December 2009 - Cougarsportsline - mailman.xmission.com

Cougar Sportsline, Vol. 30, Issue 21
by hb arnett 27 Dec '09

27 Dec '09

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Cougar Sportsline, Vol. 30, Issue 21
by hb arnett 27 Dec '09

27 Dec '09

HB Arnett's COUGAR SPORTSLINE 801 372 0819 hbarnett(a)fiber.net and hbarnett@xmission <mailto:hbarnett@xmission.com> .com 1391 West 800 South - Orem, Utah 84058 Vol. 30, Issue 21 - December 28, 2009 Click <http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type-450&PCID=450:0:0:0:0> Here To Order Or Renew Your Subscriptions COUGARS WIN, PLACE AND SHOW IN LAS VEGAS BYU hit the trifecta last week in Las Vegas. The Cougars had convincing wins in all three games they played. The big payout came against Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl. That's where the Cougars beat the odds and Beavers of Oregon State to a 44-20 pulp. In poker parlance, BYU was all in and all over Oregon State. We don't play poker, but we know a royal flush when we see one. BYU was the flusher and Oregon State the flushee. We also can detect four of a kind. BYU had great last hands played by their four of a kind in football. Max Hall, Dennis Pitta, Harvey Unga and Jan Jorgensen have won a lot of games as BYU's winning hand. They will be missed next year. Hall, Pitta and Jorgensen all graduate and it looks like Unga is headed for an early exit to the NFL draft. For those of you who like to count cards and keep track of numbers, you will find the box score of BYU's big win over Oregon State at the end of this letter. BYU Basketball Wins Meanwhile, the BYU basketball team also left town a winner. They took home the hardware from the HoopsTV Las Vegas Classic with a 110-104 win over Nevada and an 88-66 championship victory over Nebraska. The two wins may have placed BYU in a good position to finally crack the top-twenty five rankings. While fellow Mountain West Conference cohorts UNLV and New Mexico have garnered most of the preseason rankings and national attention of the press, BYU showed in Las Vegas that they will be hard to beat when league play rolls around in January. Las Vegas is known for its great entertainment, but if you are a BYU fan, what the Cougars put on stage last week were two of the better BYU football and basketball show stoppers that we have seen in quite some time BYU FOOTBALL'S TOP TEN MOMENTS OR GAMES OF THE LAST TEN YEARS In our opinion, and in no particular order, these are our picks for BYU's best moments or games of the last decade. 2006...John Beck to Jonny Harline for a touchdown on the last play of the game. It resulted in a 33-31 BYU win over Utah on the Utes home turf. Unforgettable. 2009...Max Hall to Andrew George for a 25-yard touchdown in overtime just a few weeks ago to give the Cougars a 26-23 win over Utah. 2009...BYU's 14-13 win over Oklahoma to start the 2009 season. BYU was a big underdog, but pulled out the win with a great late-game drive and a surprising tough defense. 2009...Max Hall articulating what politically correct police abhorred, but some Cougar fans appreciated. In deference to those who were offended by his remarks, this also made our top-ten worst BYU football moments of the decade. See below. 2007...The famous 4th and 18 pass completion from Max Hall to Austin Collie to give the Cougars a last drive 17-10 win and MWC championship. Anytime you can make Uted fans cry and whine, it is a top-ten moment. 2000...Trailing Utah 27-26 with just two minutes remaining, Brandon Doman completed a fourth down pass to Jonathan Pittman to keep a game winning drive alive. Doman capped the drive and captured the win with a four-yard td run to seal the game. 2000 is also a top-ten moment because they named the stadium after LaVell Edwards a week earlier. 2001...Under first-year coach Gary Crowton, BYU reeled off 12 straight victories and was explosive on offense. Luke Staley was a man among boys, but when he was lost for the last two games to injuries, the Cougars lost their last two contests of the year. 2002...After trailing by 27 points at the half, BYU stormed back for a 35-34 win over Utah State at Logan. Curtis Brown rushed for 217 yards and Bret Engemann passed for 294 yards in the win. This game was also was considered as one of the worst moments of the decade. This was the game where Ben Olson was told he would start, only to be later that it wasn't going to happen. That led to Olson eventually leaving BYU after his LDS mission and making room for Max Hall. Okay, we will take Hall over Olson and keep this in one of the most memorable moments of the decade. 2009...When BYU absolutely manhandled Oregon State in the latest Las Vegas Bowl, it showed that Bronco Mendenhall and his staff can get a team prepared and ready to play. In three games this year when the coaching staff had time to prepare and game plan, the Cougars were fabulous on both sides of the ball. They had plenty of time for preparation for Oklahoma and Oregon State and also had a bye week coming off the thrashing from TCU. With the extra week, they were able to deal a 52-0 beating to Wyoming. 2006...The 38-8 beat down of Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Ducks and their players and coaches were totally arrogant before facing the Cougars in the days leading up to the game. Despite getting their heads handed to them, they remained arrogant after the game. Making Mike Belloti cry like a baby deserves a spot in our top ten moments of the decade. BYU FOOTBALL'S TOP TEN WORST MOMENTS OR GAMES OF THE LAST TEN YEARS In our opinion and in no particular order, these are our picks for BYU's worst moments or games of the last decade. 2008...Utah's 48-24 dismantling of BYU while forcing six turnovers from Max Hall. It wasn't his finest moment. 2009...Max Hall saying he hated Utah, their fans, their institution and everything about the university. It upset many BYU fans and supporters along with every Utah honk and homer in the universe. 2009...Florida State's inexplicable 54-28 rout of the Cougars in LaVell Edwards Stadium. It was embarrassing. 2001...BYU flying into Reno on the morning of the game and then getting beat by Nevada. That was another embarrassing moment for BYU football. 