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BYU Sports News Compilation

BYU Football: Jake Heaps should remain starter, Riley Nelson for situational play

On September 30, 2011, the quarterback controversy at BYU that began over a year ago (and was presumably solved) heated up again.  This time its seems to temperatures hotter than ever before.  By now, you know that during the 3rd quarter of BYU's friday night victory over Utah State, BYU elected to bench Jake Heaps and allowed Riley Nelson to earn his stripes, which is exactly what he did. 

Nelson lead three solid drives before the game was through.  Two of those drives ended in touchdown passes.  The third appeared to be on the same path but ended in a DiLuigi fumble near the red (blue) zone.  The point is, Nelson was clearly able to move the ball down the field, something Heaps seemed to be struggling with earlier in the game, passing for a mere 11/25 and 107 yards.

So the big question now at the hands of the BYU coaches is what to do at the quarterback spot.  Do you bench Jake Heaps and let him redshirt during Nelson's senior season?  It appears that's what many fans think should happen.  However, this might not be the best thing for the team.  Nelson still may not be the best quarterback.  There are a few reasons why Nelson's stellar performance against Utah State may not carry into future games.

First, Utah State's defense was daring our quarterbacks to run.  Brandon Doman noticed it before he put Nelson in.  We know this because Heaps carried the ball on three designed quarterback runs.  Albeit, two of those were sneaks, the third was a wide open hole that would have gone for a touchdown if Heaps was more of a runner.  If the fans could see this, obviously, Doman could too.  Therefore, he knew that having a Nelson type quarterback to run those plays would work...and it did.  Nelson finished the game with 62 yards rushing, most of which came on the game winning drive. 

Secondly, Nelson was playing against his former team.  Since transferring to BYU, I can only imagine the anticipation that has been building in Nelson to play Utah State.  Moreover, last season, he was injured and had to watch his team get trampled while he sat helpless on the sideline.  I think the motivation was there and Nelson was going to whatever it took to beat Utah State. 

Speaking of motivation, the third and final contributor to Nelson's success may very well be the bottled up aggression he has had since a hot shot freshman stole his starting job last year.  In 2009, Nelson was Max Hall's back up and presumably the starter for the 2010 season until Jake Heaps showed up with his national press conference.  That's enough motivation for anyone to come out and play better than they ever have before.

The challenging aspect to all of these points is that none are sustainable from a long term perspective.  Not all teams are going to open up the middle for our quarterback the way Utah State did.  They were preparing for a non-mobile Jake Heaps.  When Riley Nelson showed up, it just took too long for them to adjust.  Now that Nelson is on film, other teams will have to at least respect the fact that we can use him and will prepare accordingly. 

The motivational factors of Nelson's former team speaks for itself as BYU does not play any other former teams of Nelson.  Trying to prove himself against the younger Heaps may give Nelson motivation for a small period of time, but like the other two will not be sustainable over time.

So if Bronco Mendenhall and Brandon Doman elect to go with Nelson, I presume that we would see a great showing in the next game with the following performances tapering off until we see the same Riley Nelson of last year.  Remember how the crowd and media were calling for Heaps.

This is not to say that I don't think Nelson is a competitor and a relatively good quarterback.  I saw visible signs of improvement from last year.  His short to medium range passes looked much improved.  Also, I was very happy to see that his "run first" play style has diminished.  It seemed, last year, he would only pass if the run/scramble wasn't open.  Nelson did a great job of staying in the pocket and making plays not only with his feet but also through the air. 

However, it is clear from Nelson's pass to McKay Jacobson on the final drive of the game that his arm strength just isn't there.  Even in his post game interview, he said that it was more of a prayer than a targeted throw. 

So, if you are the BYU coaching staff, what do you do?

