DD: On BYU Sports
BYU-SDSU aftermath
* This is a big loss because the Cougars run into a very hot New Mexico team in Albuquerque on Tuesday. BYU's best chance to snag a road win was at SDSU. With only one day of practice, I'm not sure they're up for the Lobos in the Pit.
* It's almost to the point where I think Chris Miles is more effective in the post than Trent Plaisted. Miles works very hard and came up with some impressive hustle plays. Plaisted couldn't convert close in shots over smaller defenders and just disappeared from the offensive end. That really hurt BYU late in the game.
Am I the only one who wonders why he throws up these off-balance, double-clutch half-hook shots? Someone needs to tell this guy he's nearly 7-feet tall and can jump out of the gym.
* Lee Cummard has been dynamite for BYU this year but he made some huge mistakes at the end of the game, missing the front end of a 1-and-1, throwing the ball away and missing a layup. It happens. Nobody's perfect. What's more disturbing is losing a 7-point lead in the second half.
* All I'll say about the officiating is that consistency would be nice. The referees were calling every bump and hand check all game long (including the barely-contact call that sent Cummard out of the game) so White's bump on Taverari's 3-point attempt late in the game should have been called, too. That BYU shot only six free throws and San Diego State 30? You have to expect a free throw disparity on the road against a team that drives to the basket a lot.
Kliler instinct
Think about it. BYU has had Colorado State, New Mexico and TCU down big early, only to let them get back in the game. Not that BYU was in danger of losing any of those games but great teams - teams that win NCAA tournament games - put bad teams away and never let 'em back in.
Just a thought. Maybe that's the next step for this team, which is playing well.
Kaveinga to USC
Apparently Pete Carroll has told Kaveinga he will hold his scholarship so he can serve an LDS mission.
I call "bull."
If Kaveinga wants to attend USC so he can play for a national title contender and maybe get in the NFL, that's his choice. But to my knowledge, there has never been an LDS kid that has been a top recruit, gone to a BCS school and then served a mission.
Sound a lot like the story Cottonwood running back Stanley Havili told before choosing USC a couple of years ago. I don't think he'll ever serve, either.
From what I've been able to find out, Kaveinga's parents and family really wanted him to go to BYU but he wanted to go elsewhere. So they probably pressured him into making that oral commitment to Bronco back in January. It stands to reason that his family wants him to serve a mission and he's told them he would. But just like his commitment to BYU, he's just telling them that to please them.
Just my opinion. Take it or leave it.
Chow, Chow, Chow
Certainly BYU has to be concerned with DeWayne Walker as DC, since he helped hold BYU to 17 points in each of the two meetings in 2007. Maybe Chow can actually turn Ben Olson into a respectable college quarterback. He can use the extra help.
UCLA should be pretty good offensively in 2008 but Walker has to replace some key players on defense. BYU fans should be glad BYU-UCLA isn't the 2008 season opener. That would give Chow and Walker all winter, spring and summer to get ready. As it is, UCLA plays Tennessee the week before it comes to Provo.That'll keep them busy.
Should be fun to watch - and write about - next fall.
Scheduling, schmeduling
Is BYU talking out of both sides of their mouth?
Not really. Bronco has said all along that balance is the key to any schedule. His comments about scheduling down have offended some BYU fans, who apparently want to play USC and LSU in the preseason. And does it send a message to the players that they aren't good enough to play a more difficult schedule? Holmoe and Mendenhall think UCLA, Washington, Utah State and Northern Iowa is a "good" schedule. To be honest, UCLA, Washington, Utah State and Nevada wasn't much better.
UCLA has a new head coach and lost most of its best defensive players. Washington wasn't good last year but has an exciting sophomore quarterback in Jake Locker. Still, they both look like middle-of-the-road Pac 10 teams. Utah State isn't very good and Northern Iowa, while a good FCS team, should be a win.
Something to think about: BYU must play TCU, Air Force and Utah on the road in 2008. Going undefeated in the MWC again is far from a given.
Thrashing in Sin City
Good thing, because no one wanted to see what the Rebels were doing to the Cougars. I actually went out in my truck and listened to some of the second half on the radio. I know, glutton for punishment. But with the power off, there wasn't much else to do.
UNLV left the second half wide open for comeback by playing poorly, but BYU didn't respond. Heck, even dreadful Colorado State cut BYU's 25-point lead to 16 in the second half just by trying hard. This is the second straight road game where it looks like BYU has given up at halftime.
Dave Rose has a huge job ahead of him, because his top three players (Plaisted, Cummard, Tavernari) are so weak mentally. It's shocking to see players as good as these guys simply melt down under pressure.
1 for 10 from the foul line? I could drop kick the ball from the free throw line and make better than 1 for 10. How does a player as good as Plaisted go 1 for 10 from the line?
Cummard had about four turnovers early in the game to get UNLV rolling and Tavernari was launching up shot after shot that didn't find the rim. If these guys can't get tough on the road, how is the rest of the team supposed to get tough?
