Jazz: Big Win

Last night the Utah Jazz took on the Portland Trail Blazers. The Jazz have won the Northwest Division for the last two years. Mostly because the division is weak but this year it appears to be a much stronger division. Right now the Jazz are in third place in the division. The Denver Nuggets lead the division and going into last night's game, the Blazers were in second place with a one game lead on the Jazz. So last night's game was big. It would either bring us to a second place tie with the Blazers or it would drop us to two games behind. In a close division, these games are crucial. So, with that being the stage:

The Jazz looked great nearly all game long. In the first half, Memo Okur caught fire and provided the offensive fire power for the Jazz. He had 21 points in the first half alone (ended with 27). He was hitting outside jump shots, runners in the lane, and of course the classic "money man" 3-ball. With Deron Williams dishing the ball, the offense had no problem dominating the Blazers in the first half by scoring 57.

Coming out of half time, the Blazers made some clear defensive adjustments. They focused on Okur and slowed him down. Okur had only 6 points in the second half. The Jazz only scored 40 points in the second half. It was clear Utah would have to make some adjustments of their own to win this game. The Jazz quickly turned to their defense. In my opinion, this was one of the best defensive half's that the Jazz have played all year. It was fun watching the Jazz play defense as a team. They would hurry to a double team, then when the player passed out of the double team, the rotation by the Jazz players covered the open men and stopped the Blazers from getting an easy shot. The Blazers have a much bigger team than the Jazz. It was clear that the defensive game plan for the Jazz was to force the ball to the outside and make the Blazer beat them with the jump shot. They did that to perfection and luckily, Portland had a hard time finding the bottom of the net from 3-point land. Portland was only 6-27 (22%) from the 3-point line.

With the powerful offensive first half and a strong defensive second half, the Jazz beat the Blazers 97-88 and moved into a tie for second place in the Northwest division.

Jazz: Boozer's Babies

Last night my brother Tim turned to me and asked me, "Do you think all the Jazz players are really injured and can't play or are they just being babies?" The Utah Jazz have the potential to be one of the best teams in the NBA but you wouldn't know it by their 12-8 record. The injuries have plagued the Jazz all season long. They have hit several role player along with their two stars Derron Williams and Carlos Boozer.

My brother's question really made me think about it. I hate to be the typical Jazz fan but we talked about the Stockton and Malone era. Would Malone come out of the game and sit on the side line while he let his injuries heal? Probably not. Believe me, I don't have a man crush on Stockton or Malone but those guys wouldn't let these small injuries stop them from playing. Even if they weren't at 100% they were still threats that the other teams had to cover.

So, with that mentality I look to several players who are currently sitting out for the Jazz because of injuries. Do you think they could play if they really wanted to? Yeah, I think some of them could. There have been several times when I have heard Boozer say, "When the pain stops, I will start playing again." He's basically admitted that the treatment has gone well but it's just painful for him to play. Are you kidding me? How much are you getting paid? I'm sure Karl Malone would beat the crap out of Boozer for not playing because of a little pain.

Maybe this is coming from a frustrated Jazz fan who is sick of wondering what color of suite the Jazz players will wear to the game rather than what they will be doing on the court that night. Boozer and the other babies on the bench need to step up and start playing. I understand that some injuries require down time. But I'd love to throw Stockton or Malone into some of those situations and see how often they'd sit out. My guess is they wouldn't sit out often.

Jazz: Gaining Momentum

This has been a fun week to be a Utah Jazz fan. The Jazz are still battling through injuries but they are winning! Slowly the team is getting healthy. Derron Williams is the first key piece of the puzzle that has come back. He has played in the last two games and has been amazing. I'll admit that while he was out, I thought that both Ronnie Price and Brevon Knight did a great job and at times I wondered how much of a difference Williams would make when he returned. I'll be the first to say that I was an idiot for even wondering. It is clear that Derron is the heart of this team. He has only played in two games and it is very clear that the team attitude and culture is already making a great change for the better. It is a winning attitude. It's this attitude that will help them become the championship contender that we so desperately want them to be. It is this attitude that will help them win the "easy" road games. And it is this attitude that will inspire everyone on the team to work together to accomplish team goals.

On Wednesday night, the Jazz rolled over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies didn't put up much of a fight. The Jazz had really good first and third quarters which pushed them to the win. Tonight the Jazz went back to work against the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have also been fighting through some injuries early this year and they were no match more the Jazz who again had great a good first quarter and an AWESOME third quarter. In the third quarter, the Jazz outscored the Kings 44-17. You'd think that the Jazz are just a good first and third quarter team but there's a reason the Jazz are so good in those quarters...IT'S DERRON WILLIAMS! He is always in during the first and third quarters. In each of his first two games back he dished out an incredible 15 assists.

I don't know about other Jazz fans out there but I can feel the wind changing. The Jazz are starting to look like a team that could be great. Jerry Sloan has said that this year's team is the deepest and most talented team that he has ever coached. Now, that's saying something!

History of BYU vs Utah !!

In preparation for the BIG GAME tomorrow, I thought I'd make a quick post and give my prediction.

Tomorrow's game is set to be a good one. Not only is this one of the best rivalries in all of football but this is the first time that BYU and Utah have been as good as they are. Both teams are good football teams that started the year with high expectations. BYU has only lost one game to TCU and Utah has gone undefeated.

In my opinion it really comes down to BYU's offense verses Utah's defense. BYU has a high powered offense that few teams have been able to stop this year. Utah has a defense that is designed to stop these kinds of high powered offenses. I believe that on most days Utah could probably stop BYU but when you have a rivalry game that is this heated, you have to throw all the stats, figures, and predictions out the window becuase WHO KNOWS!

