The Power of the ROC

Almost three years ago, November 6, 2010, I discovered that the Brigham Young University student section was not as awesome as I thought it was. I had started to realize it earlier in the season, but it didn't fully hit me until a buddy of mine from Colorado joined me for that year's game against UNLV.

He had attended BYU as a student, and he was a little disappointed with the decline of the student section. Sure, it was against an awful opponent and ended in a 55-7 rout, but still, why did the stands feel so empty? Attendance for that game is listed as almost 2,500 below capacity and at least from where I was standing it felt like a whole lot more than that were missing. And I was standing in the student section.

Well, I was standing in one of the student sections.

You all remember the old student "section." It had some of the students in the south end zone, some scattered throughout the east sideline, and some in the south end zone. That sure is a lot of sections for the singular student section.

That old student section was the cause of another interesting issue my friend and I observed that day: we repeatedly sang one of the worst renditions of BYU's fight song imaginable. And it didn't just happen that one game, it was a problem I noticed time and again. We were unbearably out of sync with each other. The way it sounded to me was that the older folks had the fight song down, and us students were scattered and unintentionally trying to sing it in a round. It was awful. Being on three different sides of the stadium certainly did not help our cause to be unified.

But rest assured, it's been fixed.

Beginning with men's basketball during the 2012-2013 season the student section experienced a major overhaul. The two major changes were the name and the location, and both, in my opinion, were long overdue.

Branding of the Student Section


Duke has its Cameron Crazies, Pitt has the Zoo, Texas A&M has the 12th Man, San Diego State has the Show, Michigan State has my personal favorite, the Izzone.

And now BYU has the Roar of Cougars, or ROC.

I'll admit, it took some getting used to. I thought there could have been some better options out there. But now I'm convinced, the ROC is the best name for the student section at Brigham Young University.

First of all, the video introducing students to the ROC starts off with Sean Connery saying "Welcome to the ROC," and that is awesome.

It also gives us an identity. We belong to something, and we are a part of the game itself. Our presence bothers opponents. They are afraid to face the ROC. We intimidate them almost as much as facing Kyle Van Noy or Tyler Haws intimidates them. Why do you think BYU has a hard time getting big schools to play us in Provo? It's because of us. It's because we ROC.

We no longer have an All Sport Pass. That was lame. Now we have a ROC pass. That is cool. And not only does it sound cooler, the ROC passes look sweet, too.

And you know what? The ROC isn't just for football and basketball. It's for every sport. Naming the student section didn't just unify the students. It unified every BYU team by unifying the student section with something as simple, yet powerful, as a name.

We have an identity, we have a name, and we are part of something great. We are the ROC.

Unity and Movement of the ROC

The culture at BYU is one that pushes back against change. I get it. We liked our sideline seats at basketball games. We You liked that we you could show up five minutes before after kickoff. Well guess what? It was awful for everyone else.

Okay, so for basketball it wasn't awful, it just wasn't as good as it could be. Think about it. We have a chance to influence games to a greater degree than ever before.

Can you imagine shooting a free throw with that
in your field of vision?

Imagine a scenario with two seconds left in the second half. BYU has a one point lead. Gonzaga's Kevin Pangos goes up for the go ahead layup and gets hacked by Nate Austin just before time expires. The whistle blows  and Pangos goes to the line for two free throws and a chance win the game. Behind the backboard the ROC goes wild. Pangos looks up at the backboard and tries to focus, but sees the Dick Vitale signs up in the crowd just as he's about. He thinks, "What on earth does Dicky V have to do with BYU?" Clank. Right off the front of the rim. (And for the record, Dicky V has everything to do with every college basketball team. He's Dicky V!) Then it all comes down to his second shot and a chance to force overtime. Of course, between the pressure and the noise from the ROC, the poor kid doesn't stand a chance. BYU wins the game, and it was because of us!

Will that scenario ever happen? Who knows. But we can be a factor in free throw shooting and a team's communication and a myriad of other things to affect the outcome of the game in that crucial second half.

And now to football. I don't think the moving and unifying is so much where the complaints have been, although there certainly have been some who didn't like that either. I mean students will no longer have seats at the 50 yard line, but let's be honest, when we got 50 yard line seats before they were nosebleeders, so it's not like it was spectacular anyway.

The biggest complaints I have heard have been from the people who like to show up to games right around the time of kickoff and usually end up missing kickoff. They like to show up late and still enjoy their seats on the fifth row that they landed for the big game against that school up north. And now you have to show up to the game early or at least before kickoff in order to get anything even remotely "decent."

Exactly.

Now we reward the loudest and craziest and most dedicated fans. Seems fair to me!

Now we fill the stands before game time. Do you know how much that means to the team? A lot! And if you've ever played in front of a crowd you know the incredible feeling of looking up in the stands and seeing it feel up before the game.

Students now line the tunnel as the team comes out of the locker room and that gets the noise level and energy up in the stadium as the team runs onto the field. Sure it was loud before. But were you there against Texas? It was unreal.

The ROC showed up early and greeted the team as they arrived at the stadium. Then the gates opened for the game and everyone rushed to get the best seats. Then a monsoon happened, and so did something really special.

The ROC stood still.


The harder it rained, the louder the students got. It was electrifying. The PA announcer told everyone to head under the bleachers. But nobody in the ROC could hear because everyone was there in their shorts and t-shirts screaming their heads off. Eventually the message was put up on the video board and everyone realized how bad of a storm it was so they took cover. But the energy didn't die down. Nearly everyone stayed, and under the student section bleachers it got loud with the fight song breaking out along with the occasional Seven Nation Army chant. It was fantastic.

Look at the ROC. That's amazing.

That would not have happened a year ago. People would have been at home, and by the time kickoff rolled around there would have been as many Texas fans as BYU students. Instead, the ROC supplied some serious energy to the team in a 40-21 domination of the 15th ranked Longhorns.

The ROC is a part of the team. And they showed up big time two weeks ago. We need to do the same again this Saturday.

