Holy War 2011

[Shaka]

Yeah, this was talked about somewhere in the thread last night. It's a problem for Heaps that dates back to last year, and I just don't get it. He consistently seems to whiff on some of his easiest throws. Lots of 2nd and 3rd or shorts that should be easy completions but instead turn into drive killers.

This is my biggest frustration with Heaps. After last season everyone knew that he lacked touch on his shorter passes. Fast forward to this year and nothing has improved.

It reminds me of a shortstop I knew in high school. This guy was freakish with his ability to make spectacular plays. Unfortunately the routine ground balls often got the best of him. It was one of the weirdest things I've ever encountered on a baseball field. A twelve year old would have fielded most of those errors cleanly.

Last night Heaps was wiffing on the routine but connecting on enough spectacular keeping hope alive. It was horrible. Then comes twelve year old Riley Nelson and other than the fumble starts to connect on the plays Heaps could not. Suddenly BYU is marching down the field and the offense is starting to work. Too bad for that fumble, it would have been interesting to see if the drive was sustained.

I'm not wishing for a quarterback controversy. However, I have to ask myself a question: Do I value Heaps ability to throw the ball downfield but his sucking on the bread and butter throws or do I want the guy who can make the routine throws and keep the defense off balance with his running ability?

Heaps problems go a little deeper than just sucking on the short throws. As we saw last week he has a nasty habit of staring down receivers and if the primary receiver isn't open he checks all the way down to his release valve bypassing his second and even third reads. I saw some improvement with this yesterday but he still wasn't very good at checking down.

For the Lark guys. Put him out of your minds. Your backup is Nelson. Nelson's lack of a cannon arm aside I think he gets short shrift by many fans. He has some upside. He demonstrated that upside last spring making throws he allegedly couldn't make. His ability to scramble and make plays with his feet are also noteworthy.

Finally, I like Nelson, Mark Grace knows this and trolls me regularly. In certain instances I think that he would be an interesting change of pace when Heaps is struggling. Last night part of me was wishing he would have been put in a drive or two earlier. Even in the Texas game when BYU had blown a gasket I could have saw the value in switching things up with a Nelson drive. Even with all that I'm still for riding the Heaps train this season and I think the coaches are too. It's going to be painful and he's going to fool us by looking like an all-american vs some patsies. We are really going to have a good idea about Heaps by the Hawaii game. I hope he is able to pull things together.

PS While I'm for riding the Heaps train I'm not sure how many of the players are. It was interesting to watch how many of the players were going nuts when Nelson was having success. Ogletree even ran out onto the field to give whack Nelson on the helmet and give him a high five. In another thread it was mentioned that there were rumors of discontent between Heaps and some of his teammates. If that is true this game isn't going to help things.

[Surfah]

Im not sure we watched the same game. Heaps showed flashes of what he can be, but also showed that he's still a raw product. Doman deserves plenty of blame, but Heaps made his fair share of bad decisions last night.

This is the reason I tried to stay away from the board today.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Nobody is doubting his "physical skills."

Waaaah. Cry me a freaking river. Watch Jordan Wynn crumble against TCU and ND last year. He didn't have the PHYSICAL skills to bail out his poor decision making. But I still cheered for him and am grateful to have him at the helm.

Wynn then put together a solid game against SDSU and a gritty, determined game against the Cougars last year and watched him blossom in the 2nd half against USC.

Perhaps I have a higher degree of trust in Utah's coaching staff than you have in yours.

Disconnect football from the Gospel. Swallow the Red Pill.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Look how much Washington developed Messiah of Montlake! He basically won the Pac 10 4 straight years, he got almost all the way to 55% completions last year.

Piss off, recruiting violator.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Ute fan that never attends Ute games and listens to the BYU post-game show. You sure are an odd one.

I wasn't listening to the BYU post-game show, I was flipping between the 1320 and 95.5 post game shows. Also, contrary to popular belief, I do actually attend Ute games, I just don't necessary attend all of the games.

Its a financial decision why I don't go, it really isn't in the budget especially with the increased prices. I've had season tickets 2 years when I've been in Utah and attend all the games. I also used to take at least one road trip a year while in Portland.