The last two years, BYU has been favored to win by large number but both years it has come down to the last minute of the game. So, all I can say is I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's game. I feel like I'm 10 and it's Christmas Eve. I can't wait!

My Prediction: Since I'm a die-hard BYU fan, I can't predict against my team. Even if everything points the other way. Soooo....
BYU: 27
Utah: 21

Below is a video showing the history between BYU and Utah Football. It's fun to watch:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

It's good to be home...

I think everyone on the Utah Jazz team would agree that it's good to be home for a couple of games. The five game Eastern road trip was tough on the team as they lost 4 of 5. Not only are they not a very good road team but they have been injury plagued. There have been several players that have been out because of some type of injury. The injured player are listed below:

• Derron Williams (Sprained Ankle) - He is day to day and could play soon.
• Matt Harpring (Ankle Rehab) - He played in last night's game but was out for several road games.
• Andre Kirilinko (Jammed Finger) - He was out for a couple of games but played last night as well.
• Jerron Collins (not sure) - He was also out for several of the road games but played last night.
• Memo Okur (Out of the country / Back Spasms) - He didn't play in any of the road games because he had to go home to take care of serious family matters. He was back in the country for last nights game but didn't play because of back spasms.

The Jazz should have come off of that road trip with at least 3 wins but as a fan, I'll give them a pass because of all the injuries. It was very nice to see the Jazz come home and get back on track by beating the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have a good team this year with a new coach that is trying to get them to a championship. They are loaded with stars that have more talent than most teams in the NBA.

The Jazz took over last nights game in the 4th quarter. Everyone chipped in to get this win. However, I was mostly impressed by CJ Miles. In the first quarter, the Jazz looked flat and had little hope of keeping up with the Suns. But CJ Miles turned red hot and scored 15 points in the first quarter alone to keep the Jazz close. Miles ended up with 21 points. With CJ knocking down 15 in the first quarter, Phoenix was forced to put one of their top defenders, Raja Bell, on Miles for defensive purposes. This was great because it opened the floor up for Boozer down low and other spot shooters around the perimeter. So with out a doubt, if I were giving out the game ball, I would give it to CJ Miles who kept the Jazz in it and ultimately opened up the offense for us.

Fan Favorite

The obvious choice for the my Fan Favorite award this week is Austin Collie. Collie had a great game for the Coug's who beat up Air Force on Saturday. Collie had 7 catches for 130 yards. Not only are those big numbers but he also had 2 TD catches at crucial times to help BYU seal up the victory against the Falcons.
If that wasn't enough, Collie set a new record for the most reception yards in a season by one receiver. The last record was set 12 years ago! He is also still working on another record for consecutive games with over 100 yard receiving. He has caught over 100 yard in each of the last 8 games.

Good work!

BYU Tops Air Force

The Cougars topped the Air Force Falcons on Saturday. Going into this game, I was expecting a high offensive performance from both teams. Both teams have weak defenses. It was interesting to see how the game played out. There was more defense than I expected from both sides.

In the first quarter, BYU looked great. They took a quick 10-0 lead and looked like they were going to run away with the game. Then in the second quarter, the Falcons took control and scored 14 unanswered points to take a 14-10 lead into half time. At this point, I was worried that Air Force would run away with the game. They clearly had momentum and were executing plays. However, luckily I was wrong. BYU came out of half time and out scored Air Force 21-3 in the third quarter taking a 31-17 lead into the final quarter. Then, the momentum quickly changed again. Air force started driving the ball and scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. That was followed by a Max Hall fumble which gave the Falcons a chance to get right back in the game quickly. However, BYU's defense stopped the Falcons and forced them to punt. BYU then marched down the field and put the nail in the coffin by scoring a touchdown.

It was a fun game to watch. It makes me more confident in BYU's ability to play with Utah this weekend. It will be a touch game that BYU will have to play perfectly in order to win but beating up on Air Force was a step in the right direction.

For a video recap of the game, watch the video below:

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Jazz: Here we go again!

The Jazz have picked up right where they left off last year in regards to playing on the road. The Jazz were not a good road team last year. Last year they had 28 losses and 22 of them game on the road! Not good! They Jazz could have easily been the best team in the West if they just would have won another 10 games on the road. But, with last year in the past, let's focus on this year. With that in mind, all I can say is...."Here we go again!"

They Jazz have opened this season with a strong 6-2 start. With only losing 2 of the first 8 games seems to be a pretty good start but when I look at the two losses I can't help but think that they Jazz should be 8-0 right now. Both losses have come from sub par teams (Knicks and Wizards) while playing on the road.

The Jazz were handed their first loss by the New York Knicks. The knicks are a better team this year. They have a quicker offense which can score a lot of points on a defense that struggles. Utah has always struggled against a team that shoots a lot of three point shots. The Knicks average nearly 30 three-point shots a game! For those of you who don't know...THAT'S A LOT! They hit us hard and the Jazz crumbled. So, I might even be able to get past the fact that we lost to the "new and improved" Knicks. What I can't get over is the loss to Washington...

The Jazz lost to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Washington is NOT a good team right now. In fact statistically they are the worst team in the NBA. When Utah arrived in Washington, the Wizards were THE ONLY team that didn't have even a single win. What happened? They Jazz choked. They were playing short handed because Memo had to leave the team and go to Turkey to be with his family but that isn't an excuse for losing to this team. Washington will be a better team later in the season when they get healthy but this should have been an easy road win for the Jazz. It was a hard game to watch.

