Josh's Sports Blog

The Beginning of BYU's venture into Independence

2011-06-30T19:40:00.004-06:00

With it being the worst time of the year for sports, it's the perfect time to write about some college football. Especially with a lockout in the NBA and NFL. So happy Independence Day to all of the BYU fans out there. Independence definitely has its pros and cons. It will be really nice to have all 12 of BYU's football games on either ESPN or BYUTV. It will also be exciting to look at the schedule and not see many games that you can chalk up as wins on paper. However, this will also mean that a lot harder games will also be on the schedule. But, with the rising level of interest and higher caliber athletes being recruited, I think that the Cougars could be pretty competitive in a couple years. Heck the level of talent on BYU's football team right now is much better than say 2008. Now I am going to move to a breakdown of BYU's offense and defense. Here are highlights from the New Mexico Bowl from last year:

Offense: with all but 2 starters returning from last year's offense, things are looking very good. They ended the season very well. People might say "well look who they did it against" but Jake Heaps and Co. would not have done that in the beginning of the year. Just look at the Utah game. Heaps completed 60 percent of his passes for 228 yards and a touchdown. The offense collectively put up 300 yards on a solid Utah defense. That is improvement right there. Plus, most of these offensive players were Freshman and Sophmores last year. They will only get better. With the addition of Ross Apo and hopefully a couple breakout tight ends, this offense could be very fun to watch in 2011. Also, with all but one offensive lineman returning, plus All-American Matt Reynolds, this group could give Heaps plenty of time and open big gaping holes for Josh Quezada, JJ Diluigi, and Bryan Kariya.

BYU's defense going into 2011 has a few question marks, mostly in the secondary. The front seven will no question be stacked with a very strong core of linebackers, led by Uona Kaveinga. The defensive line will be good at stopping the run. The defensive tackle position has 4 capable players. They include Romney Fuga, Hebron Fangupo, Travis Tuiloma, and Jordan Richardson. The linebackers are deep, with Kaveinga, Jordan Pendleton, Kyle Van Noy, Zac Stout, and Brandon Ogletree. The question marks lie in the secondary, where no starters return from last year. However, I think the guys fighting for a starting position are more talented and faster than the defensive backs of the past. Watch out for Robbie Buckner and DeQuan Everett to stand out during fall camp, which is only about one month away!

Here are some 2010 college football highlights to get you excited about the season, which is only 2 months away!:

Here's to All of Jimmer's doubters

2011-06-26T22:02:00.005-06:00

I have a read a lot of stuff about Jimmer Fredette's NBA future while he did his workouts with various NBA teams. All I hear is the so called experts say that all he can do is shoot and his game will not translate. However I have researched some stats of players who had the same things said about them. How does someone who consistently made 30 foot shots with double teams and hands in his face not carry that kind of shooting over to the NBA. He will get a ton of wide open shots in the NBA because teams can't afford to send double teams to him on a team that features Tyreke Evans, Demarcus Cousins, Marcus Thornton, and John Salmons.

Now for the comparisons. First is Gordon Hayward. He was drafted ninth in the 2010 NBA draft to the Utah Jazz, to the dismay of many Jazz attending the draft party at Energy Solutions Arena. The knock on him was he is a skinny white kid who isn't athletic enough to play in the NBA. Also, he shot just 29% from the 3 point line in college. Most people said that would not translate to the NBA. However, in his rookie season, he did better than anyone would have dreamed of. In the Jazz's season finale, he scored 34 points against the Denver Nuggets. I shouldn't give him too much credit, it is the Nuggets after all, but nonetheless still impressive. Also, days before against the Los Angeles Lakers in LA, he guarded Kobe Bryant and did a fantastic job guarding him. Oh, by the way he scored 20 points in a win. As for his 3 point field goal percentage? 47%. That is about an 18 percent increase from college.

Steph Curry drew many of the same criticism from doubters when he was about to be drafted. "He can only shoot," they said. He average 18 points per game both seasons and shot 48 percent from the field, and about 44 percent from the 3 point line. He maintained his shooting and was a scorer in both seasons. Also interesting to note is his 6 assists per game per season. So not only is he a proven scorer, but he can dish the ball out too. Another thing Fredette, Hayward, and Curry have in common is their heritage from relatively small schools.

So for anyone who says Jimmer can't be a player in the NBA, just look at Curry and Hayward and think again.

Playoff Predictions: 2011 Version

2011-04-17T19:26:00.004-06:00

Holy smokes, I have not posted since September of 2010. Time for me to get going. The playoffs this year have not been this intriguing since as long as I can remember. After day one, we see the top two seeds in the East have close game ones, and if Indiana doesn't completely collapse, they lead the series 1-0. Here are my predictions for this year's first round:

Bulls-Pacers: We learned that after game one that this series probably won't be a four game sweep. The Pacers led for almost all of game one. It was their game to lose. However, it depends on how Indiana responds after their total nuclear meltdown.
It should be a good one, but I'm taking the Bulls in 6.

Heat-76ers: Philadelphia opened this series on the road kicking the Heat players collective butts during the first quarter. Then the Heat woke up and started leading by 10 or 11, and one late Philly rally came up short, giving the Heat the win. Sorry 76ers, if Chris Bosh is scoring 25 and 11 and LeBron James and Dwayne Wade somewhat show up, they are screwed.
Miami in 5.

Celtics-Knicks: After the crazy game 1 in which New York choked, this series will be insane. However, Carmelo Anthony is a chemistry killer. He was 5-18 for 15 points. Amare Stoudamire had 28 points with 11 boards. Give him the ball, not Melo! If the Knicks keep doing this, they won't last long.
I think the Knicks will win in 7.

Hawks-Magic: Dwight had 46 points and 19 boards in game 1. Jameer Nelson had 27. If two of your best players make up roughly 78 percent of your points and you still lose, it's gonna be a short series. Hawks in 6.

Spurs-Grizzlies: If Manu Ginobili doesn't get healthy soon, this series could be very similar to the Mavericks-Warriors first round playoff series in 2007. However, I don't think that the Spurs will give up and die. Plus, I don't think that the Grizzlies are unbeatable on their home floor. It's a start, but I don't think that it is enough. Spurs in 7.

Lakers-Hornets: Yet another game one upset, this time with a team without David West and half-knee Chris Paul. However the Lakers are still struggling and I hope nothing but losing for the stupid Lakers and their fair-weather fans. Chris Paul goes goes Jimmer on them and Kobe realizes that it's time to retire. Hornets in 6.

Mavericks-Trail Blazers: Dallas always has a solid regular season and completely collapses in the playoffs almost every year. After winning game one, that still doesn't convince me that anything will change. Wesley Matthews is the x-factor and he only had 2 points in game 1. Portland in 6.

Nuggets-Thunder: The Thunder are good. The Nuggets traded chemistry killer Melo and gave up 34 points to Gordon Hayward. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will dominate. Thunder in 5.

Big game predictions week 4

2010-09-21T18:01:00.003-06:00

Oregon State at Boise State: Oregon State beat Louisville by 7 on Saturday. Boise State is the real deal and Kellen Moore should win the Heisman.
Prediction: BSU 38, OSU 18

Alabama at Arkansas: The Razorbacks look good. QB Ryan Mallet is good. Problem is, the Crimson Tide is very good. I think that the Hogs will put up a fight and this game will come down to the wire.
Prediction: Bama 21, Arkansas 17

Nevada at BYU: Collin Kapernick is pretty good, but I'm not sure about Heisman worthy. He could be a Jake Locker type player, a run first guy. If Jake Heaps can get into rhythm and if the receivers hold onto, the ball, then BYU will roll up the yards and points. If they can't it will be a long night. I think that Kapernick runs wild and rolls up the points, but it's not enough for the Wolf Pack.
prediction: BYU 48, Nevada 45

South Carolina at Auburn: Both teams have great defenses and ok offenses with excellent running games. I'll give Auburn the edge because it's at Auburn's home field.
Prediction: Auburn 17, South Carolina 13.

West Virginia at LSU: The Mountaineers have been proven to be inconsistent(i.e. needing overtime to defeat Marshall) and the Tigers are a better team.
Prediction: LSU 28, WVU 17.

Big game predictions week 2

2010-09-10T14:18:00.002-06:00

Miami at Ohio State- This will be an interesting game. It will be a game of two decent, but overhyped quarterbacks. I predict that both defenses will have great games and the offenses will struggle.
Prediction: Ohio State 17, Miami 13.

Florida State at Oklahoma: We'll see how Oklahoma does against a team that is better than Utah State this time around. It's the same scenario: FSU has a dual threat QB, and a very athletic team. I think that it will be a shootout, with the Seminoles coming out on top.
Prediction: FSU 45, Oklahoma 41

Penn State at Alabama- This will be a close but really boring game to watch. Both teams will try to grind it out, and the defenses will thrive. However, Alabama, without Ingram will lose.
PSU 21, Bama 17

Monumental upset highlights

2010-09-08T21:08:00.001-06:00

Mixed feelings about Independence

2010-09-01T18:08:00.003-06:00

I was listening to the radio yesterday and happened to hear to phrase: "Breaking news of the day, BYU to go Independent." My reaction is mixed. It's great from a standpoint of exposure and overall visibility of the institution, but how will they do, now having to play tougher teams who aren't named San Diego State, UNLV, Wyoming, etc. However, I love the eight year deal they inked with ESPN. I think this will attract more and more blue chip recruits. It was a very risky move, but I think it will work out because Bronco Mendenhall is a great coach.

One of the problems I see is scheduling. It may be easy to get the schedule through October planned out, but who will they play in November? I think that the answer is playing all three of the other football independents in November. Another potential problem that I've heard about but don't buy into is "How will they manage their tough schedule?" Answer: same as always. Last year the Cougars played 4 good teams in the regular season. Their record was 2-2. I look at the schedule for next year and it looks like:
At Oregon State
At Texas
Utah State
Utah
Four WAC schools(2 home, 2 away)
Hopefully they can add the three independent teams and possibly get another great team in there, like a Boise State or TCU. That's about 4 or 5 tough games. I think that BYU will do better than Notre Dame currently is.

The answer to all of these is We'll see.

Go Cougars!!

Week 1 big game predictions

2010-08-30T17:53:00.002-06:00

With college football about 3 days away, I've decided to make week by week big game predictions.(and BYU, of course)

Utah-Pittsburgh- This will be an interesting game. Pitt has a great running game and defense, but their passing game has been bad lately. I give Utah the upper hand because it's in Salt Lake City.
Prediction: Utah 24, Pitt 21.

BYU vs. Washington: This will be the telling factor for BYU. Fortunately, it's in Provo, where only 2 teams have won since 2005. BYU is still trying to find a quarterback, but I think it will work out. Plus, Jake Locker is the 2nd most overhyped quarterback in the country, behind Terrell Pryor.
Prediction: BYU 37, Washington, 34.

6.TCU vs. 24. Oregon State: This is a battle between two ranked opponents. However, TCU is clearly superior to the Beavers. Oregon State GOT destroyed in their bowl game by BYU last December. Losing their quarterback and the fact that this game is being played in Dallas doesn't help at all.
Prediction: TCU, 45, OSU 10.

LSU vs. North Carolina: This is a game between two ranked foes and it's SEC vs. ACC for the second year in a row in Atlanta, Georgia. UNC's great defense and good offense will be enough to help propel the Tar Heels over the Tigers.
Prediction: UNC 27, LSU, 24

3.Boise State vs. 10 Virginia Tech: This is a battle of top 10 teams. The only thing going against Boise State is that it is in Washington DC, where 93,000 Hokie fans will be supporting their team. However, with the Broncos returning 21 starters on last year's 14-0 team and beat a TCU team who I thought was the best in the nation last year, BSU will be awfully good. Kellen Moore will have a good day and Boise's defense will shut down Va. Tech's offense.
Prediction: Boise State 31, Virginia Tech, 28.

BYU to go Independent?

2010-08-23T11:54:00.003-06:00

With all these rumors and speculation about the possibility of BYU going independent, I came up with a theory. I think they are doing this to obviously boost their national exposure and become like Notre Dame. I think that the Big 12 will go back to 12 teams and invite BYU to join so they can have a Big 12 championship game. It's only a matter of time. Jerry Jones and ABC are ticked off in them getting rid of the championship game. And Jerry Jones is not someone you want to anger.

On the flip side, staying in the MWC might not be such a bad idea. The MWC just added Fresno State and Nevada. That would give the MWC 10 teams if BYU were to leave. If BYU stays, 11. Then the MWC would add a team like Houston and have a championship game. Also, I heard a rumor that the MWC might give BYU broadcasting rights to all 6 of their home games. I think that would mean ESPN would come a 3 times a season if they are playing the likes of TCU, Boise State, and Utah.

Cougars look good after first week of fall camp

2010-08-13T14:07:00.004-06:00

I got a chance to go to a BYU practice today. It wasn't a scrimmage, but there were certain drills that were close to it. After that, I was assured that everything will be alright this upcoming football season.

First off, I like the quarterbacks we have. However, I think Jake Heaps has to be the guy. He has a killer arm, he looks very comfortable in the pocket, he has a good deep ball, and he looks off receivers very well. That's not saying he was flawless. He made some throws that made me cringe. It was a play where he went deep to one guy who was surrounded by 4 defensive backs. Steven Thomas came over and should have picked off the pass but dropped it. However, I think he looks better than Max Hall did in his redshirt sophmore year. Heaps went 7-10 for 2 TDs.

Riley Nelson is pretty good. He went 7-8 for a touchdown and had some nice runs. He is very athletic and he has a better arm than people give him credit for. However, whenever his first couple of options aren't there, he runs. I would rather have a quarterback who sits in the pocket than if one tries to run all the time. I want it this way because if BYU plays a team with an athletic and fast defense( i.e. TCU, Utah, Florida State) Nelson will get hammered and injured. That's not saying that I don't want to see Nelson at all. I would like to see him as a dual threat wildcat quarterback. However, I would like Heaps throwing most of the passes during the season.

People who are skeptical for the upcoming season are bugging me. The only reason the Cougars would only win 8 games is because of their schedule. Washington, Florida State, TCU, and Utah are the tough games for us. However, this year looks a lot like 2007. If you don't remember, the Cougars had to break in a new quarterback, running back, tight ends, and some defensive players. We had a good offensive line, and the secondary was proven. That season turned out fine. While there is uncertainty, there is a lot more talent than there was in 2007.

Also, people who view Air Force as a threat are up in the night. A Bronco Mendenhall coached team will not lose to Air Force. Won't happen. So called experts say Air Force is better this year, but reality is, they are the same team every year. Can't pass, they run a lot, and their lines are at a physical disadvantage because of the Air Force weight limit.

Hopefully the Cougars can find a quarterback who establishes himself.

Fail ESPN, fail

2010-08-11T16:04:00.002-06:00

A certain ESPN writer by the name of Andrea Adelson has just lost all credibility. Apparently she's the replacement for Graham Watson who was the ESPN non-automatic qualifier blogger. Adelson just released a power ranking of the top 10 non-AQ teams. They go as follows:
1. Boise State
2. TCU
3. Houston
4. Navy
5. Utah
6. Notre Dame
7. Middle Tennessee State
8. Southern Methodist University
9. Temple
10. Northern Illinois
Can you guess who's missing?

My preseason MWC predictions

2010-07-27T14:52:00.004-06:00

With the MWC media days underway, including everyone's preseason predictions out, I decided to post my own predictions. I'm a big BYU fan so don't be surprised if these are a little biased.

1. TCU- The Horned Frogs have most of their starters returning on offense and almost their entire defense, with the exception of Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington. I think they will be better than last year, which is saying something.

2. BYU- This is a bit of a risky pick. If the starting quarterback performs, they could indeed finish second. If he struggles, it could be an 8 win season. Plus, they have to break in a new front seven. The guys coming in are talented, but they lack experience. However, the secondary is experienced, only having to replace Scott Johnson at the free safety position.

3. Utah- The Utes return who I think is a very good quarterback, Jordan Wynn. They also have Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata at the tailback spot. They have a few very good offensive linemen in Zane Taylor and Caleb Schlauderaff. However, their defense isn't as good as it usually is, with them losing Koa Misi, Stevenson Sylvester, Robert Johnson, and some other key cogs in last year's solid defense. They will likely have a 10 win season.

4. San Diego State- This might come as a surprise, but the Aztecs are legit. They had BYU on the ropes last year before losing 38-28. They have Ryan Lindley coming back, Vincent Brown at receiver, and a lot of other good athletes. They are a university in the middle of San Diego. I think Brady Hoke and Rocky Long will have this team turned into a title contender by 2012-2013.

5. Air Force- They say the Falcons look better this year, but in reality, they are essentially the same team. They run the option. They pass 10 times a game. Their defense is good. They can hang with you, but if they have to pass, I'm not so sure they can win. I think the conference will be good for the first 5 teams.

6. Colorado State- The Rams will have a young quarterback and a couple holes to fill. It will be a tough year for them.

7. UNLV- Decent offense and bad defense is the storyline for the Rebels. They won't be much better under Bobby Hauck then Mike Sanford.

8. Wyoming- They won a bowl game last year with a freshman quarterback. However, they will struggle in 2010.

9. New Mexico- Losing Donovan Porterie won't help, but The Lobos are bad. Sure they signed a four star defensive lineman by the name of Calvin Smith who turned down offers from Tennessee and Florida State and signed with UNM.(?) They also have Carmen Messina, who apparently had over 130 tackles last year. It still won't be enough for the pitiful Lobos.

Jazz future not so bleak anymore

2010-07-24T21:39:00.003-06:00

After the Jazz lost Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver to Chicago, I gave up on their front office. They drafted Gordon Hayward ninth in this year's draft( a player who did not fit any of the needs the Jazz had) and they appeared to do nothing about losing Boozer and Korver. Until they pulled a trade from up their sleeve and acquired Al Jefferson for virtually nothing.(Kosta Koufous and 2 future first round draft picks won't contribute to any team) That came out of nowhere and was great news. He is a 20 and 10 guy who scored his points without a great point guard. With Deron Williams, his scoring total will likely go up because Deron has the ability to find guys for easy baskets. He actually wants to be in Utah(unless he is disingenuous and was bluffing his entire press conference) and has a strong work ethic.

A day later after signing Jefferson, Utah went after a former player of theirs, Raja Bell. Bell is a good defender who can shoot(41% 3 point shooter) and isn't as beat up as you'd think. He is 33, but he has missed a lot of time with injuries. he says he feels great now and his broken wrist is healed. Great. Now the Jazz have somebody to stop Kobe and guard the Lakers' bigs.

With these acquisitions, the Jazz, in my opinion, can compete with the Lakers for the number 1 seed in the west. They have a very strong lineup. If all goes well, it could look like:
1.Deron Williams
2.Raja Bell
3.CJ Miles or AK
4.Paul Millsap
5.Al Jefferson
That's a good team. All-star point guard and center, and serviceable role players who can put in double figures consistently. Now all the Jazz have to do is dump Andrei Kirilenko's contract and add another good player.

Predictions for the upcoming BYU football season

2010-06-29T14:11:00.004-06:00

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So even though fall camp is about a month away, I am going to boldly predict how the BYU football season is going to shape up.

