Welcome to CrashUtah – Where BYU fans Talk Sports

I know I am not the only one that is sick of BYU playing in Vegas, and I know that it won’t be official until tomorrow, but we all know what is going to happen. Honestly, I could probably live with it if the Pac-10 could send a decent team, but no, we will either be stuck with a 6-6 Arizona St, or what appears to be the case, a weak Arizona at 7-5.

I realize that the game will sell out thanks to BYU, but don’t they want a compelling game at least? Apparently not as they have let Cal, the number 4 Pac-10 team get away because another bowl wanted a local team. So we get stuck with a crap team instead of a decent matchup.

How can the MWC allow their teams to get screwed out of decent competition? The Bowl is only concerend about money, but the conference should be concerned about showcasing their teams, and playing a team that is barely bowl eligible, even if they are from a BCS conference, does nothing for gaining credibilty.

We had a good year for the most part, and it will likely end with a win over a third Pac-10 team, but what good is it to bust your butts all year to end up with little to no national respect. If the Mountain West wants to be taken more seriously they need to get in some better bowl contracts where the competition will be better, and the teams will have something more to play for. Until that happens, they will continue to be looked down upon, and be forced to play inferior opponents.

Seeing as how I have nothing else to write about for a few weeks until the bowl selections are made I thought it might be interesting to consider who may enter the NFL draft early this year.

Cases coud be made for much of the offense, but I would say really only Jorgensen on defense. However, I really don’t think many, if any of them will go.

If you take away the TCU and Utah games Max Hall had a tremendous season. One which would have at least drawn the consideration of numerous scouts. Fortunately for us, He screwed up any chance he may have had when he threw five picks and had a fumble to close out the season. Talk about leaving a bad taste in their mouths. Max, and BYU will be better off with him hanging around.

Harvey’s season didn’t quite blow anyone away, but the talent is definitely there to go to the next level eventually. He needs one more year to really prove his worth and there is no reason to think he won’t take it.

Perhaps the greatest threat to leave early is Austin Collie. He leads the NCAA in yards, and has had a phenomenal year. I am sure he is garnering at least passive interest from multiple NFL teams, and he would be stupid to not at least consider it. However, the deck is stacked for next year to be even better getting both Utah and TCU at home. Not to mention his timing with Max can only get better, and he could add to his new BYU receiving yards record. Let’s cross our fingers he stays.

Dennis Pitta should also draw some attention which he will definitely consider. The BYU tight end factory continues to roll on, and he is another good one. Just like Collie, I think he would benfit greatly from another year in the national spotlight where he can gain more press and respect. Only time will tell how it turns out.

On defense, the only real prospect to go pro is Jan Jorgensen, but I don’t think this year was good enough for him to move on. He was so stellar last year that teams really started working him this year and knowing his work ethic he will study film all summer and come back that much stronger next year and ready to face the double teams.

This is all merely speculation and we won’t know anything for months but I don’t really see anyone moving on because it would be in all of their best interests to hang around for one more year.

The discussion at this point in the season naturally revolves around what teams will go to what bowls. In that light it will be very interesting to see where BYU ends up. The most obvious choice is for BYU to go to The Las Vegas Bowl once again. This seems the most likely seeing as how they have sold it out in the past, and the bowl committee will be looking to make that same money again this year.

I must admit that I really don’t want this to happen. I am tired of Las Vegas. Even though it is considered a lesser bowl, I would rather see BYU go to the Poinsettia Bowl. In fact, I read an interesting idea where the Pac-10 could give up their half of the Poinsettia Bowl and let Boise State come down and play BYU. Now there is a grand idea.

It would be great to see BYU play a good team in a bowl for the first time in years. That would allow BYU to have something to get up for and challenge them to get some momentum going for next year. I am a little concerned that if BYU gets stuck playing another crappy Pac-10 team they will be lazy about it, and get beat which is definitely not what they need at this point.

It would be nice if the bowl environment would allow for BYU to go to some other bowl somewhere else, but with all of the conference guarantees that will never happen. I actually kind of miss the old days when you really didn’t know where your team would end up because there were very few guarantees. It gave you a chance to play teams you otherwise probably would not have, and it gave some suspense to the selection process.

I would really like to see them go back to a system where there are fewer guarantees. Maybe even a system where only the conference champion is guaranteed to go to a certain bowl, and the rest get to fight over what is left which would make for a much more interesting bowl season. They really need to do something though, because even some of the BCS games are losing their hype and the rest of the bowls totally are.

They need to go back to having bowl games on New Years Day with the National Championship that night. They complain that a playoff would lengthen the season too much yet the National Championship keeps getting pushed back later and later. There are even bowls after New Years that have no relevance in the national scene.

But, the NCAA is not going to change anything, and BYU will probably be stuck going to another Las Vegas Bowl and have to play another Pac-10 team. I guess it could be worse, they could be done for the season completely.

I don’t know if there is anything I hate more than losing. It just sucks no matter what. It doesn’t matter if the game is close, or a blowout. It doesn’t matter if you got beat or you lost(there is a difference). It doesn’t matter if it is any other team, or your rival losing just sucks.

