Summer Sports News Part 1: BYU Football

Our fearless leader, Taysom Hill, will throw
his first pass against UConn on Aug 29!

Oy, I haven't blogged in forever! Between moving to a new apartment and craziness at work and in life in general, I've just been swamped, and this summer has flown by way too fast. Unlike most summers, it's actually been quite eventful in the world of BYU sports this year . . . or maybe I'm just more aware of what's been going on, thanks to BYU Sports Nation.

Anyways, here's a quick recap of the major BYU football news from the summer. A similar basketball post is coming soon.

BYU Football-- Summer 2014

Kyle Van Noy was drafted by the Detriot Lions in the second round, joining Ziggy Ansah in the Motor City. I'm excited to see the "Elders of Defense" together on the field this year! No other Cougars got drafted (which is ridiculous), but there are a few free agents hoping to land contracts for the upcoming season, including Cody Hoffman (Washington Redskins), Daniel Sorensen (Kansas City Chiefs), Eathyn Manumaleuna (New England Patriots), & Spencer Hadley (New Orleans Saints).

There are TONS of new members of the BYU football team who have joined as freshmen, juco transfers, or graduate transfers (including about a zillion receivers who will collectively attempt to replace Cody Hoffman). Notables include:

• Devon Blackmon (WR)- He's "stupid fast"!
• Nick Kurtz (WR)- Tall, long arms, good runner-- seems similar to Mitch Matthews, IMO.
• Jordan Leslie (WR)- At UTEP in 2012, he had over 1,000 yards receiving, with a 19.1 yrd average per catch. This kid's gonna be good!
• Trey Dye (WR)- He took a monster hit at the scrimmage on Friday night (the likes of which would have rendered many people unconscious-- that video doesn't do it justice), but he just kept going. Seems like a tough kid with a lot of potential.
• Harvey Jackson (Safety)- This kid played for Nebraska. 'Nuff said. 

Bronson Kaufusi has shifted from DE to OLB. That'll be interesting. Michael Alisa has also switched positions, from RB to LB. 

I really don't think this is the huge deal it's been made out to be, but apparently BYU is not worthy of being a "Power 5" opponent. In other words, anyone is free to add BYU to their schedule, but it won't "count" as a really good, competitive game, and the ACC and SEC teams are going to start being required to play at least one of those really good, competitive games each year against a non-conference opponent. Who cares? BYU has the likes of Michigan and Nebraska on the schedule next year and plenty of other good games coming up over the next decade . . . I'm not worried.

The "Improper Benefits" scandal rocked BYU back in May . . . but so far, it's turned out to be, well, nothing. BYU is certainly not trying to cover up anything, they're self-reporting to the NCAA, and any repercussions or punishments, if any, will probably be very minimal.

UConn is less than 2 weeks away, and I'm pumped up! However, the season opener has become slightly dampened because of at least 2 self-announced suspensions (Devon Blackmon & Jamaal Williams) and at least 1 injury (Nick Kurtz). Last I heard, Kurtz is set to miss almost half the season, so he might even sit out the whole year with a redshirt, so he doesn't lose those months of eligibility. I'm really bummed about that-- I think he was one of the players I was most looking forward to watching this year.

Bronco accepted the "ice bucket challenge", as did Jarom & Spencer from BYU Sports Nation. Good times! Glad I'm not famous enough to get challenged . . .

Football season is not far away at all! Game on.

Former BYU DE Ziggy is the Ansah for the Lions

Now Ziggy is BOTH an African Beast AND a Lion! :)

I love Ziggy Ansah's story. He went from never having even seen a football game 4 years ago to becoming the #5 overall pick in the NFL draft to the Detroit Lions this week, tying Jim McMahon as the highest drafted Cougar EVER. I met Ziggy briefly at the Cougar Kickoff last August, and he was very quiet and unassuming; the kind of guy who, when you ask for an autograph, seems surprised and wonders why anyone would ever want his John Hancock. He's very humble, very quiet, and yet he's a beast on the football field. I proudly display all the autographs I got on that day on one of the many BYU sports posters on my bedroom wall, and Ziggy's is right next to his best friend's, the one and only Kyle Van Noy.