First and foremost, the winner of the BYU quarterback derby will be Jake Heaps without a doubt. At least it should be that way. I don't think that Riley Nelson will be any better than Max Hall. For instance, Brandon Bradley, one of BYU's starting corners was interviewed about how they defended each QB. He said that the defense moved up when Nelson was in because of his good running ability and inability to consistently throw the ball more than 20 yards. Bradley also said that they were on their heels when Heaps was in because he could throw the ball a quarter mile. I will be pretty upset if coach Mendenhall goes with Nelson because he's an older guy. He is a running Max Hall and I never want to see another Hall in BYU's system again. His arm leaves plenty to be desired. But, Mendenhall said that he sometimes forgets that Heaps is 18 because he acts very maturely. Heaps will distance himself in fall camp with about 1-2 weeks remaining until the September 4th opener against Washington. While I'm at it, I think that Josh Quezada, the Freshman out of La Habra High School in California will be the starting running back to replace Harvey Unga. I think that he will have a Harvey Unga-esque Freshman year.

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Prediction: BYU 45, Washington 41. I see this game being a shootout with Heaps struggling in the first half, then figuring it out in the second half and torching the Husky secondary for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. The defense will struggle.

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Prediction: BYU 35, Air Force 24.This is a weird game because it's a conference game on the second week of the year. The Cougars will stop the Falcons monotonous ground game and the offense will shine, once again.

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Prediction: Florida State 45, BYU 28. BYU will struggle with Florida State's speed and the defensive line will once again get manhandled because of their stupid, stupid 3-4 defense and 3 or 4 man rush every time. Heaps will struggle.

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Prediction: BYU 56, Nevada 24- This game will be a shootout for a half, and then the Cougars will pull away for a lopsided win. The Wolf Pak will put up a pretty good fight in the first half, but then the Cougars offensive firepower will bring Nevada to their knees.

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Prediction: BYU 45, Utah State 27- Utah State is much improved under Gary Andersen, who will be going into his second year as head coach of the Aggies. They have a good offense and they will be pumped up heading into this game in Logan. Unfortunately for USU, their 20,000 supporters won't be enough to rattle Heaps. Look for a semi-close game.

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Prediction: BYU 35, SDSU 21- I am a true believer that it is only a matter of time until SDSU becomes a power. They used to have the worst coach ever in Chuck Long and now with Brady Hoke, they are going to get better. Who wouldn't want to play in San Diego? However, the Aztecs are a couple of years away from being a serious threat to the top tier MWC teams.

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Prediction: TCU 35, BYU 31- This will be a closer game than it was in 2009 because
A. The Cougars do not have Staredown Max as their QB
B. TCU lost Jerry Hughes, Darryl Washington, and a few other standout defensive players from their 2009 BCS busting campaign.
TCU won't be able to shut BYU down this time around because the offensive line will be better and Heaps has the ability to look off several different receivers before throwing the ball. Plus, if healthy, the Cougars will have McKay Jacobson and Ross Apo, both 4.4 guys who can stretch the defense. This will be a close game, but TCU's offensive firepower and a 5th year senior quarterback will be enough to beat the Cougars.

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Prediction: BYU 60, Wyoming 7- This game will be ugly because it us Wyoming and it's in Provo. If last year was 52-0, this year will be worse. I could be wrong, but this is the likely scenario.

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Prediction: BYU 52, UNLV 24- The Rebels will sort of put up a fight offensively, but they still won't be able to stop the Cougars 3rd stringers. I don't think that Bobby Hauck will do any better than Mike Sanford in his first year as head coach.

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Prediction: BYU 42, Colorado State 17- Wow that's three boring games in a row. I don't care where this game is played, it's a win for BYU. If these games are competitive, I'll take back every word I've said about the MWC bottom dweller teams being crummy. But I don't see that happening.
The Cougars keep on rolling.

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Prediction: Brigham Young 38, New Mexico 17- New Mexico will still be bad in 2010. The Cougars won't play that well in this game, but it won't matter, as they chalk up their 4th consecutive win.

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Prediction: BYU 31, Utah 28- This will be a good game. Great game even. Utah's future is bright, with them moving to the Pac-10 and picking up 10 recruits a week. Also, it will be a battle of young, but talented quarterbacks. I must confess that I like Jordan Wynn as a quarterback. It has nothing to do with what school he goes to, he's a gamer. He never got rattled as a Freshman and he put up good numbers in his 6 games he played in. I see Heaps and him having a duel, but Heaps will get the better of him with a last minute touchdown pass to Ross Apo to rip Utah fans' hearts out for the 4th time in 5 years.

Boise State to the MWC?

2010-06-03T11:59:00.001-06:00

The MWC decided not to invite Boise State University to join the Mountain West Conference. However, that does not mean that they won't be invited. Adding the Broncos means that the MWC would have four great teams in football. That means that the MWC just might have the criteria to be one of the BCS conferences. The MWC would become unstoppable. Recruits would be lured in to BYU, Utah, TCU, and Boise State because of the opportunity to play with four of the best teams in the nation. Personally, I think that BYU, Utah, and TCU blackballed it. They wanted to wait until this Friday when the deadlines are for several teams to decide if they will join another conference.

According to http://texas.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1092612, Nebraska has received an invite to join the Big 10 and they are expected to accept that invitation. The landscape of college football could change drastically over the next few days. I think that Notre Dame and Rutgers have received invites to join the Big 10.

There have also been reports of the Pac-10 planning to raid the Big 12 South and get all six of those teams to create a 16 team conference. That means that Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Missouri could be left in the dust. They should join with the MWC plus Boise State and the MWC could become an automatic qualifying conference, or the Big 12 would gobble up the good MWC teams. I guess all that we can do now is wait for Friday and brace ourselves for the craziest offseason in college sports history.

USC is a bunch of cheaters

2010-05-11T20:34:00.003-06:00

According to ESPN, USC is in trouble by the NCAA. They are looking at probation and a loss of scholarships. Good news all around. Apparently it had to do with the Reggie Bush recruiting process. Bush accepted money from the Trojan organization, $200,000-300,000. Also, a prospective sports marketer at USC had the Bush family living rent-free in a home owned by him. Hmmmm...

With Lane Kiffin as their new head coach, things will not change. He is a dirtbag. He already showed how loyal he was to any team when he jumped ship from Tennessee to USC after a year. Any recruit who falls for his child-like features isn't very bright.

Jazz steal game 2

2010-04-20T21:14:00.003-06:00

Who would've thought. The Utah Jazz, (minus Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko) pulled off a an upset in game two of their first round playoff series with the Denver Nuggets, 114-111. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer decided to show up and play with heart. Deron had 33 points and 14 assists, and Booze had 20 points and 15 rebounds. I am finally able to watch a Jazz team that cares, buckles down and plays defense. CJ Miles actually played some defense.

Carmelo Anthony is a punk. He is right up there with Kobe Bryant on players that I hate. He is lazy. He almost injured D-Will on a play where he didn't move his feet. He deserved to foul out.

Now the Jazz have home-court advantage and have to win out at home. They need to keep up the intensity.

Most ridiculous shot ever

2010-03-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Number one seed in the NCAA tourney?

Cougars virtual lock for NCAA tourney

2010-03-06T22:01:00.004-07:00

With the Mountain West Conference regular season out of the way, BYU appears headed for the NCAA tournament no matter what. However, I hope they win out because then a three or four seed seems easily within reach. That will not be easy.

BYU already got a preview of the quarterfinals on Saturday, beating TCU 107-77 in Fort Worth. Talk about a swing. The Cougars came out flat with no energy, while the Horned Frogs came out firing. It was 18-4 in TCU's favor three minutes into the game. By then, Dave Rose had already pulled four of BYU's starters, except for Jackson Emery. He brought in a younger, but quicker group of guys to rally the Cougars. Those guys were Michael Loyd, Brandon Davies, Jonathan Tavernari, and Charles Abouo. They provided the spark defensively, helping force 24 turnovers. JT was on fire, going 4-6 for 23 points. BYU led 57-43 at the half and never kept their foot off the pedal during the rest of the game. There was a 44 point swing in the Cougars favor by the end of the game. Jackson Emery and Charles Abouo added 22 points, but that was a career-high for Abouo.

With BYU entering the MWC tournament as a number 2 seed, anything is possible. They play TCU at 7:00 Mountain time, 6:00 Las Vegas time. Assuming they win that game, they will play the winner of the Utah-UNLV game the next day at 8:30 Las Vegas time. If they play UNLV, it's all over. We can't win at the Thomas and Mack center. It's been proven. This year was our supposed best shot. Nope. UNLV got up 36-11 and won 88-74 before a sellout crowd. They shot well over 60 percent and Tre'Von Willis had 36 points. However, Utah swept the Rebels in the regular season. If they can limit Willis somewhat and shut down everyone else and not shoot 26 percent, they have a good chance to win. That would be interesting to play Utah. Especially since we just pounded them 71-51.
Go Cougars!!!!

Cougars whip Cowboys, prepare for crucial stretch

2010-02-20T21:43:00.003-07:00

The 16th ranked Cougars took care of business nicely against the Wyoming Cowboys on the road at Arena Auditorium in Laramie on Saturday afternoon, 85-63. The Cougars played very well in my opinion. It was one of those games where I thought everybody played well. They gave up the extra pass and it led to open looks. Freshman Tyler Haws had 22 points along with Jimmer Fredette. Haws was 6-15 from the field, but 10-10 from the charity stripe to go with eight rebounds. Fredette had 15 points in the second half. Jonathan Tavernari pitched in with 17 points and eight boards and Jackson Emery chipped in with 10 points. BYU shot only 43 percent from the field, but was 20-24 from the free throw line, good for 83 percent.

This was one of those nights where Jimmer didn't have to do everything. Against Colorado State on Wednesday, he was lights out, scoring 36 in the 92-70 road win.

Next up is a critical two game home stretch. Those games are San Diego State on Wednesday and New Mexico on Saturday. The game with UNM is a sellout, but I don't know about Wednesday. Expect a crowd of over 18,000+, but I don't think it'll reach 22,000. These match-ups are against good teams who will be ready to play. The Aztecs play great defense and crash the offensive glass hard. Their best players are Freshman forward Kawhi Leonard, junior D.J. Gay, and junior forward Billy White. Those guys are huge for the Aztecs. However, shooting is not their strength. If BYU can hit lots of shots early and get the crowd going, it'll be hard for SDSU to get back in it.

New Mexico has a little more experience and some really talented scorers. The Lobo's best players are Dairese Gary, transfer Darington Hobson, Phillip McDonald and Roman Martinez. They can really balance the floor, and any of these guys can easily score 20 points a game. Just depends who it is. Last month in Albequerque, it was Gary who had a big game with 29 points in the 76-72 win. I hope the Cougars pound the paint, and then kick it out for threes.

Both of those games are huge games with conference implications on the line. They will be exciting, energetic games.

MWC race wide open

2010-02-12T16:51:00.003-07:00

So, with New Mexico a half game lead over BYU, recently defeating UNLV in Las Vegas 70-60. Now BYU controls their own destiny with two critical home games and a tough road game. First it's SDSU and then the Saturday showdown with New Mexico, where I'm guaranteeing 22,000+ fans will be on hand. But, if BYU loses to Wyoming or Utah on the road, that could be trouble. They don't have to play UNLV anymore(thank goodness) in the regular season and they have a favorable schedule the rest of the way. But that New Mexico game will not be easy because the Lobos are ranked something like 12th, and they beat BYU at the Pit last time. However, the rest of the regular season conference race is BYU's to take. They control their own destiny. I hope they can get over the hump in the MWC and NCAA tournaments and win one for a change, that'd be nice. But I'm predicting that BYU loses in the second round of the MWC tournament to SDSU, and then loses in the second round of the NCAA tournament to a 6 or 5 seed.

Whatever happens, happens.

BYU ranked 12th in AP poll, 10th in USA Today Poll

2010-01-25T16:00:00.003-07:00

After a big road win over the San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday, BYU jumped 2 and 3 spots in both polls earlier today. As long as the Cougars keep winning, they will move up. But, the target keeps getting bigger with each win. If BYU can keep winning road games, their RPI will boost, and so will their ranking. This Wednesday, the Cougs travel on the road to face New Mexico at the Pit. Huge game. Can't emphasize it enough. If everyone shows up, we'll win. If Jimmer Fredette is the only one that decides to come to play, we're in trouble.

Cougars defeat Cowboys, prepare for tough upcoming stretch

2010-01-20T16:38:00.005-07:00

So I'm pretty convinced that this year's Cougar team has potential to win an NCAA tournament game. But that doesn't mean they will. So far, they are 19-1, and have beaten/blown out a lot of good teams. I'm gonna rate their best wins so far, and review their lone loss. Best wins:
1.UNLV 77-73 in at the Marriott Center in Provo.
2.Arizona 99-69 at McKale in Tucson. Jimmer Fredette scores 49 points on 9-13 3 point shooting.
3.Nevada 110-104 Las Vegas Orleans Arena a shootout with a good Wolfpack team. Down at halftime, didn't freak out and rallied back for win in HoopsTV Las Vegas classic.
4.UTEP 83-77 in El Paso, Texas. No Jimmer, no problem. The Cougars pick up a nice victory over a good Miner team.
5.Colorado State 91-47 in Provo. This was a Ram team that came into the game in the top 100 in RPI and the Cougs steamrolled them by 44 points.
The loss:
Utah State 71-61 at the Spectrum in Logan. Poor shot selection, bad defense, and turnovers cost the Cougars this one.

BYU is 19-1 and ranked 13 and 14, but I'm not sold on them yet. They have to show me road wins at San Diego State, New Mexico, UNLV, Utah, and Wyoming before I'll call them for real. They do have lots of talent, depth, and experience. They rotate 10-11 guys a game, and they wear you down with a lot of fresh bodies on the floor.

The starting five for BYU is really good. Fredette, Tyler Haws, Jackson Emery, Noah Hartsock, and Chris Miles. They have good shooting, post presence, and the ability to drive to the hoop. Also, there is one senior in that group, Chris Miles. The lone Freshman starting, Tyler Haws is amazing. I knew coming out of high school he would be good, but I didn't think he would play as good as he is playing right now. 24 points for him is no big deal. I grew up watching him in high school(Lone Peak) and he had games where he scored 35. He has made a strong case for MWC Freshman of the Year.

After beating Wyoming last night 81-66, the Cougars are preparing for San Diego State Saturday night in San Diego. They will need to hustle, shoot, play good defense if they are going to beat the Aztecs on Saturday. It won't be an easy game, especially in a tough environment where the crowd is raucous. On Wednesday, the Cougars travel to Albuquerque in another crazy environment, with 15,000 fans screaming profanities at the whole team. They will need to stay composed and calm. They have stayed calm in other games on the road, but this one will be a lot tougher. If the shots don't fall, BYU will lose.

Cougars stomp Beavers, other notable bowl games

2009-12-31T14:51:00.005-07:00

Didn't see that coming. I have to admit, going into the Maaco Las Vegas bowl I was pretty skeptical about the Cougars chances against Oregon State. Why? This matched up like the TCU and Florida State games. But, despite the fact that there was a 40-50 mile an hour wind, BYU came into Sam Boyd stadium and made the Beavers look silly. The defense got it done, the offense had confidence going into the wind, and the team was well prepared and motivated. Max Hall had a good night, throwing for 193 yards, 3 touchdowns and no picks. I'll remember him as a pretty good quarterback, but not a great QB. The traits I liked about Max was that he was a competitor, he hated to lose, and he was fearless. He would take hits and get right back up again. That is the kind of quarterback I like to see.

After thinking about whether or not Harvey Unga will enter the draft, I have figured it out. I don't think he will stay for another year. Here are my reasons:
1. BYU just picked up Josh Quezada, a 3 star running back from La Habra California. He ran for over 2,000 yards his senior season. It came down to BYU and Utah. He would have to cut his trademark long hair if he chose BYU. He chose BYU because he wants playing time, and he fits the system. A 226 pound bruiser. He is enrolling early, so he can learn the system. He must have heard something along the lines of "Harvey's going pro." If that happens, he only has to beat out Bryan Kariya and a couple other halfbacks.
2. he already broke a few BYU records, like the Freshman rushing record, rushing yards in a career, and receiving yards for a halfback at BYU.
So don't be surprised when Harvey decides to go pro.

The Mountain West Conference is sitting pretty after watching 4 out of its 5 bowl teams win their respective bowl games. Wyoming beat Fresno State, 35-28 in double overtime, a pair of Pac-10 teams were thumped, when BYU hammered Oregon State and Utah finished off Cal, and recently, Air Force just grounded Case Keenum and one of the best passing teams in the nation, 47-20, picking off 6 passes. All that's left is for TCU to beat Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl to give the MWC dominance over the WAC. That'll be a fun game to watch. One of the nation's best defenses with 4 year starters at cornerback and defensive line going up against the most efficient quarterback in the nation in Kellen Moore. I think TCU shuts down the Broncos and their ground game runs over, through, and past this defense to win its first BCS bowl game. If Boise State couldn't stop Ryan Matthews, they're not going to stop TCU's ground game with Ed Wesley, Ryan Christian and Joseph Turner.

Prediction: TCU 55 Boise State 21

Pitta doesn't win the Mackey Award, other notable stuff

2009-12-11T15:44:00.004-07:00

Dennis Pitta was one of three finalists for the John Mackey award. It was going to go to either Aaron Hernandez of Florida, a tight end from Pittsburgh, or Pitta. However, the award went to Hernandez of Florida. Why? Here's a few reasons:
1. Florida is a big time school that went 12-1.
2. The voters don't think Pitta plays against great competition.
3. Hernandez caught the ball from the "Chosen One", Tim Tebow.( If he is the best college football player ever, how come his team got steamrolled by Alabama?????) Yeah, Tebow is really overrated. I think he's gonna be either a wildcat player or a fullback.
4. Pitta ended the year kind of slow. He can still be the NCAA's all time receptions leader in the Vegas bowl, needing 3 catches.

So, I think Pitta is better than Hernandez, but he will get a shot at the next level, along with Andrew George.

Anyway, BYU was chosen to play in the Maaco BYU Las Vegas bowl for the 5th straight year. The catch? They are playing an Oregon State squad that was a touchdown away from playing in the Rose Bowl. They are ranked 15th, and they are super fast. They have an accurate passer, and a great run game. I'm not sure about their defense, but they are good. This is the type of opponent that we have struggled with this year. An accurate passer in Sean Canfield, a great run game with Jaquizz Rodgers, and a receiver named James Rodgers. This game matches up like TCU and Florida State. Both had accurate passers in Andy Dalton and Christian Ponder, and both had great run games. (FSU 313 yards, TCU, over 200) I think the Cougars are going to be much more ready and excited this year's bowl game. This game is rated as the 7th best bowl game, six spots ahead of the Orange bowl, which is 13th. That game just stinks. Georgia Tech and Iowa. Yes Iowa, a team that got an at-large bid to the BCS.

