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- 2407 discussions
HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 11 -A, - October 9, 2018
Bronco, Grimes, Mangum and Wilson
Remember when Bronco Mendenhall told a UVA booster group in the summer that
he had only 27 ACC caliber players on his roster? That caused a buzz. Click
here
<https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/6/11/17448438/bronco-mendenh
all-virginia-acc-caliber-players-power-5> to read one version of his
remarks and response of the media and fans.
How many Division I caliber players does BYU currently have on its roster?
Apparently not enough, according to Jeff Grimes during his comments on
BYUTV's Coordinator's Corner Monday. Click here
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QOeC25xPOc> to hear and see what he said.
Click here <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99R3aUnCjLQ> to hear what
Grimes said about the BYU offense and why I think it is obvious that Zach
Wilson will start this Saturday at quarterback for the Cougars against
Hawaii.
1
0
HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 11, - October 8, 2018
Kolmogorov complexity
The definition of Kolmogorov complexity in a nutshell is the length of the
shortest possible set of written mathematical instructions that can produce
a given result.
Kalani complexity
The definition of the Kalani complexity in a nutshell is the number of wins
he will need in the remainder of this 2018 season and in the upcoming 2019
season to keep his job.
I'm no mathematician, but I can give a pretty good equation explaining this
Cougar complexity of Kalani.
USU45>BYU20=3-3 record +(6 more games-2guaranteed losses
left=7-5season+<2019 season=Utah, Tennessee, USC, Washington=unemployment
unless something changes.
For the above equation to not be valid, here is a more practical equation
that Kalani needs to solve before this coming Saturday: 4-2=future is now or
never.
Zach Wilson has played in two BYU football games. He can play in two more
before losing his redshirt freshman season. The math running through
Kalani's head now must be between saving Wilson for next year or sinking or
swimming with him now to get him ready for next year's even tougher
front-loaded schedule. Nothing on the line here except Wilson's eligibility
and Kalani's job security.
Sometimes Math can be maddening. Sometimes it can save a season and future
employment.
Re-run and Re-read
In keeping with the election season and the constant re-running of political
ads, to emphasize my point, here is what I wrote September 10.
I also love me some BYU winning football games. BYU isn't going to win many
of those games until they get a mobile quarterback.
The only thing wrong with Tanner Mangum is that he is in the wrong place at
the wrong time. He has all it takes to be a star at Stanford or USC. He just
doesn't have the feet or mobility to win at BYU.
You are who you hang out with. It's not his fault BYU has no serious
playmakers on its current roster.
So, if I can figure this quarterback thing out that for BYU, that to win,
they need a more mobile quarterback who opposing defenses must account for
in the running game, don't you think BYU coaches have it figured it out.
Of course, they have. They know they currently have two true freshman
quarterbacks on the roster now that fits the job description. What they
haven't figured out is how to make the transition from pure arm to arms and
legs.
Or maybe they have, and we are watching it take place right now.
They key words in this equation are true freshman.
How to make the transition at quarterback from good to good with legs? Is
that what Cougar offensive coaches are doing right now? Are they waiting
until the punishing part of the schedule with Wisconsin and Washington is
over before they go mobile?
If that's the case, then Mangum deserves two Y blankets at the last game
presentation. He may not make the Athletic Hall of Fame, but based on his
loyalty, integrity, grit, passion and team first mentality, he deserves all
the accolades he gets.
I personally think coaches realize this more than we the fans do. They also
realize that accolades won't get BYU back in the quarterback business. It is
a good arm and at least decent legs.
They will get four of those decent to good, and if we are lucky, great legs
in three weeks with true freshmen Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall. Oh yeah, they
can also throw it.
Why throw your future at quarterback to the meat grinder of Cal, Wisconsin
and Washington, when if you wait, you can see what you really have for the
future against McNeese State, Utah State, Hawaii, UMass and New Mexico
State.
A little seasoning of mobile quarterbacks in those games may make the Utah
game at least interesting this season. And it will make next season's
seasoning worth waiting for.
THEY CALL IT "FOOT" BALL, NOT "ARM" BALL!
I can think of only a few college teams that can consistently win without a
quarterback that can run or scramble effectively. USC is the one college
team that comes to mind. Stanford also fills that bill. The ultimate "arm"
ball team in college is Washington State.
Coaches and pundits and scouts are always talking about footwork for every
position on the field. The only time I ever hear the word arm is when
describing the strength of a quarterback's said appendage.
BYU used to get by with "arm" quarterbacks BC. That would be before
cornerbacks and defensive coordinators got more athletic and smarter.
The last 9-win season BYU produced was not with an "arm" quarterback, but
with a "feet" QB in Taysom Hill.
Tom Brady and Drew Brees are "arm" quarterbacks, but in college the top
teams are those that not only have a quarterback that can throw it, but also
can run it and be elusive enough to cause defenses problems.
Need proof. Start watching college football's top teams. Of the most
recently rated Top Ten Teams in college football, here are teams that have
QB's that can throw it but also run it.
Alabama: Tua Tagovailoa
Ohio State: Dwayne Haskins
Penn State: Trace McSorley
Notre Dame: Ian Book
Texas: Sam Ehlinger
UCF: McKenzie Milton
When it comes to the State of Utah there is only one quarterback that can
beat you with his arm and legs and we saw both of those appendages in action
last Friday when Jordan Love, Utah State's outstanding quarterback, shredded
BYU in a 45-20 loss. It could have been worse.
This is just my opinion, but arm, ordinary receivers and soft schedule made
BYU a national name in college football.
I hate to go scriptural, but at BYU football, you can't trust in the arm of
a quarterback to get your wins any more.
You have to put the "foot" back in football. Again, my opinion, but a
quarterback with "foot" will improve the arm and anemic current BYU passing
game.
Now, I know it is a meager sample, and against second unit defenses, but
watch this video of BYU putting a foot back in football and tell me what you
think.
Here is the Bruno Mars "Hip Hop" version
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSfUiupLpVo> Is the BYU "Foot" Ball Future
Beginning This Week or Next Year?
Here is the Donny Osmond Version
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYW9QDvagQs> Is the BYU "Foot" Ball Future
Beginning This Week or Next Year?
So, What's the Hurry?
Try this for urgency for BYU football To Go Change or Go Home. This was sent
to me by a subscriber.
Current 2018 NCAA College Football Stats
BYU Offense
Total Offense Ranked 112/130
Points per Game: 21,2 - Ranked 118/130
Total Passing Yards: 1137 - Ranked 92/130
Total Rushing Yards: 699 - Ranked 107/130
Tanner Mangum
Total QBR: 50.6
Ranked 90/130
BYU Defense
Total Defense Ranked 72/130
This Looks Familiar
2017 Total offense for the season: 107/130
2017 Total defense for the season: 73/130
And while we are keeping tabs and score on BYU football's situation, here is
an article doing the same.
<https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/columnist/dan-wolken/2018/10/
07/auburn-poor-start-puts-malzahn-49-million-deal-under-microscope/155805200
2/> It's USA Today College Football Misery Index. Click to read. BYU is in
good company. The article talks mainly about Auburn, but also laments
Louisville, Kansas State, Michigan State and at the end, BYU. I thought it
was interesting reading.
The article mentioned the defensive deficiencies of Oklahoma which were
remedied yesterday when they fired their defensive coordinator Mike Stoops.
That coincides with BYU and Bronco Mendenhall's firing of their defensive
coordinator, Jaime Hill 8 years ago in 2010.
Coincidentally, the firing came after a thrashing by Utah State in Logan.
Here are the salient sentences by Mendenhall giving his reasons for
dismissing his defensive coordinator midseason.
Mendenhall discusses decision to fire defensive coordinator
PROVO -- BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall is explaining the
<http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=272&sid=12667809> firing of defensive
coordinator Jaime Hill.
Hill was shown the door Saturday after the team went to 1-4 with a loss at
Utah State, marking BYU's worst start since the early 1970s.
Mendenhall says it was the right choice, motivated by "feelings, instincts,
promptings."
"I did what I thought was best for the program," Mendenhall told reporters
Monday at his weekly news conference. "Difficult decision, but I've aligned
myself now with the way that I think I can make a real difference in our
program at a deeper level."
Mendenhall said he fired Hill because of differences in coaching and
leadership philosophies, but he also wanted to have more influence over his
team.
"I think my influence on the defense -- that's what I consider my strength,
it's where I think I can have the most leverage, and it's where I think I
can influence our program the most," Mendenhall said.
Contacted over the weekend by KSL Newsradio, Hill said he was the
"scapegoat" and BYU had "no reason" to fire him.
Mendenhall said the scapegoat comment was "not accurate."
Hill did not return calls to KSL Newsradio when asked for further comment
Monday.
Mendenhall hopes taking over as defensive coordinator will instill some
"heart" and "soul" into his team.
"I don't think right now we're getting their personal best, and that is
something that is the most lingering issue to me that I really want to help
them with, and maybe they haven't seen it from me," Mendenhall said.
You can read the entire article reported in October 2010, by KSL.com by
<https://www.ksl.com/article/12690056/mendenhall-discusses-decision-to-fire-
defensive-coordinator?print=1> clicking here.
Random Thoughts on Firing Coaches Mid-Season
If I was a head football coach, I personally wouldn't fire my brother who
was serving as a defensive coordinator. Neither did Bob Stoops at Oklahoma.
