SB Nation - Terrance Hooks

Recap: BYU Over Tulane

sroufe — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 09:09:43 -0000

More photos » by Patrick Semansky - AP

3 months ago: Tulane running back Andre Anderson (32) is tackled by Brigham Young defenders Coleby Clawson and Matt Bauman (35) during the first half of an NCAA college football game at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. Closing in are Brett Denney (92) and Jan Jorgensen (84). (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Browse more photos »

That first half didn't quite cause me to be concerned. Concerned just seems like the wrong word. "Relatively cautious" might be more accurate. Really I think after Bryan Kariya's second touchdown, just before halftime, I was able to almost completely relax. Of course, the second half made me feel much better.

Not sure what it was - probably a combination of the emotional carryover from last weekend, mixed with travel and the hesitant return of Harvey Unga to the offense - but it led to some minor miscues on both sides of the ball by the Cougars and consequently Tulane was able to hang in there for awhile.

Speaking of Unga (3 carries for 17 yards and 1 reception). I felt that the amount of reps he received was approriate even before his hamstring "flare-up." Hopefully it wasn't serious because he seriously needs to get healthy. That shot of him grimacing on the sideline made me a little perturbed. That late block he made wasn't too smart either but oh well. At least in general the team improved dramatically in the penalties department.

The other injury I'm most concerned about is Braden Hansen. Dude was in severe pain and his leg was bent back in a terrifying way. BYU cannot afford to lose another O-lineman, especially one that has proved as versatile as Hansen. The injury to Scott Johnson, could be extreme as well - watching him on the bench reminded me of this. In all seriousness, Johnson also suffered a concussion less than a month ago so he'd better be careful. He might not even play for a few weeks. In other concussion-related news, it was good to see Matt Bauman return to action and record three tackles.

I felt that the defensive player of the game was a toss-up between Terrance Hooks and Grant Nelson. Obviously Jordan Pendleton, Brian Logan, Shawn Doman, Shiloah Te'o, Craig Bills and others made key plays as well. Hooks led the team with four unassisted tackles and also forced the fumble with a viscious hit that led to Pendleton's touchdown. Nelson had two sacks early in the game that set the tone for the defense as a whole moving forward. Generally, the defense was wonderful for a second consecutive Saturday.

On the offensive side of the ball several players were sensational as well. The offensive line was dominant. Terance Brown inparticular blew me away. I commented in the game thread that his block on a DB (during the screen leading to Kariya's TD) was like a Killer Whale playing with some helpless penguin. Hall played well (170.49 passer rating) minus the interception. Jacobson, Pitta, Chambers and Ashworth all had some great contributions. Kariya was fantastic with 2 TD's and averaging over five yards a carry. It was good to see QB Riley Nelson get some playing time as well.

But I thought the best was J.J. DiLuigi: 12 carries for 79 yards (5.9/carry), 2 receptions and 2 second half TD's to match Kariya. Easily his best game at BYU thus far. On one play I distinctly remember him breaking safety Alex Lauricella's (#17) ankles so badly that it was laughable. DiLuigi looked like he had had done him with a Deron Williams crossover.

Overall, an impressive game for the Cougars. Forget about the tentative start, injuries to Hansen, Johnson (and Unga), and Hall's interception, and the game was perfect. Okay, so maybe that's a lot to forget. BYU better not be so tentative next week against the Seminoles. However, I think finally playing at home will get them energized next Saturday. Hopefully the injuries aren't too serious and all three players return ASAP. If BYU is going to compete for a BCS bowl they'll need all three. As for Hall's interception? I think his efficiency will improve at Edwards Stadium as well.

Now, let's get ready for Florida State. Go Cougars!!

Recap: BYU Over Oklahoma

sroufe — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:30:40 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

3 months ago: BYU wide receiver McKay Jacobson (6) celebrates with teammates following his touchdown-reception during an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, in Arlington, Texas. BYU won 14-13. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Browse more photos »

Euphoria? Jubilation? Bliss? Nirvana? It's somewhere in there. After the officials signaled that the 54-yard field goal attempt by Tress Way was no good I fell into one of those states-of-being. Nobody could have logically anticipated the way the game played out, let alone the final outcome. (However, I am a major San Francisco Giants fan - and after CF Aaron Rowand had a surprisingly clutch hit Friday night in Milwaukee I realized something strange and wonderful was in the air.)