Boise State and TCU were selected to play in BCS bowls. Great right? Nope. The BS had the teams playing against each other. Another reason the system should be called the BS system. The BCS will argue that they did the Non-BCS schools a favor, having two of their teams in the Fiesta bowl. But that just shows that they are a bunch of wusses making sure their darling teams don't get knocked off. They say that it is a great game, having two undefeated teams clashing. Wouldn't that have been the case had TCU and Cincinatti been selected to play against each other? I think TCU would give anybody a run for their money. But the BCS decides to take the safe route. They can't afford to have another BCS team go down in a BCS bowl. Double thumbs down to the BS system.

Rivalry Week!!!

2009-11-22T19:21:00.003-07:00

BYU took care of Air Force, 38-21, in a game where it should have been 52-21. The refs took away two touchdowns, a touchdown pass from Max Hall to Dennis Pitta because of pass interference by Luke Ashworth, and a penalty on Hall for "trying to deceive the defense". Isn't that what a team's purpose is? If they are going to call that on a play where the quarterback moves to the right as the man in motion, and the ball gets snapped to Unga for a TD, they might as well negate trick plays. This play happened last year at Utah, and it worked...

Anyway, a few records were broken yesterday at LaVell Edwards stadium before a sellout crowd of 64,071. Harvey Unga became the school's all time leading rusher, surpassing Curtis Brown's two year old record of 3,221 yards in three years. Brown eclipsed Jamal Willis's mark at home against New Mexico on a 50 yard touchdown run. Harvey is an excellent back, his combination of Strength and speed, along with his ability to run people over is tough. He's a 240 pound back, so it's like trying to tackle a defensive lineman. Congratulations to him, only a junior. I hope he stays for his senior season because that would help out next year's young offense a lot.

Max Hall became the Mountain West's career total yard leader and career passing leader, passing John Beck. Max is good not great. He did have a great day passing, going 33-45 377 yards, 5 touchdowns and 2 picks.

Jan Jorgensen became the Mountain West's all time tackles-for-loss leader, surpassing Chase Ortiz's record of 41.5. Jorgensen now has the tackles-for-loss record, sack record, and games started record, 50.

Now, for the Holy War, deemed the fourth best rivalry in the nation. Every year it is a grudge match. Fans hate each other, and the players get in fights. Both teams will be pumped up and ready to go. This year's game could get interesting. Right now, on Sunday, there's snow on the ground, and it is supposed to snow on Saturday. So, the game could be a blizzard, just like 2003 in Provo.(A 3-0 win by Utah) This is a big time rivalry, and anything can happen. It doesn't matter who comes into the game sporting the best record. Every year, it's competitive somewhat. In every game except 2004 and 2008, the games have been decided by I think 7 points or less since 1996. So you get the idea. As former great defensive BYU lineman Hans Olsen put it " It doesn't matter what the records coming into the game are. Both teams could come in 0-11 and it would be played to determine who had the dumpier season."

Huge game, big stage, sellout crowd, this one could very well be a close one.

Prediction: The game goes into overtime in a wild one.

TCU steamrolls Cougars

2009-10-25T19:31:00.003-06:00

Above is pretty much the story of the night. BYU got smacked in the mouth and kicked around in a 38-7 loss at home. The Frogs smothered Max Hall and Company, holding them to 188 yards and sacking Hall four times.

The night started out with hope, as BYU's defense held the Frogs to a three and out on TCU's first possession. Robert Anae started the game calling running plays, and Harvey Unga,(who finished the game with 123 yards)started out pretty well, but our D struggled all night, giving up too many rushing and passing yards. I also recognized some huge mismatches, like Jordan Pendleton guarding Jeremy Kerley. Why don't the coaches have a nickle package? Our linebackers are too slow to cover really any receivers.

The special teams played well, except for a wide left 48 yard field goal by Mitch Payne. Freshman Riley Stephenson had five punts with an average of 47 yards a punt, and Kerley had one punt return for zero yards and one kickoff return for twenty-four yards.

I am a little more worried for Air Force and Utah, because of their running games and the fact that they are going to be played at LES. Our Defensive line is terrible. They can't get a good push, and teams are running all over them. The 3-4 has got to go.

Other notes: 21 recruits were at this game, Jake Heaps, Ross Apo, and Zac Stout were on the sidelines, representatives from the Sugar bowl and Fiesta bowl were in Provo, announced attendance was 64,600, 600 more than a sellout, and most of the '84 championship team was at this game.

TCU time

2009-10-22T19:57:00.003-06:00

So, just how big is BYU's game on Saturday with TCU? ESPN'S college gameday crew is coming to Provo. I will be at the game. I have season tickets. It's a huge one. I'm gonna review some matchups:

BYU's offensive line vs. TCU's front seven- Nick Alletto will have his hands full with Jerry Hughes. Alletto has had his struggles this year, and he has tended to get jumpy. Not good. From what I hear, Hughes doesn't really have an inside step. The reason Utah didn't allow a sack last year is because 6'8 320 Dustin Hensel had a very quick first step. Max Hall needs to get rid of the ball quick, and the rest of the O-line has to block well. I have some hope though. Our O-line stopped Auston English and Gerald McCoy quite well against Oklahoma. But, we need to be ready, and I hope Mark Weber has a scheme to take away TCU's rush.

Max Hall vs. the Horned Frog secondary. Historically, when Max Hall plays against great defenses, he tends to struggle. In just four games since the TCU game last year, he has thrown 12 INT's. Yikes. He needs to turn that around. In the last two games, however, he has shown some self control and he hasn't forced any throws, which has resulted in zero INT's. What I liked last Saturday was his decision to run instead of throw a pick. He needs to do something other than throw a pick. If he finds some openings and runs, that would keep the Frogs' D on their heels. McKay Jacobson is possible to doubtful for this game. He is a must because he helps stretch the field and he can challenge those 4.3 corners. I have reason to think that the Frogs will sit on our slant routes and shorter routes.

Apparently TCU has tackling dummies with BYU helmets on them. Why don't they have any with Utah helmets? Utah was the one who crashed their BCS dreams. They should be infuriated when Utah comes to Fort Worth.

BYU's defense vs. TCU's offense. TCU does have a Andy Dalton, a pretty good QB, but they mainly rely on the run game. I have cause for concern. TCU has a lot of athletes and they run a lot of misdirection. Last time BYU played an athletic team who ran misdirection,(Florida State, who is doing awful right now)they ran all over BYU for 313 yards. Our Secondary isn't great either. The reason Oklahoma didn't have any success throwing or running the ball was because they never threw deep. San Diego State saw that, exploited it, and it resulted in some big plays. TCU will do the exact same thing. BYU has to be ready for it. Brian Logan and Brandon Bradley will have a tall task in defending Jimmy Young and Jeremy Kerley. What Logan gives up in size, he makes up for in hard hitting.

Some quick notes as I wrap up: Many BYU players had the flu either last week or this week. They need to be healthy so they can go full speed. BYU's kick return team has had three or four starters go down with injuries and concussions.(Brandon Ogletree, Steven Thomas, and Tucker Lamb)They gave up a 94 yard kick return to UNLV. Jeremy Kerley is a lot better than Michael Johnson is. Plus, the last time someone returned a kick for a TD at LaVell Edwards Stadium was TCU's Cory Rodgers in 2005. I was there. Painful memories still haunt me about the eighteen point lead given up to backup QB Jeff Ballard and the botched extra point in overtime.

Go Cougars!!!!

Way to represent, MWC

2009-10-05T14:59:00.003-06:00

It was a bad weekend for the Mountain West Conference. Let's look at those games:

Nevada 63-UNLV 28- Mike Sanford's job is in serious jeopardy(13-39 in 5 1/2 years) UNLV gave up like 773 yards to Colin Kaepernick and the Wolves offense. It was 21-21 at halftime and 28-21 heading into the last period, but Nevada's pistol offense exploded for 35 points in the final quarter. BYU heads down to Vegas this week for some fireworks at BYU's second home stadium.

Idaho 31, Colorado State 29- The Rams didn't prepare well after the BYU loss and got embarrassed in Moscow. Apparently the 16,000 fans at the Kibbie dome were too raucous for CSU.

Texas Tech 48- UNM 28-UNM is just bad. winless at 0-5, I think ESPN might get one prediction right after predicting the Lobos to go 0-12. UNM's defense is awful, and their offense has stalled. It's their hideous retro jersies.

Navy 16, Air Force 13, OT- Air Force's offense is awful. You have to be able to pass the ball!!!!!! Navy stuffed the Falcons predictable offense, but both teams struggled on offense. AFA scored on a pick-six, and forced OT with a field goal, but Navy hit a field goal, and Air Force missed one.

Wyoming 30, Florida Atlantic 28- A weird road game for the Cowboys, and they pulled out another close win.

SDSU-34, New Mexico State 17- The Aztecs look to maybe be improving this year, but we'll see.

TCU 39, SMU 14- The Frogs overcame some early mistakes to clobber their in state rivals and to claim the Iron Skillet! The frogs look scary fast.

BYU 35, Utah State 17- The Cougs offense looked good, and their defense shut down Diondre Borel and a good offense to claim the Wagon Wheel on Friday night. Brian Logan missed the first 3 quarters for missing a walkthrough with the team, so redshirt freshman Robbie Buckner filled in for Logan and played mediocre. A curl route would've worked every time as he lined up 12 yards off him and moved back. But, The Cougar defense played well, stopping Robert Turbin, and allowing 10 points.( USU scored with about 3 seconds left)I think I've figured out BYU's defense. They are good against traditional offenses. When they play offenses with amazing o-lines, and lots of speed and misdirection, they're screwed. Thar's why TCU looks so tough this year, because they have Jeremy Kerley in the wildcat.
McKay Jacobson suffered a pulled hamstring during warm-ups and he is going to be out 4-6 weeks. Not good. We need somebody to be able to beat TCU's corners. Max has to find other targets other than Dennis Pitta. He needs to throw to Oneill Chambers, Luke Ashworth, and Andrew George. He has other guys. Harvey Unga looks great, however. I hope the playcalling utilizes Harvey a little more, because he is very patient, and he's running people over again. If we can take the pressure off Max, we'll be fine.

Bad signs

2009-09-22T18:14:00.004-06:00

So, BYU lost to Florida State at home, 54-28. That's bad. The defense was back to its awful self, and the offense had five turnovers. First off, you let the opposing QB goes 21-25 for 230 yards, not to mention 77 yards on the ground, that's bad enough. When their running backs get 10 yards a carry, that's bad. When the offense has 5 turnovers, it's a nightmare. Just the kind of game it was on Saturday.

I attended it, and was not impressed at all. Going down 30-14 at the half was bad, but there was no reason to panic. I go scared because of Max's historic ability to throw a pick coming out of halftime. Surprise! He stared down Andrew George right when the Cougs were headed in the right direction, and FSU returned it 67 yards for a score. BYU punts the next possession and Christian Ponder picked us apart and the 'Noles scored again. McKay Jacobson had an 80 yard TD reception, and new hope was brewing. Just one more stop! Fat chance.
Later, when there was a tiny sense of hope, Max threw a pick right to the guy. In unison, 5,000 fans got up and left. I stayed the whole game, but with frustration. The Seminoles went 12-15 on third downs. Ridiculous.

Harvey Unga looked good in his first real action, gaining 97 yards and a score on about 15 carries. Not bad. I like him, and I'm happy that he'll help out next year's offense, barring injury.

About 10,000 FSU fans showed up at the game. A lot flew in, some drove 5-10 hours to get here. They didn't make much noise, however.

If BYU, were to go 11-1, would they end up in the Vegas Bowl? How about a January 1st game that isn't a BCS bowl. If BYU heads to the Vegas bowl, Cougar fans shouldn't go, as an act of protest, and as a never invite us again. I'm sick of it and lots of Cougar fans are too.

BYU outplays Sooners in thrilling win

2009-09-07T10:56:00.002-06:00

BYU played before the whole nation in Jerry Jones's billion dollar stadium, and they came up huge. In BYU's first defensive sequence, I could already see a big difference. They were bigger, faster, and they loved to hit. OU had a talented o-line, but an inexperienced o-line, which left holes for BYU's linebackers to hit the QB. Of course I didn't predict BYU to win, but I was feeling it.

Max Hall didn't play all that well, but still was the Walter Camp national player of the week, mostly because of his clutch ability on BYU's game winning TD drive. I thought he was too inconsistent, though. When nobody was open, he tried to throw it between four Sooner defenders, resulting in two INT's.

I still think it's amazing how the Cougs completed 3 third downs and a fourth down on the winning drive. That shows guts. I like how OU's defenders keyed in on Pitta on third and goal from the 6. Four of em to be exact. Hall made the easy read and found McKay Jacobson all alone in the back of the end zone.

Thumbs down to ESPN. They thought that Oklahoma lost to BYU because Bradford got hurt. Not true. He was pretty mediocre before he went down, but he's Sam Bradford! He's clutch! They say. It might've happened, but I still think it's only fair, because BYU should've put 24 on them, while OU shouldn't of even found the end zone. McKay muffed a punt, giving an easy touchdown to the Sooners, and Oneill Chambers fumbled at OU's 1 yard line. Plus, Mitch Payne had a field goal taken away because of a delay of game penalty. His ensuing kick was blocked. They didn't have Jermaine Gresham either, you may cry, but BYU didn't have Harvey Unga. OU had two 1,000 yard rushers back from last year alone. Also, the Big 12 refs were homers in my opinion. The pass interference call on Brian Logan in the end zone was a bad call.

Speaking of the corners, the defense as a whole was amazing. The D-line surged, the linebackers blitzed, and the safeties and corners were hitting and not letting Oklahoma get any big plays. Their biggest play was 18 yards. Beautiful.

Next up, the Cougars hit the road again to take on the Tulane Green Wave at 1:30 in another ESPN telivised contest, this one airing on ESPN2. Tulane lost their home opener Friday, losing to Tulsa 37-13.

Utah wins, Boise smothers Ducks

2009-09-04T13:54:00.002-06:00

So, Utah is going to be pretty good this year. A great defense along with a promising offense. The Utes forced 2 safeties on the day. one a blocked punt out of the end zone, and a sack by Nai Fotu. They moved him from linebacker to D-end because he blitzed every down last year. Anyway, Utah State is in need of Riley Nelson. Diondre Borel was awful, as USU was 0-14 on third downs. I thought the Aggies would've had a legit shot at this game if they hadn't blown so many opportunities. Robert Turbin had a nice 96 yard TD run, but that was about it. Terrence Cain looked great in his debut.

Boise State's defense shut down the run, and as I predicted, the Broncos would be too much because Oregon can't pass the ball. (Georgia Tech, Navy, Air Force. hint hint)
Anyway, Oregon's running back sucker punched Boise's linebacker and gets him idiot of the day honors.

It's finally here- sort of

2009-09-03T17:55:00.003-06:00

So, BYU opens up with Oklahoma in the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday. But first things first.

Oregon at Boise State 8:00 Mountain time, 10:00 Eastern time, ESPN. If Boise State can shut down Oregon's running onslaught, they should be in good shape. It's a sellout at the smurf turf, and I want to hear Brandon tell me what Bronco fans are saying. Should be a good one, with Kellen Moore trying to outdo Jeremiah Masoli, and both have solid, tough defensive units.
Prediction: 31-21, Boise. Boise State gets it done by defense and a good showing from Moore. The Ducks run game can't get it done.
Utah State at Utah-7:00 mountain time. The Battle of the Brothers should be better this year, because Utah has 2 inexperienced quarterbacks, and USU a new head coach, Gary Andersen, Utah's former defensive coordinator. This game is either a blowout in favor of Utah, a game where the Utes run away with it, or by the biggest of miracles, the Aggies get the win. If Utah State wins, that would be bad. Very bad. That would just be awful. A switch between the Big East and MWC wouldn't be too likely. Speaking of which, the MWC's lower tier teams need to shape up, if that will ever happen. Utes will win though.
Prediction:Utah-38, USU 21. The Aggies put up a good fight, but not good enough, as Jordan Wynn and Terrence Cain have enough playmakers around them to get it done.

The formula to beat Oklahoma

2009-08-21T10:52:00.003-06:00

BYU plays against Oklahoma at the Dallas Cowboys brand new, billion dollar stadium in Arlington, Texas on September 5th at 7:00 ET. It is surprising how many Cougar fans are being so pessimistic about their chances in this game. These are BYU fans. Expectations are through the roof. I'm one of them, and I still think that it can happen. How many people thought that Utah could beat Alabama? About eleven percent of the nation thought they could. Utah thought they could, and they did. But Alabama's offense was crummy. This is OKLAHOMA. The reigning Heisman winner.

But never fear, he threw eight picks in 14 games last year, so they make mistakes too. You might wonder why I have a picture of an overlook of the Texas-Oklahoma game last year. Well, Texas shut the Sooners' run game down. 40 yards, no more. The Longhorns held them to 35 points. Florida also shut the run game down and won. But their secondary's are nothing of a comparison to BYU. The Cougar secondary is bad. The safeties are solid, but the corners have a lot of question marks. So, Oklahoma should score more than 40 points. But the run defense was good last year. We have a solid D-line and a deep linebacking corps. I think if we shut down the run, and force at least 2 turnovers, we're in good shape. That also goes for the special teams. We can't allow any kick, punt, or defensive scores. The offense has to be on their UCL"A" game too.

The 0-line is a big area of concern. They are really young, with one returning starter who has a broken left hand. Max Hall was running for his life in practice yesterday. Just think what Oklahoma's d-line will do. I hope they don't have holding and false start penalties galore. I don't want any what ifs for this game. If we go out, don't commit more than 2 turnovers, and lose 45-35, I'll be thrilled. If we struggle all game and don't score more than 20 points, I'll be disappointed.

So, stop the run, force turnovers, get pressure on Bradford, which they are planning to do. On the other side of the ball, don't commit turnovers, keep the sacks down, move the ball, score, and compete. Have heart. Believe that you can win. Play every play like it was your last.

Example: BYU vs. Miami, September 18th 1990. My parents were at this game. 66,000 plus on hand. BYU thought they could win, and they smothered Miami in a score deceiving 28-21 win that fall day. Detmer was amazing. So, don't count BYU out yet.

Favre Makes Yet Another Comeback, Louks Transfers to Nevada, BYU Camp Report

2009-08-18T13:55:00.003-06:00

I'm getting sick of Brett Favre. Last year he comes back, plays with the Jets and struggles. This year, many Vikings players, including RB Adrian Peterson say that they want Favre to make a comeback. He says that he won't, but here he is, riding a helicopter to Minnesota to get a physical. He was cleared. ESPN was live for the whole thing. I think today it should be BFPN. Who knows how well he will do. He has a pattern that has him being good every two years.

Anyway, Utah Junior quarterback Corbin Louks has decided to transfer to Nevada. He came into fall camp the #1 guy, but slipped to three, tried defense, and transferred. The starting opportunity was there, but he didn't take it. I think he'll fit in nicely with Nevada, but due to transfer rules, he has to wait until next year to play. The Wolfpack have a pistol offense, which I believe is where the QB gets to run a lot.