The best option for BYU at this point is to continue with Jake Heaps as the starter and the "main" quarterback.  However, Riley Nelson's role should be increased as determined by the in-game situations.  BYU can't continue only using Nelson on every 4th and two.  Let him play in a short yardage situation and then keep him in the game to throw a quick pass on the next play.  Keep the defenses on their toes.   Right now, the defenses know that Riley comes into the game on 4th down and always runs an option left.  This cannot go on for BYU to be successful.

Riley Nelson may not have the talent to be the starting quarterback, but he has proven that he is more than the 4th down quarterback.  He has the skill to move the ball and be an integral part of the a dynamic BYU offense.  If used correctly, the combination of Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson could leave every defense left on the schedule shaking their heads ask what just happened to them.

BYU @ Ole Miss Football Pictures

BYU got a not-too-pretty win in Oxford, MS last Saturday. The final score was 14-13 with BYU topping the Ole Miss Rebels by a point. Below I have highlighted some pictures of the game. Enjoy!

Jake Heaps leads the team out of the tunnel before the game.

Bryan Kariya is brought down after a large gain.

McKay Jacobson carries the ball.

Jake Heaps adjusted his passing attack for a much better showing in the second half.

Kyle Van Noy pops the ball loose on 3rd down for the eventual game winning fumble and recovery

Kyle Van Noy recovers the fumble he caused in the end zone for the game winning score

Pre-season BYU Football Pictures

As the BYU Football Cougars get ready to go to Oxford, MS to play the Ole' Miss Rebels, I thought I would share some of my favorite photos from last year. Just looking at these got me excited for the 2011 Season.

Jake Heaps - Ready to Fire

Cody Hoffman straddles the sideline in route to a touch down against UTEP

 

The next Harvey Unga - Josh (Juice) Quezada

 

Bryan Kariya - I know this is from 2009, but I couldn't resist putting in a picture of when BYU beat Oklahoma

This is from warm ups last year because Ross Apo didn't actually play due to injury, but who can't be excited for this kid

2010 BYU Football Schedule

The 2010 BYU Football Schedule has officially been posted. BYU will match up with two school that are up and coming in their respective conferences. BYU football will take on Washington to open the 2010 football season. Two weeks later they will face Florida St in Tallahassee, Fl. Listed below is the rest of BYU's 2010 football schedule.

DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME (MT)	TV
Sat., Sept. 4	Washington	Provo, UT	5:00 PM	CBS C
Sat., Sept. 11	Air Force	USAFA, CO	2:00 PM	Versus
Sat., Sept. 18	Florida State	Tallahassee, FL	TBD	TBD
Sat., Sept. 25	Nevada	Provo, UT	TBD	TBD
Fri., Oct. 1	Utah State	Logan, UT	TBD	ESPN
Sat., Oct. 9	San Diego State	Provo, UT	4:00 PM	The MTN
Sat., Oct. 16	TCU	Fort Worth, TX	2:00 PM	Versus
Sat., Oct. 23	Wyoming	Provo, UT	12:00 PM	The MTN
Sat., Nov. 6	UNLV	Provo, UT	12:00 PM	The MTN
Sat., Nov. 13	Colorado State	Fort Collins, CO	12:00 PM	The MTN
Sat., Nov. 20	New Mexico	Provo, UT	4:00 PM	The MTN
Sat., Nov. 27	Utah	SLC, UT	1:30 PM	The MTN

BYU Football - TCU - Pregame

Everyone in the country will turn their eyes to Provo this weekend, as ESPN's college gameday showcases this weekend's only football game between ranked teams. 

The no 8 TCU Horned Frogs come to visit the no. 16 BYU Cougars.  The BYU football team is hoping to make up for their embarassing loss to TCU a year ago.  In that game, the tables were turned.  BYU was a top ten team believed to be headed for a BCS bowl and TCU spoiled their hopes.  The cougars hope to return the favor this year in Provo.

Earlier this season many believed that the BYU football game against Oklahoma would be the biggest one of the season.  After Oklahoma's turn of bad events that game isn't carrying as much weight any more.  BYU needs this win in order to gain back some of the national recognition that has been lost after the Oklahoma mediocrity and the Florida State loss. 