2004...Alleged sexual charges against several BYU football players were an extremely dark spot of the decade. 2003...Boise State's 50-12 beat down of BYU in Provo. A close runner up to the Boise State dismantling of the Cougars was Matt Payne's missed 27-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining in Boise the following year. That let the Broncos escape with a 28-27 win. 2003...BYU loses at home to Stanford because Gary Crowton decides to throw the ball with time running down deep in BYU's own territory and the Cougars clinging to a 2-point lead. Stanford picks off a John Beck pass and with a short field goes on to score a touchdown and win the game 18-14. When asked about the decision to throw, Crowton stated, "I wanted to win by 9, not by 2." 2004...On a night when BYU out-gained UNLV 449 yards to 259, BYU still lost 24-20 in LaVell Edwards Stadium. It was another head scratcher. John Beck threw 67 passes. He completed 34 for 358 yards. The puzzler was that Curtis Brown carried the ball only 8 times and had 117 yards rushing. He was unstoppable on the ground, but for whatever reason, only saw limited touches. 2008...BYU never used all of its NCAA allotted practices in preparation for a bowl game against Arizona. It showed on the field as the Wildcats beat the Cougars 31-21. 2007... BYU was embarrassed in a flag football game against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane flogged the Cougars 55-47 in Tulsa. Offensively, BYU had all the answers, racking up 537 yards. Defensively, it was not a proud BYU moment in the last decade. NAMES AND GAMES Quarterback Controversy Guaranteed...Go to the bank, book it and bet on it. BYU will have a quarterback controversy this next fall. Regardless of which quarterback, Riley Nelson, Jake Heaps, or even long shot James Lark, emerges as the starter for the 2010 season, it won't take but a few games for BYU fans to be clamoring for his replacement. Regardless of who gets the start, we guarantee that they will be throwing interceptions and BYU will be struggling on offense. It comes with the territory of a new quarterback starter with very little or no game experience. The problem is not who will get the nod, but that all are inexperienced and green. You can count on lots of early interceptions, early loses and fans calling for the guy next in line to be inserted to any and all games. Uona Kavienga...A 6-0, 245 pound middle linebacker, Kavienga was a BYU recruiting target two years ago. The Cougars thought they had a commitment from him coming out of Leuzinger HS in California. He turned down the Cougars for USC, where he saw limited playing time during his first two seasons. He will now be transferring to BYU and be enrolled in school in Provo for this next semester. He will not be on scholarship, however, until the fall. Because of NCAA transfer rules, he will have to sit out next year for the Cougars and redshirt. He will be ready to play in 2011 and will be a junior. BCS Bailout gives Oregon State the Win.It was nice while it lasted. BYU completely dominated Oregon State on the field in the Las Vegas Bowl. The bottom line showed BYU 44 OSU 20. The loss has been appealed by disgruntled Beaver fans and brass to the governing board of college football. In a unanimous decision, the BCS big wigs have overturned the BYU blowout and awarded the win to Oregon State. The decision was reached after the cartel concocted a new convoluted system and formula that clearly shows the Beavers to be the better team. In the BCS books, BYU was competitive, but not deemed BCS worthy. The new final has Oregon State 27 BYU 17. A major factor in the formula shows that Oregon State had 7 first-team all Pac 10 selections from the recently concluded season. BYU had only 4 selected as first teamers from the MWC. The formula calls for first team selections of the respective conferences to have a multiplier of 2.4 for Oregon State and 1.3 for BYU. It is based on a the tried and true BCS original formula that declares that BCS conferences have by nature, money, monarchy and divine decree, better players regardless of what is shown on the field. BYU fans can cling to their win on the scoreboard, but Oregon State is still the winner in the BCS books and bank accounts. Dave Bollwinkle...The former St. Marys' head coach is certainly no BYU homer. After watching and listening to him as the color commentator on both of BYU basketball's games in Las Vegas last week, it was interesting to see his metamorphosis take place. In the early going of the game, a 110-104 BYU win, he assured viewers that BYU wasn't athletic enough to be a very good team. He liked Jimmer Fredette, but barely. As he said, he was a step slow, so had to be two steps smarter. Jackson Emery was a pretty good player, but not much else. After BYU beat the athletically gifted Nevada Wolfpack at their own up-tempo game, Bollwinkle started to be a little more complimentary of Fredette and Emery in the latter stages of the game. With Fredette scoring 33 and Emery getting 25, they both got the talent upgrade from too slow, to "old school" players. Translated, that means they are still white, still not quick enough, but somehow manage to score at will and win. To his credit, the following night when BYU dismantled a defensive minded Nebraska to the tune of an 88-66 win; Bollwinkle was calling Fredette and Emery the best guard tandem in the West. The BYU duo didn't disappoint with 25 and 23 points respectively against the Cornhuskers. Fredette was named tournament MVP of the HoopsTV Basketball Classic. Emery and freshman Tyler Haws were also selected as members of the all tourney team. Haws was especially impressive against Nevada. He didn't miss a shot all night. He finished the game with 20 points while shooting 7-of-7 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw stripe. THE FUTURES MARKET Listed below is how BYU's most recent signees and future prospects fared during the last week. Kyle Collinsworth, 6-6 guard/wing, Provo HS...Played just one game last week, a 62-55 overtime loss to Alta HS. Collinsworth