Breaking Badger: BYU vs. Wisconsin

[Bo Diddley]

A few thoughts from the game.

BYU got man handled at the LOS--both sides of the ball. My biggest beef with reffing was how they slowed down the GFGH. BYU ran out of time at the end of the game. I don't get the punt if you truly want to win. But to have a substitution penalty coming out of a time out?

The upper deck was bouncing pretty good in the Jump Around. No doubt that's why people up in the press box said it felt like an earthquake. I hadn't heard about the Jump Around ahead of time, so it took me by surprise. This plus the fact that the whole way walking up to it, I was sizing up the engineering, hoping that whoever designed it knew what they were doing, because it looked a little dubious to me.

It was a fun trip. Good food. Not a lot of ethnic diversity up here. Less so than even Utah for sure. Dunno why people would want to live in such a cold place.

[Surfah]

The officials were very deliberate in their setting of the ball which definitely hurt our pace of play. I figured that would be the case when GA was praising the Big 10 officials before the game for controlling the tempo of these no huddle teams. Regardless, what kills our offense is not getting anything on first down and not being able to convert that first down. CJ said it to me during the game, BYU has to get that initial first down. When that happens the offense just clicks. I am sure that is the case for most teams who avoid 3 and out but for GFGH it seems particularly important. It establishes a rhythm. I'd be interested in seeing BYU's statistics on that. It sure seems we're going 3 and out or marching all the way down the field.

On offense I wish we would have stayed in diamond formation more and pounded Baby J in the middle. He averaged over 5 yards a carry and only had 14 of them. He should have had at least 20 carries. Wisconsin definitely controlled the LOS, but I am not as down on the OL as others. I'm more disappointed in our WRs and Hill getting happy feet and not stepping into throws. Hill had time to throw most of the day but it seemed nobody could get separation. Losing Mahina and Matthews didn't help early. And drops by Apo, Matthews, Houk and Friel didn't help. Those are drive killers. Especially when they would have moved chains or resulted in big plays.

The defense wasn't great but they were good. It's too bad that Hadley got hurt. It would have been better for Bronco to make the adjustment and move him inside to take Beck's spot who was getting swallowed up or blindly running into the pile over and over it seemed. Unga had a decent game, but he made two really poor plays in coverage. The one at the end of the first half was a dagger. That package when we had Hague and Bills in on the boundary side was killing us. Wisconsin took advantage of that several times. I get that our speed and talent is limited out there so we give up the big cushions. But on passing downs, especially 3rd and long situations we simply cannot do that. I don't understand it, especially because we're never in Cover 0 so these guys still have help over the top. Instead we play 10 yards off and give up the 6-8 yard hitch or out for the first down. So damn frustrating. I thought that Ludwig used the play action well to give Stave time. Stave is a very average QB. He really breaks down under pressure. Otherwise he's going to sit in the pocket and make throws. We couldn't get to him at all and he chewed up yards with short passes. Most teams aren't patient enough to take advantage of our cushions but that is Wisconsin's MO. They're going to do the same thing over and over and over. They'll take 5 yards here and 4 yards there. They just want to hold onto the ball and control clock. They wear you down, test your patience and when you make a mistake they hit a home run. We limited the home runs but it wasn't enough.

