SB Nation - Harvey Unga

Way Too Early College Football Top 25 for 2010

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:30:12 -0000

The bowl season is not even here yet and the only players to declare for the NFL are on non-bowl teams and most likely not on this list. National Champs has put together a top 25 list with another list of others to be considered for the 2010 season.

The biggest shocker is that Boise State is put second in their rankings while TCU comes in at sixth as the highest Mountain West team. That spot could be swapped depending who wins the Fiesta Bowl, but both of those schools return the majority of their offense. 2010 could be the year that a non-BCS school makes a n even closer run at that national title game appearance.

Neither Utah or BYU are on the list, which is understandable yet a little shocking as well. Utah returns their starting quarterback in Jordan Wynn, RB Eddie Wide, RB Sausan Shakerin, and possibly RB Matt Asiata if he wants to return. The Utes lose most of their receivers but they do have depth there, and they lose a few key offensive lineman. Defensively the Utes lose their top two big play defenders in DB Robert Johnson, LB Stevenson Sylvester, and DT Koa Misi. However the Utes, finally get to bring in the number one JUCO recruit in defensive end James Aiona to go along with the Kruger brothers.

BYU has a question mark if Harvey Unga goes pro, but they automatically lose QB Max Hall and TE Dennis Pitta which will hurt. The Cougars could be starting either true freshman Jake Heaps who is the number one quarterback recruit, or Riley Nelson who has not played significant snaps since his days as the starter at Utah State back in 2005.

Keep on reading to see who is on the very, very early top 25 list for 2010.

2010 Early Bird
Top 25 Preview
Click on each team for breakdown

1. Alabama
2. Boise State
3. Oregon
4. Florida
5. Ohio State
6. TCU
7. Texas
8. Georgia Tech
9. Iowa
10. Miami FL
11. Penn State
12. Nebraska
13. Southern California
14. Cincinnati
15. North Carolina
16. Oklahoma
17. Oregon State
18. Virginia Tech
19. West Virginia
20. Houston
21. Louisiana State
22. Wisconsin
23. Georgia
24. Arkansas
25. Missouri

Others Receiving Consideration
depth charts included

Arizona
Auburn
Boston College
Brigham Young
California
Clemson
Connecticut
Florida State
Michigan
Mississippi
Notre Dame
Pittsburgh
South Carolina
South Florida
Stanford
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
UCLA
Utah

Poll

Will the winner of the Fiesta Bowl be ranked inside the top 3 in the pre season poll?

Seven Cougars Selected All-MWC 2009

sroufe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:12:15 -0000

More photos » by George Frey - AP

BYU's Jan Jorgensen tackles CSU's Leonard Mason on Sept. 26th. Jorgensen, the "Hammer from Helper", is the MWC all-time sack leader with 29. He has recorded 6.5 sacks and 56 tackles in 2009. (AP Photo/George Frey)

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Jan Jorgensen, Dennis Pitta, Matt Reynolds, and Harvey Unga were awarded All-Conference First-Team honors today. Andrew George, Max Hall, and Andrew Rich were selected to the All-MWC Second-Team. Additionally, six Cougars earned Honorable Mention status: Coleby Clawson, Brett Denney, Scott Johnson, Brian Logan, Riley Stephenson and R.J. Willing. Johnson and Matt Bauman were named Academic All-Americans last week as well. Congratulations to each of these student-athletes!

It should also be noted that Pitta was one of only three players (Jeremy Kerley and Jerry Hughes, TCU) in the conference to be a unanimous selection. For Pitta and Jorgensen this was their third time on the All-MWC First-Team.

TCU had an incredible 15 selections between the 1st and 2nd teams and nearly swept the player/coach of the year awards. The Utes also finished with six players on the All-MWC First-Team.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB;Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

2009 Mountain West All-Conference Football Team Announced

Jeremy Mauss — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:54:10 -0000

As expected TCU lead the way with all-conference selections, but they ran away with 15 first and second team selections which more then doubles second place BYU with seven spots. The Horned Frogs also took home three of four player of the year awards, and coach of the year -- the one loss was freshman of the year which went to Wyoming's QB Austyn Carta-Samuels.