had 29 points in the game. Nick Emery, 6-0 freshman guard, Lone Peak HS...Lone Peak played three games last week in a tournament in St. George. In a 72-29 win over Snow Canyon, Emery scored 16 in the first quarter and finished the game with 26. He had 13 points in a 65-38 win over Orem. His team went undefeated with a 51-34 win over Pine View. Anson Winder, 6-3, guard, Bishop Gorman HS...His team didn't play last week. Jabari Parker, 6-5, wing, Simeon HS, Chicago...Parker is coming off the bench as a freshman and not really scoring much. His team went 1-1 last week. Parker is the highly touted freshman that already has numerous Division I scholarship offers, including one from BYU. He is LDS. DeMarcus Harrison, 6-4, guard, Christ School, Arden, North Carolina...This past week Harrison's team participated in a tournament. He scored 10 in a 78-60 win over Norfolk Christian, had 15 against Dreher HS and added 12 points in a 60-57 championship win over Charlotte Christion. Harrison was also selected to the all-tourney team. Jordan Chatman, 6-3, guard, Skyview HS, Ridgfield, WA...Started as a frosh and now the leading scorer for his team as a sophomore. Scored 27 in his last outing, including the game winning jumper in 63-61 win over Hockinson. Is the son of former Cougar star Jeff Chatman. Here is what one scouting service had to say about him after watching him perform at a camp in California. Chatman is a tremendous scorer and projects to be a sold Division 1 two-guard at the mid major level. He has a solid looking frame with long arms and he possesses a real knack for putting points on the board. he can knock down the 3-point shot with regularity and he gets good lift on his shot as well. In addition, he has quick 1st step to the basket and he maneuvers well around traffic. He does have a tendency to hunt for his own shot and he'll need to learn how to create for others in the half court set to expand his game. On the other hand, in transition he delivered a number of fine assists for easy baskets. Overall, in the coming seasons it will be interesting to see how his frame fills out as well as his skills to determine the level of his recruitment. TELEVISION TIMETABLE BYU vs. Arizona Monday, Dec 28 at Tucson Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: Fox College Sports (FCN) BYU vs. Eastern New Mexico Saturday, Jan 2 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: none BYU vs. UNLV Wednesday, Jan 6 at Provo Tipoff: 8:00 pm Mountain Time TV: The Mtn BYU vs. UTEP Saturday, Jan 9 at El Paso Tipoff: 6:00 pm Mountain Time TV: CBS C Box Score (Final) Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score ----------------- -- -- -- -- ----- Oregon State........ 7 0 0 13 - 20 Record: (8-5,6-3) BYU................. 14 9 7 14 - 44 Record: (11-2,7-1) Scoring Summary: 1st 08:46 OSU - Canfield, Sean 1 yd run (Kahut, Justin kick), 4-37 1:42, OSU 7 - BY 0 02:47 BY - UNGA, Harvey 1 yd run (PAYNE, Mitch kick), 14-84 5:50, OSU 7 - BY 7 01:41 BY - BAUMAN, Matt 34 yd fumble recovery (PAYNE, Mitch kick), , OSU 7 - BY 14 2nd 09:21 BY - PAYNE, Mitch 28 yd field goal, 11-69 5:39, OSU 7 - BY 17 06:22 BY - ASHWORTH, Luke 25 yd pass from HALL, Max (PAYNE, Mitch kick blockd), 4-41 1:26, OSU 7 - BY 23 3rd 08:51 BY - PITTA, Dennis 17 yd pass from HALL, Max (PAYNE, Mitch kick), 9-32 4:31, OSU 7 - BY 30 4th 12:51 BY - TONGA, Manase 15 yd pass from HALL, Max (PAYNE, Mitch kick), 1-15 0:08, OSU 7 - BY 37 09:00 OSU - Rodgers, Jacq. 1 yd run (Kahut, Justin kick failed), 10-54 3:45, OSU 13 - BY 37 03:22 BY - TONGA, Manase 18 yd run (PAYNE, Mitch kick), 2-21 1:08, OSU 13 - BY 44 02:35 OSU - Adeniji, Damola 31 yd pass from Katz, Ryan (Kahut, Justin kick), 4-46 0:39, OSU 20 - BY 44 OSU BY FIRST DOWNS................... 17 18 RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............ 27-88 34-123 PASSING YDS (NET)............. 217 192 Passes Att-Comp-Int........... 47-22-1 30-19-0 TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS..... 74-305 64-315 Fumble Returns-Yards.......... 0-0 1-34 Punt Returns-Yards............ 1-5 1-0 Kickoff Returns-Yards......... 7-106 2-16 Interception Returns-Yards.... 0-0 1-56 Punts (Number-Avg)............ 4-26.0 4-37.5 Fumbles-Lost.................. 2-2 2-2 Penalties-Yards............... 11-96 9-80 Possession Time............... 29:57 30:03 Third-Down Conversions........ 5 of 16 8 of 13 Fourth-Down Conversions....... 2 of 6 1 of 1 Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 2-2 5-5 Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 1-5 0-0 RUSHING: Oregon State-Rodgers, Jacq. 18-63; Rodgers, James 4-14; Katz, Ryan 2-9; Stevenson, J. 1-1; Canfield, Sean 2-1. BYU-UNGA, Harvey 24-71; TONGA, Manase 5-42; JORGENSEN, Jan 1-6; HALL, Max 4-4. PASSING: Oregon State-Canfield, Sean 19-40-1-168; Katz, Ryan 2-6-0-46; Hekker, Johnny 1-1-0-3. BYU-HALL, Max 19-30-0-192. RECEIVING: Oregon State-Adeniji, Damola 7-102; Rodgers, James 4-30; Rodgers, Jacq. 4-13; Bishop, Jordan 2-21; Kjos, Casey 1-20; Wheaton, Markus 1-12; Halahuni, Joe 1-12; Parker, Keynan 1-4; Mitchell, Lance 1-3. BYU-PITTA, Dennis 5-45; GEORGE, Andrew 4-46; UNGA, Harvey 3-15; JACOBSON, McKay 2-27; TONGA, Manase 2-19; ASHWORTH, Luke 1-25; DI LUIGI, JJ 1-9; CHAMBERS, O'Nei 1-6. INTERCEPTIONS: Oregon State-None. BYU-JOHNSON, Scott 1-56. FUMBLES: Oregon State-Rodgers, Jacq. 1-1; Rodgers, James 1-1. BYU-TONGA, Manase 1-1; UNGA, Harvey 1-1. SACKS (UA-A): Oregon State-Miller, Gabe 1-0. BYU-None. TACKLES (UA-A): Oregon State-Pa'aluhi, David 1-8; Kristick, K. 4-4; Mitchell, Lance 5-1; Pankey, Keith 5-1; Collins, C. 3-3; Olander, B. 4-1; Roberson, D. 2-3; Miller, Gabe 1-2; Paea, Stephen 2-0; Nau, Sioeli 2-0; LaGrone, Matt 2-0; Tuimaunei, S. 1-1; Moala, Latu 0-2; Dockery, James 1-0; Hardin, Brandon 1-0; Camat, Keo 0-1; Watkins, A. 0-1; 'Unga, Devin 0-1; Poyer, Jordan 0-1. BYU-BAUMAN, Matt 5-4; JOHNSON, Scott 6-1; DOMAN, Shawn 2-5; RICH, Andrew 2-3; AGUIRRE, Lee 4-0; BRADLEY, Brando 3-0; PENDLETON, Jord 2-1; CLAWSON, Coleby 2-1; BILLS, Craig 2-0; FUGA, Romney 2-0; MARSHALL, Matt 2-0; MORGAN, Blake 2-0; LOGAN, Brian 2-0; TIALAVEA, Russell 1-1; DENNEY, Brett 1-0; VAN SWEDEN, Dan 1-0; HUNTER, Shane 1-0.

