HB Arnett’s
COUGAR SPORTSLINE
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hbarnett@fiber.net and hbarnett@xmission.com
1391
West 800 South –
Vol. 30,
Issue 9 – October 5, 2009
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AGGIES
HAND BYU ANOTHER "FEEL BAD" WIN
Since 1994, BYU is
10-0 in the win-loss column against
Domination and
dynasty are a few words that come to mind.
Yet, despite the
latest 35-17 victory over the Aggies last Friday night in LaVell Edwards
Stadium, some Cougar fans choose to use words like disappointment and downer in
describing BYU's fourth win of the season.
After a quick check
in the official BYU Football Media Guide, we were unable to find a "Feel
Good", "Feel Bad" category describing the BYU-USU football
history.
Thank goodness for
the internet, chat rooms and message boards. That is where football is like
figure skating and games are like gymnastics.
The scoreboard is
now obsolete. What really counts are what the judges post as to artistic
content and presentation.
A missed Lutz
landing is now worse than a loss. A solid floor routine can't have any fumbles
or other foibles less the judges deduct points on their score cards and
pollsters punish teams for lack of difficulty in their dismounts and schedules.
Never has one team
made BYU so dominant in the last decade and BYU fans so despondent.
Win-Loss
When it comes to
the Aggies and the win-loss column of the last ten years, BYU is 7-0. In the
fan's "Feel Good" - "Feel Bad" column, BYU is just 1-4
against
Here are some of
BYU's highlights against
The BYU defense
held USU to just 322 yards of offense. The Aggies came into the game averaging
489 yards of total offense per game. Until a late-game drive of 73 yards in the
fourth quarter against BYU's second unit, the Cougar defense had man-handled
the Aggie offense.
They also shut
down heralded USU running back Robert Turbin. He came into the game averaging
127 yards rushing per contest. The Cougars held him to just 47 yards on 17
carries.
Harvey Unga rushed
for 118 yards against the Aggies on 21 carries. For the game, BYU rushed for
213 yards.
Brace yourself.
Max Hall, the ultimate BYU "feel bad boy" for some Cougar fans, did
his best to live up to his reputation. He threw two interceptions. Bad, Bad,
Bad.
Oh yeah, he also
threw three touchdown passes. It could have been worse. He could have thrown
four touchdowns passes. Instead of "feeling bad", we would have felt
"really bad".
Aggies
Give it to the
Aggies. They make us long for the good old days when we had "feel
good" quarterbacks and wins.
What we wouldn't
give to have a quarterback that doesn't throw interceptions. Wouldn't it be
nice to have Ty Detmer back? Oops, he threw 28 picks during his Heisman Trophy
year.
Winning football
games is okay, but feeling good about winning is so much better.
It's just around
the corner. Interception-free football is on the horizon. Riley Nelson, Jake
Heaps, Jason Munns and James Lark have never once thrown an interception in a
Cougar uniform.
We feel better
already.
BYU'S Next Opponent
REBELS
REELING AND ODDS RISING
According to
oddsmakers, BYU is a 14 1/2 point favorite over UNLV this coming Saturday night
at Sam Boyd Stadium.
We also find it
odd that Mike Sanford is still coaching in that same stadium.
His record as the
head coach of UNLV after 52 games at the Rebel helm is 13-39.
When it comes to
handicapping head coaches in the Mountain West Conference, we defer to Joe
Glenn and Chuck Long. Barring a win over BYU on Saturday, the dismissed duo
from last season has
If they are
looking to add a little "punch" to their foursome, Mike Locksley, may
not be far behind. So far the
He stamped himself
as a contender in the ring, but a pretender in coaching circles.
Back to football
and UNLV.
This game looks
too easy for the Cougars. That is why we expect it to be a close game.
The only team to
defeat the Cougars this year was
That is how UNLV
will have to do it if they also hope to defeat BYU.
This game will be
determined by the ground game.
The team that is
better rushing the ball will win the game.
Both teams will
throw the ball and move the chains while they do it, but it is on the ground
that the outcome will be determined.
Based on UNLV's
most recent defensive effort last week, it would appear that the Cougars will
have no problems running the ball.
UNLV gave up 559
yars rushing last Saturday to Nevada-Reno.
BYU won't come
close to those numbers, but they do have to get at least 150 yards rushing if
they expect to win.
That is what we
see happening and call it as a close game, but also a Cougar win. We see it BYU
31 UNLV 24.
ONE-WAY
TICKET OUT OF TOWN
Hold on Hotwire.
Pause on Priceline and take a deep breath and exhale before you log on to
Expedia.
Before you call
for a one-way ticket out of town for Max Hall because he is throwing too many
interceptions this year, lets couch the Cougars in economic terms.
When it comes to
interceptions, Hall is in a quarterly downturn, but he is far from reaching the
recession levels of interceptions that Robbie Bosco and Ty Detmer had in their
prime.
Nobody called Greyhound
inquiring about one-way tickets out of town for those two BYU quarterback
legends.
Based only on the
criteria of interceptions thrown, both Bosco and Detmer should have been shown
the same door that some Cougar fans want to hold open now for Max Hall.
Hall is going to
have to hurry if he hopes to match interceptions thrown by Bosco and Detmer.
After five games
this season, Hall has thrown 10 picks.
In Ty Detmer's
Heisman Trophy winning season in 1990, he threw 28 interceptions. BYU fans were
happy to have him back the following season for his senior year.
In 1985 Robbie
Bosco threw 24 interceptions. He is still drawing a BYU paycheck and was put on
a pedestal despite those picks.