While many believe that BYU can't get into a BCS bowl game this year, there are people that believe that a dominant win againt TCU and a dominant win againt Utah could do the trick.  It would probably also require a Boise State loss. 

The game this saturday will be an interesting one.  TCU has one of the best defenses in the nation and BYU has one of the best offenses in the country.  Without a question, the game will hinge on BYU's defense.  If they can shut down the TCU offense, BYU can win the game.  If not, BYU can start playing re-run tapes of last year's game. 

Last week against San Diego State, I think BYU saw one of the best offenses in the MWC.  QB Ryan Lindley is an accurate passer and he has receivers that can catch the ball.  TCU doesn't seem to have quite the offensive attack that SDSU had.  They run a lot more than they pass.  And BYU's run defense has been pretty solid this year.  The gaps have been in the pass defense.  Look for TCU to try to take advantage of BYU's small corners. 

In the end, I think BYU has what it takes to win this game.  I believe that if BYU can play solid defense and score early they will win the football game.

Prediction
BYU 34, TCU 28

College Gameday Coming to Provo

ESPN's College GameDay is coming to Provo for the BYU, TCU football game this saturday.  The game is set to kick off at 5:30pm.  However, the college gameday show will begin at noon.  The game will not be televised on ESPN or ABC, but the day's college football action will be brought to you from Provo.

Over the weekend the first BCS standings came out.  BYU fell into place at 16.  TCU is the leader of the conference at number 8.  The no. 8 vs. no. 16 match-up is definitely the reason ESPN is coming to Provo this weekend.

This morning KSL interviewed Bronco Mendenhall and asked him how he felt about ESPN coming to LaVell Edwards Stadium for the game.  He said that he was proud of his team.  He feels they are a good football team and have deserved that kind of recognition.  When asked how he would keep his team focused on the game and not the attention that will be brought to Provo on Saturday, he said that the preparation will be similar to how the team prepared for the Oklahoma game.

BYU Football - UNLV - Pre-game

This saturday, BYU football heads on the road again.  This week they will take on UNLV at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.  BYU has been dominant in the series with UNLV over the past few years and it doesn't look like this game will be a problem for them either.

BYU is coming off a strong home win agains Utah State last week.  However, now BYU is without their star receiver McKay Jacobson who injured his hamstring while stretching during warm ups.

This will allow room for some new receivers to shine.  I expect that we will see a lot from Luke Ashworth and Spencer Hafoka.  Each has seen more playing time this year than last, but has still essentially been playing in the shadow of Jacobson.

Many people are concerned with how this will affect BYU's passing game.  However, I see it as a blessing in disguise.  Over the past couple of years, BYU's passing game has had one or two dominant receivers that seem to stand out.  Last year, it was Pitta and Collie.  This year it is Pitta and Jacobson.  I think this limits our abilities in the pass.  It allows Max Hall to get comfortable with those few receivers and they always become his first targets.  Which makes it that much easier for the defense to read.  Just ask Hall, who has already thrown 10 interceptions this season, and just a couple of those were tipped balls.

It seems like BYU has the most success when they can throw the ball around the field to whoever they want.  I think back to John Beck's senior season when he could throw to Collie (Zac), Allen, Meikle, Reed, Harline, Coats, Brown, and Vakapuna.  I am excited to see this years receiving core develop into one where the defense has to play defense because they don't know who Hall is going to throw to.

I think we will see a lot more of that this game.  I think BYU wins this one soundly.

BYU UNLV Prediction
BYU 42 - UNLV 14

BYU Football's Jacobson out 4-6 weeks

While streching before Friday night's game against Utah State, BYU Football's McKay Jacobson injured his hamstring.  He was held out of the game as a precautionary measure.  Over the weekend, he had an MRI performed and it was found that he has a torn hamstring.  Team doctors are reporting that he will be out four to six weeks.

