HB Arnett's 801 372 - 0819 hbarnett@fiber.net 1391 West 800 South - Orem, Utah 84058 Vol. 35, Issue 4 -August 18, 2014 Click <http://cougarclicks.com/product/Order-Cougar-Sportsline?ID=3173> Here To Order Or Renew Your Subscriptions Non Sequitur Nonsense When I attended BYU, I was admitted with a BBB scholarship. That's short for if you were Breathing and Brought a check that wouldn't Bounce, you were automatically admitted to school. I graduated with a degree in Communications with an emphasis on Radio and TV. Most of my academic career was spent proving I could actually turn on the radio and TV. (Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but not much.) Some of my more intellectually gifted friends and acquaintances were learning to channel their efforts into critical thinking while I was applying my talents to channel surfing. They used to talk about Non sequitur (Latin for "it does not follow"), which in formal logic, is an argument in which its conclusion does not follow from its premises. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequitur_%28logic%29#cite_note-1> In a non sequitur, the conclusion could be either true or false, but the argument is fallacious because there is a disconnection between the premise and the conclusion. Any argument that takes the following form is a non sequitur 1. If A is true, then B is true. 2. B is true. 3. Therefore, A is true. All of which brings me back to a little fall camp non sequitur nonsense. The latest rumor making the rounds in chat rooms and on radio talk shows is that Christian Stewart will start as quarterback against Connecticut because Taysom Hill will not be eligible (one-game sock-gate suspension) for that game. Those promoting the rumor are basing their assumption on the fact that Stewart is getting an inordinate amount of reps in fall camp which in their minds means that BYU coaches know something that the rest of us don't. Consequently they want Stewart ready to start in place of Hill. If the premise is even remotely true that Hill won't play and Stewart is getting all his reps this fall because Hill won't play against the Huskies, then it also proves that BYU coaches are absolutely, without question, the dumbest coaches on the planet. One Hit Away Here's why. You always need a backup QB that is ready to play. Stewart getting his inordinate reps is appropriate because Hill is just one hit away from not playing. What people aren't factoring into Stewarts' plentiful snaps in fall camp is that he is not only getting the No. 2 QB reps but also the No. 3 QB reps. That's happening because there isn't a No. 3 QB. There are other QB bodies on the roster, but not a No. 3 QB. Based on the football axiom that your backup quarterback is only one hit away from seeing the field, it begs the question; if coaches actually know that Hill won't play against UConn, why aren't they getting a backup for Stewart ready for the UConn game? People speculating on Hill not playing in the Cougars' first game are basing their assumptions on Stewart getting plenty of practice time. Assuming there is a modicum of truth to this scenario, then why isn't there more concern about who will back up Stewart against UConn? After all, he too is only a hit away from being on the bench with an injury. The way fall practice has played out so far with all the reps being given to Hill and Stewart can mean only one of two things. Hill is good to go for Connecticut and Stewart will be his backup or BYU has absolutely, without a doubt the dumbest offensive coaches in America because they are not preparing a backup for Stewart, if indeed he is the guy. Reading Wrong Key Those that want to believe in the Hill not eligible rumor are reading the wrong keys. They are reading that because Stewart is getting gobs of reps, he will be the guy because Hill won't play. The actual key they should be reading if they want to be right is how many reps is the No. 3 QB getting? The fact that he is getting none, tells you either BYU coaches are all on the DDD scholarship program (Dumb, Dumber or Dumbest) or Hill is eligible and will be the starting QB against the Huskies and Stewart will be his backup. As for me, I'm sticking with my tried and true BBB degree. I'm betting Bucks that Bronco knows Best and Taysom Hill will start against UConn. Fall Camp Grades Good, Better and Best There was an exceptional talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks a few years back at LDS General Conference entitled Good, Better and Best. It makes for good reading. It also makes for a good format for me to judge and give my opinions on the progress of different positions displayed during this fall camp. Good: The defensive front line will be good, they won't be great. There isn't a player that looks to be a future NFL prospect. This group which includes Travis Tuiloma, Graham Rowley and Remington Peck. They are all serviceable and dependable in doing their jobs which is filling and controlling their assigned gaps. Nobody here will lead the team in tackles and nobody will be playing professionally beyond BYU. Best: Defensive backs this season are the best that BYU has ever had. They are just good, however, when compared to the db's from the upper echelon of college football teams. BYU is better in the depth department with good cornerbacks in Jordan Johnson, Trent Trammell and Robertson Daniel. The safeties are the kind Bronco Mendenhall loves. They are assignment sound, don't make many mistakes and are decent, but not great athletes. Daniel Sorensen will be sorely missed this coming season. Again, no NFL paychecks for this group anytime soon. NFL paychecks are not the ultimate barometer for having a good college football team, but it is a good barometer for elite athletes. BYU doesn't have any in their defensive backfield. Best: Outside Linebacker: The less he plays, the greater he becomes. That pretty well describes Bronson Kaufusi's fall camp. He hasn't seriously seen the field yet, but coaches say he is good. We will see. He has the physical tools, but has yet to make a play that means anything. His cohort on the other side, Alani Fua, is a proven play maker. Throw in young, athletic and talented players like Fred Warner, Troy Hinds and Tyler Cook and this is the best group BYU has on the defense. Just how good can Warner be? He is a good enough athlete that in nickel packages BYU coaches having him way outside covering