QB Season Rankings: 35-31

I started this series last week with my ranking of seasons 41-36. In that post you can also read the criteria I used to put together these rankings.

What I will say about this group (which is very different from the last group) is that there are some really good QBs in that just had lousy seasons. Which goes to show you that you can’t make a final judgement on a player after less than a season.

BYU Season Rankings No. 35-31

No. 35: Marc Wilson, 1978
Stats: 1499 yards; 52% comp; 8 TDs; 13 INTs; 6.43 yards per completion; Season: 9-4, 1st in the WAC, 23-16 loss to Navy in the Holiday Bowl
Thoughts: Gary Crowton and Bronco Mendenhall weren’t the only BYU coaches who tried a QB rotation. LaVell rotated Wilson and Jim McMahon, before Wilson took over in 1979 and played very well. But in 1978 he played poorly, completely a low percentage of passes and turning the ball over too often.

No. 34: Sean Covey, 1987
Stats: 1668 yards; 61% comp; 8 TDs; 9 INTs; 7.69 yards per comp; Season: 9-4, 2nd in WAC, 22-16 loss to Virginia in the All-American Bowl
Thoughts: Another time share season, as Covey shared the position with Bob Jensen (who’s season came in at No. 37 ). This was during the great BYU QB drought between Bosco and Detmer. Covey showed some signs of life in 1987, but he never put it all together.

No. 33: Sean Covey, 1988
Stats: 2607 yards; 55% comp; 10 TDs; 10 INTs; 8.17 yards per comp; Season: 9-4, 3rd in WAC, 20-17 win over Colorado in the Freedom Bowl
Thoughts: Little did Covey realize that he was keeping the seat warm for the little QB from Texas. Though Detmer didn’t really outplay Covey that much during the season, Detmer came into the season-ending Freedom Bowl and brought home a victory, truly launching his historic career. Covey’s inability to make the leap between 1987 and 1988 sealed his fate, and opened up Detmer’s door.

No. 32: Jim McMahon, 1978
Stats: 1307 yards; 49% comp; 6 TDs; 8 INTs; 7.43 yards per comp; Season: 9-4, 1st in the WAC, 23-16 loss to Navy in the Holiday Bowl
Thoughts: Obviously McMahon and Wilson struggled in 1978, but great things were in the future for both. In the Holiday Bowl loss to Navy, both QBs played. McMahon was 9-18 for 133 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, and he also rushed for a TD. Though he flashed the McMahon potential, he was inaccurate and undisciplined.

No. 31: Kevin Feterik, 1997
Stats: 1767 yards; 60% comp; 11 TDs; 5 INTs; 8.50 yards per comp; Season: 6-5, 4th in the WAC
Thoughts: This is where the crappy seasons turn into the decent ones. I actually really liked watching Feterik. He was as tough as nails, and he made things exciting. This was not his best season, and the team didn’t make a bowl game. But this season launched much better things for 1998 or 1999.

– Adam

BYU loses to No. 4 TCU: Looking forward to four unranked teams

There was hope. It lasted longer than most people anticipated. I still had the hope after half time. The defense looked pretty good for most of the game. But the offense continued to sputter and couldn’t stay on the field long enough to score or to provide the defense with some rest. The defense seems to have developed a personality and was playing assignments and executing pretty well.  Andrew Rich is becoming one of my favorite BYU players of all time. I know he is hurt, but he is bringing it on every single snap. He had 10 solo tackles and he consistently shows up at the line of scrimmage to make the play. The defense really shut down the run early on. In the end they only gave up 108 rushing yards. This is what kept TCU out of the end zone early. BYU also kept TCU at 7-16 on third down conversions. The biggest problem I saw there was that the defense couldn’t stop TCU from converting when it counted the most. They especially seemed to struggle on third and long. The good news is that when TCU ran option plays the defensive personnel stuck to their assignments and shut it down. They also got into the backfield and sacked Dalton almost as many times as he has been sacked all year. Corby Eason’s sack on Dalton is one of the best hits I’ve seen from this team all year. I couldn’t believe that Dalton didn’t drop that ball. Players were consistently in position. They are starting to look like a Bronco coached defense. This defense has the talent to be very good.  