I think it's time for a BYU camp report. The Cougar offensive line has taken some huge hits early on in camp. Their best offensive lineman, Matt Reynolds, who was a Freshman All American last year, broke his hand. He will play against Oklahoma, but not 100 percent. That's a big loss. Then, their next best lineman, Jason Speredon got a torn rotator cuff and he's out for the season. And to add insult to injury, Oklahoma has the best two defensive ends in the country. We will start three Freshman, Braden Hansen, and Marco Thorson the most notable. I think if we can protect Max's blindside, we'll be ok. If Max holds the football too long, I don't know what to tell you. If Max gets sacked four times, I'd call that good. You can only block a guy for so long. Also, another point of concern was how many holding and false start penalties were called during Saturday's scrimmage. That can't carry on to September fifth.

Another very minor injury was Max Hall dislocating his ring finger on his throwing hand. Trainer Kevin Morris popped it back into place and practice resumed. Hall did throw two picks, but I have a ton of confidence in the offense. Max is spreadig the ball around and not making dumb mistakes.

The defense is hopefully coming along a lot better than last year. Last year was awful. The d-line is solid, with Jan Jorgensen, Brett Denney, Russell Tialeva, Matt Putnam, Romney Fuga, and Vic So'oto. The linebacker spot is once again, deep and talented. Sophmore Jordan Pendleton, Senior Matt Bauman, Terrence Hooks, Shawn Doman, and Coleby Clawson will get the start, with the exception of Doman, who is playing in front of injured Terrence Hooks.

The safety is going to be good, with Scott Johnson at free safety with Mr. football Craig Bills backing him up and Andrew Rich at the kat spot with possibly Shiloah Te'o and Jray Galea'i backing him up. Corner was an area of concern, but they are coming along very nicely. Junior Brandon Bradley has one spot locked up, and it looks like redshirt Freshman and returned missionary Robbie Buckner has the other side locked up. Buckner is injured, so Brian Logan has stepped in, and has the praise of Bronco Mendenhall. Lee Aguire will back up Bradley. Careful now. Last year I praised the secondary big time, saying they were deep and quick. As it turns out, they were awful. So, just a warning.

My inner love for soccer

2009-08-15T15:30:00.002-06:00

If I can recall, I created a post last year where I mocked soccer a bit. But before that I played rec soccer a few years and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Soccer's one of those sports that's fun to play but not as much to watch. But now I like to watch and play. Partly because I watched the Real Salt Lake vs. FC Dallas on the 24th of July.
FC Dallas got out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, and then RSL stormed back to win 4-2. That was exciting.

Reason number two: In April, Real played DC United at home. The first half was a tie, but the second half had RSL scoring 6 goals. 6-0 Real. Wow.
Last week, RSL played the Seattle Sounders at Rio Tinto stadium (home of the 2009 MLS All Star game)in Sandy. Also, Seattle is an expansion team. RSL's first year was awful. Anyway, RSL won 1-0, a huge game, with the Sounders in second place in the Western Conference.
Today, RSL is host to the Houston Dynamo, who is the league's second place team. I hope they can get those three points to put them in a good position for the 2009 MLS playoffs.

RSL is good at home, but struggles on the road. Hmm... They had better figure something out quick.

Cougar season will be wild

2009-08-11T13:14:00.005-06:00

BYU's upcoming football season could be a disappointing one, or a really crazy one, at least for Cougar fans. They could finish the regular season either 11-1, 10-2, 9-3, 8-4, 12-0, or 7-5. 7-5 would mean that we would lose to Oklahoma, Florida State, TCU, Utah, and someone else. And that would be a big disappointment. 8-4 isn't unthinkable. 9-3 is a big possibility, 10-2 is personally what I think will happen.

We lose a tough one by 7-14 points to Oklahoma and we lose to TCU at home. We beat Florida State and Utah at home, and beat everyone else on the schedule. And I'm not saying the team should, by any means take anyone for granted. Anyone can spring an upset in today's college football.

My BCS pick: TCU. Fact is, the Frogs are right smack in the middle of Big 12 country, so they recruit some of the fastest players. Jerry Hughes is a defensive end who leads TCU's top ranked defense from last year. He played running back in either high school or the Junior college. Either way he's scary with his speed, size and athleticism. Andy Dalton leads a spread offense that put up quite a few points last year. He has Jeremy Kerley and Jimmy Young to throw to. The fifth year senior quarterback's weakness is when he is under pressure. He tends to run back 10-15 yards, like the 80's. And he gets caught. The Frogs have 2 huge early season matchups at Clemson and Virginia. I think TCU crushes the Cavaliers and outlasts Clemson. The Tigers have a ton of athleticism, but TCU matches that.

Boise State and Utah play top 15 Oregon early in the year. Boise on September 3rd and Utah on September 19th.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach and Bruce Feldman's Way too early bowl projections have both of them picking Boise State to go to the Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma, again. Feldman apparently shows a lot of love for BYU, picking them to play in the Sugar Bowl against Mississippi. So, Feldman thinks that two BCS busters could happen. If Boise State beats Oregon, they will run the table in the WAC and got to the BCS. BYU, on the other hand, can afford to lose to Oklahoma, just not by a whole lot. If they win, they jump in the top 15. Anything can happen, especially with 3 out of the 4 toughest games on BYU's schedule are in Provo. It would be cool for BYU to play at the Louisiana Superdome 2 times in a year. Max Hall vs. Jevan Snead would be epic.

Utah: Utah's defense should help them survive through a couple of games, but then it's time for the offense to step up. I have been listening to a ton of radio the past 2 weeks, and I have the impression that the Utes QB race in order is Terrence Cain, Jordan Wynn and Corbin Louks. If none of these guys can step up, that'll be a problem. They play TCU, BYU, and Oregon on the road.

TCU: With the offense and defense experienced, the only thing the Frogs have to worry about is execution and performance. Hosting Utah will make life a little easier, traveling to BYU will be tough. The Cougars put their 18 game home winning streak on the line against Florida State, September 19th. I don't have a problem rooting for TCU. At least after the BYU game. Utah, I have a really hard time rooting for.

Where have all the great comic strips gone?

2009-08-11T12:51:00.002-06:00

http://images.ucomics.com/comics/ft/2009/ft090809.gif

I love Foxtrot. When the Sunday newspaper comes in, that's one of the only comic strips I look forward to, besides Bizarro, Dilbert, Deflocked, and The Argyle Sweater. Foxtrot is about all sorts of things, like fat jokes, irony, and just plain humor.
I'm gonna break down my favorite cartoons:

Bizarro: It has some good ones, and I like it.

Dilbert: Hmmm... sometimes Scott Adams has ideas that seem funny, but aren't. But still, give him credit, I like his style.

Deflocked: This is a new comic on the market, and it is really successful.

The Argyle Sweater: Along with Deflocked, another new strip that has gotten the attention of many. It pokes fun at Sesame street and other children's shows. An example is Scott Hilburn revealing that Cookie Monster has diabetes. So his blood sugar gets too high. You should Google it if it's not in your newspaper.

2009 top 25

2009-08-05T15:49:00.002-06:00

So, with football season 31 days away, I should break down ESPN's top 25. Although I believe that the preseason polls mean absolutely nothing, I still like finding out who will start the year ranked in the top 25. Here's ESPN's top 25:
1. Florida- With Tebow returning and a tough defense, this is a no-brainer.
2. Texas- Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley, Quan Cosby and a stifling defense have got Texas to this point so far.
3. Oklahoma- With the returning Heisman trophy winner on hand, and DeMarco Murray in the backfield, the Sooners look tough. Their defense has often been overshadowed, but their D-line is scary, and their secondary is fast.
4. USC- No Sanchez, tough D, and a few running backs.
5. Virginia Tech- Uh... just because they beat Big East "Power" Cincinatti in the Orange bowl doesn't mean that they are gonna be awesome. Maybe top 15. But they have to get an offense first.
6. Ohio State- What are they doing here? Sure a great defense and a promising QB, but let's look at years past. Overrated. Period. Big Ten is weak.
7. Ole Miss- I agree with this one, because Jevan Snead is a good QB with a lot of options, plus a good secondary and O-line.
8. Alabama- They put Bama here too? Good gravy. Give me a break. We all saw how Utah handled the Tide in the Sugar Bowl last year. Either lack of preparation, or lack of intensity. Not this year.
9. Penn State- Another Big Ten squad. The Big Ten is pretty good, but very boring to watch. They call 31-28 a shootout.
10. Oklahoma State- Oooh, a great offense and promising halfback. This is what college football is all about.
11. Oregon- They pay a visit to Utah in early September at Rice Eccles stadium. With Utah breaking in a new quarterback, Corbin Louks or Terrence Cain is bound to make a few mistakes. So, Oregon should win that one. Jeremy Masoli and Co. are the best rushing attack in the nation.
12. LSU?- They were terrible last year under a trio of first year quarterbacks, but they picked up a few good recruits. Maybe next year.
13. California- Interesting. The Golden Bears have Jahvid Best, but what else?
14. Boise State- The Broncos have a date with Oregon set for September at the Smurf Turf in Boise. This will make or break their season. This is called the biggest game in Bronco stadium history. That's pretty pathetic that they keep scheduling weak teams each year.
15. Georgia Tech- The triple option attack won't get you anywhere in college football because you're bound to lose if you can't throw the ball. When in throwing situations, most times the QB stumbles. Just ask Navy and Air Force.
16. Georgia- Yet another SEC team in the mock top 25. Breaking in a new QB in the SEC is tough. If the Dawgs play an easy non-conference schedule, Joe Cox will have a rude awakening, come conference play.
17. Notre Dame- Huh??
18. TCU- Jerry Hughes, Andy Dalton, Jimmy Young, and Jeremy Kerley are the Frogs top weapons this year. No one will be able to run on TCU this year, but their pass D leaves a lot to be desired. The Horned Frogs big games will be September 5th at Virginia, September 19th at Clemson, October 24th at BYU, and November 14th vs. Utah. They have some big road games this year.
19. Iowa- Shonn Greene is a top Doak Walker award candidate, and a tough defense for the Hawkeyes.
20. Nebraska- Playing in the Big 12 is tough. But there's reason to believe that Nebraska can be a contender. Their biggest asset is defense.
21. North Carolina- The Tar Heels are an ACC team. Good defense no offense. That's how the ACC works.
22. Kansas- Defense and special teams are always of big concern for the Jayhawks. This year's no exception.
23. Utah- Not this year. They will have a fairly successful year, but the QB situation is a question. They will make mistakes. They can finish 10-3, but they'll work pretty hard for it.
24. BYU- The Cougars have some holes to fill, like the offensive line position. I hope the starters can start out strong, because, let's be honest, how many quarterbacks can play well with a crappy o-line? None. They return Max Hall, Harvey Unga, Dennis Pitta, Oneill Chambers, and recently returned missionary McKay Jacobson. Oklahoma at the Dallas Cowboys new stadium in Arlington Texas is going to be a challenge, but I say it can be done. The Cowboys billion dollar stadium includes a 60 yard video scoreboard. Wow. With Florida State, Oklahoma, TCU, and Utah on the schedule, it'll be great to get exposure, but really tough.
25. Florida State- A decent passing game, great rushing game, and a solid defense will make them pretty good.

BYU's 2010 recruiting class

2009-08-04T15:58:00.008-06:00

So, a lot of things have happened since I last blogged. But not a whole lot are important. So I'll start off with BYU recruiting. The 2010 Cougar recruiting class is already at 22. The most notable recruits are Jake Heaps, Ross Apo, Zac Stout, Bronson Kaufusi, and Kori Gaines.

Bronson Kaufusi, for some of you that don't know is a 6'8 defensive end from Timpview high school in Utah. He has amazing footwork and is a monster on the D-line.

Kori Gaines is a 5'9 defensive back from Georgia who signed with BYU partly because of former Cougar Lenny Gregory, one of his assistant coaches. BYU was the only Division 1 school to offer him a scholarship. He will play safety when he gets here. What has me worried is his 5-9 170 pound frame. Another Justin Robinson? I sure hope not. He has 4.4 speed, though.

Heaps is garnering up lots of honors. He was voted the MVP of the Elite 11 camp, and voted the one who plays earliest. I think he has potential to be a four year starter, but he has to battle Riley Nelson, James Lark, and Jason Munns for the starting slot come April or August 2010.

The Cougs signed Jordan Johnson from Massachusetts in late July, and he stands at 5'10.

Also, they are signing a lot of defensive players, which I like, because our speed in the secondary is plain old slow. Only time will tell.

A player in 2011 to watch for: West Jordan standout Justin Blackmore as a defensive tackle.

Tests show that Rose has Pancreatic Cancer

2009-06-22T13:51:00.004-06:00

Studies have shown that 51 year old BYU head basketball coach Dave Rose has Pancreatic Cancer, a very rare form of Cancer. He said that he will still be running the team, with the help of Assistant coaches John Wardenburg and Dave Rice.

These next few years are going to be very good, because we have lots of good newcomers, like Mr. Basketball Tyler Haws, Nate Austin, Brandon Davies, and Michael Lloyd Jr.

Lakers win Franchise title #15

2009-06-16T16:17:00.003-06:00

Phil Jackson won his 10th, Kobe won his fourth, and the Orlando Magic only took one game. But, one of the plays that almost defined the series is below:

So, I don't know how Courtney Lee missed that. I've practiced it, and it's not that hard. In game 3, Orlando shot 60 something percent, and downed the Lakers to make the series 2-1. In game 4 however, Dwight Howard wanted it more than anyone else. In the first quarter, he had 11 rebounds, 2 points, and 3 blocks. So, he should've ended up with 44 rebounds... just kidding. At halftime, the Magic led 49-37. After half, they were out of rhythm offensively and lacked energy at the defensive end. Kobe, Candy Man, Ariza, and Gasol capitalized. Trevor Ariza had a 7-0 run of his own to cut the deficit. LA outscored Orlando 30-14 in the 3rd period, leading 67-63.

Kobe was relatively quiet, but that was enough. Rashard Lewis had an off game, which didn't bode well for the Magic. In the late stages of the game, we saw Hedo Turkoglu miss 2 crucial freebies. Superman missed about 7. When it was 87-84, Howard stepped up to the line with 14 seconds left. The first one was a brick. The second one missed. LA calls a timeout.

They get it into Fisher, who pulls up from beyond the 3 point line and drains the trey with Jameer Nelson in his face. A Turkoglu shot at the buzzer missed, and the Lakers had new life.

With the game tied with 30 seconds left in OT, Kobe has the ball, Nelson creeps up, and Kobe's elbow nails Jameer in the face. It was incidental, but the ref has to realize that Nelson is on the ground, and it should have been an offensive foul. The Black Mamba kicked out to Fisher who drilled another 3. The Magic missed another shot, and LA survived 98-91 to take a 3-1 series lead. Dwight finished with 14 points, 21 boards, and 9 swats, an NBA finals record, and a near triple double.

In game 5 in Orlando, it was obvious that the Magic were unmotivated an lacked energy. Howard only had 10 rebounds!!! The Lakers won 99-86 and Kobe got Finals MVP.

I know I'm a Kobe hater, but I have to admit that he is from another planet. He has a textbook shot, he is quick, and he finds a million ways to score.

My take on Heaps, Apo, and Stout

2009-06-04T18:10:00.002-06:00

I was just watching some highlights of Jake Heaps. Wow. He is unbelievable.

He has a killer arm, and he's accurate as heck. He is also exceptionally nimble, and isn't afraid to take a hit.

Ross Apo: On the few plays I watched him, he made some really athletic moves, and he has the ability to juke defenders out easily, and he has great hands.

Zac Stout: One big and buff dude. He also has speed, and he is a hard hitter. He is going to bring back a stingy D, him being the heart and soul, as well as a fast defense.

I am extremely excited for 2010 on.

Lakers, Maagic go up 2-1 in conference finals

2009-05-25T05:51:00.002-06:00

Ok, LeBron hit the improbable 3 at the buzzer to win game 2 95-93 after it looked like Hedo Turkoglu's jumper would've beaten the Cavs, but, James nailed the fadeaway 3 with Turkoglu in his face. Creepy thing though. Me and my brother were out playing basketball. We were going to 17( by 1's and 2's), and I hit the shot that put me up 17-16. He took the ball and nailed a fadeaway 3 and went inside. No joke. He did that. Not lying or kidding.

In game 3,however, the Magic decided that King James wouldn't hit any more buzzer beaters. Talk about physical game. Sheesh. There were 86 free throws attempted, 58 foul calls, 2 techs and a flagrant foul. Steve Javie and Dick Bavetta must've been reffing.

Howard threw in 24 points, 14 of those coming from the charity stripe. He ripped down 9 boards and only missed 5 free throws in only 28 minutes. Mo Williams split his eye open, thanks to Anthony Johnson's elbow. The cut required 4 stitches. Rafer Alston dropped in 18 in the 99-89 Magic win at the Amway Arena in Orlando.
Cleveland shot only 37 percent, with King James dropping 41 on 11-28 shooting, 18-24 from the line, 9 assists and 7 rebounds.

Denver took game 2 by 3 points, but LA came into Denver seeking to take home court advantage back. It was a sloppy first half, defensive wise. Too many layups. Denver led 52-48 at the half behind Chris "Bird Man" Andersen. That's when both teams got defensive tongue lashings from their respective coaches. Both teams took pride on the defensive end, and no one got an easy layup or dunk. JR Smith nailed a 3 at the buzzer, and started taunting. He got a quick T. Let's see, Derek Fisher got a T, Jordan monkey boy Farmar had 1, and Denver had 3 players with technical fouls.

Kobe nailed a 3 with Smith in his face to put LA up for good, 95-93.

Orlando overcomes LeBron's 49 to claim game 1.

2009-05-20T21:13:00.002-06:00

That was one of the most amazing games I have ever seen in my life. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, etc. It doesn't get much better than this.

The Magic were up 100-97 after 2 Hedo Turkoglu free throws, then LeBron James made 1 out of 2 free throws, Then Mickael Pietrus missed a 3, and Delonte West drilled one with 40.8 seconds remaining, and Quicken Loans arena was in bedlam. Rashard Lewis nailed a jumper, and LeBron James had a 3 point play to make it 104-102, and foul Dwight Howard out, who finished with 30 points and 13 boards. Turkoglu hit 2 free throws to tie it, and Mo Williams hit a jumper to make it 106-104.
Rashard Lewis hit a 3 with 14 seconds left to make it 107-106. West missed a three, and there was a jumper, and Mo Williams missed a jumper at the buzzer to help Orlando win game 1.

Lakers win thriller over Nuggets

2009-05-20T16:26:00.002-06:00

Kobe had 40 points, including 6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to lift LA to a 105-103 win over Denver in game 1 of the Western Conference playoffs. Hmm... every time he drives, it seems he gets fouled.
Trevor Ariza had a huge steal on an inbounds pass, and Kobe headed to the line with 10 seconds left, which made it 103-99. Chauncey Billups drained a 3 with 6 seconds left to make it interesting, but Kobe hit 2 more freebies, then LA fouled, and J.R. Smith hit 1 of 2, and Kobe threw the ball up.

Carmelo Anthony added 39 points, and the Nuggets led most of the game.

Orlando visits Cleveland tonight, and this will be an interesting series. The home team will win every time, so the Cavaliers in 7.