We're playing that school up north, and we need to show up in a big way. The players are wearing royal, and we should be, too. If you don't want to spend the 25 bucks on the sweet Nike "Royal Strong & True" shirts at the BYU Bookstore, that's fine. Wear any royal shirt you have, even if it doesn't have a BYU logo or anything on it. And if you don't have a royal shirt, go to Macey's and buy a cheap shirt for something like four dollars. Be a part of the team. It's going to be awesome. And if you can't handle that, at least wear blue. No green, white, yellow, or pink shirts. And never, under any conditions, show up in red.

BYU Football Preview and Picks

One the eve of the always anticipated college football season, it's time to take a look at the new look, "Go Fast Go Hard," BYU Cougars. There are areas we know we'll see success (like Cody Hoffman and Kyle Van Noy) and there are areas Cougar Nation is concerned about. We'll take a look at those, my game by game predictions, and a brief look at the national scene and who has a legitimate shot at a championship.

The Certainties

So we never know for sure, but these three groups are a pretty safe bet. We know we'll see positive production from them and there should be little to no concern, primarily because each position is led by a potential NFL caliber talent.

Wide Receivers

Cody Hoffman will likely be considered one of the
greatest receivers in BYU history.

Led by Cody Hoffman, this group will be the most productive unit on the team, provided Taysom Hill has enough time to throw to them. Hoffman will very likely end the season as the school's all time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, as well as a shot at the total yards record. Skyler Ridley has turned some heads in both spring and fall camps and found himself listed as a starter heading into this weekend's game at Virginia. Ross Apo, while listed second in the depth charts behind Ridley, seems primed for a breakout year after some injury concerns derailed him a bit his first two seasons. It will also benefit him to have some consistency at the quarterback position. JD Falslev will continue to be an important and reliable option for Hill to turn to coming out of the slot position. He won't demand the defensive attention of Hoffman will be a surehanded target especially crucial on third downs.

Even deeper than these top four, this group will provide plenty of options for Taysom Hill and could wreak havoc on defensive game plans. If Apo or Ridley can have a break out year it will make it that much more difficult for teams to center their defensive game plans around Cody Hoffman.

The Front Seven

Sure the defensive line lost Ziggy Ansah, a top five NFL draft pick, and Romney Fuga, an undrafted free agent currently with the Denver Broncos, but the defensive line will still be a dominant force. Returning to action is Ethan Manumaleuna, which is particularly significant because it was his injury that caused Ziggy to be thrust into the starting role and consequently the NFL. Not a bad guy to have back on the line. After a promising freshman campaign, Bronson Kaufusi will now be a full time starter, and his knack for getting into the backfield and roughing up quarterbacks will potentially demand double teams by season's end. Remington Peck and Marques Johnson should also be solid options to round out a productive defensive line.

Van Noy may just be one of the best players in the country.

Two NFL prospects lead the line backer corps. Kyle Van Noy is one of the best college football players in the country and every offense BYU faces will be sure to know exactly where he is at all times. He has notched at least one statistic in every possible category each of the past two years and he will probably wreak havoc on every team the Cougars face this year, regardless of the final score. Because of Van Noy's dominance, Spencer Hadley's success has been largely unnoticed, but he is also drawing the attention of NFL scouts. While he doesn't find himself in the backfield as often as Van Noy, he just may well lead the team in tackles this year and he will be key in stopping the run this year. I think he's up to the task. While Uani Unga and Alani Fua are less experienced, they are athletic and have good size. It doesn't look like this unit will let up from their dominance last year, even with the losses of Brandon Ogletree and Uona Kaveinga.

Safeties

I really think Daniel Sorensen has NFL potential. He has size and he is faster than most of BYU's corners have been the past few years. We have seen his play making abilities through interceptions, tough tackles, and goal line stands. Perhaps he won't ever take over a game like Van Noy in the Poinsettia Bowl, but he is a solid player, and his running mate Craig Bills is no slacker either. They may not turn in the most dominant performances this year, and Sorensen may never play in the NFL, but they should be a unit that performs well and won't cause any concern for Bronco Mendenhall's defense.

The Question Marks

Running Backs

Let's be clear. I don't think the running backs themselves are question marks. I think the fact that the offensive line is a major concern (see below) makes me question how productive the running backs will be. I hope I'm wrong, and I hope they run roughshod over everybody this year, but I don't know if anyone in this group, talented as they are, can turn in many 100 yard performances if the O-line doesn't open some holes for them. If the offensive line can keep the defense out of the backfield, we could see some great things from the running backs.

Jamaal Williams is fast and never shies away from contact. If over the next three years he stays healthy and averages 69 yards per game he can become the school's all time leading rusher. That may be looking a little far ahead, but it's a credit to his productive freshman season as a 17 year old. He's back, and he's ready to be the guy from the beginning. Michael Alisa should be ready to go after multiple surgeries to fix his broken arm. He won't reclaim his full time starter role from Williams, but his size and power will make him a weapon in BYU's new H-back position. Paul Lasike will be a force on short yardage situations because everybody has a hard time bringing him down. As Bronco has previously pointed out, pads are a luxury to the rugby star, and he punishes anyone who steps in his way. Adam Hine is also poised for a breakout season and could see his playing time increase if he performs well in the early going. The fast paced offense will likely call for each of these guys to see significant playing time, and if the O-line helps them out they could be one of the best backfields in the country. But that's a really big if.

Much of BYU's success is up to Taysom Hill.

Quarterback

Again, this is in large part because of the offensive line, but I also have my questions about Taysom Hill at this point. We haven't seen a whole lot of him, and what we have seen was mostly positive. Having said that, what we saw from Jake Heaps was mostly positive his freshman year, and we ran him out of town the next season (which I still think we were wrong about, but that's not the point of this article). He will easily be a step up from Riley Nelson because he can throw a spiral and he's not likely to miss a wide open Cody Hoffman behind Notre Dame's defense for a game winning touchdown, but we don't know if he can be consistently accurate. We don't know if he can progress through his reads. We don't know if he can be a pass first, run second QB. When he does run, we don't know if he's as fast as he was before his knee injury. We don't know if he can stay healthy. That's a lot of things we don't know.