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Cougar Fever, No shots Required!
by hb arnett 23 Dec '09

23 Dec '09

If you haven't yet caught Cougar Fever this season, last night's results in BYU football and basketball should have you fully exposed. Now you can pass it on to family and friends and they will feel good about it too. There are just two days left on our great Christmas offer below. Check it out. No flu shots are required. Give Some Cougar Sportsline Christmas Cheer Now you can give a Cougar Sportsline gift subscription to family, friends or others and it won't cost you an arm and leg. For the regular subscription price of $35, you can give three separate subscriptions to our newsletter to any three people. That works out to be $11.66 per subscription.That really is cheap Christmas cheer. You just can't give it to yourself or use the offer to extend your current subscription or the subscription of any other current subscriber. All we need are the names and email addresses of the three people to whom you want the newsletter sent. After completing the order on line, you will see a section for comments. Just type the name and email address of each person to whom you are giving the gift subscription in the comment section. For example: Jane Doe, janedoe(a)yahoo.com Bob Doe, bobdoe(a)yahoo.com Joe Bob Doe, jobob(a)yahoo.com That's all there is to it. We are offering this special because it is a good way for us to expose our product to those who currently are not subscribers. We hope to get them at full price later on after their initial gift subscription expires. It is also a good way for you in tough economic times to give a gift that normally would cost $35 but is now much less expensive with this special offer. To give a one-year gift subscriptions to Cougar Sportsline for Christmas to any three people you would like. Just Click <http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type=450&PCID=450:0:0:0:0> Here to order. If that doesn't work go here: http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type=450 <http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type=450&PCID=450:0:0:0:0> &PCID=450:0:0:0:0 You can also order this special offer by mail, e-mail or phone and give us your gift details. Cougar Sportsline 1391 West 800 South Orem, UT 84058 801 372 0819 hbarnett(a)fiber.net This offer expires December 25. 2009

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Three Days and Three Gifts
by hb arnett 21 Dec '09

21 Dec '09

With only three days until Christmas you might be getting desperate to find those gifts for family, friends and associates. We think our special offer below will help you out with those gifts. It's easy, it's affordable and better than a necktie or scarf. Give Some Cougar Sportsline Christmas Cheer Now you can give a Cougar Sportsline gift subscription to family, friends or others and it won't cost you an arm and leg. For the regular subscription price of $35, you can give three separate subscriptions to our newsletter to any three people. That works out to be $11.66 per subscription.That really is cheap Christmas cheer. You just can't give it to yourself or use the offer to extend your current subscription or the subscription of any other current subscriber. All we need are the names and email addresses of the three people to whom you want the newsletter sent. After completing the order on line, you will see a section for comments. Just type the name and email address of each person to whom you are giving the gift subscription in the comment section. For example: Jane Doe, janedoe(a)yahoo.com Bob Doe, bobdoe(a)yahoo.com Joe Bob Doe, jobob(a)yahoo.com That's all there is to it. We are offering this special because it is a good way for us to expose our product to those who currently are not subscribers. We hope to get them at full price later on after their initial gift subscription expires. It is also a good way for you in tough economic times to give a gift that normally would cost $35 but is now much less expensive with this special offer. To give a one-year gift subscriptions to Cougar Sportsline for Christmas to any three people you would like. Just Click <http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type=450&PCID=450:0:0:0:0> Here to order. If that doesn't work go here: http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type=450 <http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type=450&PCID=450:0:0:0:0> &PCID=450:0:0:0:0 You can also order this special offer by mail, e-mail or phone and give us your gift details. Cougar Sportsline 1391 West 800 South Orem, UT 84058 801 372 0819 hbarnett(a)fiber.net This offer expires December 25. 2009

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Cougar Sportsline, Vol. 30, Issue 20
by hb arnett 21 Dec '09

21 Dec '09

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Cougar Sportsline, Vol. 30, Issue 19
by hb arnett 14 Dec '09

14 Dec '09

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Cougar Sportsline, Vol. 30, Issue 18
by hb arnett 07 Dec '09