The offense still looks confused and the play calling looks like practice. In practice, when a play does not go well, it is not uncommon for the coach to make the offense run it again until they get the timing down. Someone needs to inform Robert Anae that this theory is only applicable to practice situations. In game situations, if a play is stuffed for a loss of yards, it is usually ill-advised to call that play again two plays later. Even if you run it to the other side. Those draw plays with the pump fake are not a good idea. I know Anae feels like the choreography is pretty tricky for the defense. But nobody is buying it. Even worse was when they mixed in the pump fake/spin around/hand off draw. By the time all of that was done the hole at the line of scrimmage had closed back up.

Again this week the offense struggled on third down. They only converted 3 out of 14. On third down at least one receiver needs to run a route past the first down marker. Consistently this season Anae has called passing plays in third down situations where there is not a single receiver past the marker when the ball goes into the air. The offense also failed to take advantage of 2nd and short yesterday. Those are just a couple of elements of sustainable drives that continued to elude the offense yesterday.

I know that we are all upset about Patterson’s decision to go for it on 4th and 3 so late in the game. I probably would have kicked the field goal. However, it is TCU’s right to go for it there. At the end of the day the defense is responsible for keeping them out of the endzone. I see it as running up the score. I don’t think it shows much class. But if the defense stuffs them, the conversation is over. If a team doesn’t want to get shown up like that they need to play better football. 

Last week I discussed the fact that it is hard to tell at this point in the season how good any of these teams really are. Keep this in mind. Four of BYU’s five losses have come against teams ranked in the top 25. BYU is now through the portion of their schedule that I have starting calling “the gauntlet”. This team may be better than they look right now. Games against Wyoming, UNLV, Colorado State and New Mexico should give them the opportunity to prove that.

-Matt

Game 7: BYU looking for an upset

Amon Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)

3:00 CST

Kickoff forecast: 83 degrees, partly cloudy

It’s hard to believe, that as fierce as this rivalry seems right now, the two teams have only met nine times, with TCU owning the series lead 5-4. With BYU leaving the MWC and TCU’s public anger regarding BYU’s decision to go independent, this could be the two teams last meeting for a long time (unless they both end up in an expanded Big 12).

On the surface, TCU looks like a juggernaut. The Hornfrogs rank 11th in the FBS in total offense and 1st in total defense. Now the schedule hasn’t exactly been that tough; according to my friend Sriram at on his blog, TCU has ranks 90th in SOS, while BYU is 4th. As Matt pointed out earlier this week, upsets are possible on any given Saturday; college football doesn’t have the parity of the NFL, but the talent difference between most of the FBS schools is not as large as the media portrays.

So how could the Cougars pull off the major upset and spoil TCU’s potential BCS run? If you look back at the Oregon St-TCU game, there are some important formula pieces, and the Beavers played the best game against the Hornfrogs (though ultimately lost).

• Limit penalties. Oregon State played a clean game, with only 4 penalties for 30 yards. BYU has not been a penalty-prone team, and this is good. Giving up 50-100 yards in penalties will kill the Cougars.
• Turnovers. The Beavers, who were within a TD in the 4th quarter, did not turn the ball over against TCU. This could be a big problem for the Cougs. They have only 7 takeaways in 6 games, and have given up the ball 12 times. A similar ratio against TCU would likely kill the Cougars’ chances.

The biggest key for BYU beyond limiting these mistakes is the running game. Though I think the TCU offense is way overrated (they haven’t played a defense ranked in the top 75 this year), the defense is legit. If JJ Di Luigi and other runners don’t get it going in the first half and the Cougars fall way behind, the TCU defenders will t-off on Jake Heaps. Can the Cougars run on the Hornfrogs? Yes, I think so. TCU’s run defense has hardly been tested, with the best run game belonging to SMU (who’s average at best).