There are some big wins in BYU football history. The 1980 Holiday "Miracle" Bowl over SMU. The 1984 Holiday Bowl win over Michigan. The 1990 victory over Miami in Provo. The Cotton Bowl win against Kansas State on New Year's Day 1997. Obviously there are others. The most recent games being wins over Utah and Oregon in 2006.

This game certainly ranks among those. Oklahoma has multiple returning All-Americans, including a Heisman trophy winner. Some analysts project them to win the Big 12 and play in a consecutive National Championship game. The Sooners offense averaged over 50 points last season and returned sensational players at key positions including QB, RB, WR, TE, and OL. The defense was similarly heralded - especially the D-line.

Critics will say the Sooners were playing on a neutral field. Their All-American tight end Jermaine Gresham was out of action. Heisman winner Sam Bradford missed the entire second half. All seemingly legitimate arguments (though I'd argue that Bradford's injury is a result of the game itself and couldn't be used as an excuse). In turn however, BYU could argue their principal offensive weapon, RB Harvey Unga, missed the game and that he was in the least as critical to the Cougars offense as Gresham was to the Sooners. BYU's best O-lineman, LT Matt Reynolds only just returned from a broken left-hand and had not played at all over the weeks immediately leading up to the game. Additionally, the Cougars traveled only seven O-lineman total - with most of them having only limited starting experience (similar to Oklahoma this season). Finally, BYU was missing last season's leading tackler, linebacker Matt Bauman, for much of the game.

In summary, both teams were battling injuries and inexperience during this matchup. It was a hard fought game with plenty, plenty of mistakes. Of course, that is typical of a lot of season openers. Still, there were some phenomenal performances by many players - and they deserve to be recognized. Let me say this though, whatever the 2009 season brings for BYU football, this was a major leap for the program in general and a contest that Cougar fans will always remember.

Links, quotes and more after the jump...

There are a lot of players I could discuss here, but on the offensive side you have to start with Max. The concerns with Hall's record of choking in big games were well founded. After the end of 2008 Hall was carrying not just a monkey on his back - but King Kong. Hall came, saw and conquered. Sure there were flaws. But he shrugged off a couple of interceptions, stayed cool and collected, and led the Cougars to score the would-be game winner with 3:03 remaining. Clutch. He finished with 329 yards passing, two touchdown passes and a respectable 147.99 passer rating. There were a couple of those 4th quarter completions to Pitta and others, where he shot off some rockets that simultaneously weaved perfectly through multiple Sooner defenders. Overall, outstanding night for the senior.

Next you have to move to sophomore RB Bryan Kariya. The former Davis Dart walk-on was stellar. He did more than just fill in for Unga. Kariya made a legitimate case to see significant playing time throughout the season. His yards per carry (2.5) doesn't tell the whole story. OU's D-line is fantastic - especially DT Gerald McCoy who's really in a league of his own. This dude battled. He layed some Sooners out too - one play in particular nearly sending LB Travis Lewis back to Norman. Kariya's 76 yards receiving were another added bonus. I can't say enought good things about him.

There were some other fantastic players on offense. The O-line deserves major, major props. LT Matt Reynolds was remarkable. Braden Hansen was terrific too. Other players, WR McKay Jacobson, TE Dennis Pitta, TE Andrew George, FB Manase Tonga and RB J.J. DiLuigi all made key plays down the stretch. Pitta looked like an All-American himself, especially in the second half. Jacobson deserves props for coming back after his fumble and having several key catches - including the game-winner. O'Neill Chambers was having a wonderful game until his fumble - look for him to have a big game next week at Tulane.

BYU's defense though...WOW. Going in I thought there was no chance the Cougars could hold OU under 35. TCU didn't last season and the Frogs were sensational defensively. Apologies to Mendenhall, Hill and their crew. Despite the loss of Bauman, they hung in there against a very good Sooner offense. Even without Bradford and Gresham - DeMarco Murray, Chris Brown and all those uber-athletic wideouts will put up some big numbers in 2009. I don't care if the Sooners were battling inexperience on their O-line: BYU's D-line played pretty well. The linebackers were exceptional. The secondary was the best I've seen at BYU in a long, long time. A few player shout-outs: Coleby Clawson for the monster hit on Bradford; Brandon Bradley and Brian Logan each with great coverage on some post patterns and in the red-zone; Jordan Pendleton for some massive tackles; Shawn Doman and Brett Denney with fumble recoveries; and Terrance Hooks sack of Landry Jones. Props to both starting safeties - Andrew Rich and Scott Johnson - who were awesome as well.