He kept his brother Mike on as DC for years. I don't know what Stoops
rationale was for keeping his brother on the payroll, but I know what my
rationale would be.
If I fired my brother, who would bring the potato salad at the next family
reunion?
There is a BYU and Bronco Mendenhall connection to the firing at Oklahoma.
Ruffin McNeil was hired by Bronco at UVA after McNeil was fired as head
coach at East Carolina. McNeil worked for Mendenhall for one season before
he left to coach the defensive line at Oklahoma where Lincoln Riley, the OU
head coach also named him Assistant head coach.
Riley had worked for McNeill as his offensive coordinator at East Carolina.
This season's BYU defensive showing has not been good. Maybe serviceable is
the best that can be said about it.
If I notice it and almost all BYU football fans notice it, don't you think
that Kalani Sitake notices it?
Ilaisa Tuiaki is not Sitake's literal brother, but I'm wondering if there
hasn't been some thought given about who's bringing the potato salad to the
next reunion.
Potato salad didn't figure in with the removal of almost an entire offensive
staff after last season, but maybe it might be time to re-stir the defensive
salad at BYU and give Ed Lamb a shot at the texture and taste of said
current salad.
Sorry, just thinking out loud when it comes to a defense that is playing
like potato salad.
Speaking of reunions and potato salad, regardless of how soggy, sour or
spoiled the BYU football potato salad is, I am always going to go to the
reunions. Family trumps potato salad every time.
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0
HB ArnettÂ’s
“Lite”
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 10, - October 1, 2018
Dennis Green Got it Right!
When it comes to BYUÂ’s performance against Washington in a 35-7 loss, Dennis
Green got it right about BYU.
Take 8 seconds to watch this video, before we move on to the actual game.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFKT8Df_3Ak> Click Here to Get GreenÂ’s
Perspective and my perspective on BYU
In August, a projected 3-2 BYU football record after the first 5 games of
the 2018 schedule made everyone happy. A month later an actual 3-2 record
has suddenly become the end of the BYU football world.
What changed in a monthÂ’s time?
The sequence of the wins and losses.
Transpose the Wisconsin and California games and results and BYU is right
where we all thought they would be at 3-2. Actually, a 2-3 start would have
made a lot of people happy. Greed, even on the gridiron, can be a nasty
thing.
Thirty days ago, 6 wins would have made Kalani Sitake a miracle worker.
After a win over Wisconsin, anything less than a 11-1 record and a Playoff
spot, and Sitake should be shown the door for underperforming. Perspective
evidently remains in flux during the football season.
Even counting two probable losses on the road still to come against Boise
State and Utah, an 8-4 record would have been considered a miracle and
deserved coach of the year consideration. Now 8-4 and even 7-5 and donÂ’t let
the door hit SitakeÂ’s backside out the door.
BYU is still a good football team. They are just not one of the elite teams
in college football.
Horse Racing
ItÂ’s a lot like horse racing, one of my favorite sports. You can take a
decent horse doing well at a track like Turf Paradise in Phoenix or even
Delta Downs in Louisiana, but if a good horse at those tracks, could somehow
gain entry into a race in Breeders Cup where the best horses in the world
take the track and turf, they would be outclassed just like BYU was against
Washington.
BYU just didnÂ’t have the horses to run with the Huskies.
Great horses make good trainers look good. Same with football coaches. It
takes good to great football players to make a coach and game plan look good
and competent.
Even good horses donÂ’t always win. Sometimes they get boxed in on the rail.
Sometimes they get a bad start out of the gate. There are a lot of variables
in horse racing, even at the highest levels.
Same with football and players. Take Tanner MangumÂ’s performance versus Jake
BrowningÂ’s performances last Saturday night. Browning was 23-25 for 277
yards and one touchdown. Mangum was 18-21 for 160 yards and no touchdowns.
ItÂ’s Browning in a landslide. Right? Who knows. What if Browning was
throwing for BYU and Mangum throwing for Washington. Would the stats be the
same? Want to talk about a muddy track. Go back and just watch a few minutes
of the game on tape. How long did Browning get to stay in the pocket
untouched or unhurried before throwing the ball to wide open receivers? How
long did Mangum have to find mostly covered wideouts?
Still Lose
Based on the overall athleticism and speed of both teams, give the Cougars
Jake Browning and they still lose. Give Washington Mangum and they still
win. I think you can make that comparison at all positions on the field.
WashingtonÂ’s guys were just better than BYUÂ’s. Just where did BYU stand out
at any spot on the field?
We thought that would be true a month ago, but somehow thought the situation
would change after a win at Wisconsin.
BYU needs better players. Instead of counting wins and losses, we should
count how much better players will eventually be under Sitake. You could
bring in Andy Reid or even Bill Belichick, and without an improved roster of
players, nothing changes.
Speaking of Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots who
punished the Miami Dolphins yesterday 38-7, said, “Great players make great
plays.”
Cut and Paste
That quote can be cut and pasted and used by at least 15 college coaches
yesterday. Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Dana Holgorsen, Lincoln Riley, and Kirby
Smart.
LetÂ’s get real. Do you honestly believe that Urban Meyer and Nick Saban,
would have beat Washington yesterday with BYUÂ’s current roster and
WashingtonÂ’s current personnel?
I still hold to my prediction of at least 7 and more likely 8 wins this
season for BYU. The difference between 7 and 8 wins will be determined this
Friday when Utah State comes to town.
Meanwhile BYU and Sitake have much bigger fish to fry for next season. Here
is a list of the first 4 games of the year: Utah at Provo; Tennessee at
Knoxville; USC at Provo and Washington at Provo. Remember, great players
make great plays. BYU either must recruit or develop some more great players
and they donÂ’t have much time in which to do just that.
We Are About to Find Out Just How Good BYU Football Coaches Really Are or
ArenÂ’t
Forget about game plans and schemes. Forget about jet sweeps and check
downs. As poor as the BYU pass rush is and has been, it is on the back
burner now.
What we will find out by the start of LDS General Conference on Saturday
morning, is what kind of coaching staff BYU really has.
It is their job to keep this current team from doing what they did last
season. That would be quitting.
It was painfully obvious last year that the BYU football team quit on
themselves, coaches and fans. Want evidence? Try a 4-9 record and losses to
teams like UMass.
The bar has been set and the Aggies of Utah State will be the bar exam. It
is a Pass or Fail event.
Publicly Professed
Utah State is coming off a bye week. They have already publicly professed
that this is a big game for them and that they will be ready to play.
They have good team speed offensively. It is not Washington team speed, but
it is good. BYU should control the line of scrimmage, but can they control
their hearts and desire to continue to play hard and with enthusiasm.
A computer ranking (Sagarin) has the Utah rated as the #31 best team in the
country. This same ranking system has Utah State rated at #50, with the
Cougars ranked at #64.
We shall see. Las Vegas has the Cougars as a 2 ½ point favorite. By Saturday
morning we will know if BYU cashed in or simply checked out for the rest of
the season. This will be a football game between bits and bytes of a
computer and the bets placed in Las Vegas. They both canÂ’t be right.
Change
Something has to change with this current football team and program. ItÂ’s
very rare that something said over the pulpit at LDS General Conference
pertains to BYU football, but try this on for size. Elder Lynn G. Robbins of
the Presidency of the Seventy, gave a great halftime speech to a team and
program during the first session of April 2018 General Conference and didnÂ’t
even know it. He said, “Concerning change, consider this simple insight:
“Things that don’t change remain the same.” This obvious truth isn’t meant
to insult your intelligence but is the profound wisdom of President Boyd K.
Packer, who then added, “And when we are through changing—we’re through.”
We will know late Friday night if this is déjà vu of last season or change
is actually taking place before our own eyes.
Here is one thing that is pertinent to this BYU football team right now. It
is a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. Take your
pick. “Success,” it has been said, “isn’t the absence of failure, but going
from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm.” Friday night
against Utah State will make or break the remaining success of this football
season.
Speaking of change, except for failure to run the ball effectively at
Washington, who happens to have an elite defense, BYU should be able to run
the ball against the rest of their scheduleÂ…if they can pass the ball
effectively and efficiently.
Changing Quarterbacks
That is something that has to change. Changing quarterbacks wonÂ’t make a
difference in the passing game, but something must change or as Elder Packer
said, “we are through”.
I donÂ’t have the answers, but that is what a BYU coaching staff getting a
combined $2 million paycheck (my estimation only) should be doing if they
want to earn that paycheck and put the passing game back on the table.
Friday should tell us what the menu for the rest of the season will be.
Washington and BYU Do Have One Thing in Common
Both have dominating athletic teams. UW has football and BYU has womenÂ’s
volleyball. What the Huskies did to BYU on the football field last Saturday,
the Lady Cougars have been doing to opponents on the court at home and away.
The No. 1 ranked Cougars are currently undefeated and 15-0 on the season. Of
those 15 wins, 12 have been 3-0 sweeps of the opponent. If you have ever
wondered what it would be like to be an Alabama football fan, catch a game
at the Smith Fieldhouse and see for yourself.
A BYU Basketball Re-Run?
ItÂ’s been 3 years since BYU basketball earned a trip to the NCAA post season
tournament. ItÂ’s been seven years since they won a game in that same
tournament. In a Biblical context, I believe they call that a 7-year famine.
In a BYU basketball context, they call it golf. You know, drive for show,
canÂ’t putt for dough.