07 Dec '09

HB Arnett's COUGAR SPORTSLINE 801 372 0819 hbarnett(a)fiber.net and hbarnett@xmission <mailto:hbarnett@xmission.com> .com 1391 West 800 South - Orem, Utah 84058 Vol. 30, Issue 18 - December 7, 2009 Click <http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type-450&PCID=450:0:0:0:0> Here To Order Or Renew Your Subscriptions BUCKLE UP BYU, BEAVERS ARE FOR REAL You should always be careful about what you wish for. BYU football players and fans expressed concern that they wouldn't get to prove just how good BYU is unless they were able to face a quality team from the Pac 10 in a bowl game this season. Wish granted. BYU will face Oregon State in the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl on Tuesday, Dec 22. It will be the Cougars fifth consecutive appearance in the game. It will also be BYU's biggest test yet in that particular post-season affair. The Beavers of OSU had a legitimate shot at being in the Rose Bowl and facing Ohio State in Pasadena. A 33-37 loss to Oregon on the Ducks home field made the Beavers a runner up for an appearance in the Granddaddy of all Bowls. OSU finished tied for second place in the Pac 10 with a 6-3 conference slate and at 8-4 overall. Stanford and Arizona were the other two teams tied with OSU for the second place conference finish. How? So how did a team that finished tied for second in the Pac 10 end up in Las Vegas in a bowl game that has the fifth pick from that same conference? OSU started out Sunday hoping for a berth in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was invited instead because they defeated Oregon State in the regular season. The Sun Bowl, which has the third pick from the Pac 10 took Stanford because the Beavers were in El Paso last year and there is a no-repeat clause in play. USC finished behind the Beavers in the standings, but was taken by the Emerald Bowl with their fourth pick from the Pac 10 because they couldn't afford to pass up a bigger name and a bigger TV draw. The Beavers, in our opinion, did finish first in two crucial conference categories. Oregon State had the best quarterback and running back in the Pac 10 this past season. Forget stats, Sean Canfield was the best qb and Jacquizz Rodgers was the best running back in the league. They Got It If BYU's defense was looking for the highest ranked and best team they could face, they got exactly what they wanted. Canfield, completed 284-of-406 passes for 3103 yards. He threw for 21 touchdowns and had just six interceptions on the year. Max Hall, who will lead the Cougars, completed 256-of-379 passes for 3368 yards. He threw for 30 td passes and had 14 interceptions on the year. Rodgers, the 5-9, 195 pound sophomore running back for the Beavers, rushed for 1377 yards on 255 carries. He also accounted for 21 touchdowns. Harvey Unga carried the ball 184 times this past season for 1016 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. In the rankings department, BYU finished No. 14 the final BCS standings while Oregon State came in at No. 18. In the AP poll, BYU was No. 15 and OSU No. 16. The USA Coaches Poll had the Cougars at No. 14 and the Beavers at No. 20. Oregon State will move the ball and score points against the Cougars. The good news is that BYU will be able to do the same versus the Beavers. Four Losses In their four losses, OSU gave up 42 points to USC at the Coliseum, 37 points to Oregon on the road and to Arizona in Corvallis. The other loss was a 28-18 defeat against Cincinnati. That game was also in Corvallis. The Beavers also suffered a major blow in their final-game loss when one of their starting cornerbacks broke his leg against Oregon. We are referring to Tim Clark, the senior cb from Compton, California. The Cougars should be healthy coming into this matchup. There is one department where BYU and Oregon State are already tied. Neither team practiced last week and neither team will be able to get in the allotted 15 practice sessions allowed by the NCAA in preparation for a bowl game. The early bowl game date will not make it feasible. There is some talk in Corvallis about the Beavers and TCU matching up to start the 2010 season with a game at Dallas in the Cowboys' stadium, but details still have to be worked out. Oregon State did face another MWC team this season when they eked out a 23-21 win over UNLV in Las Vegas in early September. OSU had to kick a 33-yard field goal with 7 seconds remaining to get the win over the Rebels. We couldn't find an early Las Vegas line for this game, so here is ours. We call BYU a 3-point favorite. FOOTBALL FLUFF Jake Heaps, the heralded high school quarterback out of Skyline High School in Seattle, finished his high school career Saturday night by winning his third straight Class 4-A state football title in Tacoma. Heaps was the starting qb in all three title runs and was 15 of 25 for 254 yards and 254 yards. He also threw four touchdown passes in the 45-21 win over Ferris HS. No official word on when BYU knew they were headed to the Las Vegas Bowl, but we are betting that they knew about the invitation a few days before Sunday evening. We base that on the fact that the posted basketball schedule of BYU had changed almost immediately Sunday. BYU was originally set to play Nevada at the Orleans Arena on Tuesday, Dec 22 at 8:30 pm. That would conflict with the Bowl game and its 6 pm start time. Almost immediately, as soon as the Las Vegas Bowl invitation was formally announced, the game time for the basketball game switched and was posted on BYU's athletic web site from the original tipoff time to 1 pm. Our supposition is that BYU knew beforehand and it allowed them to negotiate with the basketball tournament people for an earlier start time. It works well for BYU and the tournament. The tourney folks will get an increased audience and ticket sales from BYU fans that wouldn't be in town if it weren't for the football game. BYU fans get a two-for-one chance to now support both their football and basketball teams. BCS IS STILL BACKROOM Blame it on Utah. In our opinion, the BCS backroom boys were so embarrassed last year about having one of their BCS darlings, Alabama, thumped by the Utes, that there was no way they were going to allow that to happen again. In our opinion, the fact that two non-qualifying teams, TCU and Boise State are facing each other in the Fiesta Bowl is no accident. It is also our opinion, that the Fiesta Bowl honchos had plenty of help in making their picks. There is no way the BCS snoots and snobs were going to risk having more embarrassment heaped