In his stead, Bronco Mendenhall said that we will see Brett Thompson.  Mendenhall made it clear that Thompson would not be taking the place of Ashworth and Hafoka.  He would just be next in the depth chart and therefore would be seen on the field.

Assuming the worst (out 6 weeks), Jacobson would miss games against UNLV, San Diego State, TCU, Wyoming, and possibly New Mexico.  This is a hard blow to the Cougars.  Jacobson was really starting to come forth as taking the shoes of recently departed Austin Collie.

Austin Collie gets his First NFL Touchdown

Earlier today, former BYU football wide receiver, Austin Collie, caught his first touchdown pass in the NFL.  Payton Manning called an audible and found Collie in the corner of the endzone.  It was a diving catch, which reminded BYU fans everywhere why Austin Collie is missed in Provo.

On the day, Collie caught 6 passes for 65 yards and 1 touchdown.  It was a great afternoon for the rookie.  We wish you the best Collie.  Thanks for giving us a reason to watch football on Sundays.

BYU Football - Utah St - Final BYU 35 CSU 17

I didn't get a chance to post my prediction about last night's game against Utah State, because I've been out of town.  On the way to the game, I told my wife that I thought BYU would win the football game by three scores.  However, I didn't expect it to play out the way it did.  I actually expected BYU's score to be in the 50's.


The game started off as what looked like was going to be a shoot out.  Utah State got on the score board first by capitalizing on a BYU turnover with a touchdown.  BYU answered with a 6 yard TD catch by Dennis Pitta.  The second quarter was owned by BYU.  It wasn't the shootout that the game appeared it was going to be after the first quarter.  BYU scored twice, including a touchdown in the final seconds of the second quarter on a turnover from Utah State.  The third quarter may have been the most boring quarter of football I have ever watched.  BYU didn't score and Utah State added only a field goal.  The fourth quarter was better as BYU added two more scores and Utah State added one in the final seconds of the game.

BYU won the game soundly.  After the second quarter, it didn't appear that Utah State had much of a chance. 

McKay Jacobson didn't play in the game, which meant that Spence Hafoka and Luke Ashworth would take on more responsibility.  Ashworth answered the call.  He had 5 catches for 91 yards and one touchdown.  I was impressed with his play. 

BYU's BCS Hopes

This weekend, my worst fear may have been realized when the new AP and Coaches polls were released. That is BYU most likely has no chance of going to a BCS bowl this year, even if they win the rest of their games.

This weekend, after what I felt was a solid win against a Colorado State football team that had been receiving votes in the polls, BYU football fell one spot in both the Coaches and the AP polls to 21 and 20 respectively. I was, quite honestly, surprised. I felt that the win showed that BYU was back on the right track and is still a powerful football team. In addition, four top twenty-five teams that were ranked ahead of BYU lost. However, of those teams only one of them fell below BYU in one poll (Mississippi). All of their losses were blowouts and the teams looked much worse than BYU did against FSU.

Here's the punchline. Big name programs hold on to their rankings better than BYU and voters won't put BYU back in a position that would allow them to play in a BCS game. Even if Boise State and Houston lose games and BYU beats TCU, the odds are that BYU won't ascend into the top 12 and therefore will not be allowed to play in a BCS bowl this year. Las Vegas Bowl, here we come ... for the fifth year in a row.

BYU Football - Colorado St - Final BYU 42 CSU 23

It was a great game today for the BYU football team.  In a game that many believed would be close, BYU jumped out to a quick 21-0 in the first quarter.  Although Colorado St managed to put 23 points on the board, the game wasn't ever really close.

I was happy to see BYU football playing like traditional BYU football.  Last week's loss to Florida St got me a little bit scared.  (In addition, don't get me started on how mad I am that Florida St fell apart today against USF.)  It looks like the team is back to what we saw against Oklahoma and Tulane. 

