HIGHLIGHTS
Max Hall - Max Hall is freaking clutch. I know he threw a pick late (although not totally his fault) but he was lights out on that last drive. He brings something in QB that BYU has sorely needed; he can will the team to victory. When he has the ball, I am confident he will make it happen.
Dennis Pitta - We finally got him going again. When CSU started doubling Collie, Max found Pitta and he racked up 175 receiving yard. That catch in the endzone where his helmet popped off was unbelievable. (So was Max's throw as he got hit). Not to mention the game winner.
Austin Collie - It's getting to be old hat seeing Collie on this list, but he's the nation's leading receiver and has 7-straight 100 yard receiving games. He had over 100 yards and 3 touchdowns in the FIRST HALF. Not shabby.Breaking One - In the first quarter I was saying how I really wanted to see Harvey Unga break off a looong run.
Five and six yard gains are great, but I wanted a big run. I don't know what his longest run had been up to that point, but it seemed like not more than 20 yards, so it was great to see him break free and scamper for a long touchdown. I'm somewhat prophetic.Mountain Going HD - During the game they announced that the BYU vs. Utah game would be shown in HD. Finally! Will the Mountain in HD just look like all my regular non-HD channels? Probably. But hey, any improvement is welcomed.
Making One More Play - For two weeks in a row now we've managed to make just one more play than the other team in order to win. It's not good for my blood pressure, but it definitely makes for an exciting game to watch. No one can complain about not being entertained.
LOWLIGHTS
The Defense - We seem to be giving every quarterback the game of his life. Maybe we're just wanting to help their confidence and thus allow them to succeed in the game of life. There's no sense in breaking it down more.....there's too much.
Steve Fairchild - I could not have been more disgusted with a coach during a game than I was last night (ok, I could.....anytime Kyle Whittingham and his tight shirts are roaming the sidelines). The CSU coach was whining uncontrollably and swearing at the refs from the opening kickoff. He finally got flagged for it at the very end of the game. C'mon coach, show some class. That or take some Valium.
Mountain Announcers - I get that you played at BYU and everything Todd Christensen, and so you don't want to look like a BYU homer, but enough already buddy. You're not a coach, quit second guessing every single decision the coaches make, and you don't have to hate BYU. Both of those guys just rubbed me the wrong way last night.Making Only One More Play - I appreciate that we're making one more play than the other team, but like I said last week, if we continue to allow these games to come down to the wire like that, we're going to end up losing. Yes, Max and the offense were clutch, but if we have to rely on them to drive the entire field in 90 seconds to win the game every week, the "magic" is going to run out eventually.
I'm coming to the place that Bronco seems to be at; this is the type of team we are, and we're going to have to win these type of shoot-out games by relying on our offense. Basically, we have to outscore people. Makes me nervous at times, but to quote Petros Papadakis, "BYU just is who they are."
What were your highlights and lowlights?
14 comments:
They announced that the BYU Utah game will be in HD?! That is amazing! I can't wait. Quick question, does HD also improve the quality of the announcing?
A win on the road is a win. Take it. Looks like Utah was tested as well.
There is only one thing that stands out to me - everything else is irrelevant.
That turnover at the end of the game (interception) that lead to their quick touchdown was such a blessing. This is the hi-light of the game for me. The worst thing that could have happened is for them (CSU) to chew the clock down even more. Their quick score allowed us to put that drive together.
I don't wish to discuss anything else because it's irrelevant and the game was disgusting enough. We'd be here for days and be blue in the face.
BYU is getting worse.
The final score is getting closer and closer every week.
BYU allows teams to score more and more points every week.
Play calling is driving me crazy!!!!
Yes I'm being very very difficult. We've been spoiled with 3 great seasons after 3.5 bad ones. Still . . . this has turned out to be a disappointment for how many weapons we have. Seems like we never get a year where the offense and defense are on the same page and "execute at a high level".
I feel so gullible for "riding the wave" at the beginning of the season. All waves crash at some point, though this one looked good, turned out to be a dud.
go cats :-(
Hey, I was trying to figure out what happened on that interception anyway. What was the personal foul and why did that lead to the play being called back?
Ditto on the Todd Christensen thing. Dude drives me nuts. It is like he's campaigning to get picked up by ESPN.
OK, I don't know if anyone cares what I say, but it makes me feel better to voice my opinions.
additional Highlights:
A win. Despite how ugly and sloppy it was, it was win.
Collies one-handed TD catch. Collies was amazing.
Pitta's head-knocking TD. He was also amazing.
additional Lowlights:
-Michael Reed. I have been a huge Michael Reed fan, but I have been disappointed in his performances since he got back from his injury. He is dropping balls that he usually doesn't drop. It seems like his head just hasn't been in the game lately.