So, with those two losses, I can't help but think "Here we go again!" The Jazz are still on the road tonight against Charlotte. The Bobcats are only 5-2 this year and the Jazz should take care of business tonight. But, you won't see me counting any eggs before they're actually in the basket. We'll see if the Jazz can dominate them the way they should.

Fan Favorite

David Nixon (Line Backer)

This weeks Fan Favorite award could go to a few different players but this week I had the most fun watching BYU linebacker David Nixon. The guy was everywhere! He had multiple sacks on San Diego States quarterback. He was often times the first to make contact with San Diego States running backs as well. However, I was most impressed with his pass defense and his open field tackles.

San Diego State likes to run quick inside slants and they like to pass the ball to their running backs. Nixon often times had the assignment to cover those quick slants and short passes. On nearly everyone, if the ball was thrown to a receiver that he was covering, Nixon was right there to knock the ball down or make the quick tackle.

There were also a few times where Nixon make it into the back field and had the one on one opportunity to drop the running back for a loss. He made the best out of almost all of those opportunities by making those open field tackles.

All Is Well In Cougar Town...For Now

Just as expected, BYU pounded San Diego State today 41 - 12. Although, some thought that the Cougars would struggle against even the worst team in the Mountain West Conference, BYU showed that they are still one of the best in the conference.

So, what did BYU do to be successful against this San Diego State Football team? To be honest, it didn't take much. San Diego State is just a bad football program that would have a hard time competing with a good high school team. Yes, they are that bad. The Aztec's missed plays, didn't execute and made dumb mistakes. On their first offensive play, the quarterback was lined up in the shot gun formation when without warning, the center snapped the ball. The ball hit the quarterback in the face and bounced off. BYU recovered the ball which lead to their first touchdown. They are simply that kind of team. Stupid mistakes, one after another.

With that being said, BYU wasn't given everything to win this game. BYU did have to go out and take the game by executing plays. Quarterback Max Hall had another amazing game. He was 25/30 for 317 yard and 3 touchdowns. That's a pretty good day for any quarterback. His receivers were running clean routes which allowed them to get some big plays. Both Collie and Reed (receivers) had big games.

It's hard to determine if the defense has improved much. They really only allowed 6 points the entire game. Late in the game, BYU put all of their second string players in who allowed the Aztec's to drive and score a touchdown in the last seconds of the game. It's hard to tell if the defense did any better simply because they were defending a sub par team. San Diego missed some wide open plays for big gains by dropping the ball or fumbling. I certainly have to give the BYU defense some credit for forcing some of those plays but I'm not convinced that BYU's defense is any better now than it was a week ago or even a month ago. It will be interesting to see what they do against Air Force next week. I don't expect much of a fight at Air Force either but I've learned that anything can happen so you never know.

All in all, BYU's performance was good today. I liked what I saw. I didn't see too many bone head mistakes out there. The anticipation and excitement for the Utah game is building up. Only two weeks away from the Holy War.

No Williams? No Problem!! Jazz Roll over Clips

That's right! The Jazz seem to be doing just fine with the star point guard sitting on the bench. To the right, the injured Deron Williams (sprained ankle) stands up and cheers for Paul Millsap who just slammed the ball home. Williams is expected to miss at least one to two more games with his sore ankle.

With Williams out, point guards Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight have been splitting point guard duties. Each have stepped up in big ways to keep this team winning. Price (out of Utah Vally University) provides a huge spark of energy and athleticism. His hustle goes a long way in the absence of Williams. Knight, a seasoned point guard, with eleven season in the league gives the experience and leadership to the young Jazz team.

The Jazz played the Los Angeles Clippers (back-to-back). The games were actually pretty similar. In the first half of each game, the Clippers played the Jazz closes and the score was even closer. Going into half time the lead was lower than 5 points each game. In the second half of both games, the Jazz took over. The Jazz out scored the Clippers 53-31 in the second half of game one and they out scored L.A. 53-38 in the second half of game two.

The Jazz will certainly welcome Deron Williams back when he is ready, but it's good to see that even if something happens to him, the Jazz can play pretty well without him. I'm just excited to see what Williams will be able to do with the team when he is fully healthy. So far, the Jazz look like they will be a top contender in the west again.

Weekly Fan Favorite!

(Austin Collie going for a pass in the TCU game)

Austin Collie get's my vote for this week's FAN FAVORITE (It was close between Collie and Pitta) Collie was fun to watch tonight against Colorado State. Austin Collie has always been a fun player to watch but tonight, he really kept BYU in the game. Colorado State could have easily run away with this game early if it wouldn't have been for Collie who made a couple of great catches. On BYU's opening possession, he made an amazing one handed catch for a touchdown. He had over 100 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns BEFORE half time!

The announcers during the game were saying that he is one of the five best receivers in the nation. I don't know about that but he sure got my vote tonight. He had one of the best games of the year and really helped his team win this game. It wasn't long into the game before Colorado's Defensive Backs were intentionally drawing a pass interference call when defending Collie just to make sure he didn't go for another touchdown.

BYU will need Collie to keep playing at a high level in order to keep winning games.

Austin Collie's Final Stats are listed below:
9 Receptions
3 Touchdowns
156 receiving yards
101 kick return yards
257 TOTAL YARDS

Thriller!! BYU vs. Colorado State

If you missed BYU taking on Colorado State on Saturday, you missed out! This game was a thriller that went down to the final minute!

BYU was favored to win by 14 points but even a BYU fan can find entertainment out of a game going down to the wire. BYU was down by 4 points with less than two minutes left! BYU started their drive at the 20 yard line and marched their way down the field to score the winning touchdown leaving only 22 seconds left on the clock.

Although I would have liked to see BYU win by two touchdowns, there is something about watching your team march down the field when the game is on the line and score a winning touchdown. Any college football fan can appreciate a game like that.