More than anything though, I am baffled with our coaches. Wisconsin is legit. They're underrated IMO. They're loaded with 5th year seniors and have won 3 straight Big 10 championships. And with GA they're very well coached. His familiarity with BYU was huge for Wisconsin. Not to mention benefiting from seeing how Utah and KW were able to slow BYU's aggressive defense and contain Hill. Still our coaches had two weeks to plan for this game. I thought Bronco added some unique twists with personnel. He had that zone blitz that Fua had the sack on. Bronson and #95 (whoever that is) both dropped into coverage. Still I don't understand punting from inside the 35. I get the wind, the long 3rd down. But is 12 yards of field position worth not trying to keep a drive alive? I hate that kind of conservatism. I just don't understand that this is the same guy who goes for 2 at Boise last year. I think Bronco has a bit too much faith in this year's defense. The last punt was a definite WTF. We need 3 scores with 7:30 left and we punt? Basically we concede the game. That is unacceptable. And when we did get the ball back, WTF Anae? We need quick scores not clock milking runs. The only time the ball should ever be handed off in that situation is in a short yardage situation. I was so disappointed. It just seems like we have no clue what to do or what we're going to run when it should be obvious. No substitutions unless someone is hurt (we subbed Hoff for Apo on one play and we wasted 5 seconds for them to get off the field and into position on the far side). We stay in the same max protect formation with 3 wide. We don't mix up plays. We don't have Hill running around getting guys into position. It is maddening sometimes. Also, GFGH and clock management at the end of the first half sucked. We should have huddled and milked clock. I know there was 2:30 left but we were pinned deep and the defense had just come off the field. Why burn less than a minute? Take your time, get off the field and go into the locker room down 7. That TD they scored was a back breaker and proved to be insurmountable. Again, poor clock management by Anae and too much faith by Bronco in the defense cost us big time there.

This was just a frustrating game as a fan. I feel like we lose every single one of these. Wisconsin is good and better than BYU, but they're not world beaters. A few plays and BYU is right in it. Instead we miss an opportunity for validation and respect.

[cougjunkie]

The officials were very deliberate in their setting of the ball which definitely hurt our pace of play. I figured that would be the case when GA was praising the Big 10 officials before the game for controlling the tempo of these no huddle teams. Regardless, what kills our offense is not getting anything on first down and not being able to convert that first down. CJ said it to me during the game, BYU has to get that initial first down. When that happens the offense just clicks. I am sure that is the case for most teams who avoid 3 and out but for GFGH it seems particularly important. It establishes a rhythm. I'd be interested in seeing BYU's statistics on that. It sure seems we're going 3 and out or marching all the way down the field.

On offense I wish we would have stayed in diamond formation more and pounded Baby J in the middle. He averaged over 5 yards a carry and only had 14 of them. He should have had at least 20 carries. Wisconsin definitely controlled the LOS, but I am not as down on the OL as others. I'm more disappointed in our WRs and Hill getting happy feet and not stepping into throws. Hill had time to throw most of the day but it seemed nobody could get separation. Losing Mahina and Matthews didn't help early. And drops by Apo, Matthews, Houk and Friel didn't help. Those are drive killers. Especially when they would have moved chains or resulted in big plays.

The defense wasn't great but they were good. It's too bad that Hadley got hurt. It would have been better for Bronco to make the adjustment and move him inside to take Beck's spot who was getting swallowed up or blindly running into the pile over and over it seemed. Unga had a decent game, but he made two really poor plays in coverage. The one at the end of the first half was a dagger. That package when we had Hague and Bills in on the boundary side was killing us. Wisconsin took advantage of that several times. I get that our speed and talent is limited out there so we give up the big cushions. But on passing downs, especially 3rd and long situations we simply cannot do that. I don't understand it, especially because we're never in Cover 0 so these guys still have help over the top. Instead we play 10 yards off and give up the 6-8 yard hitch or out for the first down. So damn frustrating. I thought that Ludwig used the play action well to give Stave time. Stave is a very average QB. He really breaks down under pressure. Otherwise he's going to sit in the pocket and make throws. We couldn't get to him at all and he chewed up yards with short passes. Most teams aren't patient enough to take advantage of our cushions but that is Wisconsin's MO. They're going to do the same thing over and over and over. They'll take 5 yards here and 4 yards there. They just want to hold onto the ball and control clock. They wear you down, test your patience and when you make a mistake they hit a home run. We limited the home runs but it wasn't enough.

