BYU and UCLA meet for the 3rd time in 53 weeks, perhaps a moment in NCAA history.  I’ll get our research department going on that once they get hired.  Three different locations, a team ranked each time and the third coaching staff for the Bruins.  With one win a piece, including a nail-biter blocked field goal as time expired to win the Las Vegas Bowl, what can BYU do to win this in convincing fashion? Continue Reading »

I tell you what - for all the missed assignments by the defense in this game, you have to hand it to the winner’s mentality that wills the Cougars to come up with a play at the end. They would have blocked that kick regardless of where it was taken, so in that sense there really is no controversy regarding the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Husky quarterback Jake Locker. I’m guessing that BYU benefited from that penalty in another sense, though, because UW probably would have gone for two, spread the field again and let Locker pick whether to throw it or run it in. Without the penalty, BYU probably would have lost that game, because the Cougars defense just couldn’t defend the Huskies when they spread the field. Willingham was smart enough to know that he wasn’t going to outlast BYU in overtime. Not the way our offense was clicking.

I’m not saying BYU deserved to lose. We all saw the complete lack of officiating competence up to that point that kept Washington in the game. I’m just saying that I’m glad it worked out for the Cougars in the end. They took advantage of an unexpected opportunity and decided the game for themselves. It’s a nice change of pace from three to four years ago when BYU found ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Let’s hand out some game balls:

• Offensive Line: Even if the game had been played on natural grass, Hall’s jersey still wouldn’t have any stains on it. Near-perfect pass protection after a few hiccups last week. Punishing run blocking. It was great to see the improvement from Week 1 to Week 2. UCLA will be the stiffest test for the O-line this year, much stiffer than UW, so we’ll see if the hogs can continue to raise their game.
• Harvey Unga: 23 carries for 136 yards (stats from ESPN). Had the biggest impact on the game of anybody, thanks to the O-line. It never gets old watching him tote the rock. So big and powerful, but so fluid and agile. I’ve never seen anything like him in a Cougar uniform. As for his fumble, I wonder if it happened because Unga was gassed. They showed him on the sideline after the fumble and he was sucking wind like he had just finished the Beep Test. He had a lot of consecutive carries on that drive, if I remember right. With my amazing 20/20 hindsight, I think Unga should have been subbed out before that play.
• Dennis Pitta: If Pitta doesn’t have to twist himself into a pretzel to go for the ball, he makes the catch. 10 catches, 148 yards and a TD. UCLA had better spend a good deal of time this week trying to figure out how to take Pitta out of the game, if that’s possible.

In following the message boards and chats, the comments on the news articles, etc., in preparation for the season, I realized that much of the chatter amongst BYU fans lately has been uncommonly testy. A lot of BYU fans are bickering with each other when the promise of such a great season should be bringing us together. BYU hadn’t even played a down of football yet, but I felt weary like we had just finished the season. Not exactly how I envisioned the advent of BYU Football 2008.

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A lot of fans are a little tweaked by BYU’s performance yesterday, which is understandable considering the turnovers and missed assignments that led to big plays for Northern Iowa. My knee-jerk reaction to those plays was frustration, too. Once the game was over, though, I found it easy to swallow a dose of perspective, confirmed by what Bronco Mendenhall said in a post-game interview. Here are the facts:

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