So what do we do now?

Football
41

How may years have we been watching the same movie? BYU wins @ Wisc, then loses to a bottom feeder? We beat USC, then barf at Toledo.

Coaching is won by the right call at the right moment. I saw a very winnable game lost in 3 or 4 back coaching calls. Iliaki on his business as usual when we had Toledo pinned on the 1 yard line and we had just rattled the QB with an interception the series before. That crap just kills me.

Then Grimes calls for passes when we have a 3rd and 1, no once but several times. Red zone dumb plays. BYU is going to stumble into a bowl game and I have had enough of indy. We have nothing to play for.

42

Sure we do. We play to make a good showing and take “one game at a time.” I don’t think we would have contended for a title had we stayed in the MWC; I think we would be right where we are with indy in terms of bowl games.

Our running backs (whether Williams, Eskupa, or Katoa) are averaging 5+ yards per carry. I think we should be running a lot more, and earlier in the downs, too. And later. While you will have to punt some more than you want (maybe), you’re setting the defenses up and setting up the pass.

We lose time of possession badly every game — even the ones we win. Running the ball more will help with this and give our defense a break.

43

Grasshopper, are you asking for #3 "

I am going back when I was a young man just in my 70’s. (Just kidding, I was in my 30’s)
Cal Berkley had a run play that went around (+ or - ) 100 yards for a TD. There were 3 speedsters that all ran close together from one end of the field to the other. While one was carrying the ball, the other two were downfield blocking. When the ball carrier felt a problem coming, like a defender on his hills, or maybe he was just running out of gas, he would lateral the ball to the closest teammate following him downfield. In all, there ere 5 laterals that ended up in the touchdown. I have seen that reply each year for at least 30-40 years.

Just for laughs, do you remember Jim Thorp? He hid the ball once inside his jersey as he, himself, ran the ball in for a touch down.

44

Does anyone remember Chick Atkinson?

He was the HC at BYU when I was there. He served from 1949-55.

He had one winless season and two one-win seasons compiling a
18-49-3 record, but here is the good news, we were able to tie Utah in 1950. ( This is before I got there there in1953.) I wasn’t good enough to make this team. 155 lbs. 5’10 TE. Too slow. Too football dumb.

45

Rubicon and fish:

This is exactly, exactly, exactly what my #1 play was all about.
Read again my reply to Sr._Burton. I screamed my lungs out each time that happened. No, No, No. Run the ---- ball.
Using my #1 play above is very close to 100% successful while passing the ball, under these circumstances are closer to 50% successful, so this begs the question, should we run, the way my #1 plan says, or do we pass?

46

Good analysis. I agree. We are still running well and should run more including the QB!!! Why did we stop running Wilson? He was hurt in the USC game and we got protective.
One other thing. Just one of those 2 field goal misses would have changed everything. We wouldn’t have had that pass and we could have run out the clock with a win.

47

How about Wilson fake more hand offs and run more? We didn’t run a QB keep up the middle this game. Why? His hip injury was healed. He was throwing well. He wasn’t arming the ball.

48

Fish, I agree with all that you said in a reply to Rubion except for your quoted part above.

BYU is not a quitter. When we are down low enough, we find a way to get back up.

The coach at the time I was at the Y was Chick Atkinson that had one season with no wins at all, playing nobodies, and two seasons with only one-win each playing nobodies.

We were in trouble. We went outside the Church membership list to replace our coach.

We hired a non LDS HC. His name was Hal Kopp.

He was just with us for two years, but he gave us the shot in the arm we needed. He was only with us for 1956-58 but raised us from winless to 13-14-3 in just those couple of years. He was a God Send. Maybe we need that kind of a shot in the Arm today.

We went back to LDS members only for head coach and hired
Tally Stevens to take over as HC after Hal Kopp left. Stevens was HC 1959-60. There was a big drop off and a step backwards.
We dropped to 6-15.

Hal Mitchell replaced Tally Stevens 1961-63.
we were desperate, much like we feel a similar desperation today.
We hired a coach that was the former UCLA and New York Giants Offensive lineman coach. (Two great teams but with no experience as HC) He had a 8-22 record. The downward slide continued. We still did not give up.