Some irony in the list is that New Mexico had the first team punter; he did have the most chances to impress. A choice that was not expected when the season started was Utah RB Eddie Wide who ran for over 1,000 yards but was to be the back up before Matt Asiata tore his ACL in the Louisville game.

The offensive player of the year award went to TCU's QB Andy Dalton while the defensive award went to TCU's DE Jerry Hughes. The rest of the awards are after the jump.

2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL FIRST-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Andy Dalton	Jr.	TCU
WR	David Reed	Sr.	Utah
WR	Ryan Wolfe**	Sr.	UNLV
RB	Harvey Unga	Jr.	BYU
RB	Eddie Wide	Jr.	Utah
TE	Dennis Pitta**#	Sr.	BYU
OL	Matt Reynolds	So.	BYU
OL	Erik Cook	Sr.	New Mexico
OL	Marshall Newhouse	Sr.	TCU
OL	Marcus Cannon	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Beadles*	Sr.	Utah
PK	Ross Evans	So.	TCU
PR/KR	Jeremy Kerley*#	Jr.	TCU
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Jan Jorgensen**	Sr.	BYU
DL	Jerry Hughes*#	Sr.	TCU
DL	Koa Misi	Sr.	Utah
DL	John Fletcher	Sr.	Wyoming
LB	Carmen Messina	So.	New Mexico
LB	Daryl Washington	Sr.	TCU
LB	Stevenson Sylvester	Sr.	Utah
DB	Reggie Rembert	Jr.	Air Force
DB	Rafael Priest	Sr.	TCU
DB	Nick Sanders	Sr.	TCU
DB	Robert Johnson	Sr.	Utah
P	Adam Miller	Sr.	New Mexico
--Two-Time First-Team Selection *--Three-Time First-Team Selection #--Unanimous Selection
2009 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST FOOTBALL SECOND-TEAM
Offense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
QB	Max Hall	Sr.	BYU
WR	Vincent Brown	Jr.	San Diego State
WR	DeMarco Sampson	Sr.	San Diego State
RB	Joseph Turner	Sr.	TCU
RB	Jared Tew	Jr.	Air Force
TE	Andrew George	Sr.	BYU
OL	Nick Charles	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Peter Lusk	Sr.	Air Force
OL	Caleb Schlauderaff	Jr.	Utah
OL	Jake Kirkpatrick	Jr.	TCU
OL	Zane Taylor	Jr.	Utah
PK	Erik Soderberg	So.	Air Force
PR/KR	Dion Morton	Sr.	Colorado State
Defense
Pos.	Player	Cl.	School
DL	Wayne Daniels	Jr.	TCU
DL	Ben Garland	Sr.	Air Force
DL	Johnathan Rainey	So.	New Mexico
DL	Cory Grant	Jr.	TCU
LB	Tank Carder	So.	TCU
LB	Mychal Sisson	So.	Colorado State
LB	Brian Hendricks	So.	Wyoming
DB	Andrew Rich	Jr.	BYU
DB	Anthony Wright	So.	Air Force
DB	Tejay Johnson	Jr.	TCU
DB	Chris Prosinski	Jr.	Wyoming
P	Brian Stahovich	So.	San Diego State
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Andy Dalton, Jr., QB, TCU
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jerry Hughes, Sr., DE, TCU
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jeremy Kerley, Jr., KR, TCU
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Austyn Carta-Samuels, QB, Wyoming
COACH OF THE YEAR Gary Patterson, TCU