It looks like the heart and determination left with Keena Young, Austin Ainge, Jimmy Balderson and Mike Rose. This BYU team has the talent; I don't think there's any question about that.
But somebody needs to get tough or it's going to be a long season.
BYU schedules Northern Iowa for 2008 opener
BYU had a hole to fill in its schedule, and after talking to Bronco Mendenhall between the end of the season and the bowl game, it became apparent the Cougars wanted to schedule down.
Two Pac 10 teams (albeit two mediocre Pac 10 teams) on the slate already in Washington and UCLA and a road game at Utah State meant BYU needed a home game. No team of substance wants to open their season in Provo, so BYU's choices were limited unless it wanted to give up a home game in 2008. No way that was going to happen, so Northern Iowa was as logical a choice as any.
BYU should be pretty good in 2008. In 2009, BYU has games with Arizona State and Florida State, and wins there would really put the Cougars on the national map. They should be good enough to do it in 2009.
Mendenhall is right in adjusting BYU's schedule. Getting beat up by big BCS schools really serves no purpose unless you win.
Right now, the Cougars are on schedule for a big 2008 and maybe an even bigger 2009, which leads right into the time when the BCS contract expires. Who knows what system will follow?
FINAL: BYU 31, NEW MEXICO 24
END THIRD QUARTER: BYU 21, NEW MEXICO 21
HALFTIME: BYU 14, NEW MEXICO 6
END FIRST QUARTER: BYU 7, NEW MEXICO 0
BYU at New Mexico football: pre-game
BYU-Tulsa: Pregame
Benedict Olson ... or not
Here I am ...
Sorry to have neglected my blog, but I was busy putting together our football special section. It's 44 pages of BYU, high school, college and pro football information. It comes out in the Daily Herald on Thursday. I'll bring a few more to the morning practice on Friday, if you're interested.
Let's see ... there still isn't a clear cut No. 3 quarterback, though James Lark has been taking more reps than Jason Munns so far. I think Brenden Gaskins will get back in the game next week.
The coaches think they have a real find in Rick Wolfley for the nose tackle spot. Some may worry about his quickness, but Coach Mendenhall sounded really excited about how Wolfley played on Wednesday. I think they need someone with size on the d-line and Wolfley (340) fits the bill. He likely won't be able to go every play but could give BYU 10-12 good plays a game, sharing time with Foketi and Manumaleuna.
Who's No. 3?
What's ironic is that just the other day I was having a conversation with someone about how little it really matters who the third-string quarterback is.
Unless, of course, your backup gets hurt.
That's what happened to BYU this week with backup quarterback Brenden Gaskins breaking his finger. He may yet be the backup against Arizona (provided he can throw with a splint on his finger) but suddenly it DOES matter who's No. 3.
We got a quick look at the four quarterbacks competing for the spot on Tuesday. I thought James Lark and Jason Munns looked the best, with Kurt McEuen and Sam Doman not really getting enough work to form a real opinion.
Munns had an interesting high school career. His sophomore and junior years were brilliant but he had a very young team around him as a senior and his stats fell off. But he sure passes the eyeball test: He's tall, fluid and just looks like a quarterback. His throws today were on the money and had some velocity on them. I saw some of his high school highlights and he looks pretty mobile.
It's worth watching this next week who impresses the coaches during team and skeleton.
I was also impressed by freshmen defensive linemen Eathyn Malulameuna and David Angulia. Depth is an issue at defensive tackle and these guys might be forced into action.
Funny moment: Freshman cornerback Brannon Brooks made a play on a deep ball but instead of picking it off he knocked it down with both hands. His teammates teased him, saying "This ain't volleyball!"
Day 1 of BYU Fall Football Camp
On one hand, I'm excited that football is finally here. On the other hand, we still hav four weeks of mostly the same practices until the opener against Arizona.
Dang.
So, the first day of practice: Lots of people there, including player's family members and more SLC sports radio guys than I can ever remember. The competition between The Zone and KFAN is heating up, I guess.
About two dozen newcomers, so here's what I've seen so far: Freshman running back J.J. DiLuigi is confident and athletic. He'll make a nice change of pace from BYU's big backs.
Then there's freshman quarterback Jason Munns. I mean, wow, this guy is a physical specimen. He's 6-foot-5, 225 pounds and throws a smooth ball. It looks like he's got good arm strength, at least on the medium throws I've watched so far. I started to think back about how prototype sized BYU quarterbacks have fared. If you look at the great ones in BYU history, most of them didn't have the size NFL scouts drool over. Giff Nielsen was good sized, as was Marc Wilson. Then there were guys like John Walsh, who washed out in the NFL, and recently Brett Engemann and Matt Berry. Just something to think about.
Another impressive freshman is safety Jordan Pendleton from Bingham. He's listed at 6-2, 195 but looks bigger. He probably won't play for a while but he looks like he's go the goods.
Also liked the looks of G Pittman, a freshman cornerback. He made some nice coverage movements during skelly.
