HB Arnett’s
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West 800 South –
Vol. 35,
Issue 6 –September 1, 2014
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Cougars Chew
Hill, Huskies, Heisman and Halitosis
It’s way too early to start saying that Taysom Hill is a legitimate
Heisman Trophy candidate. Even if he played like one in BYU’s 35-10 win
over
As BYU football fans, we need to temper our expectations for BYU in
general and Hill in particular.
Sure, based on his opening game production, Hill had a Heisman hue to
him. That is what accounting for all of BYU’s points will do for you.
He was the Cougars’ leading rusher with 97 yards on just 12
carries. Did I mention that he scored twice on the ground from 7 and 27 yards
out? How about passing? Does completing 28 of 36 balls for 308 yards and 3
touchdowns ring any bells? Don’t know about the pealing of bells, but the
passing of Hill was outstanding. His passing efficiency rating was an off the
chart 177.14.
Just a year ago, Hill produced a scrawny and almost scandalous 72.5
passing efficiency rating in the Cougars 19-14 loss to “Yes
Way Early
But remember, it’s way to early to anoint Hill as even a Heisman
Hopeful. Despite his big time numbers against UConn, we need to find something
to temper our one game enthusiasm and bring our expectations of Hill back to
earth.
How about “Huddle Halitosis” for halting the hero worship? Nobody
is perfect and that applies to Hill. If Hill has never had bad breath in the
huddle, I’m willing to bet that sometime during fall camp, on the field,
plane, or in the locker room, his breath hasn’t always been perfect.
There, that makes me feel much better about the guy and helps me reel
in the expectations of greatness and gaudy numbers for the rest of the season.
Heaven help us and our Heisman hopes, however, if Hill delivers another
minty fresh breath performance against the Horns.
Over the Top
Admittedly, our praise of Hill after just one early season performance
is over the top. That is exactly opposite of what Hill did in the passing game
against UConn. The deep throws over the top were few and far between.
In fall camp, it seemed like every throw was long and deep. According
to Hill, the Huskies took away the deep ball by dropping eight men in coverage.
That left the backs coming out of the backfield to have a field day as Hill
dropped balls underneath the deep coverage.
Of Hill’s 28 completions, 11 went to backs sneaking out in the
flat after first checking to see if they had any blitz blocking assignments. Click
Here to hear Hill tell it like it was in the BYU passing game.
Defense Does what it Does
From my viewpoint, the BYU does what it always does for Bronco
Mendenhall. They never look dominant, but the always deliver.
It remains to be seen if the UConn offense is any good and it looks
like this Cougar defense may still have a few chinks to shore up, but they
delivered the goods and allowed only 10 points.
I’m anxious to see how this team fares against a good rushing
team. It also looks at first glance that the middle line backing play is
ordinary. There were a lot of tackles produced from this group, namely Zac
Stout, in his first start, with 10, but those tackles were almost always down
field from the line of scrimmage. A healthy Harvey Langi may be the answer here
before the season is over.
We will have a much better idea on this unit and their play next week.
The offense that this BYU defense will be better, but the Cougars’
corners also return. If there was a really bright spot for the UConn game and
the future, BYU’s cornerback play with sophomore
Michael Davis and redshirt freshman Jordan Preator was surprising good.
That said, the defensive unit came up with 3 turnovers and big stops in
the red zone when it counted. We shall see.
What we did see was a very nice opening season win on the road.
Hopefully it will be the making of a BYU boilermaker. In drinking circles a first
shot of whiskey is followed by a beer chaser. (I had to look that up and not
rely on personal experience.)
BYU took the first shot in
LONGHORNS LONGING FOR REVENGE
The Texas Longhorns made a coaching change during the offseason. That
change was precipitated by the pounding UT took in
In football, beatings have belated blessings. That is what
They have circled this Cougar game for a year. They are tired of Taysom
Hill this and that. They have made it their mandate to put Hill in his place
and on his butt this Saturday.
If you are looking for incentive,
If you are looking for incentive for BYU, they too have plenty of it.
See the piece on Strength of Schedule below to know why BYU also has this game
circled.
Normally, BYU wouldn’t be able to match up athletically with the
speed and size of a team like
QB Play
The key to winning in
That means for BYU to win, Hill and the Cougar passing game will need a
big game through the air. BYU and Hill will need another 300-yard passing game
if BYU is to win.