We'll be able to discuss more of this leading up to next week's game in New Orleans. We're certainly be discussing the BCS system repercussions of this game (or lack thereof). In the meantime, I'm going to simply enjoy. Florida State is in two weeks and that will be another tough, tough opponent for the Cougars...

Links

AP - Recap

Bleacher Report - "Don't Blame OU's Loss to BYU on Bradford's Injury"

Bleacher Report - "Bradford Goes Down and So Do the Sooners"

CNN Sports Illustrated - Recap/Boxscore, etc.

Crimson and Cream Machine (OU Blog) - Game Thread

Crimson and Cream Machine (OU Blog) - Recap

The Daily Universe - "Kariya Rises to the Occasion to relieve Unga"

Dallas Morning News: "SL Carroll grad [McKay Jacobson] burns Sooners"

Dallas Morning News: "Bradford will second-guess call to stay at OU"

Dallas Morning News: "Loss of Bradford left Sooners with no margin for error"

Deseret News - Recap

Deseret News - "Y's defense puts hurt on Sooners"

Deseret News - "Texas' Jacobson has perfect homecoming"

Deseret News - "Kariya fills Unga's void in big game"

Deseret News - "Y adds some flavor to bread-and-butter play"

ESPN - Recap/Boxscore/Play-by-Play, etc.

ESPN (Graham Watson) - "BYU gets a measure of redemption"

ESPN (Heather Dinich) - "BYU over Oklahoma has meaning for ACC"

FanHouse - Recap

Fort Worth Star Telegram - "BYU wins the matchup in the trenches"

Fort Worth Star Telegram - "Oklahoma Sooners lose Bradford to injury, game to gritty BYU"

KJZZ (Patrick Kinahan) - "Cougars Shock the World!"

KSL Game Blog

KSL Recap

MWC Connection (MWC Blog) - Recap

New York Times - Recap

The Oklahoman (NewsOK) - "Let Defensive Letdown Cost OU"

The Oklahoman (NewsOK) - "QB Max Hall guaranteed BYU win over Oklahoma and he delivered"

Rivals/Yahoo! - Recap/Boxscore

Salt Lake Tribune - "Cougars ride defense to win"

Salt Lake Tribune - "Cougs prove to be adequate enough"

Salt Lake Tribune - "BYU pulls off shocking upset of No. 3 Oklahoma"

Salt Lake Tribune - "Max-imum Performance"

Salt Lake Tribune - "BYU silences critics with stunning win over Oklahoma"

Seattle Post Intelligencer - Recap

Quotes

Bronco Mendenhall:

"Where it's going to rank and all that, I'm not certain, but I know there are a lot of people who are going to benefit from the way these kids played today."

Max Hall:

"Unbelievable. For us to come out and pull off a win is a special night. I'll never forget it."

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.

'Nole Your Enemy: The BYU Cougar Defense

FSUncensored — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:03:13 -0000

BYU Senior Defensive End Jan Jorgensen sacks UCLA's Quarterback.

View full size photo »

We started with South Florida (Offense, Defense). Yesterday we discussed BYU's Offense, and I'm proud to say that most BYU fans thought the article was spot-on. Today we'll talk BYU's defense.

BYU's Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall is a defensive guy and for the most part, BYU's defenses have been quite solid under his tutelage. They are not blitz-crazy by any means, but that's probably a result of some personnel issues. Mendenhall runs a 3-4, but he's really a 3-3-5 guy.

BYU's 2008 Defense

This was a bad defense. There's not any other way to describe it. Their season started off decent on the surface, but they were beating up on some pitiful offenses. Some decent teams would soon expose them, as they gave up at least 5 TD's in 5 of their final 6 games. Here are some rather shocking results to help you understand just how bad BYU's defense was last year.

Every Division-1 Defense FSU played was significantly better than BYU. Every one. I decided to put this in graph form:

"One of these things is not like the other..."

