HB Arnett’s

COUGAR SPORTSLINE

801 372  0819

hbarnett@fiber.net and hbarnett@xmission.com

1391 West 800 South – Orem, Utah 84058

Vol. 30, Issue 21 – December 28, 2009

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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.