I LOVE this article, which just has a bunch of quotes about Ziggy from those who have played with him and against him. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Ziggy's first practices as a walk-on in 2010 have kind of become legend, but it's all true. He tried to cram the wrong pads into the wrong slots on his pants. He put his shoulder pads on backward. The first times he lined up, he either just stood there straight up or he'd get down like a frog on all fours. But nobody laughed at him because he was so big we were afraid of what he might do to everyone if he got mad." - Kyle Van Noy

"The first time we ran him in some kickoff drills at practice, he took off and knocked down about nine guys, all arms, and never broke stride. The play ended and he was just standing there, bodies all over the ground around him, looking like, 'What? Did I do something wrong?'"-Bronco Mendenhall

"We got him in the weight room and realized he had no idea what he was doing. He'd never lifted a weight in his life. But we'd all seen him with his shirt off and we thought, Wait, all of this is just DNA?" -Romney Fuga

"We played BYU in our third game of the 2012 season . . . Suddenly this No. 47 blasted in and dropped [running back] D.J. Harper for a loss. Next play, he did it again. They ended up stopping us on downs. We had zero information on No. 47, so our staff was scrambling for a roster, asking, 'Who is this guy?' He was so big, we wondered if maybe BYU had a jersey mix-up and one of its starters had switched numbers for a couple of plays or something. It turned out that Ansah had just never really played before . . . On one hand, we felt like, Man, how could we let some unknown guy beat us like that? Then when we saw what he did the rest of the year, it was like, Oh, he did that to everybody. Unfortunately, he had his arrival moment against us."-Chris Petersen, Boise State Head Coach

I found this article interesting, which compares Ziggy to Jimmer. A lot of Ziggy's success depends on how his teammates and the fans in Detroit react to him. Will there be jealousy? Will he have a hard time breaking out of the BYU Bubble? I hope, no matter what happens, that Ziggy will be happy and continue to love playing football. I don't know hardly anything about pro football, but I can't imagine that the Lions are a bigger mess than the Kings, so I think Ziggy is in good hands. He meets a need that they have, and hopefully he will be able to produce to his full potential.

One particularly good sign is that the Lion's head coach, Jim Schwartz, talks so highly about Ziggy (a stark contrast to Kieth Smart's complete lack of respect for Jimmer). Schwartz said (speaking of working with Ziggy during the senior bowl), "Probably the best thing that we went through was just getting to know him as a person. [He's] the right kind of guy for Detroit; a hard working, humble guy who respects the game and respects what it takes to get here."

I also had no idea Ziggy had such a great sense of humor. He got a lot of flack for wearing Real-D 3D glasses at the draft (which apparently was the result of a bet with some of his friends), but I thought it was hilarious (and most BYU fans would agree). In one of his first interviews with the media after being drafted, Ziggy was asked if it was hard for him to leave his home country and his family to come to BYU. His answer: "I didn't hesitate. My mother was crying when I was leaving, and I was like, I'll see ya later!"

Even better was his answer to the question of whether, as a defensive end, he hates quarterbacks: "I don't know if I want to use the word 'hate' because you can't concentrate if you hate somebody. But if you love somebody, you want to grab them, so I love quarterbacks!"

You go right ahead and hug those quarterbacks, Ziggy! He's so awesome.

He also said, "I'm not trying to play like anybody else. I want to play like Ziggy. I set my own standards."

And play like Ziggy, he should. I hope he is wildly successful and becomes the next former Cougar to get a Super Bowl ring.

Last but not least, I can't end this article without giving a shoutout and congratulations to the other former Cougars who signed free agent contracts this week:

• Braden Brown- Rams
• Uona Kaveinga & Romney Fuga- Broncos
• Brandon Ogletree- Dolphins
• Braden Hansen- Raiders
• Preston Hadley - Seahawks (invited to tryout)

Way to go, boys! You represent Brigham Young University well.

