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Vol. 36, Issue 17– November 30, 2015
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Eating My Words
Regurgitation and Reviewing
Regurgitation is the expulsion of material from the pharynx, or esophagus, usually characterized by the presence of undigested food or blood. Regurgitation is used by a number of species to feed their young.
I’m using it to fill some inches in this newsletter during a holiday week when counting my blessings and being held accountable for what I have said, thought and printed on these pages has been on my mind. It’s time to pay the piper. Pass the Pepto Bismol please. Here are some condensed versions of what I wrote in previous issues.
Issue 1: Taysom Hill is definitely BYU’s big tuna this season. As BYU fans, Hill’s health history should have us and Bronco Mendenhall also hedging our quarterback bets.
For Mendenhall, he only has to stay in Idaho for his quarterback hedge. Tanner Mangum will get plenty of reps this fall camp. That’s as it should be because he is the next guy up. If he delivers on his talent and throwing skills that he displayed before his LDS mission and during his one stint at spring ball, barring health issues, he also should be signing for $3.5 million as an NFL rookie. Yes he is that good.
Issue 2: He should be praying and so should the fan base that Taysom Hill stays sound and sturdy for at least the first half of the season. Talent and throwing ability is not the issue for Mangum. What he needs is game experience with bullets flying.
The best BYU quarterbacks struggled in their debuts. If Mangum is thrust into the starting job in September because of an injury. He too will struggle. It’s a given. But give this kid a chance to get acclimated at this level, and Bronco bashers will be disappointed because Mangum and Bronco will be winning lots of games together in the future.
Issue 3: When it comes to offensive line play this fall camp, the rhetoric of spring football and fall camp forecasts hasn’t matched what it actually visible. This group still looks suspect to me. As they say in the meat business, except for Tejan Koroma, this Cougar cut in this fall camp has been select, but not stellar. Prime cuts of offensive lines are found at Alabama and Ohio State, Choice cuts are usually at UCLA and USC.
Issue 4: For future mission funding for my wife and I, “I’ll take BYU and the points against Nebraska and put me down for $100 on BYU at 500-1 to win the national title.” Less the 10% juice for booking the bet and the 10% juice I’ll need to pay to qualify for a Church mission, I like my chances - for a BYU over Nebraska win, but not a national title.
Issue 5: The Broncos of Boise State won’t be the only visitors in town for the Saturday football game. Troy Warner, the cornerback from Mission Hills HS in San Diego will also be in town for an official recruiting visit. He is the younger brother of current Cougar Fred Warner. He committed to Oregon previously but has since changed his mind. Media outlets in San Diego think Warner is leaning towards staying home and playing for the Aztecs of SDSU. I would absolutely fall over backwards and tumble down two flights of stairs if Warner doesn’t soon commit to the Cougars.
Issue 6: It doesn’t hurt, however, that he finally has a more athletic defensive backfield to protect his back and let him unleash the mayhem up front at the line of scrimmage. Despite what the average fan thinks, Mendenhall actually has his most athletic group of cornerbacks since coming to Provo. Just because he still has then play with a 10 yard cushion, trust him, he knows what he is doing. So does Kai Nacua.
Issue 7: Wide Receivers…This is a good and functional group. I still stand by what I said preseason. There are no legit NFL prospects at receiver on this team. BYU has gone big and there are plenty of bigs in the pipeline. The best thing this group has going for them now is Mangum. He is finding the open guy and hitting them on time.
Issue 8: Does Bronco have his flaws? Of course. Harbaugh flayed, flogged and flawed him Saturday on national television.
Is he the best BYU can do? Absolutely. Given the fact, that the head football coach at BYU must be LDS, Andy Reid, whom I consider to be in the top five coaches circle along with Harbaugh, isn’t walking through the BYU football door….ever.
Neither is Darrell Bevell, the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks. And most definitely, neither is Kyle Whittingham.
Issue 9: A permanent fix for the BYU running game probably won’t be available until next season. Until then, Mangum will keep sliding as instructed instead of taking hits because without him, the Cougars can’t throw it and the running game isn’t good enough for BYU to win football games with its defense only.
