2008 BYU Cougars

[Jimmy Chitwood]

we usually focus on the skill position guys here at CF, but we shouldn't forget that the big men in the trenches are the key to success for any team. as such, here's a complimentary article on one of BYU's terrific o-linemen, right guard Travis Bright.

an excerpt:

"He changes the complexion of the entire team because of his toughness," he said. "He's soft-spoken maybe in dealing (with the media), but I think most of our team is afraid of him. He's physical, and I really like having him around."

Indeed, the Cougars are lucky to have him around.

When BYU faced UCLA in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl last December, Bright went down in the second half with a broken right leg. While some feared it could be the end of his playing days in Provo, Bright surprised everyone with a quick recovery in time to break BYU's all-time bench press record by hoisting an incredible 540 lbs., this past March.

 

[Gi-15]

BYU are now ranked no.8

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Backup receiver Spencer Hafoka is still suffering from a bruised foot and is not likely to play against Utah State, Mendenhall said. Starting receiver Mike Reed is also out until probably the TCU game on Oct. 16.

this news means that it is likely sophomore Luke Ashworth and senior Reed White will be more involved in the offense against Utah State this weekend.

also, tight end Dennis Pitta is said to be fully recovered from his dinged up shoulder.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Luke Ashworth will shine if given a chance. I watch the kid practice and he looks really good. Glad to see my favorite Cougar, Dennis Pitta getting back to 100%. BYU being ranked so highly is really something. 7th in the coaches poll and 8th in the AP. Strangely I haven't heard much talk of it on campus this week.

 

[Liverlips]

5-0 after beating Utah State. Hopefully they move up again this week.

How sweet will it be if they win the national championship with 15 or 16 white starters (and only 2 black starters)?

 

[Don Wassall]

5-0 after beating Utah State. Hopefully they move up again this week.

How sweet will it be if they win the national championship with 15 or 16 white starters (and only 2 black starters)?

I know we've talked aboutBYU's 1984 national championship on here before. They were nearly all white and the media was very reluctant to give them their due. As I recall they were the only undefeated team that year and they won their bowl game so there was little choice. There was a lot of complaining about the schedule BYU played, but the real problem was they were just too damn white.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

here's a highlight video of BYU's first 4 games this season for those of you who've not had the pleasure of seeing these white athletes in action.

and might i add that the lady hosting the show is HOT!

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

for those who are interested, BYU is playing TCU on the Versus channel Thursday night at 7PM central.

BYU is undefeated and ranked #8, while TCU is 6-1 and ranked #24.

while BYU's defense is very good, the most talked about aspect of the game is BYU's offense vs. TCU's defense, which is ranked #1 in the nation.

interestingly, TCU's "athletic" and "fast" defense is anchored by three superb white athletes. middle linebacker Jason Phillips is the defense's best player. he currently has a team-leading 26 solo tackles, and is second on the team in tackles for loss with 8.5.

the defensive line features three white players, two of which stuff the stat sheet. defensive end Matt Panfil and defensive tackle Cody Moore are tied for second on the team with 4 sacks each. both make a lot of plays in the backfield, with Panfil earning 8 tackles for loss, closely followed by Moore's 7.5.

nose tackle James Vess doesn't put up big numbers, which is normal for the position, but he does a very good job of clogging up the middle and forcing a double team to allow his teammates to make plays.

on the offensive side of the ball, running back/wide receiver Ryan Christian makes a lot of plays.

all these white athletes on TCU's "fast" and "athletic" team begs the question, what would the former Air Force head coach (who was so enamored with negro speed) say?

this game should be a lot of fun to watch.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Jimmy, good question, and I'd have to say DeBerry would probably once again ignore the whites defensive starters and pretend like they are all black and fast. When he made his comment, Texas Christian started 3 whites on defense, and they were good players as well. I agree that this should be a great game to watch. I know it will bethe biggest test of the year so far for the Cougars.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

ouch!

BYU was thoroughly out-played this evening. TCU's defense revealed the limitations of BYU's offense. those being the fact that the Cougars have running backs that aren't fast enough to hurt you if they run outside, and there are no dangerous threats in the passing game other than Collie and Pitta.

the Horned Frogs double-teamed both Collie and Pitta almost every pass, yet no other receiver for the Cougars stepped up to make a play. Collie still went over 100 yards, and Pitta was close to it, but those numbers don't reflect how in-effectual BYU's passing attack really was.

meanwhile, TCU's defensive line (with three white men) dominated the line of scrimmage, both shutting down BYU's running game and pressuring Hall all night.

it was a thoroughly dominant performance by TCU.

