What happened?

[All-American]

Look, sometimes, a program has its ups and downs; its peaks and valleys. Try as they might, there are just occasions where even a great program has to rebuild.

This doesn't feel like a valley. It feels like something went wrong. REALLY wrong.

Did we just mismanage timing with missions? Was losing Unga more costly than we could have realized?

I don't feel like our defense has played well enough to pass over them when handing out blame, but they haven't laid up nearly as much of a stink bomb as the offense has. A part of me thinks it reasonable to say that you win if you can put up 35 points.

What happened? Can it be fixed? How long will it take?

[DrumNFeather]

Look, sometimes, a program has its ups and downs; its peaks and valleys. Try as they might, there are just occasions where even a great program has to rebuild.

This doesn't feel like a valley. It feels like something went wrong. REALLY wrong.

Did we just mismanage timing with missions? Was losing Unga more costly than we could have realized?

I don't feel like our defense has played well enough to pass over them when handing out blame, but they haven't laid up nearly as much of a stink bomb as the offense has. A part of me thinks it reasonable to say that you win if you can put up 35 points.

What happened? Can it be fixed? How long will it take?

Even a great program couldn't replace the production of Hall, Unga, and Pitta offensively and expect to pick up and keep playing at such a high level.

[UtahDan]

Even a great program couldn't replace the production of Hall, Unga, and Pitta offensively and expect to pick up and keep playing at such a high level.

Yup. BYU has had a big influx of very good talent over the last few years and most of it sort of left at once without great talent ready to step in. Talent, but not ready to go yet at a high level. To me it just seems like you hit a bump in the cycle.

[All-American]

Even a great program couldn't replace the production of Hall, Unga, and Pitta offensively and expect to pick up and keep playing at such a high level.

True, but I feel like somebody might have said the same thing in 2007. "Even a great program couldn't replace the production of Beck, Unga, and Harline offensively and expect to pick up and keep playing at such a high level."

That's us being spoiled, I know. You can't just expect to plug in new faces and magically have everything work. Even so, it doesn't necessarily follow that we had to put in new faces at all those spots. Even if you have to replace starters, you would hope you would be able to have able players with which to replace them.

[DrumNFeather]

True, but I feel like somebody might have said the same thing in 2007. "Even a great program couldn't replace the production of Beck, Unga, and Harline offensively and expect to pick up and keep playing at such a high level."

That's us being spoiled, I know. You can't just expect to plug in new faces and magically have everything work. Even so, it doesn't necessarily follow that we had to put in new faces at all those spots. Even if you have to replace starters, you would hope you would be able to have able players with which to replace them.

I think if Unga is still there, Nelson is the starting QB and the rest of BYUs offense is much more effective. I could be wrong, but an inside ouside punch of Unga and JJ is miles ahead of the inside outside punch of JJ and Karyia. And it makes everything else more efficient.

[CardiacCoug]

Look, sometimes, a program has its ups and downs; its peaks and valleys. Try as they might, there are just occasions where even a great program has to rebuild.

This doesn't feel like a valley. It feels like something went wrong. REALLY wrong.

Did we just mismanage timing with missions? Was losing Unga more costly than we could have realized?

I don't feel like our defense has played well enough to pass over them when handing out blame, but they haven't laid up nearly as much of a stink bomb as the offense has. A part of me thinks it reasonable to say that you win if you can put up 35 points.

What happened? Can it be fixed? How long will it take?

Look at programs like Tennessee, Washington and Notre Dame that have a lot more natural advantages than BYU that have been down for years now. Sometimes you just have a downcycle -- hopefully it's just a year or two and not a decade or longer downturn like Syracuse has had.

[All-American]

Look at programs like Tennessee, Washington and Notre Dame that have a lot more natural advantages than BYU that have been down for years now. Sometimes you just have a downcycle -- hopefully it's just a year or two and not a decade or longer downturn like Syracuse has had.

When those programs have down cycles, coaches get fired and changes get made. Is there a head that needs to roll?

[CardiacCoug]

When those programs have down cycles, coaches get fired and changes get made. Is there a head that needs to roll?

Sure, and Crowton's head rolled after 3-4 years of.500 ball. That's what it should take and I think Bronco has earned the right to have a couple of down years.

[ERCougar]

I've been a big Bronco defender to this point, but I feel like the mess right now is at his feet. Until this week, we didn't have a quarterback. We STILL don't have a tight end (I saw at least 3 today in the game....). The indecision ("waiting for someone to step up") is killing us. Make a decision and go with it.

[Pheidippides]

Sure, and Crowton's head rolled after 3-4 years of.500 ball. That's what it should take and I think Bronco has earned the right to have a couple of down years.

I agree with this, despite my negativity today. I'm not calling for his head at all. We knew this was a rebuilding year going in.

[pellegrino]

Sure, and Crowton's head rolled after 3-4 years of.500 ball. That's what it should take and I think Bronco has earned the right to have a couple of down years.

nobody said it had to be Bronco.

[CardiacCoug]

I've been a big Bronco defender to this point, but I feel like the mess right now is at his feet. Until this week, we didn't have a quarterback. We STILL don't have a tight end (I saw at least 3 today in the game....). The indecision ("waiting for someone to step up") is killing us. Make a decision and go with it.

I tend to agree, but say Bronco went with Heaps from the start of the season and we are sitting at 1-3 or even 0-4 right now. In a way it took a ton of pressure off of Heaps and keeps the fans pacified to have seen that Riley sucked it up against AFA and that Heaps is the only option.

Agreed regarding the TEs. Richard Wilson should be the only guy out there, in my opinion.

[CardiacCoug]

nobody said it had to be Bronco.

Good point, is it too late to bring back Norm Chow?

[ERCougar]

I tend to agree, but say Bronco went with Heaps from the start of the season and we are sitting at 1-3 or even 0-4 right now. In a way it took a ton of pressure off of Heaps and keeps the fans pacified to have seen that Riley sucked it up against AFA and that Heaps is the only option.

Until this week, I agreed with you--Bronco best knows the personalities involved and has earned some trust in his team management. But seeing how much Heaps has improved the last few weeks when he's had more reps makes me wonder what would have happened if we had just started with him. I really wonder what Bronco thinks privately of his decision to play two qb's.

Of course, hindsight's always 20-20.

[USUC]

BYU needs coordinators that mix play calling up and aren't afraid to be assholes.