BYU Football - Colorado St - Pre-game

This week BYU football takes on the Colorado State Rams in Provo.  Colorado State is currently 3-0.  This week they look to open conference play with a statement game against19th ranked BYU Cougars.  This is the best start the Rams have had in 15 years and you can bet they will be excited to play against the team that has dominated the MWC for the past three years.  They won't go down without a fight.

At the beginning of the season, I thought of this game as sort of a gimme game for BYU football.  CSU is usually a mid MWC team, that hasn't given BYU much trouble.  Although, they had an impressive growing season last year, I didn't think they would present a large challenge for BYU.

However, after last week's humiliating loss to FSU, BYU showed they were vulnerable.  The defense that had been unbreakable the first two weeks in the season, broke.  They broke badly.  The good news for BYU is that CSU's quarterback, Grant Stucker isn't as mobile as Christian Ponder.  I don't think BYU will have trouble putting a fair amount of pressure on him.

In CSU's first three games, they have shown they can play with quality opponents and, in fact, beat them.  Look for it to be a good game this weekend, but not as close as some may think.  BYU's running game is better this year than it was last year.  CSU has shown they are suceptible to the run allowing 169 rushing yards in their game against Nevada.  Unga and Kariya will both have career days and the Cougars will win by three touchdowns.

Prediction

BYU 45 CSU 21

BYU Football - Florida St - Final

As hard as it is for me to say, BYU got it handed to them on their home field today by Florida State.  The defense that had been touted across the country as one that was unbreakable, broke.  After only allowing 16 points their first two games of the season, the BYU defense allowed 54 points today. 

The offense seems pretty reasonable.  Max Hall's stats looked about average, but his average this year has be below what I would expect for a Sr. quarterback at BYU.  In three games he has already thrown for 6 interceptions.  That just won't get it done, when you are playing big name teams.

On a good note, I was happy to see Riley Nelson get a chance to take a few snaps.  He appears to be an already developed quarterback and it will be fun to see him compete for the starting job next season.  It was nice to see Harvey Unga back in the game.  He rushed for 97 yards and appeared healthy on the plays he was in on.

I will say this 54-28 loss appears to completely dash any hopes that BYU had of playing in a BCS bowl.  It may not be impossible, but it certainly looks grim. 

Onward and upward, I guess.  Next week the Cougars face Colorado State, a team that is on the rise.  With today's loss I am concerned about the Rams.  I hope Bronco has something in mind for practice this week that can get his team back on track.

The Mountain West is Gaining Recognition

I found an article today on ESPN that ranks the FBS conferences based on what has transpired thus far in the season.  Currently the Mountain West is sitting at the number four spot.  The biggest boost they got was when the BYU football team beat Oklahoma 14-13 the first week of the season.  The current conferences above the Mountain West are the SEC, the Big 12, and the PAC-10.  The current rankings are:





1.   SEC
2.   Big 12
3.   PAC-10
4.   Mountain West
5.   ACC
6.   Big 10
7.   Big East
8.   Conference USA
9.   MAC
10. WAC
11. MAC

Complete Rankings

Max Hall Davey O'Brien Award Finalist

The BYU football program has a long standing tradition of excellent quarterbacks.  This year is no different.  Max Hall has already proved that he belongs on the list of names that are known as great BYU quarterbacks.

Max Hall is currently in 3rd place on the Davey O'Brien finalist list.  Fans are allowed to vote in the semifinalist rounds.  Their votes account for 5% of the total vote.  5% is much higher than I expected for a fan vote.  Rarely do fans ever get more than 1%.  This is our chance to help BYU football return to its national recognition in the area of quarterbacks.  Go vote today.

Davey O'Brien Voting Website

BYU Football - Florida St - Pre-Game

This Saturday BYU will defend it's 18 game winning streak at Lavell Edwards Stadium.  The BYU football team has not lost a game at home in three seasons.  The journey to make it a fourth season will begin this Saturday at 5pm MT.