BYU is going back to show. They have ditched their one-year half-court
offense experiment and are returning to their tried and true up-tempo
offense. The basic description of this offensive attack is that the first
guy to find the ball in his hand after crossing the half court line, shoots
it. Just kidding.
It will be fun to watch. So is a golf long driving contest.
All PGA golfers can hit the ball. Those that cash a paycheck, almost always
have a short game and can chip and putt when the match is on the line.
Drive for Show, Putt for Dough
BYU basketball will be fun to watch this year. They will be driving for
show. What we donÂ’t know is if they can putt for dough when the game is on
the line.
This team is loaded with big hitters who can shoot the ball from downtown.
They look a little short in the putting green paint, however.
We will see how it works out. It will be entertaining again for sure, but
more than likely disappointing again, when post season rolls around. Hope
IÂ’m wrong.
Here is the current roster.
.
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HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 9 - A, September 25, 2018
Don't Know How I Will Feel After the Washington Game on Saturday But Reading
and Watching These Clips Below Made Me Happy, Informed and Entertained
Today!
Click to Read and See Yourself
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.si.com/college-footba
ll/2018/09/25/byu-cougars-fly-sweep-offense-jeff-grimes&ct=ga&cd=CAEYASoUMTA
0MzcwMTg5NzYzNjQ5NjkwNDQyGjg5MTllYWRkMmM0NDEyYjg6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNE-ul
QZ43td62UQHSG67ihD9MbaQw> With an Offense Learning to Fly, BYU Is One of
2018's Biggest Surprises
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=http://news.byu.edu/news/building
-team-believers-byu-head-football-coach-kalani-sitake-inspires-knight-societ
y&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTM0NjU3NjI1OTEyMTU0ODQyODEyGjg5MTllYWRkMmM0NDEyYjg6Y29tO
mVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNHRxSvVCrkFEhgClSexjgPAC_FvGw> Building a team of
believers, BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake inspires Knight Society
New Waiver Wire (my name for it) makes transferring easier for players to
transfer <https://apnews.com/059a24cef7e1414a83b8ca2bf8d5f5d1>
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://kutv.com/sports/college/g
olf-clap-to-standing-ovation-its-the-perfect-ending-to-a-byu-game&ct=ga&cd=C
AEYACoUMTEzNzYyOTcyNjIxNDgyNTc2ODEyGjg5MTllYWRkMmM0NDEyYjg6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=
AFQjCNHy5afZcrU_bGMrhFe64S1_l1ubXQ> Golf clap to standing ovation! It's the
perfect ending to a BYU game!
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.seattletimes.com/spor
ts/uw-husky-football/uws-chris-petersen-on-byus-unique-running-game-jake-bro
wning-cade-otton-and-more/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTU5MTg0Mzk3ODYxMzQxNjEwMTQyGjM2
OWQwMTBiODRmZDkxYzA6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNHzLomMK4IJLDjWlkq4XzYsKC_8Ng>
UW's Chris Petersen on BYU's 'unique' running game, Jake Browning, Cade
Otton and more
Seattle Times
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://diverseeducation.com/arti
cle/127484/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoUMTc5NTQ0MTIyNTcxMjE0MjczMTQyGjg5MTllYWRkMmM0NDE
yYjg6Y29tOmVuOlVT&usg=AFQjCNEK4vTGY2f3u6mEXCEre7QxiDcmOQ> The Minority Coach
Roundup
And Here's One, thanks to a subscriber, that is interesting and comment
worthy.
Will San Francisco's NFL team be next to go?
"
<https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/09/21/long-beach-state-statue-1849-g
old-rush-indigenous/> California State University, Long Beach, will move its
half-century-old 'Prospector Pete' statue away from a prominent place on
campus because of the impact the 1849 gold rush had on indigenous people."
<https://www.flotrack.org/articles/6250399-crazy-depth-byus-jv-team-could-fi
nish-top-15-at-ncaas> Crazy Depth: BYU's JV Team Could Finish Top 15 At
NCAAs - FloTrack
And Finally, here is my recent favorite redshirt post from Cougar Board from
a guy named singlestrapbackpack
<https://www.cougarboard.com/board/message.html?id=20452244>
1
0
HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 9, September 24, 2018
Cougar Skeptics and Skating Judges Give Cougars only a 5.1
BYU OUTSKATES MCNEESE 30-3
I occasionally watch figure skating and gymnastics. At their highest levels,
they feature phenomenal athletes. But in my opinion, they, along with
movies, are entertainment only and not sport.
Sorry, if any of you grandpas or dads have children involved in any of these
activities. I don't want to demean what skaters and gymnasts do. No question
they are athletically gifted, but it is not a sport.in my opinion.
In my opinion, anything where the winner is determined by a subjective score
of judges is not a sport. It is aesthetic, athletic and demands great skill,
but it is not a sport. Heck if football winners were determined by judges'
votes, it too would not be a sport. Wait, football rankings and playoff
teams are determined by votes of judges. Okay, strike that comment from the
record please. But at least, the national championship game is decided by
score, not skating judges.
Here's my point. BYU put up 30 points on a good McNeese football team. They
also held the Cowboys to just 3.
That's good enough for me. Unfortunately, there seem to be multiple
skeptical skating judges that want to deduct points from the Cougars,
because of style points. They only hit one triple salchow, instead of three.
And the salchow performed wasn't high enough, deep enough or catchable
enough.
I love football because when a football team is bigger, stronger and mostly
faster than their opponent, they will beat said opponent 8 out of 10 times
they match up on the football field.
BYU is currently 3-1 on the year, but if you read the papers and chatrooms
that follow BYU football, the Cougars are really only 1-3. They have had too
many points deducted for lack of artistic execution in the passing game and
lack of sequins in their offensive scheme.
What the Yamaguchi is going on here? The Cougars beat the spread as a
favorite by two Triple Lutzs (6 points). Many living-in-the-past pundits
consider this 30-3 winning performance on par with Woody Allen's description
of a hot dog in one of his movies. He said, it was "Artistically subtle and
artfully demure."
In football talk when it comes to the Cougar offense, it means there isn't
enough mustard or relish on the BYU passing and polish dog.
At the risk of getting too Biblical, remember the best college football is
still played in the Bible Belt of the Southeast Conference. Just my opinion,
but decades ago Esau and BYU sold their big boy football heritage for a mess
of passing pottage. It solved the immediate problem of trying to stay on the
same stage and field with more physically talented teams.
As Mike Leach has proven over the years and as Old Dominion proved in its
upset of Virginia Tech last week, you can win passing the ball exclusively,
but you will never be a serious contender for the big boy payout of pottage
of the College Football Playoffs.
BYU is no longer the lutz and klutz on the gridiron that had to go gimmicky
to stay competitive. BYU skated by for a couple of decades with a sequined
and shiny passing game. Now the rest of the college football world has
figured it out. So has BYU. You have to eventually be able to run the
football if you want to hang with the big boys. Otherwise, it is just
showbiz skating.
It's time BYU fans, including me, also figure it out. A win is a win and the
more the better.
BYU is still skating, but they are using their blades and bodies to play
rough and tumble hockey. That's were the winner is determined by putting the
puck in the net more times than your opponent can. Salchows are nice, but
scores are better.
This is what artistically subtle and artfully demure now looks like in the
box score.
Here is what Post Pottage BYU Now Looks Like in The National Rankings
Associated Press Top 25
1 Alabama 2 Georgia 3 Clemson 4 Ohio State 5 LSU 6 Oklahoma 7 Stanford 8
Notre Dame
9 Penn State 10 Auburn 11 Washington 12 West Virginia 13 UCF 14 Michigan 15
Wisconsin 16 Miami 17 Kentucy 18 Texas 19 Oregon 20 BYU 21 Michigan State 22
Duke 23 Mississippi State 24 California 25 Texas Tech
Here is What Old BYU Pottage Looked Like
Here is What New BYU Punishment Pottage Looks Like
Geneva Steel Closed. Now there is a New Factory in Town
If you had to say what the strength of the BYU offense is now, 97 percent of
respondents would say it is the offensive line. The other 3 percent would
say it is the artistically subtle and artfully demure hot dogs sold at the
stadium.
Here's the deal. You have to sell and recruit to your strengths. BYU's
offensive line is very young and is good now and will be better down the
road.
That is what you hit the road selling to an upper-end running back. You show
him film of just how dominant and how big the holes are up front that this
offensive line is producing. Kalani Sitake has said that we can get big and
talented linemen. He is right.
To back up his point, one of the nation's premier offensive linemen, is LDS
and just a junior at Columbine HS in Colorado. Here is what a subscriber
sent detailing and describing this kid.
A recruit by the name of Andrew Gentry, a junior at Columbine High in
Denver, is a top 30 recruit nationally ranked and high 4 star and rising,
considered widely to be the best lineman out of the state in years. Is LDS,
has a BYU offer, ( his brother is a freshmen at BYU now, and is on
scholarship ), and was at the Cal Game. Loved Wisconsin, and has offers,
from Ohio St, Wisconsin, Alabama, Stanford, and about every big program
going. Incredibly active church member, with parents with BYU history, Dad
played hoops ( was slotted behind the Reid brothers, so he transferred to
USU ), Grandpa was a standout player in the 50's, and Uncle, Mike Madsen,
was a safety in the Crowton years. This could be the highest ranked recruit
we have a real shot at in years, as he is 6'8 320 already, and is very
strong. But other schools are working hard to get in the door, from what I
have heard.