 

[SteveB]

Without a good Tight End, BYU's offense has always struggled against a good defense. In their offense, the TE opens up the passing game and helps solidify the running game.

 

[FieldThrower]

Dennis Pitta is 3rd in the nation in both catches and yards among all tight ends. I don't know who is a "good tight end" if not him. The two above him maybe?

My opinion is that BYU should have used more power running and spread the ball around more. DBs were keying on Hall's "favorites" - Pitta and Collie - all day. TCU's defense was light, and their DBs weren't all that fast (see the Oklahoma game). They were just in the right place, and it wasn't too hard, since the "right place" was a small halo around either Collie or Pitta. Not hard to do with 5 DBs and 2 fairly light LBs.

I did notice how about 3/4s of TCU's d-line and half their LBs were white, and TCU won the game by pass rush speed and capitalizing on BYU's bigger, slower o-line and Hall's tendency to lock on - as well as their horrid defense against running QBs like Jack Locker. From a caste perspective, it was OK. Though the standout DE was black, some white dudes like Jason Phillips were fast on the rush (BYU's fat 350-lb sumo linemen made TCU's lighter rushers look even faster). From a BYU fan's view, I just can't feel good about this loss. It exposed my team in a bad way - a team that even had talks of a national championship berth if things went well.
Edited by: FieldThrower

 

[Colonel_Reb]

It is a disappointing loss, but I think the last two games showed warning signs to those who were looking. BYU's line is in pretty good shape overall, but they did not do well against Texas Christian. We'll see what happens between now and the end of the season, but BYU now has 5 non-BCS teams ranked ahead of them in the BCS rankings. Utah, Boise State, Texas Christian, Tulsa, and Ball State. Those teams will have to lose for BYU to have a shot at a BCS bowl. The good news is that BYU gets to play one of them, Utah.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

After a slow start against Air Force, BYUhas pulled aheadin the second half and Austin Collie is setting school and conference records! This is the last big test for BYU before going to Salt Lake to end the season. Edited by: Colonel_Reb

 

[Colonel_Reb]

BYU won't let Jim McMahon in their Hall of Fame.


[url]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/danpatrick/blog/20604/index .html?eref=sircrc[/url]


Jim McMahon's father wrote a letter to BYU asking for his son to be inducted to the school's football Hall of Fame.


McMahon said he's been told he's not in the BYU football Hall of Fame because he didn't graduate. But he hints there were several other issues and says BYU is hypocritical.


McMahon said BYU wasn't truthful when it recruited him. He said the school said it wouldn't enforce tough rules on him. But McMahon said the second he go there the school was on him. McMahon said that he was on probation from freshman year on. He was caught having a beer on a golf course.


Dan asked McMahon if he had a do-over, would he go to BYU again? McMahon said definitely, because he learned so much about football, which was his main goal.


McMahon pointed to a double-standard. He often saw coaches having coffee or a beer after a game, which he wasn't allowed to do.


McMahon said that after his final game, school officials called him in and said several students came to them and said the QB violated several rules and asked him to leave.


McMahon said they used him. When his eligibility was up, the school dumped him.


McMahon said his father is the main reason he went to BYU. Jim wanted to go to UNLV, because he had such a good time on the recruiting trip.


McMahon said he was offered money to go to other schools -- mostly in the form of an easy job and maybe a nice car, etc.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

TE Dennis Pitta is a Mackey Award Semi-finalist!


www.BYUCougars.com


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<TD> BYUPhoto/MarkPhilbrick</TD></TR></T></TABLE>Pitta Named John Mackey Award Semifinalist
by Duff Tittle, BYU Athletic Communications

<INLINE-VIDEO id=289 />
MANHASSET, N.Y. (November 17, 2008) â€â€￾ BYU tight end Dennis Pitta has been named a semifinalist for the 2008 John Mackey Award by the Nassau County Sports Commission (NCSC). The Mackey Award is given to the collegiate tight end that best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, academics, and community values of NFL Hall of Fame Tight End John Mackey.

