THINGS ARE NO LONGER THE SAME
There is currently a panic in college football. Everyone seems to be concerned about developing a super-conference. Syracuse and Pittsburgh jumped from the Big Eight to the ACC. Oklahoma wants to jump to the now Pac-12 conference just after they accepted Utah and Colorado into the mix. We really don’t know about Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, or Texas. We do know that one of Texas’ demands includes the Longhorn Network, which is an obstacle if they move to the Pac-12 with their TV contracts.
John Boeheim, basketball coach at Syracuse, understands the situation very well--”There’s two reasons, money and football.” Forget about geographic considerations; forget about traditional rivalries. Boeheim’s right. It’s all about money and football.
Consider this--if Oklahoma were to go to the Pac-12 and make it the Pac-whatever, there is a problem there. The primary one to me is time zones. That’s a two time zone jump for all the teams on the coast. There’s two where one time zone exists-Utah and Colorado. Another thing is mindset. Football in Oklahoma is almost religion. West Coast teams, for the most part, have other interests for their students, such as basketball, baseball, golf, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball. All of these are both for men and women.
As of 2010, UCLA, Stanford and Southern Cal have the most NCAA championships; UCLA holds the most, winning a combined 107 team championships in men's and women's sports, with Stanford second, with 101, Southern California third with 93, Oklahoma State with 50, followed by Texas with 48.* The top 3 teams are all in the current Pac-12. Oklahoma is not even in the top five. If the only common thread is football, then Oklahoma would not make a good match. Their school does not have the history of the achievement of sports excellence in all college sports, not simply football.
The only university from the Big 12 even close is Oklahoma State. While they are fourth overall, they are a good 43 championships behind third place Southern Cal. I don’t think any team from the Big 12 is a good fit for the Pac-12. That includes not only Oklahoma, but Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech.
While the college presidents are negotiating contracts, they will need to consider the bigger picture for their students and their fan base. These mergers into super conferences are to acquire money, increase exposure, and enhance recruiting for football. They could lose excellent players in the other NCAA sports. Some players may not want to travel across two time zones for basketball or baseball or women’s softball. They may want to be on a team fairly close to home or within a conference where teams do not have to travel half way across the country just for a game in that conference.
Of course it doesn’t make sense. That’s because the current atmosphere is all about supporting college football and getting more money. Isn’t it odd that the Big Ten is not involved in any of this. After the announcement of Syracuse and Pittsburgh moving to the ACC, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney made it perfectly clear that this change would not affect his conference, that they want to play each other more, not less, the primary emphasis being quality over quantity.** It’s refreshing to see a big name BCS conference taking a more practical approach to college athletics over the current trend of dismissing allegiances, changing loyalties, maintaining traditions, and serving their students’ needs more than serving money.
*National Collegiate Athletic Association, wikipedia
**“Big Ten Commissioner says No Change is Imminent,” New York Times College Sports Blog, September 17, 2011.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Debacle in Provo
BYU DEFEATS THEMSELVES WITH TURNOVERS, UTAH WINS 54-10
What happened in Provo, Utah last Saturday night should leave Cougar fans shaking their heads, wondering if the offense is going to become a part of the team. Again, the defense held them in the game until near the end of the first half when Utah put a drive together and scored just before halftime, making it 14-10. The Cougars had an offensive series after that just before halftime, but produced nothing.
It was the same old story for the Cougars. It began with their first series of the game. They proceeded to fumble the ball away and helped the Utes score a defensive touchdown with the fumble recovery. The next series saw some promise as BYU moved the ball into Utah territory only to fumble it away. Fumble #2. Utah marched down the field to the BYU 12 yard line where their defense held. Utah missed an easy 29 yard field goal. Partial redemption, they dodged a bullet.
The next drive looked impressive. Starting at their 20, the Cougars moved the ball all the way down to the Utah 6 yard line. If BYU were to score, it would make the fans forget about what happened on their first two possessions. But, no. BYU coughed it up at the Utah 3 yard line and the Utes recovered. Three possessions, three turnovers; at least 7 points lost.
The Cougar defense did its job, holding Utah’s offense to just 52 total yards in the 1st quarter. The offense did put a drive together that finally produced some points-a 46-yard field goal. Considering they doubled Utah’s offensive output, the score could have been at least 10-7.
The second quarter saw Utah moving the ball more, though still no points at midway point. They moved into BYU territory twice only to be stopped on downs and an interception. The offense finally clicked for the Cougars with a 66-yard drive, finished off in traditional BYU fashion, a 32-yard touchdown to Ross Apo putting the Cougars ahead 10-7. It gave the Cougar faithful some hope as the defense had held the Ute offense in check and that it looked like the Cougars were finally running on all cylinders and would go into halftime ahead.
But the Utes finally found a glitch in the Cougar defense just before halftime. Quarterback Jordan Wynn completed 5 of 6 passes for 63 yards culminated by a 30 yard touchdown to his tight end Jake Murphy. That was Murphy’s third catch in that drive. Utah found on certain patterns that their tight end was open against BYU’s defense and capitalized on that. So at the half Utah was up 14-10.
Utah started off the second half the way it ended the first. Their opening series was a 5-play, 75 yard drive with a 59-yard touchdown pass at the end. A pass interference penalty on 3rd down and 3 aided that drive. That was the Cougars’ third pass interference penalty of the game.
The fans did not have long to wait to see what direction their team was going. Most coaches would like to see their offense come out of the locker room after halftime with some fire in their bellies, move the ball down the field for a score and send a statement to the opposition. The Cougars’ first series of downs was a 3 and out. Nothing like letting air out of the balloon in front of the hometown crowd on your first home game of the season.
Between halves, Coach Bronco Mendenhall said, “They need to play with less emotion.“ It is understandable. He wanted them to focus their energies on being more efficient and precise instead of allowing emotions to dictate their actions. Legendary basketball Coach John Wooden said, “…if our emotions take over, we’re not going to execute near our personal level of competency, because both judgment and common sense will be impaired. When our emotions dominate our actions, we make mistakes.”*
Utah’s next possession saw them score a field goal. This became 17 unanswered points scored against the Cougars in a matter of not more than 9 minutes, the Cougar defense had become vulnerable. Three drives totally 157 yards now has BYU in a hole. They are down 14 points, 24-10. Their offense has only averaged 15 points the first two games. Though the offense showed promise in the first half, do they have enough to even tie the Running Utes, let alone take the lead. There is a lot of pressure here and when your team knows they need to achieve more than they have so far, emotions within the players can not help but rise to the surface.
True to Coach Wooden’s statement, emotions took over, at least for BYU’s kickoff return man. He fumbled the kickoff inside their own 5 yard line. Utah recovered and a touchdown ensued, making an even deeper hole for the Cougars to come out of, 30-10. It never got better. Another fumble and interception led to 14 more points. While the offense did threaten one time inside the Ute 20 yard line, they turned the ball over on downs. It was not possible to focus on precision offense while being beat up. Utah scored 40 points in the second half, 24 were the result of turnovers. So the defense is not altogether to blame. The offense and kickoff teams put them in many no-win situations. But where is the offense? All three running backs from last year’s team are back--Di Luigi, Kariya, and Quezada. In three games, they have a total of 193 yards amongst the trio with an average of roughly 3 yards a carry. Last year, these three totaled over 1900 yards with a 4.73 per carry average. They averaged almost 32 carries and 151 yards per game. This year, those averages are down to 3.0 yards on 20 carries, and 48 yards per game. It doesn’t make sense that three returning running backs with prior year success would be limited in their touches for the sake of a new offense bent on the pass. It’s turning the Cougars into a one-dimensional team. That makes them too predictable for opposing defenses.