Magic outrun defending champs

2009-05-19T20:10:00.002-06:00

The Orlando Magic are going back to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 1996. Dwight Howard was a beast once again,with 12 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks. The Magic just wouldn't miss in the 4th quarter, winning 101-82.
Hedo Turkoglu was huge in the 4th quarter, ending up with 25 points and 12 assists.

Rajon Rondo played well, but not well enough, finishing with 10 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds. He did have a monstrous dunk around Howard, but it didn't matter. He had a long 2 at the end of the third quarter to pull Boston within 66-61.
Ray Allen added 23 with 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc, and Paul Pierce had 16. Big Baby Davis dropped 13, and Kendrick Perkins scored 8 with 15 boards. The C's got very little bench scoring, which was a huge difference, being outscored 25-12.

Orlando shot the lights out, shooting 51 percent from the floor and a blistering 13-21 from behind the arc, which amounts to 62 percent. Rashard Lewis poured in 19, Rafer Alston 12, and Mickael Pietrus with 17.

The Celtics are now 32-1 when leading 3-2 in a playoff series.

Game 1 of the Orlando-Cleveland series is set for Wednesday night at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lakers use heighth, cream Houston

2009-05-17T17:26:00.003-06:00

Pau Gasol had 21 points and 18 rebounds, and it was that kind of a game for the Rockets. They couldn't hit a shot, and the Lakers were getting every rebound. Trevor Ariza had 15, Kobe dishing out 5 assists and grabbing 7 boards. Andrew Bynum added 14.

Now the Lakers get to face Melo and the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.

Prediction: Nuggets in 6. Lakers won't last long enough.

Cavs sweep Hawks, game sixes for Lakers-Rockets and Magic-Celtics

2009-05-14T19:23:00.002-06:00

It is really hard to stop the Cavs right now. And the Hawks weren't meant to do it. In game 3, the Hawks started settling for jumpers and LeBron wouldn't miss. He made it rain, with 47 points. Zach Pachulia was confused on a play where he was in the restricted circle, and pouted on the floor like a 4 year old. He got ejected almost immediately.

If you think this year's playoffs are physical, in the book "Karl Malone" it goes into detail about how in the 50's, the NBA players didn't get paid too much. In the playoffs, they got paid more, so it got entirely out of control physical. One guy got his nose shattered, and the elbowing was crazy. One guy got shoved in the 2nd row. Rules started getting enforced quickly.

Anyway, the Lakers have my vote to go to the Western conference finals. In LA, they annihilated Houston, winning 118 to 78. That's a statement. They're gonna go on to the Western conference finals.

The Magic squandered game 4 and 5. In game 4, they gave up a lead like every other game. They had everyone covered on the last play, except " Big Baby" Glen Davis who hit the jumper at the buzzer to win. In game 5, same story. Gave up a lead, and lost a thriller to Boston, 92-88. But, Dwight Howard has been having his way down on the block. He's had 2 straight 15+ rebound games, and he's been a beast down there.

Game 6 just ended, so we're on to game 7 in Boston on Sunday night. Howard had 23 points, 22 boards,and 3 blocks. Rashard Lewis had 20 points, and 3 other Orlando players scored in double figures. The Celtics squandered their chances by committing too many turnovers.

Round 2 predictions

2009-05-06T16:31:00.003-06:00

Here are my second round playoff predictions:

Mavs-Nuggets: The Nuggets are playing well, and Nene, Chris Anderson, and Carmelo Anthony are playing with a big purpose. The Mavericks look to lose this series, but they'll stay alive for a few games. Prediction: Nuggets in 6

Lakers-Rockets: Houston shocked everyone by beating the Lakers in Los Angeles in game 1. The Rockets are pretty good starting series, but the cheap trades, plus Kobe should show up and play hard. The Rockets are streaking, but LA is headed to the Western Conference Finals.
Prediction: Lakers in 7.

Cavaliers-Hawks: the Cavs look awfully tough to beat, and Atlanta is a terrible road team. LeBron James is almost invincible, plus he has a good supporting cast. Atlanta wins one at home, but fails to win the series.
Prediction: Cavs in 5.

Magic-Celtics: Boston doesn't have Kevin Garnett, and they're paying the price. He's the only one on the C's who can guard Dwight Howard effectively. Howard in game 1 was unstoppable on the boards. 16 points and 22 rebounds is what Boston didn't want. Heck, their own fans were booing them. They made a rally, but fell short, 95-90. Howard and Orlando are too much for Boston.
Prediction: Magic in 6.

Recap of first round series

2009-05-03T16:46:00.003-06:00

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Well, with the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs over, it's time to recap those.

No. 2 Denver Nuggets No. 7 New Orleans Hornets. This series was odd. Really odd. The Nuggets got up 2-0, the Hornets won game 3, then in game four, here's what happened. The Hornets lost. At home. By 58 points????? There's my definition of rolling over, dying, and losing 121-53. But at home?? How could you not be motivated to play hard? Nuggets took game 5 to take the series 4-1.

No. 3 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 6 Dallas Mavericks. It looks like San Antonio's age is finally getting to them. Timothy Duncan is 30 + years old, Michael Finley, the same. Bruce Bowen? Yep. Emanuel Ginobili is weak and injury prone. Tony Parker is approaching 30. The Mavs thoroughly outplayed them, winning 4-1.

The Cavs swept the Pistons, in a 1-8 series.

The Rockets got past the Portland Trailblazers for the first time since 1997, and ironically enough, without Tracy McGrady. That was 4-2 as Yao Ming killed them.

Orlando took the Philadelphia 76er's down 4-2, even without Dwight Howard and Courtney Lee in game 6. Howard threw an "Intentional" elbow to Samuel Dalembart to get him suspended for game 6. They still had Rafer Alston and Rashard Lewis, though. The Magic gave up an 18 point lead to lose to Philly 100-98 in game 1, but bounced back and outplayed them.

The Hawks blew out the Heat 91-78 in which every game in the series was a blowout in a 7 game series. That's good news for the writer from Georgia James Dashner.

Celtics finally hold off Bulls

2009-05-03T16:19:00.002-06:00

For the second year in a row, the Boston Celtics advance to the second round by winning a game 7. Except last year, the home team won every game. This year, the Celts and Bulls both stole one on the road.

Ray Allen had 23 points, 7 rebounds and Paul Pierce dropped 20 with 9 rebounds. Eddie House dropped 16 points on 5-5 shooting and Kendrick Perkins had 14 points and 13 boards.

Ben Gordon had a big night, 33 points on 15-15 from the charity stripe. Upstart rookie Derrick Rose had 18, Kirk Hinrich scored 14 of 16 points in the fourth period, and John Salmons threw in 12 in the 109-99 loss.

This series was crazy, having 4 of 7 games going into overtime, and 5 games being decided by 3 points or less.

Next up for Boston is Orlando, who will have a big advantage on the boards, with KG gone and going up against Dwight Howard.

Jazz get elimininated in 5 games.

2009-04-28T16:52:00.002-06:00

Lamar Odom and Kobe Bryant were once again, too much for the Jazz. I didn't bother to watch this game. Oh well. Maybe next year.

Bryant too much for Jazz

2009-04-26T15:54:00.002-06:00

Kobe Bryant hit 16-24 shots, and the Jazz are 1 loss away from an early elimination.
Kobe just wouldn't miss. Ronnie Brewer played good defense, but Kobe still hit everything with a hand in his face. Unless the Jazz go on a 3 game winning streak, they're done. It was a bad game, and the Lakers just wouldn't miss.

The Jazz led 25-20 at the end of 1 quarter, and got up 34-27, but LA went on a 20-2 run to take control. At the end of the half, Boozer tipped a Luke Walton pass, Deron got it, and hit a layup with the foul with three tenths of a second left to close the gap to 60-53.
Deron got a steal and a dunk to pull within 72-63, unfortunately, that was the closest the Jazz would get, losing 108-94.

Jazz rally late for huge win at home

2009-04-25T13:09:00.000-06:00

Deron Williams hit a driving fadeaway jumper with 2.2 seconds left to lead the Jazz over LA 88-86 in a a game when they were down 17 in the 3rd quarter.

With 1 and a half left, Boozer hit 2 freebies to put the Jazz up 82-80. The Lakers scored, then Boozer scored. LA answered. Booze dunked over Pau Gasol. Gasol dunked to make it 86-all with 11 seconds left. Then, Deron got a pick, but didn't pass it to Boozer. He shot it and drained it with 2 seconds left. When Kobe Bryant's three fell short, the Jazz breathed a sigh of relief.

Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and had 22 rebounds, with 16 boards in the first half.
Deron ended up with 13 points, and the Jazz held Kobe to 5 of 24 shooting.
Personally, after Trevor Ariza's 3 to make it 64-51, I turned it off. The Jazz outscored the Lakers 38 to 24 the rest of the game.

Tonight, the game's at 7, and it will be harder. But, the Jazz take this one again, 109-107. Deron will distribute the ball to everyone, and Kobe will have another off night.

Magic, Heat, Celtics all even series.

2009-04-23T17:51:00.002-06:00

So, game 1, Magic-Sixers, Orlando got up 18. Philly battled back, and Andre Iguodala hits a jumper to win it, 100-98. In game 2, the Magic took it to them, and won nicely.

My hero, Dwight Howard, won the defensive player of the year award. Props to him, and he was the only player to lead the NBA in rebounds and blocks in the same year. Just like me. I like that.

The Heat got embarrassed by the Hawks 90-64 in Atlanta. They bounced back and defeated them in game 2.
The Celtics got beat in a close one, 105-103 by Chicago in Boston. Rookie Derrick Rose scored 36 points. Wow. He showed tons of composure. Paul Pierce had a chance to win the game in regulation, but he only made 1 out of 2 from the charity stripe. Ray Allen had a chance to tie it in overtime, but his shot was hard.
In game 2, however, Ray Allen won it in overtime on a 3 to make it 118-115. The Celtics don't have Kevin Garnett. If they play the Magic, Dwight Howard scores 41 and grabs 23 boards.

The Cavs won game 1 92-74 and game 2 93-81. LeBron deserves MVP. He's played like it's the playoffs all year, and his team has the overall number 1 seed.

Deron's big night still not enough.

2009-04-23T17:25:00.003-06:00

If you told me that the Jazz were going to shoot over 50 percent in the first quarter, I'd say they'd have a good chance of winning. Unfortunately, the Lakers shot better than 80 percent, getting up 41-29.
Stop, pop, drop. There's the story of the first quarter.

The Jazz got closer in the second quarter, but were still down 20 at halftime. They whittled the lead down to 3 points with 3 minutes to play, but a turnover settled that attempt.

Lakers would go on to win, 119-109. The Jazz had 20 turnovers. Deron Williams had 35 points, Carlos Boozer had 20, and Paul Millsap had 15 points.

Scary thing: I predicted that Deron would have 15 assists in game 1. He wound up with 17. In game 2, I thought he would have 42 points. He ended up with 35. Tonight, it's a team effort, and Utah will have 7 players hit double figures. Deron, Boozer, and Millsap will have double doubles. Prediction: Jazz 125 Lakers 122.

We gotta avoid that 3-0 hole. That's almost impossible, unless you're the Red Sox. You just have to believe it can happen.

10th time isn't the charm...

2009-04-19T19:19:00.002-06:00

They gave their heart. Their best effort. They rebounded. Heck, Carlos Boozer scored 27 points on 11-16 shooting with 9 rebounds. But in the end, the Jazz's poor shooting percentage wasn't enough. Paul Millsap had 15 points, and 8 boards. Deron Williams had 17 points, and 16 assists. The Jazz gave a great effort, but came up short, 113-100.

The Lakers got up 30-19 in the first quarter behind a few Trevor Ariza and Shannon Brown 3's. It got really bad when the Jazz lagged behind and got down 62-40 at halftime, thanks to 66 percent shooting by the Lakers. Utah promptly came back, cutting the deficit to 9, but got down 76-63 at the end of the 3rd quarter. In the fourth, the closest they would get was 8. Every time the Jazz scored, and got a stop, they would miss a basket. Then Los Angeles would score. Trevor Ariza had 21 points, Kobe Bryant had 24, and Pau "The Caveman" Gasol added 20. Game 2 is at 8:30 on Tuesday night in L.A. on TNT/KJZZ.

I have lots of reasons to believe that the Jazz can win in 6. Steal game 2 or 5 on the road. But, take care of things at home.

Last year, they beat the Rockets in 6, and lost to the Lakers in 6, and, ironically, enough, I went to that game. I'm the curse in big games. BYU-Wake Forest. West Jordan-Riverton/Bingham. So, I'll be turning down tickets to any game I might get.

Call me crazy, but I'm taking the Jazz in 6.

Jazz fall late to Lakers on the road

2009-04-15T17:30:00.002-06:00

Way to go Jazz!!! You have just locked up the 8 seed and are set up for a date with the Lakers in the first round.

I think that the Jazz could bring this series to 7, and believe it or not, win it in 6. I think if they give it their best effort, like last night, they could steal game 1 or 2. And that would also mean, take care of things at home. Kobe had 3 fouls by halftime. That's good. If we can hold yhim to just 20 points a game, we'll be good. But, the Black Mamba almost always finds ways to score. Plus Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic, and Derek Fisher. Tough team to beat.

If the Jazz win tonight...

2009-04-14T16:12:00.003-06:00

So the Jazz play on the road at the Lakers. If they give their best effort, they won't be playing the Lakers in the first round. If the Lakers don't care, we have a great chance, as long as we rebound, defend, play as a team, and Millsap gets more minutes than Boozer, we're good to go. We barely lost to the Spurs on Friday, 105-99. Boozer had some clutch misses, and the Jazz just wasted waaaaay too many chances.

On Saturday, it got bad. Really bad. Utah lost to Golden State, 118-108 when they had 7 active players on the bench. That's embarassing. I can't remember, but it was C.J. Watson who had 38 points, and another quiet player who had 21. What the heck?

The Jazz put it together and beat the Clippers 106-85. That's good.

Now let's hope to win tonight.

National Titles, Jazz

2009-04-09T15:17:00.000-06:00

Well, well, well. It looks like some people's predictions of having North Carolina going all the way are finally fulfilled. Hugely because of Tywon Lawson. They handily beat Villanova in the Final Four, 83-69 and dominated Michigan State, 89-72. The only flaw is Tyler Hansbrough. What a pansy. He is not an NBA player at all.

Uconn's women's basketball team finished another perfect season. Wow. That's 38-0. Plus, they beat everyone handily.

The Jazz are AWOL and so is Boozer. They laid an early Easter egg at home, losing to the Timberwolves. They looked impressive on a road win at New Orleans, but were horrible against the Mavs, losing 130-101. And with San Antonio coming up on the road tomorrow, it looks like they have the 8 seed locked up.

Cougars, Utes, and Aggies all lose

2009-03-22T15:20:00.002-06:00

If one loses, they all have to lose. BYU lost to Texas A&M, because the Aggies hit their first 10 shots, leading 26-8 at one point, but, BYU responded with a 16-6 run. That's the closest BYU would get, losing 79-66. I was at school, thanks to the 10:30 A.M. start time. Texas A&M shot a school record, 57%.

Utah lost to Arizona, because of too many turnovers and poor shooting. Utah couldn't break the press to save their life. Utah got open shot after open shot, thanks to the pressure, but shot a horrendous percentage. They got close, but faltered late.

Utah State lost to Marquette 58-57.

There you go.

BYU draws Texas A&M in the tourney-again

2009-03-16T18:26:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, the NCAA selection committee picked BYU to play the Aggies of Texas A&M on Thursday in the West Regional in Philadelphia, Pensylvania in the Wachovia Center. Let's hope it's not Deja vu all over again. Last year, from what I remember, BYU got down 11-0, was down almost the whole game, and got beat when down by 4, JT attempted a beyond NBA range 3, and it was short. Josh Carter scored 27 on us, with six 3's. Their team, as a whole, shot 8-16 from the 3 point range in the 67-62 loss. First off, defense was bad. 50% from beyond arc????? That was my free throw percentage for the year. Really sad, I know.

At the end of last year, Jimmer Fredette really came out to play. He scored 15 against the Aggies last year. This year, he is much better, and he poses a deep threat. Against SDSU( if we would've hit our free throws and rebounded, we would've won) he had 2 straight possessions where he went behind the back, and drew a three point play. He's awesome.

I have filled out 5 brackets, and almost all of them are different. I only have BYU winning in one. But, I have UNC, Wake Forest, Memphis, Oklahoma, and Duke winning it all. Funny thing: My family knows I'm really biased, and last year, I had BYU going to the Elite Eight, and losing to Duke. I thought we could beat UCLA, who was a 1 seed. Turns out, Texas A&M should've beat them, but the refs don't like calling fouls against the Bruins. 2 years ago, BYU lost to Xavier, 79-77, and they almost beat Ohio State, if they didn't have a meltdown and the Buckeyes didn't hit a lucky shot. So, if we somehow beat A&M, we will likely play Connecticut. What do you do? Double team Hasheem Thabeet, put either Jackson or Lee on AJ Price, and bring someone in to guard Jeff Adrien.

Line of the Week: Emery needs to get his mouth cleaned out. CBSC's announcer after Jackson Emery got a tech for slamming the floor and saying something to the ref. By the way, he just came off a mission.

Photos from the year

2009-03-08T20:25:00.004-06:00

Jordan Weirick
Mason Sawyer
Jordan blocking Jacob Obioma
Coach Briggs cutting down the net. He's been our coach for 10 years and counting.
DubJ with a dunk
As you can see, we had a seesaw year, with 2 nonregion losses and 2 region losses, but we won the tournament. Goodbye to all our seniors who made it possible to win the championship: Mason Sawyer, Jordan Weirick, Rayes Gallegos, Tyson Udy, Tyson Holt, and DJ Tialevea.

Jaguars deny Knights a third straight state title

2009-03-08T18:15:00.005-06:00

No one gave us a chance. They assumed. But the West Jordan boys basketball team pulled off a great upset. All the other teams that played Lone Peak in the tournament were scared of them. We came out and played right with them.

The first quarter score was 19-19 on a Mason Sawyer 3 at the buzzer. No one could really get ahead by more than 3 points.
In the second quarter, Lone Peak looked to blow it open, leading 31-20, but West Jordan closed the gap to 32-26 at the half. in my opinion, it should've been 32-30, but Tyson Udy and Jordan Weirick missed two point blank shots.
In the third quarter, the Jags tied the game on a layup by Weirick at 39-all.
Heading into the fourth, it was knotted at 41. The Knights went up three on 6'10 center, future BYU player Nate Austin's 3 pointer. He has an amazingly soft touch for a big guy. The Jaguars took the lead for good on Rayes Gallegos's three pointer to go up 51-48. He was on fire all second half. A driving layin by Sawyer gave WJ a 53-50 lead, then stole a pass, and got an and-one to put the game away.

Final score was 63-52.

It was an emotional day, as former center Joe Montgomerey passed away on Friday night due to injuries sustained when he was longboarding, got distracted, and got hit by a Trax train and flew 60 feet in the air.

