Fair enough, I feel the same way. The only real issue at this point is what happened last year. I could sense the downfall coming and it began with the squeak out win over Oklahoma State at home, not playing very well vs UCF on the road, followed by the luck win vs Utah and the choke job vs. Kansas. The loss to ASU was not a shocker but it was nice to see them get up for the bowl game after that. This year is a bit different in that the potential collapse isn’t imminent and losing to Texas Tech is not even close to the losses that came last season. However, the recipe for this season isn’t a whole lot different than last in that BYU is very good defensively and is struggling offensively… again. That is the only concern I have currently.
Things don’t look a whole lot different than last year in the way BYU is winning and now losing games. I completely understand that Texas Tech has a great team and a great defense but Kansas State and Arizona State, two teams that don’t look as good this year as they did last year. competed with Texas Tech. BYU did not. That is my issue really and I gave reasons for why I think it happens/happened. People can agree or disagree without making personal attacks.
You have a valid point. We are handicapped by our bad offensive coordinator who thinks our QB could run and win the game with his advanced play calling!! We probably don’t need to spend 28 million to compete with your team but we need to spend another 1 million to grab a good OC!!
I am on board with your description. You show me a team that has 9 Total plays in enemy territory and I will show you an incompetent offense and coordinator! Also, we have all seen this before. Last 7 yrs we get in a game where the teams are Even and our OC doesn’t show up! He is a mental midget in the offensive scheme and has no real grasp of how to run an offense. We got lucky with ARod and ISU and the fact that they were horrible on their secondary. TT isn’t. The TT run defense is pretty good and BYU has just one RB on the entire roster who can run the ball. And he was hurt or not used!!
You guys have the second best O-line we have played but I’d say that was still the biggest reason you were unable to compete offensively. You got no push on the line so couldn’t run the ball and we had a +70% pressure success rate without blitzing when you tried throwing the ball. I don’t care how much of a genius your OC is it’s going to be tough getting anything going when the O-line is getting beat that badly. We have done this to basically every team this year so I’d say it’s more about the players we brought in than to say you guys are lacking the normal talent for the BIG 12 at that position.
I have to go with Twack on this one. We have a great OL and have pushed teams around all year and protected the QB very well. We have only one real good RB, LJ Martin. His first run was for 12 yards. But, he is injured with a brace on. Bear’s running plays off LJ’s. But, LJ wasn’t going to run 20-25 times because of his injury. Arod didn’t let him run once in the 2nd half. But, they did throw some to him. Meaning, he was able to run more.
Arod needed to get Bear outside the pocket more and have more receivers out for passes. After our touchdown, we didn’t continue the same offense scheme that we scored on. We went back to short passes to the sideline which TTU is too fast for. Downfield passing should have been the game plan from the start without a healthy LJ. While getting Bear outside the pocket more.
this year I wanted to take a different approach and not be so cynical. as you all know I am not a fan a Kalani or Arod, but last year I let that get in the way of enjoying what was a good year. so this year I threw out my cynicism and said lets enjoy it. it has been the funest year of watching byu football in a long while. it also helped me see the culture that Kalani has bult. which I think we all can be proud of. though I am a cynic at hart I am glad I threw that off and enjoyed the season.
I agree with some of what you said. Arod is a good coach, but I fear we have seen the maximum of his talent. like you said it is about the Jims and Joes, but then we have to ask ourselves is the problem the talent or not being able to coach up the talent. because you can’t have it both ways. if it is the talent then he can’t recruit, if he can recruit then he can’t coach up the talent. I think it is the latter (he can’t coach up the talent). now do I think we should get rid of him, I don’t know. if we do it is rebuilding the entire offensive staff and that could set us back years. I hope I am wrong about all of this and he grows even more and the team gets better and better.
the problem is that TT DC had Arod figured out and dog walked him the entire game. I also think Arod was scared of this game and that caused TT DC to live rent free inside his head, and he then let that into the rest of his players. you could see this in :bears eyes before the first play.
I agree that Arod flinches in high pressure situations but will also put this out there: Bear has said many times that it is because of Arod that he is here in the 1st place. to go 10-2 and now 8-1 in the big 12, I just can’t say Arod is a bad or average OC. Had this discussion many times, the knock was Arod can’t develops a NFL QB that he recruited, well, I think that argument is out the window with Bear and Lyons. And if BYU runs the table, hopefully that will shut down the fire him noise because Kilani does not fire his coaches and NEVER will when we are winning.