on their beauty pageant by allowing the Frogs and Broncos a chance to expose the fallacy of foibles of the BCS process. It was a win-win for the BCS cartel. They can actually point to the fact that non-qualifying conferences like the WAC and MWC can qualify for the BCS. They also can now also turn down the heat from possible congressional and anti-trust hearings. By letting Boise and TCU win the miss congeniality titles, they guaranteed that their hand-picked contestants will be crowned queen of the BCS ball. It didn't come cheap. Last year's projected payout for conferences for both participating teams in the Fiesta Bowl was $17.5 million per team. Tiger Woods and the BCS, in our opinion, are both making financial adjustments in order to make a marriage and a monopoly stay intact. UTAH STATE MAKES BYU LOOK LOYOLA It was a few years back when Paul Westhead was the coach at Loyola Marymount in the late '80s. He was famous for his run-and-gun style of play and had Hank Gathers and David Spencer, two transfers from USC to help him implement his style of play. The Lions were famous for getting down the court and hoisting up threes. When those shots fell, they were spectacular and a media darling. When they faced teams that actually played defense and took away those shots and they didn't fall, they were exposed as an ordinary team. BYU likes to push the ball, but they are a long way from the frenetic pace of Loyola Marymount years ago. BYU, however, does live and die by its perimeter game. When the shots are falling, they look spectacular. When those shots are taken away by a team that defends, they are not exactly exposed, but gaps in their game certainly appear. That happened last week when the outside shots continued to be hoisted, but they didn't go down against the Aggies of Utah State. It resulted in BYU's first loss of the year, a 61-71 setback in Logan. BYU followed up the loss with a 69-43 blowout of San Francisco at Energy Solutions arena. The Cougars are now 6-1 on the year. Against USU, BYU shot 30.8% in the second half and it cost them the ball game. Against USF, the Cougars shot 51% and they were never in trouble. It is obvious that Dave Rose is aware of the fact that against good teams he can't survive with just a perimeter game. He is tinkering with his lineup by now bringing Jonathan Tavernari off the bench. Tavernari's shooting woes are well documented, but he isn't BYU's biggest problem. The post play of BYU is so far just ordinary. That will be good enough to get by against most of the MWC, but it won't cut it against quality teams BYU will have to face in post-season play. As long as the Cougars can shoot it from outside, they can win their third consecutive league title, but against New Mexico and UNLV, they will at least have to show a post presence if they expect to hold off the Lobos and Rebels for a conference championship. BYU will face Arizona State on Tuesday in the Marriott Center. The Sun Devils will come to Provo with a 5-2 record. Their two losses came at the hands of Duke (64-53 and Baylor 64-61). The Cougars will then travel to Fresno State for a game against the Steve Cleveland-coached Bulldogs. THE FUTURES MARKET Listed below are how BYU's most recent signees and future prospects fared during the last week. Kyle Collinsworth, 6-6 guard/wing, Provo HS...The recent BYU signee played in two games last week. He scored 19, had eight boards, six assists, three steals and two blocks for the Bulldogs in a 54-52 double overtime loss to American Fork. Later in the week, Provo defeated Mountain Crest 57-46. Collinsworth had almost half of his teams offensive output when he scored 27 against the Mustangs. Nick Emery, 6-3 freshman guard, Lone Peak HS...As a ninth grader, Emery opened his high school career locked up the limit. He led the Knights to a 63-48 win over Salem Hills and scored 19 points, had seven rebounds, five assists and five steals in his debut. He is the brother of current Cougar Jackson Emery. The 19 points still stands as a career high for Emery because his team has not played another game for two weeks. Lone Peak will be in action this week with games against Viewmont and Lehi. Anson Winder, 6-3, guard, Bishop Gorman HS...Still has not played a game as the Gaels season doesn't kick off until this Saturday against Findlay Prep of Las Vegas. Findlay is a nationally recognized prep power. The game will be played at the Orleans arena. Jabari Parker, 6-5, wing, Simeon HS, Chicago...In his high school debut as a freshman for perennial power Simeon, Parker was the leading scorer for his team with 14 points in a 50-37 win over Thornton HS. The game was part of the City-Suburban Basketball Showcase held at Chicago State. In referring to his performance in the season opener, Simeon Coach Robert Smith said Parker reminds him of Derrick Rose, who also played for Simeon, then played one season with Memphis and is now with the Chicago Bulls. DeMarcus Harrison, 6-4, guard, Christ School, Arden, North Carolina...This LDS guard played last year at his local high school in Greenwood, South Carolina, but is now at the prep school in the neighboring state. It is similar to what current Cougar Charles Abouo did when he went from Logan HS in Utah to a prep school in New Hampshire. Harrison debuted at his new school on November 10 with a 95-79 win over Quality Education Academy. Harrison had 13 points and 14 boards in the win. Two days later, Harrison had 15 points in a 79-59 win over Veritas Christian Academy. In a national tournament in Kentucky this past weekend, Harrison scored 11 against Findlay Prep of Nevada and 10 against Grace Prep of Texas. TELEVISION TIMETABLE BYU vs. Arizona State Tuesday, Dec 8 at Provo Tipoff: 8:00 pm Mountain Time TV: The Mtn BYU vs. Fresno State Saturday, Dec 12 at Fresno Tipoff: 8:00 pm Mountain Time TV: none BYU vs. Wagner Thursday, Dec 17 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUTV BYU vs. Eastern Washington Saturday, Dec 19 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUTV BYU vs. Oregon State (Las Vegas Bowl) Tuesday, Dec 22 at Las Vegas Kickoff: 6:00 pm Mountain Time TV: ESPN BYU vs. Nevada (HoopTV Las Vegas Classic) Tuesday, Dec 22 at Las Vegas (Orleans Arena) Tipoff: 1:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUTV (Game was originally set for 8:30 pm start, but moved to 1:00 pm start to accommodate BYU's Las Vegas Bowl appearance. Cougar fans can now see both games) BYU vs. Nebraska or Tulsa (HoopTV Las Vegas Classic) Wednesday, Dec 23 at Las Vegas (Orleans Arena) Tipoff: TBA TV: BYUTV