Prediction? After looking at the stats, being inspired by Matt’s post, and realizing that TCU is probably overrated, I think this game will be close. TCU wins 27-21. I think the chances of an upset are a lot greater than Vegas or the media are thinking, because I’m just not sure TCU is as good as everyone thinks they are.

– Adam

Upsets

I watched alot of the Alabama v. South Carolina game last week. South Carolina was in charge in that game. Alabama made a good effort towards the end, but the fact of the matter is that it was never their game to lose. It was all USC. On paper, USC had no business knocking off the juggernaut Crimson Tide. But that’s why they play the games isn’t it. It’s a game of inches where the difference between the number one team and the number nineteen team is not as big as we all think it is. There are very few unwinnable games in Division I college football.

Coach Saban admitted that he didn’t think that they were the best team in the country. He agreed they were the best last year, but at this point in the 2010 he doesn’t beleive that his team has proved a thing. I agree with him. But we all know that, at this point in the season, much of the top ten is based on last year’s performances. This is the point in the season where we really see what teams are made of. There are two components in action here. Number One: Most teams have not already played three nationally ranked teams. For most schools October is where they start to get to the meat on their schedule. TCU for example has played only one game that was even really contested. That was Oregon State in their opener. Number Two: Teams that have not developed a personality will either do so now or struggle all year. This is the stretch where they define their season. Maintain momentum from September or turn around a losing stretch. After an unexpected performance last week, we are all hoping that BYU is in the “turn this around” category. 

In 1991 BYU knocked off number one ranked Miami. It was a win that few expected. Granted, BYU boasted a Heisman Trophy winner on that squad and the team turned out to be very good. But that game was a defining moment for Ty Detmer and that team. This weekend could be a watershed moment for Jake Heaps.

In 1985 UTEP won a single conference game in the WAC. It was against the defending national champion BYU Cougars. UTEP finished that year 1-10. You can’t tell me that BYU beating TCU this weekend is a bigger stretch than UTEP beating BYU in 1985. BYU has been on both ends of this thing.

Michigan vs. Appalachian State 2007. That win surpised more people than BYU over TCU would this weekend. My point is that any team can win any weekend if they come to play.

Last week I thought the Cougs had a slim chance to win the game. But they did exactly what they needed to do and they got it done. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is why they play the games. Every team has to believe they can win any game. The gap in talent and ability at the Division I level is not as big as we all think it is. BYU has proven that they can do what they need to do in crucial moments. They just need to do it consistently. They are starting to show what they are made of. This is the perfect time to get it firing on all cylinders.

Go Cougs!

-Matt

Week 6 National Outlook

Over at my other blog, I look at who the best college football teams are and what my fictional playoff would look like at this point (because I hate the BCS). My version of power rankings, week 6.

– Adam

Game 6: Bronco and Cougars end streak

After BYU’s 24-21 victory over MWC rival San Diego State, Cougarland seems like a lot happier place. Though it’s only one game and BYU and is still only 2-4 (with highly-touted TCU waiting in the wings), there were several very positive signs.

Aggressiveness
Much has been made of back-up WR Matt Marshall’s successful fake FG during BYU’s first drive, which set up a TD. Having watched the play several times, the Cougars were very fortunate. Marshall barely got the pass off, and the Aztecs weren’t really fooled and had good coverage.

The best part was the aggressiveness of the play call. When you’re riding a 4-game losing streak and playing a freshman QB, it would be tempting to pull everything back and play safe. Kudos to the coaching staff for being aggressive.

D-E-F-E-N-S-E
The big story last week was coach Mendenhall taking over the defense. The defensive unit looked a lot better, locking down an above-average SDSU offense.

I especially loved the blitz packages. Bronco’s version of the defense was more aggressive (there’s that word again) and mixed things up with zone blitzes. Was it an awesome defensive effort? No, but it was a massive improvement.

Running Downhill
JJ Di Luigi (22-124) and Bryan Kariya (22-85) dominated the Aztec defense, thanks to very good run blocking by the offensive line. OC Robert Anae decided to use his hogs upfront to pound the smaller Aztecs.