KVN & The Hoff Commit to Returning for their Senior Year

The last 2 weeks have been crazy busy, and I was stuck in a house with an internet connection that wouldn't have a chance against a drunk, elderly snail in a race, so I've gotten way behind. I've got like 5 posts in my queue to write, but this one just had to come first. Kyle & Cody are coming back!!! It's going to be a really tough 2013 BYU football season, but having them on the team will really help the Cougars have a fighting chance at a BCS bowl. Here's how the schedule currently stands:

Aug. 31 at Virginia

Sept. 7 Texas

Sept. 21 Utah

Oct. 4 at Utah State

Oct. 12 Georgia Tech

Oct. 19 at Houston

Oct. 26 Boise State

Nov. 9 at Wisconsin

Nov. 16 Middle Tennessee State

Nov. 23 at Notre Dame

Dec. 7 at Hawaii

They've still got 3 or 4  games to fill in, so it theoretically could get even tougher before the season actually starts.

The best part is that I can arguably take full (or at least partial) credit for the return of the Hoff & KVN because I know they read my blog post encouraging them to come back. haha. Twitter provides proof:

What exactly will the Cougars gain from KVN & Cody coming back? They both have chances to smash records and become some of the best Cougar football players of all time. Cody will likely break Austin Collie's receiving records, and having him on the 2013 team, as Dick Harmon puts it, is "like manna from heaven for the Cougar offense." Cody has caught a pass in 32 consecutive games and is already fifth on the BYU receiving yards leader board at 2,718. He's 4th in receptions with 203, 3rd in TDs at 28, but only needs 2 more to break Collie's record of 30. He also only needs 3 more games of 100+ receiving yards to break Collie's record of 11. I predict that during his senior season, Cody will become #1 on all of these record lists, and those records will last for a very long time after he's gone.

As for Kyle Van Noy, he has a really good shot at becoming the #1 defensive player all-time at BYU. He is the only player in the country to record a stat in every major defensive category in both 2011 and 2012. He is currently ranked #1 nationally (tied with 4 other players) in sacks. He is also tied for 2nd place in the country in forced fumbles, and is top-10 in tackles for loss and blocked kicks. Despite losing Ziggy Ansah and Brandon Ogletree, KVN returning will help the 2013 defense give the 2012 nationally-ranked and possibly best-ever BYU defense a run for its money.

I'm not quite sure yet how I feel about the demotion of Brandon Doman to QB Coach (if he decides to accept) and the return of Robert Anae as OC. Although I find it almost impossible to believe it will make the offense worse. I'm sure I'll write another post about that subject in the coming days. But all-in-all, when you combine KVN and Cody's return with the return of Taysom Hill, Jamaal Williams, Michael Alisa, and a few other stellar players, I predict 2013 to be a much brighter season than 2012. Go Cougars!!!

Farewell to the BYU Football Seniors

I'm not really looking forward to the last home BYU football game of the season for two reasons-- first, I am going to freeze to death. I don't agree with the majority of this Gordon Monson rant, but I wholeheartedly agree with this part:

The single remaining home game for BYU comes against Idaho — at 8:15 Saturday night. Folks who schedule bad home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium at night in November not only have no consideration for season-ticket holders, for the fans upon whose backs the program was built, who regularly show up for home games, they also have no souls. It’s nothing short of cold and cruel — all for a game on ESPNU that few will watch.

It really is cruel and unusual punishment for us loyal fans. I say toss that stupid ESPN deal out the window! I just hope I don't have to leave early because of hypothermia setting in, especially since I don't even have the option of watching it on TV from the comfort of my apartment (I get all the ESPN channels except for ESPNU . . . grrrr).

Anyway, raison numero deux is that I'm sad that we must say goodbye to our seniors, all 24 of 'em (maybe 25 or 26, if medical redshirt petitions aren't granted). Some of them will leave fond memories in my mind for many years, while others I've never even heard of before writing this post. But I'm going to say something about each of them . . . Yep, that means this post is gonna be loooong. Bear with me.