Offensive coordinator Brandon Doman is not proving his worth to the Cougars. They need a running attack to complement their passing game. With 56 passes and only 11 running plays during this debacle, it is evident that the Cougar offense is not only predictable, but lends itself to turnovers--this game producing seven of them. Trying to become better doing the same thing over and over will not work. And if Coach Mendenhall can see improvement in this game, then he is only deluding himself and his team.
*Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success, "Self-Control", pg 54.
What happened in Provo, Utah last Saturday night should leave Cougar fans shaking their heads, wondering if the offense is going to become a part of the team. Again, the defense held them in the game until near the end of the first half when Utah put a drive together and scored just before halftime, making it 14-10. The Cougars had an offensive series after that just before halftime, but produced nothing.
It was the same old story for the Cougars. It began with their first series of the game. They proceeded to fumble the ball away and helped the Utes score a defensive touchdown with the fumble recovery. The next series saw some promise as BYU moved the ball into Utah territory only to fumble it away. Fumble #2. Utah marched down the field to the BYU 12 yard line where their defense held. Utah missed an easy 29 yard field goal. Partial redemption, they dodged a bullet.
The next drive looked impressive. Starting at their 20, the Cougars moved the ball all the way down to the Utah 6 yard line. If BYU were to score, it would make the fans forget about what happened on their first two possessions. But, no. BYU coughed it up at the Utah 3 yard line and the Utes recovered. Three possessions, three turnovers; at least 7 points lost.
The Cougar defense did its job, holding Utah’s offense to just 52 total yards in the 1st quarter. The offense did put a drive together that finally produced some points-a 46-yard field goal. Considering they doubled Utah’s offensive output, the score could have been at least 10-7.
The second quarter saw Utah moving the ball more, though still no points at midway point. They moved into BYU territory twice only to be stopped on downs and an interception. The offense finally clicked for the Cougars with a 66-yard drive, finished off in traditional BYU fashion, a 32-yard touchdown to Ross Apo putting the Cougars ahead 10-7. It gave the Cougar faithful some hope as the defense had held the Ute offense in check and that it looked like the Cougars were finally running on all cylinders and would go into halftime ahead.
But the Utes finally found a glitch in the Cougar defense just before halftime. Quarterback Jordan Wynn completed 5 of 6 passes for 63 yards culminated by a 30 yard touchdown to his tight end Jake Murphy. That was Murphy’s third catch in that drive. Utah found on certain patterns that their tight end was open against BYU’s defense and capitalized on that. So at the half Utah was up 14-10.
Utah started off the second half the way it ended the first. Their opening series was a 5-play, 75 yard drive with a 59-yard touchdown pass at the end. A pass interference penalty on 3rd down and 3 aided that drive. That was the Cougars’ third pass interference penalty of the game.
The fans did not have long to wait to see what direction their team was going. Most coaches would like to see their offense come out of the locker room after halftime with some fire in their bellies, move the ball down the field for a score and send a statement to the opposition. The Cougars’ first series of downs was a 3 and out. Nothing like letting air out of the balloon in front of the hometown crowd on your first home game of the season.
Between halves, Coach Bronco Mendenhall said, “They need to play with less emotion.“ It is understandable. He wanted them to focus their energies on being more efficient and precise instead of allowing emotions to dictate their actions. Legendary basketball Coach John Wooden said, “…if our emotions take over, we’re not going to execute near our personal level of competency, because both judgment and common sense will be impaired. When our emotions dominate our actions, we make mistakes.”*
Utah’s next possession saw them score a field goal. This became 17 unanswered points scored against the Cougars in a matter of not more than 9 minutes, the Cougar defense had become vulnerable. Three drives totally 157 yards now has BYU in a hole. They are down 14 points, 24-10. Their offense has only averaged 15 points the first two games. Though the offense showed promise in the first half, do they have enough to even tie the Running Utes, let alone take the lead. There is a lot of pressure here and when your team knows they need to achieve more than they have so far, emotions within the players can not help but rise to the surface.
True to Coach Wooden’s statement, emotions took over, at least for BYU’s kickoff return man. He fumbled the kickoff inside their own 5 yard line. Utah recovered and a touchdown ensued, making an even deeper hole for the Cougars to come out of, 30-10. It never got better. Another fumble and interception led to 14 more points. While the offense did threaten one time inside the Ute 20 yard line, they turned the ball over on downs. It was not possible to focus on precision offense while being beat up. Utah scored 40 points in the second half, 24 were the result of turnovers. So the defense is not altogether to blame. The offense and kickoff teams put them in many no-win situations. But where is the offense? All three running backs from last year’s team are back--Di Luigi, Kariya, and Quezada. In three games, they have a total of 193 yards amongst the trio with an average of roughly 3 yards a carry. Last year, these three totaled over 1900 yards with a 4.73 per carry average. They averaged almost 32 carries and 151 yards per game. This year, those averages are down to 3.0 yards on 20 carries, and 48 yards per game. It doesn’t make sense that three returning running backs with prior year success would be limited in their touches for the sake of a new offense bent on the pass. It’s turning the Cougars into a one-dimensional team. That makes them too predictable for opposing defenses.
Offensive coordinator Brandon Doman is not proving his worth to the Cougars. They need a running attack to complement their passing game. With 56 passes and only 11 running plays during this debacle, it is evident that the Cougar offense is not only predictable, but lends itself to turnovers--this game producing seven of them. Trying to become better doing the same thing over and over will not work. And if Coach Mendenhall can see improvement in this game, then he is only deluding himself and his team.
*Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success, "Self-Control", pg 54.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Corso's patronizing comments of Boise State
CORSO'S COMMENTS QUESTIONED
Let’s get one thing straight, Lee Corso. The Boise State Broncos belong with ALL the teams in ALL the AQ conferences. I am getting perturbed when I hear this ESPN College Gameday analyst say that he is impressed by the Broncos, but because of the fact that their strength of schedule isn’t comparable to the BCS conferences, they are not worthy of serious consideration to be in THE championship game.
By reason of the fact that teams in BCS conferences play each other every year gives credence to the argument that they play a tougher schedule. But take a look at the non-conference games those ranked BCS teams play:
Alabama-North Texas State (0-3), Kent State (0-3); Penn State (2-1): later in the year 1-AA Georgia Southern second to last game of the season;
LSU-FCS 1-AA Division Northwestern State (1-2); later in the year Western Kentucky, currently (0-3)
Florida State-Louisiana-Monroe, Sun Belt Conference(1-2); Charleston Southern FCS 1-AA, (0-3)
Stanford-San Jose State (0-3); Duke (1-2)
Wisconsin-UNLV (1-2); Oregon State (0-2); Northern Illinois (1-2)
Oklahoma State-Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1); Tulsa (1-2); Arizona (1-2)
Texas A&M- SMU (2-1); Idaho (1-2)
South Carolina- East Carolina (0-2); Georgia (1-2); Navy (2-1)
Oklahoma- Tulsa (1-2); Florida State (2-1)
None of these non-conference schedules supports the “strength of schedule” theory. Three of the top five FBS ranked teams in the country (Alabama, LSU, and Florida State) have either played an FCS team or will play an FCS team sometime this year.