Mason Sawyer got a 5 year full ride scholarship from Boise State, but he's going on a mission before he goes to college. Ray is going straight to Nebraska. Jordan Weirick, the tournament MVP, is still looking somewhere.

Jags defeat Lehi and Davis, advance to championship game

2009-03-07T14:53:00.003-07:00

West Jordan is there. Finally. They beat Viewmont, Lehi, and Davis. Lehi, we were down in the first quarter, but came back and won by 10. They got out to a lead on Davis, and really never looked back.
Against Lehi, Nebraska commit Rayes Gallegos scored all 16 of his points in the first half as the Jaguars held off a Pioneer rally.

Against Davis in the Semifinals, Jordan Weirick had 16 points in the first half, en route to 23 points on the evening. Boise State commit Mason Sawyer had 11 points, and Ray had 7.

Weirick had a sweet dunk, and Ray had a thunderous one handed jam in someone's face. We played well, and Davis didn't threaten.

WJ plays Lone Peak today, who is looking for a 3rd straight state title. That's something. This is Scott Briggs's 10 season, and in 2001 we won it all, was the runner up in 2005, and now we are either runner-ups or champions. I doubt it. Lone Peak has Tyler Haws, Nate Austin, and the rest of their team can score. The big 3 would have to all be on tonight to win, and Lone Peak would have to be off. But we match up pretty well, except for their 6'10 center.

Go West Jordan!!!!!!!!!!

Jaguars easily advance in first round

2009-03-03T18:40:00.002-07:00

Alright, this is my team, West Jordan. They are playing in the state tourney as the #1 seed in the upper bracket. In the lower bracket it's Lone Peak, who has won 4 straight state titles. WJ played Viewmont, and won 62-41. Here's highlights from the game:http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=115

And, just for Nick, it's highlights for every team that played, including Pleasant Grove, who knocked off Skyline by 11.

West Jordan plays Lehi, while the Vikings play Davis at the E center in West Valley.

Fredette's big game lifts Cougars to victory

2009-03-01T17:35:00.004-07:00

Jimmer Fredette had 25 points, and BYU beat Utah in one of the most bitter rivalries across the country. The first half was controlled by Utah, but BYU had another huge second half, and that was too much for the first place Utes. Kim Tillie tipped in a shot for us, and Chris Miles played well, doing a great job on 7'2 center Luke Nevill. Jimmer and Miles scored BYU's first 15 points, but it started to spread out. JT didn't hit a single 3 or point, snapping his streak of 22 consecutive games with a 3 point bucket.

Jimmer Fredette is amazing. His moves on Tyler Kepkay, Luke Nevill, and Luka Drca were sick. We outplayed them, and they were cold in the second half.

BYU plays Wyoming in the AA on Wednesday, then for senior night we play Air Force.

Wow, that's 2 games in a row

2009-02-24T18:21:00.002-07:00

Over on espn.go's streak for the cash, It listed BYU's last 2 matchups there. On Saturday, they said UNLV had an 82% chance of winning, and they were right. Today, BYU has an 82% chance on the ROAD against SDSU. All I can say is, it will be tough. We haven't won there since 2002, and the way we have been playing. Good luck.

Prediction: SDSU 75, BYU 67

Jaguars' 28-0 run proves difference in huge win over rival Bingham

2009-02-22T16:24:00.002-07:00

This is for Brandon and Nick, or any other person who follows West Jordan high sports. This one was awesome. My brother is on the sophmore team, and they have 1 loss in region. I went to this game, and it was awesome. Here's where the story is: http://www.sltrib.com/prepsports/ci_11753755.
Nebraska commit Rayes Gallegos poured in 31 points, and West Jordan dominated. The miners got up 9-6 in the early going, but the Jaguars got on a roll. It seemed like it was us stealing their entry passes, and grabbing rebounds, and hitting 3's at the other end. Ray went 5-6 from behind the arc, and when he is on, he is on. Boise State commit Mason Sawyer had 15 points, and some really nice assists. Jordan Weirick had 16 points, and I think Carroll College is taking a look at him. No idea where that is. For those of you out of the state of Utah, Bingham takes advantage of open enrollment, and is good in every sport. Final score was 79-65. In the 3rd and 4th quarters, the officiating got interesting. So, if West Jordan and Bingham win Tuesday, against cellar dwellers Kearns and Hunter, who wins the region crown? I am asking Brandon by the way. They are both 7-2, but West Jordan has the better overall record. Some say they are flipping a coin. That would be ridiculous. We are peaking at the right time, with the tournament at the E-center on March 2. Tell me Brandon. Please?

Rebels survive Cougar rally

2009-02-22T15:50:00.002-07:00

Late last night, BYU and UNLV had opening jitters, but UNLV pulled out a 75-74 win over the Cougars at the Thomas & Mack center in Las Vegas. It seemed that both teams were nervous, because UNLV missed a bunch of close up layups, and JT missed one with absolutely no one around him. UNLV led 9-4, but the Cougars went on a 8-0 run to lead by 3, but a three by Joe Darger tied it up, and that's how the rest of the first half was. A back and forth half, and the Rebels led 23-21 at halftime after UNLV got a layup. In the second half, the two teams combined for 105 points, with BYU scoring 52 and UNLV with 51. But don't let the final score fool you. With the score knotted at 34, UNLV's Kendall Wallace hit back to back threes, then Wink Adams got 2 straight 3 point plays to get the lead to 60-48. The Cougars were down 72-64 with 40 seconds left, but a layup but Lee Cummard, a dunk by Jackson Emery, a three by JT, a three by Lee, and only 3 made free throws for UNLV gave BYU hope. After Cummard's three with 3 seconds left, the Cougars failed to foul. Now let's look at this again. Say that BYU fouled with 2.4 seconds left, and the Rebels made only the second. Chris Miles would get the ball and chuck it the length of the floor. It's happened, and with 2 seconds, that's enough time for a dribble and a good shot. But UNLV plays good D, so it would've been tough to score, but I still would've liked BYU to have gotten a shot off.
Attendance was 18,000.

Nick and me were over chatting on Facebook yesterday, and we were making predictions for the game. I said 77-71 UNLV. He said 78-77 UNLV in OT. Almost dead on.

BYU visits SDSU on Tuesday. We haven't played well there at all in recent years, last time winning there was 2002. Same with UNLV. Last time we won in Sin City was 2005. I don't like our chances in San Diego, and with history against us, I'm going with 81-72. I know SDSU lost 75-49 in the Pit, which gives us hope, but not much. They will be without Billy White, who got injured on Saturday.

Emery's career night lifts Cougars to victory

2009-02-18T16:47:00.003-07:00

Jackson Emery had a career high, 19 points, including 7-9 shooting, and 3-3 from distance, as the Cougars got to their fourth straight 20 win season under Dave Rose. I happened to go to the game, with 12th row seats. We started out very slow, but picked up as the game went on. No one shot the ball well. The play of the game was when Chris Miles got a rebound, and chucked it the length of the floor, a bounce pass, split two defenders and JT got the ball and layed it home. That's tough to do. We led 29-26 at the break. JT had 22 points, including 2 big 3's that put the game in the bag, going up 60-45. New Mexico got within 63-54, but we broke the pressure and got 3 dunks and some easy shots. The final score was 73-62.
Tony Danridge led New Mexico with something like 23 points, but we shut the rest of the team down most of the way. I think Danridge has the best shot at the NBA.

On Saturday, BYU travels to UNLV to take on the Runnin Rebels in Sin City.

I really should be blogging...

2009-02-08T17:21:00.002-07:00

So, yeah, I know I really should be blogging, but haven't. First things first. BYU drops 2 games in the whole month of January. I don't think we've lost two home games in a month since 2004-2005. Sad part is, we should've won both of them. We were up by 8 in the WF game with like 8 minutes left. Then, everyone goes cold, of course. End up losing by 7. Against UNLV, we get up by 13 at the half, including by a 3 right before the half by Jimmer Fredette. Then, same story. Shooting gets cold, and UNLV hits prayer 3's right before the shot clock. Of course we're gonna lose. Then, JT starts raining 3's in the final minute, of course. We lose 76-70. That snaps a 25 game conference winning streak. Before that, we got killed on the road to New Mexico, 81-62. No shots went down, and it was home cookin' for the refs. But still. We lost to Utah, 94-88 because every time we got a big basket, Utah would come right back down and hit some sort of shot. LaMont Morgan hits a huge 3, and we go up 68-63. Luka Drca comes right back down and hits a runner. The game is something like 70-67, and Fredette gets fouled, and is going to the line. Mark Durant, the BYU basketball color commentary guy, and he says, Jimmer's the one you want going to the line. He misses the first one. It gets tied and goes into overtime after JT's runner doesn't go. So Utah gets the tip because of Luke Nevill, someone hits a jumper. Lee Cummard gets a very tough one to go. Utah hits a three. Someone on our team hits a three. But Utah is the team that stayed hot, and scored on 11 of 12 posessions. Nevill had 29 points because of single teaming, and Lee Cummard had over 20 and hit lots of good shots. The score was 94-88. In single overtime.

Now let's talk about the positives.
We beat tied for the top SDSU 77-71, who visits Utah on Wednesday. But the problem with that is it was in Provo. We still have to visit San Diego, where we haven't won forever. We beat CSU, Air Force. Those were our only road wins. We went 5-4 in January. 5-3 in conference. Last year, counting the MWC tourney, we went 16-3. that means we would have to win our next 8 if we want the 1 seed again. I think if TCU would've pulled off the upset of UNLV, which they lost 89-88, we would've won the tourney and got a better seed. But the Rebels have already lost 4 games. So I hope we can pull out a few more games.

Meanwhile, Utah State is 23-1, with an 18 game winning streak. That only loss? 68-63 to BYU in the ESA.

Lots of stuff I have yet to talk about

2009-01-16T20:56:00.002-07:00

So, I haven't blogged about anything for a while. Yes, I know, Utah beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl 31-17, but here's what I have to say: Utah jumped on the Tide, but I think Alabama wasn't motivated. But, Utah jumped on them, and nevertheless, they got up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. Another thing: John Parker Wilson sucks. He got all these accolades, and threw for 9 TD's ALL YEAR!!! Utah pressured him, and the Tide couldn't run to save their lives. Javier Arenas' punt return TD was awesome. He broke 4 tackles. Utah brought a good crowd.

My thoughts on a playoff: No. The BCS was fine before, but something needs to be changed: No BCS conferences. It's all up for grabs once the season starts. So, no one will get robbed. They have to earn it. A playoff would mean either home field edge, or no crowd.

My favorite line of the day: In the Deseret Morning news, they did a special section on the U's perfect season. It has 1 picture with all of their players celebrating after beating Michigan. The words underneath it read as follows: Utah players celebrate after beating then No. 24 ranked Michigan. Also 2-10, if you didn't know.

At my school, it is weird. On Thursday, at lunch, I eat with the ninth graders. Someone brought the third hottest pepper in the world, a habanero or something( If I'm wrong, please tell me) and 1 kid had 3, another had 2, and my friend had 1. As a result, all of them got sick, and my principal was not a happy one. As it turns out, both of my principals are vegetarians, and there is a Colosimo's right across from our school. It is a sausage place.

West Jordan beat Hunter today. In the sophmore game, it got a little obscene. Hunter is from West Valley, which isn't very safe, by the way. One of their players refused to tuck his shirt in, and he was taken out by his coach. Then the finger goes up. To the ref. Tech. The second of the game. In the varsity game, their were 2 intentionals, and the Wolverines played like it was football. All three teams won, though. West Jordan is 10-2, losing only to Skyline and Jordan.

Now, the recruiting rules have changed for NCAA basketball. 7th graders are now prospects. You heard me. That's like me in a year. Except I doubt I'll make it.

BYU travels to the Pit tomorrow in Albequerque to take on the New Mexico Lobos. The Pit is always an interesting game. Last year, the Cougars fell behind 58-50, but forced overtime, and Trent Plaisted hit two free throws to win that game, 76-75.
Ok, I know I've put this off long enough, but I went to the Wake Forest game, and I have to say, best basketball atmosphere I have ever been to. Hands down. We were up by 8 with 7 minutes left, and we crumpled. But Wake Forest is good. Problem was, we couldn't hit a shot, and the refs were from the Atlantic 10. Last year, in Winston-Salem, the refs were ACC. 53 game home court win streak snapped. We have a good team, though. I think we can hang with anybody in the nation. We are showing up on the road. We beat Colorado State, 86-60, and TCU at home, 73-61. The Frogs beat UNLV in Fort Worth last week. It makes me feel better that Wake Forest beat North Carolina.

Finally, my basketball team. Our starting point guard is in California, and he won't be here tomorrow either. We sucked with the point last week, not showing up against the Strikers, and losing, 34-26. They had good shooters, and they got up by 15, but we came back. Our backcourt sucks. No offense to them. I had 12 points, keeping up my 12 PPG average. I lead the league in points. The next closest is 3. We play the Badgers tomorrow, and I sure hope we show up.

Collie decides to go Pro

2009-01-13T17:42:00.003-07:00

Well, I somehow have to find something to get back to blogging. So I know this was anounced last week, but here are my thoughts on Austin Collie's decision:
Dumb. Usually when a BYU player leaves early, they are always wanting to come back. Plus, he waits a year, and gets to be the first team to play at the Dallas Cowboys new stadium against Oklahoma. Then, it is off to the Superdome in New Orleans against Tulane. Then, it is home to Florida State and Utah State, plus, home games against TCU and Utah. He has only beaten Utah once, and TCU once. Plus, if he waited, he would be a for sure first round pick barring any injury. And, look at Todd Watkins. He is now a 6th wide receiver for the Raiders. He sees about half the action in preseason. Anyway, if he wants to be in the BYU Hall of Fame, he needs to finish school. He said he's 1 and a half years away from getting his Bachelor's degree. Anyway, I'll still root for him in the NFL, and I hope he does well, but I still wish we would have him this year. Good luck to him.

Also: Utah's DE Paul Kruger who is a Sophmore, is entering the NFL draft. Same with DB Sean Smith.

Holiday AAU tournament!!

2008-12-27T13:26:00.002-07:00

Well, my first game of the Kris Kringle Holiday AAU tournament began last night, with us beating Jordan 26-18, a team we already beat 29-10 in our other league. My line wasn't as impressive as the last 2, only getting something like 8 points, 5 boards, 3 blocks, 3 assists, and 3 steals. But I am still an all around player. I guess I shouldn't of gone sledding. We got up 14-2, but somehow we fell apart a little bit, but the closest they got was 8. We played great the first 12 minutes, but, either they woke up, or we fell asleep. But we didn't altogether fall apart. The scoreboard people probably aren't, or shouldn't get paid. One person was texting the whole time. At least we won. The game was played at historic, good old Jordan high school. Well, the school was moved to a different location, but they got a new gym and such. So it's a nice facility.

Today is even bigger. I have 2 games. The first one starts at 6 PM at West Jordan High School, against Fusion, another team that's in our league, but we haven't played them yet. I expect them to be better. If it gets close down the stretch, I hope we don't panic like we did against Triple Threat in game 1. Then, directly after that, we have a game that's supposed to start at Jordan high school again at 8. I just hope we have enough energy to run the floor. And I hope I'm not worn out. That game will be against The Silverwolves. All 3 of these games will determine which seeds each team gets on Monday. Then, Monday, I believe it is a single elimination tourney that day, and yes, the winner gets a trophy. I hope we play hard. Wish me luck.

Cedar Park Rollercoaster

2008-12-26T12:12:00.010-07:00

I know that my title is JoshscoolSPORTSblog.blogspot.com, but this thing is tight. Some facts first. Cedar Point is the 3rd biggest amusement park in the world. My friend's dad says that the rides are ridiculous. Plus, it is 6 times the size of Lagoon. For proof, here are some pictures I received in an email: So, as anyone can see, this roller coaster is no boring one. It is really high, and heart pounding too.

Here, in West Jordan, Utah, the weather can be 90, 100 degrees in the summer on average. In the winter, every day is about 30 degrees. It sucks. Plus, when you just shovel your walk after a huge night of snow, then it starts snowing like non-stop confetti, you find yourself out shoveling, again. It is like endless heck.

TCU comes back to defeat Boise State

2008-12-23T21:20:00.002-07:00

It looks like my picks in Bowl Mania over on Espn.go.com aren't hopeless. TCU outgained Boise State by something like 461 to 232, but struggled with 2 turnovers. Boise State matched them with two TO's, but they came at crucial times, and both under 3 minutes left in the game. The Horned Frogs, the number 1 rush D, and number 2 overall D, held Bronco star RB Ian Johnson to 30 yards. Well. I didn't watch it, but one of the TO's was by Jeremy Kerley, who ran all over BYU's D. He took a direct snap, tried to throw, but got picked off. Then, Andy Dalton threw a pick. TCU got down 10-0, but got back in the game at 10-7, then 13-7. They managed a field goal by Ross Evans, then scored a 17 yard rushing TD by Joseph Turner. That gave them a 17-13 lead, but Boise State got another field goal. Kind of like last year's BYU-UCLA Las Vegas Bowl. Except, Boise forced a punt, but Kellen Moore got picked off by Stephen Hodge. TCU had a fourth and 3 at the 28, but decided to go for it instead of kick the field goal. Result? Loss of 5 for Andy Dalton with 6 seconds left in the game. Boise State threw a little 7 yard route to Jeremy Childs, and they tried the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, but the Frogs were ready for it. He fumbled and Matt Panfil recovered. Dalton took a knee, and the Frogs won something like their fourth straight bowl game.

Tomorrow, I had a tough choice between Notre Dame and Hawaii. Both stink this year. The Rainbow Warriors lost to Utah State, and The Irish lost to Syracuse. I picked Hawaii. I have no idea why. My record this bowl season is 3-3.

Talk about biased

2008-12-21T14:50:00.002-07:00

So, how fair is it that Arizona State's star player goes to the free throw line 21 times and BYU as a team goes to the stripe 19 times. Another fact: James Harden sucks. Note that Pac-10 officials have been as bad as rotten bread. So, when Harden is driving, and shoves his hand at Jackson Emerey's neck, is it a foul? Why? Harden uses his hands, and he is terrible. He did it like 10 more times. That's why I hate star players. They get pampered. If they are going to call a foul on one end, they'd better call it on the other side too. At the end of the game, with an inbounds pass, we threw a pass to Jonathan Tavernari, who got slapped, then hacked again, then the ball got tipped to Charles Abouo, who threw up a pretty behind the head shot that went in. So, I just read Brandon's blog, and what the refs did was against the rulebook. And what I said yesterday was true, They called it good, then overturned it after a minute. They really do hate BYU. I'm gonna email the people who pay the officials, or maybe Brandon should do this, give them the rulebook. Because we got robbed. First, against Washington, zero holding calls and a 7 year old getting 4 shots of them. Now, a victory over a top 20 opponent, waved off after 1 minute with unclear evidence. If they do a bowl game, I won't be surprised to see lightning come down and strike them for all of the criminal calls. Abouo said that he got excited because he heard the HORN when the ball was IN the air.