With that being said, there are a few things that I really liked and some thing that I didn't really like. First, the things I liked about tonight's win.

I really liked the heart and determination of the BYU football team tonight. They knew that they were supposed to beat Colorado State by a lot. When you aren't playing as well as you'd hope, it is easy to get frustrated. That is when "let down" games happen. BYU didn't let that happen. They stayed focused and they did what they had to do to win the game tonight. There were a couple of times during the game where I thought it would be tough to win but they didn't doubt themselves. They trusted in themselves and they pulled out a big win. I also really liked Max Hall and Austin Collie. They were playing in rhythm tonight.

Now for some of the things I didn't like about tonight's win. I know I keep harping on the defense but can you blame me? Colorado State isn't a horrible football teams. However, they are not a team that should score 42 points against even an average defense. Now, Colorado State does play pretty well at home but 42 points is WAY TOO MUCH! BYU's defense certainly needs to make some pretty big adjustments in order to keep winning games. Hopefully we'll see those adjustments soon!

I am also quite disappointed in our special teams play. I don't feel like our Special Teams will pull out many positive things for this BYU teams. Every time BYU kicks off, I pray that Sorensen is able to kick it out of the End Zone so that we don't have to worry about teams running it back and giving them good field position. Hopefully that team can get better quickly.

Again, tonight's win was a fun game to watch. These kinds of games is what college football is all about.

NEXT GAME:
BYU vs. SAN DIEGO STATE
Saturday November 8
12:00 pm (in Provo)

Let's Get Jazzed!!

I can't believe how fast the summer flew by but for me, Wednesday marked the beginning of fall. That's right, the NBA season kicked off on Wednesday. It seems like the NBA finals were just a few weeks ago. I'm excited for this NBA season.

Thursday the Utah Jazz opened up the season by hosting the Denver Nuggets. My wife was nice enough to buy me tickets for opening night. They were awesome seats too! Okay, the truth is, I was on THE TOP row. You couldn't get any higher in the Energy Solutions Arena if you wanted to. But hey, in my opinion it's so exciting to see a game in person. Even if you are on the top row.

The Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets in an intense game that went down to the wire. I was nervous going into this game because we'd be with out our star point guard Deron Williams. I felt some comfort knowing that the Nuggets would be with out their star Carmelo Anthony because he was suspended for the first game of the season. Ronnie Price filled in for the injured Williams and did a pretty good job. He did exactly what was needed of him to win the game.

Carlos Boozer lead the way with 25 points and 14 rebounds which is more than a solid game. I was also very impressed with Andre Kirilenko who had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. For the first time since becoming an Allstar, the Jazz brought Kirilenko off the bench. I thought it plays huge to both his advantage and to the advantage of the Jazz.

Iverson had 18 points and 8 assists to lead the Nuggets. He is the only reason the Nuggets stayed even close.

The Jazz open the season with a win. So far, so good! Williams is expected to miss a couple more games so hopefully Ronnie Price can continue to step up and contribute big.

Weekly Fan Favorite

I've decided to start doing something new this week. Each week I am going to pick out a player who I thought was fun to watch as a fan. It will be my "Weekly Fan Favorite" Award. Weather the team wins or loses, there are usually certain players who have great games. I want to high light one player each week who I especially found fun to watch.

So! Drum roll please!....This week's award goes to...

FUI VAKAPUNA

Fui Vakapuna was especially fun to watch on Saturday. A couple of years ago when he was running with Curtis Brown, he seemed to plow people over. Nothing could stop him from gaining the yards that he needed. I wasn't sure if we would ever see that same passion and determined running.

Saturday sent me back to the days when he would lower his shoulder and hit opposing linebackers and DB's hard every time. Each time Fui was handed the ball he gained an average of almost 8 yards! I was particularly impressed by a drive in the second half where he ran the ball down the field and then caught the ball out of the back field for the touch down.

Fui has always been a fan favorite since a couple of years ago. Each time he touches the ball the entire crowd yells "FUUUUUUI".

Because of his hard hits, determined runs, and strong heart, I give Fui Vakapuna my FAN FAVORITE award this week. Below you'll see his final stats for the game on Saturday.

9 Runs
71 yards on the ground
7.9 yards per run

2 catches
13 yards
1 touch down

It's a Good Thing BYU Has a Good Offense!

BYU faced off against UNLV on Saturday. Simply said, all I can say is it's a good thing BYU has a good offense, otherwise they'd be losing a lot of games. All year, I've been talking about how the defense needs a lot of work. I'm not sure why it took a half of a season for other teams to pick up on BYU's weak defensive holes but they seem to have us figured out. BYU walked away from the game with a 42-35 victory but it wasn't what most people were expecting.

Most people expected BYU to score 40 or more points on Saturday. However, they didn't expect UNLV to score even half of what they did. UNLV came out and attacked our defense. They ran plays that confused BYU. BYU has never been great at defending a quick quarter back. UNLV's quarterback is not only quick but he has a good throwing arm as well. The score was close the entire way through the game. When BYU would score, UNLV would turn around and score right after us. We knew it would come down to who was able to make the final scoring drive of the game. Luckily BYU's offense was able to take care of business against a weak UNLV defense. However, even at times BYU's offense struggled. UNLV forced BYU to kick 2 field goals in the second half by stopping them in the red zone.