The graph speaks for itself, but there is still more. Not only was BYU much worse on defense than any FSU opponent, but FSU was better than any offense BYU's defense faced. Once again, we find BYU beating up on bad teams, and really struggling with decent teams. This one needs a graph and a chart. First, the graph:

BYU didn't face many great offenses. FSU's Offense was better than any offense BYU faced last season. BYU did an excellent job of beating up on bad teams. Look at hoiw they shut down New Mexico, Wyoming, UCLA (home of 4 different starting QB's in one year), and San Diego State! Feast your eyes:

	Opponent Adjusted Offensive Efficiency of BYU's Opponents (Higher # is better)	Nat'l Rank	Points Allowed by BYU Defense
Florida State	0.298	15	???
Arizona	0.207	26	31
Utah	0.194	28	48
UNLV	0.161	35	35
TCU	0.093	47	32
Colorado State	0.002	63	42
Air Force	-0.076	72	24
Utah State	-0.265	100	14
Washington	-0.274	101	27
San Diego State	-0.31	106	12
UCLA	-0.364	111	0
Wyoming	-0.383	112	0
New Mexico	-0.402	114	3

Against 6 opponents with an offense outside the top 100, BYU allowed an average of 9 points per game.
Against 7 opponents with an offense inside the top 100 (though no top 25 offenses), BYU allowed an average of 32 points per game, and Air Force is included in that because they were a top 100 offense. That's hardly a mark of distinction for the cadets as their offense was still very much below average nationally.
Remember the graph above. BYU didn't play an offense as good as FSU's. How many points would the 'Noles have scored? 50? 55? 50 sounds about right, because the 'Noles would undoubtedly have ran the ball in the second half more than some of the other offenses did.

So it seems that BYU does a really nice job of playing hard all the way through blowouts, where other schools might take plays off towards the end. That helps their numbers, but a motivated 2nd string isn't going to help the Cougars take a bite out of the 'Noles.

Bad Against the Run

BYU ranked 87th nationally in stopping the run. That's obviously very bad. They got blown off the ball by some average offensive lines. More on this later in the article, but for now, check out how their rushing defense stacked up against FSU's 2008 opponents' run defense.

FSU had its best offensive games against the teams at the bottom, where BYU is. This was a horrible defense last season.

Terrible Against the Pass

For as bad as they were against the run (87th), they were even worse against the pass, finishing 98th in the country in Pass Defense!

That's obviously very bad. This is getting repetitive, so there is just one more graph before we break down the 2009 BYU Defense.

That's embarrassing for BYU. 115th in the nation! That's worse than teams like Idaho. The reason BYU struggled so much on defense is a lack of talent, compounded by injuries. The reason they struggled so much in what should be favorable situations, is a complete lack of a pass rush coupled with a shaky secondary that can't shoulder the heavy coverage responsibilities that a blitz requires.

Inside, we'll preview BYU's defense. Could the FSU 2nd team defense really be better than BYU's starting unit?

Defensive Line

BYU runs the 3-4 defense. Let's have a look at that alignment:

via www.irishpreview.com

So BYU uses three defensive linemen. Click the diagram to enlarge

At Left End, BYU has Jan Jorgensen. We profiled the 6'3" 260lb senior here when we discussed Left Tackle Andrew Datko's slate:

Jorgensen projects as a 2nd round draft choice. The senior has had quite the career. Jorgensen has been named 1st team All-Mountain West Defense for two years in a row. He is the conference's career leader in sacks already. He's a Lombardi and Hendricks award finalist. Oh, and he is 26 years old after serving a three year Mormon mission and redshirting his freshman year. The recent word is that he dropped 10lbs down to 245 in order to be quicker.

At Nose Guard, the cougars return Russel Tialavea. He's 6'3" 286. The junior has about 20 starts under his belt and is a decent player. Phil Steele thinks he will be a 2nd team All-Conference selection. He is not expected to be drafted for the NFL, as he lacks the bulk to play defensive tackle and the quickness to play on the edge. That said, BYU is very glad to have him, as he actually decided to skip this season to take his LDS mission. "Somehow", there was a snafu with the paperwork, so he couldn't get approval. He's now back on the team, and that's huge because the Cougars have literally no quality depth behind him after the backup nose guard left school.