2009 HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force:	John Falgout, Sr., LB; Brandon Geyer, Sr., P; Ryan Gonzales, Sr., OL; Chris Thomas, Sr., DB.
BYU:	Coleby Clawson, Sr., LB; Brett Denney, Sr., DL; Scott Johnson, Sr., DB; Brian Logan, Jr., DB; Riley Stephenson, Fr., P; R.J. Willing, Sr., OL.
Colorado State:	Adrian Martinez, Sr., OL; Nick Oppenneer, Sr., DB; Cole Pemberton, Sr., OL; Shelley Smith, Sr., OL; Tim Walter, Sr., OL.
New Mexico:	Kendall Briscoe, Sr., DL.
San Diego State:	Davion Mauldin, Sr., KR; Jerry Milling, Sr., LB.
TCU:	Evan Frosch, Jr., TE; Antoine Hicks, So., WR; Jeremy Kerley, Jr., WR; Ed Wesley, Fr., RB; Jimmy Young, Jr., WR.
UNLV:	Jason Beauchamp, Sr., LB; Joe Hawley, Sr., OL; Matt Murphy, Jr., OL.
Utah:	Joe Phillips, Jr., K; Sean Sellwood, Fr., P; Sealver Siliga, So., DL; Mike Wright, Sr., LB.
Wyoming:	David Leonard, Jr., WR; Austin McCoy, So., P; Mitch Unrein, Sr., DL.

Cougars Vanquish Utes, 26-23 in OT

sroufe — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 02:10:03 -0000

After yet another (illegal motion) penalty (one of 19 flags overall), Max Hall found Andrew George open in the middle of the field and the senior tight end easily ran in for the game winning score. A hat-tip to Jordan Wynn and the Utes in their tremendous 4th quarter comeback bid that fell just short. Dennis Pitta became the Cougars' all-time leader in receptions, Harvey Unga further established his legacy, and Max Hall was able to win (or in this case perhaps "not lose") his 31st game at the helm. But it was truly the BYU defense that won this game. Congrats fellows and good luck in Las Vegas(?).

Utes vs Cougars Network Recap
Utes vs Cougars Network Boxscore
Utes vs Cougars Overall Network Coverage
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The 2009 Holy War: No. 21 Utah at No. 19 BYU

Michael Rueckert — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 07:52:00 -0000

More photos » by Colin E. Braley - AP

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Next Game

Utah Utes
@ BYU Cougars

Saturday, Nov 28, 2009, 2:00 PM PST
LaVell Edwards Stadium

TV: The Mtn HD & CBS College

Holy War Week Brings out the Worst in Fans

posted by Jeremy Mauss about 8 hours ago

9 comments | 0 recs

Complete Coverage >

It's finally that time of year. Marriages are put to the test, friendships pushed to the limits and families become divided; Rivalry week is here. The two Mountain West Conference powers that are separated by just 35 miles are set to square off in what may be one of the most even matchups that we have ever had in the Holy War. Both teams are sitting at (9-2) with BYU ranked 19 and Utah at 21 in the BCS standings battling for bragging rights in the state of Utah. Does it get much better than this?

This will be just the third time that both teams have been ranked at the same time in this rivalry. Each of the last two resulted in victories for Utah, with the most recent being Utah's 48-24 beat-down over BYU. I wouldn't expect either team to blow the other out however. 10 of the last 12 games between these two bitter rivals as been decided by seven points or less.

Revenge, like always, will be a key in this game. BYU senior quarterback Max Hall is looking to make up for his lackluster performance in 2008 when he threw 5 interceptions and fumbled, without throwing a single touchdown pass. Utah meanwhile is looking for revenge from their last trip to Provo when BYU completed a 4th and 18 pass on their final game winning drive. All Ute fans will always remember Austin Collie's "magic happens" quote after that loss.

BYU is looking to win through their run game. The Cougar's power back, Harvey Unga is having a dominating season and needs just 100 yards rushing against the Utes to reach 1,000 on the season. BYU will try to pound the ball inside and use their size as an advantage. Lets see if BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae sticks to the run this year.