Although I don't believe BYU's defense is very good right now, I do have to give credit where it is due. I did see two things that I liked from the defense. First, the defense was able to stop UNLV on a couple drives in the second half which gave the offense a chance at pulling away. UNLV's defense responded and forced BYU into the two field goals rather than touch downs. Second, in many instances I noticed that the Defensive backs were not giving the receivers their usual 15 yard cushion. I saw many times when the DB's crowded and even got physical with the receivers forcing UNLV's quarterback to look to the middle of the field for passing lanes. The middle passing lanes should mostly be covered by the linebackers who were too slow. This allowed UNLV's quarterback to throw a 10 yard short slant or crossing pattern at will. Some of the fans around me in the stadium were upset because of the free passes in the middle of the field. The truth is, we the DB's playing the receivers closer, that's what happens when you have an average set of linebackers.

Again, BYU will still win most of their games the rest of the season, however, it probably won't have too much to do with their defense. The defense is weak, venerable, and slow. It's a good thing BYU has a good offense to cover for the defensive weaknesses.

The Game I Love...

I drive up to my Parents house on Thursday to watch the BYU vs TCU game. I'm excited yet extremely nervous for the game because I understand the importance of the game. This game could possibly mean a Mountain West Conference Championship, a BCS bowl game, and even possibly a small chance at a National Title. I settle in front of the TV with my dad and brothers anxiously awaiting kick off. And then it comes...

From start to finish BYU was utterly embarrassed by TCU. BYU looked nothing like themselves. They couldn't move the ball on offense and they couldn't stop TCU on defense. It was a disaster. My nervous excitement quickly turned to frustration and dispair. I can generally be pretty positive about things but I wasn't in the mood to look for the silver lining. I kept focusing on the fact that the slim chance of a National Championship was out of the question, a BCS bowl is now out of the question (unless some serious miracles happen), and a Mountain West Championship is going to be a stretch.

After waking up the next morning, I was finally able to see that silver lining. The truth is, I love this game. I love everything about it. That means loving the good and bad things about the game. One of the most amazing things about college football is the fact that any team can go and beat any other team, no matter how good or bad each team is. Unfortunately, BYU came out on the losing end of things this time. But, before I write off the season and start looking forward to next season, I have to remember that there is still so much to look forward to this season. BYU will be playing some great teams and will have the chance to prove not only their skill but their heart as well. We've only seen the first half of the season and the second half promises to be filled with excitement, drama, and passion. What else could anyone ask for?

So with that being said...GO COUGARS!!!

BYU's Defense Needs Work

BYU continued conference play against the New Mexico Lobos. After it was all said and done the Cougars won the football game 21-3. By simply looking at that score you'd believe that BYU's defense had a great performance. However, from where I was sitting, BYU's defense didn't look too good most of the game.

I don't claim to be a football expert by any stretch of the imagination. However, the defensive holes need to be fixed and need to be fixed quickly if BYU wants to continue winning football games. Too often I hear about how BYU's defense is doing so well. Even some of the football players themselves are boasting of the fact that they have out scored opponents by large margins and only allowed 17 points to be scored on them in the last four games. I don't mean to burst any one's bubble but the truth is they have played weak teams. All but one of BYU's opponents at this point in the season haven't even won 50% of their games. Northern Iowa is the only team above .500 simply because they are a Division II football team and play teams that would have a tough time competing with a good high school football team.

The biggest defensive frustration that I see as a fan is when BYU's opponent needs to gain 5-10 yards on their down. If you're in a third down situation and you need 5-10 yards, the majority of the time it will be a simple pass. It will either be a short slant or a quick 5-10 yard side line catch. So, when these situations present themselves, I find it painfully frustrating that the defensive backs will line up and give all the receivers a 15 yard cushion. That allows the quarterback to throw a basic pass to the side line for an easy first down. Again, I don't claim to be the defensive expert here but if I were drawing up an offensive attack on BYU, I would simply throw short slants and side line passes. I would occasionally throw a deep ball or a running play to keep everyone else on defense honest. I believe that with that simple game plan, most of the teams could have easily scored at least another touchdown each.

The second biggest problem I see is again related to the defensive backs and line backers. They seem to lose track of their receivers and fall apart if the quarterback simply rolls out of the pocket. On Saturday, I saw several times when BYU put enough pressure on New Mexico's quarterback that he was forced to scramble out of the pocket. When that happened, he had receiver after receiver open. Luckily he missed most of those open receivers. BYU was clearly defending the big play by not letting their receivers get passed them but at some point you are going to have to defend a receiver who is wide open 15 yards down field.

With all that being said, we really don't know anything about BYU's defense. Sure, they have only given up 17 points in their last four football games, but the true test is going to come on Thursday when they are faced with one of the toughest games of the season. TCU is a great football team that will surely test BYU's defense much more than any of the sub-par teams they have played up to this point.

What Happened? BYU vs Utah State

Was anyone besides me expecting a huge blowout tonight as BYU faced Utah State? Based on my Yahoo College Football Pick 'Em stats, it shows that nearly 75% of the country was with me thinking that BYU would roll over Utah State with ease. BYU picked up the 34-14 victory beating the Aggies who are now only 1-4 on the year. Most people expected a more dominating performance from the Cougars. So what happened?

Although the point differential is not what most people expected, this game was still controlled and dominated by the Cougars in almost every way possible. To prove my point, let's take a look at the rushing and passing stats:

BYU:
Passing: 303 yards
Rushing: 103 yards (3.4 yards per rush)

Utah State:
Passing: 193 yards
Rushing: 129 (3.0 yards per rush)

Utah State played one of their better games all year. But the stats alone show BYU's experience and power over Utah State. The Aggies lack of experience showed by coughing up four turnovers and going down 24-0 in the first half. With each of those turnovers, BYU did just what a top 10 ranked team should do, they capitalized and scored.

