HB Arnett’s

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hbarnett@fiber.net

1391 West 800 South – Orem, Utah 84058

Vol. 34, Issue 11 – October 14, 2013

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Van Noy Numbness

Georgia Tech Overexposed to BYU Linebacker in 38-20 Loss to Cougars

As a society we are overexposed to violence in television, movies and video games. We have become numb to it.

The same can be said of BYU football fans when it comes to senior linebacker Kyle Van Noy. He has numbed us to sleep with his stellar and spectacular play.

We expect greatness from the Reno native and are surprised and disappointed if Van Noy is only good and not great on every play.

For Georgia Tech, Van Noy was a numb nuisance. That’s how you describe the havoc he wreaked on the Tech offense Saturday in Provo as the Cougars defeated the Yellow Jackets 38-20 and moved to 4-2 on the year with the win. For the record, Van Noy had 2 sacks and 5 solo tackles, three of which for losses of 20 yards.

The first words from Paul Johnson, the GT head coach, to Bronco Mendenhall when the two met at midfield for the post-game handshake was; “That quarterback (Taysom Hill) is an amazing player.” In my opinion, Johnson’s first words should have been; “I hope Van Noy is a senior.”

Van Noy needs to get used to the numbness he is causing. He will experience it himself when a fat NFL wallet will rub a numb spot on his backside next year.

Not the Only One

The good news for Bronco Mendenhall in particular and BYU football fans in general is that Van Noy isn’t the only good linebacker Mendenhall had at his disposal in dispersing the potent Tech option attack.

Alani Fua, the other outside linebacker for BYU, made his presence felt on the field and in the end zone. Fua sealed the win in the fourth quarter with a nice interception that he ran in from 51 yards for a touchdown.

Uani Unga continued his steady performance in the middle and Spencer Hadley made an impact with his play. Hadley had his suspension lifted two weeks early by BYU and Bronco Mendenhall and was able to see the field and play despite limited practice time in preparation for the Georgia Tech offense.

Daniel Sorensen, the BYU safety, also had a big game and was in on several pass break ups. His play was essential when his safety counterpart, Craig Bills, left the game early in the first quarter with a concussion. Blake Morgan replaced Bills and as Mendenhall said in his post game comments, Morgan did a nice job of just hanging on and hanging in there during the game.

Numbskull to Numbness

Paul Johnson was right in his post-game assessment with Mendenhall concerning Taysom Hill. He is currently playing at an amazing performance level. In case you forgot, he has gone from the numbskull that couldn’t complete a pass in the early going of the season, to a quarterback who has equaled Van Noy in creating numbness with the Cougar fan base.

Good quarterback play isn’t good enough any more. Hill’s recent exploits have nudged him into the numbness that Cougar fans now expect. If every play isn’t great, we are now disappointed.

As mentioned, Johnson’s assessment of amazement was accurate. Hill was very good against Georgia Tech. He was on fire throwing the ball in the first half and finished the game with 19-27 passes for 244 yards and 1 touchdown. The td throw was to Cody Hoffman on a brilliant 45 yard catch by the senior receiver.

Hill also ran the ball for 87 yards on 15 carries. On three of those carries he was sacked for 22 yards in losses to end the night with a total of 65 yards on the ground.

Houston, We Have a Problem

Next up for BYU will be the Houston Cougars. The game is set for Saturday, October 19 at Reliant Stadium in Texas. Kickoff is set for 1:30 pm Mountain Time and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNEWS.

The Cougars from Houston are currently 5-0 on the year. The wins have been against Southern, 62-13; Temple, 22-13; Rice, 31-26; Texas-San Antonio, 59-28 and last week against Memphis, 25-15. The combined win-loss record of the five teams Houston has played is currently 10-20.

Offensively, Houston is wide open and full throttle. They are very creative in their offensive play calling. They have good speed and have a nice throw game. That throw game is led by freshman John O’Korn, a 6-4, 205 pounder out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

BYU should be able to get pressure on the freshman and make him hurry his throws. The BYU Cougar defense should also be able to control the rush game from Houston. Defensively, BYU should cause problems.

Offensively, BYU will be the best team Houston has faced this season. If the Cougars from Provo do not turn the ball over, they should cruise to a nice win in Texas. The early betting line in Las Vegas has BYU as a 9-point favorite on the road.

That doesn’t seem big enough to me. I call it BYU 41 UH 21.

 
No longer believe in…
 
SANTA CLAUS, EASTER BUNNY, TOOTH FAIRY AND RECRUITING STARS
 
I can’t remember the exact dates that I quit believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, but I can pinpoint the day when I quit believing in the “star” system in college football in general and BYU in particular.
 

 
 
It occurred June 4, 2009 in an Iggy’s Restaurant in Salt Lake City. That was the day the “stars” aligned and Jake Heaps, Ross Apo and Zac Stout said they would be signing letters of intents and playing college football at BYU. The event produced plenty of gawking and a galaxy of gagas from BYU football fans.
 
Never before had the “stars” aligned in such a way to put Bronco Mendenhall and BYU football on the national recruiting radar. This triumvirate was taking the Cougars to the top of college football and a National Championship. That is what the 18-year olds promised.
 
Fast forward a few years and seasons and the reality of that ignominious Iggy’s setting is that only Ross Apo is currently still on the BYU football roster and reality shows that he is a back up receiver at best and a recruiting star bust at worst.
 
Heaps and Stout no longer are playing Division I football. Heaps of course is currently starting at quarterback at Kansas. In my opinion, based on the last five year record of Jayhawks football, KU is not a Division I football school, at least on the field. Stout saw his career literally hit the floor and the door in a Provo food fight, but even before that incident, he never a factor in his short lived Cougar career. 
 