The smack about me not attending games doesn't really bother me, just thought I would set the record straight.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Yeah, no, he had all day, as he did much of the game. But still, it was an awful play by Eason. If he just plays the receiver instead of the ball there's no way that thing completes.

There is a reason Eason is a corner and not a WR.

[Shaka]

Just got to the point of the Anderson TD. Placing the bulk of the blame on Eason on that play is misguided, that play was created by Wynn having an absurd amount of time. For as well as BYU played on defense and all the credit BYU's defense is getting, Wynn had a ton of time in this game.

Agree with this. It's a lot to ask for a corner to cover a talented receiver for that amount of time. If only Corby's vertical was just a touch beter.......

[NorthwestUteFan]

Too bad for that fumble, it would have been interesting to see if the drive was sustained.

I'm not wishing for a quarterback controversy. However, I have to ask myself a question: Do I value Heaps ability to throw the ball downfield but his sucking on the bread and butter throws or do I want the guy who can make the routine throws and keep the defense off balance with his running ability?
.

I wanted to see Nelson march down the field and score last night. Mostly it was because I wanted a second helping of the delicious schadenfreude that a QB controversy would create, but mostly I was impressed with his presence and his decisions. If they would have picked up the obvious Reilly blitz that led to the sack/fumble/TD, he just might have been able to do it.

[Shaka]

I wanted to see Nelson march down the field and score last night. Mostly it was because I wanted a second helping of the delicious schadenfreude that a QB controversy would create, but mostly I was impressed with his presence and his decisions. If they would have picked up the obvious Reilly blitz that led to the sack/fumble/TD, he just might have been able to do it.

I would have loved to see this as well if only to show that the scrubs still have the passion to compete at that late juncture when some of the starters quit.

[SeattleUte]

Bronco assumed all responsibility for this loss. I'm not sure how to interpret that. One day you have Bronco admitting that he is not really an offensive minded coach. So this morning, what are fans supposed to think? How can Bronco fix something he has admitted is a weak area for him?

Saying he's not the offense guy is assuming all responsibiliy for the loss? Sounds like bronco's usual modus operandi to me.

[TripletDaddy]

One bright spot about last nights game....not sure if anyone else noticed but they installed a new set of decorative lighting that is affixed at the top of the spiral pedestrian ramps in each of the corners of the stadium. The lights look sweet! :rockon2:

[NorthwestUteFan]

I would have loved to see this as well if only to show that the scrubs still have the passion to compete at that late juncture when some of the starters quit.

Football is a TEAM sport, and the players must always cheer for THE TEAM.

Seeing dejected players on the opposite side of the field was always delicious. That is why coaches need to push the kids to stand up and cheer for their teammates.

This is a something we try to teach kids in pee-wee leagues. Sometimes the lesson needs to be learned again.

[MarkGrace]

This is my biggest frustration with Heaps. After last season everyone knew that he lacked touch on his shorter passes. Fast forward to this year and nothing has improved.

It reminds me of a shortstop I knew in high school. This guy was freakish with his ability to make spectacular plays. Unfortunately the routine ground balls often got the best of him. It was one of the weirdest things I've ever encountered on a baseball field. A twelve year old would have fielded most of those errors cleanly.

I've known plenty of players like that SS, and it's because raw talent manifests itself instinctually. See, react. It's plays when a guy has time to think that he can f*** himself over. It's like watching Rajon Rondo make spectacular, jaw-dropping plays, and then seeing him stand 15' feet from the hoop with the game stopped and not even be able to convert at a rate most HS kids could.

As far Riley, after seeing him live for the first time last night, I'm still where I was before. A team couldn't go anywhere with him at the helm. I guess we're not going anywhere right now either, but with Heaps the potential is sill there.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Piss off, recruiting violator.

Hey! I was the first person here to hope you weren't dead in Reno somewhere.

[NorthwestUteFan]

Saying he's not the offense guy is assuming all responsibiliy for the loss? Sounds like bronco's usual modus operandi to me.

He is the gift that keeps giving. His impressive win percentage is laudable, but crazy stuff like this is very funny to witness. I hope they give him a 15 year contract.