Hall would have to
throw another 20 interceptions this year, for a total of 30 picks this season,
if he is to eclipse the 55 interceptions Detmer threw during his last three
seasons at BYU.
Going back 45
years, Hall isn't even in the top 12 of BYU quarterbacks based on interceptions
thrown during one season.
Here is the list
with year and interceptions thrown.
Ty Detmer, 1990...28
Robbie Bosco, 1985...24
Gary Sheide, 1974...19
Gifford Nielsen,
1976...19
Steve Young, 1982...18
Jim McMahon, 1980...18
Marc Wilson, 1980...18
Steve Lindsley, 1986...18
Virgil Carter, 1966...16
Ty Detmer, 1989...15
Marc Wilson, 1979...15
Kevin Feterick, 1999...15
John Walsh, 1993...15
Matt Berry, 2003...14
Steve Sarkisian,
1995...14
John Walsh, 1994...14
Bob Jensen, 1987...14
Max Hall, 2008...14
Ryan Hancock, 1992,...13
John Beck, 2005...13
Marc Wilson, 1978...13
Steve Sarkisian,
1996...12
Max Hall, 2007...12
In contrast, here
is another list of BYU quarterbacks. Hall could end up being on top of this
chart by the end of the current season. This list details Cougar quarterbacks
and the number of wins they generated during their careers while starting for
BYU.
Ty Detmer...28 wins
Marc Wilson...28 wins
Max Hall...24 wins and
counting. If Hall stays healthy and BYU wins 5 of their remaining 8 games,
which assumes BYU will have a bowl game this season, Hall will be the winniest
BYU qb in history.
Jim McMahaon...23 wins
Robbie Bosco...23 wins
Kevin Feterick...23 wins
John Beck...22 wins
Steve Sarkisian...21 wins
Steve Young...19 wins
John Walsh...16 wins
Gifford Nielsen...15 wins
I am not an
attorney, but I have watched a lot of Ben Matlock on television. I know a
strong case when I see one and I have no trouble defending Max Hall as one of
the best BYU quarterbacks ever.
FOOTBALL
AND BASKETBALL FLUFF AND STUFF
Last week we
mentioned a high school running back from Nampa HS in
Turns out that his
full name is Mohonri Moriancumr Bostrom and yes, he is LDS. He is aveaging 200
yards per game.
He has a brother
who currently is an offensive lineman at
The younger
brother and running back is 5-9, 180 pounds and is African American.
According to the
reports we received last week from
In the running
back resume department, BYU currently has verbal commitments from three
prospects. They include Algernon Brown, of Skyline HS in
Brown has racked
up 428 yards on 49 carries so far this season for an 8.73 yard per carry
average. He has also scored 7 touchdowns.
Phillips rushed
for 213 yards on 32 carries last week in a 24-22 loss to
As expected, Kyle
Collinsworth has said that he will sign an early basketball letter of intent
with BYU and Dave Rose in November.
The commit is a
huge one for the Cougars.
Collinsworth was a
national-caliber prospect who earned real recruiting interest from USC and
Virginia.
He has the
potential to play any of three spots for the Cougars, but most teams recruiting
him like him at the point.
He has size at 6-7
to go along with guard skills. What he can do is get to the rim when he wants
to.
Before heading out
on an LDS mission, he will play one season next year with his brother Chris
Collinsworth who returns from his mission in
Don't be surprised
if Dave Rose and his staff don't take a recruiting look at Johnathan Loyd this
year. Loyd is a senior point guard at Bishop Gorman HS in
BYU has some
connections here. The Bishop Gorman coach is Dave Rice's brother. Rice is the
lead assistant at BYU and Dave Rose's right hand man.
Loyd is also the
little brother of current Cougar basketball player Michael Loyd, Jr.
When it comes to
recruiting, BYU already has identified the top LDS basketball prospects that are
in the ninth grade.
Here are the ninth
grade novas and shooting stars that BYU is already into.
We have been
talking about Nick Emery, a 6-1 guard and freshman at Lone Peak HS for a couple
of years. He is the younger brother of current Cougar Jackson Emery.
Here is another
ninth grade name to follow. Jabari Parker is a freshman at Simeon HS in
He is currently a
6-3 shooting guard, and if his father, former NBA player, Sonny Parker, is to
believed, Jabari is a little bit of Magic, some Charles Barkley, with Lebron
James thrown in there too. We shall see.
QUARTERBACK
QUEUE
Max Hall...Completed
16-of-23 passes for 218 and three touchdowns. Also had two interceptions. Touchdown
tosses were for 6 and 13 yards to Dennis Pitta and a 48-yard strike to Luke
Ashworth.
Riley Nelson...Had one
touch against his former team,
James Lark and Jason
Munns...Both are still serving missions. Lark is due back in January and Munns
will return in May.
Jake Heaps...In a ho-hum
blowout, Heaps threw two touchdown passes in a 55-0 win over Garfield HS.
Tanner Mangum..The
sophomore qb from Timberline HS in
Alex Kuresa...Team had a
bye
TELEVISION
TIMETABLE
BYU vs.
UNLV
Saturday, Oct 10 at
Kickoff: 8:00 pm Mountain
Time
TV: The Mtn
BYU vs.
Saturday, Oct 17 at
Kickoff: 4:00 pm Mountain
Time
TV: The Mtn
BYU vs.
TCU
Saturday, Oct 24 at
Kickoff: 5:30 pm Mountain
Time
TV: Versus