Why don’t one of these top ranked teams ever schedule Boise State? I will tell you. First, in their eyes, they don’t have to. The Broncos are in a non-AQ conference. The non-conference strength of schedule of top ranked teams includes at least one other BCS conference school, such as Oklahoma-Florida State; Wisconsin-Oregon State; Stanford-Duke; Alabama-Penn State so far this year. This seems to justify the strength of schedule argument in spite of the fact that their other non-conference games come from other non-AQ or FCS schools, comparably weak by comparison.
Secondly, I think BCS schools are afraid to play Boise State. As even pro-BCS analyst Lee Corso said, “They impress me”. Of the other four top ranked teams before yesterday’s games, Oklahoma is 54-15 from 2006-10; Alabama 49-17; LSU 51-15; and Florida State 40-26. Boise State during that same period 61-5. Weaker conference schedule? Sure. There is no question that these other teams come from more balanced conferences than Boise State. However, Boise State has proven that they can play with teams like Oklahoma and Oregon, who, by the way, they have beaten twice in the past 5 years, once at Oregon.
So the arguments go on. My own personal feeling is that the BCS schools don’t want a team like Boise State on their non-conference schedule because they might lose to them early in the year and spoil any chance they might have for the BCS championship. They want to keep their non-conference schedules a bit cushy. They know how good the Broncos really are. Oh, they’ll play them in a bowl game, when the regular season is finished. By then their status as a team in a BCS conference has already assured them that Boise State will not be national champions.
Consider these two facts about Boise State. In their Fiesta Bowl victory against Oklahoma, they did something most teams would not have done. They went for two points in the first overtime period. It was not required for them to do that. They could have been content with the touchdown and extra point to match Oklahoma. A team from an “non-elite” conference would have played it safe and go into a second overtime. Not Boise State. It was a modified version of the old Statue of Liberty play that got them the two point conversion to win that game. But it was not the play that impresses me the most. It was the fact that they went for two points when failure to get that conversion would have given the victory to Oklahoma and thus continue the argument.
That was a big risk for Coach Chris Petersen. Looking back, he held the future of all great non-AQ schools to be considered for the BCS championship game on that one play. While the staunch stuffed shirts still have the edge, great non-AQ teams like Boise State are still talked about.
Finally, Boise State’s last two victories against Virginia Tech and Georgia came on the road. Yes, the places they played were considered neutral sites. However, those sites were conveniently located near the home bases for both Tech and Georgia. So they were road games and the Broncos did not crumble under crowd pressure in either location.
In the win over Virginia Tech, Tech led with 1:47 to play in the fourth quarter. Boise State had possession on their own 44 yard line. Kellen Moore and company proceeded to drive 56 yards in 5 plays to score the game winning touchdown. In Tech's next set of downs with just over a minute left, Tyrod Taylor threw 3 incompletions and was sacked. The Bronco defense held true under pressure to insure the win.
The irony? Virgina Tech went on to win 11 games and the ACC Conference championship.
In the future, Mr Corso, stop patronizing a seemingly unqualified team simply because they don't belong to your BCS.
Tomorrow--BYU’s debacle against Utah.
Let’s get one thing straight, Lee Corso. The Boise State Broncos belong with ALL the teams in ALL the AQ conferences. I am getting perturbed when I hear this ESPN College Gameday analyst say that he is impressed by the Broncos, but because of the fact that their strength of schedule isn’t comparable to the BCS conferences, they are not worthy of serious consideration to be in THE championship game.
By reason of the fact that teams in BCS conferences play each other every year gives credence to the argument that they play a tougher schedule. But take a look at the non-conference games those ranked BCS teams play:
Alabama-North Texas State (0-3), Kent State (0-3); Penn State (2-1): later in the year 1-AA Georgia Southern second to last game of the season;
LSU-FCS 1-AA Division Northwestern State (1-2); later in the year Western Kentucky, currently (0-3)
Florida State-Louisiana-Monroe, Sun Belt Conference(1-2); Charleston Southern FCS 1-AA, (0-3)
Stanford-San Jose State (0-3); Duke (1-2)
Wisconsin-UNLV (1-2); Oregon State (0-2); Northern Illinois (1-2)
Oklahoma State-Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1); Tulsa (1-2); Arizona (1-2)
Texas A&M- SMU (2-1); Idaho (1-2)
South Carolina- East Carolina (0-2); Georgia (1-2); Navy (2-1)
Oklahoma- Tulsa (1-2); Florida State (2-1)
None of these non-conference schedules supports the “strength of schedule” theory. Three of the top five FBS ranked teams in the country (Alabama, LSU, and Florida State) have either played an FCS team or will play an FCS team sometime this year.
Why don’t one of these top ranked teams ever schedule Boise State? I will tell you. First, in their eyes, they don’t have to. The Broncos are in a non-AQ conference. The non-conference strength of schedule of top ranked teams includes at least one other BCS conference school, such as Oklahoma-Florida State; Wisconsin-Oregon State; Stanford-Duke; Alabama-Penn State so far this year. This seems to justify the strength of schedule argument in spite of the fact that their other non-conference games come from other non-AQ or FCS schools, comparably weak by comparison.
Secondly, I think BCS schools are afraid to play Boise State. As even pro-BCS analyst Lee Corso said, “They impress me”. Of the other four top ranked teams before yesterday’s games, Oklahoma is 54-15 from 2006-10; Alabama 49-17; LSU 51-15; and Florida State 40-26. Boise State during that same period 61-5. Weaker conference schedule? Sure. There is no question that these other teams come from more balanced conferences than Boise State. However, Boise State has proven that they can play with teams like Oklahoma and Oregon, who, by the way, they have beaten twice in the past 5 years, once at Oregon.
So the arguments go on. My own personal feeling is that the BCS schools don’t want a team like Boise State on their non-conference schedule because they might lose to them early in the year and spoil any chance they might have for the BCS championship. They want to keep their non-conference schedules a bit cushy. They know how good the Broncos really are. Oh, they’ll play them in a bowl game, when the regular season is finished. By then their status as a team in a BCS conference has already assured them that Boise State will not be national champions.
Consider these two facts about Boise State. In their Fiesta Bowl victory against Oklahoma, they did something most teams would not have done. They went for two points in the first overtime period. It was not required for them to do that. They could have been content with the touchdown and extra point to match Oklahoma. A team from an “non-elite” conference would have played it safe and go into a second overtime. Not Boise State. It was a modified version of the old Statue of Liberty play that got them the two point conversion to win that game. But it was not the play that impresses me the most. It was the fact that they went for two points when failure to get that conversion would have given the victory to Oklahoma and thus continue the argument.
That was a big risk for Coach Chris Petersen. Looking back, he held the future of all great non-AQ schools to be considered for the BCS championship game on that one play. While the staunch stuffed shirts still have the edge, great non-AQ teams like Boise State are still talked about.
Finally, Boise State’s last two victories against Virginia Tech and Georgia came on the road. Yes, the places they played were considered neutral sites. However, those sites were conveniently located near the home bases for both Tech and Georgia. So they were road games and the Broncos did not crumble under crowd pressure in either location.