Senior QB Riley Nelson

Riley Nelson- Losing Riley will be very bittersweet. Bitter because he didn't have the senior season that everyone expected, and that makes me really sad. Sweet because even though he doesn't have a career in the NFL, I think he will go on to do great things in his life. He can finally stop getting injured and go out there and make a real difference in the world. He's got real class, grit, and a really big heart. I have been rather critical of his football skills this season (and I'm certainly not alone in that), but my criticism was definitely meant to be constructive to the team as a whole. I know what it's like to be in pain ALL. THE. TIME. and it really sucks. I have no idea how hard it would be to play football with broken vertebrae, but I highly doubt it was easy. Despite a mediocre senior season, I really, truly think Riley is one of the best leaders, on and off the field, the BYU football team has ever had. And he will always be remembered as the guy who rescued us from a whiny, overrated Jake Heaps and won the 2011 Utah State game for the Cougs against insurmountable odds. I'm really, really going to miss him. Wow, I'm even tearing up a little bit while writing this. I'd better move on before I lose it . . .

James Lark- Oh, James Lark, the shadow of Riley Nelson. I feel bad for Lark-- Bronco really should have let him play more this year. He's a good pocket passer and can run decently, too. It will be hard to say goodbye to him when he really hasn't had a chance to shine, but I think he has made some solid contributions to the team. He has thrown for 159 yards and one touchdown in his college career thus far. Hopefully he'll get a chance to add to those numbers in the last few games of the season.

Riley Stephenson- The "other Riley" has had a rough year in some aspects, and a great year in others. I was just as despondent as he was when he missed that potentially game-tying field goal against Utah, ending the game for the 3rd time. However, he's been pretty solid when it comes to punting-- in fact, he's currently the #4 ranked punter in the country! He has consistently given the opponents really tough starting field positions, which has made a huge contribution to the success of the entire team. 

Braden Brown- A solid member of the O-line, Braden #1 has seen action in every game since his freshman year. He's got great footwork, a fiery attitude, and is a good pass-blocker. Rumor has it he's got a good shot at the NFL.

Braden Hansen- Braden #2 started every game in his career until a groin tear (ouch!) put him on the sidelines for several games this season. Hopefully he'll be back in time for the bowl game. Everyone knows we could use a healthy offensive lineman when that day comes . . . 

Zed Mendenhall- Zed has played fairly consistently in every game but one since his sophomore year, with 10 receptions and 56 yards total. He has only carried the ball once, but that happened to be a one-yard TD.

Reed Hornung- Reed has played in every game since transferring from Snow College in 2010 as a deep snapper. Did you know that without him, we may not have won the Armed Forces Bowl last year? That definitely deserves some major props.

Saw this on Pinterest and it made me laugh. Ziggy rocks!

Ziggy Ansah- It's going to be really, really hard to lose Ziggy. It seems like we've just barely started to get to know him and see what he can do on the field, and now he's leaving. In his first two seasons after trading in his track shoes for a football uniform (that he didn't even know how to put on), Ziggy had 10 total tackles. As a senior, though, he's racked up 44 tackles and 4 sacks in only nine games. I am really going to miss watching #47 mow down opposing players right and left and let out a subsequent primal scream. I never (and I mean NEVER) watch NFL football, but I might not be able to resist sneaking a peak at him in the big leagues. I really hope he goes to a team that will appreciate his unique skills and use them to the fullest. 

Romney Fuga- Fuga came back from a season-ending torn ACL in 2010 to anchor the BYU defensive line. He has contributed 122 tackles and 3 sacks since 2009. Despite a lackluster schedule for the rest of the 2012 season, he's optimistic and excited: "We'll probably get up even more because the season's winding down and the clock's ticking. We understand that there's only so many games left to play with each other. We're getting more excited and more up for each game as it comes along."

Simote Vea- He has played in 24 games and has 9 tackles. As a walk-on, he had to fight for playing time, but he's done really well. Coach Kaufusi dubbed him the "pit bull" of the team: " He just never quits . . . He won't quit trying, and that is what I want from all of my players."

Russell Tialavea- Tialavea has played in 43 games and has 62 tackles and 1 sack in his Cougar career. Although the thing that might be most impressive about him is that he chose to serve a mission between his junior and senior years, despite having to overcome a lot of obstacles to get there.

Uona Kaveinga- Uona went to USC right out of high school. Looking back, he says that decision was "immature," but he doesn't have any regrets. As the "leader on our defense" as proclaimed by Bronco Mendenhall in 2011, the linebacker has recorded 92 tackles in his 22 games as a Cougar.