AROD is NOT TUIAKI. Tui was terrible at reading a game. HATE the bend but don’t break crap and will never forgive him for the Coastal Carolina loss that killed our chances on being in the playoffs. That is all Tui and happy to see him long gone.
Nice post and welcome: We plan on seeing you again on a nuetral field when we are not hiding an injured RB. TTU has some special RBs and their D is #1 but I think BYU can take you out in the Title game. Hoping that TTU and BYU both do well and play in the CFPs, and that will only happen if BYU wins out.
Jim-conflicted. Praise the team then take it away….Foul!
and yes, Tanner Wall is the real deal. I have played against Sorenson in church ball (KCity Chiefs), He beat us up pretty bad. That dude was the anchor for Coach Andy Reid. Wall has the same DNA.
That was 100% Retzlaff! I have made it a point to watch him when Tulane is televised. He looks like a NFL QB in every way…..until he tries to do too much and throws a head scratcher. Same ol Retzlaff. Bear has been as steady as a rock all season. He needed a humbling to re set the bar. He will do it. That is all.
To everyone on cougarfan. Have you all lost your minds? Bear is 18, running a $30 Million operation. Won his 1st 8 games. His brother, Hank, has been there done it all so Bear has someone he can trust……Let him grow up.
And let’s all be honest here. I was on the TTU boards and all they could talk about was that TTU was in the Red Zone 4 times without a point to show. That was all BYU D. I will take the 3 turnovers and a neutral field and if we lose to TTU in the title game, I will concede. Still a lot of football to be played
I felt like I was getting picked up at a bar. “your are good looking except for in that shirt you’re wearing.” for those of you who’s been out of the dating scene for to long its called negging. yes our defense was good, thanks for noticing. 4 sacks the most you have allowed all year. I noticed that your offense has the same problems we do. getting going at the start of the game. I really hope you figure that out, otherwise the CFP will be a
I was just being honest man. I could only throw out a compliment to the part of your team that played well. It would be disingenuous to compliment your offense or special teams. The defense played great under the circumstances. Our D-line probably costs more than your entire defense so I mean is it really so bad to say that a talent gap exists? I don’t see it as insulting more so just a fact of the game. It was like when we played Oklahoma when they ran the Big 12 there was never really any doubt that they just had more talent.
I agree, your O-line has done that to every other team this year. Tech isn’t every other team though. We have three of the top 5 graded PFF players on defense in the country. It’s a different animal trying to scheme a team that gets the kind of pressure we create without blitzing. Up to this game ya’lls offense produced at a pretty high level so not sure blaming the OC is really the fix. I’m sure next game your QB will perform a bit better. I imagine he was a little shell shocked by the pressure coming from everywhere but he actually impressed me for a freshmen. He did a better job than I thought he would avoiding pressure to get some good passes off.
What happened against ASU? How did that loss even happen?
The fact is that on any given day, anyone can beat anyone, they play the games for a reason, and the best team on paper doesn’t always come out on top. You have to play perfect and other things need to align for that to happen, of course.
How do you see Tech matching up with the Big10 and SEC in the playoffs?
anyone else feel like he’s doing this
buying a roster doesn’t always get you what you want. you have to have the culture as well. your coach has built it there and knows how to pick the guys that will fit into it. your should be proud of that.
like I have said before. your DC lived rent free in our OC’s head and by extension in our offensive player’s head. you where the first team to make look like a freshmen QB. enjoy your moment because were coming for you again.
There is definitely a talent gap. I just don’t think is as large as you may think. I didn’t take offense to your remark. We have a solid 12-15th ranked team and could go higher if we win out and are competitive in the Big 12 title game. Tech is a top 5 team. The only reason they aren’t 5 or higher was a fluke loss to ASU. Tech can beat anybody in the country and it wouldn’t be a fluke. We could beat Tech playing our best game unless Tech played its best game. I think you have a legitimate contender to win it all. There are a few teams ahead of you who shouldn’t be in my estimation. I think A&M, Ohio St. and Indiana are top 3. I think your guys are as good as all the one loss teams ahead of them, maybe better, but you lost one and the pollsters love the SEC and Big 10 so that is why you aren’t higher than number 8. I think you are definitely better than Oregon and as good as Alabama, Ole Miss, and Georgia and right up there with the top 3 in terms of talent on both sides of the ball.
I also don’t put the entire blame on the OC. He didn’t turn the ball over 3 times and shank a punt. BYU had to play near error free FB and they didn’t. Even if they did they probably wouldn’t have won Saturday but it would have been competitive.