In the win over Virginia Tech, Tech led with 1:47 to play in the fourth quarter. Boise State had possession on their own 44 yard line. Kellen Moore and company proceeded to drive 56 yards in 5 plays to score the game winning touchdown. In Tech's next set of downs with just over a minute left, Tyrod Taylor threw 3 incompletions and was sacked. The Bronco defense held true under pressure to insure the win.
The irony? Virgina Tech went on to win 11 games and the ACC Conference championship.
In the future, Mr Corso, stop patronizing a seemingly unqualified team simply because they don't belong to your BCS.
Tomorrow--BYU’s debacle against Utah.
Friday, September 16, 2011
THIS WEEK AT BYU
Just a few thoughts as BYU heads into this weekend against its traditional rival the University of Utah. They are playing this week this year due to both teams leaving the Mountain West for greener pastures.
Last weekend BYU started out well against Texas, ahead 13-0 at the half. Things seemed to be going well for them until the second half where the Texas defense held the offense to just 68 total yards and 3 points. Texas' offense came out in the second half with 17 points for a one point victory over the Cougars 17-16.
The offense started out fairly well against the Texas defense with 168 yards in the first half. BYU's defense showed well again, holding Texas to just 289 total yards, though it did give up over 200 yards in the second half. One can understand that since the Cougar offense could not gel anything in the second half.
This weekend is the big rivalry game with the Utes. It's BYU's first home game. Both the team and the fans are going to be pumped up. However, it's a far cry for a road game for Utah since it's only a 45 mile trip from their home stadium in Salt Lake.
Coach Lane Kiffin of USC praised the Utah defense in last week's game against the Utes. That is what the Cougars' first year offensive coordinator Brandon Doman will be up against. Not only is he new to the job, but he is working on installing a brand new offensive scheme that has produced only 30 points and under 600 yards of offense in two games. While it has shown some promise here and there, that will not be enough to be successful against a defense like Utah's.
While Utah felt that they held their own against the Trojans, who basically controlled the line of scrimmage against the Utes. They know that they need to get better even with the kudos from Coach Kiffin. Utah needs more offense. They have the tools and a very experienced coordinator in Norm Chow. Ring a bell? Yes, the one who coached at BYU and helped win a national championship for USC in 2003 and 2004. While he has not had much success since his days with the Trojans, he is excited about being back in Utah where he played in the '60's.
I look for this to be a close, defensive game with the Utes coming out on top. While emotions may ride high for the Cougars, I believe Utah will weather the opposition at Edwards Stadium. 21-17.
Just a few thoughts as BYU heads into this weekend against its traditional rival the University of Utah. They are playing this week this year due to both teams leaving the Mountain West for greener pastures.
Last weekend BYU started out well against Texas, ahead 13-0 at the half. Things seemed to be going well for them until the second half where the Texas defense held the offense to just 68 total yards and 3 points. Texas' offense came out in the second half with 17 points for a one point victory over the Cougars 17-16.
The offense started out fairly well against the Texas defense with 168 yards in the first half. BYU's defense showed well again, holding Texas to just 289 total yards, though it did give up over 200 yards in the second half. One can understand that since the Cougar offense could not gel anything in the second half.
This weekend is the big rivalry game with the Utes. It's BYU's first home game. Both the team and the fans are going to be pumped up. However, it's a far cry for a road game for Utah since it's only a 45 mile trip from their home stadium in Salt Lake.
Coach Lane Kiffin of USC praised the Utah defense in last week's game against the Utes. That is what the Cougars' first year offensive coordinator Brandon Doman will be up against. Not only is he new to the job, but he is working on installing a brand new offensive scheme that has produced only 30 points and under 600 yards of offense in two games. While it has shown some promise here and there, that will not be enough to be successful against a defense like Utah's.
While Utah felt that they held their own against the Trojans, who basically controlled the line of scrimmage against the Utes. They know that they need to get better even with the kudos from Coach Kiffin. Utah needs more offense. They have the tools and a very experienced coordinator in Norm Chow. Ring a bell? Yes, the one who coached at BYU and helped win a national championship for USC in 2003 and 2004. While he has not had much success since his days with the Trojans, he is excited about being back in Utah where he played in the '60's.
I look for this to be a close, defensive game with the Utes coming out on top. While emotions may ride high for the Cougars, I believe Utah will weather the opposition at Edwards Stadium. 21-17.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
9/11 and other stuff
I can remember where I was at the time I heard of the first plane at 6:45 Mountain Time. I was homeless and living in a recreational vehicle loaned to me by a friend. I had woken up about 6:30 and was just listening to the news. Amanda Blake reported it first at roughly 6:50am. Details were not known at the time. I did not see any of it. I do remember being at a friend's house and seeing the devastation to the twin towers either later that day or the next. When I heard confirmed reports about the perpetrators of this horror, I remember exclaiming, "We have been attacked on our own soil by a foreign power for the first time. This is an act of war." I was not remembering Pearl Harbor then. It is technically the first time it's happened on the Continental United States.
I said that I was homeless at the time. My mind was geared more toward just survival at that time, so the shock did not set in until later. What America has done since then is a response to this act. I thought about how this was different from a country attacking us. It was al-queda, a terrorist group who considers the US an enemy to the Muslim religion. It is not like a country in a specific location on the world map. A terrorist could be someone walking down the street looking very normal. Yet he could be a part of this extremist group with a bomb attached to his body ready to blow up himself plus anyone within a certain perimeter.
Unlike a country, we did not know who to attack. We could not attack a country by just invading it. There was no country. Who were these extremists? Where were they? It was like trying to fight the war on terrorism against a ghost.
Those were my thoughts ten years ago. Since then, we have fought a war in the Middle East that I felt, initially, was wrong. It did not seem logical to fight Saddam Husein in Iraq. The Al-Queda network did not really exist there. Its leader, Osama Bin-Laden, was from Saudi Arabia. So why not search for him there? He required dialysis for his kidneys, so the logical choice would be to search for him where there is source of electricty. The claim of Weapons of Mass Destruction existing in Iraq and so we start the war there type of thinking has never proven to be valid, as WMD's were never found there.
I said that I initally did not support the war in Iraq. But I changed my mind only because I am a veteran, and I know that the President and his advisors have access to information I do not have. My biggest complaint was, "Where are we going to get the money to fund the war?" It turns out that the war in Iraq was funded by interest-bearing loans from foreign governments. So now much of our national debt is not just from the financial crises of 2008, but from war.
One of my favorite classic TV shows is Star Trek: TNG. Many episodes encounter a situation where the crew is required to follow Starfleet's Prime Directive. It revolves around the idea that Starfleet can not impose their values, culture, weapons, and technology upon any other living species in the galaxy. The idea behind this is that introduction of modern thought, culture, weapons, etc would interupt the natural evolution of the species.
Now while human beings here are one species, there are many different countries. These entities have different types of government from ours; their cultures have evolved over many generations far older than our own country; their perspective of the world is far different from ours; their histories diverge in many directions. We know that history forms what type of government they have. It forms their cultures, their traditions, and ways of thinking as well.