At Right End, BYU returns Brett Denney. The 6'4" 260lb Senior started all 13 games last year, registering 7 tackles for loss.

BYU's depth took major hits when both 2nd-team defensive ends left. Ian Dualan was being counted on to spell Denney, and Bernard Afuiti (a JUCO stud) is academically ineligible- though he should return in 2010. BYU is very thin on the defensive line. On the bright side, they do have Matt Putnam who played well at times last year in his end role.

The Cougar starters are good, but not great, and considering their lack of depth, that this unit will rank in the middle to bottom half of defensive lines FSU will face this year.

Linebacker

Remember that BYU uses 4 linebackers (see diagram above).

At Strongside linebacker, the Cougs have Jordan Pendleton. The 6'2" 228lb sophomore moved from defensive back in the spring, where he made 3 tackles last year. He's very important as he will be asked to replace the departed All-Conference David Nixon, the MWC's all-time leader in tackles for loss. Nixon was pretty good. The other option here is Junior Grant Nelson (6'3" 226), but he is currently injured. Whoever wins the job, expect a dropoff. BYU doesn't have the talent to simply plug in someone for the conference's all-time leader in tackles for loss and not miss a beat.

At Middle Linebacker (they use two), is Senior Matt Bauman. He's scrappy and ultra productive. Started 14 games in his career, and he's very mentally mature, having graduated high school in 2005, which makes him 22). He was 2nd team All-Conference last season. He is regarded as the 29th best draft eligible inside linebacker by NFL Draft Express.

At "BCB" (the other middle linebacker position), the Cougars have Senior Shawn Doman, who started 10 games last year. The 6'2" 232lb Senior is a decent player, but he isn't very athletic and can be exploited in coverage. There is some chance that Terrance Hooks beats our Doman.

At Weakside linebacker is Coleby Clawson, a 6'2" 234lb Senior. Clawson started 11 games last year after coming from junior college, and registered 55 tackles (11 for loss). He has to be the cougar's disruptive pass rusher.

Providing depth will be the loser of the Doman-Hooks battle and Vic So'oto, a former tight end who can play defensive end or outside linebacker.

This is an experienced linebacker unit. They are assignment sound. If you're looking for some perspective on their talent level, I'd say they will be somewhere in the middle of the the linebacker units FSU will face. They will definitely play some games and FSU's offensive line must be alert, as this is a cohesive unit.

A problem of size

When looking at BYU's front 7, something really jumps out: they are tiny.

LE 84 Jan Jorgensen, 6-3, 259, Sr.
NT 71 Russel Tiavaela, 6-3, 286, Sr.
RE 92 Brett Denney, 6-4, 260, Sr.
SLB 1 Jordan Pendleton, 6-2, 228, Soph.
MLB 35 Matt Bauman, 6-1, 229, Sr.
BLB 42 Shawn Doman, 6-2, 232, Sr.
WLB 41 Coleby Clawson, 6-3, 234, Sr.

That's 1728lbs combined in their front 7. Why does this matter? For reference, BYU's front 7 is extremely tiny. TCU outweighs them by 155lbs.

Second, FSU's run game destroys small front 7's.

There are two ways to stop FSU's running game and not get burned by the bubble screen (a pass FSU throws exceptionally well) Essentially, the bubble screen is a tool to make sure that the offense plays 7 in the box and not 8. If the defense cheats and brings extra men against the run, we throw the bubble to keep them honest. :

The first is to have a huge, disciplined front 7, that is difficult to cut block. One that takes good angles and doesn't allow cutbacks. This allows teams to play straight upon the receivers, also maintaining deep coverage. Or...
Play 8 in the box and play zero coverage-press man against each receiver. Virginia Tech did this and they were eventually burned deep. This requires excellent athletes in the secondary,

As we'll see in a second, BYU does not have the option to play number two. They have to hope their front-7 can stop the run. What did other front 7's do against FSU's run game?

Boston College 1918lbs, 23 rushes, 82 yards. FSU had the youngest line in the country and they couldn't muster any push against these guys. The bubble was useless as BC did not need to cheat to stop the run. They are huge and thankfully their two all-world tackles graduated (1st and 2nd round draft choces)

Wake 1838lbs, 27 rushes for 103 yards. Wake was very big.They were able to play the bubble straight up, which worked very well. They also had 4 seniors on defense drafted in the first 4 rounds.