Pitta is currently among the nations top tight ends in every statistical category. The 6-5, 250-pound junior is second in the nation in yards receiving (992), third in receptions (76) and yards per game (90.18), and fourth in receptions per game (6.91).

Against Air Force on Nov. 15, 2008, Pitta broke the BYU single-season tight end reception record of 68 set by Consensus All-American Chris Smith in 1990. His 152 career receptions are second all-time at BYU for a tight end, trailing only All-American Clay Brown who had 178 from 1978-80.

Pitta has been named John Mackey Tight End of the Week twice in 2008 for his performances against Northern Iowa and Colorado State.

The 2008 recipient of "The Mackey" will be announced on December 11, 2008 at the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show live on ESPN and presented at the Nassau County Sports Commission Annual Awards Dinner on April 27, 2009.

The Nassau County Sports Commission is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that promotes sports and healthy lifestyle for Nassau County residents and is responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

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Its time for "The Holy War" BYU-Utah


http://cfn.scout.com/2/776657.html


MWC Fearless Predictions, Nov. 22 </TD></TR>
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<DIV style="COLOR: #777777">BYU WR Austin Collie &amp; Utah RB Darrell Mack</TD>
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<DIV =storybyline style="FONT-SIZE: 13px">By Staff
<DIV =storybyline style="FONT-SIZE: 11px">CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted Nov 20, 2008</TD>
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It's the biggest game in the history of the tremendous rivalry. Utah can go off to the BCS with a win over BYU, while the Cougars hope to win a share of the MWC title. Will it be the thunder of Utah and Darrell Mack or the lightning of Austin Collie and the BYU passing game? Check out the Previews and Predictions for the Week 13 MWC Games</TD></TR>
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Mountain West
Air Force | BYU | Colorado State | New Mexico
San Diego State | TCU | UNLV | Utah | Wyoming


MWest Fearless Predictions Aug. 30| Sept. 6 | Sept. 13 | Sept. 20
- Sept. 27 | Oct. 4 | Oct. 11 | Oct. 18 | Oct. 25 | Nov. 1 | Nov. 8 | Nov. 15

How are the picks so far? SU: 50-16 ... ATS: 29-28-1

Mountain West Game of the Week
BYU (10-1) at Utah (11-0), 6:00 EST The Mtn.
Why to watch: It's always big when these two play in the most underappreciated rivalry in college football, but this is the biggest battle ever between the two. In 2004, when an unbeaten Utah needed the win to go off to the BCS, BYU stunk. In BYU's 1984 national title season, Utah was mediocre (as was everyone else on the Cougar schedule, but that's for another day). This year, Utah can secure its second BCS game in five years, and can at least argue that it should be in the national title discussion, with a win, while BYU, if it can pull off the upset, would likely leapfrog Boise State and be the top ranked non-BCS conference team ranked in the top 12. If Utah wins, the Mountain West title is cut and dry. If BYU wins, and if TCU beats Air Force, then there will be a three-way tie for the championship.

If nothing else, the hope is for this game to be half as good as the last two. Two years ago, BYU beat the Utes 33-31 on a last-play-of-the-game scrambling touchdown pass from John Beck to Jonny Harline. Last season, BYU, down 10-9, needed a 49-yard catch by Austin Collie on fourth-and-18, a few pass interference calls, a personal foul, and an 11-yard touchdown run from Harvey Unga with 38 seconds to play to break Utah's heart for a second straight season. Those two were bad, but a BYU win this season would be even worse for the Utes, who are coming off a nearly perfect 63-14 blasting of San Diego State. BYU beat Air Force 38-24 to run its current winning streak up to four, but it needs a big win to get its reputation back after getting pantsed by TCU in a 32-7 nationally televised shellacking.