Our way of life is different from most of the world. We have a multitude of choices ranging from how we live our life, what values we espouse, what kind of car we will drive, etc. Our Constitution protects all of our choices and rights. It is a way of life envied by much of the world. After having served my country in 3 foreign countries, I still say that we are the best around.
However, that does not give us the right to be the policemen of the world. We do not have the right to impose our way of government, our cultural practices upon another simply in the name of freedom. We should protect weaker countries from stronger ones who would take over their country, thus destroying not only that country's government, but also all those things that make them the unique country they have become. We should also help countries regardless of whether they can offer us much or little in return in terms of natural resources. That is what is meant by protecting countries in the name of freedom.
I said that I was homeless at the time. My mind was geared more toward just survival at that time, so the shock did not set in until later. What America has done since then is a response to this act. I thought about how this was different from a country attacking us. It was al-queda, a terrorist group who considers the US an enemy to the Muslim religion. It is not like a country in a specific location on the world map. A terrorist could be someone walking down the street looking very normal. Yet he could be a part of this extremist group with a bomb attached to his body ready to blow up himself plus anyone within a certain perimeter.
Unlike a country, we did not know who to attack. We could not attack a country by just invading it. There was no country. Who were these extremists? Where were they? It was like trying to fight the war on terrorism against a ghost.
Those were my thoughts ten years ago. Since then, we have fought a war in the Middle East that I felt, initially, was wrong. It did not seem logical to fight Saddam Husein in Iraq. The Al-Queda network did not really exist there. Its leader, Osama Bin-Laden, was from Saudi Arabia. So why not search for him there? He required dialysis for his kidneys, so the logical choice would be to search for him where there is source of electricty. The claim of Weapons of Mass Destruction existing in Iraq and so we start the war there type of thinking has never proven to be valid, as WMD's were never found there.
I said that I initally did not support the war in Iraq. But I changed my mind only because I am a veteran, and I know that the President and his advisors have access to information I do not have. My biggest complaint was, "Where are we going to get the money to fund the war?" It turns out that the war in Iraq was funded by interest-bearing loans from foreign governments. So now much of our national debt is not just from the financial crises of 2008, but from war.
* * * * * * *
One of my favorite classic TV shows is Star Trek: TNG. Many episodes encounter a situation where the crew is required to follow Starfleet's Prime Directive. It revolves around the idea that Starfleet can not impose their values, culture, weapons, and technology upon any other living species in the galaxy. The idea behind this is that introduction of modern thought, culture, weapons, etc would interupt the natural evolution of the species.
Now while human beings here are one species, there are many different countries. These entities have different types of government from ours; their cultures have evolved over many generations far older than our own country; their perspective of the world is far different from ours; their histories diverge in many directions. We know that history forms what type of government they have. It forms their cultures, their traditions, and ways of thinking as well.
Our way of life is different from most of the world. We have a multitude of choices ranging from how we live our life, what values we espouse, what kind of car we will drive, etc. Our Constitution protects all of our choices and rights. It is a way of life envied by much of the world. After having served my country in 3 foreign countries, I still say that we are the best around.
However, that does not give us the right to be the policemen of the world. We do not have the right to impose our way of government, our cultural practices upon another simply in the name of freedom. We should protect weaker countries from stronger ones who would take over their country, thus destroying not only that country's government, but also all those things that make them the unique country they have become. We should also help countries regardless of whether they can offer us much or little in return in terms of natural resources. That is what is meant by protecting countries in the name of freedom.
Friday, September 9, 2011
More on super conferences
A new dynamic is in place in the Southwest. Baylor complains about Texas A&M's jump to the SEC, but then says, "We're not making a decision until Oklahoma does". That's like a guy who steps out of a crowd and barks at the opposing side then slithers back into the pack.
There's more. The letter last Friday from the Big 12 to the SEC promises that the other schools in the conference will okay A&M's move provided Oklahoma decides to stay in the Big 12. Well, Oklahoma, there you have it. Choose to leave the Big 12 and have it file a lawsuit against A&M and the SEC while taking OK State, Texas, and Texas Tech with you or stay in the Big 12 thus keeping the conference in tact with 9 teams and let A&M try their hand in the SEC where their butts will get kicked.
Really, all of this is very entertaining news, but it's a distraction to what is really important. College football is saying good-bye to the old, traditional ways of doing business to embrace a newer, more lucrative setup of the super conference system. All in the name of money.
In my other column today, I wrote about the importance of tradition. This may have implied that I was agreeing with Baylor's admonition. Not so. I have always believed in some traditions. I also believe in change when necessary. In some ways I agree with the super conference idea. Bigger contracts with TV and cable can bring teams to audiences that never get to see them. They also bring the sons and daughters of parents whose children may attend a university where the media doesn't reach normally into their homes so that they can see their children play.
But one does not rip up the foundation of what makes college football so appealing--its tradition and all of the atmosphere of competition and the bragging rights that come from beating a cross-town or traditional conference rival, such as Texas-Oklahoma or USC-UCLA. That atmosphere is created by fans who love their football team. They come out to cheer, scream, and boo. It is a break from their workaday world where they can leave their inhibitions at home and be crazy for awhile. Eliminating tradition means eliminating the part of us that needs the release.
BYU and Utah both left the Mountain West Conference this year in hopes of greener pastures. One thing they did NOT do was eliminate their yearly rivalry. The game will take place earlier in the schedule rather than at the end of the season. That part of the tradition is changed. But nothing else. I believe both schools recognize the link that exists between them need not be broken by other factors. While the game will not determine who wins the conference anymore (as it did in years past) it will maintain the spirit of good, hard competition between their teams.
The fuss being made in the Southwest now is not a good omen for the fans of college football. The aspect of big money in an amateur sport eliminates an intangible that keeps us all sane.
There's more. The letter last Friday from the Big 12 to the SEC promises that the other schools in the conference will okay A&M's move provided Oklahoma decides to stay in the Big 12. Well, Oklahoma, there you have it. Choose to leave the Big 12 and have it file a lawsuit against A&M and the SEC while taking OK State, Texas, and Texas Tech with you or stay in the Big 12 thus keeping the conference in tact with 9 teams and let A&M try their hand in the SEC where their butts will get kicked.
Really, all of this is very entertaining news, but it's a distraction to what is really important. College football is saying good-bye to the old, traditional ways of doing business to embrace a newer, more lucrative setup of the super conference system. All in the name of money.
In my other column today, I wrote about the importance of tradition. This may have implied that I was agreeing with Baylor's admonition. Not so. I have always believed in some traditions. I also believe in change when necessary. In some ways I agree with the super conference idea. Bigger contracts with TV and cable can bring teams to audiences that never get to see them. They also bring the sons and daughters of parents whose children may attend a university where the media doesn't reach normally into their homes so that they can see their children play.
But one does not rip up the foundation of what makes college football so appealing--its tradition and all of the atmosphere of competition and the bragging rights that come from beating a cross-town or traditional conference rival, such as Texas-Oklahoma or USC-UCLA. That atmosphere is created by fans who love their football team. They come out to cheer, scream, and boo. It is a break from their workaday world where they can leave their inhibitions at home and be crazy for awhile. Eliminating tradition means eliminating the part of us that needs the release.