So that brings up another question. If BYU was so dominating why was the score as close as it was? First off, let me remind most people (especially those BYU fans with their blue goggles on) that a 20 point win over any team, especially on the road, is a pretty convincing win. We've been spoiled to keep blowing people out and having amazing offensive performances. However, for entertainment value, there were two main factors that kept the score as close as it was:

1. Turnovers: BYU's Max Hall threw two interceptions. Coming into tonight game, he had only thrown three interceptions all year. Both throws were simply bad decisions on Halls part. He threw into double and even triple coverage which gave the defense a great opportunity to intercept. If those interceptions wouldn't have been thrown, BYU's score could have easily been increased anywhere from 6-14 points which would have given the point spread that most people were expecting.
2. Penalties: BYU is usually a disciplined team that doesn't make a lot of frustration penalties. Tonight they had 12 penalties for 123 yards. With out some of those frustration penalties, they could have scored at least another touchdown.

There you have it. Sure, the score wasn't what most people expected, however, it was still a very convincing road win. If the Cougars would have limited their turnovers and penalties the game would have been a big scoring blow out. It just goes to show that even the # 8 ranked team in the nation has a lot of work to do to be considered one of the best.

# 8 - Best Case Scenario?

Coming into this weekend, BYU was ranked # 11 in the Coaches Poll. With having a bye week in front of them, most people expected the Cougars to drop a spot or two in the polls. A few small "miracles" had to happen but BYU has now moved into the top 10. They are ranked # 8 in the coaches Poll and # 7 in the USA Today Poll. Wow! Certainly unexpected. Let's take a look at what happened this weekend to allow BYU to jump 3 spots in the polls:

• #1 USC: On Thursday night USC was upset by Oregon State. Oregon State is an unranked team who simply outplayed the Trojan's. That loss took USC to #9 in the polls. (Utah plays Oregon State next week. It would be great for both BYU and the conference if Utah can beat these guys.)
  
• #3 Georgia: Georgia was upset by # 8 Alabama. The game wasn't even close which knocked them down to #11.
• #4 Florida: In the 4th quarter Florida was trailing Mississippi by one touchdown. Their offense made on final push at the end of the quarter and scored a touchdown to send it to overtime, assuming they made the extra point. They assumed to much. Mississippi pushed through the line and blocked the extra point to win the game 31-30. That loss dropped Florida to #12.
• #9 Wisconsin: Wisconsin went into the Big House (Michigan) favored to win for the first time ever! Well, Michigan proved that winning in the Big House is not an easy task for even a #9 ranked team. Michigan beat the Wisconsin Badgers dropping them to #18 in the polls. (This makes Utah's win in the Big House look even more impressive.)

Because of these upsets, BYU was launched in the #8 spot. Penn State who was ranked #12 has been playing great football. They beat up on #22 Illinois and leaped us to get into the #6 spot. So what does all of this mean? It means that on a bye week BYU basically had the best case scenario happen. It is rare that a team moves up in the polls on a bye week.

BYU has only been ranked higher than #8 in 1984, 1990, and 1996. And only two of those teams were ranked this high this early in the season (1984 and 1990). Any BYU fan will quickly recognize 1984 as the one and only year BYU has been crowned National Champions after coming from behind to beat Michigan 24-17. So, could this be the year for another shot at a National Championship? Who knows! The only thing we can be sure of at this point is that this was a best case scenario for week 5 of college football.

Formula for National Attention

BYU is now getting a lot of national attention. People are talking about them being the BCS buster. Others are talking about quarterback Max Hall winning the Heisman Trophy award. Some people are even talking about giving BYU a shot at contending for the national title. Coach Bronco Mendenhall has said that he is having to control the media time that each player has because it is so overwhelming. The national attention is foreigh to most Non-BCS teams. So, it makes me think. What does it take for a Non-BCS team to get national attention?

To answer this question, I will look at BYU and what they ahve done to lead them to National acknowledgment.

BYU's Recent Success:

• Two consecutive Mountain West Titles
• 16-0 against Moutnain West teams
• Back-to-back 11 win seasons
• Produce incredible offensive stats
• Start the year out by beating two Pac-10 teams
• Produce back-to-back shut out's (UCLA, Wyoming)

BYU's Historical Success:

• Heisman Trophy Winner (Ty Detmer)
• NFL player factory (especially quarterbacks)
• History of Winning (Thanks to Lavell Edwards)
• National Title (1984)

So, what does it take to get some national recognition? Just a few things have to fall into place (sense my sarcasm). The acknowledgment that BYU is getting is great, however, it's not just from what they have done recently. From what I can see, it takes a combination of recent and historical success to produce national attention.

Recent Success + Historical Success = NATIONAL ATTENTION

Bronco Mendenhall on Jim Rome Show

Because of BYU's recent success, they have been receiving a lot of national attention. Most of the attention was brought on by BYU's smashing of UCLA last Saturday. I thought I'd post a link to the recording of Bronco Mendenhall (BYU's Head Coach) here for anyone to listen to.

If you don't know who Jim Rome is, you probably aren't too big into sports because he known world wide. He has his own sports radio show along with his own television show on ESPN. He's big in the world of sports. People either love him or hate him. Anyway, I was very impressed with his interview with Bronco Mendenhall.

Click HERE to listen to the recoding.
The link is from 1280 the Zone radio station in Utah.

Next up...BYU vs. Wyoming

Next up? Wyoming. BYU looks to continue their perfect season with Wyoming coming into town. Wyoming has started this year off with a couple of wins and one loss. My guess is Wyoming's 3-1 record would make people believe they are better than they really are. Their two wins this season have been over soft teams (Ohio and North Dakota State). Both wins were close wins. Their loss came from Air Force who beat them easily 23-3.