Why BYU might win: The top-shelf passing game Utah has faced this year was ... uh, um. Colorado State? Most of the teams in the Mountain West who have decent passing yards got them by bombing away in comeback mode, or to try to keep up the pace with the better teams. Utah hasn't seen anything like the passing game that BYU is about to throw at it. The Utes have a decent pass rush, but not a good enough one to get to Max Hall to screw up the timing of the Cougar attack on a consistent basis.
Why Utah might win: The BYU run defense is hardly anything special. The Cougars couldn't handle the precision of the Air Force ground game, giving up 323 yards and three touchdowns, it gave up 240 in the loss to TCU, and it got pounded on by Colorado State's Gartrell Johnson for 102 yards. Utah has a balanced attack that does a little of everything right, but when things are really working, it gets big days from its big backs, Matt Asiata and Darrell Mack. Throw in Ray Stowers into the mix, along with the running of Brian Johnson, and Utah should crank out 200 yards on the ground.
Who to watch: Brian Johnson has had a tough career as the Utah quarterback. Considered to be the superstar for the spread under Urban Meyer, Johnson took over, even though Meyer took off, and showed tremendous promise early on before suffering a major knee injury. While he hasn't been the same since, he has been a winner who has seen time in 42 games. This year he's been good for roughly an interception per game, but he's also getting rid of the ball quicker and doing a great job of keeping the chains moving. Meanwhile, on the other side, QB Max Hall might be the star of the BYU show, but Austin Collie is putting together the All-America season. The nation's leading receiver with 85 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, he has gone over the 100-yard mark in nine straight games and has scored seven touchdowns in his last three.
What will happen: How can this be anything other than a classic? 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two have been decided by a touchdown or less. The Utah running game will control the game and the clock, but BYU will have the ball in its hands for one final drive. Unlike the last two years, this time, the Ute D will come through.
CFN Prediction: Utah 24 ... BYU 20 ... Line: Utah -6
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[FieldThrower]

Collie had a great kick return against Utah. Sadly, the game broke down in the 4th quarter, and the score ended up being similar to 2004.

Collie is 15th in all-purpose yards, with 1914, 2nd in rec yards per game, with 118.25, and 4th in receptions per game with 7.92. Hopefully the Biletnikoff selection committee takes notice, but Crabtree's media coverage will likely prevail.Edited by: FieldThrower

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

not surprisingly, Collie didn't get named a Biletnikoff Finalist.

the "top 3" receivers in the nation are named as finalists, yet "somehow" he was left off the list...

 

[FieldThrower]

Maybe next when he grabs 125 passes for 2000 yards, and 25 TDs, and returns kicks for 1500 yards, he might get a finalist spot.

Seriously, that's just dumb that they didn't name him finalist. The guy has had 100 yard games for 10 straight weeks.I didn't know they had already done the selection. Edited by: FieldThrower

 

[Don Wassall]

DraftDaddy linked this article, which has some nice praise for WR McKay Jacobson:


Mendenhall: Jacobson further along at this stage than Collie


Not to put too much pressure on McKay Jacobson, but BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall said the sophomore returned missionary is further along at this stage than Austin Collie was two years ago.


Collie, who is BYU's all-time leading receiver, will put on an Indianapolis Colts uniform this weekend at his first mini-camp after being chosen in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Jacobson, who last played in the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl, missed most of spring practice with a hamstring injury.





That didn't keep Mendenhall from delivering a message about Jacobson's readiness to contribute during a Mountain West Conference football coaches teleconference on Tuesday.


"It might surprise everyone because he (Jacobson) had a hamstring injury going through spring, coming back from a mission," Mendenhall said. "But in his conditioning, speed and agility, he exceeds that of where Austin Collie was when he came back (from his LDS mission). Clearly, if McKay's not the fastest player on the team, he's one of the top two. He should really help us in the return game as well. We're very confident he will play a significant role for us."


Jacobson had 28 catches for 547 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman in 2006 and also returned a punt 77 yards for a score against Wyoming.


"McKay is a different type of receiver than Austin," Mendenhall said. "He's not as big or physical but he's quicker, more nimble and has more speed. He's equally if not more so a deep threat. I can't say he'll have the same kind of impact. He'll be different because of the nature of his physical skill set, but there's no question he'll help us."


Not only does BYU lose Collie to the NFL from the receiving corps, but another senior in Michael Reed. In addition, sophomore Spencer Hafoka's bout with influenza has made his return uncertain for fall camp.


"The timing couldn't be better to have McKay back," Mendenhall said.


full article: http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/307330/163/

 

[celticdb15]

That is a serious compliment! This kid must be the real deal

 

[Colonel_Reb]

McKay is the real deal, celticdb15. I know the kid and he's an incredible athlete and very intelligent to boot. I hope the coaching staff uses his talents correctly over the next 3 seasons. I'll definitely be watching in the fall to see what happens.

 

[celticdb15]

How tall is he Col Reb?

 

[Colonel_Reb]

McKay is currently listed at 5-11, 192.