Messing with Texas: UT @ BYU

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Is that a 5 o'clock shadow?

Kinda looks like Bill Murray. Maybe that's why he owned part of the Trappers for a while.

[Uncle Ted]

Well, it *was* CU...

LOL.

[Joe Public]

Kinda looks like Bill Murray.

I was thinking Luke Wilson.

[creekster]

There's that and there have been enough teams come into Provo and kick BYU's ass that I just don't see the altitude being a very significant advantage anyway. Seems to get plenty of talk, but it's overrated, IMO.

Its not that much opf a difference. You really need to be at about 7000 or 8000 feet for it to make a meaningful difference (unless your lungs are already impaired). Many studies have shown this. Many people who complain about the altitutde in SLC or Provo are, I believe, really complaining about the dry air, which can make your lungs feel like they are burning.

[UVACoug]

Huh, 32-25 would be the spread and hit the points. They could put 32 on us with their fast receivers and backs.

Did you see our defense play against Texas last year ... and UVA this year? 32 may be possible, but seems much less than likely.

[UVACoug]

Is that a 5 o'clock shadow?

Maybe the gay marriage proponents in the Church are on to something after all.

[The_Douger]

Did you see our defense play against Texas last year ... and UVA this year? 32 may be possible, but seems much less than likely.

I could see their offense blowing us up like Oregon state did last year.

[UVACoug]

I could see their offense blowing us up like Oregon state did last year.

Based on what?

[The_Douger]

Based on what?

That they have a good quarterback who has a 150+ rating for all last year. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they hung 30+ on us.

Their defense is undisciplined at times, but I don't think they're going to struggle with the patsies we have on the Oline.

[Uncle Ted]

Ogletree answers some questions out of the mailbag...

http://ogletreefootball.com/?p=80

[...]
Q: 1- Texas struggled significantly on defense last year despite very talented players, what would you say is the cause of this? Are they not disciplined in gap assignments, are they poor in technique, or do they have a hole on their defensive roster?
2- What main passing concepts do you see Texas running this year? They used to run a lot of 4 verticals, y stick, and double slants in the Greg Davis (OC) years and went to a different scheme under Harsin the last 2 years. What have you seen from them in terms of concepts?
3- How would you describe the BYU defense? One gap or two-gap 3-4? One-high or two-high? – Hedely


1. From watching Texas play last year, my biggest takeaway was that they were undisciplined, especially in the secondary. It doesn’t matter if you have the greatest athletes in the world in your secondary (which Texas, or “DBU” as it’s been pointed out to me this week, usually does), a blown responsibility can let even the simplest play or least athletic player break off a huge gain. Sound coverage usually comes with experience.
2. The UT offense is VERY similar now to what it was under Harsin. I’ll cover this more in my scouting report of the UT Offense tomorrow. The biggest difference to me is how Harsin used shifts and motions before the snap to confuse defensive coverages and create mismatches. He brought that technique with him from Boise St. UT is not Boise St, as I’m sure Applewhite understands, and it seems like he is content to be more straight up in the pre-snap approach. With the talent UT has on offense, they don’t need to use the smoke and mirrors that Harsin was accustomed to at BSU.
3. BYU runs an aggressive gap control defense. Coach Mendenhall’s is dedicated to controlling the running game, and will commit how every many extra players to the front as necessary for that to happen. If the front 7 can control the run, BYU will usually play a 2-high look. I expect to see mostly 2-high this year, especially against teams like Texas that have very talented receivers who can put pressure on BYU’s inexperienced corners.
[...]
Q: As a Texas fan it seems like Longhorn fans are divided into two camps over this game. One camp fears the BYU defense, and the other points out their weak schedule from last season, and even to their matchup with Virginia last week. Your thoughts? –Lance


Given the fact that I was part of last season’s defense, I’ll try to be as objective as possible on this one, but I really do think BYU’s defense is a forced to be reckoned with. You can only play the teams that are on your schedule, and last year BYU limited all but one of them to very low offensive outputs (Oregon State was the exception). This included limiting pretty potent offenses like Georgia Tech and Boise State to their lowest offensive output in years. This season they are thinner and less talented on the D Line and at Corner, but Mendenhall is a great defensive mind and knows how to schematically highlight the play of his most talented players (LB’s and Safeties) while compensating for others. The BYU Linebackers might be one of the most athletic LB squads in the country, and Kyle Van Noy is basically a walking turnover waiting to happen. It will be a tough test against a very talented UT offense but the BYU defense has proven the ability to hold their own and keep the team in games.
[...]

[Joe Public]

Did you see our defense play against Texas last year

No, did you?

[UVACoug]

No, did you?

Didn't you know about that special thirteenth game we played at the end of the season?

[Uncle Ted]

Ogletree's Texas offense scouting report is up...

http://ogletreefootball.com/?p=85

[SteelBlue]

Ogletree's Texas offense scouting report is up...

http://ogletreefootball.com/?p=85

Ogletree is really good at this.

[old_gregg]

the ticket market is holding up better than i expected after a bad loss. or maybe cs makes me think average guy byu fan is more fickle than he really is.