Yeah, Big Deal. Now What?
If you have a great offensive line, you make that a selling point to premier
college running backs.
After 30 plus years of following BYU recruiting, it is obvious that the LDS
recruiting market doesn't provide premier running backs very often. So, what
is the next step?
Occasionally BYU can land a good to decent juco running back, but you can't
go to the bank with that strategy.
There is now another option. Check the new waiver wire. Remember, beginning
October 10, the NCAA will let players transfer to another school without
having to be released by their current coaching staffs and they become
immediately recruitable. That list is made available to all NCAA schools.
I can guarantee that BYU will be scrutinizing that list carefully and begin
recruiting prospects from that list that look like they can be good running
backs.
So why would a possible premier running back leave a school and transfer?
Three words. Eligibility and playing time. Good example is Bryce Perkins,
Bronco Mendenhall's new starting quarterback at Virginia.
Perkins signed out of Chandler HS in Arizona with Arizona State. He
redshirted as a frosh, was hurt as a sophomore and was beat out by another
QB at ASU. He transferred to Arizona Western JC in Yuma and then hopped
across the continent to see starting time for Bronco and his boys.
A running back wants to run the football. What BYU has in their favor is
playing time or lack of it at several programs in the West. The chances of
landing a running back transfer east of Colorado is slim to none. Just look
at the rosters of PAC 12 and Mountain West Schools and I can guarantee you
there are prospects that would prosper in Provo with BYU's offensive line.
In case you forgot, BYU's current best running back is a Washington State
transfer.
How many running backs do these other schools have on their roster? How many
of those rostered running backs actually are carrying the ball this year or
project to carry it next year. Talent is great, but when there is equal
talent or better talent in front of you, playing time enters the thought
process.
Another option would be 5th year seniors who have already graduated at their
present schools. They become immediately eligible. The running back
prospects from this list will be slim to none. That's because if the running
back wasn't good enough to merit an NFL sniff after his senior season at his
current school, he likely isn't worth a sniff by BYU.
The final option for BYU landing a good running back is luck. Every 10 years
the Cougars stumble accidently upon a Luke Staley, Jamal Willis, Rey
Braithwaite, Ronny Jenkins or Jamaal Williams.
I don't know how to make this happen, but I am sure that BYU offensive
coaches know just how special a special running back would have it behind
this special BYU offensive line. You can bet that they will be working hard
to make it happen.
Television Timetable
BYU vs. Pepperdine (Women's Volleyball)
Tuesday, September 25 at Malibu
Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: ESPNU
BYU vs. Gonzaga (Women's Volleyball)
Thursday, September 27 at Provo
Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: TheW.tv
BYU vs. Portland (Women's Volleyball)
Saturday, September 29 at Provo
Start Time: 1:00 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. Gonzaga (Women's Soccer)
Thursday, September 27 at Provo
Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. Portland (Women's Soccer)
Saturday, September 29 at Provo
Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: TheW.tv
BYU Football Television Timetable
BYU is a 17-point underdog against the Huskies, according to Las Vegas Odds
Makers. In four games, BYU has covered the point spread in every game except
Cal. This information is not for gambling, but for entertainment purposes
only and for extending the length and breadth of this newsletter in hopes it
will seem more scholastic, academic and artistically subtle and artfully
demure.
1
0
It appears that some subscribers didn't get all of what I sent out
yesterday. The confusion stems from my alphabetic disabilities
distinguishing between the Letters A, B, and C. Don't worry, my wife
scheduled an appointment for me next week to see my granddaughter's first
grade teacher. Meanwhile, I am resending what was either A,B, or C. Sorry
for the confusion. If you already received this, I'm sorry, it won't be any
better the second time around. If you didn't receive this, I'm sorry for not
grasping what I should have learned in kindergarten. Evidently, I was taking
a nap during the alphabet discussion.
HB
HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 8 - A, September 19, 2018
Bottom Ten
ESPN's senior writer Ryan McGee puts out a weekly "Bottom Ten" rankings of
college football teams that are not playing well. You can read his whole
piece by clicking here
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/page/bottom091818/bottom-10-fl
orida-state-big-ten-heading-wrong-direction> or get the salient section of
his musings below.
1.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/166/new-mexico-state-aggies>
Whew Mexico State (0-4)
New Mexico State Not New Mexico is now the nation's only four-loss team
after losing to New Mexico Not New Mexico State in the Rio Grande Rivalry
Not The Battle of I-25. Now the Aggies will take I-10 Not I-25 south for the
Pillow Fight of the Century of the Season against ...
2. <http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2638/utep-miners> UTEPID
(0-3)
These guys. The Minors were skunked by perpetual Coveted Fifth Spot nominee
Tennessee, 24-0, but that's understandable. Their minds were already on the
future. With New Mexico State this week, UTSA the next and late season
matchups with Rice and Western Kentucky (both 0-3), this could be the most
treacherous Bottom 10 gauntlet since that time I found myself on a plane
full of ADs returning home from a Conference USA West corporate picnic. I
don't know who kept pelting me with pretzels from economy class, but it hurt
my feelings.
3.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/23/san-jose-state-spartans>
San No-se State (0-3)
The Spartans hung tough on the road against Oregon, successfully fueling
their anger at me for accidentally calling them Trojans. Prior to the game,
SJSU players could be heard shouting "For Sparta!" like the guys in that
"300" movie. There was also one guy who yelled "For Troy!" but I'm pretty
sure that's because his name was Troy.
4.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2117/central-michigan-chippe
was> Central Michigan Chippy-was (0-3)
Central Michigan celebrated surrendering Kansas' first road win in 11 years
by suffering its second road loss in three weeks. #efficiency
5.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/52/florida-state-seminoles>
Flori-duh State (1-2)
Hey Big Ten West, at least you aren't Willie Taggart, who is less popular in
Tallahassee than a Steve Spurrier impersonator wearing a turnover chain from
The U.
6.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/295/old-dominion-monarchs>
Old Dumbinion (0-3)
The Monarchs lost Pillow Fight of the Week: Episode III to Charlotte in a
game that was moved up two days because of Hurricane Florence. I live in
Charlotte and had intended to attend, but it didn't happen, also because of
Florence. Yes, I know the hurricane didn't get to Charlotte until Friday.
I'm talking about my Aunt Florence, who moved into our attic to wait out the
storm. I haven't checked on her since the weekend, but I can smell Ben-Gay
and a pumpkin spice Yankee Candle, so I know she's still up there.
7. <http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2636/utsa-roadrunners>
R-O-C-K in the UTSA (0-3)
While UTEP hosts New Mexico State in the Pillow Fight of the Century of the
Year this week, next week the Miners will travel to UTSA for what might be
Pillow Fight of the Century of the Actual Century. It all depends on the
outcome of UTSA's game this weekend with ...
8. <http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/326/texas-state-bobcats>
Texas State Armadillos (1-2)
These guys. But if Texas State loses to UTSA and New Mexico State loses to
UTEP then we'll still get a Pillow Fight of the Century of the Actual
Century. We'll just have to wait until Texas State hosts New Mexico State on
Oct. 27. Just in time for Halloween. By the way, do you know who Texas State
lost to in its season opener?
9.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/164/rutgers-scarlet-knights>
In a Rut-gers (1-2)
These guys, who haven't won since. It's one thing to get stomped at Ohio
State. It's another thing entirely to receive an equally awful thrashing at
... Kansas. Rutgers opened the game in Lawrence with a dropped pass, two
carries for zero yards, a 2-yard pass, a dropped interception and a
pick-six. A Scarlet Knight hasn't looked this anguished since Thanos beat up
her boyfriend and snapped his fingers.
10.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/193/miami-(oh)-redhawks> My
Hammy of Ohio (0-3)
The MAC was once the platform upon which the entire Bottom 10 was built. Now
it is poised to reclaim that dominance from the teams of the west. Seven of
the league's 12 teams currently have losing records. If the Redhawks are
going to make a move, the time is now. The next four weeks will bring
throwdowns with 1-2 Boiling Green, 1-2 Western Not Eastern Or Central
Michigan and State of Kent, which is ... well, 1-2.
Waiting List:
<http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/41/uconn-huskies>
U-Can't (1-2),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/98/western-kentucky-hilltopp
ers> Western Kentucky Hillstoppers (0-3),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/242/rice-owls> Minute Rice
(1-2), <http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/113/umass-minutemen>
U-Mess (1-3),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/153/north-carolina-tar-heels
> UNC Achilles Heels (0-2),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2567/smu-mustangs> SMU
Mustanks (0-3),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/204/oregon-state-beavers>
Ore-gone State (1-2),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2509/purdue-boilermakers>
Pur-don't (0-3), Arkansaw (1-2), people who complain about schedule changes
due to natural disasters.
BYU Bottom Ten
As exciting as BYU's win over Wisconsin was, I was taught that there must be
opposition in all things. Consequently, CS Lite's Senior (in age) and Solo
writer HB Arnett has put together his Bottom Ten of BYU Losses.
No. 1.The all-time loser was the 1990 65-14 beatdown of BYU and Ty Detmer's
shoulders by Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl. BYU was ranked and the Aggies
weren't. Detmer ended with two separated shoulders and BYU fans left with a
separated ego and daunting dose of reality.