Florida 1835lbs, 29 rushes for 137 Big and supremely talented, our rushing success came primarily in garbage time.

Miami 1785lbs, 54 rushes, 281 yards. There is a pretty big drop off from UF to Miami (55lbs). Remember here that our rushing success came primarily on reverses and Ponder running, most of which was a result of Miami's idiotic plan to defense our attack. We bubbled them to death when they went 8 or 9 in the box.

Georgia Tech 1772lbs (I think they were lighter because of major injuries, correct?). 31 rushes, 228 yards. Remember that GTech was missing 2 key linebackers and a safety. Still, this is a big drop in weight from the 3 schools over 1835lbs.

Virginia Tech 1766lbs, 34 rushes, 123 yards. Poor numbers. Explanation? Yes. VT played 8 in the box and manned up on the wide receivers. If you're puzzled, remember what happened: the only thing open was the deep ball. They saturated the running lanes and pressed FSU's wideouts. Eventually, FSU burned them deep.

Clemson 1760lbs, 34 rushes, 281 yards Light front 7? Check. Depending solely on speed to stop the run? Check. Cutbacks? Check.

NC State 1757lbs, 42 rushes, 162 yards These numbers aren't amazing, but much of this game was us trying to control the clock while battling holding penalties. They also include lost sack yardage (which isn't a run play). Light front 7? Check. Depending solely on speed to stop the run? Check. Cutbacks? Check.

Maryland 1755lbs, 41 rushes, 172 yards Maryland struggled all game in choosing to defend the bubble or the run.

Colorado 1755lbs, 45 rushes, 259 yards The smallest front we played AND they decided to stop the bubble. Running wild was the obvious result.

BYU is 27lbs lighter than any front-7 FSU played last season. Every offensive linemen is back for FSU, and three are All-America candidates (even if 'Nole fans know ther center is overrated). The 'Nole line is extremely quick and very intelligent. They will not struggle to block BYU's tiny front -7. That's important, because some teams do struggle with a 3-4 scheme, but FSU handled it very well last year when Maryland and Colorado went 3-4. FSU is good against that because their linemen are athletes, not maulers. They are excellent blockers on the 2nd level (where the linebackers are).

Expect BYU to start out being patient. FSU will be able to run the ball on them, and BYU will begin to creep up their safeties and go man coverage with their corners. That should be interesting...

Secondary

And here come the questions. I won't sugar coat this. BYU's front-7 should be above average. BYU needs them to be elite, becaus their secondary is a mess. They must replace 3 starters and their best cover-corner, expected to start, quit the team this off-season.

At Field Corner, BYU has Robbie Buckner and Brian Logan. Logan is a 5'8" senior who didn't start a game last year, and Buckner is a 5'10" redshirt freshman. Buckner is probably the better athlete. **Update: Corby Eason, a JC transfer, has actually passed Brian Logan on the depth chart at field corner. Highlights of Eason here. Thanks to sroufe for the info**

At Boundary Corner, BYU has Brandon Bradley. He's 6'0" 200, a very good athlete, but also very raw. The Junior made 40 tackles last year, which isn't really something you want to see out of a cornerback. He's their de-facto best cornerback after Brandon Howard (very good cover corner and a senior) left the team this off-season.

At Free Safety, BYU has a "returning" starter in Scott Johnson, who actually played corner last year. The 5'11" 188lb Senior has good range, though he is new to the position. He was a 10 game starter last season at corner. BYU is very inexperienced in the secondary, so Johnson will be called upon to be the leader.

At Strong Safety/ KAT, is 6'3" 215lb Junior Andrew Rich. He did start 3 games last year, registering 26 tackles. Because BYU's front-7 is so tiny, they have to heavily involve their Strong Safety in the run game. Rich isn't a special athlete and he's basically a linebacker. When BYU begins to involve him in the run defense (and they will after FSU runs on the front-7), look for FSU to attack him in coverage. BYU can't simulate FSU's speed in practice, so that should be interesting.

BYU's secondary was already quite bad and should take a step back this season. It's completely reasonable to say that FSU's 2nd-team secondary is better than BYU's starters. That bodes well for the 'Noles as they practice against their second team.