Freshman Mistakes
This is going to seem like a strange good sign, but follow me. I was very excited that Anae & Co. let Jake Heaps throw into the endzone in the third quarter.

Now, Heaps misread the play and threw an interception. The freshman signal caller finished with a fairly pedestrian day: 15-22, 126 yards. But this part of the maturation of a young QB. But he needs chances to throw in tight spots like that. It’s all part of his maturation process.

Does all of this mean that the Cougars are now likely to upset TCU next week? No, but the Cougars look to be headed in the right direction. And that’s something no one was thinking 10 days ago.

– Adam

Game 6: Coming Home

Lavell Edwards Stadium Stadium (Provo, Utah)

4:00 pm MST

Kickoff forecast: 63 degrees, sunny

The Cougars are coming off of their worst start in nearly forty years. Meanwhile, the Aztecs are off to one of their best starts in about thirty years. While historically BYU has held the advantage in the series, heading into this game the advantage appears to belong to San Diego State. Interestignly enough, SDSU’s last big win came against Utah State.

SDSU’s has put up big numbers all year. Granted three of their four games were against the likes of Nicholls State, New Mexico State and Utah State. Their one loss was to Missouri in a close game. However one point that can’t be ignored: BYU just lost to that same team that SDSU beat 41-7. In the Utah State game their quarterback, Ryan Lindley, threw for over 300 yards and their leading wideout Vincent Brown had 177 receiving yards. In short, they destroyed USU. USU defeated BYU handily. SDSU is also coming off of a bye week where Defensive Coordinator Rocky Long has been able to spend extra time scheming for this game. BYU is in a little bit of trouble here. 

I find it interesting that in the Homecoming game Bronco Mendenhall is returning to defensive coordinator responsibilities. It seems like that is a great place for this Head Coach. To run the team and run the defense on game day. It seems like a return to the roots of what has made the Mendenhal era successful. But then again, I’ve always held out hope for the Cougs.

BYU is struggling (classic understatement). While my personal opinion is that the team has been underachieving, I am not sure even Bronco Mendenhall can turn this ship around in a week. The good news is that they should continue to improve. Unfortunately, it will likely not be enough to carry the day. Andrew Rich may still play, but is injured and his performance will suffer as a result. Travis Uale will get the nod for the injured Steven Thomas. Matt Putnam will be starting at defensive end as the defensive line continues to shuffle a little following the loss of Romney Fuga. Putnam is a player that many thought would be a starter this year. This weekend he should be able to perform as a starting caliber player for this team. Due to Jordan Pendleton’s injury there will be some continued rotation at the linebacker spots. Shane Hunter has been very solid in the middle and I’ve also liked Austen Jorgensen and Brandon Ogletree. The defense will miss Pendleton, there is no way around that. This is an opportunity for some of the other linebackers to step up and prove that they are going to be reliable in the transforming defense. As a defensive player, you can’t ask for a better chance than this. A new defensive coordinator and wide open roster spots. Hopefully the extra motivation will translate into improved performance. San Diego State has averaged over 500 yards of offense per game. If they do that this weekend, BYU will not win the game. The defense needs to keep them in the range of points that Missouri did. Missouri held them to 24 points. They have scored at least 40 on every other opponent. The BYU offense is not ready to win a game where the defense gives up 40+ points.

Jake Heaps is another game along and another weeks worth of practices better. The more he gets those starting reps the better he will be. By all accounts, he has very solid potential. BYU will not win this game if they can’t score around 30 points. They will not get into the endzone that many times if the receivers continue to drop passes. The dropped passes are only compounded by the frequency at which Jake Heaps launches the ball 10-15 yards too far down the field. If it hits you in the hands, catch it. That’s the rule. If you can’t do that, play defense. O’Neill Chambers has had alot to say after returning from suspension. I used to really like that about him. Now I just want someone, anyone at all,  to catch a couple of passes. Speaking of looking for someone to count on, I see no reason that JJ DiLuigi cannot match the kinds of numbers he has put up all year. The question on offense is whether or not the other 10 guys on the field can put something together. If not, this will be an ugly matchup and BYU will have to hand out paper bags a la the ‘aints of Archie Manning fame. Somehow, a potential loss to SDSU feels like the worst insult so far this year.