The Utes have showed weaknesses in the run defense this season but they have also had great moments. They are allowing 142 yards rushing per game but more importantly struggled against the two teams that beat them, Oregon and TCU. The Utes allowed 217 yards rushing to the Ducks and 342 to the Horned Frogs

BYU must utilize their advantage in the run game. In last years loss Harvey Unga was averaging 7.7 yards per carry, but was just given the ball just 15 times. It is going to be very important for BYU to get an early lead so that they don't have to rely too much on passing, putting pressure on Max Hall. If they fall behind early, Max Hall will have to make make plays for BYU, which in his history against the Utes suggests that he isn't fully capable of doing so.

Utah is going to try to beat BYU with their many offensive weapons. The Ute offense is fairly diverse which can pose problems for a less athletic Cougar squad. With Jordan Wynn the Ute offense added an important dimension, the deep ball. Bronco Mendenhall will likely take this away, so Wynn must complete all type of throws, importantly the middle of the field throw. He had nice words to say about Wynn in his press conference:

"He does throw the ball accurately, he throws the deep ball especially well. He has certainly enough mobility to run their offense in addition to that . If the game ends up being one where they choose to protect and attack our back end, then we'll have to modify our zones so that they cant be outrun as they were against San Diego State.

Earlier in the season, BYU's passing game would give the Utes all sorts of problems. That may not be the case Saturday. Utah's secondary has vastly improved improved throughout the season. Kyle Whittingham noted that in his press conference:

"Seems like on a weekly basis they have taken a step forward... And relative to their experience they have played very well."

Dennis Pitta is going to be the guy that the Utes key in on. He is Max Hall's favorite target and is one of the the top Tight ends in the country. Last season Pitta played injured in the game and was a non-factor catching just two passes for 33 yards. He will be looking to put together a good performance for his final game against the Utes.

This game, like all between BYU and Utah, should be a great one. It is the only game this week featuring two Top 25 football games. The game is being played at BYU in Provo, but historically that is not a factor. The visiting team has won 12 of the last 20 games in the Holy War.

With BYU's program finally getting back to the level that they were at in the Lavell Edwards era, and Utah establishing themselves as a BCS Busting powerhouse, this game seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Kyle Whittingham agrees:

"I think it keeps getting bigger and bigger. When both teams are doing well that adds a different dimension to the game, where as in a lot of years past it was one team up and one team down. Recently it has been both teams up which is healthy, and positive for the rivalry."

You can certainly expect this game to go down to the wire and possibly overtime. The matchup is dead even, but I think Utah does has a slight edge. Offensively I think the Utes are too diverse for the Cougars to stop, and I think the Utes will do a decent job of stopping the BYU run. If BYU falls behind early and Hall panics, the margin of victory could be even larger for the Utes.

Favorite Holy War

JazzyUte — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:50:35 -0000

I'm sure many Ute fans hold a special place in their hearts for 2004 and 2008 because of how much was on the line. I can't deny those were exceptional and enjoyable games because of how thoroughly dominant Utah was. I am the type of fan who enjoys Utah thumping the hell out of BYU over winning in the closing seconds. Mostly because I can relax a bit and soak in the entire experience. That's something you might not be able to do when the game is on the line. Which has happened often in this rivalry recently.

In fact, outside of 2004 and 2008, there hasn't been one blowout this decade. Each game generally comes down to the final seconds and one or two plays ultimately decides the outcome. That was the case when Utah last tripped to Provo and I expect a similar scenario this time around (though with a Utah win, of course).

Those blowouts have been enjoyable because they're so rare and it's always nice to have blowout bragging rights to go along with victory bragging rights. BYU hasn't had that feeling since 1996 - a game they easily won over a depleted Utah team in Salt Lake City.

