BYU Football 2013 Seniors

I don't wanna say goodbye . . . :(
From www.heraldextra.com

This Saturday is Senior Day, and 22 seniors on the BYU football team will say goodbye to LaVell Edwards Stadium. Unfortunately, not all of them will be able to play in the game. Spencer Hadley injured his MCL in the Wisconsin game, and JD Falslev broke his hand in a non-football related accident and sadly ended his college football career a few weeks ago. Junior Devin Mahina and Sophomore Ryker Mathews are also likely out for at least the Idaho State game with injuries. Sophomore wide receiver Mitch Mathews injured his shoulder during the Wisconsin game and will have season-ending surgery. Geez, seems like we're going to have a hard time putting a full team on the field! Then again, we could probably still easily beat ISU even if we only played second and third-stringers. But Notre Dame? That's a whole 'nother story.

Anyway, here's my tribute to some of the star seniors on the BYU football team this year:

Michael Alisa- Alisa may or may not be done at BYU. He was injured before the Utah State game, hasn't played since, and won't play for the rest of the season. However, he has a redshirt available and may be able to return next year. I hope he does! He deserves to go out on a high note instead of ending his last 2 seasons with injuries. 

JD Falslev- I'm really bummed that JD won't be able to play anymore. He's the kind of football player you could make a movie out of-- he started out as a walk-on and then clawed his way to the starting lineup and became a great running back and punt returner. I don't know why in the world he was at a water park in November, but it still sucks to suffer an injury like that, especially when it wasn't even football-related. You will be missed, JD! 

Kaneakua Friel- I hadn't even heard of Friel until the first game of last season, but it seems like I've been hearing his name a lot ever since. He also started at the bottom of the depth chart and worked his way up. I love it when they do that . . . :)

Spencer Hadley- When Hadley first got suspended, my opinion of him dropped way down. But then when I read this story, it shot way back up. It takes a lot of courage to own up to your mistakes and really work hard to fix them, which Spencer did. As said before, Hadley is out for the ISU game, but they're hoping to have him back in time for Notre Dame.

Mike Hague- I think Hague is one of the unsung heroes of the BYU football team. He's one of those few seniors who joined the team back in 2006-- 8 seasons ago. He has endured a lot of injuries, but he has made some significant contributions to the team this year. He is one of the main reasons we beat Houston, with 1 sack, 5 tackles, 1 pass breakup, and 1 tackle for loss.

Cody Hoffman-  I'm at a loss for words on losing Cody. It's really going to hurt. I think I might even miss him more than Kyle . . . yes, seriously. He now holds pretty much all the records at BYU he possibly can, and I think those records will last awhile. I have loved watching him play football at BYU, and I really hope he makes it into the NFL. Best receiver in BYU history? As much as I loved Austin Collie, I still think he's a traitor for leaving early for the NFL, so I'm gonna say yes, Cody's #1! 

Eathyn Manumaleuna- I've heard Eathyn is kind of like Ziggy Ansah-- quiet and reserved off the field, but a beast when he puts on those pads and helmet and lines up across from an opponent. Manumaleuna and KVN have really been the core of the defense this year. I think it's funny how a few of the Countdown to Kickoff commentators can't pronounce his name. Bryan Logan just calls him "Moneymoneymoney" because he's going to be making moneymoneymoney next year in the NFL!

Skyler Ridley- I don't know why it didn't connect with me until today that Skyler is a senior-- darn it! I like him a lot. He's been a great alternative target for Taysom when Cody was injured or not in. He made the game-winning catch at Houston and had 4 big catches at Utah State. It's going to be really hard to replace him, for sure.

Daniel Sorensen- Daniel was one of way too many concussion victims this season. Thankfully, he was back pretty quick. The highlights of his senior year so far have included an interception at Houston and 9 tackles and an INT against Utah State. He's a really nice guy, too-- I saw him at the basketball Cougar Tipoff, mingling with fans and taking pictures with the little kids in the line to get the basketball players autographs. Most BYU "celebrities" probably would have booked it out of there, but not Daniel.

Justin Sorensen- I'm really glad Justin was able to come back healthy this year and end his career on a successful note. His bizarre injuries, including a brown recluse spider bite (shudder!), fractured ankle, and back surgery (I feel for ya, brother!) have really, really hurt the kicking game, but this year, he's been solid. As a fellow back surgery survivor, I'm actually extremely impressed that he has been able to be as good as he has this year-- I'd surely wind up in the hospital in a heartbeat if I tried to do what he does. He's 15 of 18 on field goals so far this year, which is stellar compared to going 6 of 12 all of last season and 15 of 25 the year before. Good job, Justin. :)

Uani Unga- He's Harvey Unga's cousin. Need I say more? Football blood must run in that family! He had 17 tackles against Utah State and was the best defensive player overall against Boise State, with 15 tackles, one TFL, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble. Geez, I'm getting tired just thinking about all that . . .