Senior RB David Foote

David Foote- While David Foote has had limited carries in games during his college career, he has seen action in all but one game since his sophomore year, and he's put in a lot of effort behind the scenes. He was rewarded with a scholarship and status as a captain this year, which I think was well-deserved. He rushed for 296 yards and 1 TD and has 94 receiving yards.

Brandon Ogletree- Brandon is an "unsung hero" on the BYU defense. If I didn't know any better, I would assume the leading tackler on the team was Kyle Van Noy or Ziggy, but it's actually Ogletree. In fact, as of the Notre Dame game, he had 20 more tackles than anybody else on the team and 33 more than KVN. Dang. Ogletree has 216 tackles total and has also forced 3 fumbles and recovered 2 of them. Bronco Mendenhall once referred to Brandon on the field as: "kind of a twisted individual, which you want most of your linebackers to be," and a "Tasmanian devilish kind of guy." But off the field, he is polite and down-to-earth. Brandon graduating will leave a huge void on the defense.

Preston Hadley- Out of high school, Preston wasn't recruited by a single Division I school. He tried out to be a walk-on at Snow College, but didn't even make the first cut. He didn't give up, though, and finally fought his way onto the roster the next year. After two solid years at Snow and a mission to New York City, he transferred to BYU, quickly became a starting defensive back, and the rest is history. Hadley has 97 tackles and 20 pass break ups in his career.

Robbie Buckner- When asked why he wanted to come to BYU, Robbie said, "Other schools recruited me, but one thing that I wanted to do was go on a mission. I have a lot of family down here. It has been a dream ever since I was little." I approve. He hasn't gotten to play a whole lot, but he did have one very successful game against Utah State his freshman year in 2009, with 4 solo tackles.

Joe Sampson- This Cougar safety grew up in a crime-ridden Oakland, California, but he has found a new home where he feels safe and comfortable in Provo. For the most part (with the exception of missing a few practices for "disciplinary reasons"), he's had a great career, with 56 tackles. Brian Logan never hesitates to mention that Joe is his cousin, and he's proud of it. Hopefully Sampson has a good career ahead of him in the NFL.

Ian Dulan- Ian played for 3 years at BYU and put 51 tackles on the board before going on a mission in 2008. He redshirted last year, and unfortunately he hasn't played at all this year because of back injuries (I can relate, brother).

DeQuan Everett- A transfer from Cerritos Community College, Everett hasn't had the opportunity to play very much, but he does have a good sense of humor. Apparently before each game, he "[does] bicep curls and [puts] baby oil on while listening to Young Jeezy." Ummm, TMI.

Senior kicker Riley Stephenson

Ryan Freeman- He played in 6 games his freshman year, 10 games his sophomore year, and then had to quit because of injuries.

Austen Jorgensen- This guy got sidelined early last year with a shoulder injury and has only played in 4 games this year, but he had a great sophomore year in 2010 with 46 tackles. 

Rhen Brown- He hasn't played at all this year because of injuries, but played in 3 games last year and 5 the year before.

Walter Kahaiali'i- He retired from football at the beginning of this year with knee injuries, but he played in every game last year, plus 8 games in 2010 and 11 in 2007.

Jordan Richardson- Another injured early retiree. He played in 22 games over the last 3 years and served in 2012 as a student assistant coach.

The following two seniors were injured early in the 2012 season and are trying to seek medical redshirts, so they may or may not be saying farewell this Saturday:

Mike Hague- He went to Brighton, my high school's main rival, but I suppose I'll forgive him. :) After all, without a huge block from #32, this wouldn't have happened. Mike started out as a running back before his mission (and is best remembered for an 87-yard TD scramble against UNLV), but then switched to defense. As Bronco said, "Mike Hague is a solid contributor and someone who has my trust. He's worked hard to learn the defense and he's playing a valuable role for us." Hopefully he can recover from his calf injury and come back and play again next year.

Eathyn Manumaleuna- Eathyn was a starter on the defensive line from the time he returned from his mission until his 2012 season was cut short because of a torn patella tendon in the Boise State game. He blocked a UCLA field goal to secure a victory in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl and has recorded 96 tackles and 5 1/2 sacks in his career. I hope he can come back next year!

Holy moley, that's a lot of football players! There will definitely be some big shoes to fill next year. Good luck to all the graduating seniors and Go Cougars!