With that said, even though easy victories are better mentally for me, my favorite Holy War is probably one of the closest in the history of the series. It was also one of the hardest to sit through because of how the entire game played out.

My favorite Holy War happened when Utah shocked BYU in overtime back in 2005.

Brett Ratliff came up huge against BYU in 2005. Will Jordan Wynn do the same?

It's at the top because the Utes were given no chance to win. If you remember, Brian Johnson and John Madsen went down against the Lobos the week before. Utah had lost statistically its best receiver and its quarterback prior to the biggest game of the season.

But it wasn't just the injuries or the fact they were such big underdogs that makes this game so memorable. It's memorable in my mind because Utah needed that win. They were 5-5 entering that game and a loss would have assured them of their first losing season since 2002. All that good created in the two years Urban Meyer had been coach was about to go up in smoke.

Of course, it didn't. The Utes raced to a big halftime lead and held off a huge BYU rally to win in overtime. The ending, which was nearly the exact opposite of the finish we saw a year later at Rice-Eccles Stadium, is still one of the best in rivalry history.

I was there. I remember the moments leading up to that final play like it was yesterday. When John Beck's pass fell incomplete - there was total bedlam. The whole Utah section erupted in cheers and hugs and it was hard to imagine a few hours prior not many thought a moment like that was possible.

But it was. The Utes left Provo with a huge win in the rivalry and nearly pulled off a similar stunner a year later. That didn't end the way any of us wanted, but the fact Utah was even in that game on the final play was just as remarkable as their win a year earlier.

This go around is different. BYU and Utah, like in 2007, are very similar teams. The Cougars are 9-2 with one blowout loss to TCU. The Utes are 9-2 with one blowout loss to TCU. This is probably the first time in a long time both teams have been so equal among each other. There aren't any significant injuries (unless you count Harvey Unga) like the last time they met in Provo (Brian Johnson wasn't 100%) and though a conference championship isn't on the line this time around, I'm expecting another game we're talking about years from now.

Hopefully we're doing it with a smile.

What's your favorite Holy War memory?

Air Force Travels to Provo to Take on BYU

bhsmarine — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:23:02 -0000

Next Game

Air Force Falcons
@ BYU Cougars

Saturday, Nov 21, 2009, 12:30 PM PST
LaVell Edwards Stadium

TV: CBS College Sports

Complete Coverage >

The Air Force Falcons (7-4, 5-2) will try and break into the top tier of the Mountain West with a win against BYU (8-2, 5-1). Air Force has won three straight and are looking to end the regular season with a win heading into their bowl game. BYU will try and keep rise in the standings after staying at #22 this week. This should be the best game in the MWC this weekend, make sure to catch it if you can.

The Falcons have put up big numbers on the scoreboard the last three weeks and are peaking at the right time. Tim Jefferson is finally looked in control of the option offense as the Falcons had 557 yards of offense last week. The stable of Jared Tew, Asher Clark, and Savier Stephens has been hitting on all cylinders. Jefferson will go to the air to keep BYU guessing a little. Lately his passing has been on point and the coaching staff may be getting some confidence in him to go to the air more then 7-10 times.

Where the Falcons will need success is in their passing defense. It seems that Bronco Mendenhall doesn't know Harvey Unga is an absolute beast so he continues to pass more then he probably should. The Falcon secondary will need to get their share of interceptions off Max Hall which is possible. If Hall throws two or more picks it would be Air Force's game to lose.

For BYU they need to establish the run and dominate with it. Long scoring drives against Air Force are huge because Air Force lacks the quick strike offense. BYU should use Unga to suck in the secondary and then have Hall stretch them deep. Dennis Pitta will be a nice big target against the smaller Air Force secondary and could be a very useful tool against them.

On defense the Cougars need to play that contain assignment football to stop the option. That is the part everyone focuses on and for good reason. However as I said for UNLV, who got killed last week, don't let the pass become a weapon for Air Force. Jefferson had a long of 43 and average of almost 16 yards per completion. BYU will need to try to keep the balance of stopping the run and pass even though Air Force only goes to the air 10.6 times a game.