We do know that he has the potential to be great. We do know he is an incredible leader, as evidenced by his summer practice sessions with his receivers. We also know he led the only scoring drive against Boise State and almost won that game.

He could be Jake Heaps, he could be Steve Young, or he could be something in between.

Special Teams

I'm not worried about the return game, but I do have my questions about the kicking game. Justin Sorensen, the highly recruited kicker from Bingham High, has failed to live up to expectations in large part due to injury problems. Reports are that he has now fully recovered and is looking good and could be the impact player we all expected him to be, but we just won't know until we see him in action.

At punter, Scott Arellano is looking to replace the second team all-American Riley Stephenson. He was an all-conference punter at Foothill College last season, but that's still a long way to go before all-American. Hopefully he can fill those big shoes and team with Daniel Sorensen to down the ball inside the five on a regular basis.

The Concerns

Offensive Line

If the O-line doesn't hold up, Jamaal Williams may never
reach his full potential.

In my mind there is no greater concern than the offensive line. Sure the kicker may end up being worse or the corners may get torched on a regular basis, but if the O-line can't hold, BYU's solid running backs won't get out of the backfield, and Taysom Hill may never have time to get the ball to Cody Hoffman and company. This offensive line is inexperienced and possibly a little underweight (Michael Yeck is 6'8" and 292 pounds). Hopefully they're more powerful than that weight would indicate, but we'll see the results of that on gameday.

The other thing that concerns me is the plan for a constant rotation amongst the linemen. Ten different guys are traveling with the team to Virginia and the plan is to play them all. Will they all work together cohesively? Will it disrupt any of them from getting into a groove? Again, these things will be answered Saturday.

Corner Backs

Everyone is well aware of the injury and depth concerns at corner. Can they be overcome? Yes. But it's still a little nerve wracking that one of the second string guys started fall camp as a receiver. And both the second string guys are freshman. And neither of the starters have ever started a D-I game. And one has never played a D-I game.

No depth, no experience. The first decent quarterback/receiver combination we see (Texas, week two) just might light us up for 500 yards and 40+ points.

Game Predictions

This list could very well change from week to week based on what we see from BYU and each of their opponents, but here are my predictions for each of the Cougars matchups this year.

Remember this? 2009 was the last time BYU beat Utah.

• @ Virginia - WIN - I don't think it will be pretty as BYU adapts to their new offense and a lot of new personnel, but Virginia is young and inexperienced and won't matchup well against pretty much anyone from BYU, except maybe the corners.
• vs. Texas - LOSS -  I would really love to be proven wrong here, but Texas is one of the few Big 12 teams with a reliable quarterback in David Ash and they could very well pick us apart in the secondary.
• vs. Utah - WIN - Utah is still terrible, and BYU will finally play a decent game against them. Travis Wilson will have a rough time against a really solid Cougar front seven, and defensively they don't have a big presence to disrupt the up tempo rhythm BYU will look to get into.
• vs. Middle Tennessee - WIN - If BYU doesn't win this game it's because everyone forgot about it.
• @ Utah State - WIN - Led by Chuckie Keeton, I'm betting Utah State will turn this game into a shootout. Maybe it's because I can't bring myself to pick a loss here, but I think the Cougars pull it out.
• vs. Georgia Tech - WIN - It's the same bad team that BYU beat up on last year, and I expect more of the same.
• @ Houston - WIN - They no longer have Case Keenum and he is the reason they were a dominant team two years ago. Without him last year they were 5-7 in a bad conference. So while we like to remember Houston as a good team, they really aren't anymore.
• vs. Boise State - LOSS - Here is where things get interesting. Last year Boise State pulled out a 7-6 win against BYU in a defensive players paradise. Had Taysom Hill started that game, or at least come in a quarter sooner, BYU may have pulled it out. Now BYU will be a lot better, and Boise State will be about the same. Also, this year's contest is in Provo. But I still just don't know if BYU can pull it out.
• @ Wisconsin - LOSS - I'm betting this will be BYU's most lopsided loss of the season. Wisconsin's new head coach, Gary Anderson, beat or stayed within three points of BYU each of the last three seasons while at Utah State. Now he'll have significantly more talent around him and I don't think it will be pretty for the Cougars.
• vs. Idaho State - WIN - This game will be a welcome reprieve to the tough teams faced in the weeks leading up to the game. It will be a nice time to regroup before hitting the road again to face dangerous teams, too.
• @ Notre Dame - LOSS - Maybe BYU should have won this game last season, but I don't think they're going to be given the chance again. BYU's defense may keep them close for the first half, but I don't think our offensive line can hold up against what looks to be another tough Irish defense.
• @ Nevada - WIN - Nevada may present a challenge, especially if BYU limps into this game with little to no confidence left. But ultimately the Cougars should be the better team and should pull out the win.

I think BYU can win any of these games, but in my mind the best case scenario they go 10-2, worst case 5-7. I think they'll end up on the positive side of things, finishing 8-4 and headed for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

National Title Contenders

Naturally, anyone could end up playing for the BCS National Championship in January. We've seen teams go from being unranked to claiming the title, so we never really know what will happen. That's part of the beauty of college football. But here are the five teams I think have the best chance at taking home the crystal ball this year.

• Alabama - This team is in the middle of one of the most dominating college football dynasties in history. They've been there before so they can handle the pressure of sitting at the top. Frankly, if Alabama doesn't win I'll be shocked.

  

  The title seems to be Alabama's to lose.