If you are waiting for the BYU offense to look like Baylor’s or TCU’s, you are going to be disappointed this season. If you are waiting for the BYU defense to look like Michigan’s or Utah’s, you are also going to be disappointed. But if you are waiting for BYU to keep winning football games, you have come to the right team.
Issue 10: The question will be: Can this team shoot the three and play some D? The preseason chatter is how this team will be much, much, better defensively. They certainly will be bigger inside and be a better rebounding team, but just how much better they will be defensively remains to be seen, in my opinion. None of those questions will really be answered until Dec. 2 when the Cougars face Utah in Salt Lake City. That’s when we will know the answer to this year’s true or false question. Can BYU really shoot the 3 and really play some D?
Issue 11: In case you have a short memory, was just a few years ago when Mike Aresco, the new commissioner of the AAC, was making trips to Provo and Boise to try and get the Cougars and Broncos on board as new conference members.
Of course we were all sure that BYU was a lock for the Big 12 and thought the AAC was beneath us.
Issue 12: If I had to guess, I see BYU’s brass being told by ESPN to opt for the Hawaii venue and cutting a ticket deal with both the bowl game guys and the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in basketball where Dave Rose and his Cougars will be playing games on Dec. 22, 23, and 25th.
That leaves a convenient date open on the 24th for the BYU Bowl game and allows the Cougar athletic department to promote a twofer; BYU football and basketball on the same ticket, flight and deal.
Did I mention that both the Hawaii Basketball tournament and Hawaii Bowl Game are owned by ESPN Events and televised by ESPN. Don’t think that there will not be some political pressure from BYU’s cash cow source on the Cougar athletic administration to show up in Hawaii with teams that could help ticket sales and TV ratings for both events.
Issue 13: Frank had inside information on Bryant…It remains to be played out, but all the huff, fluff and frustration of not getting Frank Jackson to sign with BYU in just two weeks during the early basketball signing period now appears to be just that; Huff and Fluff.
Make no mistake, the Lone Peak HS senior will likely have a nice and maybe spectacular career at Duke, where he has been verbally committed since early September. He may even have an NBA career. As good as he is, however, I’m now just wondering what would have happened if he did sign with BYU? Where would his minutes come from next year or for the next three subsequent seasons?
Issue 14: Dislike: Even though Missouri lost at home in Columbia Thursday night 31-13 to Mississippi State, and even though they are only 4-5 and sixth in the SEC East, they still have athletes and plenty of them. Especially on defense. It will take a much better offensive effort and the return of key offensive linemen for BYU to sneak out of town with a win in this game. Now throw in the fact that players and coaches are threatening to not play the game unless the President of the university resigns or is ousted and a whole new dynamic is added to this circus and scenario. Hate to be a cynic, but if Missouri was 8-1 and still battling for a chance at the SEC East title, this would not be a football issue.
Issue: 15: Here are some of my quick observations about BYU. Kyle Collinsworth still has game. He just doesn’t have an outside shot. If he did, he would be playing in the US next year. Now it looks like he will have to ply his trade overseas.
Issue 16: Gonzaga is not an up tempo team. Duke isn’t run and gun. Just a couple of examples. I hate to keep beating an old drum, but despite all his faults, Roger Reid could beat teams, including Utah and win championships, because he was the master of the half-court game. Our current coach, Dave Rose, has an up tempo coaching lineage. Guy Lewis at Houston and Steve Cleveland at BYU. Those teams are fun to watch until they face teams with defense and money ball offenses. I’m referring to a half court system to get the ball into the paint, draw fouls and score points with the game on the line.
Issue 17: It’s about time HB. I hope you enjoyed the holiday vacation. Three pages later, here is today’s newsletter, complete with this week’s observations, reservations and Utah State regurgitations.
BYU 51 USU 21
BYU Got Game
Utah State got milk. BYU got Mangum and a tandem of tall receivers who made the difference in BYU’s 51-28 defeat of the Aggies in Logan last Saturday.