BYU and Utah both left the Mountain West Conference this year in hopes of greener pastures. One thing they did NOT do was eliminate their yearly rivalry. The game will take place earlier in the schedule rather than at the end of the season. That part of the tradition is changed. But nothing else. I believe both schools recognize the link that exists between them need not be broken by other factors. While the game will not determine who wins the conference anymore (as it did in years past) it will maintain the spirit of good, hard competition between their teams.
The fuss being made in the Southwest now is not a good omen for the fans of college football. The aspect of big money in an amateur sport eliminates an intangible that keeps us all sane.
College football shaking up
It's the wild and woolly college football. We all get excited about it every late summer/early fall. We love it. But this year a new dimension is added. The talk of super conferences is hot and heavy right now. One of the conferences that has been a mainstay throughout the years is the Big 12(formerly the Big 8). It's starting to breakup. This year Colorado moved to the Pac-12 and Nebraska to the Big Ten. That situation has been eased into quite well without too much notice.
Now Texas A&M has decided it wants to move to the SEC. The SEC has given its permission on condition of no lawsuits against A&M or the SEC. Lowly Baylor has stepped in and objected on grounds that it ruins the football culture Texas is very proud of. Their arguments are based upon the football tradition in Texas.
Valid argument? The football tradition in Texas has been around longer than your grandparents or mine. The Southwest Conference began in 1915. Charter members included Oklahoma, Oklahoma State (formerly Oklahoma A&M), Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, six of the ten remaining teams of the later created Big 12. So Baylor has an argument that breaking up what's left of the Big 12 would tarnish Texas' long 96 year rich tradition.
Add to this the fact that now the traditional Red River Shootout is in jeopardy. Yes, this traditional rivalry that that has existed forever as far as my memory is concerned is being threatened by the superconference dynamic. For many Texans, this could be on the edge of sacrilege. It's just about tantamount to having the Dallas Cowboys sold and moved to another state.
\
"That would never happen", you say. Well, twenty-five years ago that might have been the reaction when a suggestion that the traditional Oklahoma-Nebraska game should end. Now it's reality. The thought of maintaining the tradition is giving way to whatever talks the most and the loudest--in this case, money, money, money.
The Big Ten managed to maintain its primary rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan by putting them in different divisions within the newly realigned conference. The powers that be there realized that this game is not just about the Big Ten. It is a national rivalry that people all across the country watch every year regardless of won-loss records. I have grown accustomed to it, though I have never lived for more than a year in either area.
Same thing with the Rose Bowl every year. Until the BCS, it touted the two best teams from the Pac-10(now 12) and the Big Ten. Many people would watch this because the game would prove to be very good, and it's the granddaddy of them all.
And so no Texas-Oklahoma yearly matchup at the state fair? Unheard of!!!! Preposterous. It, like Ohio St./Michigan, is a national rivalry. It doesn't just belong to Texas or the Big 12. It belongs to all of us. Because of tradition? Absolutely, without question. How dare the college football world would even think of eliminating this traditional matchup between two traditionally strong football schools? It's like tearing out a vital organ in our body and saying we could live without it.
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops likens the elimination of the game to when Nebraska-Oklahoma tradition was ended. It's okay by him. He feels its a reflection of adapting to change. Oklahoma was fine after its split with the Cornhuskers. It'll be fine with the split with Texas. No problem. WRONG!!!
The Sooners have been tied to the fabric of football with Texas for close to 100 years.
Unfortunately, money speaks louder than tradition these days. That's the sad reality of all this. Conferences don't listen to their fans anymore. Sold out stadiums, screaming fans, bands playing fight songs, fans holding signs in support of their teams, programs, concessions, et al are not enough to drown out the call of multi-billion dollar contracts.
A sport that should be driven by competition and tradition has gone the way of the pros. It's too much of a business now. That ruins the "feel-good" atmosphere college football used to engender. It was nice to go to a game where the hometown team play against a rival from a nearby city or state. It brought a sense of community to us. It brought excitement to our hearts as we cheered for our team against an opponent that might take away our chances for the championship. Excitement breeds joy and good feelings.
Elimination of this aspect of traditional games will only make us indifferent to our community, taking away its strength and friendliness and replacing it with contempt and discord.
Now Texas A&M has decided it wants to move to the SEC. The SEC has given its permission on condition of no lawsuits against A&M or the SEC. Lowly Baylor has stepped in and objected on grounds that it ruins the football culture Texas is very proud of. Their arguments are based upon the football tradition in Texas.
Valid argument? The football tradition in Texas has been around longer than your grandparents or mine. The Southwest Conference began in 1915. Charter members included Oklahoma, Oklahoma State (formerly Oklahoma A&M), Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, six of the ten remaining teams of the later created Big 12. So Baylor has an argument that breaking up what's left of the Big 12 would tarnish Texas' long 96 year rich tradition.
Add to this the fact that now the traditional Red River Shootout is in jeopardy. Yes, this traditional rivalry that that has existed forever as far as my memory is concerned is being threatened by the superconference dynamic. For many Texans, this could be on the edge of sacrilege. It's just about tantamount to having the Dallas Cowboys sold and moved to another state.
\
"That would never happen", you say. Well, twenty-five years ago that might have been the reaction when a suggestion that the traditional Oklahoma-Nebraska game should end. Now it's reality. The thought of maintaining the tradition is giving way to whatever talks the most and the loudest--in this case, money, money, money.
The Big Ten managed to maintain its primary rivalry between Ohio State and Michigan by putting them in different divisions within the newly realigned conference. The powers that be there realized that this game is not just about the Big Ten. It is a national rivalry that people all across the country watch every year regardless of won-loss records. I have grown accustomed to it, though I have never lived for more than a year in either area.
Same thing with the Rose Bowl every year. Until the BCS, it touted the two best teams from the Pac-10(now 12) and the Big Ten. Many people would watch this because the game would prove to be very good, and it's the granddaddy of them all.
And so no Texas-Oklahoma yearly matchup at the state fair? Unheard of!!!! Preposterous. It, like Ohio St./Michigan, is a national rivalry. It doesn't just belong to Texas or the Big 12. It belongs to all of us. Because of tradition? Absolutely, without question. How dare the college football world would even think of eliminating this traditional matchup between two traditionally strong football schools? It's like tearing out a vital organ in our body and saying we could live without it.
Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops likens the elimination of the game to when Nebraska-Oklahoma tradition was ended. It's okay by him. He feels its a reflection of adapting to change. Oklahoma was fine after its split with the Cornhuskers. It'll be fine with the split with Texas. No problem. WRONG!!!
The Sooners have been tied to the fabric of football with Texas for close to 100 years.
Unfortunately, money speaks louder than tradition these days. That's the sad reality of all this. Conferences don't listen to their fans anymore. Sold out stadiums, screaming fans, bands playing fight songs, fans holding signs in support of their teams, programs, concessions, et al are not enough to drown out the call of multi-billion dollar contracts.
A sport that should be driven by competition and tradition has gone the way of the pros. It's too much of a business now. That ruins the "feel-good" atmosphere college football used to engender. It was nice to go to a game where the hometown team play against a rival from a nearby city or state. It brought a sense of community to us. It brought excitement to our hearts as we cheered for our team against an opponent that might take away our chances for the championship. Excitement breeds joy and good feelings.