BYU Tramples the Hawaii Warriors & Looks to Utah State

47 to 0 shutout. Nice work, boys. Too bad we can't take 4 of those points and add them to the Utah game, add 2 points to the Boise State game, and just for good measure, give ourselves a 40 point head start on Utah State. Then we'd still beat Hawaii by 1 . . . and a win is a win, right? :) Oh well.

That Hawaii game was really a bloodbath. Seven minutes into the game, we'd already sent two Hawaii players to the hospital on stretchers, Michael Alisa broke his arm (and is probably out for the rest of the season, dagnabbit!), and somehow I sprained my ankle. Not sure how it happened since I was just a spectator minding my own business up in the stands, but somehow I'm inclined to blame Ziggy Ansah. haha.

Once again, I'm very impressed with the defense. They've now gone 9 consecutive quarters without allowing any points. If they can keep that up, we'll be in pretty good shape. I'm also impressed with our new freshmen stars, Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams. Taysom became the first true freshman quarterback at BYU to win his first starting game (and did it in impressive fashion, I might add), while 17-year-old Jamaal Williams ran for an impressive 155 yards after Alisa went down. He may not be old enough to vote for president, but I'd vote for him in almost any third down situation. A re-vamped offensive line also gave the Cougs a breath of fresh air and a little bit of hope that this season may not be a complete waste after all.

My favorite moment of the game by far was Taysom's 68-yard TD run. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw him sprint past all the defenders. Dang, that kid can run! He racked up 143 rushing yards total. For a quarterback--a FRESHMAN quarterback, no less--that's insane!

I'm still worried about Utah State . . . but not quite as worried as I was before. My main concern right now comes down to Riley Nelson's injury and whether his adrenaline and passion will overpower his head and his pain medication and cause him to insist he is ok to play, even if he isn't. With Utah State, Riley's got something to prove. He wants to play in that game BADLY, but I'm not sure if the coaches should let him.

Utah State HATES Riley Nelson with a passion, primarily because he played his freshman year there, but then transferred to BYU while he was on his mission (that would be essentially the equivalent of someone transferring to Utah from BYU-- the ultimate act of betrayal in their eyes). If he goes into the game on Friday night, the Aggie defense is going to do all that's in their power to hit him where it hurts (in the back). They will play dirty. I'd bet their main goal (possibly even above winning the game) would be to send Riley to the hospital and give him a season- and career-ending injury. They consider him a traitor and would probably love to see nothing more. I still can't figure out why the Aggies hate BYU so much (News flash to USU: BYU doesn't consider you a rival. We don't care about you at all.), but of all the Cougars, they probably hate Riley the most.

So, here's my suggestion. Let Taysom start. See if he can get into a rhythm and put some points on the board. Then, if we have at least a slightly comfortable lead at halftime (or if Taysom isn't playing up to par) put Riley in for a few snaps. If he's able to play and does well, keep him in for awhile, maybe the full 3rd quarter. Then, depending on the score, put either Taysom or James Lark in for the 4th quarter. However, if the game is really close at the half or if we're behind and Taysom is playing well, I think we need to leave Taysom in. It's just not worth the risk. Sorry, Riley. I think you're amazing, but trust me-- I know how tempting it is to test a back injury and think you can do more than you really can-- but you don't want to regret it later. It's not worth it.

The USU game could go either way. A few weeks ago, I really believed BYU would get crushed, but now I'm seeing a possible light at the end of the tunnel. I think the game being in Provo will be a huge help, and the Hawaii game was great practice for the O-line, defense, and Taysom. I think they've got the adrenaline and the motivation to put up a really good fight. I predict a close game (decided by a touchdown or less)-- we'll just have to wait and see who comes out on top.

The striped stadium actually didn't look too bad! Nice job, Cougar fans!

Bronco hands the Broncos a win on a silver platter

Picture from www.heraldextra.com

I've decided I need to get my feelings down in writing about last night's BYU / Boise State game before my head explodes. I don't think I have ever been so angry, confused, disillusioned, and shocked after a football game in my life. I had the hardest time falling asleep last night because I was so tempted to slam my fist through the wall. Yep, it was that bad.