BYU can win this game at 27-24. If they let SDSU get rolling early, it will get ugly. If the BYU offense stalls the entire first half, it will be a difficult game to watch. Can BYU beat San Diego State? Absolutely. Will they? I’ll give them a 35% chance. Unfortunately, this may be the last time BYU plays SDSU for a few years. Brady Hoke has stated that SDSU is not interesting in playing an independent BYU. I would feel the same way if a team held a series lead of 26-7-1 over my team. But this weekend, the only game that matters is this one.

Go Cougars!

-Matt

BYU and Utah rivalry gets a facelift

BYU announced today that they have completed a deal with Utah that includes a two year home and away football series and a similar four year basketball series. This tells us that the BYU-Utah game will be played for at least another two years. The only way to make this work beyond this season was to play the football game in September. I think that the rivalry needed a little bit of a facelift, maybe this will do it.  

There are parts of this rivalry that I love. There are parts of this rivalry that have started to feel a little stale. Both sides have lost their minds a little in the past few years. Playing this game early in the season creates a whole different feel to it. I like it. It becomes a tone setter for the season. It will be a big game atmosphere early in the season that should help the Cougars working through their independent schedule. If BYU didn’t have to play Oregon State and Texas on the road in 2011 before they came home to face Utah, I would like it even more. However, as an independent team, the schedule in September is probably always going to look like that. It’s a great way to kick off the season. I would like it even better if they played it Labor Day weekend as the first game of the season.

Let’s face it. This game is a non conference game for Utah and a game against a middle of the Pac-12 school for BYU. It won’t carry the weight of a conference championship or BCS berth implications the same way it has in recent years. The game becomes about BYU and Utah again. Which I prefer. Perpetuating the rivalry is good for BYU’s football scheduling as it provides a consistent opponent. The game will likely be on ESPN every year and as an early rivalry will receive some extra attention in the national media. That exposure will be good for BYU.

I like this in basketball for the same reasons that I like it for football. It may be more important in basketball for recruiting. But I think we learned today that BYU can still land big recruits as a member of the WCC. It will likely be nationally televised and creates a big game atmosphere for the team early on. That factor is probably more important in hoops than on the gridiron.  

This move is one of the last pieces in a shift for the relationship between BYU and Utah. It is going to become less symbiotic and the rivalry will move in a slightly different direction. I think that will be good for both programs. I am already looking forward to watching this game in September.

-Matt

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QB Seasons Rankings: No. 41-36

After we started this blog, I started thinking about ranking all of the BYU QBs, but I got bored with that exercise, but a better one emerged: ranking the QB seasons. Though it is interesting and fun to think about college careers, more than pro sports, college sports are really about seasons, as even superstar players rarely make impacts for more the 2-3 seasons.

So I’m starting at the bottom and working my way up. I’ve included the criteria I used and some of my thought process.

Process & Criteria

It’s hard to judge college QB seasons over time. I started with Gary Sheide’s 1974 season and moved forward. The offense changed a lot during the LaVell era, changed even more during the Crowton era, and has morphed even more under Bronco Mendenhall. It’s also hard to get stats for the seasons back in the day; I primarily used the wonderful Cougar Stats website in my research.

My criteria were as follows, with certainly a high level of subjectivity:

• Minimum 1000 yards passing, which means some years have two QB seasons
• Yards per pass attempt
• Completion percentage
• TD-to-INT ratio
• Total TD passes
• Season results

Is this perfect? Of course not. Will it leave a ton of room for discussion? Certainly. That’s the point. As always, I would love your feedback on this one.