More than anything though, I am baffled with our coaches. Wisconsin is legit. They're underrated IMO. They're loaded with 5th year seniors and have won 3 straight Big 10 championships. And with GA they're very well coached. His familiarity with BYU was huge for Wisconsin. Not to mention benefiting from seeing how Utah and KW were able to slow BYU's aggressive defense and contain Hill. Still our coaches had two weeks to plan for this game. I thought Bronco added some unique twists with personnel. He had that zone blitz that Fua had the sack on. Bronson and #95 (whoever that is) both dropped into coverage. Still I don't understand punting from inside the 35. I get the wind, the long 3rd down. But is 12 yards of field position worth not trying to keep a drive alive? I hate that kind of conservatism. I just don't understand that this is the same guy who goes for 2 at Boise last year. I think Bronco has a bit too much faith in this year's defense. The last punt was a definite WTF. We need 3 scores with 7:30 left and we punt? Basically we concede the game. That is unacceptable. And when we did get the ball back, WTF Anae? We need quick scores not clock milking runs. The only time the ball should ever be handed off in that situation is in a short yardage situation. I was so disappointed. It just seems like we have no clue what to do or what we're going to run when it should be obvious. No substitutions unless someone is hurt (we subbed Hoff for Apo on one play and we wasted 5 seconds for them to get off the field and into position on the far side). We stay in the same max protect formation with 3 wide. We don't mix up plays. We don't have Hill running around getting guys into position. It is maddening sometimes. Also, GFGH and clock management at the end of the first half sucked. We should have huddled and milked clock. I know there was 2:30 left but we were pinned deep and the defense had just come off the field. Why burn less than a minute? Take your time, get off the field and go into the locker room down 7. That TD they scored was a back breaker and proved to be insurmountable. Again, poor clock management by Anae and too much faith by Bronco in the defense cost us big time there.

This was just a frustrating game as a fan. I feel like we lose every single one of these. Wisconsin is good and better than BYU, but they're not world beaters. A few plays and BYU is right in it. Instead we miss an opportunity for validation and respect.

Good post. The proper way to run your offense at the end of the first half is to milk the clock about halfway and run the ball or call safe easy passes. If you go 3 and out and the drive started with 2:30, you burn at least a minute and a half. Once you get the initial first down then you GFGH. Watch Wiscys late drivw they were milking clock until they converted that 3rd down. Announcers were even talking about BYU using a timeout to gwt it back.

I would also love to see the stat on how many drives that don't go 3 and out end up in scores and how that compares to the rest of the country.

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[Surfah]

Good post. The proper way to run your offense at the end of the first half is to milk the clock about halfway and run the ball or call safe easy passes. If you go 3 and out and the drive started with 2:30, you burn at least a minute and a half. Once you get the initial first down then you GFGH. Watch Wiscys late drivw they were milking clock until they converted that 3rd down. Announcers were even talking about BYU using a timeout to gwt it back.

I would also love to see the stat on how many drives that don't go 3 and out end up in scores and how that compares to the rest of the country.

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Exactly. Huddle up, run the ball. If you break something and get a big play or first down then you can shift gears to see if you can get into field goal range. If you get there you take a shot into the end zone. BYU could have left Wisconsin with about 30 seconds in the half and they likely would have ran one play or taken a knee.

[cougjunkie]

Exactly. Huddle up, run the ball. If you break something and get a big play or first down then you can shift gears to see if you can get into field goal range. If you get there you take a shot into the end zone. BYU could have left Wisconsin with about 30 seconds in the half and they likely would have ran one play or taken a knee.

Then with 10 seconds pinned deep we run the ball. Did Anae not learn his lesson in the Vegas bowl against UCLA when he ran Unga?

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[jay santos]

Punting from inside your 35 is just brain dead stupid, unless maybe if you have 90% certainty you can pin them inside the 5, which obviously we don't.

As for playcalling, I rarely get into this criticism, and usually think people who do lack a mature understanding of the game, but the run on 3rd and 9 was a bit of a head scratcher.

[Vic Vega]

Punting from inside your 35 is just brain dead stupid, unless maybe if you have 90% certainty you can pin them inside the 5, which obviously we don't.

As for playcalling, I rarely get into this criticism, and usually think people who do lack a mature understanding of the game, but the run on 3rd and 9 was a bit of a head scratcher.

To this novice, It felt like they were playing to keep the score respectable.

[The_Douger]

I can't help but think the same thing when you punt with 8 minutes left in the game down by 17 and punt from your own 33 yard line while the game is still in doubt.

