Time to move forward, the good things from Saturday...........

[cougjunkie]

I just looked at the numbers for the first time, we actually did have a few good moments on both offense and defense.

1. Harvey Unga had 10 carries for 97 yards, he was very effective when he was in the game.

2. I still maintain considering the circumstances Max Hall had a good game, he threw for over 300 yards, he had threw two nice deep balls (cue Johnny Lingo), in fact the 80 yarder to Jacobsen was the same play they ran on the 4th and 18 against Utah.

3. Our secondary actually did well in coverage, they only gave up 199 yards through the air, consider the fact that their was no pass rush and Ponder had all day to throw they played tough. Brian Logan had a few nice open field tackles and a couple pass breakups. I think against MWC teams they will be pretty solid.

4. We have only had to punt 1 time in the last 2 games.

5. I thought our defense still looked fast, in fact they were in position to make plays they just didnt finish. But in terms of speed we were not overly matched by any means.

I look forward to us getting back on track against CSU.

[Shaka]

Agree with all the above plus I was happy with the Nelson led drive for a touchdown. It was against the FSU second string but it made me hopeful that whether it be RN or JH we will have a servicable quarterback next season. While I haven't seen a replay that touchdown pass looked like a perfectly thrown ball against tight coverage.

Of course this may just be my man-crush on RN manifesting itself.

[MarkGrace]

Unga looked great, what's the word on him? He looked like he was grimacing in pain on the sidelines.

[Sizzle]

3. Our secondary actually did well in coverage, they only gave up 199 yards through the air, consider the fact that their was no pass rush and Ponder had all day to throw they played tough. Brian Logan had a few nice open field tackles and a couple pass breakups. I think against MWC teams they will be pretty solid.

I'm going to disagree with you a little bit on this point. The defense gave up 313 rushing yards, AND almost 200 yards passing. They complete almost 80% of their passes (22 for 28), and when you factor in they averaged almost 6.5 yards per rush, it really hurts. Florida State probably could have thrown the ball for 300 plus yards, but why throw when you are on your way to over 300 on the ground. If you give me my pick to run for 300 or throw for 300 I will take the running for 300 every time. Plus, whenever FSU needed to complete a pass they were able to, and usually for a big first down.

Brian Logan did have a couple of nice open field tackles and a pass break-up or two that were impressive. Outside of that, I really think you are reaching in giving any sort of props to the pass defense. It was very painful.

[cougjunkie]

I'm going to disagree with you a little bit on this point. The defense gave up 313 rushing yards, AND almost 200 yards passing. They complete almost 80% of their passes (22 for 28), and when you factor in they averaged almost 6.5 yards per rush, it really hurts. Florida State probably could have thrown the ball for 300 plus yards, but why throw when you are on your way to over 300 on the ground. If you give me my pick to run for 300 or throw for 300 I will take the running for 300 every time. Plus, whenever FSU needed to complete a pass they were able to, and usually for a big first down.

Brian Logan did have a couple of nice open field tackles and a pass break-up or two that were impressive. Outside of that, I really think you are reaching in giving any sort of props to the pass defense. It was very painful.

It is hard to cover a receiver for 2-3 seconds let alone 5-6 like BYUs corners had to do. We did not give up any big plays threw the air, and really think our corners had decent games. I think the linebackers were horrendous as good as they were against Oklahoma they were equally as bad against FSU. In fact I dont know how many times I saw Clawson blitz and get stone walled by a 180 pound running back. It was unbelievable. I understand Ponder had a good percentage but in regards to wideouts their leading Wide receiver had 3 catches for 34 yards, no other wideout had more than 1 catch. The tightend and that big slot receiver (Fortson?) killed us but the were both being covered by linebackers the whole game.