It should be another MWC classic when Air Force heads to Provo. Air Force almost upset Utah on the road and had a tight contest against TCU, they are knocking on that upper tier of teams. BYU is looking at improving their bowl stock as they have two very good opponents the last two weeks in Air Force and Utah.

BYU's Bronco Mendenhall Compares Nicely to Notre Dame's Charlie Weis

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

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BYU has a good football team, do not get me wrong they have won ten games or more since 2006 with Bronco Mendenhall running the ship. The big complaint by a lot of people is Bronco's stubbornness to adjust his game plan whether it is on the offense or defense side of the ball. He has always said if we [BYU] execute our plays we will be fine. However, my thinking is that adjustments should be made if necessary instead of running the exact set of plays in every game.

This has been a broken record for the past few years, and below is a quote by Bronco Mendenhall from the 2008 media days with the Las Vegas Sun:

...we really try to be predictable. That may sound funny in having opponents know exactly what we're going to do, because we don't run many plays. It's just how well we can execute them.

Then again from his weekly wrap up show from October 22, 2009 he says a very similar same quote:

"the team that varies the least have the best chance." He said he believes the game will come down to "execution versus execution."

What about a scheme change to mix things up when the set of plays are not working or making some type of adjustments?

Just go back to last year in the BYU/Utah game last year the coaches elected to pass more even though RB Harvey Unga ws running at will over Utah and ended up with 116 yards on only 15 carries, but the staff decided to be more balanced which did not go their way.

The first quote from the Las Vegas Sun is crazy that he says they 'really try to be predictable' how is that ever a good thing. Especially when they line up against teams like TCU and Utah who have more speed and athletes which makes schemes and adjustments that much more important.

Now for the comparison between Notre Dame's head man Charlie Weiss, and he echos the similar statements that Bronco Mendenall always preaches. These came after their upset loss to Navy which just happens to be their second loss to Navy in three years after defeating Navy the previous 46 straight times.

Charie Weiss is quite arrogant or confident depending on what side of the fence of Notre Dame one falls upong, but he had this to say about the loss to Navy:

"As I just told the team, I coach exactly the same way every week ... whether it's a win or loss. One thing they know from me is I never, ever change."

Then to add salt to the wound Navy head coach Ken Niumatolo said this about the Notre Dame defensive scheme:

"One thing that helped us, and I really hope this doesn't come across wrong, but I think the thing that helped us this year was last year, because we knew they'd line up the same way."

"We had a pretty good clue that they were going to come back and do the same things as they did last year. We had a few things (planned for that defense)."

Coach you are exactly right on that assessment Charlie Weiss admitted as much that they do not change, and he coaches the same every week.

There it is all out there for all to see, Notre Dame and BYU are quite similar besides the religion; their coaches are publically stuborn in their coaching style. That could be be the reason for each teams struggles in big games, since they keep using their game plan and are reluctant to adjust. As I finish this up Bronco in his on the field interview at the end of the close win over New Mexico and kept spouting off that they won becasue they exectued better.

Being compared to Notre Dame is a good thing right?

BYU Should Send Thank You Cards to New Mexico Kicker

Jeremy Mauss — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:30:26 -0000

More photos » by JIM THOMPSON - AP

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Final - 11.14.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
BYU Cougars	7	10	7	0	24
New Mexico Lobos	7	0	6	6	19

Complete Coverage >

Raise your hand if you saw this coming ... anyone... anyone... no one saw this coming; especially myself. The glaring obvious point to make is that the New Mexico Lobo kicker James Aho who missed three field goals, with one being blocked, and a missed extra point. Not going to say that New Mexico would have won even though ten points were left on the field.