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Cougar Sportsline, Vol. 30, Issue 18
by hb arnett 07 Dec '09

07 Dec '09

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Cougar Sportsline, Vol. 30, Issue 18
by hb arnett 07 Dec '09

07 Dec '09

HB Arnett's COUGAR SPORTSLINE 801 372 0819 hbarnett(a)fiber.net and hbarnett@xmission <mailto:hbarnett@xmission.com> .com 1391 West 800 South - Orem, Utah 84058 Vol. 30, Issue 18 - December 7, 2009 Click <http://www.cougarstreet.com/products/index.php?type-450&PCID=450:0:0:0:0> Here To Order Or Renew Your Subscriptions BUCKLE UP BYU, BEAVERS ARE FOR REAL You should always be careful about what you wish for. BYU football players and fans expressed concern that they wouldn't get to prove just how good BYU is unless they were able to face a quality team from the Pac 10 in a bowl game this season. Wish granted. BYU will face Oregon State in the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl on Tuesday, Dec 22. It will be the Cougars fifth consecutive appearance in the game. It will also be BYU's biggest test yet in that particular post-season affair. The Beavers of OSU had a legitimate shot at being in the Rose Bowl and facing Ohio State in Pasadena. A 33-37 loss to Oregon on the Ducks home field made the Beavers a runner up for an appearance in the Granddaddy of all Bowls. OSU finished tied for second place in the Pac 10 with a 6-3 conference slate and at 8-4 overall. Stanford and Arizona were the other two teams tied with OSU for the second place conference finish. How? So how did a team that finished tied for second in the Pac 10 end up in Las Vegas in a bowl game that has the fifth pick from that same conference? OSU started out Sunday hoping for a berth in the Holiday Bowl. Arizona was invited instead because they defeated Oregon State in the regular season. The Sun Bowl, which has the third pick from the Pac 10 took Stanford because the Beavers were in El Paso last year and there is a no-repeat clause in play. USC finished behind the Beavers in the standings, but was taken by the Emerald Bowl with their fourth pick from the Pac 10 because they couldn't afford to pass up a bigger name and a bigger TV draw. The Beavers, in our opinion, did finish first in two crucial conference categories. Oregon State had the best quarterback and running back in the Pac 10 this past season. Forget stats, Sean Canfield was the best qb and Jacquizz Rodgers was the best running back in the league. They Got It If BYU's defense was looking for the highest ranked and best team they could face, they got exactly what they wanted. Canfield, completed 284-of-406 passes for 3103 yards. He threw for 21 touchdowns and had just six interceptions on the year. Max Hall, who will lead the Cougars, completed 256-of-379 passes for 3368 yards. He threw for 30 td passes and had 14 interceptions on the year. Rodgers, the 5-9, 195 pound sophomore running back for the Beavers, rushed for 1377 yards on 255 carries. He also accounted for 21 touchdowns. Harvey Unga carried the ball 184 times this past season for 1016 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. In the rankings department, BYU finished No. 14 the final BCS standings while Oregon State came in at No. 18. In the AP poll, BYU was No. 15 and OSU No. 16. The USA Coaches Poll had the Cougars at No. 14 and the Beavers at No. 20. Oregon State will move the ball and score points against the Cougars. The good news is that BYU will be able to do the same versus the Beavers. Four Losses In their four losses, OSU gave up 42 points to USC at the Coliseum, 37 points to Oregon on the road and to Arizona in Corvallis. The other loss was a 28-18 defeat against Cincinnati. That game was also in Corvallis. The Beavers also suffered a major blow in their final-game loss when one of their starting cornerbacks broke his leg against Oregon. We are referring to Tim Clark, the senior cb from Compton, California. The Cougars should be healthy coming into this matchup. There is one department where BYU and Oregon State are already tied. Neither team practiced last week and neither team will be able to get in the allotted 15 practice sessions allowed by the NCAA in preparation for a bowl game. The early bowl game date will not make it feasible. There is some talk in Corvallis about the Beavers and TCU matching up to start the 2010 season with a game at Dallas in the Cowboys' stadium, but details still have to be worked out. Oregon State did face another MWC team this season when they eked out a 23-21 win over UNLV in Las Vegas in early September. OSU had to kick a 33-yard field goal with 7 seconds remaining to get the win over the Rebels. We couldn't find an early Las Vegas line for this game, so here is ours. We call BYU a 3-point favorite. FOOTBALL FLUFF Jake Heaps, the heralded high school quarterback out of Skyline High School in Seattle, finished his high school career Saturday night by winning his third straight Class 4-A state football title in Tacoma. Heaps was the starting qb in all three title runs and was 15 of 25 for 254 yards and 254 yards. He also threw four touchdown passes in the 45-21 win over Ferris HS. No official word on when BYU knew they were headed to the Las Vegas Bowl, but we are betting that they knew about the invitation a few days before Sunday evening. We base that on the fact that the posted basketball schedule of BYU had changed almost immediately Sunday. BYU was originally set to play Nevada at the Orleans Arena on Tuesday, Dec 22 at 8:30 pm. That would conflict with the Bowl game and its 6 pm start time. Almost immediately, as soon as the Las Vegas Bowl invitation was formally announced, the game time for the basketball game switched and was posted on BYU's athletic web site from the original tipoff time to 1 pm. Our supposition is that BYU knew beforehand and it allowed them to negotiate with the basketball tournament people for an earlier start time. It works well for BYU and the tournament. The tourney folks will get an increased audience and ticket sales from BYU fans that wouldn't be in town if it weren't for the football game. BYU fans get a two-for-one chance to now support both their football and basketball teams. BCS IS STILL BACKROOM Blame it on Utah. In our opinion, the BCS backroom boys were so embarrassed last year about having one of their BCS darlings, Alabama, thumped by the Utes, that there was no way they were going to allow that to happen again. In our opinion, the fact that two non-qualifying teams, TCU and Boise State are facing each other in the Fiesta Bowl is no accident. It is also our opinion, that the Fiesta Bowl honchos had plenty of help in making their picks. There is no