Try for points. Play to win.

[Pelado]

I can't help but think the same thing when you punt with 8 minutes left in the game down by 17 and punt from your own 33 yard line while the game is still in doubt.

Try for points. Play to win.

It was as if Bronco didn't learn the lesson from when he was booed against Boston College.

[Eddie]

It was as if Bronco didn't learn the lesson from when he was booed against Boston College.

Bronco doesn't learn about football from the fans. Certainly not from fans who boo. There's no "as if" about it.

I was listening to a national radio show last week and they were talking about Nick Saban. Essentially they said that he doesn't like the fans. Not even a little. He does enjoy getting ready for games, the chess match nature of matching up against the opponent, etc. But if he could play the game in an empty stadium with no one watching - that's what he would do.

I thought to myself - if I hadn't been listening from the beginning to know he was talking about Saban, I would've thought they were talking about Bronco.

[byu71]

Bronco doesn't learn about football from the fans. Certainly not from fans who boo. There's no "as if" about it.

I was listening to a national radio show last week and they were talking about Nick Saban. Essentially they said that he doesn't like the fans. Not even a little. He does enjoy getting ready for games, the chess match nature of matching up against the opponent, etc. But if he could play the game in an empty stadium with no one watching - that's what he would do.

I thought to myself - if I hadn't been listening from the beginning to know he was talking about Saban, I would've thought they were talking about Bronco.

Bill Parcels was the same way. When you put big time winning teams on the field you really don't have to care what the fans think. Bash them all you want, they will still show. That is why Nick, Bill and Bronco have no fear of what the fans think.

[Bo Diddley]

Bill Parcels was the same way. When you put big time winning teams on the field you really don't have to care what the fans think. Bash them all you want, they will still show. That is why Nick, Bill and Bronco have no fear of what the fans think.

While I think Bronco is a great fit for BYU, I wouldn't put him in the same league as Parcels and Saban. I think Bronco is safe at BYU for now, but I'm really hoping his learning curve hasn't plateaued.

[Y84it]

My thoughts FWIW. This BYU team is really close to being great! Too bad the stars did not align. If we had Johnson and Trammel.....Sigh..... If the BYU Oline had half the talent Wisc has....

When Hill has time he is so deadly and this game is different if he had 5 seconds to pass without breaking the pocket. Our Defense would be really really good with Corners. Daniel was horrible (he must not be healthy) how many missed tackles? Not to mention 5 yards away on every reception by Wisc. If that Wisc QB was better they would of killed us.

Positive side I thought BYU Oline was much better in the 2nd half. Hoffman is so good I am going to miss him. I hope this JC kid coming in is close to what Hoffman is because I dont have faith in Apo and Mathews. Jammal is fun to watch run he should have ran more.

Go Cougs lets see some Depth against Idaho State,

[Blueintheface]

My thoughts FWIW. This BYU team is really close to being great! Too bad the stars did not align. If we had Johnson and Trammel.....Sigh..... If the BYU Oline had half the talent Wisc has....

When Hill has time he is so deadly and this game is different if he had 5 seconds to pass without breaking the pocket. Our Defense would be really really good with Corners. Daniel was horrible (he must not be healthy) how many missed tackles? Not to mention 5 yards away on every reception by Wisc. If that Wisc QB was better they would of killed us.

Positive side I thought BYU Oline was much better in the 2nd half. Hoffman is so good I am going to miss him. I hope this JC kid coming in is close to what Hoffman is because I dont have faith in Apo and Mathews. Jammal is fun to watch run he should have ran more.

Go Cougs lets see some Depth against Idaho State,

As was mentioned, there were plenty of plays in which Taysom had time so either the receivers weren't getting open or he didn't trust himself enough to put it into tight places. I thought Wisconsin was just better, although it did appear that once again BYU wasn't prepared for the big(ger) stage.

[smokymountainrain]

While I think Bronco is a great fit for BYU, I wouldn't put him in the same league as Parcels and Saban. I think Bronco is safe at BYU for now, but I'm really hoping his learning curve hasn't plateaued.