Elimination of this aspect of traditional games will only make us indifferent to our community, taking away its strength and friendliness and replacing it with contempt and discord.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Boise State, BYU win; Talk over super conferences
BOISE STATE; SUPER CONFERENCES; BYU COORDINATOR'S FIRST TEST
Two years ago Boise State decided to up its competition by leaving the WAC and going to the Mountain West. This had the potential of making the Mountain West an AQ conference for the BCS as there would have been four great teams in the conference in BYU, Utah, TCU, and Boise State.
Back in the '60's, there was a cigarette commercial whose slogan was "I'd rather fight than switch". Well, with all the carping going on about strength of schedule and style, teams in the Mountain West got tired of the Rodney Dangerfield slogan, "I get no respect" and decided that they would do the opposite--they would rather switch than fight. Utah decided to go to the Pac-10, BYU became an independent, and TCU next year will join the Big East, leaving Boise State standing alone in the Mountain West, now a non-AQ conference for sure, though now in the hunt for a BCS berth after beating Georgia decisively this past weekend on the road.*
COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S FUTURE
Chris Dodd, senior writer for CBSsports.com outlined the formation of 5 Super Conferences in the works right now--the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and PAC-10. Of course, now, the Big 12 looks like it might be dissolving with Oklahoma thinking of going to the Pac-10 perhaps with Texas following. The Sooners would also like to see Oklahoma State and Texas Tech join in the move to the Pac-10, making it the Pac-14. Texas A&M wants out of the Big 12 and go to the SEC. There are many articles favoring pro and con. In the end, though, I think A&M will go to the SEC regardless of the traditional matchup arguments.
DOMAN'S FIRST TEST
There will be stammers and stutters when a team brings in a new offensive coordinator and a new system of offense. I don't care if there are 10 returning starters who know each other and have worked with each other. New offensive systems have new blocking skeems, new running plays, and new passing routes that require familiarity, timing, and crisp execution to be effective in a game.
Combine that with going into the SEC and facing any opponent regardless of record and coming out with a win. His choice of plays, familiarity with defensive systems not to mention that it's the first game of the season. He hasn't called a single play as an offensive coordinator nor has he had the luxury of game film to see what the opponent's defense is like.
That describes the situation Brandon Doman faced entering the game against Mississippi. He describes how he felt going into the game--"I had never searched my soul as much in my life in an athletic event." Really? He played at BYU from 1998-2001; was on the rosters of three NFL teams from 2002-04; and has been the quarterbacks' coach at BYU the past six years. One would think that he's accustomed to being under pressure.
I believe, though, that his soul searching experience is also understandable. It reflects his sense of responsibility to his team's success. As quarterback at BYU, his teams never had a losing season. Their best season was his senior year when they went 12-2. He's accustomed to winning. He has the benefit of longtime coach Lance Reynolds and receivers' coach Ben Cahoon. Both were starters on former BYU teams and no doubt share his feelings about creating a winning attitude at BYU.
He gave himself a "C" grade for his first game. While it was a win, it was wrought with miscues, penalties and turnovers he will want to address to his team. His task is no easier this weekend--the University of Texas Longhorns at home. It's a whole new set of challenges.** Let's see how it goes.
*--see yesterday's blog
**--see my blog from 8/11 "This Year"
BYU wins; first weekend results
FIRST WEEKEND
This was a very interesting weekend in college football. It actually started last Thursday when #11 Wisconsin rolled over the Mountain West's UNLV and Mississippi State held a clinic on rushing for 309 yards and 645 yards of total offense against Memphis. In this game time of possession was not a factor as Mississippi State had possession for under 23 minutes the entire game, just under 40% of the time.
Friday saw a real barn burner in Baylor. I wish I could have been here to see this one. There was 57 points scored in the first half with Baylor up 34-23. Then the Bears scored 13 unanswered points in the third quarter to lead by 24. TCU made a valiant effort, scoring 25 in the fourth quarter, only to see the Bears culminate a 60-yard drive in the last 4 minutes to kick a 37-yard field goal. TCU's defense was not what it was last year, giving up over 560 yards total offense.
One of the early games on Saturday saw Utah State go into Auburn to start off the season facing the 2010 national champion Tigers. I used to live in Utah and I remember when Utah State would go to places like Nebraska just to get a slice of the money. I don't think they had any illusions that they could beat them back then. The last 10 years they have not had a winning season, the closest being 4-7 in 2002.
However, I think the mindset has changed there. They went into Norman to face the preseason #7 Oklahoma Sooners last year and stayed with them, eventually losing 31-24. They were behind 21-17 with ten minutes left in the third quarter, but could get no closer and held the mighty Sooner offense to just 31 points.
This year they went into the mighty SEC and unfortunately could not hold on. With 10 minutes left, they executed a 14 play, 65 yard drive that took over 6 minutes off the clock to score a touchdown and put them up 38-28 with under four minutes left. It only took Auburn 1:31 to go 65 yards for a score to bring them within three. They then executed an onside kick to perfection and went down to score another touchdown to win.
Utah State came into Auburn with a good game plan--ball control. They had two drives of at least 7-minutes or more, one 6 minute drive and one 5 minute drive. All totalled-just over 26 minutes. Two of those drives were in the fourth quarter totalling over 11 minutes. Too bad the defense could not come through. They were certainly given enough rest.
BOISE STATE STARTING STRONG
The Boise State Broncos went into the Georgia Dome to face Georgia. Technically this was a neutral site, but there's nothing neutral about Georgia playing in their home state against the perennial BCS busting Broncos. They showed that they are a team to be reckoned with again this year, now wearing the conference banner of the Mountain West.
The Bronco offense performed as usual under the leadership of senior Kelvin Moore--390 yards total offense, 28-34 for 261. Their defense is what kept the Bulldogs at bay. Georgia's three scores came on a run of 80 yards in the 1st quarter, a 36-yard TD pass in the 3rd, and a 51-yard TD pass in the 4th. The rest of their yardage consisted of 57 yards rushing on 30 carries and 149 yards on 27 attempts passing. So the Bronco defense beat up on this SEC opponent pretty good keeping the Bulldogs from ever getting close after the first half.
BYU COMES THROUGH, BARELY
BYU started out this season as an independent, after playing in the old WAC and the Mountain West Conferences. Their first game was SEC opponent Mississippi on the road. Mississippi wanted to come back from their 2010 record of 4-8. That record may not look to great until one realizes that they are in the SEC Western Division against teams like Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, and Mississippi State. Pretty hefty competition. Their only win in SEC came against Kentucky. They wanted to come out strong in their home opener.
BYU wanted to show the nation that they could compete against the "big boys", going into the SEC and then this Saturday traveling to Austin to face Texas. There have been times in the past where they have proven themselves mostly on the bowl scene. The Independent status gives them an opportunity to play a meatier schedule with the likes of Ole Miss, Texas, Utah, UCF, Oregon State, and TCU. Five of those six games are on the road, though the game with Utah is only 43 miles north of Cougar Stadium, that could be considered a home game.
Not only was their playing status different, they employed an entire new offense under coordinator Brandon Doman, a former quarterback at the Y. Bringing a new system to the team can take some time getting used to, even though the offense had 9 starters returning. That may have been the reason for its sputtering offense in the first half against Ole Miss.