No. 2.Bradlee Van Pelt, pelted BYU in Provo 58-13 on a Thursday night in
2003. He ran over and threw over BYU at will.
No. 3.BYU was humming after beating Oklahoma in Dallas in 2009. They were
bumming two weeks later as Florida State dominated the Cougars in Provo. It
brought BYU back to reality.
No. 4.Coming off a 1984 National Championship year, BYU was stunned by UTEP
in El Paso the following season 23-16. The Miners were winless when they
upset the Cougars. A lot of excuses were rendered for the loss including the
stealing of signals and radio waves to an invasion of aliens. Bottom line:
UTEP scored more points than BYU. Turns out there were no aliens at the
game. They all were documented.
No. 5.It's UMass. Need I say more. Or as ESPN calls them, UMess. This was
the Liahona of losses for BYU last year because it told us where the program
was headed. After a few Laban's heads (coaches) were severed and released by
Sitake, BYU now looks like it has recalibrated its Liahona and losses and is
back on track.
No. 6-13.If you do the math and subtract 6 from 13 you get 7. That is how
many years running Utah has beat BYU. It's time for a culture and count
change beginning with this year in Salt Lake City.
Speaking of Culture Change
We might be making it harder than it looks. Look at this short video
<https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes?language=en>
for an example of something simple making a huge difference. It is my
definition of the culture change taking place at BYU football.
For decades we have been tying our football fortunes to throwing the ball.
It worked when we were young, because it was easy to do and nobody else was
doing it. We soon found out opponents finally caught on to the passing game
and offense of BYU.
They began to wiggle and tug at the BYU's passing laces and they came untied
and untrue more and more often.
With the addition of Jeff Grimes, BYU is now tying its football offense with
a more secure and tried and proven method. It's called running the ball.
Sure, it doesn't hurt be able to throw the ball, but big boy or bully
football requires running the rock. BYU is doing that now.
Here is my personal experience with tying my shoes. For the majority of my
life, I have worn flip flops, sandals and slip on shoes. The only time I
laced up my shoes was on Sunday when I headed to Church. They were always
coming loose or untied.
Things changed with our Mission Call. We were expected to wear Sunday best
daily. That meant tying my Sunday shoes daily. It was irritating because I
had to tie and re-tie my shoes 4 or five times a day.
That's when I found the TED talk above. It changed my life and missionary
experience. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but you get the point. Something as
simple as taking the lace under instead of over, made a huge difference.
So does running the ball effectively.
Sunday Dinners Where I would Like to be a Fly on the Wall
The Empey House.
It would be interesting to hear the offensive line conversations between
last year's offensive line coach, Mike Empey and James Empey, his son and
starting center of this year's BYU football team.
In case you forgot, Empey was his son's coach last year while he redshirted.
Here's how I envision the dinner conversation going.
"You played well and had a great game against Wisconsin, James."
"Thanks Dad, it was fun manhandling the vaunted UW defense."
"Explain to me how you guys block that jet sweep. I may want to use that
scheme if I ever get another offensive line coaching job."
"Dad, if we keep playing this way, it won't be long before the BYU offensive
line job is open again. Coach Pugh will certainly go with Grimes when he
gets a SEC head coaching job in 2 years."
"That might be good for me, but it will cost you money. Another three years
with Grimes and Pugh and you would be good to go for NFL money."
"Thanks for the compliment dad. Can you pass the gravy, please?"
1
0
HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 8 - C, September 19, 2018
Sorry, I missed a couple of Bottom Ten BYU Football Losses
Thanks, to an astute student of BYU football history, he reminded me of two
losses that were not only baffling, but barfing bad. Here is what this
subscriber had to say about bottom ten BYU football loses.
Those are all good choices, but most of those losses at least involved
quality opponents. The one that didn't--the loss to UTEP--remains one of
the most baffling games in the history of college football. In my opinion
it was the single biggest upset in college football in the last fifty years.
(In basketball, the equivalent game would be Chaminade beating Virginia in
1982.)
If you're really looking for "Bottom Ten" quality losses, though, you have
to look at a good Cougar team, losing to a lousy opponent, in a big game.
And when I think of games like that, I immediately think of the two
baffling, inexplicable losses to Hawaii in 1989 and 1990.
Both losses came late in the season.
In 1989, BYU was ranked #18, had a record of 7-1, and its only loss was to a
quality Pac-10 school (Washington State). The WSU loss had been close,
46-41. Hawaii was an ordinary team that year, and it already had losses to
Colorado State and Wyoming, which were also ordinary. Schools like that
were cannon-fodder for big boys like BYU, or so we thought. No reason to
worry!
But Hawaii absolutely manhandled BYU, 56-14. Hawaii toyed with BYU like a
cat playing with a cricket. It was this game that convinced me that
something was existentially wrong with BYU's defense, and that maybe it was
time for LaVell to go, and that certainly it was time for all of the
defensive coaches to be evaluated. Every now and then you can lose to a
team like Hawaii. But a quality team like BYU should not be humiliated by
a big zero of a football program like Hawaii--ever. This game was never a
contest. Hawaii did exactly what it wanted to do to BYU, all night long.
Hawaii's receivers were so open they were claiming chunks of the field by
adverse possession.
Well, at least BYU had a chance to get even in 1990--we told ourselves.
That was a big year for BYU football--it was the year of the most
high-profile win in the program's history, the nationally-televised game
against Miami. It was the year of Ty Detmer's Heisman Trophy. Prior to
the game with Hawaii, BYU was ranked #4 nationally--this was going into the
last game of the season!--and had a record of 10-1. (The only loss was an
early loss to Oregon, and BYU seemed to be getting better.)
And Hawaii--it was a piece of crap team. It was 6-5 going into the game
against BYU, with losses to Colorado State, San Diego State, UTEP, Air
Force, and Texas A&M.
BYU fans were thinking: "Payback will be sweet."
So what happened? Hawaii mopped the Honolulu turf with BYU's sorry,
no-account behinds for the second year in a row, winning the game 59-28.
That was the last game of the season--the next game was the blow-out bowl
loss to Texas A&M.
Those three games (the two losses to Hawaii and the ridiculous whipping by
Texas A&M) were a turning point for me--it told me that something was
horribly wrong with the BYU coaches. Two consecutive losses like that to
an off-the-radar squad like Hawaii were signs that someone didn't know what
they were doing. And Detmer--he was soft. Big stats, but he lost games.
He threw interceptions. He made bad decisions. (The same was true of
Detmer in the NFL.) I still get annoyed thinking about those losses to
Hawaii.
As long as we're talking about the Texas A&M 65-14 horsewhipping of BYU in
the Holiday Bowl, let's note that BYU was still ranked #13 going into that
game (after the loss to Hawaii) and Texas A&M was unranked.
So there's my trip down the memory lane of the BYU Bottom Ten.
Want Something More Contemporary? Try these two Wisconsin and Iowa links for
their analysis of what went wrong for the Badgers. While doing so, they are
being very, very complimentary of BYU, but don't know it.
Interesting watches
<https://madison.com/wsj/sports/college/football/film-room-taking-a-closer-l
ook-at-the-badgers-shortcomings/article_78b038bd-bdd1-52f3-83cd-44dcff1632dd
.html> Film room: Taking a closer look at the Badgers' shortcomings in the
run game against BYU
<https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sports/college/columnists/chad-leistikow/
2018/09/19/iowa-hawkeyes-football-mailbag-wisconsin-byu-loss-kirk-ferentz-ki
nnick-stadium-chad-leistikow/1355802002/> Leistikow's Hawkeyes mailbag: What
Iowa can copy from the BYU blueprint to beat Badgers
Hans Olsen, the former BYU player, also has some short interesting video
break downs of the BYU win over Wisconsin.
I recommend it.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-DHA48U0-g> Video 1
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuTA7wKuekA> Video 2
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs0r6K7EzAo> Video 3
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP-5toHLXvc> Video 4
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4t99J16fs0> Video 5
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0O3Kqq81Dc> Video 6
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSCvS1DFZCQ> Video 7
1
0
HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 8 - A, September 19, 2018
Bottom Ten
ESPN's senior writer Ryan McGee puts out a weekly "Bottom Ten" rankings of
college football teams that are not playing well. You can read his whole
piece by clicking here
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/page/bottom091818/bottom-10-fl
orida-state-big-ten-heading-wrong-direction> or get the salient section of
his musings below.
1.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/166/new-mexico-state-aggies>
Whew Mexico State (0-4)
New Mexico State Not New Mexico is now the nation's only four-loss team
after losing to New Mexico Not New Mexico State in the Rio Grande Rivalry
Not The Battle of I-25. Now the Aggies will take I-10 Not I-25 south for the
Pillow Fight of the Century of the Season against ...
2. <http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2638/utep-miners> UTEPID
(0-3)
These guys. The Minors were skunked by perpetual Coveted Fifth Spot nominee
Tennessee, 24-0, but that's understandable. Their minds were already on the
future. With New Mexico State this week, UTSA the next and late season
matchups with Rice and Western Kentucky (both 0-3), this could be the most
treacherous Bottom 10 gauntlet since that time I found myself on a plane
full of ADs returning home from a Conference USA West corporate picnic. I
don't know who kept pelting me with pretzels from economy class, but it hurt
my feelings.
3.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/23/san-jose-state-spartans>
San No-se State (0-3)
The Spartans hung tough on the road against Oregon, successfully fueling
their anger at me for accidentally calling them Trojans. Prior to the game,
SJSU players could be heard shouting "For Sparta!" like the guys in that
"300" movie. There was also one guy who yelled "For Troy!" but I'm pretty
sure that's because his name was Troy.