• Ohio State - Last year's undefeated campaign was impressive, but they literally had nothing to lose so they could play loose. Can they do it again this year? They have the personnel for it, and they have the coach for it, but going undefeated two years in a row is a really difficult thing to do in college football.
• South Carolina - Jadeveon Clowney could carry this team on his back. I think they'll end up as a one or two loss team, and I don't think they'll make it to the title game, but on the other hand it wouldn't surprise me.
• Oregon - With or without Chip Kelly at the helm, Oregon is still dang good. I'm not going to be surprised at all if Oregon winds up undefeated and Marcus Mariota wins the Heisman. They got a tough draw for their conference schedule, but they have the firepower to get through it.
• Texas A&M - If Johnny Manziel doesn't get suspended and if  the team doesn't get distracted by the drama he brings and if Manziel doesn't suffer a sophomore slump, then this team could be pretty darn good.

My Pick: Alabama. There just isn't a team out there as all around good as the Tide. AJ McCarron isn't flashy, but he's as steady a quarterback as there is in the country. While it will pain me to see them, and the SEC, bring home yet another title, I just don't see it happening any other way.

Ziggy

The story of Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah has been extremely well documented, so I don't want to bore you with the whole story again, but if somehow you missed it take the time and read the full story from Sports Illustrated. And this recent article by ESPN is worth a read and will make you laugh, guaranteed.

And in case you don't want to read all that, here's a recap, which also serves as the general framework of Ziggy's version of The Blindside:

• Ezekiel Ansah, a Ghana native, has dreams of coming to the United States and playing in the NBA.
• He comes to BYU for school and to pursue a basketball career.
• Never making the cut for basketball, he runs track.
• Barely being able to fit in the track lane, he is taken to Coach Mendenhall about playing football.
• After being taught how to put on his pads, he walks onto the football team.
• For the first couple of years, he is a really nice story and fan favorite.
• Suddenly, in the middle of his senior year, he becomes a dominant force on the football field.



Ziggy always seems to be in the right place at the right time.
That's a gift.

• Now he is projected to be a top ten pick in the NFL draft.

I sure wish that would happen for me. Your dreams of playing in the NBA didn't work out? I'm sorry, but here is a nice consolation prize of playing in the NFL!

Somehow he skyrocket from being brand new to the gridiron to a guaranteed first round draft pick. More than that, he has been projected to go as high as second in the draft, and it is suddenly almost unheard of to see him listed outside the top ten.

So what is it about Ziggy that has caused this meteoric rise? I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a football expert. I don't know how to study football film or the intricacies of the game that will make any player great, but especially a defensive end. I'm pretty clueless.

But I have some ideas based on my research and observations, and in spite of my limited knowledge of the game of football, I think I have a pretty good handle on why Ziggy is turning heads.

Freakish Athleticism

If you have watched him play at all, you know Ziggy has some unbelievable physical gifts. The dude is 6'6" and 273 pounds. When I hear that I picture a huge man, but I don't necessarily picture a guy who is pure muscle and scary fast like Ziggy. He's big, strong, fast (4.56 40 time), and can jump (34.5 inch vertical, and a BYU trainer says he's seen him do better). His closing speed surprises people, and that strength of his leads to some pretty big hits, especially evidenced by the research done by ESPN's Sports Science. You can get a feel for that speed and athleticism in the highlight reel from his senior year.

Unlimited Potential

As a result of the unreal amounts of athletic ability he possesses, nobody really knows where his ceiling is. He's only been playing football for a couple of years, and if he continues to improve at the rate he has thus far, he could end up being one of the best. More realistically he'll end up being a productive NFL player who makes it to a Pro Bowl or two before he retires, but with the raw talent he has you just never know.

Jason Pierre-Paul

Born to Haitian immigrants, Jason Pierre-Paul didn't begin playing football until his junior year of high school. Basketball had been his focus until that point. After a couple of years of junior college football, he transferred to South Florida where he had a dominating junior year before bolting to the NFL.

Comparisons to Jason Pierre-Paul are intriguing.

In summary, JPP left his love of basketball to play football where he excelled because of his size, speed, and natural athletic ability. He caught NFL scouts off guard, but went in the first round of the NFL draft. In his first three seasons he hasn't just lived up to expectations, he's exceeded them.

The similarities on and off the field are striking and it seems that NFL execs are ready to see if Ziggy really is the next JPP.

High Level of Intelligence

He's majoring in Actuarial Science. Do I need to say anything more than that?

His football intelligence is growing. He went from being absolutely lost on a football field to being able to play special teams, lineman, and linebacker. Ziggy is learning the nuances of the game at an incredibly fast rate. This quote from Coach Bronco Mendenhall, BYU's head coach, says a lot about Ansah's football IQ:

"Remember that first time on special teams? Fast-forward to our last game of 2012, the Poinsettia Bowl against San Diego State. We were calling a defense that had Ziggy as the screen defender. He popped off the line and drew the block from the tackle. When the tackle released, Ziggy turned, got in his hip pocket and made the play. This was a guy who understood the nuances of the game. He was basically fake rushing, inviting the screen so he could make a play on it. That's where we are no, just a couple dozen games removed from 'Go hit the guy with the ball.'"

Winning MVP honors in the Senior Bowl caused
Ziggy's draft stock to soar. 

He went from "Go hit the guy with the ball" to Senior Bowl MVP and projected top ten draft pick in three seasons, with limited playing time in the first two seasons especially. It takes a lot of intelligence to move up that quickly.

Hard Work

Ezekiel Ansah is a great example of someone who pursues his dreams and never gives up. He came to America and BYU to pursue a career in basketball. He got cut after tryouts, but he came back to try again. He got cut a second time, but still found a way to use his athletic talents. Perhaps he doesn't have a firm grasp on what the NFL is or what his potential is, but he was once pursuing a professional basketball career, so he knows how to chase a dream. If his impressive learning curve on the gridiron is any indication, he's caught hold of the NFL vision and is willing to work hard to make it happen and reach his full potential. And if he ever does reach that potential, he is going to be scary good.

**********

Think about it: he was a walk-on project that had never even seen a football game a mere three years ago. He didn't start a game until part way into his senior year, then he finished the year by winning MVP honors at the Senior Bowl. Now he's generally considered the best defensive end prospect in the draft, a first round lock, and a probably top ten pick.