BYU was out right terrible in this game, they beat Wyoming 52-0 then sneak by New Mexico? Who knows why BYU did not rush the ball enough, Harvey Unga only ran the ball 11 times for 49 yards and one of those was a 25 yard gain. Overall they rushed for 41 total yards.

Max Hall did have a solid game with 314 yards and two picks and was the man to leave the Cougars over New Mexico. The problem for BYU was their pass defense which was my opinion on the only that New Mexico would be able to stay in this game. Donovan Porterie kept finding players open and had 272 yards and zero picks. The Lobos seemed to be able to move the ball with ease while BYU only occassionally making a stop. The plus two turnover margin by New Mexico kept them in this game, but even those were unable to spark New Mexico to their first win.

Not sure if BYU was uninterested but how is it that they were not able to put away a team that is in the bottom 100 or worse in nearly every major offensive and deffensive statistical category. Expect a hit in the human polls, and even a bigger one in the BCS standings (Utah dropped like a rock in computer rankings after a big win against UNM)

The only great feat that came from this game is that it is the first time that BYU achieved a 6-0 on the road in 25 years. Besdies that BYU was fortunate to get a win against winless New Mexico. They better be careful against Air Force next week, because if they play like this in that game they will lose.

Preview: #25 BYU at Wyoming

The Road — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:53:28 -0000

Next Game

BYU Cougars
@ Wyoming Cowboys

Saturday, Nov 7, 2009, 11:00 AM PST
War Memorial Stadium

TV: The Mtn

Complete Coverage >

Series history: BYU leads 42-30-3

Last year: BYU shutouts Wyoming 44-0 in Provo. Ugly performance by the Cowboys as they gave little challenge to the Cougars.

Point Spread: BYU by 13

There is no love lost between these two teams and don't expect anything to change soon. The Cowboys fans certainly don't make the Cougars feel very welcome when they come to Laramie. That hasn't stopped the Cougars from dominating this series lately. The Cowboys haven't beaten the Cougars since a 13-10 home victory on October 18, 2003.

Wyoming: For the second game in a row the Cowboys (4-4, 2-2) blew a victory with a weak second half performance. Wyoming led Utah 10-3 at halftime but gave up 19 unanswered points and took the loss. The offense which was cruising during the beginning of October has only scored 10 points in the last eight quarters. The Cowboy defense has been doing a good job of containing their opponents but is now longer getting any turnovers like earlier in the season.

QB Austyn Carta-Samuels has been effective for the Pokes but no one has else stepped this season and shown they can be a be a big time playmaker and take some of the load off. WR David Leonard is having a great season with 52 receptions but is averaging only 8.7 yards per catch.

BYU: With the bye week the Cougars (6-2, 3-1) are rested and hopefully can forget the 38-7 loss to TCU off their minds. Thanks to the some losses by other teams the Cougars moved back in to the rankings and now sit at #25.

Senior QB Max Hall has led the offense for three seasons has completed 170 passes for 2231 yards so far this season. His favorite target has been Dennis Pitta with 38 catches for 533 yards. The Cougars also will have WR McKay Robinson back on their roster this weekend as he returns from a hamstring injury. Robinson is the only real deep threat on the team and can really open up the field for the Cougars.

Harvey Unga brings a power running game is the leading rusher in the Mountain West and is averaging just a tick under 100 yards per game. Unga has found the endzone 10 times already this season.

Why Wyoming will win: The Cowboys are 3-1 at home with their only coming against #2 Texas. The weather will good and the Cowboys will be playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in nearly a month. Max Hall has thrown 11 interceptions so far this and by taking advantage of those mistakes the Cowboys can really throw a wrench into the Cougars season.

Why BYU will win: The high powered Cougar offense will just be too much the young Cowboy team. The Cougars are rested and want to blow out Wyoming just like TCU did to them two weeks ago.

Prediction: Upset special here the Cowboys pull a few surprises and earn a victory in front of the home crowd: Wyoming 28 - BYU 24.