receivers. That means he is an athlete. There are NFL prospects at this position. That will keep the history of outside linebackers from BYU being drafted intact for a few more years. This is definitely the best unit on the defensive side of the football for BYU. Good, maybe Better: BYU has put plenty of outside linebackers into the league, but the last and only middle linebacker they have sent to the NFL was Rob Morris. BYU has a history of having decent players at this position, but they have not had elite players other than Morris, who was a first round pick. Bronco likes his backers inside to be smart, tough and assignment sound. He has that again this season, with a lot of good college players. He also may have another NFL middle linebacker down the road in Harvey Langi. He has he physical tools, but just needs playing time. Zac Stout and Manoa Pikula will see most of the time here, despite missing most of fall camp due to injury and academic difficulties. Better, definitely Better: That describes the offensive line. But let's be real. They were very disappointing last season so anything is better this year. There is still plenty of shuffling and rotating going on, but with two weeks left until the opener, the biggest eye opener has been freshman Tejan Koroma, the center from Allen, Texas. He will be the starting center for the Cougars against Connecticut. He is definitely an upgrade in talent and ability from last year. Right now, the top 9 guys who will get on the plane and travel and get most of the snaps appear to be Koroma, Edward Fusi, De'Ondre Wesley, Kyle Johnson, Terrance Alletto, Brock Stringham, Ului Lapuaho, Brayden Kearsley and Michael Yeck when he recovers from a broken toe.. Better: Jamaal Williams is the best of the bunch at running back. He is a play maker and if you take away Taysom Hill last season, he was the BYU running game. He will have help this season with a healthy Adam Hine and a more experienced Algernon Brown. Throw in Paul Lasike and as Bronco said during fall camp, "We have plenty of guys to give the ball to." Best: Without a doubt, this is the best receiving group for BYU in decades. It has speed, talent, playmaking ability and depth. If there is a description for beyond Best, that is what we would use when Nick Kurtz returns from having screws put in his foot. He looks to be back in a couple of weeks. Since BYU is currently undefeated and the expectations are already through the roof for this offense, let's really get it cranked up. Kurtz was having the best fall camp of any receiver we have seen in years. Hyperbole is free, so how about saying Kurtz could be BYU's and a poor man's version of Randy Moss. He is tall, fluid and can catch the ball. He doesn't have the world class speed Moss did, but Kurtz can fly by any cornerbacks he will face on this year's schedule. Until Kurtz returns, Best is still an appropriate description for this group for this season. If you don't know these names by now, you will before September is over. Those names are Devon Blackmon, Jordan Leslie and Trey Dye. Best or Bust? Taysom Hill is definitely the best BYU quarterback I have seen since Max Hall. This season will determine if he is a bust or if his bust will appear along side those of McMahon, Young, Detmer, Bosco, Hall, Beck, Nielson, Wilson et al. The fact that there are those already saying Hill will never be a BYU great is disturbing, but will be dispelled by the middle of September. My view still is that he is special and it will show and be undeniable this season. In my opinion, there are way too many BYU fan/coach/critics who are judging Hill by fall camp. Fall camp is like LDS Ward Roadshow practices. They never look good, but when the lights go on for real, almost all are happy with the performance. When the lights go on in East Hartford and Austin, I fully expect Hill to also light up. Until then, I am saving and putting on hold my Best or Bust evaluation of him and the quarterback position. Fall and spring scrimmages are just rehearsals. The real statement and status of this team will be when the curtain goes up against UConn and Texas. Until then, fall camp is just fluff and fodder for news media types to hype and BYU to market tickets. Call me about your Stewart vs. Hill passing prognosis in mid September and then we can really evaluate where this team is headed and with whom it is headed at quarterback. I call Jake Heaps as my number one witness to support my current viewpoint. He could make all the throws in practice and camps. He was all world with an all world arm...at rehearsals. When the lights went on, however, and the bullets were actually live, it was a much different story. My suggestion is that we actually let this quarterback thing play out under the lights with real bullets flying before we bury Taysom Hill as a bust and anoint Christian Stewart as the next Ty Detmer. If Hill actually shines and shows he is an improved passer or if Stewart actually proves he is the next Detmer, it is still a win, win situation either way for all BYU football fans. Football Fluff Add two more former Cougar names to NFL preseason rosters. Spencer Hadley, the BYU linebacker from last season, has signed with the Oakland Raiders and will try and stick on the roster or practice squad. Harvey Unga was also just picked up and signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The life expectancy of an NFL running back is short, but Unga's actual running back life is still fresh. He has been on rosters for a few years, most notably with Chicago, but he has never seen any serious action so his legs and body are still good. That ringing in your ears, or was it in your nose was because of the national noise Devon Blackmon created when he said he was suspended for the first game against UConn because he was caught wearing earrings which is an honor code violation. As of now that makes two offensive players who will miss the season opener. The other is Jamaal Williams. I'm pretty sure that BYU is an equal opportunity enforcer of violations of team rules. Consequently I expect others from the defensive side of the football to also miss the first game of the season. TV Timetable BYU vs. Connecticut Friday, August 29 at East Hartford Kickoff: 5:00 PM MDT TV: ESPN BYU vs. Texas Saturday, September 6 at Austin Kickoff: 5:30 pm MDT TV: Fox Sports 1 BYU vs. Houston Thursday, September 11 at Provo Kickoff: 7:00 pm MDT TV: ESPN