So what can we expect from Saturday's match up? Yet, another blow out. I don't see the Cowboys being able to stop BYU's high powered offense. Wyoming's' only hope is to slow the game down as much as possible to keep the score as low as possible. So, you can expect Wyoming to run the ball frequently trying to eat up as much time as possilbe. They do have a couple of hard hitting running backs. Wynel Seldon and Devin Moore are two senior running backs with some experience under their belts. They could be great running backs if they had an offensive line that could block well enough. Wyomings' offensive line struggles which will give BYU's defense a chance to get to the quarterback.

I highly expect BYU to keep doing what they do. This isn't going to be a close game. I don't expect it to be the thrashing that BYU laid on UCLA last week but they should win easily. Let's just say that I hope the back up's are ready to play again because they should see at least a quarter's worth of play. My prediction?
BYU: 52
Wyoming: 13

Dominance

So what do I think about BYU's win over UCLA? Simply dominating.

From start to finish BYU played a dominating football game that proved their ability to compete with the best. From the opening kickoff, it was evident that BYU had their minds set on playing their best football. BYU scored a shocking 35 points in the second quarter alone taking them into half time with a 42 to 0 lead. BYU was so dominating that they started taking their starters out of the game after just two and a half quarters of play.

So what made them so dominant? I saw two things that proved BYU was the better team:

Quarterback play was the first reason BYU dominated. BYU's Max Hall looked as good as any other quarterback in the nation and flat out embarrassed UCLA's quarterback Kevin Craft. Let's take a look at each quarterback's statistics:

BYU's Max Hall: (In two and a half quarters of play)
27/35 (77.1%)
271 yards
7 touchdowns
1 interception

UCLA's Kevin Craft: (In four quarters of play)
23/39 (58.9%)
230yards
0 touchdowns
1 interception

Max Hall played so well that not only did he receive the Walter Camp Foundation player of the week and the Mountain West Conference Player of the week award but he is now being mentioned in Heisman trophy talk.

BYU's Defense was the second thing that made BYU so dominant. Going into this game, most people (including myself) were questioning BYU's defense. They were matched up against a more physical and experienced offense. It was clear that BYU took those question marks to heart and worked hard to prove themselves. They certainly proved themselves by shutting out UCLA. It was especially fun to watch them block a field goal that would have given UCLA some points.

Again, there are probably a lot of different ways or words to describe BYU's performance this week but I'll stick to...DOMINANCE.

Statement Made!

For those who were doubting BYU before today, I'd say you can consider today a statement game. BYU took on UCLA and embarrassed them. BYU wins 59 to 0!! Are you kidding me? That score looks like a joke! It's defenitly not a joke. BYU went into this game to make a statement and show the country that they are one of the elite teams in the county. As I sat in the stands with my dad and two brothers, we almost couldn't believe what we were seeing. I think we all had an idea of how good BYU could play but I don't think we would have ever imagined such dominance. I mean, BYU had the football game won early in the second quarter.

The football game ended nearly 5 hours ago and the publicity that BYU is getting on ESPN and other sports networks is crazy. Last week they were getting a lot of publicity becuase everyone was doubting them and the "judgment" call that was made. It's great to see BYU come out with such determination and physicallity. UCLA has an athletic team but BYU was better prepared mentally for this game. It was clear from the first series where BYU forced UCLA to go three and out and then drove the length of the field for their first touchdown.

I will be writing more about the cougar win within the next couple of days but for now I think it does it justice to simply say:

STATEMENT MADE!! GO COUGARS!

BYU vs. UCLA (September 13th 1:30pm)

The high drama from the Washington game last week is sure to continue with UCLA rolling into Lavell Edward Stadium on Saturday. This is a game I am really looking forward to. It will be a great test for the Cougars who are still hoping to go undefeated to reach a BCS bowl game. By no means am I professional scout. However, you'll find my "scouting report" on UCLA's offense and defense and how each will effect BYU's performance:

UCLA's OFFENSE:
Last week BYU faced a quarterback (Jake Locker) that is very mobile and can create big plays with his legs. Locker's arm strength and accuracy is his biggest weakness. This week, BYU faces the exact opposite type of quarterback. UCLA quarterback Kevin Croft is a finesse quarterback who will sit in the pocket and throw. Don't expect him to run for yards very often. Crofts' arm strength and accuracy is much better than Washington's Jake Locker. UCLA is coming off of a big win over Tennessee two weeks ago. Croft had an exceptional second half to lead his team to a come-from-behind victory in overtime. However, Croft looked like a different person in the first half. Croft threw 4 interceptions in the first half alone making it difficult for his team to stay even close to Tennessee. Somehow he turned it around in the second half to get the win. It will be interesting to see which quarterback shows up on Saturday, the first-half Croft or the second-half Croft. I think I speak for all BYU football fans when I say that I hope it's the first-half Croft.

UCLA also has very athletic receivers. They are big, strong, and physical. This is where BYU is going to struggle. BYU has a weak secondary to defend these receivers. If second-half Croft shows up, I would expect some long passes and some easy touchdowns. The key for BYU is to put pressure on Croft and hope that you force him to throw the ball when he's not ready. Pressure him to make bad passes and hopefully come up with some interceptions and fumble recoveries.

Note: UCLA's starting running back, Kahlil Bell, is listed as doubtful for the game on Saturday. This was reported today by the Daily News in Los Angeles. This is a big break because not only is Bell a good running back but he's a good blocker. So if he ends up not playing, the Cougars have a chance to put some extra pressure on the quarterback.