4.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2117/central-michigan-chippe
was> Central Michigan Chippy-was (0-3)
Central Michigan celebrated surrendering Kansas' first road win in 11 years
by suffering its second road loss in three weeks. #efficiency
5.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/52/florida-state-seminoles>
Flori-duh State (1-2)
Hey Big Ten West, at least you aren't Willie Taggart, who is less popular in
Tallahassee than a Steve Spurrier impersonator wearing a turnover chain from
The U.
6.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/295/old-dominion-monarchs>
Old Dumbinion (0-3)
The Monarchs lost Pillow Fight of the Week: Episode III to Charlotte in a
game that was moved up two days because of Hurricane Florence. I live in
Charlotte and had intended to attend, but it didn't happen, also because of
Florence. Yes, I know the hurricane didn't get to Charlotte until Friday.
I'm talking about my Aunt Florence, who moved into our attic to wait out the
storm. I haven't checked on her since the weekend, but I can smell Ben-Gay
and a pumpkin spice Yankee Candle, so I know she's still up there.
7. <http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2636/utsa-roadrunners>
R-O-C-K in the UTSA (0-3)
While UTEP hosts New Mexico State in the Pillow Fight of the Century of the
Year this week, next week the Miners will travel to UTSA for what might be
Pillow Fight of the Century of the Actual Century. It all depends on the
outcome of UTSA's game this weekend with ...
8. <http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/326/texas-state-bobcats>
Texas State Armadillos (1-2)
These guys. But if Texas State loses to UTSA and New Mexico State loses to
UTEP then we'll still get a Pillow Fight of the Century of the Actual
Century. We'll just have to wait until Texas State hosts New Mexico State on
Oct. 27. Just in time for Halloween. By the way, do you know who Texas State
lost to in its season opener?
9.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/164/rutgers-scarlet-knights>
In a Rut-gers (1-2)
These guys, who haven't won since. It's one thing to get stomped at Ohio
State. It's another thing entirely to receive an equally awful thrashing at
... Kansas. Rutgers opened the game in Lawrence with a dropped pass, two
carries for zero yards, a 2-yard pass, a dropped interception and a
pick-six. A Scarlet Knight hasn't looked this anguished since Thanos beat up
her boyfriend and snapped his fingers.
10.
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/193/miami-(oh)-redhawks> My
Hammy of Ohio (0-3)
The MAC was once the platform upon which the entire Bottom 10 was built. Now
it is poised to reclaim that dominance from the teams of the west. Seven of
the league's 12 teams currently have losing records. If the Redhawks are
going to make a move, the time is now. The next four weeks will bring
throwdowns with 1-2 Boiling Green, 1-2 Western Not Eastern Or Central
Michigan and State of Kent, which is ... well, 1-2.
Waiting List:
<http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/41/uconn-huskies>
U-Can't (1-2),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/98/western-kentucky-hilltopp
ers> Western Kentucky Hillstoppers (0-3),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/242/rice-owls> Minute Rice
(1-2), <http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/113/umass-minutemen>
U-Mess (1-3),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/153/north-carolina-tar-heels
> UNC Achilles Heels (0-2),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2567/smu-mustangs> SMU
Mustanks (0-3),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/204/oregon-state-beavers>
Ore-gone State (1-2),
<http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/2509/purdue-boilermakers>
Pur-don't (0-3), Arkansaw (1-2), people who complain about schedule changes
due to natural disasters.
BYU Bottom Ten
As exciting as BYU's win over Wisconsin was, I was taught that there must be
opposition in all things. Consequently, CS Lite's Senior (in age) and Solo
writer HB Arnett has put together his Bottom Ten of BYU Losses.
No. 1.The all-time loser was the 1990 65-14 beatdown of BYU and Ty Detmer's
shoulders by Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl. BYU was ranked and the Aggies
weren't. Detmer ended with two separated shoulders and BYU fans left with a
separated ego and daunting dose of reality.
No. 2.Bradlee Van Pelt, pelted BYU in Provo 58-13 on a Thursday night in
2003. He ran over and threw over BYU at will.
No. 3.BYU was humming after beating Oklahoma in Dallas in 2009. They were
bumming two weeks later as Florida State dominated the Cougars in Provo. It
brought BYU back to reality.
No. 4.Coming off a 1984 National Championship year, BYU was stunned by UTEP
in El Paso the following season 23-16. The Miners were winless when they
upset the Cougars. A lot of excuses were rendered for the loss including the
stealing of signals and radio waves to an invasion of aliens. Bottom line:
UTEP scored more points than BYU. Turns out there were no aliens at the
game. They all were documented.
No. 5.It's UMass. Need I say more. Or as ESPN calls them, UMess. This was
the Liahona of losses for BYU last year because it told us where the program
was headed. After a few Laban's heads (coaches) were severed and released by
Sitake, BYU now looks like it has recalibrated its Liahona and losses and is
back on track.
No. 6-13.If you do the math and subtract 6 from 13 you get 7. That is how
many years running Utah has beat BYU. It's time for a culture and count
change beginning with this year in Salt Lake City.
Speaking of Culture Change
We might be making it harder than it looks. Look at this short video
<https://www.ted.com/talks/terry_moore_how_to_tie_your_shoes?language=en>
for an example of something simple making a huge difference. It is my
definition of the culture change taking place at BYU football.
For decades we have been tying our football fortunes to throwing the ball.
It worked when we were young, because it was easy to do and nobody else was
doing it. We soon found out opponents finally caught on to the passing game
and offense of BYU.
They began to wiggle and tug at the BYU's passing laces and they came untied
and untrue more and more often.
With the addition of Jeff Grimes, BYU is now tying its football offense with
a more secure and tried and proven method. It's called running the ball.
Sure, it doesn't hurt be able to throw the ball, but big boy or bully
football requires running the rock. BYU is doing that now.
Here is my personal experience with tying my shoes. For the majority of my
life, I have worn flip flops, sandals and slip on shoes. The only time I
laced up my shoes was on Sunday when I headed to Church. They were always
coming loose or untied.
Things changed with our Mission Call. We were expected to wear Sunday best
daily. That meant tying my Sunday shoes daily. It was irritating because I
had to tie and re-tie my shoes 4 or five times a day.
That's when I found the TED talk above. It changed my life and missionary
experience. Ok, that's an exaggeration, but you get the point. Something as
simple as taking the lace under instead of over, made a huge difference.
So does running the ball effectively.
Sunday Dinners Where I would Like to be a Fly on the Wall
The Empey House.
It would be interesting to hear the offensive line conversations between
last year's offensive line coach, Mike Empey and James Empey, his son and
starting center of this year's BYU football team.
In case you forgot, Empey was his son's coach last year while he redshirted.
Here's how I envision the dinner conversation going.
"You played well and had a great game against Wisconsin, James."
"Thanks Dad, it was fun manhandling the vaunted UW defense."
"Explain to me how you guys block that jet sweep. I may want to use that
scheme if I ever get another offensive line coaching job."
"Dad, if we keep playing this way, it won't be long before the BYU offensive
line job is open again. Coach Pugh will certainly go with Grimes when he
gets a SEC head coaching job in 2 years."
"That might be good for me, but it will cost you money. Another three years
with Grimes and Pugh and you would be good to go for NFL money."
"Thanks for the compliment dad. Can you pass the gravy, please?"
1
0
HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 8, September 17, 2018
Who Cut the Cheese?
BYU Makes Big Stink Nationally With 24-21 Upset Win Over Wisconsin
Odor: a distinctive smell, especially an unpleasant one.
Aroma: a distinctive, typically pleasant smell
Depending on which sideline you were on, BYU's 24-21 cutting of Wisconsin's
Big Ten Cheese, did leave a stink (odor) in the Dairy State, but it was a
welcome aroma in the Beehive state where the BYU Cougars haven't smelled
anything so sweet since Max Hall carved a chunk of cheddar out of No. 3
Oklahoma in 2009 in Dallas.
Amazing what one win on the road against a ranked team will do for a team's
cheese culture.
Last year BYU football was Velveeta. They were processed 9 times in the loss
column by good cheese, bad cheese and stinky cheese teams.
BYU made the jump last Saturday from processed to premium on the national
cheese chart of football. The Cougars appeared in the AP poll at No. 25 with
their win over Wisconsin.
We all have different tastes and favorites when it comes to cheese, but here
are a few of mine that came to mind after watching BYU take down Wisconsin.
Pule.is considered the most expensive cheese in the world. It goes for $600
per pound. Next year, Sione Takitaki should be able to buy a truckload of
this cheese after he gets a huge signing bonus check from some NFL team. If
he can stay healthy, he earned a truckload of NFL cash with his performance
against Wisconsin. Pule is not just the most expensive cheese, but also one
of the rarest of them all. It takes 25 liters of milk from a Balkan donkey
from Siberia to make one kilogram of the cheese. Takitaki's performance
against the Badgers was rare and rewarding. It was rare to see a BYU
defender be that dominant and rewarding for his NFL future.
Swiss.BYU's offensive line played like this popular cheese filled with
gaping holes. That is exactly what this Ryan Pugh/Jeff Grimes crew did to
Wisconsin's vaunted front seven. They gashed and gnashed a defensive front
that has been and still is very good. My understanding of Swiss cheese is
that it doesn't have to be aged to be good. Neither does BYU's current
offensive line. Four of the starters on this unit did not play last year.