The win gives BYU and Bronco Mendenhall a 9-3 regular season record and a bowl game in either the Las Vegas Bowl or Hawaii Bowl to be determined this coming week.
The Cougar’s win over USU was determined in the last minutes of the first half in Logan. That’s when, with BYU trailing the Aggies 21-10, Tanner Mangum hit Mitch Mathews for a one-play-one-touchdown scoring drive for 72 yards. That made the score 21-17. Throw in Tomasi Laulili’s fumble recovery and touchdown trot of 37 yards on the last play of the half and BYU went to the locker room with a 24-21 lead.
Game over.
That’s because the BYU defense, with the exception of a blown pass coverage and a pass interference call that allowed USU’s only score of the last two quarters, corralled the Aggie offense for the entire second half.
Ho-Hum
Mangum had a ho-hum game throwing the ball. He was 16-30 for 284 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was bailed out on some of his heave-ho throws by some spectacular grabs by his wide receivers.
But if a ho-hum game includes 4 touchdown passes, the future of BYU football looks bright in the hands of the freshman quarterback. Let’s face it. He was the BYU offense this season.
What he accomplished coming off an LDS mission with no spring ball was amazing. Throw in the fact that he did it all with a below average running game and an average, at best, offensive line, his numbers were spectacular.
I understand all the Taysom Hill back to BYU hope and hype. The guy is an amazing athlete and quarterback. What I don’t understand is all the Mangum would have to redshirt and take one for the team talk.
There is no question that Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and David Shaw at Stanford would welcome Hill as their quarterback next season if he opts to continue playing at another school.
Do you not think that both coaches would not also welcome Tanner Mangum if he decided to transfer to Ann Arbor or Palo Alto with three years of eligibility left? If they had to choose between the potential of 3 quarters of action by Hill at worst or 12 games of Hill at best, versus 36 games with Mangum at their offensive helms, who do you think they would choose?
Solomon Solution
That is the decision Bronco will have to face this coming season if Hill opts to play in Provo next season and his body will allow it. It will require a Solomon solution.
The thing that made Hill special was that he was the BYU running game. That made his passing game adequate. What most aren’t factoring in with Mangum is that he will have a vastly superior running game available to him and Robert Anae next season. That will make his passing game even better.
In case you haven’t paid attention, BYU returns its bulldozer ground attack with Algernon Brown and Francis Bernard. They also return some backs with shake and bake and take it to the house abilities in Jamaal Williams and redshirt transfer Squally Canada. And if a little luck and less litigation allows Charles West to somehow show up in the fall on the BYU campus, look out. Mangum with an actual run game could be scary.
Okay, I’m a Mangum honk and homer. He is the real deal. I’m also a Hill homer. But do I want to bet on a BYU football future of one possible great season or three possible great seasons.
Look. I get it. The ideal situation would be for Mangum to gracefully grant the job to Hill and take a redshirt year while we all pray for a healthy Hill.
Fairy Tale
That sounds like a fairy tale solution except for one big problem: The clock. Hill is already past the midnight hour that pro scouts look for. Mangum is already 22 and the NFL has his clock already running.
Back to the Utah State game and how it relates to the Hill, Mangum and Bronco’s forthcoming advice to Hill and Mangum. Matt Wells decided that Chuckie Keeton deserved to start and play against the Cougars. He deserved it for all he has done for the Aggie program, despite a history of injuries.
How did that work out for Wells? How it will all work out for Bronco, Hill and Mangum in the future will be the story of the off-season.
I’m still sticking with my Hawaii for BYU’s bowl projection. BYU and players want to go to the Las Vegas Bowl. Las Vegas wants BYU. I stick with ESPN wanting BYU in Hawaii to help ticket sales for both the football game and basketball tournament in which BYU is participating in at the same time.
ESPN owns both properties. Ownership has the serious clout and will have the final decision. Aloha Hawaii!
Who’s Missing?
BYU Beats Belmont 95-81
BYU senior guard Kyle Collinsworth became the NCAA’s all-time career triple-double leader in the Cougars’ 95-81 win against Belmont Saturday in the Marriott Center.
