Tweet
Looking back I think BYU had pretty good teams in 2006 and 2009. 2006 choked a couple of times and 2009 choked once and then TCU was just flat out good. There have been some other decent teams under Mendenhall, but those were the two best chances at making any sort of "national splash." I am skeptical, given the realities of football and BYU's history under Mendenhall, that BYU will be able to not stub their toe similar to the BC or U of A games in '06 or the FSU debacle in '09. However, I am as excited for this year as I have been for a really long time. I got a wee bit excited for 2011 with the way that 2010 appeared to end but that did not turn out so well. 2012 had clear limitations and last year was a rebuilding year. For this year hope springs eternal!
Reasons for my excitement start with qb. I think if Taysom Hill stays healthy this year he will be dominant. Likely the most dominant qb BYU has had since Beck in '06. I think Taysom is likely to influence games for the better much more than Max Hall ever could. I expect him to be an above average passing qb, which together with his ability to run and create plays is going to make him lethal. If Taysom stays healthy he will be an elite level college qb this year.
I think the receivers will be adequate. I think Leslie will be good and I think Mathews will be above average. I think between Kurtz, Apo and Blackmon BYU will have receivers good enough that the lack of receivers will not be an impediment. I expect Blackmon to not have real great hands - there is a reason somebody with his natural athletic ability is not at a big time school. I think Kurtz will develop and likely be very good as a senior, but I just expect that this year the go to guys will be Leslie and Mathews so Kurtz's production will be limited because I think he will be the 3rd guy unless Mathews gets hurt again. I am not expecting BYU to have a top 10 receiving corps, but I will stick with my prediction that they will not be a liability on offense. They will be able to get open enough for an above average qb to get them the ball.
I expect the OL to be the most improved unit on the team. I think the talent has not been up to BYU's recruiting pool's natural level, but the execution, coaching and bad luck have hampered its performance the past 3 years. I think the infusion of better talent with Luapaho, Kanuch and a more experienced Kearsley along with Robert Anae's 2nd year influence will result in significant improvements. I think it will be an average to above average line.
The runningbacks will be good, not elite like Taysom but very good college backs.
I think the front 7 will be stout. I have some concerns at MLB and for BYU to have a special year Bronson Kaufusi has got to step up and be a dominant playmaker at OLB. I belive Fua will improve from last year, I think the DL will do their jobs and create opportunities for Kaufusi, but he needs to be very good at OLB because while I think the front 7 will be stout, he is one of the few kids who has elite playmaking level potential. If he is just good I am not convinced the others are all consistently good enough for BYU's defense to be special. Excited to see if Manoa Pikula can change my mind on the subject but I see a good playmaker in Fua and in Kaufusi I see the potential for a serious playmaker. The rest strike me as guys who will just do their jobs.
I stand with those who think this is likely to be the best defensive backfield Mendenhall has had available. However, while I think both Bills and Johnson are above average at their positions I think the others will be average. I view the DBs similar to how I view the front 7 sans Fua and Kaufusi. They will do their jobs but the guys who can make us go "WOW!" are limited.
Special teams has me concerned. Mostly because there usually ends up being a huge defeciency on most teams and this is the one area that really jumps out at me. Obviously Arellano will be improved and shouldn't suck but the kicking game is a huge question mark.
I like the schedule. BYU has a chance to make a national splash early if they can beat UCONN and the stars align in Texas. I have no clue what to expect from Texas other than they should be better than BYU, but they have obviously had some problems the past few years. After that BYU plays a slew of solid teams but nobody that I think should have more natural talent than BYU. I think when the dust settles this should be a solid top 20 club and could make a run for the top 10 at 11-1 - with its only loss to Texas. If the stars align in Austin week 2 it could be the vaunted "special" year that has not happened for BYU for a very, very long time. I hope Mendenhall takes advantage of Taysom Hill this year and next because I don't think BYU can rise any higher than what Taysom can take it.
Reasons for my excitement start with qb. I think if Taysom Hill stays healthy this year he will be dominant. Likely the most dominant qb BYU has had since Beck in '06. I think Taysom is likely to influence games for the better much more than Max Hall ever could. I expect him to be an above average passing qb, which together with his ability to run and create plays is going to make him lethal. If Taysom stays healthy he will be an elite level college qb this year.
I think the receivers will be adequate. I think Leslie will be good and I think Mathews will be above average. I think between Kurtz, Apo and Blackmon BYU will have receivers good enough that the lack of receivers will not be an impediment. I expect Blackmon to not have real great hands - there is a reason somebody with his natural athletic ability is not at a big time school. I think Kurtz will develop and likely be very good as a senior, but I just expect that this year the go to guys will be Leslie and Mathews so Kurtz's production will be limited because I think he will be the 3rd guy unless Mathews gets hurt again. I am not expecting BYU to have a top 10 receiving corps, but I will stick with my prediction that they will not be a liability on offense. They will be able to get open enough for an above average qb to get them the ball.
I expect the OL to be the most improved unit on the team. I think the talent has not been up to BYU's recruiting pool's natural level, but the execution, coaching and bad luck have hampered its performance the past 3 years. I think the infusion of better talent with Luapaho, Kanuch and a more experienced Kearsley along with Robert Anae's 2nd year influence will result in significant improvements. I think it will be an average to above average line.
The runningbacks will be good, not elite like Taysom but very good college backs.
I think the front 7 will be stout. I have some concerns at MLB and for BYU to have a special year Bronson Kaufusi has got to step up and be a dominant playmaker at OLB. I belive Fua will improve from last year, I think the DL will do their jobs and create opportunities for Kaufusi, but he needs to be very good at OLB because while I think the front 7 will be stout, he is one of the few kids who has elite playmaking level potential. If he is just good I am not convinced the others are all consistently good enough for BYU's defense to be special. Excited to see if Manoa Pikula can change my mind on the subject but I see a good playmaker in Fua and in Kaufusi I see the potential for a serious playmaker. The rest strike me as guys who will just do their jobs.
I stand with those who think this is likely to be the best defensive backfield Mendenhall has had available. However, while I think both Bills and Johnson are above average at their positions I think the others will be average. I view the DBs similar to how I view the front 7 sans Fua and Kaufusi. They will do their jobs but the guys who can make us go "WOW!" are limited.
Special teams has me concerned. Mostly because there usually ends up being a huge defeciency on most teams and this is the one area that really jumps out at me. Obviously Arellano will be improved and shouldn't suck but the kicking game is a huge question mark.
I like the schedule. BYU has a chance to make a national splash early if they can beat UCONN and the stars align in Texas. I have no clue what to expect from Texas other than they should be better than BYU, but they have obviously had some problems the past few years. After that BYU plays a slew of solid teams but nobody that I think should have more natural talent than BYU. I think when the dust settles this should be a solid top 20 club and could make a run for the top 10 at 11-1 - with its only loss to Texas. If the stars align in Austin week 2 it could be the vaunted "special" year that has not happened for BYU for a very, very long time. I hope Mendenhall takes advantage of Taysom Hill this year and next because I don't think BYU can rise any higher than what Taysom can take it.
Comment