So how was I rewarded on this day that could have been so beautiful? I was rewarded with a blowout loss, that we lost, to our biggest rival. I really wish I knew what was wrong today. I am a firm believer that no one person is to blame for any one loss, but it is hard to overlook the game that Max Hall had today.

Let me first say I am a huge Max Hall fan, and was thrilled when he was named the starter last year. I also believe he is absolutely on the same level as Graham Harrel, Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy when he is on, but there is no doubt he was very off today. Throwing five picks, three of which led directly to touchdowns, is unacceptable. I am sure he would be the first person to admit that, and that he is beating himself up more than anyone else could, but it was just embarassing.

The saddest thing was that most of them weren’t even close. He was misreading plays like crazy all night long. I have just decided that even though he is a Junior, this is only his second year, so he was just getting the rest of his “sophomore slump” out that was left over from the TCU game. He will definately bounce back and come on strong next year. It’s just sad to already be looking to next year before Thanksgiving.

At times like these it is always fun to look back and think about the ups and downs we have experienced as fans. In thinking about The Holy War I can’t help but recall some of my personal experiences.

There have been plenty of memories I don’t want to remember to include getting beat in 2004, and lets just say I still hate the numbers 34-31. But lets focus on the good memories.

My first good memory was of the game in ’98. I remember watching the game and enjoying the clang of the goalpost. When I went back to school on Monday my teacher told us he had been sitting in the endzone right at eye level with where the ball hit the goalpost. It was a beautiful weekend.

Despite the short time that has elapsed I have very fond memories of the last two years. I don’t think a detailed description is necessary to any true BYU fan, though I believe video can be found on this website if you have forgotten Beck to Harline, or Austin Collie still being open down the sideline.

My fondest memory was Lavell Edwards last game as head coach, and my first ever BYU-Utah game. The season was less than stellar, but that final game was one for the ages. I was stuck sitting with opposing fans because my friends that bought the tickets attended school there, but luckily they were decent fans and we enjoyed teasing each other all day.

The game started quite sad with an early pick six that I am sure Mr. Doman would like to forget since it was his first start. Luckily the game got better. The fourth quarter neared an end with a touchdown catch by my neighbor at the time, Matt Nichols. I’ve never hated my neighbor so much. Luckily, Doman redeemed himself with an unbelievable fourth down pass near midfield, which was vaguely similar to a catch made last year. Then top it all off with a beautiful touchdown to end an historic career.

It is all of the memories that we as fans have that make a rivalry worth anything. Especially in college where the players come and go so much, it is the fans that are constant, and it is the fans that make it great. I look forward to hearing many other people’s stories making this rivalry even deeper for me.

So no matter what the teams’ records are, this is always one of my favorite weeks. There will be more analysis this week than there is information to analyze. “Experts” will start discussing facts, numbers, records, shoe sizes, and anything else that may possibly affect the outcome of this game.

Even the most passive fan that has never watched a game of college football in their life will have an opinion. Everyone with access to a computer will have a comment to make on someone’s blog, if not their own. Most of these comments will be completely stupid and have no basis in fact, or even theory, but why should that matter?

Both the coaches will avoid any direct questions about matchups, game plans, or even pre-game traditions. The players will be as quarantined as possible in this day of constant information bombardment. When a reporter does get a hold of them, anything they say will be on the other teams wall within minutes; as if they needed more inspiration.

Moreso than maybe ever before this game is huge. Should one team win they will definitely be in a BCS bowl for the second time. Should the other team win, they may be able to squeeze through the backdoor as the first one-loss, non-bcs school to make it to a BCS bowl game. Were it not for a huge BIG 12 South game being played between Texas Tech and Oklahoma, this might be the game of the week.

Oh man I love this week. The success of an entire season coming down to one single game. Even in the most lopsided of years, anything can happen in the “Holy War”, because we all know what religion can get people to do. Bring on the heathen university to the North!

GO BYU!

Pessimist- You barely beat a weak CSU team the week after barely beating a weak UNLV team. The voters cannot be accepting of that.
Optimist- A win is a win, and no matter who you are playing, you have to get that W.

Pessimist- You threw a stupid pick in crunch time, and had two fumbles, one when the game was on the line.
Optimist- Yeah but we racked up 551 yards of total offense including five passing td’s, two 100-yard receivers, and a 100 yard rusher.

Pessimist- Your defense gave up 401 yards of total offense, three passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and your first 100-yard rusher of the year.
Optimist- Yeah but they made the stops when they needed too, including a sack on CSU’s final drive.

Pessimist- BYU is not in a BCS conference, and there is no way they can make it to a BCS bowl after blowing it in Fort Worth a couple of weeks ago. Looks like another trip to Las Vegas, or maybe they would prefer a change of pace and go to San Diego instead.
Optimist- However unlikely it is that BYU makes it to a BCS bowl this year, crazier things have happened in college football. They have to win out, and the heathen university to the north has to win this week, but never say never. Either way, the MWC has shown they belong on the national stage, and at least made people across the country pause and think about including them.