Collinsworth finished the night with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his first triple-double of the season and seventh of his career. In 2014-15 he set the single-season record and tied the career record with six. Drexel’s Michael Anderson (1984-88) and LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal (1989-92) were the previous career record holders.
Chase Fischer scored all 19 points in the second half making five 3-pointers for the first time this season. He passed Austin Ainge and Randy Reid in career 3-point field goals made with 115.
Kyle Davis tallied his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds. He added 2 blocks, a steal and an assist. It was also his fifth straight game with at least seven rebounds and 10 or more points.
No doubt those three BYU players had nice to great games in BYU’s win over Belmont. Especially Collinsworth. He was special.
Still, am I the only guy that thinks BYU would not have won this game without Nick Emery? All he did was score a career-high and game high 27 points on 9 of 17 shooting. He was also 5 of 11 from 3-point range, both career highs. He added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals
Here is my early season assessment of BYU basketball. The front court is serviceable and occasionally will have a spectacular moment or two. Serviceable is a step up from last season.
Chase Fischer is the new Matt Carlino. You never know what you are going to get and when you are going to get it.
Kyle Collinsworth is special. You don’t set NCAA records without being a special type player. He is all he is cracked up to be.
But…Nick Emery is mandatory. Without him on the floor, BYU will be just another WCC team. And look out when his outside shot gets all the back from the two year missionary hiatus.
I’ve tried to find some serious flaws in his game. Help me out. Can he get to the rim whenever he wants? Yes. Can he shoot the ball from distance? Yes. Can he get the ball to others when it is needed? Yes. Can he defend? Yes. Can he get in passing lanes and make steals? Yes. Can he take minutes away from Frank Jackson? I was told by many a few weeks back that he would never be able to do that. So that is still up for debate…with the many who told me I was crazy, but I stick to my original assertion.
How good will he be when he is 100 percent healthy and in shape? Correct me if I’m missing something. Didn’t he have two surgeries earlier this year to remove some ribs? Didn’t he almost go lame with a serious Lake Powell laceration incident?
So is he fool proof as a true freshman coming off serious off season injury issues? No. He will have some bad games on the road. Every freshman does. He still needs seasoning and tested by fire on the road.
That said. He will be the barometer of how BYU goes this season. When he is good so is BYU. Don’t want to start a panic here, but as good as Nick Emery is and will be, wait until you see TJ Haws.
Women Volleyballers Earn Right to Host 2 NCAA Games
PROVO, Utah – No. 13 seed BYU women’s volleyball will participate in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, hosting Ohio Friday night at the Smith Fieldhouse in the first round.
"We're excited for the opportunity to continue playing at the Smith Fieldhouse," BYU head coach Heather Olmstead said. "Our team's excited to play a very good Ohio team. We're looking forward to hosting them and getting in some practices at home this week in preparation for our match on Friday."
The Cougars (26-3, 16-2 West Coast Conference) will play against the Ohio in the first round and the winner will compete against the winner of the match between Arizona and Western Kentucky. BYU and Ohio will play Friday at 7 p.m. MST with Arizona and Western Kentucky facing off right before at 5 p.m. MST on Elaine Michaelis Court. The winners will play Saturday at 7 p.m. MST in the second round.
BYU, Ohio, Arizona and Western Kentucky are part of the Lexington Region. Saturday's winner will advance to the regional semifinals on Dec. 11 at the University of Kentucky. Television coverage, if any, will be decided later this week.
Television Timetable
BYU vs. Utah (M Basketball)
Wednesday, December 2 at Salt Lake
Tipoff: 8:00 pm MST
TV: Pac-12 Network
BYU vs. Weber State (M Basketball)
Saturday, December 5 at Salt Lake
Tipoff: 1:00 pm MST
TV: BYUtv
BYU vs. Ohio (W Volleyball)
Friday, December 4 at Provo
Match Start: 7:00 pm MST
TV: TBA
BYU vs. Arizona or Western Kentucky (W Volleyball)
Saturday, December 5 at Provo
Match Start: 7:00 pm MST
TV: TBA