BYU didn't deserve to be in that game, honestly. The offense played horribly as a whole, but mostly Riley Nelson. Something still isn't right there. The coaches are saying he's in a lot of pain from hurting his back a few games ago, but I think it's got to be more than that. Trust me-- I know all too well how debilitating back pain can be. I had back surgery last summer and I'm still in pain on a daily basis... but that's no excuse for committing 5 turnovers, I'm sorry. I still think he has some kind of head injury from the Utah game-- seriously. Has he been examined? There is something wrong, and they need to figure out what it is or they're going to lose out the rest of the reason.

If nothing else, I think Riley has lost his right to be trusted by the coaching staff. In an interview with Brandon Doman last night, he said they wanted to put Taysom Hill in earlier in the game, but Riley insisted he was fine and wanted one more drive to prove it. The coaches trust him, so they let him do it. But he threw an interception on that drive. Trust REVOKED. I'm not trying to criticize Riley's playing ability (even though it seems like just about everyone is right now) and we certainly don't need all the talk that seems to be surfacing wishing Jake Heaps was still here (NOTHING could be THAT bad!), but I do think Riley needs to recognize his limits and turn decisions of who should be playing over completely to the coaches. If he's not playing well enough on a particular day, he needs to be pulled. BEFORE he commits 5 turnovers.

While I am sorely disappointed in the offense's play, the main source of my anger comes from the decision to go for a 2-point conversion at the end after Taysom FINALLY scored a TD. I was FUMING mad, even before they missed it. The decision that Bronco made to go for it was nothing short of idiotic. I think there needs to be an extensive psychoanalysis performed on his brain. WHAT WAS HE THINKING?!? Yes, 5 turnovers from Riley are unacceptable... but when your defense is so stellar that they give you a chance to turn it around and send the game into overtime and you don't take the almost surefire way out, that is unacceptable times a million. Not only was it stupid, but it  was completely disrespectful to Taysom, Cody, and the rest of the offense who fought so hard to get that ball in the endzone. It was also disrespectful to the defensive players, who were the reason they even had a chance in the first place. It threw all their hard work down the drain in about 2 seconds.

As The Daily Herald's Jason Franchuk puts it:

It was one thing to take to put in a freshman quarterback for the rest of the night, giving him the ball at his own 1-yard line in the third quarter. Bold move. Maybe even necessary.

It's another to do worse by Hill, the offense and especially the defense by not playing for overtime Thursday night. The Cougar coaches let BYU’s struggling unit control the outcome, rather than its impenetrable one. Bad move. Totally unnecessary...

BYU fans must be red in the face. With anger.

BYU coaches should be red in the face. With embarrassment.

Momentum, schmomentum.

By choosing to go for 2, Bronco essentially slapped his players in the face and handed the game to Boise State on a silver platter (and yes, it was Bronco's decision-- Brandon Doman confirmed that in his post-game interview). Even if they had made the 2 point conversion and won the game in overtime, I would still think it was the dumbest decision he has ever made (and hopefully will ever make). It was so uncharacteristic of him, too-- he is not one to take risks at all, especially dumb ones when the entire game is on the line.

I just can't believe it. It's one thing to lose the game because your quarterback is having a terrible night (and the rest of the offense is nothing to brag about, either), but to have a really good chance to tie the game and NOT take it because of a stupid, stupid, STUPID decision from the head coach is completely another thing. Thus, I put the blame for this loss completely on Bronco's shoulders. Riley can blame his mistakes on injuries and his head not being in the game, but there are NO excuses for what Bronco did.

That being said, I've got to give MAJOR props to the defense, especially Kyle Van Noy and Ziggy Ansah. That was the most impressive defensive effort I have ever seen in my life. They allowed ZERO points from Boise State on the smurf turf. That is a HUGE accomplishment, and they have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. Way to go, boys.

Taysom Hill also impressed me. He's got a lot of things he still needs to improve on, but he drove that ball 95 yards when it mattered most against insurmountable odds. It's not his fault his coach threw it all away in the end.

My worst nightmares are coming true... Unless Riley can get healthy and get his head back on his shoulders FAST, the whole season might come tumbling down (in fact, I think it already has). They'll be lucky if they become bowl elligible at this rate.