We hired 1964-1971 Tommy Hudspeth. BYU was his first experience as a HC. In his second season, 1965, BYU won it first
WAC championship with a 6-4 record.

Guess who was his assistant?

LAVELL EDWARDS was his assistant and when Tommy wanted to go back to Texas, he recommend that his assistant, Lavel Edwards take over as HC.

You know the story from there. It was actually, with that 6-4 record, that gave BYU the WAC championship, that started the ball rolling. It was actually Tommy that started the West Coast Passing Game, but before it became popular. It was Lavel Edwards that gets the Credit for developing it and making it popular.

So no fish, we did not quit. We kept on making adjustments until we finally hit the right adjustments that gave us the NC, the MB, the HT, and now the desire to be a P5. To quit this quest now, would to make all that became before us, not all that important. We must exercise patience.

Perhaps it is time to open up again the ability to hire outside the membership for the best coaches that we can hire.

49

Rubicon,

Before the final blow that put Toledo up 28-21, and while the score was still at 21/21, Escukpa RB had 11 carriet 61 yds,
1 TD and Long 32.

Katoa RB had 4 carries 27 YDS 0 TD’s Long 13

Others:
Hall QB 2 carries, 6 yds. 0 TD’s, Long 6
Z.Wilson QB 6 carries, 1 yd, 0 TD’s Long 7
AhYou LB 1 carry, 0 yds, 0 TD, 0 Long

50

It was Doug Scovil, a non-member, who developed the passing attack that changed football forever. He developed the offense With often 5 receivers and 2 RBs in on the same play. He came from the 49ers to mentor Gifford Nielsen. Norm Chow kept it up at BYU once Scovil left. Norm Chow is a member.

51

bingo, and it falls in Grimes hands.

52

It really does not matter what you are I think. It matters what the fans think. We will see if fans will fill LE Stadium now that we have a losing record. I know I was busy when we played Washington and when I saw the 1st quarter score of 21 to nothing, I had no desire to watch the rest of the game. I wonder what the average fan is thinking? I asked several FB friends if they bothered watching the Toledo game and everyone said, “Nope”.

Toledo kind of took the steam out of my excitement.

53

Well, Toledo game wasn’t on regular TV. And it was early as well on a Saturday. I had work so I didn’t watch it.

54

I’ll tell you what happens. My sons and I have been alumni and diehard BYU fans for years and BYU football is greatly anticipated every year. After Mendenhall left, Sitake’s first year was with Taysom Hill was pretty good-again Bronco’s recruits and seniors. The next year was Detmer and an unmitigated disaster and Detmer got the blame. Last year was another disaster until they turned the reigns over to Wilson and we barely got into a bowl game. This year has been totally weird from play calling to stupid penalties to boring unproductive defense. So what happens next? One more unexpected loss and we are going to have a losing season. This is what happens-we no longer make it a “must” to get together and watch the game. Kids live near Boise, so we become Bronco followers. In my case-I start paying close attention to the Ducks and the Bronco’s and even the Huskies because we all love “Pete”. This is a gradual thing that takes place, but we were kind of rejuvenated with the last half of 2018 and BYU looking like they were making strides to get better. Fans are usually not swayed by excuses-they just want to watch a good game

55

What were expectations going into the season? 1-3? 0-4? Certainly not 2-2. So, at this point we were expected to be 2-3. Just a different perspective.

56

3 home games-2-2

57

It’s not just the raw result (2-3). It’s the “eye test.” How did we look in getting to 2-2. How we looked against Utah, Washington, and Toledo is worse than just the fact that we lost to them. That “eye test” is a big factor in overall fan morale.

58

Playing P-5 teams the only thing important is to win. As a matter of fact, just win. We have lots to work on. See what happens when the team heals and has time to prepare. I predict we win out.

59

Exactly-it’s how you are playing and getting better. Most of us can accept a loss to a better team if we don’t give the game away by playing stupid. Washington was a better team but we had home field which should account for plus 7-but we made dumb mistakes. Most of us accepted the loss ok-but Toledo was a hard one with again lousy play calling lousy execution and lousy 2nd half defense

60

Exactly what many of ours and the radio and tv analysts were saying. That after 4 grueling P-5 teams that there may be a let down, injuries and other difficulties.