BYU Football

I have been meaning to write about BYU football for about the last week. Other priorities have kept me from doing so, until today. I just decided to make them a priority.

I have followed BYU football since I came to Utah in 1981. It was exciting to see such an open offense move and down the field. I like that kind of football. It doesn't matter how they do it--running or passing--either one will do. Both can bring you out of your seat. That's the important thing.

I remember something that happened when I was overseas in the Air Force that perked my interest in BYU football, aside from the fact that I am a member of the Church. If I remember right, it was 1978 football season. I heard on Armed Forces Radio that BYU's starting quarterback got injured and his backup would take over the offense in Saturday's game. I didn't think a lot about it. Backup quarterbacks in most colleges need a week or two to get in rhythm with their offense since they don't get many reps in practice. But then I heard that BYU had won the game. That's only half the story though. Their quarterback threw for 500+ yards that day. My first thought was, "Gee, I'd like to have a backup to come in and throw for 500 yards" It wasn't until I moved  to Utah that I discovered who it was. The original starting quarterback who was injured was Gifford Nielsen. The backup who threw for over 500 yards was Marc Wilson.

When I first started listening to the games, Jim McMahon was the quarterback. Then there was the very athletic and versatile Steve Young. I took a strong liking to him. I think more of a quarterback who is multitalented. Steve could throw well (an essential for any BYU quarterback), but he could also run well. That puts an extra strain on the defense. Defensive lineman and linebackers can't just pin their ears back and rush the quarterback. They need to account for the running ability which, in Steve's case, was very good. In fact, in Steve's last year when he was a Heisman Trophy candidate, I felt he should have won it. Don't worry. The Heisman voting, the BCS, and the Bowl system are all future topics of discussion.

THIS YEAR

There is excitement on the BYU campus this year. They looked upon the win in the New Mexico Bowl as a good start for this season. That's how a lot of teams treat a win in a bowl game. They want to go out on a positive note as a precursor to the next season. It is both a psychological and emotional boost.

They had to win 4 of their last 5 to become bowl eligible in 2010. They did that, but it's bit misleading. Their wins included Wyoming (3-9, 1-7), UNLV (2-11, 2-6), Colorado State (3-9, 2-7), and New Mexico (1-11, 1-7). Their win in the New Mexico Bowl was practically just another conference game since they played there ever other year anyway.

This year is their first year as an independent. When their schedule was released, many have chosen to boo-hoo it. I understand where they are coming from. Their first three games are Mississippi, Texas, and Utah, respectively. Both Mississippi and Texas are road games. That's a pretty tough way to start out as an independent with two teams from the SEC and Big 12. It seems to me that when you make a change in anything, you want to do it around your own house where there are familiar surroundings. After Utah, they play Central Florida, who went 11-3 last year.

Another factor that needs consideration is the type of schedule. BYU is accustomed to the same slate of conference games each year. There is familiarity with coaches, systems the teams play under, the travel, the stadiums, the crowds, etc. The factors most vital are the way opposing coaches coach and the systems they employ. How well they adapt to teams they are not familiar with may be a big question that will have to wait to be answered.

The other things can become factors, especially the crowds on road trips. It's easy to say that you can filter out the crowd, but I don't think BYU has traditionally faced teams where crowd noise is a factor as much as it is in the SEC and the Big 12. I could not find anything on the average attendance records for Mississippi, but they stadium has a capacity of over 60,000. Even if they only sell 55,000, that's still almost 2 times the average attendance of the Mountain West for 2009 and 2010. For Mississippi, they are on the low end of SEC attendance where in 2010, an SEC game averaged over 76,000 per game.

It doesn't let up when you get to Texas. Last season, the Longhorns averaged 100,000 in attendance at their home games. That's with a 5-7 team. While the Cougars are used to playing at home to over 60,000, these first two games on the road have the opposing factor of home crowd to overcome. Clearly, the Cougars face some new challenges.

Tomorrow, more on the Cougar schedule.