I think he's worth taking a chance on, don't you?

Santa's Mailbag

I read a great Mayan Apocalypse Mailbag the other day by the Sports Guy. He graciously answered "even more e-mails than usual (over 50 in all), just so you'll always remember plowing through your final Sports Guy column during those final seconds as Earth is collapsing on itself." What a thoughtful guy!

As I read that I thought to myself, "Wow! Over 50! This is going to take me forever to read!" (Seeing lots of words on the page of a sports article? Great! Seeing lots of words in my business finance text book? Yeah, it doesn't get read. Ever.)

Then my thoughts turned to my upcoming mailbag. I didn't have 50. Or even 20. Or 10. Heck, I didn't even reach five! But ya know what, I appreciate these four submissions. From three different people. And one didn't even know it was going to get used. Ah, well. I'll catch up to you one day, Bill Simmons!

It's Christmas Eve, so this mailbag will be filled with gifts (and some coal) from Santa. My wife might even read this one if I tell her it's about Christmas.

You know what you should be doing is making some huge movement to get Jabari Parker to go to BYU. -Keith S.

Clearly this is all my fault, and I'm sorry.

This was sent to me 20 December at 2:17 p.m. Many of you will recognize this as mere moments before Jabari announced his decision to go to Duke. I'm not sure what I was supposed to do at that point.

I mean, I met Jabari a couple weeks back. Great kid, went out of his way to say hello to me and ask how I was doing (as did his mother, so great family), but I didn't think to say, "Hey, man. Can I get your number so that when your on national television in a couple weeks, about to declare your decision to attend Duke, I can call you and change your mind and get you to come to BYU?"

I'm sorry Cougar Nation; this one falls completely on me. But gift number one from Santa's bag goes to Duke, getting a terrific young man and an excellent ball player. You're welcome.

Have you talked about Jabari Parker to Duke? You should. -Clayton J.

The next gift is for Jabari Parker: He's getting himself the second winningest college basketball coach of all time to help him prepare for the NBA. He's getting an education from a top 10 university, and even if he only stays there for a year that's pretty good. And he's going to get a shot at a national title. That's not a bad deal.

I've always said that if I had the luxury of a scholarship offer from any school in the country, I would go and play for Coach K. I wouldn't do it for Duke. I couldn't care less about Duke. I would want to play for the greatest coach of all time. But since John Wooden isn't around anymore, I would play for Coach K in a heart-beat. Unfortunately I wasn't good enough to have that option, but Jabari is. And as much as it pain my BYU loyalty to say it, I think he made the right decision.

Look, I would have been ecstatic if Jabari had come to Provo. I really and truly would. I was really hoping for it! But I just didn't see it happening. I saw a possibility of it happening, but we were just up against some heavy hitters. I don't know if we ever had a chance, I don't know if we ever were in the lead, and I don't think Jabari will ever reveal that to us. What I do know, is that he made a choice that will be very beneficial to his future, in all aspects of life, not just basketball. That's not something exclusive to BYU, and Coach K is someone I have the utmost respect for, and it seems that he does great things for his kids out there at Duke.

Perhaps the "safe" choice would have been BYU. Surrounded by people of his same faith in a culture he could thrive. There would be nice Mormon girls for him everywhere. He would instantly receive the Jimmer treatment. In fact he already had when he came for his official visit as BYU fans pulled out all the stops. He would have been the best player on the team, and probably the best player in the conference. Between BYU's ESPN deal and BYUtv national attention would not have been a problem. Coach Rose is a very respectable coach, BYU is a respectable program, and he would have been an instant legend.But the kid chose Duke, and I respect that. He did what he feels is best for him, and that's really what the choice is all about. I wish him nothing but the best at Duke and in the league.

Will you then please do an article on the BYU field goal kicker. Seriously - there's no way a collegiate kicker can be that bad all season. I mean, this is BYU. Sure, we're no SEC team, but we're still a football school. Shouldn't we be able to recruit a decent kicker? I vote we recruit from our own BYU women's soccer team. What's your take? -Ben H.

I'll admit, the kicking game has been awful this year. And last year. But it wasn't due to lack of recruiting efforts. BYU recruited Justin Sorensen to be the go to kicker. In high school he kicked field goals of 59, 61, and 62 yards. That's incredible. But in college he's just never materialized as a consistent and accurate kicker.

He spent his freshman year backing up Mitch Payne and went 1-3, with his two misses coming from beyond 50 yards. He was 2-2 on extra point attempts. Following his mission he had an inconsistent sophomore year, making just 60 percent of his field goal tries. He did however set a BYU record for most extra points in a season without a miss as he went 48-48 on PATs. It was later revealed that he struggled throughout the season with back injuries and he underwent off-season back surgery.

The backup kicker was senior punter, Riley Stephenson, who hadn't so much as attempted a PAT since high school. All things considered, he did a respectable job holding Sorensen's spot making 4 of 6 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points. Obviously this was not an answer, and it was certainly a sub par performance for a kicker, but considering he was actually the punter, I say he did alright. (And a great gift to him for receiving numerous second team All-American honors for his punting season!)

However, Sorensen came back from his injury and still struggled. He was clearly not fully recovered and quite rusty as he made just 50 percent of his field goals and missed the first three extra points of his career, going 27-30. Is he the answer? I'm not sure. I'm not sure he's been given enough of a chance yet. It's a shame there isn't a quality backup for him, but most football teams don't give out a ton of scholarships to kickers. It's also a shame that BYU doesn't have a coach dedicated to the kicking game, and that may be adding to Sorensen's struggles. So a lump of coal to the Cougar coaching staff for that deficiency.

Overall though, I think they played their cards appropriately, just just got hit by the injury bug. And they got hit hard. Hopefully Sorensen will recover and maybe next year he'll develop into the kicker we expected. I feel like BYU fans have been saying that a lot the last couple years. "Maybe next year..."