This weekend's match-up was one that I became very excited about before the season began.  However, I have since lost some of the enthusiasiam due to the recent performance of Florida State.  Against Miami, they played an okay game.  I told myself that it was just a rivalry game and they are probably better than they looked.  Then last week against Jacksonville State, I realized they may not be as good as originally thought.  Their passing game seems solid, but that is about the only thing they have.  Their run defense on the year has been loose and their pass defense has been worse.

The BYU football team has made leaps and bounds since last year.  One area that didn't a lot of help, but has improved, is the pass game.  Max Hall is more poised and has the potential to tear apart the Florida State defense.  The variety of receivers that Hall can throw to this year has increased due to the loss of Austin Collie.  This year 12 players have already caught at least one pass.

What has impressed me more than anything this year has been BYU's defense.  I have enjoyed watching the defense mix things up.  I was happy to see them confuse the Oklahoma offense.  The BYU front defensive line many times didn't set up until seconds before the ball was snapped.  It was an interesting tactic that wouldn't allow the Oklahoma offense to not get a read on the defense or who was blitzing.

One final note about the overal attitude of the BYU football team this year.  The last few years, it has almost seemed that the attitude of BYU football is that it is wrong to get too excited.  This year has been different.  I have seen the players get excited about playing football and get excited about their wins.  Way to go, Bronco!

Prediction
After two road games, BYU will be excited to finally play at home.  The passing game will immediately be effective against the mediocre Florida State defense.  When they try to adjust, BYU will open up the run game and the dominance will be shown.  The saturday BYU football will win this one fairly easily by 24 points.

BYU 41, Florida State 17

BYU Football - Tulane - Post Game

Max Hall is certainly making a name for himself after a second week passer rating of 170.49 in the BYU football team 54-3 victory over Tulane. With the exception of one interception, Max played the game just about as well as he could have. He completed passes to the open players. He made the right decisions on the key downs.

BYU soundly beat up on the Tulane this weekend, claiming a 2-0 starting record. I knew that Tulane was no Oklahoma, but I grossly over-estimated their abilities. I sincerely thought they would score at least two touchdowns in today's game. I guess if that says anything, it certainly says that BYU has a strong defense.

I would have to say that I feel Max Hall was the player of the game. Although he wasn't in pressure situations during this week, like he felt last week, he still held himself as the captain of the BYU football team. My hat off to him. He is showing himself as the leader that was lacking last season. This season he appears much more mature and more of a person that stays composed in pressure situations.

Bryan Kariya has stepped up in the stead of Harvey Unga. Unga didn't play in the game opener against Oklahoma, and he left early in today's game. However, without Unga no gap was felt in the back field. Kariya has showed he can run, he can catch, and he can block.

Up next - Florida State...in Provo.

BYU Football - Tulane

I am not sure what to think about this weekend’s BYU football game against Tulane. I heard an interview with Tulane’s head coach yesterday. He spoke about the youth and inexperience of their program. He said that he hoped his team would be able to play competitively with BYU. It almost sounded as though he had no faith that his team would be able to even put up a fight against BYU.

It seems odd to me that a coach would be willing to admit that his team didn’t stand much of a chance against a top 10 team. Even though I agree with him, I wonder how you present that to your team in the locker room before the game. Therefore, I am not buying it.

Everyone around the country thinks that BYU is going to dominate Tulane in tomorrow’s football game. Therefore, why shouldn’t the coach play into their opinions and allow BYU to be lulled into a false sense of security. I think the only person in America that truly believes that Tulane can win this football game is their head coach.

Even if it is a ploy to get the BYU football team to look ahead to Florida State, I don’t think they will buy it. The culture of the BYU football team is different this year than it was last year. BYU is focused. They take time to celebrate their wins, but they continue to focus on the next game ahead while not looking ahead to what could come in the future.

I think this is a fairly easy game for BYU. I wasn’t impressed with Tulane’s game against Tulsa last week. BYU wins the football game soundly by three touchdowns.

Prediction

BYU 38, Tulane 17