BYU's football team ended the year with a sour taste in their mouth, losing to Arizona 31-21. We should've won that game. Yes, our defense sucked. Yes, the final score says almost no way, but it could've happened. First off, Max Hall loses 2 fumbles and throws a pick, which was surprisingly just a good play made on the ball by the defender. Then, the special teams game. Mitch Payne came into yesterday night's game hitting 10 of 12 field goals. Tonight, 0 for 2. Both of them easy shots of 40 and 43. Justin Sorenson missed a 54 yard field goal, just not getting enough boom. And another rant on the ref. When Mike Thomas was running and still struggling after a catch, the ball was stripped and David Nixon picked it up and ran for a touchdown. Wait a minute, down by forward progress. And by the way, they blew the whistle when Nixon had the ball in his hands. Oh well, next year will be better. Except witout an offenseive line. A more experienced D will be good. Note to Austin Collie: Don't go! It's usually never worth it. You still have 1 more year, and you could break a lot of NCAA records. Last night, you had your 11th straight 100 yard game, which tied Michael Crabtree's record. Get 1 more, and you find yourself in the recordbooks. There is still yardage to catch and receptions to have. Plus touchdowns. And, you want to have a better year than your first 3. We could play some good teams, and our toughest games are at home. We have a good schedule next year, and a chance to maybe play Oklahoma in the Cowboys new stadium. Plus, TCU and Utah are at home. So, my Christmas present would be for you to stay.

Everyone: have a very Merry Christmas!

Bowl Week!!!!

2008-12-15T15:35:00.005-07:00

As I have already said, I will be posting my bowl predictions. But first, let me talk about the bowl games.

Wake Forest vs. Navy- Eaglebank Bowl
This matchup has already been decided in the regular season, with Navy winning. Here's my take. Wake has an awesome defense, but their offense is horrible. Riley Skinner is an ok QB, but still makes bone-headed mistakes. Their only hope to winning is their kicker, Sam Swank. He is the Wake leader in points, but they have no history. Navy's run game is too much for Wake, and Wake will have lots of turnovers.
Prediction: Navy 27, Wake Forest: 24.

New Mexico bowl: Colorado State vs. Fresno State. This one's a toughie. CSU has at least a pretty good offense, but their D is not so good. Fresno State has a QB in Tom Brandster, but they have proved to be very, very, very overrated. They were in the top 25 at one point, but have sunken very deep. Beating Utah State on a 58 yard field goal? Losing to Boise State 61-10? CSU will play good enough to win, and they have the fans coming.
Prediction: CSU- 38- Fresno State- 31.

MagicJack St. Petersburg bowl- Memphis vs. South Florida
I know. I wondered the same thing too. South Florida has Matt Grothe, and Memphis plays in the Conference USA. Last time Grothe played in a bowl game was a 56- 21 shallacking to Oregon in the Sun Bowl. He'll be better prepared.
Prediction: South Florida 31, Memphis 14.

Las Vegas Bowl: BYU is using the Utah loss as motivation for this game. Anyway, it would be tough for Arizona to still win. They have a good offense, but their D is suspect. Max Hall isn't good against pretty good defenses, but against the teams that don't have the best D, he picks apart. ( UNLV, UCLA, Washington, UNI, SDSU, CSU, Air Force, Wyoming) Plus, he grew up a huge Wildcat hater, loving Arizona State, where he went to college for a year. He wants to bounce back in a big way, and I think he has the guts and effort to do it. Harvey will provide the 1-2 punch, and our defense has a bunch of seniors, so they want to play well. We have the fans, and the Cats might just be happy to be going to a bowl game. They'll have the most fans though, out of Cal, Oregon, and UCLA. So Cougar fans, watch out for beer. I actually went to the Vegas bowl once in 2005 against Cal. Brandon went too. My advice, if there is a better way, go around the Strip instead of through it. The cards, buildings, and billboards. The game was nice, except that while BYU was down 35-28, with under 2 and a half minutes remaining, John Beck lofted a pass intended for Todd Watkins at the 17, but it got picked off. I think he was hit while he threw that. It was a great comeback, but the Cal fans are psycho. Left of us, they went for like 4 bottles of beer each. Drunk people are crazy.
Harvey, already has over 2,000 yards in his career. If he keeps up the pace, he'll get 4500 by the end of his career, and he'll be the all-time leading rushing instead of successful running back Curtis Brown. Expect Max not to be determined by the 6 TO's, and expect everything to finally click.
Prediction: BYU 45, Arizona- 31.

More basketball

2008-12-09T15:57:00.002-07:00

My Bball team lost 33-32 on Saturday night. I had 14 points, 15 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals, and an assist. I know, a lot. But, we lost the game ourselves. Yes true, they absolutely had no form, and yes the refs and scoreboard operator sucked, but we played a decent game. We got out to an early lead, and was up by 8 with 3:00 left. Then the operators put 4:40 back on. And on my free throw, they buzzed the thing. Stupid people who get paid who don't even know what they are doing. We lost our intensity on defense, and they started hitting whatever left their hands. But let me go to the free throw advantage: they shot 16 freebies, we shot 2. The refs decided that Vegas put their bet on the other team. Then, I blocked a kid, and they called foul. I supposedly " fouled out" Even though that was only my third. A kid who I guarded who I called Mullet hit 1 of 2 free throws. We ran down the floor and my point guard dished to my friend, and his shot... hit the plastic wrap, then hit the backboard and fell out. I doubt we'll lose any game the rest of the year. I've watched some of the teams: Tiny, lazy, and losing 19-18 games. I hope I play Triple Threat( the team we just played), and run the floor and embarass them, which they deserve. If I keep this up, I'll average a double double, like Dwight Howard, or Amare Stoudamire, and everybody else. Oh well, we've still got a lot of games left.

My local high school( West Jordan High) beat Number 5 in the state, Pleasant Grove, 62-58. We are now number 2 in the state. I know, Nick.

BYU to play in Vegas bowl for 4th straight year against Arizona

2008-12-07T15:41:00.003-07:00

It has been offically announced. BYU is going to play the Arizona Wildcats in the Las Vegas bowl. Again. For the fourth straight year. I'm not excited. But I know, that if we play a stronger team, we are likely to lose because of our defense and Max's ability to stare down receivers. We would have to play like we did against UCLA. The thing is, I knew our D stunk. They couldn't stop anybody, and they showed it, by giving up chunks of yards. If we were in a big conference, for instance, the Big 12, we would be toast. Those defenders would read Max all day. Not that I have no faith. I still believe we can do a lot. IF!!!! Max didn't do a lot of things. I said we could beat TCU and Utah, IF he didn't stare down Pitta and Collie. Oh well, next year he'll improve.

We might play Oklahoma next year. I sure hope Sam Bradford leaves for the draft.

Arizona's offense won't do a lot against us. Our defense is bad, but we showcased against weak offensive teams that we shut out. I hope we can have the seniors go out with a W.

As for Utah, I hate them, and I don't think they can win against Alabama. The only " BCS" team that they can defeat is Cincinatti. Alabama, they would have to stop Bama's huge O-line, and Big running back Glen Coffee if they wanted a chance. If you watched BYU-Utah, we killed their D-line.

Oklahoma is good. They now have scored 60+ points in 5 STRAIGHT GAMES!! That means whoever plays them needs to stop them to even have a chance.

I will be posting bowl predictions for every single game, starting this week, once the official matchups come out.

Pretty good finishes

2008-11-29T15:51:00.003-07:00

On Friday, I saw some great finishes. I'll first go to LSU-Arkansas. The Razorbacks jumped out to a 14-3 lead behind Freshman running back Dennis Johnson. Then, LSU ripped off a bunch of points to lead 30-14. Arkansas has 2 QB's, and they are brothers. Nathan and Casey Dick. Casey is a senior, and I think he's a horrible QB. Apparently he is clutch. Maybe only in that game. But still it was impressive what they pulled off. Trailing 30-24, the Razorbacks had a fourth and 1 from the Tiger 22. Head Coach Bobby Petrino had Dick drop back to pass, and he lobbed a perfect pass in the end zone to a wide receiver who had a step on his guy. He caught it, but after the extra point, Arkansas was only up by 1. LSU returned the squib kick to the 50, and Freshman QB Jordan Jefferson only had one completion of 5 yards. On one play, he should've ran. Then, they brought out kicker Colt David to try a 63 yard field goal. You only hit those in NCAA football with the field goals at 99 and the wind at your back. At least that's what my friend does. It was well short, and the Razorbacks celebrated 2 victories over LSU in a row. Oh LSU, you truly do stink this year.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, it was the annual Colorado-Nebraska rivalry. With the Buffaloes up 31-30, the Cornhuskers had the ball at the CU 31, but QB Joe Ganz got sacked back at the 40. They had an incompletion, and all the ESPN announcers thought Bo Pelini would go for it. Instead, he sent out kicker Alex Henrey to try a 57 yard field goal. It was good, surprisingly enough, a school record, and that sent the Husker crowd into a frenzy. it was the 297th consecutive sellout, but my theory is, they have nothing better to do in Nebraska. Cody Hawkins threw a pick for a TD, and Colorado is not bowl eligible, and The Huskers are likely headed to the Cotton Bowl.

Boise State is 12-0 after exploding for 48 points in the second half after leading only 13-10. Final Score: 61-10.
Florida is likely to go into the SEC championship game with 1 loss with a 35- 16 lead over Florida State, who we play next year. It is like a literal swamp in Tallahassee. Rain is coming down like crazy. Tim Tebow ran for a TD, and after he was all Seminole end zone paint. It was crazy.

Alabama is up on Auburn in the Iron Bowl 29-0, and The Tide is inside Tiger territory. Auburn's D is good, but their offense can't score to save their lives. The Crimson Tide's Glen Coffee has over 100 yards rushing and a TD.

Georgia Tech had over 400 yards rushing, and they beat Georgia in Athens, 45-42.

Changing modes

2008-11-26T19:43:00.003-07:00

Yeah, yeah, call me sad. I have just started my change from football season(sigh) to bball season. I will be updating BYU's basketball team, my Superleague team, my future high school( West Jordan high!!!) and a lot of other random stuff. So far, everything is going well. West Jordan's varsity team beat Cyprus high's varsity squad, 79-27. I know. It's sad. The sophmores could've beat them. In fact, my brother is on that team. He's a ninth grader. They have a 6' 4 ninth grader who made varsity, and a 5'7 kid who made it also. That's my heighth in my shoes. They play Hillcrest next.

Now, on to BYU's basketball team. They haven't played anybody competitive, but they are still undefeated. They beat Rice, 83-52, North Florida, 74-41, Cal Poly, 76-64, Long Beach State, 75-65, Pepperdine, 82-53, with still Utah State, Weber State, Idaho State, Arizona State( on the road, and the Sun Devils are ranked)Boise State, and Wake Forest. Pretty tough schedule ahead of them, but not too tough that they won't win. I like our team. Lee Cummard, Jonathan Tavernari, Jimmer Fredette, Chris Miles, Gavin MacGregor, Charles Abouo, and Michael Lloyd, plus a bunch of other talented youngsters. I think the possibility of going to the NCAA tourney is likely. Plus, Utah lost their first game to Southwest Baptist. I scratched my head too. Who? If anyone watched the North Carolina-Kentucky game, Dick Vitale said, you wanna know upsets? and so on. JT is scaring me with the shots he's taking. They are ridiculous sometimes, sometimes considerate.

My team is not too good. We haven't played a game yet, but only have 7 players. We play our first game on December 6th, then sometime in February, there is a single elimination tournament.
( I know BYU lost to Utah, but I don't have to post it cuz about everybody knows the scenario. Max threw 5 picks and fumbled. Like I said, we'll lose if he stares down people. We'll see where we go in a bowl game)

It's almost time!

2008-11-21T21:18:00.003-07:00

Enough SaidAlmost exactly two years ago tomorrow, the BYU football team accomplished something that many teams have never accomplished. The game started out with BYU striking first on their first 2 drives, or something like that. John Beck was phenomenal, throwing for 1 TD, and completing about everything. Manase Tonga got the scoring started on a 1 yard TD run.
Then John Beck completed two big passes to Jonny Harline. One in which horrible, pass-interference- master Brice McCain got beat, and held on to Harline. He caught the ball with 1 hand, with the PI. Then Jonny Harline caught another big pass. 38 yards for a score. He also outran one of their corners, like he had done against New Mexico and UNLV. Wow.
Then, all of the sudden, Utah came storming back. What happened? Eric Weddle threw a TD pass to Brent Casteel. Louie Sakoda added a field goal before the half to make it 14-10 in BYU's favor. He also hooked one of his kicks too.
In the second half, Utah scored again when one of our safeties matched up with Ute receiver, and currently drunk driver, Marquis Wilson. Brett "rapist"(it's true) Ratliff threw a good pass and he caught it and ran 58 yards for a score. Then, Utah scored once again with a 4 yard pass to TE Colt Sampson.
BYU showed up again at the end of the third quarter, with Curtis Brown breaking a 15 yard run, and Weddle threw him down out of bounds. Late hit out-of-bounds.

In the fourth, BYU made their comeback. They continued that drive, and Beck threw a great pass to Harline, and he outjumped Weddle, and caught it miraclously when it bounced, and he came down with it. It was reviewed, but was confirmed. It was like slow-motion. They were equally high at the same time, and the ball was contested, and Harline came down with it. With the Pass-Interference. Ouch.
BYU got the much needed stop and worked on another drive. This one ended with Beck doing a play-action pass, which he lobbed it easily to Daniel Coats, who caught it easily. At this point, I'll go to Beck's thoughts:
He said at that point that he thought if the D got a stop, and they got a first down, game over. One play where Aaron Wagner could've picked it off, but he couldn't hold on to it. Utah also had a fourth and 2, but Ratliff ran 3 yards for the first. Before that, Beck talked to the offense and told them that they needed to get ready. Whatever they needed, the first down, field goal, or even the TD. Utah got a screen play that went to Casteel again, and he took it to the house. The stadium erupted.
The drive was successful, but let's go over it. Bryce Mahuika and Curtis Brown made some good plays that made the difference. They shook off a few defenders, and got out of bounds. Then, there was a fourth and two. Beck stood forever before finding Harline. He also hit Freshman sensation Mckay Jacobson, who comes back next year from a mission, to the eleven. They tried one lob to Harline, but the defender played good D.

Then, there was The Play. The designed play was a lob to Harline. Beck bought time, as they only rushed two, but brought Joe Jiononni and another guy for pressure, plus two others. Beck scrambled, and he was waiting for Harline to clear the last guy. Then bombs-away. Harline on his knees in the end zone. He immediately got up, and onto Travis Bright. They finally did it. 3 straight losses to Utah, and the seniors win one for the first time ever. It was the first time since 2001. And it was a big step for the program. Also to note, our secondary got injured that game.

Last year, the Deseret Morning News had a sports headline that said, Best Matchup. Ever? Well, the Deseret again said it again, but insist that it's for real. The reason? Last year, We were riding a 9 game win streak, the Utes, a 7. We won, but it was ugly. Defense ruled the field. But Collie had a 65 yard TD negated before the end of the first half. He gave the defender a little nudge. Down he goes, and out comes the flag. If the ref would've let that go, 10-0. Mitch Payne also played a big role, hitting 3-4 field goals. Then Harvey Unga dropped 2 wide-open TD passes that could've sealed the game, putting it possibly 13- 3. If the other TD stood, 20-3. Out of reach. Game over. Two mistakes. Collie caught the fourth and 18 pass that will remain in Cougar lore forever. Harvey redeemed hisself with an 11 yard TD run to seal the deal, running over Steve Tate.

I expect a close game tomorrow. Our D needs to improve, and our running backs need to fight and get extra yardage. On paper, Utah wins. In real life, we can pull this out. Max had a shoulder injury last year. Grade three seperation.
We need to play with emotion and to put pressure on Brian Johnson. Our offensive line needs to block the D.
I hope we can win tomorrow!

BYU takes care of Air Force, sets up showdown for Saturday

2008-11-16T16:12:00.003-07:00

Let the hype begin! Sure, there will be fights, taunting and bragging, but that's what rivalry week is all about. I like that all the Utah fans say they are going to win, but I want them to get as cocky as they want. But first, I have to break down the AFA game. Great win over a Falcon squad who only lost to Navy and Utah. Whenever you beat the Air Force Academy, it's always satisfying, especially the players who prepare differently for the Falcons. The D didn't play great, but well enough to win, 38-24.

We stormed out to a 10-0 lead, thanks to Fui Vakapuna's 11 yard TD run and Mitch Payne's 45 yard field goal. After that it was all Air Force. They had a couple of scores to go up by 4 with 1:49 left to go in the half. We drove down to the four, but Hall's pass was tipped, and picked off in the end zone. Austin Collie gave the team a pep talk that they were better than this.
They delivered. The D forced a 3 and out, Ryan Harrison shanked a punt, and BYU capitalized with Harvey going untouched into the end zone on a 1 yard run. On the ensuing kickoff, Freshman Blake Morgan stripped Reggie Rembert and recovered the ball. 2 words: Momentum swing. Harvey scored yet again when he got the corner on a defensive back into the end zone. All the sudden, we were up by ten, 24-14. We got another score when Hall hit Collie for a six yard score. 31-14.
The academy added a field goal, and a TD, but we put the backbreaker with under five minutes when Hall hit Collie for a 45 yard TD strike, in which he pump faked, then chucked it deep on target in the outstretched hands of the junior. Game over. Right? Not so fast. Air Force got quickly into BYU territory, but the game was truly over when Tim Jefferson lobbed it to the end zone, but Brandon Howard picked it off.

Hall had another stellar outing, going 28-37 , 354 yards, and 2 scores. Harvey had 88 yards, and Fui added 32. I'm thinking Hall needs to go 35-42, 483 yards and 5 scores to beat the U. Our D needs to improved, and Harvey and Fui need to stop dancing, and go north-south and need solid runs. I still think we can win, if we stop Utah's offense, and capitalize on everything. I want to make sure Utah can't come back, and end their BCS hopes. It won't be easy, but it will be possible, and anything can happen on rivalry weekend. I don't care if Boise State gets the BCS. (Sorry Brandon)

BYU AFA breakdown

2008-11-13T20:00:00.002-07:00

BYU goes into Colorado Springs tomorrow hoping to stop the option. I'm not too scared as we haven't had a problem with them in years past( 31-6, 33-14, 63-42, 41-24) like Utah has( 30-23, 20-12L, 17-14) But I am concerned with one thing. Defense. They need to show up. We played New Mexico, and we yielded a lot of yardage, yet stopped them in the red zone. I hope we can do that. But, Air Force is better than New Mexico in terms of option. I like the fact that they can't pass very well. They have thrived under Freshman QB something Jefferson. He is 5-0 as a starter.
If Max can do well and spread the ball around, we'll win. If he stares down Collie or Pitta, we'll lose. The O-line needs to open up holes for Harvey, Fui, and the other backs. If we want to go into the Holy War in Salt Lake 10-1, we have to play well and not look ahead to the showdown.

We haven't struggled against the Falcons in history, and we are better since TCU, so I'll go with us, 34-23.