Kyle Van Noy- Last, but not least, Mr. KVN himself. He leaves BYU with impressive stats in just about everything. If you haven't read the articles from the Deseret News excerpted from The System about how Kyle was recruited, how he almost ended his BYU career before it started, and how he has thrived on the team, I highly recommend that you do so. You'll laugh, you'll cry . . . Ok, maybe I'm the only one who did those things. haha.

The remaining seniors on the team include Tyler Beck, Adam Hogan, Austen Jorgensen, Scott Lefrandt, Blake Morgan, Kevin O'Mary, Jason Munns, Skye PoVey, Manaaki Vaitai, and Richard Wilson. Way to go, Cougars! You will all be missed. I'm excited to be there at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday to watch you play for the last time and take down the Bengals. Go Cougs!

BYU vs. Utah: I Hate the Holy War More Each Day

2014 and 2015 are going to be glorious college football seasons . . . why? Because BYU won't have to play Utah. I swear I'm the only person in the state of Utah who hates the "Holy War" and wishes it would just go away forever.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't hate the University of Utah. But I do strongly dislike "fans" of the University of Utah who hate BYU more than they like the University of Utah (and in my experience, that encompasses the majority of Ute "fans"). They are much more concerned with bashing BYU, the honor code, and the LDS Church than they are with cheering for the Utes. It seems like it's impossible for Utah fans to be civil (and that's true for a few BYU fans, too, but not nearly the percentage as it is with Utah), and that makes the rivalry not fun anymore. In fact, it never was much fun.

The last few weeks, some very strange things have been going on related to this football game that kicks off in a little over 24 hours.

First, a video emerged that apparently depicted a Utah football player with a towel over his head, pretending to baptize Utah linebacker Brian Blechen. I haven't seen the video, and I don't intend to watch it, but that's exhibit A of Utah's completely disrespectful attitude toward BYU. And then Kyle Whittingham made it even worse by saying no disciplinary action would be taken: "We have addressed this issue with our players. And although it was poor judgment on their part, there was absolutely no malice or disrespect intended towards any particular religion or rite."

What if the tables were turned and it was BYU players making fun of something that's sacred to the majority of Utah players and fans? Bronco would have suspended them and kicked them out of the university before you could say "Cosmo". But what does dear old Kyle do? Make excuses and brush it off. If there really wasn't any "malice or disrespect intended", then why did the guy have a towel over his head? He knew very well what he was doing and what the reaction would be, and he didn't want to take responsibility for it.

Then Spencer Hadley got suspended for 5 games. As usual, BYU didn't reveal the reasoning behind it (only saying it was an Honor Code violation), but the Deseret News reported late last night that it was because he was allegedly caught "partying in Vegas with [a] booster". Ok, that is a dumb move by Hadley, and he deserved to be suspended if that is what happened. However, the way the situation apparently came to light is what makes me angry.

Apparently a self-proclaimed "die hard Utah Utes fan" took photos and a video of the party Hadley attended and emailed them (mostly likely under a pseudonym because they haven't been able to figure out who this guy really is) to Utah’s assistant athletics director of compliance, who was then obligated to send it on to BYU. Really? REALLY? The intentions were obvious-- if this "fan" was just trying to be a good person and report a violation, he wouldn't have mentioned that he was a "die hard Utah Utes fan". That is exactly the kind of Utah "fan" I can't stand. You are so concerned about making BYU look bad that you decided to tattle-tale on one of their players? Are you still in freaking Kindergarten? And did he send it to BYU, the people who ultimately should have known about it? No, he sent it to Utah, proving that he wanted to make sure they knew about it first. Really? REALLY?  I'm not upset that Hadley got caught,. What he did was wrong, and while I'm disappointed with the suspension, it's totally justified. I'm just upset with the WAY he got caught, and that it was because of someone who had absolutely no business whatsoever in the matter-- a Cougar-hater masquerading as a "Ute fan".

I hate to say it, but I saw a reader comment on one of the news articles I read this week (I think it was one about the mock baptism) that said, "Proving Max Hall right, one day at at time..." I've always believed Max was a little out of line, but man, this week has made me side with his infamous comments more than I ever have before. I don't hate all Ute fans, or "everything about them", but there definitely are some real *class acts* out there who make those Utah fans who actually are Utah fans (instead of BYU haters) and are capable of being civil and respectful fall into obscurity.

The game that will happen tomorrow is arguably the most important Holy War EVER, or at least in my memory. After this, they will take a 2-year hiatus, so the stakes are huge. Not only is it the last chance seniors like Kyle Van Noy and Cody Hoffman have to beat Utah, but it's also the last chance of everyone who's not a freshman -- including Taysom Hill, Jamaal Williams, Bronson Kaufusi, and pretty much the rest of the team. 

Oh man, I've never meant this more than I do right now. BYU HAS TO WIN TOMORROW. I seriously don't know what I'm going to do if they lose. It's been 4 years since BYU won the Holy War, and it will be another 3 years before they get another shot at it, and by then, both teams will be completely different. I can't handle 3 years of Ute arrogance. However, I guess whatever happens, I can at least take comfort in the fact that I won't have to endure this stress again for at least 3 years.

I shall now begin my preparations to lock my doors, turn on the TV, and start praying . . . Heaven help us all.