Three are redshirt freshmen and one is a redshirt sophomore. With Keanu
Saleapaga taking over the starting left guard spot from Thomas Shoaf, that
means that there were three redshirt freshmen o-linemen that played the
entire game against Wisconsin. The other two were James Empey and Brady
Christensen. The "big cheese" of this line is just a sophomore. That would
be Tristen Hoge. The lone senior starter is Austin Hoyt. Can't wait to see
how this group, like good cheese, ages.
>From Goat Cheese to Monterey Jack.I don't like goat cheese and I didn't like
Aleva Hifo last season either. He was a goat to often for my tastes. He
missed assignments, couldn't make the clutch catch and was very ordinary in
my eyes. I love Monterey Jack Cheese and I now love Aleva Hifo's game. He is
the go-to offensive player for the Cougars. He always had athleticism, but
now it is obvious to all just how athletic and valuable he is in this new
Jeff Grimes offense.
Jarlsberg.comes from faraway Norway. BYU now has a kicker that can make
field goals from far away in Skyler Southam. It was his 45
yard-down-the-middle kick in the fourth quarter that gave the Cougars the
win. Jarlsberg is the closest cheese I could find that reminded me of
Janikowski, as in Sebastian Janikowski, the phenomenal kicker who has hung
around the NFL for two decades. BYU will only get four seasons out of
Southam, but when he hits game winners like he did against Wisconsin, I will
think of Jarlsberg, Janikowski and jumping for joy at Camp Randall Stadium.
Provolone.Maybe now, national broadcasters and pundits will leave Provolone
with their snarky comments about a stone-cold sober school and 25-year-old
quarterbacks. Beating Wisconsin may not alleviate all the provincial
pronouncements about Provo, but it will now put the focus back on football
and less on the effete evaluations of the national press and at times the
Salt Lake press. Speaking of effete, doesn't that rhyme with defeat as in
No. 6 Wisconsin's 24-21 loss to BYU?
Muenster.It's not a big stretch to go from Muenster to monster. BYU's
defensive line played like monsters against Wisconsin's so called best
offensive line in the country. Give Kalani Sitake another year or two of
recruiting and we will actually have a legitimate monster front four. These
guys played their guts out and were instrumental in the win. This really was
a full roster performance from this group. If a defensive lineman dressed,
he played against Wisconsin.
Gouda.is a semi-hard to hard cow's milk cheese from Holland. Like cheddar,
its quality and flavor can vary wildly from the mild, creamy wax-coated
lunchbox versions to those specimens that are hard, crumbly, and deeply
flavorful. This, in my opinion, describes Tanner Mangum's BYU career. He has
been fantastic, ordinary and sometimes awful. Against Wisconsin, his
performance may have seemed mild, but he was masterful in managing the game.
My opinion was that Mangum was gouda good and did what coaches told him to
do to win this game. It appeared to me that he was told to not take a sack
and not throw into traffic and leave the game to the trenches. Mangum did
what he was told and didn't get enough credit for this win. His 89 yards
passing were mild, but his texture on the game was dynamic and needed in a
hostile environment. I give Mangum a very gouda grade.
Taleggio.Taleggio smells sort of like... feet. Rich, buttery, meaty, feet. I
have no idea what Squally Canada's feet smell like, but I do know that he
leads the Cougars in putting his feet in the endzone. He leads BYU in
touchdowns with 5 scores. If he just had a touch more speed, he could have
at least 8 touchdowns this season. As admirable as his touchdown totals are,
his most impressive statistic in my opinion is 0. As in 0 fumbles in 51
carries. He is also Taleggio tough. His grittiness and toughness inside the
five-yard line has been impressive.
BYU's Big Blue/Bleu Cheese.Whatever your taste in cheese, BYU Football's Big
Cheese, Kalani Sitake, has something for everybody. He is animated, he is
excitable, he is motivating, he can jump high with a big play and get low
after a bitter loss. He is aging quite well as the head football coach for
the Cougars. He has had his stinky moments, but his aroma arrow is trending
up. You may have been happy and thrilled about BYU's big win, but I
guarantee you weren't as happy and thrilled as Sitake was.
Personally, I am not a connoisseur of cheese. My expertise lies in cheese
burgers and Cheetos. I am even less sophisticated when it comes to choosing
the appropriate beverage to accompany a good cheese plate. I hear wine is
supposed to be a good compliment to cheese.
I don't drink wine, but I do imbibe liberally with Mountain Dew and Dr
Pepper. I'm happy to report that my cellar of Dew and Pepper now looks safe,
thanks to the big Wisconsin win. Seven wins now looks like it will happen.
In case you missed some of the reaction from Wisconsin fans and media, try
these stories on for size and sympathy. Losing isn't something Badger fans
and press are used to.
Milwaukee
<https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2018/09/15/uw-byu-replay-a
wards-inside-huddle-numbers/1297323002/> 's Take on BYU - Wisconsin
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/sp
orts/college/uw/2018/09/15/notes-injuries-andrew-van-ginkel-zander-neuville-
costly/1297317002/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYDyoTODYxOTk0NDg0MjkyODIxODQ5MDIaODkxOWVhZGQy
YzQ0MTJiODpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNHh9UlfgnSSYxpOk6SCX8pDnOHKjg> UW notes:
Injuries to Andrew Van Ginkel and Zander Neuville add to the Badgers' pain
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/sp
orts/college/uw/2018/09/16/upon-further-review-mistakes-reveal-uws-deficienc
ies/1306637002/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTMzM0NzYxMTcyOTQ0NzEzNzMzOTIaZjM2NjU2NmQ2OWI
yNDI2Yzpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNEeQo3lFctUpCV5GiKJjtrXRpcKsg> Upon further
review: Can UW regroup and eliminate mistakes before Big Ten opener at Iowa?
Best Highlight Video of Win <https://youtu.be/SL6ga5aqgUA>
Basketball Recruiting
Penn Puts BYU in its Place
BYU made a good effort to land a basketball prospect named Max Lorca Lloyd.
This past week, the 6-8 forward from Massachusetts, committed to Penn of the
Ivy League. Click here
<https://www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article/show/950335> to read
more about Lorca, who appears to have been a BYU recruiting long shot.
Something Doesn't Fit?
Northern Colorado, Houston Baptist, Nicholls State, Brigham Young, Stephen
F. Austin, Abilene Christian, Incarnate Word, Central Arkansas, Southeastern
Louisiana, Northwestern State, Lamar.
BYU seems out of place on the McNeese State schedule, which is all FCS
schools. But wait, something does fit, BYU fits very nicely in the religious
portion of this schedule. It includes such religious sponsored institutions
as BYU, Houston Baptist, Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word.
There are also some other fits. Heath Schroyer is the new head basketball
coach at McNeese State and Ryan Pugh's wife's grandpa coached at Central
Arkansas.
The big fit in this game is fitting playing time in for some BYU freshmen.
We may actually see Zach Wilson on the field for the first time this
Saturday.
Should We Be Surprised?
To say Jeff Grimes, BYU's new offensive coordinator, has made an immediate
impact on the BYU football program would be an understatement.
Speaking of statements, one of my recurring statements going back 30-plus
years, is that BYU has usually been predominantly coached by predominantly
BYU connected coaches. It makes religious and ecclesiastically endorsed
sense.
Grimes is a good example of what a coach with a much broader experience and
resume can bring to the program. I happened to stumble on his Wikipedia
profile this week and it was fascinating to read, especially his coaching
resume. I recommend it as must reading if you want to know how he has
impacted BYU's program and why. Click here
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Grimes> to see for yourself.
Television Timetable
BYU vs. McNeese State (Football)
Saturday, September 22 at Provo
Kickoff: 4:00 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. Long Beach State (Women's Soccer)
Monday, September 17 at Provo
Start Time: 5:30 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. UVU (Women's Soccer)
Friday, September 21 at Provo
Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. Pacific (Women's Volleyball)
Thursday, September 20 at Provo
Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. Saint Mary's (Women's Volleyball)
Saturday, September 22 at Provo
Start Time: 1:00 pm MDT
TV: TheW.tv
The BYU Football Train Left Without You,
But you can still jump on Board!
According to my records, your Cougar Sportsline subscription expired. We
would love to have you back on board the CS Lite train.
You can subscribe by clicking here
<http://oldmancougar.com/product/Order-Cougar-Sportsline?ID=3173> .
1
0
HB Arnett's
"Lite"
<mailto:hbarnett@fiber.net> hbarnett(a)fiber.net
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 8, September 17, 2018
Who Cut the Cheese?
BYU Makes Big Stink Nationally With 24-21 Upset Win Over Wisconsin
Odor: a distinctive smell, especially an unpleasant one.
Aroma: a distinctive, typically pleasant smell
Depending on which sideline you were on, BYU's 24-21 cutting of Wisconsin's
Big Ten Cheese, did leave a stink (odor) in the Dairy State, but it was a
welcome aroma in the Beehive state where the BYU Cougars haven't smelled
anything so sweet since Max Hall carved a chunk of cheddar out of No. 3
Oklahoma in 2009 in Dallas.
Amazing what one win on the road against a ranked team will do for a team's
cheese culture.
Last year BYU football was Velveeta. They were processed 9 times in the loss
column by good cheese, bad cheese and stinky cheese teams.