Raider, our OC is NOT a genius. ASU beat TTU in large part by pushing the ball downfield aggressively through the air. K State played TTU very competitively until late in the game by doing the same thing. NO ONE has challenged Tech’s D by lining up and running the ball. Yet BYU’s “genius” OC had two whole weeks to plan and decided that you could compete with Tech by running inside and throwing dink and dunk passes. Absolute MADNESS. But thank you for making me laugh on a busy day at the office by calling him a genius (I hope it was sarcastic). I’m a big Joey McGuire fan. His dad is a Legend. His dad was also close friends with BYU’s all time greatest coach Lavell Edwards. McGuire is a great coach and a great guy. Barring some kind of very unlikely scenario where BYU advances farther than TTU, I’m rooting for TTU to win it all.
Appreciate the compliment. BYU has an outstanding defense that has multiple guys who will play on Sundays. That defense played very well. Tough assignment when the offense can’t get first downs, much less points, the special teams is an embarrassment, and the D plays almost the entire game backed up in its own territory.
BYU has an average offense and an OC who is always too conservative. The result is that it allows inferior teams to play us too close, and all too often makes us unable to shock great teams. BYU ATTEMPTED ONE pass over 10 yards in the entire first half. That’s like yelling at the D, “Hey guys, all of you, come up here and press the line.” That offense got stoned and made me want to throw up. The “game plan” made the O look worse than it is, but it’s always just average.
BYU has normally OUTSTANDING special teams. However, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen more special teams failures than BYU had in that game.
I think your analysis is sound and your takes are fair. Thanks for visiting our board, and hopefully we see you again next month.
Tech lost to ASU because for some inexplicable reason we decided even though our starting QB was out we would never hand the ball off to our RBs. Not to mention leave Tyson in single man coverage all game. I mean I honestly can’t understand what our coaches were doing that game. It was coaching malpractice combined with backup QB play.
I was saying even if you had a genius OC not that you actually do. Essentially I don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference when your line is struggling like that was my point. You can only scheme so much. That being said launching deep balls does seem to be the best possible attack against us even if we do currently have the best coverage rating in the country on top of the best run defense as well. We’ve been beat deep a few times when the QB seemingly throws up prayers and hope his guys come down with it.
This is why I was so frustrated with the offense. Part of it was Bear’s inexperience because yes, he looked confused on many of his runs and trying to scramble around back there. His judgement was lacking because of his inexperience. I do not fault him for any of that. What I do fault is an OC that played scared and timid, making the team totally non competitive. We should have been competitive and we weren’t, except on defense. The offense did nothing, N O T H I N G, nothing. The game was a blowout with a good defensive effort. That is ALWAYS the problem, the offense falls apart in the red zone regularly and against Texas Tech they couldn’t even get to the red zone, something other, lesser teams in the conference have done.
Just put together some drives that result in red zone touchdowns or points period.
I appreciate your coming here and sharing your ideas, I really do. However, the more you post the more arrogant you sound. I can honestly say, and this goes for most of the rest here, that if BYU doesn’t make it to the CFP, we are all in with Texas Tech. We are happy to be in the Big 12 and will always root for the conference.
The way you make it sound though is like you expect to take out the Ohio States, Indiana’s, Alabama’s and Georgia’s of college football, no problem. It’s great to have confidence but a confident, realistic perspective is probably more legitimate and believable. The way you talk, nobody else has a chance… but ASU didn’t get that memo even though they lost to Houston and got blasted by Utah. It’s a fickle game sometimes and I would suggest some guarded optimism to go along with the arrogant confidence as the Red Raiders move toward a potential spot in the CFP.
I will say something that will make some of you mad. But Jake Rat isnt going to ever be a rostered QB in the NFL. Jake is not NFL material. Bear is probably not NFL material either. He couldn’t run on Saturday and he for sure won’t run on Sunday! Bear may love ARod but he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know! This offense will be held in check by the defense
on board with your description. You show me a team that has 9 Total plays in enemy territory and I will show you an incompetent offense and coordinator! Also, we have all seen this before. Last 7 yrs we get in a game where the teams are Even and our OC doesn’t show up! He is a mental midget in the offensive scheme and has no real grasp of how to run an offense. We got lucky with ARod and ISU and the fact that they were horrible on their secondary. TT isn’t. The TT run defense is pretty good and BYU has just one RB on the entire roster who can run the ball. And he was hurt or not used!!
