure our defense is fresh and has enough times to rest so that they can go all out attack mode against Max Hall led passing attack.

So let’s take a look at the BYU defense. Again by now we are kind of familiar with them given our two games against them last season. Lot of us got a little preview of what our offense can expect on Saturday afternoon watching Locker and co. going up against them up in Montlake. We will start with Olin Buchanan’s notes from Rivals.com on BYU’s defense before the 2008 season got started:

THE SCHEME: Operating out of a 3-4 set, BYU has allowed fewer than 19 points per game in each of the past two seasons. Although eight starters are gone from last season, Mendenhall is confident the system will continue to be effective. "There will be new names and new faces this year, but the results will be similar to the past three years," Mendenhall said in the spring.

More from Olin on their defense’s strength and weakness:

STRONGEST AREA: With Jorgensen and end Ian Dulan - who started 12 games last season - coming back, the Cougars figure to be good up front. But BYU does have to find a new starter at nose tackle. Sophomore Rick Wolfley and senior Mosese Foketi will try to fill the void there.

BIGGEST PROBLEM: All-MWC selections Bryan Kehl and Kelly Poppinga were among three lost starting linebackers. None of the potential replacements had more than 38 stops in '07. Junior Terrence Hooks, a contender for a starting job, injured a knee in the spring and isn't expected to be available until midseason. The one returning starter is David Nixon, who has moved from weakside linebacker to one of the inside spots. One new starter likely will be Vic So'oto, who started four games at tight end last season. So'oto was a star linebacker in high school in San Diego. The secondary is a concern, too, because all four starters are gone. At least the four new projected starters are all upperclassmen.

From what we saw last Saturday, it looks like UDub’s offense had a pretty solid day against those guys. Locker who was coming off a horrific outing against the Ducks was able to put together some nice drives carving up the Cougar defense.

I think we can expect the Cougars offense to stack the box like the Tennessee defense did and challenge UCLA offense to beat them with their passing attack. So once again it will be key for Craft to maintain his composure and stay with the mindset of taking what the defense offers up. Here is what Willingham had to say about the Cougars defense before Saturday:

"BYU doesn't exactly let you get to mismatches," Huskies coach Tyrone Willingham said. "That's not their system. Their system is to kind of play over the top and force you to beat them with consistency. They're not going to be in your face, or at least we don't think.

"They may change up now. We may come in here and all of a sudden, the only thing we see is bump-and-run. But we don't anticipate that being the case. They're going to force you to beat them in their system."

We saw the Huskies execute that strategy last Saturday through combining a decent passing attack with a servicable running game (well lot of it came from Locker's unreal freaskish athletcism). Then during the second half the Huskies were able to get their running game going against what looked to be a little tired Cougars front-7. The Husky offense converted 9 of its 15 3rd down opportunities and also was 1 for 1 on 4th down conversions. (See full Box score)

For UCLA to get it going against the Cougars on the road, Craft will need to continue to look for the underneath stuff and not force the action downfield. And if the running game can step up a little bit averaging somewhere around 3.5 yards a carry that will help a lot. That will be easier if Craft can open things up by completing some passes underneath forcing BYU LBs to pull back a little.

sjc7522 (I am presuming a BYU fan) posted some good takes on UCLA offense v. BYU Defense in our first BYU notes thread:

The BYU Defense tends to play “bend, but don’t break.” I think the UCLA receivers have a decent advantage over BYU’s secondary. Even against NIU, they got burned on a couple of long balls. They tend to play behind the receivers and try not to allow the big play. I think Norm will spread the ball pretty efficiently and the receivers will have a good game.

Look out for Ryan Moya to keep putting up solid numbers. I think the tight end plays are difficult to cover for anyone, and I don’t think this game will be much different.

UCLA’s running game didn’t do so hot last week, so I’m not sure how it will play out against the Cougars. The D-line and linebackers did well against the NIU run, but I honestly wasn’t paying much attention to the run defense.

I think the game will play out in the air, with the tight ends having a significant impact on both offenses. It should be a fun game to watch.

Let’s hope so. I think this will be an incredibly difficult game for UCLA in Provoh. I would feel good about this game if it were at the Rose Bowl or at a neutral site. Things are going to be much different at La Velle Edwards stadium, which IMHO is one of the more difficult places to play out in West, especially when BYU has good teams.

So those are some initial thoughts on their defense out of the gate for this game week. Again it will be great to hear on this matchup and point out any specifics we all need to look for heading into Saturday.

GO BRUINS.