I don't know how much more of this I can handle. Is it basketball season yet???

BYU Football 2012: Let's Get Ready to Rumble!

With the season opener just 2 days away, it's time to get down to business with BYU football! Judging from past experience, I really should refrain from making predictions because, honestly, I really suck at it. But that's never stopped me before! So, against my better judgement, here are some of my predictions for the 2012 BYU football season.

After writing this post, I found these pics on byucougars.com. They fit perfectly!

The success of the season rides on Riley's physical health. My biggest fear is that Riley Nelson will take a hard hit and break his neck or a major appendage in the first half of the season opener. He's fearless and is known for taking risks and getting hit hard, which definitely has its upsides, but also has its MAJOR downsides. If he gets injured badly enough to put him out for the season, or for even a few games, we could be in really, really deep water. The second-string quarterback, James Lark, doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence. He just hasn't played enough. As a senior, he's only seen action in a grand total of 6 games, and in most of those games, he only played a couple of downs. He has potential, but I wouldn't feel comfortable handing the reins over to him for a good portion of the season if Riley gets hurt. The third-string quarterback, Taysom Hill, is a freshman standout, and will most likely be leading the Cougars for the next three seasons after Riley and James are gone. However, since he is a newbie, he's played even less college football than Lark has. I think he'll be just fine after he gets some good plays in him and practices throughout the year, but could we depend on him if Riley goes down? Not sure. So, my plea to Riley is to take it easy . . .  just a tiny bit. I love his enthusiasm and willingness to take one for the team, but we need him to stay healthy and broken-bone-and-punctured-lung-free this year if we are going to have a good shot at winning at least the majority of our tough road games.

Cody Hoffman will be the star receiver, once again.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: It wouldn't surprise me if that boy could catch a football if it was covered in Crisco and shot out of a cannon 100 yards away and he had one hand tied behind his back. He is THAT GOOD, and I don't see things changing much, especially with Riley Nelson's improved arm strength and footwork and the chemistry that has developed between them lately.

Losing Josh Quezada is going to hurt. Don't get me wrong-- I like Mike Alisa, but losing a big piece of depth at the running back spot certainly isn't going to make things easier. How much is it going to damage our offense overall? I don't think it will make a HUGE difference, but I think it will be tougher than a lot of people are predicting.

Ziggy Ansah will come out of the shadows. I met Ziggy at the Cougar kickoff last week, and he was super quiet, but very kind. He seemed a little overwhelmed at all the attention, but quietly and graciously signed autographs without hardly saying a word. I kind of view him as a defensive version of Michael Oher from The Blind Side-- quiet and reserved, but deadly when he puts his mind to it. He moved to the U.S. from Ghana and ran track at BYU in 2009-- he knew nothing about football until he joined the team in 2010. But now as a senior, I think he'll be a real force to be reckoned with.

Kyle Van Noy will turn heads on defense. That man is ruthless. Look to him for some super hard hits, memorable and possibly game-changing sacks, and probably a few interceptions.

Coach Brandon Doman will continue to improve. He really struggled as the O.C. at the beginning of last year, but he slowly and surely improved. He might start out a little shaky again this year, but he'll get into the groove again pretty quickly and by the end of the season, he'll be calling killer plays like nobody's business.

We're starting out with a win! My Cougars will beat those other Cougars on Thursday night. I don't think it will be a blow-out-- maybe a one or two-touchdown difference in the final score. Our defense will be especially tested against Washington State, but I think they're up for it.

We'll go 10 for 12 on the regular season. I think this will be a decent year with a good chance of having an undefeated home season; however, the super tough road schedule will inevitably get us a few losses-- most likely Boise State, Notre Dame, and/or Georgia Tech. I'll be optimistic and give us one win out of those three (Plus a win at Utah. That's non-negotiable. Either that or I secede from the state.) No national championship by any stretch of the imagination, but not too shabby. Hopefully we'll also get a bowl win out of it. With 24 seniors, the Cougs have a lot of experience and a lot of motivation to get it done this year.

Can't wait til kickoff! Look for me in the middle section of the south endzone! :) Go COUGARS!

All pictures on this post from www.byucougars.com. No copyright infringement intended.