Winning at the D-1 level is still about players. The teams with the most talented ones usually win 90 percent of the time. It is also about attrition and accuracy in evaluation of those players in the recruiting and roster processes.
 
BYU football recruiting, just like every other football program, is just like a movie trailer. The previews always look good, but most of the time, the movie is a dud. February and football signing day is the ultimate movie trailer. It is all about hype and highlight tapes.
 
Reality, however, says it is always about attrition. For every “can’t miss” prospect, a high percentage of those prospects do miss. The bottom line is that you only need 7-10 real players to make an impact on your program from each recruiting class.
 
Want proof? Below are lists of BYU football signees from 2008, 2009 and 2010. Given the missionary situation that is unique to BYU, players signed from these three classes have had time to prove if they will contribute and be players or not. Pay attention to how many of these signees are no longer in the program or never even made it into school. 
 

2008 Recruiting Class

Bernard Afutiti – never played a down. Academic issues

Michael Alisa – journeyman running back

Kevan Bills – done in by injury

Atem Bol – never made into school

Jerry Bruner – lasted less than a year

O’Neill Chambers – Big recruiting hat, but no cattle. Finished at Nebraska-Kearney

Cameron Comer – didn’t last long in program

Spencer Hadley – No name recruit that made a name for himself on the field

Austin Holt – a nationally hyped recruit as tight end, now a backup defensive lineman

Solomone Kafu – part of the current offensive line weekly shuffle

Tolu Moala – juco linebacker. Never saw the field

Jake Murphy – signed, but not sealed and delivered. Went to Utah after mission

Garett Nicholson – lasted one year in program

Seta Pohahau – never got in school in Provo

Iona Pritchard – Bronco said he was the next Manase Tonga. Not true

Daniel Sorensen – no high school stars, but a big constellation and cornerstone of defense

Justin Sorensen – an early bust, but starting to live up to recruiting hype this season

Brock Stringham – another in the current offensive line mix

Jesse Taufi – highly touted juco lineman, less touted academically

Shiloah Te’o – lasted one year

Michael Yeck – another in the offensive line mix this year

2009 Recruiting Class

Lee Aguirre – juco db that seldom saw the field

Terrance Alletto – another in offensive line mix

Jordan Atkinson – juco lb, seldom saw field

Trevor Bateman – too early to tell if he can play. Currently injured

Craig Bills – a keeper and current starter

Thomas Bryson – lasted a year and now gone

Tui Crichton – remains to be seen if he can play. Still on roster

Jray Galea’i – career backup

Anthony Heimuli – lasted a year in program

Adam Hine – good kick returner and backup running back

Cody Hoffman – got lost in hs recruiting shuffle but BYU’s best wr

Brian Logan – productive juco cornerback despite lack of size

Peni Maka’afi – lasted a year and now gone

Mitch Mathews – Utah State game shows he might be a player

Ryan Mulitalo – Currently not on roster

Remington Peck – Current dl starter

Brett Thompson – in the current receiver rotation

Fono Vakalahi – no longer in program

Kyle Van Noy – BYU should have held a press conference at Iggy’s for him

Brad Wilcox – young offensive lineman

Richard Wilson – three years in program and nothing yet

2010 Recruiting Class

Jordan Afo – never set foot on campus

Jordan Black – to early to tell

Algernon Brown – could go from anonymity to all star

Tayo Fabuluje – lasted a year, went to TCU, now back

Alani Fua – took some time, but a player and producer now

Kori Gaines – lasted a year in program

Jacob Hanneman – more money in baseball, never stepped on field

Jake Heaps – two years in program before transfer to KU

Toloa’I Ho-Ching – back in program after mission

Jordan Johnson – a real steal, currently rehabbing knee

Tuni Kanuch – if he can stay healthy, has a chance to be a player

Bronson Kaufusi – living up to hype

Teu Kautai – One of the 3 Oakridge Academy original signees

Collin Keoshian – lasted one season

AJ Moore – recently back from mission

Manu Mulitalo – still on mission

Joey Owens – local linebacker

Drew Phillips – lasted a season and is now gone

Joshua Quezada – now at Fresno State

Graham Rowley – on mission but looked like a player before leaving

Bryan Sampson – recently returned from mission

Zac Stout – no longer in program

Sae Tautu – still young

Travis Tuiloma – on mission but proved he can play before going

Blair Tushaus – lasted two years. No longer on roster

Rose Rockin’ the Recruiting Cradle

Dave Rose offered a scholarship last week to another local high school sophomore basketball prospect.

Brendan Bailey is a 6-6 wing at American Fork HS. According to a tweet by Bailey on his twitter account, BYU offered him a basketball scholarship last week. Bailey is the son of former Utah Jazz player Thurl Bailey. He also is a teammate of BYU commit Ryan Andrus, the 6-11 post player who will sign with the Cougars next month.

My take on the offer is that BYU is betting that Bailey will continue to grow and add a couple of more inches, pounds and strength. He has the gene pool, with a sister that plays volleyball at Arizona State, but needs some time to physically mature. If that happens, then the upside is huge.

Rose also offered sophomore Frank Jackson, a 6-3 guard at Lone Peak HS a month ago. Jackson played last season as a frosh at Lehi HS.

Television Timetable

BYU vs. Houston

Saturday, Oct 19 at Houston

Kickoff: 1:30 pm Mountain Time

TV: ESPNews

Boise State vs. BYU

Friday, Oct 25 at Provo

Kickoff: 6:00 pm Mountain Time

TV: ESPN

Wisconsin vs. BYU

Saturday, Nov 9 at Madison

Kickoff: TBA

TV: TBA

BYU vs. Idaho State

Saturday, Nov 16 at Provo

Kickoff: 1:00 pm Mountain Time

TV: BYUtv