Pessimist- BYU always has a prolific offense, it is the defense that is usually in question, and they aren’t playing well of late. Most teams get better as the year goes on, but your defense seems to be getting worse. If they can barely stop the likes of UNLV and CSU good luck when you make that trip to the north.
Optimist- Our offense is clicking again and making plays. You knew they couldn’t keep the big three down forever and they came out in the game. Our offense can compete with anyone in the nation when they are on. It seems they started to believe in themselves again and put up some nice numbers. Say what you want about our defense, but they have shown they can throw shutouts when they put it all together. They will find their heart again that they had at the beignning of the season.

In thinking about last weeks game I couldn’t help but notice how every article i read talked about how accurate their quarterback was, and how their receivers were making catches. On the flip side, BYU seems to be dropping a lot of balls this year.

There was a time where BYU was known for having sure handed receivers. I remember watching multiple national telecasts where the commentators repeatedly talked about how good the receivers were. One of the biggest keys to being so sure handed was catching the ball with their hands and not their bodies. It seems to me that if it is not being addressed already it would be a simple thing to focus on to help improve the offense.

No matter how good your quarterback is, and how accurate he is, it means absolutely nothing if your receivers can’t hang onto the ball. BYU does seem to throw across the middle a lot which can be risky and get in your receivers heads, but at the same time, BYU also runs a lot of quick reliable routes that should only help to build up their confidence.

It was great to see the offense spread the ball around last week and I look for them to do the same this week. I am all for sacrificing your personal eandeavors for the good of the team, because lets be honest, if your team sucks you won’t get any attention for the awards anyway.

Yes, BYU losing last week was a good thing, and no, it is not a good thing.

First, the obvious reasons it was not a good thing. They took themselves out of the driver’s seat in terms of a conference championship, and all but eliminated any chance of a BCS berth. I would say totally eliminated, but there are still quite a few games left, and you never know what can happen. And finally, losing sucks, and no matter what you say, or how you slice it, I hate losing, and I hate it when my teams lose.

The good things that could come of this loss may be less obvious but possibly more important.

Now that they are no longer undefeated a lot of the pressure is off which could help them play more relaxed and execute better as long as they don’t get too relaxed and just throw away the rest of the season.

I would say the target is off their chest with everyone wanting to beat them even more than usual, but the reality is that many schools, both in and outside the conference, couldn’t care less what BYU’s record is, they want to beat them no matter what. Teams carry a certain amount of hatred for BYU due to their success in the past, and let’s not even talk about that heathen school to the North.

Bronco has a knack for finding what went wrong in losses as he looks back. They say hindsight is 20/20 but I think for Bronco it is more like 20/10 or better. I would never say he prefers to lose, but from a coaching standpoint, it sure gives you a much better idea of what didn’t work and how to prepare for the next game. Any BYU fan of recent years remembers how poorly the last two seasons started with early losses, but then corrections were made and they won out.

Perhaps the biggest positive from this loss was the wake up call that it provided. I for one believe that BYU is every bit as good as everyone thought they were, they just chose to forget it themselves last week. Perhaps this loss will help them to find their work ethic and their emotion. Any athlete can tell you that stringing together a couple of good plays just leads to more and more success. Whether that be runs, passes, or even defensive stops. Lets hope the loss jarred some emotion back into them.

I’m so glad this terribly long week is over and I can stop being so sad about the loss. I have all the faith in the world that they will turn it around this week and make everyone happy. So maybe in the grand scheme of things it actually was good for them to lose, as long as they win out.

In reading all of the articles following the disheartening loss last week my positive outlook has been somewhat dampened. I understand the feeling of a coach that there is often more to learn from a loss than a win, but the comments Bronco has been making this week, as well as some of the players, make me feel like they almost wanted to lose.

Bronco has repeatedly referred to the early losses in the last two seasons and how they allowed the team to see their weaknesses and improve for the rest of the season. You can’t argue with the results the last two years, but is it really necessary to actually lose to learn these things? I would have thought close games with Northern Iowa and a weak Washington team would have provided ample opportunities to learn about your weaknesses. This says a lot to me about the coaches abilities.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge Bronco Mendenhall fan, but it seems this team is content with being an average team instead of the great team they had the potential to be. I don’t believe for a second that this team is not as good as everyone thought, and to hear Max Hall say that really doesn’t make sense. You are only as good as you believe you are, so if you come out and say we really aren’t that good, what does that say to your teammates? Anyone who has watched this team play knows the talent level is there. What was lacking this week was the right attitude.

I will be a BYU fan until the day I die, no matter how good they are, or what their record is. It would just be nice to hear a little bit of fire from some of the players. The coach needs to stay even keel, and keep everything in perspective, but the players need to get fired up and emotional in order to do great things. Unfortunately, this team seems content to be average and make, at best, another trip to Las Vegas, but that isn’t even within their control anymore.