BYU showed some pretty good offense against Mississippi. However, it always seemed to stall through a combination of penalties, negative rushing yards, fumbled snaps, and incomplete passes. They scored 0 points in the first half with only 104 yards of offense. The BYU defense played fairly well, holding Ole Miss to 44 yards in just 16 plays for the first 26 minutes of the game. On their next possession they changed quarterbacks and executed a 49-yard, 8 play drive ending with a field goal. So while BYU had more yardage, they were not ahead on the scoreboard.
A team's first possession in the second half is crucial. It sets the tone for the team, especially on the road. BYU's first possession started out quite well. They moved the ball 67 yards to the Ole Miss 22 yard line, only to have Jake Heaps throw an interception that the Rebels ran back for a touchdown. Their next possession of 66 yards ended in a missed field goal of 31 yards. Again BYU moved the ball--again no points.
Early in the fourth, Ole Miss kicked a field goal to go up 13-0. BYU finally mounted a drive ending in a touchdown to cut the lead to 13-7. Ole Miss' next possession resulted in a fumble caused, recovered and scored by Kyle Van Noy, putting BYU up 14-13 which was the final score.
This certainly was not pretty for the Cougars. New offense, new coordinator can cause even the hardest working team to hit-and-miss for the first game or two. One has to give credit to the never-say-die attitude. It's what kept them in the game and eventually gave them the win.
Teams like Utah State who get no respect from the AQ conferences, showed that they need to be taken seriously as they almost pulled a very big upset against the reigning national champion and #19 ranked Auburn. They played their best for 56 minutes against the SEC powerhouse. Unfortunately, the game is 60 minutes long. Boise State proved that they can play on anyone's home turf as good or better than at home.
Notre Dame under their new coach lost their home opener
This was a very interesting weekend in college football. It actually started last Thursday when #11 Wisconsin rolled over the Mountain West's UNLV and Mississippi State held a clinic on rushing for 309 yards and 645 yards of total offense against Memphis. In this game time of possession was not a factor as Mississippi State had possession for under 23 minutes the entire game, just under 40% of the time.
Friday saw a real barn burner in Baylor. I wish I could have been here to see this one. There was 57 points scored in the first half with Baylor up 34-23. Then the Bears scored 13 unanswered points in the third quarter to lead by 24. TCU made a valiant effort, scoring 25 in the fourth quarter, only to see the Bears culminate a 60-yard drive in the last 4 minutes to kick a 37-yard field goal. TCU's defense was not what it was last year, giving up over 560 yards total offense.
One of the early games on Saturday saw Utah State go into Auburn to start off the season facing the 2010 national champion Tigers. I used to live in Utah and I remember when Utah State would go to places like Nebraska just to get a slice of the money. I don't think they had any illusions that they could beat them back then. The last 10 years they have not had a winning season, the closest being 4-7 in 2002.
However, I think the mindset has changed there. They went into Norman to face the preseason #7 Oklahoma Sooners last year and stayed with them, eventually losing 31-24. They were behind 21-17 with ten minutes left in the third quarter, but could get no closer and held the mighty Sooner offense to just 31 points.
This year they went into the mighty SEC and unfortunately could not hold on. With 10 minutes left, they executed a 14 play, 65 yard drive that took over 6 minutes off the clock to score a touchdown and put them up 38-28 with under four minutes left. It only took Auburn 1:31 to go 65 yards for a score to bring them within three. They then executed an onside kick to perfection and went down to score another touchdown to win.
Utah State came into Auburn with a good game plan--ball control. They had two drives of at least 7-minutes or more, one 6 minute drive and one 5 minute drive. All totalled-just over 26 minutes. Two of those drives were in the fourth quarter totalling over 11 minutes. Too bad the defense could not come through. They were certainly given enough rest.
BOISE STATE STARTING STRONG
The Boise State Broncos went into the Georgia Dome to face Georgia. Technically this was a neutral site, but there's nothing neutral about Georgia playing in their home state against the perennial BCS busting Broncos. They showed that they are a team to be reckoned with again this year, now wearing the conference banner of the Mountain West.
The Bronco offense performed as usual under the leadership of senior Kelvin Moore--390 yards total offense, 28-34 for 261. Their defense is what kept the Bulldogs at bay. Georgia's three scores came on a run of 80 yards in the 1st quarter, a 36-yard TD pass in the 3rd, and a 51-yard TD pass in the 4th. The rest of their yardage consisted of 57 yards rushing on 30 carries and 149 yards on 27 attempts passing. So the Bronco defense beat up on this SEC opponent pretty good keeping the Bulldogs from ever getting close after the first half.
BYU COMES THROUGH, BARELY
BYU started out this season as an independent, after playing in the old WAC and the Mountain West Conferences. Their first game was SEC opponent Mississippi on the road. Mississippi wanted to come back from their 2010 record of 4-8. That record may not look to great until one realizes that they are in the SEC Western Division against teams like Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, and Mississippi State. Pretty hefty competition. Their only win in SEC came against Kentucky. They wanted to come out strong in their home opener.
BYU wanted to show the nation that they could compete against the "big boys", going into the SEC and then this Saturday traveling to Austin to face Texas. There have been times in the past where they have proven themselves mostly on the bowl scene. The Independent status gives them an opportunity to play a meatier schedule with the likes of Ole Miss, Texas, Utah, UCF, Oregon State, and TCU. Five of those six games are on the road, though the game with Utah is only 43 miles north of Cougar Stadium, that could be considered a home game.
Not only was their playing status different, they employed an entire new offense under coordinator Brandon Doman, a former quarterback at the Y. Bringing a new system to the team can take some time getting used to, even though the offense had 9 starters returning. That may have been the reason for its sputtering offense in the first half against Ole Miss.
BYU showed some pretty good offense against Mississippi. However, it always seemed to stall through a combination of penalties, negative rushing yards, fumbled snaps, and incomplete passes. They scored 0 points in the first half with only 104 yards of offense. The BYU defense played fairly well, holding Ole Miss to 44 yards in just 16 plays for the first 26 minutes of the game. On their next possession they changed quarterbacks and executed a 49-yard, 8 play drive ending with a field goal. So while BYU had more yardage, they were not ahead on the scoreboard.
A team's first possession in the second half is crucial. It sets the tone for the team, especially on the road. BYU's first possession started out quite well. They moved the ball 67 yards to the Ole Miss 22 yard line, only to have Jake Heaps throw an interception that the Rebels ran back for a touchdown. Their next possession of 66 yards ended in a missed field goal of 31 yards. Again BYU moved the ball--again no points.
Early in the fourth, Ole Miss kicked a field goal to go up 13-0. BYU finally mounted a drive ending in a touchdown to cut the lead to 13-7. Ole Miss' next possession resulted in a fumble caused, recovered and scored by Kyle Van Noy, putting BYU up 14-13 which was the final score.
This certainly was not pretty for the Cougars. New offense, new coordinator can cause even the hardest working team to hit-and-miss for the first game or two. One has to give credit to the never-say-die attitude. It's what kept them in the game and eventually gave them the win.
Teams like Utah State who get no respect from the AQ conferences, showed that they need to be taken seriously as they almost pulled a very big upset against the reigning national champion and #19 ranked Auburn. They played their best for 56 minutes against the SEC powerhouse. Unfortunately, the game is 60 minutes long. Boise State proved that they can play on anyone's home turf as good or better than at home.
Notre Dame under their new coach lost their home opener
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