-Mistakes. This game got out of control starting with the fumbled snap and then the roughing the kicker call after a 3 and out. I would venture to say that the game would have been no where as close had BYU not committed those mistakes and then others (fumbled punt, interception, DILuigi's fumble, predictable running plays, etc). Stop giving the other team confidence. This really bugged me.
Coaching apathy. OK, this might be a little blunt, but I am kind of tired of Bronco's "this is who we are" attitude. Yeah, maybe BYU isn't as good as hyped, but where is the intensity that was there in the UCLA game. Don't be satisfied with these sloppy wins. I think that Bronco is an amazing coach, but I feel that he is still a little hung over from the TCU loss.
Highlight: Last night I dreamed Utah actually lost at UNM. Not kidding. I woke up darn sure they'd lost.
Lowlight: NFL player on the field chest bumping a CSU player. What a moron.
Highlight: Driving home with a smile and a belly full of brats.
Lowlight: Teams figuring out how to beat our D and us not adjusting.
By the way Chase, We scored 45 points even with 3 turnovers. I don't think we can complain about the play calling right now. Harvey ran for 100+, Max threw for nearly 400 yards. I mean dang, you make it sound like we almost didn't get on the board until late in the game. But I understand why you bring it up. It is the popular thing to complain about right now. Just not a justifiable complaint.
Justin -
Here is why it is a justifiable complaint:
WE ARE BYU! We are not a lesser team even though we've been playing like it as of late. We ARE the better team. We SHOULD beat CSU. Our play calling must be better in the weeks to come. Why? To compensate for all the other stupid stuff we do. Was it enough this week? . . . barely, by 3 points. If we were complacent we would say, "we'll take the win." If we were trying to "raise the bar" or on a "quest" (and I know the quest is not fully on the field - but part of it is) we would have to agree that our play calling is not good enough all of the time.
We are all so proud of our huge running backs . . . that can't get 1 yard when it matters - that get stuffed at the line. Why not try something less predictable? If we can't get 1 yard on 4th down we're just not making any progress. We've had a mismatch on Tight End all night and we run it up the gut and get stuffed.
What about sticking our tail between our legs on that 2nd to last drive - with the lead - before hall threw a pick? What's with that play calling? Prevent offense just prevents a win. And it nearly did. We're lucky CSU scored so quick.
What happened to the team with swagger and confidence? What happen to the team that dictates that pace of the game? They are gone. They don't have it any more. They are not executing! So, what options are left? Coaching and Play calling. Our coaching and play calling has to be better than their coaching and play calling.
So far, our advantage in coaching and play calling is getting less, and less, and less each week.
Thanks for clarifying that Chase. I understand that there were three, maybe four times in the game that we were left scratching our head because of play calling rather then execution. All I am saying is Bronco believes that if you score more then 24 points and the defense does it's job (give up less then 100 yards rushing and less then 24 points) then the game will be won. According to that formula, there is nothing wrong with the offense right now. They may be short of perfection, but there are other areas on the team that keep me up at night.
Except that the defense doesn't do it's job and doesn't limit teams to under 24. So the offense has to do extra to make up for the defense sucking.
I'm agreeing with Triz - and this is the point I'm making.
The responsibility lies upon the coaches to devise game plans and play calling for our team strength (offense) to have a "Competitive Advantage" over the opposing defense. Especially due to all of the mistakes we have been making that result in fewer scoring opportunities and more opponent points on the board.
Yes we've been fortunate to make more plays than the other team. There is no longevity in that philosophy or concept thought. We want to make as many good plays as we can, as often as we can, and score as many points as we can so that the unpredictable setbacks don't . . . . . . set us back. Set aside plenty for food storage - not "just enough" - if you will.
Therefore, we need better play calling - more frequently. That was a poor defense. We've seen a good defense; it was certified and notarized with a big fat "L".
The only playcalling that needs to improve is the defensive play calling. And by play calling I mean athleticism and execution.
I have no complaints with BYU's offense right now. We are putting up big points, and it's certainly not the offense's fault these games are so close.
I agree with your post, Trizz, about Fairchild. I liked Steve Fairchild up until the game on Saturday. I don't know what he was so upset about, but dude would just not let go.
But I will go on the record right now and say I like Todd Christensen. Not necessarily as a football color guy, but as a man. I don't know why, but I just like the big goofy animal that he is. You know he used to be the announcer on American Gladiators, right? Back then he had a huge mullet and a mustache that rivaled Burt Reynolds'.
Anyway, don't hate on the Todd. He is a huge BYU guy, and even though he may not act like it on TV, he bleeds blue. You gotta love alumni. It's a rule.
Harvey's longest run before that huge breakaway was 18 yards...needless to say it was a much needed and amazing run. Unga is the man! Great post!
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