Final Analysis

BYU's defense isn't very talented. Their front-7 is experienced, but not deep. Will they get worn out by FSU's supremely conditioned, talented, and athletic offensive line? It's doubtful they can stop the run with their front 7, but if they use their big strong safety, they can slow the run. Then the fun starts. BYU's 215lb strong safety is obviously not a cover guy. Will they commit their alignment to stop the run and the bubble screen- leaving their green secondary on an island with FSU's future NFL wideouts, or will they commit their alignment to stop the run and the deep ball, leaving the bubble wide open? History suggests it is the latter. BYU's defense is very conservative. They rarely blitz and try to make the offense move the ball down the field in small chunks. That didn't work last year, but it's very unlikely that BYU will put their corners on an island unless they get very desperate (which they might). BYU's defense will probably be a tad better than 81st nationally this year, but there doesn't seem to be many reasons to expect major improvement.

Become a fan of Tomahawk Nation on facebook! http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/TomahawkNationcom/63264950770

Follow Tomahawk Nation on Twitter! https://twitter.com/TomahawkNation

New Readers: please read through the Tomahawk Nation Welcome Guide! We put a lot of work into that and it should enhance your experience.

Pick up your Tomahawk Nation 2009 T-Shirt! This is a very high quality shirt. Now available in white and Garnet, and in Womens sizes as well! This is a shirt you can wear out. It's not gaudy and not trashy. It is designed and produced entirely by FSU Alumni! The White option is perfect for the WhiteOut game (USF!)

via assets.sbnation.com

Making the Rounds: Injury Season is Here

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:06:20 -0000

Instead of my typical analysis and then quote from the respected paper most of these articles will be links just to get the info out. It is tough to cover all nine times with in depth analysis on each article written, to be honest a lot is fluff like 'Matt Asiata sheds weight,' 'wide out moves to safety,' or my favorite 'fourth string running back pulls a hammy.'

So in this case I will bring all the news here to one place.

Air Force

A Q&A with the Falcons tight end coach, Air Force junior linebacker Ken Lamendola is one tough dude. Senor guard Nick Charles is one of forty players on the Outland Trophy list for 2009. Oh no! Injuries

BYU

Loan starter on BYU offensive line Matt Reynolds breaks left hand, also linebacker Terrance Hooks will be out for two weeks. The Cougars also picked up two more recruits which should finalize their class with RB Drew Phillips from Alabama and Alani Fua a three star linebacker. BYU is looking for capable backups to running back Harvey Unga.

Colorado State

The Rams wrap up day seven of camp, and the highlights were on four true freshman who were making great plays. Coach Fairchild has upped the playbook to over 700 pages. Rashaun Greer is among 37 individuals selected to the watch list for the 2009 Biletnikoff Award.

New Mexico

Fullback Josh Fussell looks to be a breakout player in the Lobos new offense. The Lobos are looking to extend their impressive streak of 1,000 yard rushers. The Lobos have their quarterback race as well between Donovan Porterie, Brad Gruner, Tate Smith and B.R. Holbrook.

San Diego State

O-line coach Darrell Funk came to San Diego from Ball State, but knows the Mountain West from his playing days at Colorado State. The Aztecs actually have too much talent at linebacker, which is problem that new defensive coordinator Rock Long likes to have. Quotes from players and coaches from San Diego State media day.

TCU

Sports Illustrated has TCU ranked 17th as does ESPN. No surprise here as defensive end Jerry Hughes is named to one of the players to watch for the Walter Camp award. Injuries hit TCU as well with Colin Jones, but this one hurts because the injury comes at strong safety and according to Coach Patterson they have no one currently on the roster to play strong safety. As usual defense leads the way for the Horned Frogs.

UNLV

Early returns are great for Mark Barefield a freshman receiver out of Texas. The Rebels deep secondary is giving the coaches many options. A couple of players are trying out new positions.

Utah

Somebody has to fill the shoes of departed kicker/punter Louie Sakoda. Utes move redshirt freshman Ryan Lacy from wide out to corner, and so far he looks real good. The Utes linebacking corp is lead by Stevenson Sylvester is a deep at talent.

Wyoming

The first day of practice goes injury free for Wyoming. Not a good sign in a pass happy offense when the wide outs are having a tough time hanging on the ball. The Wyoming secondary looks to continue the recent success of good defenses for the Cowboys.

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.