BYU QB Season Rankings No. 41-36

No. 41: Matt Berry, 2003
Stats: 1445 yards; 63% comp; 7 TDs; 14 INTs; 6.15 yards per completion; Season: 4-8, 6th in MWC
Thoughts: This isn’t the last time you’ll see Berry on this list. Was he really this bad? Or was Crowton and his staff just really bad at developing QBs? Regardless, Berry was awful. He turned the ball over a lot, he only kept his completion percentage up by throwing short passes. Not sure he had much talent on offense, but hey, thems are the breaks.

No. 40: Brett Engemann, 2002
Stats: 1334 yards; 55% comp; 6 TDs; 8 INTs; 6.20 yards per comp; Season: 5-7, 7th in the MWC
Thoughts: We’ll be stuck in the Crowton era for a bit. Engemann was a disaster. Was it all his fault? Probably not. Crowton played QB roulette (sound familiar) which likely undermined his confidence as he was rotated with Berry. Was he talented? Yes, but he was inaccurate, turnover prone, and lacked leadership, not a good make-up for a college QB.

No. 39: Matt Berry, 2002
Stats: 1309 yards; 59% comp; 7 TDs; 9 INTs; 7.11 yards per comp; Season: 5-7, 7th in the MWC
Thoughts: If you combined 2002 Berry with 2002 Engemann, that’s one disastrous season. If anyone wants the Crowton era back, please check your history. Berry showed a little promise (and barely outplayed Engemann), but he regressed in 2003.

No. 38: Steve Lindsley, 1986
Stats: 2247 yards; 63% comp; 12 TDs; 18 INTs; 7.83 yards per comp; 8-5, 2nd in the WAC, 31-10 loss to UCLA in the Freedom Bowl
Thoughts: Lindsley had the unfortunate circumstance of following a succession of awesome QBs, including Robbie Bosco, who only won a national championship in 1984. My memories of him: poor pocket presence and turnovers. He was blessed with a much better supporting cast than the QBs lower on this list (hence a much better overall season for the team), but he didn’t play much better.

No. 37: Bob Jensen, 1987
Stats: 1883 yards; 56% comp; 10 TDs; 14 INTs; 7.08 yards per comp; Season: 9-4, 2nd in the WAC, 22-16 loss to Virginia in the All-American Bowl
Thoughts: Jensen was only marginally better than Lindsley. The team was still very talented, but lacked good QB play to match the seasons from earlier in the 80s.

No. 36: Charlie Peterson, 2000
Stats: 1630 yards; 58% comp; 6 TDs; 5 INTs; 6.25 yards per comp; Season: 6-6, 3rd in the MWC
Thoughts: Before Brandon Doman took over and rescued LaVell Edwards from leaving BYU with a losing season, Peterson struggled. He was probably more ‘talented’ than Doman from a physical perspective, but he struggled in the pocket, checked off way too often, and could not take advantage of the decent talent around him.

-Adam

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Bronco’s Back: Defensive Players Beware

 

Photo by David Mangum

It sounds like the departure of Jaime Hill was bound to happen at some point. By all accounts he was in the middle of conflicts with other coaches and players. He has never been in any one job as long as he lasted at BYU. It appears he has Crowtonitis. He is a specialist coach, not a big picture guy. Crowton is an offensive coordinator, not a head coach. Jaime Hill is a secondary coach not a Defensive Coordinator. In my opinion, BYU needs new coordinators on both sides of the ball. The only reason Hill went first was that BYU already had the best candidate for the job on staff. His name is Bronco Mendenhall. There was no need to search for another coach. There wasn’t going to be a band aid solution through the end of the year. Hill’s situation was inherently more precarious than Anae’s. Anae may be fired at the end of the year, or he may last indefinitely. It appears that the decision will rest in Bronco’s hands. I trust Bronco Mendenhall. He is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to BYU football. He needed to make this change.  