BYU made the jump last Saturday from processed to premium on the national
cheese chart of football. The Cougars appeared in the AP poll at No. 25 with
their win over Wisconsin.
We all have different tastes and favorites when it comes to cheese, but here
are a few of mine that came to mind after watching BYU take down Wisconsin.
Pule.is considered the most expensive cheese in the world. It goes for $600
per pound. Next year, Sione Takitaki should be able to buy a truckload of
this cheese after he gets a huge signing bonus check from some NFL team. If
he can stay healthy, he earned a truckload of NFL cash with his performance
against Wisconsin. Pule is not just the most expensive cheese, but also one
of the rarest of them all. It takes 25 liters of milk from a Balkan donkey
from Siberia to make one kilogram of the cheese. Takitaki's performance
against the Badgers was rare and rewarding. It was rare to see a BYU
defender be that dominant and rewarding for his NFL future.
Swiss.BYU's offensive line played like this popular cheese filled with
gaping holes. That is exactly what this Ryan Pugh/Jeff Grimes crew did to
Wisconsin's vaunted front seven. They gashed and gnashed a defensive front
that has been and still is very good. My understanding of Swiss cheese is
that it doesn't have to be aged to be good. Neither does BYU's current
offensive line. Four of the starters on this unit did not play last year.
Three are redshirt freshmen and one is a redshirt sophomore. With Keanu
Saleapaga taking over the starting left guard spot from Thomas Shoaf, that
means that there were three redshirt freshmen o-linemen that played the
entire game against Wisconsin. The other two were James Empey and Brady
Christensen. The "big cheese" of this line is just a sophomore. That would
be Tristen Hoge. The lone senior starter is Austin Hoyt. Can't wait to see
how this group, like good cheese, ages.
>From Goat Cheese to Monterey Jack.I don't like goat cheese and I didn't like
Aleva Hifo last season either. He was a goat to often for my tastes. He
missed assignments, couldn't make the clutch catch and was very ordinary in
my eyes. I love Monterey Jack Cheese and I now love Aleva Hifo's game. He is
the go-to offensive player for the Cougars. He always had athleticism, but
now it is obvious to all just how athletic and valuable he is in this new
Jeff Grimes offense.
Jarlsberg.comes from faraway Norway. BYU now has a kicker that can make
field goals from far away in Skyler Southam. It was his 45
yard-down-the-middle kick in the fourth quarter that gave the Cougars the
win. Jarlsberg is the closest cheese I could find that reminded me of
Janikowski, as in Sebastian Janikowski, the phenomenal kicker who has hung
around the NFL for two decades. BYU will only get four seasons out of
Southam, but when he hits game winners like he did against Wisconsin, I will
think of Jarlsberg, Janikowski and jumping for joy at Camp Randall Stadium.
Provolone.Maybe now, national broadcasters and pundits will leave Provolone
with their snarky comments about a stone-cold sober school and 25-year-old
quarterbacks. Beating Wisconsin may not alleviate all the provincial
pronouncements about Provo, but it will now put the focus back on football
and less on the effete evaluations of the national press and at times the
Salt Lake press. Speaking of effete, doesn't that rhyme with defeat as in
No. 6 Wisconsin's 24-21 loss to BYU?
Muenster.It's not a big stretch to go from Muenster to monster. BYU's
defensive line played like monsters against Wisconsin's so called best
offensive line in the country. Give Kalani Sitake another year or two of
recruiting and we will actually have a legitimate monster front four. These
guys played their guts out and were instrumental in the win. This really was
a full roster performance from this group. If a defensive lineman dressed,
he played against Wisconsin.
Gouda.is a semi-hard to hard cow's milk cheese from Holland. Like cheddar,
its quality and flavor can vary wildly from the mild, creamy wax-coated
lunchbox versions to those specimens that are hard, crumbly, and deeply
flavorful. This, in my opinion, describes Tanner Mangum's BYU career. He has
been fantastic, ordinary and sometimes awful. Against Wisconsin, his
performance may have seemed mild, but he was masterful in managing the game.
My opinion was that Mangum was gouda good and did what coaches told him to
do to win this game. It appeared to me that he was told to not take a sack
and not throw into traffic and leave the game to the trenches. Mangum did
what he was told and didn't get enough credit for this win. His 89 yards
passing were mild, but his texture on the game was dynamic and needed in a
hostile environment. I give Mangum a very gouda grade.
Taleggio.Taleggio smells sort of like... feet. Rich, buttery, meaty, feet. I
have no idea what Squally Canada's feet smell like, but I do know that he
leads the Cougars in putting his feet in the endzone. He leads BYU in
touchdowns with 5 scores. If he just had a touch more speed, he could have
at least 8 touchdowns this season. As admirable as his touchdown totals are,
his most impressive statistic in my opinion is 0. As in 0 fumbles in 51
carries. He is also Taleggio tough. His grittiness and toughness inside the
five-yard line has been impressive.
BYU's Big Blue/Bleu Cheese.Whatever your taste in cheese, BYU Football's Big
Cheese, Kalani Sitake, has something for everybody. He is animated, he is
excitable, he is motivating, he can jump high with a big play and get low
after a bitter loss. He is aging quite well as the head football coach for
the Cougars. He has had his stinky moments, but his aroma arrow is trending
up. You may have been happy and thrilled about BYU's big win, but I
guarantee you weren't as happy and thrilled as Sitake was.
Personally, I am not a connoisseur of cheese. My expertise lies in cheese
burgers and Cheetos. I am even less sophisticated when it comes to choosing
the appropriate beverage to accompany a good cheese plate. I hear wine is
supposed to be a good compliment to cheese.
I don't drink wine, but I do imbibe liberally with Mountain Dew and Dr
Pepper. I'm happy to report that my cellar of Dew and Pepper now looks safe,
thanks to the big Wisconsin win. Seven wins now looks like it will happen.
In case you missed some of the reaction from Wisconsin fans and media, try
these stories on for size and sympathy. Losing isn't something Badger fans
and press are used to.
Milwaukee
<https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/college/uw/2018/09/15/uw-byu-replay-a
wards-inside-huddle-numbers/1297323002/> 's Take on BYU - Wisconsin
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/sp
orts/college/uw/2018/09/15/notes-injuries-andrew-van-ginkel-zander-neuville-
costly/1297317002/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYDyoTODYxOTk0NDg0MjkyODIxODQ5MDIaODkxOWVhZGQy
YzQ0MTJiODpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNHh9UlfgnSSYxpOk6SCX8pDnOHKjg> UW notes:
Injuries to Andrew Van Ginkel and Zander Neuville add to the Badgers' pain
<https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/sp
orts/college/uw/2018/09/16/upon-further-review-mistakes-reveal-uws-deficienc
ies/1306637002/&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTMzM0NzYxMTcyOTQ0NzEzNzMzOTIaZjM2NjU2NmQ2OWI
yNDI2Yzpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNEeQo3lFctUpCV5GiKJjtrXRpcKsg> Upon further
review: Can UW regroup and eliminate mistakes before Big Ten opener at Iowa?
Best Highlight Video of Win <https://youtu.be/SL6ga5aqgUA>
Basketball Recruiting
Penn Puts BYU in its Place
BYU made a good effort to land a basketball prospect named Max Lorca Lloyd.
This past week, the 6-8 forward from Massachusetts, committed to Penn of the
Ivy League. Click here
<https://www.cityofbasketballlove.com/news_article/show/950335> to read
more about Lorca, who appears to have been a BYU recruiting long shot.
Something Doesn't Fit?
Northern Colorado, Houston Baptist, Nicholls State, Brigham Young, Stephen
F. Austin, Abilene Christian, Incarnate Word, Central Arkansas, Southeastern
Louisiana, Northwestern State, Lamar.
BYU seems out of place on the McNeese State schedule, which is all FCS
schools. But wait, something does fit, BYU fits very nicely in the religious
portion of this schedule. It includes such religious sponsored institutions
as BYU, Houston Baptist, Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word.
There are also some other fits. Heath Schroyer is the new head basketball
coach at McNeese State and Ryan Pugh's wife's grandpa coached at Central
Arkansas.
The big fit in this game is fitting playing time in for some BYU freshmen.
We may actually see Zach Wilson on the field for the first time this
Saturday.
Should We Be Surprised?
To say Jeff Grimes, BYU's new offensive coordinator, has made an immediate
impact on the BYU football program would be an understatement.
Speaking of statements, one of my recurring statements going back 30-plus
years, is that BYU has usually been predominantly coached by predominantly
BYU connected coaches. It makes religious and ecclesiastically endorsed
sense.
Grimes is a good example of what a coach with a much broader experience and
resume can bring to the program. I happened to stumble on his Wikipedia
profile this week and it was fascinating to read, especially his coaching
resume. I recommend it as must reading if you want to know how he has
impacted BYU's program and why. Click here
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Grimes> to see for yourself.
Television Timetable
BYU vs. McNeese State (Football)
Saturday, September 22 at Provo
Kickoff: 4:00 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. Long Beach State (Women's Soccer)
Monday, September 17 at Provo
Start Time: 5:30 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. UVU (Women's Soccer)
Friday, September 21 at Provo
Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. Pacific (Women's Volleyball)
Thursday, September 20 at Provo
Start Time: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: BYUTV
BYU vs. Saint Mary's (Women's Volleyball)
Saturday, September 22 at Provo
Start Time: 1:00 pm MDT
TV: TheW.tv
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