What else? The No. 1 offense had trouble moving the ball against the No. 2 defense during team early on but by the end of practice, was moving smartly down the field. As I pointed out in my story, John Beck didn't throw an interception all fall camp last year. I think Brandon Doman told me John didn't throw one in spring, either. So Max Hall throws his first pick in the first practice, an underthrown fade route that Brandon Howard snared.
Crusing down I-15 to the Mountain West Conference Media Daze
My blog has been dormant since the NFL draft but I thought I revive it for the Mountain West Conference Football Media Days.
I left for Vegas Sunday morning with my 12-year-old son, Devin. Three years ago, I took my 15-year-old son, Casey, to the MWC meetings. So I guess it’s kind of a right of passage.
I got out on the freeway in my brand-new rental car before I realized it was the only vehicle built in the past 15 years that doesn’t have cruise control. The place where I rented the car isn’t open on Sundays. so I was stuck. I’ve got a bad right ankle (from falling off a roof when I was in college) so if you see me in the next couple of days and I’m limping, you’ll know why. I won’t tell which genius rental company I used, but its colors are green and white and the name rhymes with “Genterprise.”
The MWC meetings are at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Casino, one of those impossibly lavish places you only find in Las Vegas (it’s actually in Henderson). They’ve got a really cool pool with actual sand on one end. Of course, a small box of Altoids is $4 in your room, so there’s the trade-off.
I’ve already seen KSL’s Tom Kirkland, KFNZ’s Kevin Graham, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, UNLV coach Mike Sanford, BYU linebacker Bryan Kehl and BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall. Bronco and Kyle did their annual three minutes with Kirkland on SportsBeat Sunday night. I took Devin to watch and introduced him to Bronco.
Devin said, "Your team rocks hard!" Bronco smiled and said, "Thank you very much." OK, so I'm raising BYU football fans. So sue me.
Everything gets started Monday morning.
Beck a Dolphin
So John Beck is a Dolphin.
It seems like a good fit, and his opportunity may come quicker than you think. Dante Culpepper’s status is uncertain right now, so much so that he sent an e-mail to the local (Miami) media a couple of days ago to clear some up some rumors that he might be traded or even released. If he’s not healthy enough to play, Beck has an opportunity to get playing time really quickly, even if the Dolphins decide to bring in a veteran as a stop-gap measure.
I think the rumors of John’s lack of arm strength really helped him, and I’ll tell you why: The teams that John worked out for privately had to be impressed if they went in thinking his arm strength was just average. John can make all the throws and I knew he would look good in workouts. These teams (Dolphins, Saints, Lions, Ravens) thought they had a real edge on other team’s that simply read scouting reports and found John lacking.
Quick story: Evening practice, nearing the end of two-a-days, 2006. John and the offense in the two-minute drill. With about a minute to go, John needed about 10 yards for a first down to keep the drive alive. A receiver (can’t remember which one) ran an out near the sideline and Quinn Gooch was in perfect position to cover the throw. Except John throws an absolute 20-yard laser through Gooch’s hands to the receiver, who caught the ball in self defense and stepped out of bounds to stop the clock. Gooch was furious, but he simply couldn’t react fast enough to the speed John put on the ball.
I literally got just four minutes on the phone with John after the draft (3:53, to be exact) because he was leaving to catch a plane for Miami.
By the way: Six hours?
The NFL Draft is getting ridiculous. It took more than six hours for the FIRST ROUND to be completed. Principalities have been overthrown in less time. You can fly from here to the east coast in six hours. You can build a freaking garage in less time.
Rant complete.
Suspensions
Whenever a BYU athlete gets suspended, there's always speculation about what they did. People also want to know why an 18 or 19-year-old kid would mess up their college careers by breaking team rules.
The latest suspensions are sophomore tight end Vic So'oto and sophomore linebacker Terrance Hooks. Before spring, it was sophomore defensive lineman Matangi Tonga.
Is something bad happening on the BYU football team?
Here's what I think: Healthy young men are always going to get in trouble, no matter what school they go to. At BYU, there was a tendancy to sweep these infractions under the rug. For every violation we found out about, there were a dozen others never made public. Believe me, I know some things about former players that would curl your toes.
Bronco Mendenhall has been more open about violations - to a point. He obviously won't talk about what these guys did but he'll send out a press release when it happens and there are certain questions he WILL answer about the situation.
I prefer not to speculate about what these guys did but how it will affect the team. Does the player leadership council have a say in whether these guys come back, or what penance they have to pay? Do these guys become outcasts, or do teammates and coaches reach out to them to help them overcome their error?
So'oto was going to be the starter at tight end and Hooks was going to play a role as a valuable reserve and special teamer. Tonga was going to be on the defensive line rotation for sure. It may be all three of these guys come back for fall, it may be they are done for good.
My feeling is that Bronco is the kind of coach that will give them every opportunity to get back in the good graces of the team - but it won't be easy.
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BYU-SDSU aftermathKliler instinct
Kaveinga to USC
Chow, Chow, Chow
Scheduling, schmeduling