2019 BYU Cougars Football Thread

[smokymountainrain]

But that's not a new rule, right? It seems like some people are suggesting that something has changed with the admin/BOT since LaVell left that has hurt our program.

Not a new rule, no.

[tooblue]

Ummm ... what did you mean by this then?

It's football. Injuries happen and are to be expected due to the physical nature of the sport. But the injuries BYU has suffered represent a trend that does not necessarily represent an average expectation. Of course someone will pipe up and say well ... but the hard truth is significant injures are often accumulative in nature: constantly competing against teams with better 2 and 3 deep rosters means BYU can't afford to play it's weaker 2 and 3 deep players, resulting in more wear and tear on the starters. That's the key: having the necessary depth to spell your starters more frequently, mitigating as many significant injuries and still remain competitive.

Certainly, it can be argued that BYU is competitive. Better special teams play in the last two games and BYU likely doesn't lose to Toledo and USF. But they did lose—to Toledo and USF, after staring the season playing Utah, Tennessee, USC and Washington. This week, BYU will be starting its third string QB, and is one hit away from playing Critchlow, whose only significant playing time came after losing a starter and second stringer in previous seasons.

[UVACoug]

It's football. Injuries happen and are to be expected due to the physical nature of the sport. But the injuries BYU has suffered represent a trend that does not necessarily represent an average expectation. Of course someone will pipe up and say well ... but the hard truth is significant injures are often accumulative in nature: constantly competing against teams with better 2 and 3 deep rosters means BYU can't afford to play it's weaker 2 and 3 deep players, resulting in more wear and tear on the starters. That's the key: having the necessary depth to spell your starters more frequently, mitigating as many significant injuries and still remain competitive.

Certainly, it can be argued that BYU is competitive. Better special teams play in the last two games and BYU likely doesn't lose to Toledo and USF. But they did lose—to Toledo and USF, after staring the season playing Utah, Tennessee, USC and Washington. This week, BYU will be starting its third string QB, and is one hit away from playing Critchlow, whose only significant playing time came after losing a starter and second stringer in previous seasons.

So in other words, you are claiming that independence is causing more injuries.

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[smokymountainrain]

Here's my blue-goggled take on the season.

Our key glaring weakness is run defense. If we had a stout D-Line, we'd be 4-2. If we had a great DC who made solid in-game adjustments, I think we'd be 4-2. But we don't. There are certainly other issues (O-Line has underperformed and is not in good shape; receivers lack break away speed), but the sky isn't necessarily falling.

this is the 3rd worst scoring offense in byu history. they rank 105th in scoring offense, 87th in total offense and 90th in red zone offense. offense in general is a glaring weakness. but yeah, run defense is as well. entire staff needs to go.

[tooblue]

<sigh> It was a decision based on finances and exposure. That's it. There really are only 2 major variables in the equation.

And folks like you that advocate for BYU going back to a conference, any conference, are clueless as to how the decision was made at BYU and are also clueless about how joining the MWC or the AAC, which are the only two non-P5 options out there, will negatively impact one or both of those variables. (One Caveat: If BYU could work some kind of Boise-like sweetheart deal where they get a different percentage of TV revenue then it might make financial sense to join a conference).

BYU is not going to join a conference with worse money or exposure than independence for any of the following reasons:

• To give the team "something to play for"
• So fans can enjoy traditional rivalries
• A better chance at a good bowl game
• A better chance at making the CFP
• To help recruiting

As long as the financial and exposure variables don't change, BYU will stay independent. So, things that will force BYU to join a non-P5 conference include:

• ESPN not renewing the TV contract or trying to renew it at a rate that doesn't make financial sense for BYU.
• I'm still thinking, but I'll let you know when I come up with another one...

The funny thing about not being clueless is this cocksure attitude that there were only two major variables in the equation. Bluntly, I am absolute certain you have no idea exactly how the decision was made.

lol

I am advocating stepping back and looking at one major variable that influenced consideration of all of the rest: hubris. I do not place the same limitations on BYU admin that the "we've got a gun to our head, stay independent at all costs" crowd does. While you suggest the aim was exclusively better exposure and more money, we both know the end goal is getting into a power five conference. BYU has not and will not get there due, in large part, to the performance on the field which could make up for the political ramifications associated with its sponsoring religion.

[Jeff Lebowski]

this is the 3rd worst scoring offense in byu history. they rank 105th in scoring offense, 87th in total offense and 90th in red zone offense. offense in general is a glaring weakness. but yeah, run defense is as well. entire staff needs to go.

We can move the ball, but we are horrible in the red zone. That points to bad coaching.

[tooblue]

So in other words, you are claiming that independence is causing more injuries.

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Playing football causes injuries. Successively playing against stronger competition with greater depth causes more injuries. An inability to compensate and mitigate this reality due to your own lack of greater depth, results in an uncompetitive football team that suffers back to back losses to Toledo and USF.

[smokymountainrain]

We can move the ball, but we are horrible in the red zone. That points to bad coaching.

yep. the other thing that points to bad coaching is that byu has only outscored the opponent in the 2nd half in one game (tennessee). in 4 of the 6 games, they've been outscored by at least 10 points in the 2nd half. opponents coaches are able to go in at half and make adjustments, byu's coaches, not so much.

[Uncle Ted]

We can move the ball, but we are horrible in the red zone. That points to bad coaching.

Yeah I agree. The Dallas Cowboys couldn't score in the red zone either in the first half of the game yesterday. That is what they get for putting that Boise St grad in as OC. I hate this season.

[YOhio]

We can move the ball, but we are horrible in the red zone. That points to bad coaching.

At some point the jet sweep will pay off and things will turnaround.

[Bo Diddley]

At some point the jet sweep will pay off and things will turnaround.

[Pelado]

ESPN's FPI projects an ending regular season record of 6.1-5.9.

BYU is overwhelmingly favored in three remaining games - Liberty, Idaho State, UMass.

BYU is a significant underdog against BSU - 34.7% chance of winning. Also projected to lose to Utah State and San Diego State, though those games are closer - 44% and 46.4%, respectively.

[Green Monstah]

this is the 3rd worst scoring offense in byu history. they rank 105th in scoring offense, 87th in total offense and 90th in red zone offense. offense in general is a glaring weakness. but yeah, run defense is as well. entire staff needs to go.

Yep. If the defense could get off the field, I think we’d get an offensive uptick. Again, plug the holes on D, and we still lose to Utah and Washington, but we beat Toledo and USF.

[HBCoug]

At some point the jet sweep will pay off and things will turnaround.

Does Paul Lasike still have any eligibility, and if not, can we find someone on the Rugby team to implement the red zone rugby pass? That one always confused the defense also.

[All-American]

Theory. Tuiaki knows the entire D is terrible, top to bottom. We can stop the run, or we can stop the pass, but we can't stop both. Therefore, he commits to stopping the pass; better to make the offense score by making 10 plays of seven yards than one play of seventy yards. The method won't result in shutouts, but will hamper the opposing offense just enough that your own offense should outpace them.

The USF game would suggest as much. They scored their first touchdown in one fell swoop on a play that, to put it kindly, suggests that our secondary is not as good as we would like it to be. So we adjust to give the shorter gains and limit the long gains. This in turn leads to a frustrating second half but only 28 points in total. And, to be frank, we should never score less than 30 on USF.

If I'm right, then the scheme is not so much the problem as it is the fact we are terrible top to bottom on both sides of the ball.