As for recruiting from the women's soccer team, if she can kick a football as deep and accurately as she kicked this soccer ball, I vote the football team gets Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall to take over kicking duties until we have proof that Sorensen is fully recovered. (She earned a nice gift of being number three on Sportcenter's Top 10 plays that night).

Also, an article on what the heck happened to the BYU quarterback position this year would be interesting. I'd like to know what really happened (in other words, a few decent theories). Obviously Taysom Hill go hurt on a play called by the communist North Korean coaches that infiltrated our coaching staff. But maybe aliens abducted Brandon Doman and replaced him with one of their own. And I thought Riley Nelson was supposed to be the Moses that would lead us to the promised land? And how the heck did James Lark end up as Joshua? -Ben H.

Ignoring the fact that you called for a few decent theories and then blamed communists and aliens for the quarterback troubles at BYU, I do have a few thoughts surrounding the turbulence these last three seasons. Each of the past three seasons has really been defined by quarterback controversy. You'd think that somehow that would have ended by now, that the coaching staff would have learned their lesson, but for whatever reason, it keeps happening over and over again.

If BYU never got Jake Heaps, we never would have seen one
of the greatest individual defensive performances ever in this
year's Poinsettia Bowl.

First, I hope that three years ago Brandon Doman received an excellent gift from Santa. He recruited the highly touted Jake Heaps to come to Provo. It was quite commendable to get the top quarterback recruit in the country, but that would quickly fall apart (and I'll get to that in a minute). The reason Doman gets a gift for that? Heaps brought Ross Apo with him, who admittedly hasn't quite lived up to his potential yet, but more important than that, Heaps brought KYLE VAN NOY! And BYU got one of the best defensive players in school history out of that.

Bronco Mendenhall and Brandon Doman receive a lump of coal for their handling of Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson in Heaps' freshman season. It was awful, and I believe it severely stunted Heaps' growth as a player. I believe he should have been named the starter throughout his freshman year. He finished strong and went into his sophomore year as the unquestioned starter, and I think he earned that.

Forgive me for being repetitive, and perhaps a bit lazy, but I already voiced my thoughts on Heaps' sophomore year, and I don't really want to get all worked up about it again, so I'm going to repeat what I already wrote about it a couple weeks back.

Jake Heaps, after a promising freshman season, was in a sophomore slump. Was it frustrating? Absolutely. He looked too tightly wound and seemed to be buckling under the hype we had placed on him. He beat the teams he was supposed to though, and that's all that BYU does now anyway, so I don't think it was fair to place all the blame on a young quarterback, as highly touted as he was. He struggled mightily in the game against Utah State, and Riley Nelson came in an led a miracle drive down the field for the victory.

Riley Nelson was a gritty dude but
probably not the answer for BYU.

But hold on a second. The two big plays of that drive were as follows: 1) a fluttering 40 yard pass that was not even sort of on target, and McKay Jacobson made the play of his career by running across the field, getting under the ball, and then holding on for dear life. 2) an inaccurate pass intended for JJ DiLuigi that he reached back for, drew a pass interference call, and then somehow the deflection found Marcus Mathews in the back of the end zone. Nothing about that drive said "Riley Nelson is more talented than Jake Heaps and the quarterback of the future for BYU." Nothing! But for some reason we turned on Heaps and ran him out of town. I still believe he had the ability to be that QB of the future for BYU, so I think we wasted that and threw it away. It's a shame really.

Look at what Notre Dame did this year. Starting QB Everett Golson struggled to close out a couple of games early. In comes Tommy Rees to save the day. Notre Dame wins, the media tries to ignite a quarterback controversy, but they stick with their guy, and now they're set to play for the national championship. BYU should have done exactly that. Riley saved the day against USU, but let Heaps get back to work on Monday.

The reality of it is that we were stuck with Riley Nelson, who last season beat the teams he was supposed to and lost to the rest, and this season didn't even quite look fully capable of that. In his defense he struggled with injuries, but with the QBs on the bench right behind him it's a shame we didn't put in a healthy guy in his stead, because down to our third string we had starting talent.

After a couple weeks of playing through a broken back and giving the opposing defenses points that would in turn win games, he was finally benched to heal and Taysom Hill came in and showed Cougar Nation why they should be excited about the next few years. He would have been a great quarterback to stay in for a few more games, too, if it weren't for a miscommunication that led to Hill running a play rather than lining up in victory formation and taking a knee. On that play Hill blew out his knee and finished his year with season ending knee surgery.

Instead of turning to our third string senior quarterback, who during spring and fall camps was actually pushing Nelson for the starting job, only to be demoted because Hill's style was more similar to Nelson's and to give him more experience for the future, Nelson somehow recovered from a broken back to be ready to play again. I don't disagree with the decision to move Hill up the depth charts. I think it was a smart move to get him ready to take full control (hopefully) of the starting job next year. I do, however, disagree that Nelson should have rushed back into the lineup rather than playing Lark for a week or two to allow Nelson a full recovery. I mean, we're talking about a kid who was in a battle for the starting position in the preseason. 

Was James Lark the solution all along?

And then in the last week of the regular season we really were down to our third string, Lark, and he showed us he really does have talent. Holy cow did he show us he has talent. He looked brilliant. No other BYU QB has enjoyed that kind of success in his first career start. Six touchdowns. 68 percent completion percentage. No interceptions. I don't care who you're playing, those numbers are dang good. I admit he struggled some in the bowl game when he got a second start, but the fact of the matter is, he ended his career 2-0 as a starting quarterback. An undefeated college career, and he went out on top.

So now, gifts and coal for the handling of the situation the past few years.

Brandon Doman: Gift for giving us Kyle Van Noy.
Bronco Mendenhall: Coal for using a dual quarterback system in Heaps' first year, or at least for allowing it to happen.