way the BCS snoots and snobs were going to risk having more embarrassment heaped on their beauty pageant by allowing the Frogs and Broncos a chance to expose the fallacy of foibles of the BCS process. It was a win-win for the BCS cartel. They can actually point to the fact that non-qualifying conferences like the WAC and MWC can qualify for the BCS. They also can now also turn down the heat from possible congressional and anti-trust hearings. By letting Boise and TCU win the miss congeniality titles, they guaranteed that their hand-picked contestants will be crowned queen of the BCS ball. It didn't come cheap. Last year's projected payout for conferences for both participating teams in the Fiesta Bowl was $17.5 million per team. Tiger Woods and the BCS, in our opinion, are both making financial adjustments in order to make a marriage and a monopoly stay intact. UTAH STATE MAKES BYU LOOK LOYOLA It was a few years back when Paul Westhead was the coach at Loyola Marymount in the late '80s. He was famous for his run-and-gun style of play and had Hank Gathers and David Spencer, two transfers from USC to help him implement his style of play. The Lions were famous for getting down the court and hoisting up threes. When those shots fell, they were spectacular and a media darling. When they faced teams that actually played defense and took away those shots and they didn't fall, they were exposed as an ordinary team. BYU likes to push the ball, but they are a long way from the frenetic pace of Loyola Marymount years ago. BYU, however, does live and die by its perimeter game. When the shots are falling, they look spectacular. When those shots are taken away by a team that defends, they are not exactly exposed, but gaps in their game certainly appear. That happened last week when the outside shots continued to be hoisted, but they didn't go down against the Aggies of Utah State. It resulted in BYU's first loss of the year, a 61-71 setback in Logan. BYU followed up the loss with a 69-43 blowout of San Francisco at Energy Solutions arena. The Cougars are now 6-1 on the year. Against USU, BYU shot 30.8% in the second half and it cost them the ball game. Against USF, the Cougars shot 51% and they were never in trouble. It is obvious that Dave Rose is aware of the fact that against good teams he can't survive with just a perimeter game. He is tinkering with his lineup by now bringing Jonathan Tavernari off the bench. Tavernari's shooting woes are well documented, but he isn't BYU's biggest problem. The post play of BYU is so far just ordinary. That will be good enough to get by against most of the MWC, but it won't cut it against quality teams BYU will have to face in post-season play. As long as the Cougars can shoot it from outside, they can win their third consecutive league title, but against New Mexico and UNLV, they will at least have to show a post presence if they expect to hold off the Lobos and Rebels for a conference championship. BYU will face Arizona State on Tuesday in the Marriott Center. The Sun Devils will come to Provo with a 5-2 record. Their two losses came at the hands of Duke (64-53 and Baylor 64-61). The Cougars will then travel to Fresno State for a game against the Steve Cleveland-coached Bulldogs. THE FUTURES MARKET Listed below are how BYU's most recent signees and future prospects fared during the last week. Kyle Collinsworth, 6-6 guard/wing, Provo HS...The recent BYU signee played in two games last week. He scored 19, had eight boards, six assists, three steals and two blocks for the Bulldogs in a 54-52 double overtime loss to American Fork. Later in the week, Provo defeated Mountain Crest 57-46. Collinsworth had almost half of his teams offensive output when he scored 27 against the Mustangs. Nick Emery, 6-3 freshman guard, Lone Peak HS...As a ninth grader, Emery opened his high school career locked up the limit. He led the Knights to a 63-48 win over Salem Hills and scored 19 points, had seven rebounds, five assists and five steals in his debut. He is the brother of current Cougar Jackson Emery. The 19 points still stands as a career high for Emery because his team has not played another game for two weeks. Lone Peak will be in action this week with games against Viewmont and Lehi. Anson Winder, 6-3, guard, Bishop Gorman HS...Still has not played a game as the Gaels season doesn't kick off until this Saturday against Findlay Prep of Las Vegas. Findlay is a nationally recognized prep power. The game will be played at the Orleans arena. Jabari Parker, 6-5, wing, Simeon HS, Chicago...In his high school debut as a freshman for perennial power Simeon, Parker was the leading scorer for his team with 14 points in a 50-37 win over Thornton HS. The game was part of the City-Suburban Basketball Showcase held at Chicago State. In referring to his performance in the season opener, Simeon Coach Robert Smith said Parker reminds him of Derrick Rose, who also played for Simeon, then played one season with Memphis and is now with the Chicago Bulls. DeMarcus Harrison, 6-4, guard, Christ School, Arden, North Carolina...This LDS guard played last year at his local high school in Greenwood, South Carolina, but is now at the prep school in the neighboring state. It is similar to what current Cougar Charles Abouo did when he went from Logan HS in Utah to a prep school in New Hampshire. Harrison debuted at his new school on November 10 with a 95-79 win over Quality Education Academy. Harrison had 13 points and 14 boards in the win. Two days later, Harrison had 15 points in a 79-59 win over Veritas Christian Academy. In a national tournament in Kentucky this past weekend, Harrison scored 11 against Findlay Prep of Nevada and 10 against Grace Prep of Texas. TELEVISION TIMETABLE BYU vs. Arizona State Tuesday, Dec 8 at Provo Tipoff: 8:00 pm Mountain Time TV: The Mtn BYU vs. Fresno State Saturday, Dec 12 at Fresno Tipoff: 8:00 pm Mountain Time TV: none BYU vs. Wagner Thursday, Dec 17 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUTV BYU vs. Eastern Washington Saturday, Dec 19 at Provo Tipoff: 7:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUTV BYU vs. Oregon State (Las Vegas Bowl) Tuesday, Dec 22 at Las Vegas Kickoff: 6:00 pm Mountain Time TV: ESPN BYU vs. Nevada (HoopTV Las Vegas Classic) Tuesday, Dec 22 at Las Vegas (Orleans Arena) Tipoff: 1:00 pm Mountain Time TV: BYUTV (Game was originally set for 8:30 pm start, but moved to 1:00 pm start to accommodate BYU's Las Vegas Bowl appearance. Cougar fans can now see both games) BYU vs. Nebraska or Tulsa (HoopTV Las Vegas Classic) Wednesday, Dec 23 at Las Vegas (Orleans Arena) Tipoff: TBA TV: BYUTV

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