2011 BYU Football Thread

[oxcoug]

Great work by MG pulling the essential links and excerpts into this thread. Some nipple hardeners in there for sure.

[MarkGrace]

lost in all the focus on the newbies was just how good Heaps was during the 1st day...8-9 for 108 and 2 TDs was Beck 2006-like

I'm worried about the expectations for Jake.

[Sizzle]

Not exactly excited about hearing that BYU's offense is "Total opposite" of where BYU was with Anae, I questioned Dick a little bit. His clarification:

@sizzle801 Diff thru script flex in game, adjust on fly, gameplan tweaks, staff input, communication, audibles, formations, qb under center for more play action, quick developing run plays, more deep shots, flexibility. To b determines if successful

FWIW, here were BYU's total offense and scoring ranks:
Total offense ranks: 2009 (20), 2008 (16), 2007 (22), 2006 (4)
PPG ranks: 2009 (11), 2008 (20), 2007 (22), 2006 (5)

[Sizzle]

Interesting take by Bronco:

Mendenhall said he can raise the bar at practice this year because of the team’s depth.

"The number of assignment mistakes for a first day were very minimal, which is a great thing," he said. "Now the precision of the execution wasn’t quite as sharp. We didn’t have to do nearly as much teaching on Day I as we have had to do in the past. So that should speed up the chance to get our gameplans in and possibly accelerate our work on Ole Miss maybe a little bit earlier, if we can get the execution and those things to maybe match at an earlier time."

Mendenhall said the depth will also make the position battles fiercer this season.

"I think the competition might be even more fierce because we have better quality players, and not as many unknowns as to, ‘Will we have a player to play that spot?’ It is more, ‘How will the reps be divided?’ "

I am guessing that he means this year compared to last year. 2009 was a team led by a lot of Seniors, and while there are a few Seniors around this year at key positions, a lot of the offensive depth is really young (Jake/Hoffman/TEs/Juice/Apo/etc). Granted, there is a lot of returning starters along the offensive line, which makes things a lot easier for the skill positions to be able to execute their assignments.

Like Grace said, I worry a bit about expectations being a bit too high for Heaps and crew. Most of those guys are still only Sophs, which isn't to say that they can't be great, but it usually takes until the Jr. year before most players are really ready for stardom. The one piece that makes me think that the offense really can be good this year is the amount of returning starters and talent on the offensive line, which IMO could be one of BYU's best lines ever. Matt Reynolds is one of the most talented linemen to play at BYU. Houston Reynolds should be solid as well (seriously I am disappointed we have to wait until Lance Jrs' 1st son for the next Reynolds to don the blue and white along the offensive line) and both Browns and Braden Hansen bring talent and experience. The talent at the skill positions is there, but the line is what is going to make BYU successful this year.

[Shaka]

I'm worried about the expectations for Jake.

Yep. If he struggles a bit there will be much weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

I'd rather we avoid that so here's hoping that he comes out of the gate strong.

[frank ryan]

I was looking at the roster is Ryan Comer the preferred walk-on from Snow gone? Did he not make the cut?
Are Drew Phillips and Kori Gaines not going to play this year? Same with Thomas Bryson? seems like a little too much tough love. It would be great to have Gaines and Phillips playing special teams

[Surfah]

I was looking at the roster is Ryan Comer the preferred walk-on from Snow gone? Did he not make the cut?
Are Drew Phillips and Kori Gaines not going to play this year? Same with Thomas Bryson? seems like a little too much tough love. It would be great to have Gaines and Phillips playing special teams

Comer ran with the 2's yesterday. Not sure about the other guys.

[Hsaru]

Bryson, Phillips, and Gaines will likely join the team around a week before Ole Miss when class starts due to academic/discipline reasons. So they will have a tough time seeing the field early on.

[Hsaru]

Is there a Ryan Comer and Cameron Comer though? I think Cameron Comer was the one running with the 2's.

[Surfah]

Is there a Ryan Comer and Cameron Comer though? I think Cameron Comer was the one running with the 2's.

Oh, I think you're right. Not sure what happened with Ryan.

[frank ryan]

Oh, I think you're right. Not sure what happened with Ryan.

Cameron is an rm from springville. Ryan turned down some 1-AA offers to walk on at byu and was here in spring camp.
maybe he saw that with Uale,Hague,Sorenson,Jray all ahead of him he wasn't going to play much. Too bad he was only a sophmore.

Phillips has been hyped so much I really wanna see him take one back all the way.

[Sizzle]

I was looking at the roster is Ryan Comer the preferred walk-on from Snow gone? Did he not make the cut?
Are Drew Phillips and Kori Gaines not going to play this year? Same with Thomas Bryson? seems like a little too much tough love. It would be great to have Gaines and Phillips playing special teams

There is tough love and there is not being academically eligible. Given the resources that these players have, if they aren't able to get academically eligible, I question their work ethic to be able to make much of an impact on the field.

[MarkGrace]

BYU football: History shows quarterback Jake Heaps on verge of a monster year

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/cougars/52342280-88/heaps-byu-sophomore-freshman.html.csp?page=2

Headlines like this just reallly worry me. I think Jake could be very good by the end of the year, but he's still incredibly early in his learning curve, and given our tough schedule to start the year, the through-the-roof expectations aren't helpful.

[SoCalCoug]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/cougars...tml.csp?page=2

Headlines like this just reallly worry me. I think Jake could be very good by the end of the year, but he's still incredibly early in his learning curve, and given our tough schedule to start the year, the through-the-roof expectations aren't helpful.

Then what the hell kind of fun is it being a fan? These are the kinds of years we live for.

It isn't lost on me that we haven't won the national championship every year, or that we've never been to a BCS game. I think I would have noticed if we had.

This means that every year (other than 1984) that I've been a BYU football fan, I've ended the year with some degree of disappointment, or the frustration of the difference that just one more win would have made.

As of today, I fully expect BYU to win the national championship, or at least to make a BCS game. Don't take away my fantasy from me with your call for "realistic" expectations. The fact that my fantasy is even remotely possible is what sets me apart from Utah State fans, whose only remotely-possible fantasy is beating BYU.

I'm not a coach, I'm not a scout, I'm not a player. If my hopes and dreams are shattered at some point during the season, it just means it's going to be like every other year for me. And yet I keep coming back to the well. There's something enjoyable about living the fantasy.

[Coach McGuirk]

Fangupo and his massive ass calves to the rescue!

http://deepshadesofblue.com/fangupo-to-the-rescue-for-byu/