UCLA's DEFENSE:
UCLA's has quite the challenge this week. BYU's offense is one of the best in the country. Most people around the country would say it ranks among the top 15 offenses in the country. However, UCLA has a lot of returning starters on defense. They are experienced and ready to prove themselves against a tough offense. Let's not forget that UCLA held BYU to only 17 points in two games last season. They are a good defense.

I still give BYU's offense the advantage over this tough defense. However, it will be interesting to see how they spread their defense. I expect them to come into the game with some disguised blitz packages to put some pressure on BYU quarterback Max Hall. BYU's offensive line will have their hands full trying to manage the blitz.

MY PREDICTION:
Because BYU wants to prove themselves and show the country that they are a top 15 team, I am giving them the edge. In fact, they play much better at home and I would expect their "weak" defense to wake up a little bit and play off of the sold out crowd. Therefore I am saying that BYU wins by 10 points:
BYU: 34
UCLA: 24

BYU vs. Washington (BYU 28, Washington 27)

Wow! All I can say is WHAT A WEEK!! BYU football has given us quite an emotional week. I don't expect the drama to end any time soon with UCLA coming into town. But first, here are my thoughts on the University of Washington game:

BYU vs. Washington (BYU wins 28-27):
What a game! For those of you who missed it, YOU MISSED OUT! It was a close competitive game. All 4 quarters were intense hard fought football. A lot of people expected BYU to roll into Washington and beat them convincingly. Washington is a good home team and they played like it. They played great football. I was very impressed with the quarterback play of Jake Locker. He has a great ability to make plays with his legs.

BYU has a lot to work on! Most of it falls on the defensive side of the ball. Locker is a great running quarterback but we're lucky he doesn't have a great arm because he had receivers open all over the field. He over threw receiver after receiver which kept BYU in the game. BYU's linebackers and Defensive Backs seemed to get lost the second Locker would start scrambling. I certainly hope Bronco fixes the holes in the defense before UCLA comes into town.

On a positive note, I was again impressed by BYU's offense. We were able to move the ball easily down the field. Max hall had another monster game and Harvey Unga ran the ball like a mad man. I'd give the MVP award to the entire offensive line. Unga had truck sized holes to run through and Hall barely got touched all game. The O-Line played awesome.

The Questionable Call:
Now, I have to comment about the last play of the game. Of course this is what everyone is talking about. I'm not going to spend too much time talking about it because the game is over and the call was made. If you don't know which call I'm talking about, I'm talking about the Excessive Celebration penalty that was given to Locker after he scored a touchdown at the end of the game to pull Washington to within one point. The extra point would have tied things up and sent the game into overtime. So instead of having a routine 20 yard field goal to tie the game up, it turned into a 35 yard field goal. BYU blocked the field goal and won the game.

I don't feel I need to defend the call too much. I personally would have liked to see overtime. The game was a great game and overtime would have made it that much better. However, a win is a win and I'll take it any day of the week. Two things come to mind when people talk about that penalty.

First, penalties are called all game long. Some are justified and some are not. Other penalties that should be called are not. In my opinion you have to win the football game no matter what the officials call or don't call. Washington didn't do what was needed to win the game. Period. You have to be prepared for bad calls. We all complain about bad officiating but sometimes it works for you and other times it works against you. This call did not effect the game any more than any other questionable call made earlier in the game. The only reason it is being talked about so much is that it was very noticeable being at the end of the game.

Second, BYU made the play at the end of the game. They blocked the extra point. Putting the call aside, most kickers should be able to sink a 35 yard field goal from straight on. The fact is, BYU made the big play and blocked it. The same thing could have easily happened on a 20 yard field goal attempt.

Check back here tomorrow for my preview on the UCLA game. It promises to be a great game!

BYU vs. Northern Iowa (BYU 41, Northern Iowa 17)

Okay, so BYU's next game is only another 4 days away. I don't know how many of you actually care about what I think about the games but I thought I'd give a "Weekly Review" of what happened in the previous game and what I expect to happen in the next game.

So...here goes:

LAST WEEK: BYU vs. Norther Iowa (BYU won 41-17)
All I can say is, we've got some work to do! I'm sorry but BYU should have killed these guys. By looking at the score (41-17) it would look as if we did kill them but I would have liked to see them win by at least another two touchdowns.

If you watched the game you'd know that BYU's biggest problem is turning the ball over. BYU had 4 turn overs in the second half alone! One of which was a fumble in the end zone which gave Northern Iowa a quick touchdown.

On a positive note, the Cougars were able to move the ball on offense at will. Max Hall (Quarterback) looked comfortable and confident throwing the ball. In my opinion he is one of the best quarterbacks in the nation when it comes to throwing passes that are less than 15 yards. He seems to over throw when he throws beyond 15 yards.

All in all, this was a wake up call to the Cougars. We should have been better. If we would have played a tougher opponent, we would have struggled. Hopefully this shows the Cougars what they need to work on for next week against Washington.

THIS WEEK: BYU vs. Washington (Saturday, September 6th at 12:00pm)
Washington is a much tougher opponent. I'm really hoping that BYU fixes the problems they had with Northern Iowa. Washington lost its first game against Oregon last week on the road. They are a better home team and should be a pretty good test for the Cougars.

BYU has played the University of Washington 8 times. BYU has only won 2 of the 8 games. Obviously, you can't read too much into the past but hopefully we can win this one. I look forward to watching the game to see how each team reacts.

So, my prediction is that BYU will end up winning the game but it will be close. I think they will win by 10 points or less. I really hope I'm wrong and BYU just wastes them but I don't see that happening yet.

That's it for now but you can check back here after the Washington game for my thoughts on the game.

Feel free to post any comments about either game!