BYU fans: A fantastic amount of coal. We hated Nelson and wanted only Heaps when there was a dual quarterback system. Then at the first sign of struggle from Heaps and some late game heroics (as much of a fluke as it was, they were still heroics) from Nelson, we wanted Nelson back. That ended up chasing Heaps out of town to Kansas, the poor kid. Then Nelson starts to struggle and suddenly we want someone, anyone to take over for him. We got Hill. Then he got injured and we wanted Lark. It's just ridiculous. I just hope Taysom Hill can get through next year with a 100 percent completion percentage or BYU fans might just run him out of town too.

Jake Heaps: Coal for transferring instead of working hard and waiting it out. But I wish him all the best and I really do hope he succeeds.

Brandon Doman: He can keep his first gift, but he also gets some coal for his role in all the quarterback controversies, the injury to Taysom Hill, and a completely inept offense.

Riley Nelson: Gift, simply for being a gritty dude and a class act in spite of everything that happened.

BYU coaching staff in general: Coal for everything that happened. But a small gift for finally recognizing that Riley wasn't healthy enough to play in the bowl game and letting Lark take the reigns. I feel for Riley and the way his career ended, but it was the right choice.

James Lark: The biggest gift of this group. He fought through adversity. He stuck it out in the cellar of the depth chart, and he did so with class and grace. And when he got his chance he rose up and took it. Good for him.

I think Doman is the biggest problem and probably needs to go. Bronco is fine, for now, but he needs to step in and make sure some of these things don't keep happening. We'll see how the future goes, but the Cougar faithful need to stay patient and support Hill next season or we could go through this whole thing all over again.

A Blown Call Two Years Old

If you don't read the comments section of BYU football articles, and if you don't spend much time reading San Diego based newspapers, then you probably don't really care about the following post, because you may have forgotten that it was ever an issue. Unless you're like me and you read everything leading up to a game, and you don't forget even the most trivial detail regarding your team (but somehow can't remember even the simplest formula for your statistics exam).

I get holding grudges when it comes to rivalries, and since San Diego State sure seems to think we're rivals, I understand why they still cling to it. After all, it was the last game SDSU played against BYU before BYU abandoned them for football independence, and SDSU lost that game by a mere three points. Aztec faithful are right; it was a blown call that should have been reversed. Video replay clearly shows that JJ Di Luigi was stripped of possession of the ball before coming into contact with the ground. Take a look (start the video at the 1:44 mark):


Word soon got out that one of the replay officials, Chad Bunn, was a BYU alum. This is where the controversy came in. This is what still angers SDSU conspiracy theorists even though that game was over two years ago.

It was a horrendous call, I can absolutely admit that. But there are several things about this incident that simply annoy me. First of all, there are three replay officials. Bunn was the one in charge of video feed, so yes, he probably should have forced the issue and said "Hey, there's other angles you haven't looked at," but the one actually reviewing the video and making the decision said he was fine and didn't need more angles. Clearly he was mistaken about that. But Chad Bunn was cleared of any wrong doing by the Mountain West Conference. Even still, he volunteered to be suspended with the rest of the crew.

So, San Diego State fans, how about you quit ruining Bunn's life (which he has admitted has been difficult since the incident two years ago), and leave him be? Yes, it was a blown call, and if you would like to be angry about that then fine, it's a "rivalry," and one sided as the hatred is, I understand.

But here's one more thought. As a basketball coach I used to tell my players that no game has ever been won or lost due to bad officiating. The sentiment is right, but I think I am going to amend that in the future. From now on I think that I am going to say "No game has ever been won or lost on a bad call from an official." Yes the game was decided by three points, but who's to say that if SDSU got the ball (as they should have) Ryan Lindley doesn't toss a pick six on the very next play? You just don't know what the outcome of the game would have been, even if that call had been made correctly! As a coach I would tell my team, "Who cares about the blown call? We should have gotten a stop." That is, and always has been, a part of my personal coaching philosophy. It is not the officials' fault that we turned the ball over. It's not the officials' fault we didn't put more points on the board. And it's not the officials' fault we didn't stop the other guys from scoring.

Also, as you watch the video, notice that Di Luigi gets his facemask tugged slightly by one guy, then ripped upward by another, neither of which were flagged as they should have been. And if that had been called, it would have negated the fumble anyway. But I suppose that's not really the point here.

So, Aztec fans, please don't cite some erroneous conspiracy theory. Be a little angry, go for it, I don't mind. But please don't blame one BYU alum who happened to have a connection to the decision, because he didn't actually make the call. He also didn't prevent your team from playing defense.

First Ever BTS Mailbag

I've decided I need to get back to writing more consistently, so I had the idea of starting a mailbag. I mean, it works for the Sports Guy, why wouldn't it work for me?

Luckily for me I got several questions to answer, and it's only my first week!

What's the best way to get a spare when you have a 7-10 split? -Mom

Okay, not really the kind of question I was hoping for... But throw back a couple of cold ones, put on a blindfold, and go for it. It's honestly your best shot. (Actually mom, don't drink beer. It's bad).

Well, maybe there's a better question to start on.

Which horse has the best chance of being a Triple Crown winner? -Mom

Hmm... I don't think my mom has ever read my blog before. Actually after this question I'm not even sure she knows I like basketball. And football. And baseball. And soccer. And I can count on one hand the number of times I've even ridden a horse. Which is actually significantly more times than I've watched horse racing. Not really my thing.

That's okay, we'll try for another question.

What's your take on the coaching change-ups in collegiate synchronized swimming this year? -Mom

Okay, Mom, this is just getting ridiculous.

Let's see if we've got any questions from outside my family.

Why is UK always better than North Carolina? -Clayton J.

Wait... What?! Sorry, my friend. Kentucky is seriously struggling this year without any semblance of veteran leadership. Not that North Carolina has a whole lot of that either, but at least they're still ranked in both polls.

They do both need some quality wins, and fast, or their seasons could spiral out of control.

Interesting that Coach Bielema would accept a new job before the season is even over. Now he can't coach them in the bowl game. A basketball coach would never accept a new position between the conference tournament and NCAA tournament. What's your take on this? -Ben H.