[Hallelujah]

I'm going to disagree with you a little bit on this point. The defense gave up 313 rushing yards, AND almost 200 yards passing. They complete almost 80% of their passes (22 for 28), and when you factor in they averaged almost 6.5 yards per rush, it really hurts. Florida State probably could have thrown the ball for 300 plus yards, but why throw when you are on your way to over 300 on the ground. If you give me my pick to run for 300 or throw for 300 I will take the running for 300 every time. Plus, whenever FSU needed to complete a pass they were able to, and usually for a big first down.

Brian Logan did have a couple of nice open field tackles and a pass break-up or two that were impressive. Outside of that, I really think you are reaching in giving any sort of props to the pass defense. It was very painful.

Same play on 3rd downs (TE in the flat being wide open) killed us. Where was the LB?

[U-Ute]

I just looked at the numbers for the first time, we actually did have a few good moments on both offense and defense.

And you blasted me as a Zoot when the Utes won?

U-Ute

[WashingtonCoug]

I agree, I think DB's had a decent game. They were having to defend receivers for a ridiculous amount of time. We really could have used a pick, but Ponder was pretty accurate. I still remain fairly optimistic about our secondary. This one falls pretty squarely on our front 7.

Payne didn't miss a PAT either. I was pleased with that.

[JohnnyLingo]

2. I still maintain considering the circumstances Max Hall had a good game, he threw for over 300 yards, he had threw two nice deep balls (cue Johnny Lingo), in fact the 80 yarder to Jacobsen was the same play they ran on the 4th and 18 against Utah.

So you have no issues with his game Saturday night.

[ERCougar]

Another bright point: What was Utah ranked at this time last year?

There's plenty that's concerning about this game, but at the beginning of the year no one expected to start 3-0. Many expected 1-2. We knew this'd be a tough game and we lost it. Hopefully, that was a defensive anomaly and Scott Johnson really is the key to our defense .

And I too am still bullish on Max Hall.

[ERCougar]

So you have no issues with his game Saturday night.

Nope. He was put in a near-impossible situation with a non-existent defense. He may have forced a few balls, but he had to.

[TripletDaddy]

Another bright point: What was Utah ranked at this time last year?

There's plenty that's concerning about this game, but at the beginning of the year no one expected to start 3-0. Many expected 1-2. We knew this'd be a tough game and we lost it. Hopefully, that was a defensive anomaly and Scott Johnson really is the key to our defense .

And I too am still bullish on Max Hall.

nice point. I forgot that, too. I got greedy. Nobody here expected BYU to be 3-0 at this point in the year. 2-1, ranked, and wiser for the wear. Hopefully they rebound. The CSU game will tell us a lot about their resolve.

[SeattleUte]

Nope. He was put in a near-impossible situation with a non-existent defense. He may have forced a few balls, but he had to.

The problem you have is that you're eliminated from BCS bowl contention. This is the terrible aspect of being a mid-major. Washington fans, despite a home loss against a tough team from the Souteast, and USC fans, despite a devastating upset loss, can still dream of the Rose Bowl, possibly even playing for an NC. BYU and Utah fans can't. We have to carve out our own psychic ground for hope becausde the BCS robs us of objective, senfory-based reasons for hope.

[Goatnapper'96]

The problem you have is that you're eliminated from BCS bowl contention. This is the terrible aspect of being a mid-major. Washington fans, despite a home loss against a tough team from the Souteast, and USC fans, despite a devastating upset loss, can still dream of the Rose Bowl, possibly even playing for an NC. BYU and Utah fans can't. We have to carve out our own psychic ground for hope becausde the BCS robs us of objective, senfory-based reasons for hope.

I think if TCU beats Utah last year they would have gone to a BCS bowl game despite being 11-1 and the 1 being a blowout like BYU's loss on saturday. I am not convinced this BYU team is one of the best 8 teams in the nation, in fact far from it, but I don't think a BCS bowl game is entirely out of the picture yet. However, BYU no longer controls its own destiny in that regard.

However, I agree with your point about the margin of error that members of BCS conferences have that Utah and BYU do not enjoy.

[Donuthole]

Ashworth's catch over the middle was filthy good.