Points allowed is not a perfect diagnostic for defensive success, but humor me for a minute. Bronco came on board in 2003 as the defensive coordinator. From that time on, the team showed improvement almost every year from the year before. The number of points allowed almost always went down. There are two exceptions to this trend: 2005, The first year Bronco was juggling both jobs (HC and DC), and 2007, the last year Bronco was the DC. In 2006, the Cougars only allowed 191 points. That was the best year for points allowed since 1998 (182). (Ken Scmidt had a great run in the late 1990’s: 1997-181, 1998-182, 1999-191). In 2007, Bronco’s defense gave up 241 points. That’s fifty more points than the previous year. Bronco held himself responsible for the change and essentially fired himself. He decided it was not fair to wear both hats if he couldn’t get it done. He went out and hired Jaime Hill. Jaime’s defense gave up 285 points in 2008 and 280 points in 2009. So far in 2010 the defense has given up 144 points. They are on track to give up 345 points or so. If Bronco fired himself for 241 points, of course he’ll fire Jaime for 345 (that’s over a 100 point difference!). The last time the Cougars gave up that many (333 in 2002), Ken Schmidt, the DC at the time, retired.

I could get into yards allowed, turnover margins, win/losses and all those kinds of things, but I think you get the point here. Let’s talk about intangibles for a minute. In 2003 when Bronco Mendenhall was hired there were a few things I noticed watching the games. The first was discipline. After every play, each player returned to their basic positons and their heads were all facing the sidelines. They received signals from the coach and their heads snapped back towards the line of scrimmage. They were in position and waiting when the offense lined up. It was like watching a well choreographed military procession. They didn’t react to crowds, opponents, or refs. Only each other. They acted like a unit with a leader. Another thing I noticed is that they hit people hard. When they hit, they used good form tackling and they put the hurt on opponents. They swarmed to the football. A ball carrier was usually hit several times. Lastly, they executed their individual assignments and trusted teammates to do the same. I seem to remember talk about the intensity of Bronco’s practices when he first came to BYU. When he took over as HC, many players on the offense became nervous about what he was going to put them through. They had watched him demand so much from that defensive unit. This is what this team needs right now. They are down and may feel that they are out. They need someone to help them get up, dust themselves off and move forward with some real conviction. Bronco’s record speaks for itself. Based on all of the things that have gone wrong with this team this year this is the course of action to take.

Yesterday, Bronco said a few things that got me fired up again. “Adversity and challenges bring out not only the best but the worst in people and also forces you to look hard at everything you’re doing and how you’re doing it, but maybe more importantly why you’re doing it. In terms of redefining, I’ve got to be able to continue to inspire, motivate and get to our team’s heart and have them play from a place our previous teams have played from and exhibit more soul.” Bronco will motivate the soul out of these guys. If you know what I mean. 

Bronco is at the core of recent success and felt that he was getting a little too far removed from what has lead to that success. He stated, “…quite frankly at my seat as being the head coach, I was not having enough influence, not being able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and arm-in-arm and have the players see the work ethic and the modeling I think our team really needs. I consider my influence on the defense my strength and where I can have the most leverage and it’s where I think I can influence our program the most for the rest of the season.” Opportunities for Bronco to model that work ethic will be a key component to this team’s success. He can get players to play above what they see as their limit. Bronco’s personal influence is what makes his whole approach work.

And my personal favorite. “As a leader, there are pivotal times where there become, you can call them feelings, instincts, promptings, whatever you’d like, and that’s exactly what I felt and I chose to act on it immediately. I don’t expect it to be popular with anyone other than I think I did the right thing for myself and for our program. It certainly was not easy and it doesn’t mean I don’t care for Coach Hill and his family because I do.” I feel like this sums up Bronco’s entire approach and it also explains why I am not the only person in Cougar Nation that loves having him as the Head Coach.

I anticipate some immediate improvements defensively. At first, the only discernible difference will be a level of intensity, focus and effort that we haven’t seen all year. The stats may not get better as quickly. BYU may lose to SDSU and the TCU game will likely be hard to watch. However, by the end of the year we’ll be looking at a completely different defensive unit. I hope that Bronco is able to stay in the dual role of HC/DC for seasons to come. It is where he belongs, where he appears to be most comfortable and most importantly where he can have the greatest impact.

Go Cougars!

-Matt