In football it actually happens more than you'd think. Unfortunately, with the nature of the college game, if a big school fires a coach, they start the job hunt immediately, and if you get offered the job, they aren't going to wait around for your bowl game to finish to hear your decision. Do I agree with it? No. But it's the nature of the beast.

UConn made the 2011 Fiesta bowl by somehow winning the Big East championship. It was widely known that their coach was interviewing at other schools and everyone knew he was leaving at the end of the season. He didn't actually do what Bielema did here and accept the offer before the bowl game, but he was gone. It was pretty much a fact. But because he was still there with his team coaching them on the biggest football stage in school history, his players rallied around him and played their hearts out for him. They got slaughtered, because rarely does the Big East belong in a BCS game, but they played for him and they loved him. Why? Because for him to accept an offer from another school was a sign that he was moving up the ranks. He was going from coaching football at a basketball school to coaching football at a... well not necessarily a football school, but an ACC school which is absolutely better than UConn in the Big East. But as hard as it is to see your coach leaving, they were excited for him because it was a (perceived) step up to go to Maryland.

Now, going from Wisconsin to Arkansas? From the Big 10 to the SEC? There are going to be a lot of people upset about that one. Could you consider coaching in the SEC to be a step up? Yeah, probably. But he's going from a football school with three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances to a football school that has declined to the point it wasn't even bowl eligible this year. Maybe he just likes the challenge. So it's going to make a lot of UW and Big 10 peole upset, and it would have been real hard for his players to play for him in the Rose Bowl this year. We can sit here and say he should have waited until twelve hours after the bowl game to announce where he was going like Coach Edsall did at UConn, but the fact of the matter is he probably couldn't wait to accept the position or it would have been gone. And the way the media is now we would have found out anyway, and I don't see his players taking to it like the Huskies did in 2011.

I'm interested to see how the AD does in stepping in and coaching for him. I mean, he was their coach just seven years ago, and he's a college hall of famer, but he hasn't been coaching the team all year, so he's going to have to get a hold of it quick or Wisconsin's sixth loss of the season is going to come in blowout fashion. Which, for the record, I think it will anyway. I mean, five loss Wisconsin that was only playing in the Big 10 title game because of sanctions against the two teams who finished in front of them against sixth ranked Stanford? C'mon son.

Hallelujah we only have one more year of the BCS and it's ridiculous idea of who should play the prestigious games.

Thoughts on the Spurs sitting four of their five leading scorers against the Heat? -Ben H.

Quite frankly he has a really old team, and they need rest. They play several games a week so they have to get tired at some point. It's better to rest them mid-season once in a while than to have them completely worn down in the middle of a playoff run. I think it was a smart decision on the part of Coach Popovich.

The ridiculous thing to me is that they were fined for it. He did it several times last season with ZERO sanctions. I don't agree even a little bit with David Stern. He clearly has a vendetta against the Spurs and Pop and it is stupid. His retirement cannot come soon enough, and it's just a year and a half away, and then maybe I'll enjoy the NBA again.

Who should BYU start in their bowl game, Riley Nelson or James Lark? -Kirt

Ugh... I don't know.

Let's go back to last year for a second. Jake Heaps, after a promising freshman season, was in a sophomore slump. Was it frustrating? Absolutely. He looked too tightly wound and seemed to be buckling under the hype we had placed on him. He beat the teams he was supposed to though, and that's all that BYU does now anyway, so I don't think it was fair to place all the blame on a young quarterback, as highly touted as he was. He struggled mightily in the game against Utah State, and Riley Nelson came in an led a miracle drive down the field for the victory.

But hold on a second. The two big plays of that drive were as follows: 1) a fluttering 40 yard pass that was not even sort of on target, and McKay Jacobson made the play of his career by running across the field, getting under the ball, and then holding on for dear life. 2) an inaccurate pass intended for JJ DiLuigi that he reached back for, drew a pass interference call, and then somehow the deflection found Marcus Mathews in the back of the end zone. Nothing about that drive said "Riley Nelson is more talented than Jake Heaps and the quarterback of the future for BYU." Nothing! But for some reason we turned on Heaps and ran him out of town. I still believe he had the ability to be that QB of the future for BYU, so I think we wasted that and threw it away. It's a shame really.

Look at what Notre Dame did this year. Starting QB Everett Golson struggled to close out a couple of games early. In comes Tommy Rees to save the day. Notre Dame wins, the media tries to ignite a quarterback controversy, but they stick with their guy, and now they're set to play for the national championship. BYU should have done exactly that. Riley saved the day against USU, but let Heaps get back to work on Monday.

The reality of it is that we were stuck with Riley Nelson, who last season beat the teams he was supposed to and lost to the rest, and this season didn't even quite look fully capable of that. In his defense he struggled with injuries, and with the QBs on the bench right behind him it's a shame we didn't put in a healthy guy in his stead, because down to our third string we had starting talent.

And then in the last week of the regular season we really were down to our third string, and he showed us he really does have talent. Holy cow did he show us he has talent. He looked brilliant. No other BYU QB has enjoyed that kind of success in his first career start. Six touchdowns. 68 percent completion percentage. No interceptions. I don't care who you're playing, those numbers are dang good.

So of course, because we can't make it through a season in Provo anymore without some QB drama, everyone thinks Lark should play in the bowl game. 

I don't think that I agree.

Benching Riley in the last game of his career would be a slap in the face for him. He's put his heart and soul into this program, and for better or worse, he is this year's starting quarterback. James Lark had his shining moment, a game of near perfection that shattered all expectations anyone had for him. Let him enjoy that and bask in it. It's not like playing one more game is suddenly going to make him an NFL quarterback. Let Riley finish his career on top, let Lark enjoy his magic moment  Or we could go the suggestion of Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune: Riley plays the first quarter, Lark plays the second. Whoever plays better gets the second half.

Whatever happens, let's make it through 2013 with Taysom Hill starting, and nobody calling for Ammon Olson to replace him the first time Hill throws an incompletion.