The unknown factor for BYU on defense is if the Cougars can stop the
Longhorns from racking up big numbers on the ground. If the Cougar defense can
keep UT in the same rushing neighbor hood that the Horns produced last week
against
BYU opened as a 4 ½ point underdog to
Strong Speaks
After a 38-7 gimme win over
"I told [his players] enjoy this one, be ready and come back to
work tomorrow, and this is a team [BYU] that we are going to face that played
well in their opener. And plus they are a team that embarrassed us last season
with a quarterback [Taysom Hill] who ran the ball all over our defense. Looking
forward to this matchup,"
So am
Strong is a defensive minded coach and it showed against NT. The Horns
held the Mean Green from
This is BYU’s gold medal dive from the 10 meter platform. A flop
here folds the magical season dreams of team and fans. If, as they say in
diving circles, BYU can nail it, and enter the water with little to no splash
aquatically, they will make a huge splash nationally.
Here’s my splash in the face. I call it Texas 27 BYU 21.
Game Glances
Wet Feet Freshmen…Here
is a list of freshmen that saw the field against UConn. Tejan Koroma, Ului
Lapuaho, Fred Warner, Taki Takitaki, Trey Dye and Jordan Preator. Dye, Warner,
Takitaki and Koroma are just months removed from high school.
Who wants a recount
now?...Just wondering how many of those preseason pundits
calling for Christian Stewart to start over Taysom Hill would like a recount on
their vote?
Kicking Suspect…Where’s
Fred McMurray in the movie Flubber when BYU needs him? Is it just me, but does
it seem like decades since the Cougars had a kicker that could even spell end
zone, let alone consistently kick the ball into it? BYU needs some serious
flubber to fix their kicking game or draft a soccer player, man or woman from
the respective BYU teams. Not to kick but head butt the ball on kickoffs. Those
head butts would go farther than the current kickoffs. Actually, Bronco and BYU
are waiting for
There a Manager
opening at Taco
Offensive line play…It’s
hard to say just how improved the offensive line play was until we know how
good UConn’s defensive line play was and will be. What I do know,
however, is that this group is nastier, snottier, and meaner than I have seen
in a couple of seasons. It bodes well. So does the fact that two true freshmen
are key cogs now and will be in the future.
Big is better…BYU’s
best receiver on Friday night was 6-6 Mitch Mathews. UConn’s best
receiver was 6-5. Size presents problems for cornerbacks, even the good ones. I
can’t wait until 6-5 Nick Kurtz returns from his fractured foot. A big
boy on both sides of the field for the Cougars could be scary. Right now I look
for Kurtz to be back in time for the
Penalties…I
would be money that the officiating crew for the UConn game was either from the
SEC or ACC. I make that assumption based on the fact that those two leagues
wanted to penalize BYU in scheduling and don’t consider the Cougars P5
worthy. With 15 calls against BYU for 150 punitive yards, this was the most
punitive and patriotic game I have witnessed in some time. It was like the 4th
of July, with flags waving and wafting all over the field.
Players…You
didn’t have to watch much college football this past weekend to quickly
determine that it is all about players. Those teams with good to great players
with size and speed almost always beat teams with less of that same size and
speed.
BYU won the size and speed battle against UConn. They should also have
the S&S advantage over all the teams they face on their schedule the rest
of the year…with the exception of
The other factor that is even more important than size and speed, is a
good to great quarterback. A good QB with a team with good S&S makes for a
pretty good football team. A team with not the best size and speed can still
win if they have a great quarterback.
BYU has the best size and speed they have had in decades, if not ever.
They also have one of the greatest quarterbacks they have ever had. That is why
I have them ranked way up there on the S&S (Special Season) scale.
SOS Stumbles out of the Gate
Even if BYU turns in a magnificent season and even if they go
undefeated, the chances of the Cougars being invited as one of the four teams
to participate in the national championship are slim to none.
That’s because rules for qualifying for the championship are
stacked against BYU and so is their strength of schedule. That SOS took a
serious hit this past weekend. Here’s how it played out:
UConn lost 35-10 to BYU at home
Central Florida lost 26-24 to
Middle
UNLV lost 58-13 to
Cougar fans have to hope that
Click
Here to see the criteria for getting selected to participate in the
playoffs and see for yourself why the selection deck is stacked against BYU,
even if they have an undefeated season.
TV Timetable
BYU vs.
Saturday, September 6 at
Kickoff: 5:30 pm MDT
TV: Fox Sports 1
BYU vs.
Thursday, September 11 at
Kickoff: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: ESPN
BYU vs.
Saturday, September 20 at
Kickoff: TBD
TV: TBD
BYE
Saturday, September 27
BYU vs.
Friday, October 3 at
Kickoff: 8:15 pm MDT
TV: ESPN
Extra-Curricular Cinema
Just wondering if you think BYU should find a place on their roster for
this legacy recruit? Watch this kid against Mission Hills HS in