BYU considering Oklahoma in '09

2008-11-05T17:14:00.003-07:00

We are going to have a very tough schedule in 2009. I still think we can do it if our D improves. But... we lose Nixon, so it might be tougher. I know that it is still this year, but I'm going to show who we're going to play next year. Here it is:

AT: Arizona State
HOME: Florida State
HOME: Utah State
AWAY(neutral site)Oklahoma(MAYBE)
Plus TCU and Utah at home

Just goes to show you, the ESPN and the BCS can't rip us for schedule next year. If everyone but Utah State can be ranked, we could play 5 ranked teams next year, better than any other team in the nation. If the Oklahoma deal works out, which I want it to do so, we could play a top ten team. That game might be played in Dallas, Texas in the Cowboys' new football stadium. Big deal? Yep. And, the last few times we've played in Texas, We've had a great fan turnout. TCU this year drew a lot of our fans, TCU in 2006 the same, and the 1996 Cotton Bowl, in which we played and beat a very good Kansas State team. That year, they had the QB, the Wide Receivers, the tight ends and the defense. They won that game 19-15, and they were 14-1, an NCAA record, with the only loss coming to a very good Washington squad in Seattle, 29-17. I hope our offense and our defense can play good all year, and if Max doesn't force things, Collie, Pitta, George, Chambers, and Unga can play well, we'll be a darn good squad. Plus, we get back highly recruited tight end Devin Mahina, and McKay Jacobson, who thrived in 2006 as a Freshman wide receiver. Our only question is the O-line, in which I think can do pretty well, if they make an immediate impact, and execute properly, and protect Max and open up holes for Unga, we will be hard to beat. Of course, the defense has to improve, and Max cannot force things.

I'm excited for 2009!

BYU uses two quick scores en route to close victory

2008-11-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

Another wild west shootout. Hall threw for 5 touchdowns, and Collie caught 3 of them, in the first half. Pitta caught the other two. Our D improved, but still stunk. I think they'll have improved a ton by the Air Force and Utah games.

Hall hit Collie a lot in the first half, where Austin burned Nick Oppenneer a ton. They doubled him in the second half, which opened the door for Dennis Pitta. I don't care if CSU is pretty bad, a win's a win. Hall made one of the dumbest decisions I've seen him make in his BYU career. It was 3rd down, and Hall scrambled out, and he looked to run, so one of our receivers turned to block. Hall tossed it to him, and it was picked off and ran back. There was an illegal man downfield for us, and an illegal contact call for them. Lucky break. Or so it seemed. Next play, we played a PREVENT!!! PREVENT PREVENTS YOU FROM WINNING!! They caught a Billy Farris pass, and our guys missed their receiver and he scored. Then we put together another quick score with 22 seconds left when Hall split a few D backs and he hit Pitta at the five, where he dragged a few guys in the end zone.

Jan Jorgenson came around the end on the next play when we rushed three, and he hit the ball out of Farris's hand, but Gartrell Johnson recovered. We hung on from there. In the fourth quarter, Johnson scored a touchdown, and chest bumped Miami Dolphins star linebacker Joey Porter. There were a lot of NFL scouts at the game.

Thank goodness SDSU is next at home. That is our last home game, then after that, we play on the road against Air Force and Utah. I still think our defense will improve, and I still think the BCS or New Year's day bowl is possible. 4 words. Win all your games. I don't care if the D stinks, as long as we find a way to win, I'll be content.

Texas Tech outlasted Texas yesterday night. I didn't get to watch it because my sister and her friends were watching Jumper and we only have one TV that you can watch. I saw the catch and run on youtube, and I can only think one thing: risky. Here is the catch:

BYU outlasts UNLV in shootout

2008-10-26T14:59:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was a shootout. We couldn't stop them, and they couldn't stop us. It all came down to who made the most plays on defense. As it turned out, we made the most plays on defense.

On the opening kickoff, Austin Collie took it 75 yards to the UNLV 25. If that was O'neill Chambers, he would've been gone. We then scored when Max Hall threw the ball over the middle to Andrew George, who caught it, bobbled it, then regained it in the end zone.

UNLV came right back and scored on a 5 yard TD run when Frank the " Tank" Summers ran over a bunch of our guys, into the end zone. We scored again when Hall hit O'neill Chambers for a 20 yard touchdown pass, which was the first of his BYU career.

UNLV would answer when Mike Clausen would run it in from 1 yard out in the second quarter to knot the score. They were picking apart our defense all day.
We would punt the ball, but it landed at the the UNLV 1. On first down, UNLV ran a fade, in which Brandon Howard batted it down. On second down, They handed it off to Frank Summers, who was almost safetied. On third down, they got to the 5 yard line on a run. Then, Bryan Kariyha blocked the punt, in which Brandon Bradley caught at the 15, then ran it back to the 10. They called facemask on UNLV. Then Harvey Unga ran it in from 2 yards out.
UNLV would come back and score again when Summers got in from 1 yard out.

In the second half, we played better D and made some adjustments, but we still gave up a few more touchdowns. We held them to a punt, and it all got started when Fui Vakapuna had a 33 yard burst, then a few more carries, and 1 by Ashworth and Unga, then capped it off when Hall faked the handoff, and he lobbed it to Fui, who was wide open.

UNLV had another drive, and Mike Clausen ran in from 2 yards out for a score. In the fourth quarter, we managed a Mitch Payne field goal. On the Rebel's ensuing drive, they had a fourth and six, and the punter, who is also the 3rd string QB, threw the ball, but Coleby Clawson read it perfectly and tipped it away. We only managed a field goal.

UNLV came right back, and had an Omar Clayton to Ryan Wolfe 15 yard score. Then, there was a sense of urgency, we came back, wasted a lot lof time, got to the 6, and with 1:46 left, Hall hit Pitta for his fourth passing touchdown of the game. We got the 2 point conversion pass to Harvey Unga.
The Rebels then wasted no time, got to the 13, but Matt Putnam got through the line and sacked Clayton, and the Rebels were forced to use their last timeout. We preserved the victory when Clausen lobbed a hail mary pass to Phillip Payne, and BYU walk-on safety from Snow College leaped up and picked it off. Payne was 7-7 going into the game, but he ended the game 7-9. It was the first time all year UNLV hadn't scored in the red zone.

Fui had 72 yards on 9 carries, and Harvey had 84 yards on 19 carries. Hall's numbers: 24-31, 245 yards, 4 touchdowns, zero interceptions.
That last interception was the only turnover for both teams.

On a kickoff, O'neill Chambers went airborn, and stayed on his feet. The kid's got some jumps.

In the polls: We moved up to 16, Utah to 10, and TCU to 12.

Utah State was primed for an upset over Fresno State, when a left footed, Freshman kicker who missed a 22 yard field goal earlier, drilled a 58 yard field goal as time expired. Ouch. Well there's one way to lose another game.
Ohio State lost to Penn State 10-6, Texas beat Oklahoma State, 28-24, and TCU beat Wyoming, 54-7. Georgia beat LSU on the road, 52-38. Their middle linebacker, Gamble, ran two picks back for touchdowns.

Florida beat Kentucky, 63-5, using 3 blocked kicks in doing so.

BYU gets sacked by TCU

2008-10-19T14:49:00.004-06:00

I was at my cabin over the weekend for UEA(Utah Education association) so I did not get a chance to post about this game. My thoughts:

BYU needed to mix the run with the pass. They did that, but it would've worked better if we didn't have to play catch up all game.

Max Hall got sacked 6 times. He was blindsided and fumbled on the first drive, but that's not a sack, according to the statrulebook. You can't let that happen to him. He did not do a good job of looking off other receivers. All he did was stare down Pitta and Collie. The reason we won in 2006 is because TCU is not very good at stopping teams that don't stare down receivers and check down and make the most out of everything. It resulted in Hall throwing zero touchdown passes. TCU's corners were Freshman in '06. Now they are juniors and pretty skilled, except for an awful corner by the name of Rafael Priest. He gets burned a ton. We did not throw at him. Also: Nick Sanders had 2 picks. Unacceptable. In fact, both of them were inside the red zone.

We still could've won this game, even though the final score stood 32-7. C.J. Santiago had a very low punt, in which it hit a Horned Frog defender, and Tyler Kozlowski, son of BYU great Glen, ran and fell on it. We got to the 31, and had a fourth and 1, and coach Anae decided to do a counter. We did not get it. Harvey does not have the best outside speed, and TCU easily got there. We got into the red zone later in the quarter, and Hall stared down Pitta, and Sanders read it all the way. He got to the forty, then spiked it. NO CALL!!!! Then, we had another play where Hall stared down Collie on fourth down at the 7, and Sanders picked it off again. Ugh. So, the scoreboard could've read TCU 32, BYU 28. Or,if we got a field goal somewhere else, and a 2 point conversion, it could've been 32-all- overtime. So yeah.

Bronco said the reason they lost was his fault- a lack of preparation. And a lack of execution in my opinion. A few more stops and we could've won. Our corners are bad. I don't mind too much if they line up 8 yards off. What I do hate is the fact that then they run down the field 12 more yards on 3rd and 5 on a simple 8 yard curl route.

In my opinion, we can still make it to the BCS. Here's my plan:
#1. first and foremost, win the rest of our games. Bronco had better prepare them and I will have no one who hung their head after the TCU game. Things like that happen. In 1984, the only year we went undefeated, there were times when we easily could've lost. Our linebacker jumped over the line, then stopped Hawaii's running back twice on the 1. We barely beat #3 Pittsburgh. Then, against Michigan in the Holiday bowl, Robbie Bosco came back from an injury and threw the game winning score for a 24-17 victory.
#2. We need Utah to beat TCU. I hate the thought of that, but it needs to happen in order to win the MWC. It's really annoying how all the Utah fans called in on the 1320 show to say how now the door's open for Utah and they are gonna win everything. Not so fast though, as they still have to play TCU, and you saw what they did to our offense, then look what they should do to Utah's offense. But, in a defensive battle, Utah should win.

#3. We NEED(underlined a million times) to beat Utah. I still believe that we can beat them their defense is not TCU's, and Brian Johnson throws a pick and fumbles every game.

#4. Our corners need to shape up if we want to go anywhere besides the lowly Las Vegas Bowl for a fourth year in a row. I still believe in them, but I think Bronco and Jamie Hill need to work them hard and teach them.

#5. We need the voters in the polls to be gracious to us. If we can jump from 18 to 9, then we could be playing in a BCS bowl. Unless we get snubbed like the 1996 team and end up in the Cotton Bowl, or Capital One Bowl. I'd be ok with that. Or the Holiday Bowl.

Also part 2: TCU is 15, and Utah is 12.
Texas looks really, really good.

BYU holds off New Mexico, becomes bowl-eligible

2008-10-12T14:38:00.004-06:00

BYU beat the New Mexico Lobos yesterday afternoon, 21-3. They started out pretty slow, but recovered and held off UNM.

The Lobos got on the board in the second quarter when they kicked a field goal.
BYU had a 95 yard scoring drive that started out with New Mexico kicking the ball nearly out of bounds and Austin Collie tried to get the ball and ended up going out of bounds on the five. A few plays later, Max Hall found Collie for a 58 yard gain deep inside Lobo territory. BYU would score on third down and goal at the inch line when Hall audibled and found Andrew George for a score. The Cougars had one more chance to score when Tate Smith fumbled the ball when he tried to hand it off to Rodney Ferguson around midfield. BYU got to the 17, but Collie got called for a Pass Interference when Hall lobbed it up to him. The UNM defender just fell down. Terrible call. Justin Sorenson's 49 yard field goal was wide left.

BYU had trouble stopping UNM's rushing attack in the first half, but shut it down in the second half. It showed that when the Lobos had a fourth and 1 at their own 15, and they got it.

BYU scored again when Hall hit George for an 11 yard scoring strike, as George hauled it in in front of his defender.

UNM had a TD negated in the fourth quarter when there was a block in the back call on New Mexico. Rocky Long did not agree with the call and called it "Criminal". Wow. UNM had been holding all game, and finally they called it.

BYU would seal the deal with a 9 yard TD pass to Austin Collie with 2:00 to go.

On the Lobo's last possession, BYU Ian Dulan had a sack on second down, and Coleby Clawson sacked the QB on third and fourth down. Third down was a 17 yard loss. That was all three of BYU's sacks.

Hall's numbers: 22-34, 265 yards, 3 TDs. Harvey Unga had 95 yards on the ground, and Austin Collie finished with 162 yards and 1 touchdown.

BYU stayed at 9, while Oklahoma State, and Florida jumped us. Texas is the new #1 after beating Oklahoma 45-35, Alabama is 2,and Penn State 3. Oklahoma jumped us after stunning previously #3 Missouri on the road, 28-23. Florida absolutely annhilated #4 LSU 51-21 in the Swamp.

BYU travels to Fort Worth to play a Thursday game against TCU. Kickoff is set for 6 Mountain time, 8:00 Eastern time. TCU has the #1 defense in the nation. They are pros at stopping the run, but need a lot of work on the pass D. Here's the gameplan, Hall throws the ball early and often, then, later in the game run the ball at unexpected times. Our defense needs to play sharp against the combo of Andy Dalton, Marcus Jackson, and standout Senior running back Aaron Brown.
Hall leads big scoring drives, and our kickers get a lot of practice. Try for the six, but if not, get the 3. All they need to do is get to the opponent 40, and Justin Sorenson can make it. It is certainly far enough, but not as accurate as I'd like. We have to play much better than we did against UNM if we want to escape Amon G. Carter Stadium with a win. We need everyone on offense. If Hall can find not only Collie, but Michael Reed, Dennis Pitta, Andrew George, Harvey Unga, and perhaps O'neill Chambers, Bryce Mahuika and Fui Vakapuna. We cannot have turnovers, which we've done very well, and force them, in which we've also done very well. We need to put more than 30 points on the scoreboard if we want to beat the Horned Frogs. We have got to pressure Dalton and Jackson, sack them and force them into bad throws.

I like Thursday games. I actually have something meaningful when I come home from school. It is a huge game. It is a long shot for BYU and Utah to be undefeated going into Rice-Eccles stadium on November 22.
Our remaining schedule looks like this, TCU, UNLV at home, Colorado State in Fort Collins, Senior Day against San Diego State, then finish the season with Air Force in Colorado Springs and Utah in Salt Lake. As you can see, it's a tough schedule for us.
Utah still has to play TCU, New Mexico, and Colorado State, who tested TCU, but lost, 13-7.

Go Cougars!

BYU, Utah game summaries

2008-10-04T21:45:00.004-06:00

This is what I get for posting about Oregon State's win over USC. Utah beat Oregon State on Thursday on a last second field goal. Wow. How stupid are their fans? Utah is 15th. Oregon State is unranked. So...
Utah's offense stinks. We should beat them at the end of the year.

BYU beat lowly Utah State on Friday, 34-14. BYU jumped out to a 24-0 lead at the end of the first quarter then played bad the rest of the game. Mitch Payne had a field goal that he supposedly "missed". It was inside the thing, and the drunken refs said no good. I guess it sailed over the upright somehow. Then he had one blocked. What's up, O-line? BYU forced a lot of turnovers, till they stopped trying.

Ohio State just beat Wisconsin on a Terelle Pryor TD run with 1:08 to go in the game. Michigan Ohio State should be a great game at the end of the year. They both suck.

Crazy weekend- 6 top 25 teams lose to unranked opponents, 9 top 25 teams lost

2008-09-28T14:35:00.009-06:00

Just what we needed for a bye week- a bunch of teams ahead of us to lose.

Happy day. Happy day it is indeed. In fact, ironically enough, my birthday was Friday.

It all started on Thursday, when Jaquizz Rodgers and Oregon State upended USC, 27-21. It was like a chain reaction, as then, on Saturday afternoon, Florida lost to Ole Miss, 31-30. Ole Miss got an 87 yard passing touchdown, then Florida scored on the option to potentially tie it, but the extra point got blocked. Tim Tebow took the blame for that one, after a fourth and 1 at the Mississippi 3o-something, he got stuffed on a shotgun QB sneak.

Then, Wisconsin lost to Michigan 27-25 after blowing a 19-0 lead. Michigan took a 20-19 lead after one of the Wolverine linebackers picked off a tipped Wisconsin pass and ran into the end zone for a TD. Wisconsin would score with 13 seconds left and they needed the 2 point conversion. The Badgers' first try was good, but there was an inelegible receiver down field, and the do-over was too high and incomplete.

Wake Forest lost to Navy 24-17. They turned the ball over way too many times, and they gave the Midshipmen a chance to win.

Clemson lost to Maryland, 20-17. The Tigers had a bunch of turnovers too, and the Terrapians pulled it out.

East Carolina lost for the second week in a row to Houston, 41-24. I guess the NC State game took everything out of them.

Finally, Georgia lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 41-30. The final score is very deceiving. Alabama came out, and by halftime, had the score rolled up to 31-0. Georgia's jersies were black, and they asked the fans to wear black for a black out. They just got outplayed. Sorry James, no undefeated team this year. Maybe next year.

Also: BYU jumped to 8. Penn State leapfrogged us to 7, and Texas Tech to 6. USC is 9, followed by Georgia at 10. Florida at 11, and Wisconsin at 17. Utah moved up to 15 after Weber State gave Utah some problems.

Number 1 no more!

2008-09-26T12:53:00.002-06:00

Another Pac-10 team lost on Thursday night. But this time, it's USC. USC is undefeated in non-conference, but lost to unranked Oregon State, 27-21. The final score is a little deceiving. Oregon State jumped out to a 21-0 lead at half led by Jaquiz Rogers, and they held on.

USC had the ball at their own 2 when Mark Sanchez threw a pick. USC would score late, but the Beavers held on.

Oregon State plays Utah next Thursday.

BYU gets nationally touted Lone Peak high star

2008-09-25T15:11:00.003-06:00

Wow. BYU's football team is doing great. Now, it looks like the basketball team is going to be good. They just got Lone Peak high school star Tyler Haws, who was recruited all around the country. He started Varsity his sophmore and Junior year. As a Sophmore, he averaged 19 points a game. They won the state championship that year.

Last year he averaged 21 points a game, and his team won the title again. His team was unstoppable, going 21-1 the first year and 21-0 last year. They had a 6'11 guy, a 6'7 guy, and so on. It just so happened, that my local high school team that I'm going to in the future, lost to them, 56-35 in the second round of the state playoffs.

Haws is the son of BYU great Marty Haws. He said he attended all the BYU games as a kid.

He is a senior in high school this year. Dang. We could've had him this year, which is Lee Cummard's last year.
Expect BYU's basketball team to make it past the first round of the NCAA tournament.

BYU drubs Wyoming- another shut out

2008-09-21T13:48:00.002-06:00

45-10. I was pretty close. Wyoming could've scored a TD and a field goal. But, our defense stopped them. What I don't get is, why are Brandon Howard and Brandon Bradley lining up 10 feet away from the line of scrimmage? Bronco should do something about that. It gets on my nerves. They could've allowed less yardage. I'll take it though.

BYU started the game off, letting Wyoming get to the 36, then Dax Crum dropped back and threw a little wide receiver screen, it wasn't caught, and Scott Johnson scooped up the ball and dashed 64 yards to the end zone. There was confusion, and a review, but it still stood.
BYU was sluggish the rest of the first quarter, but the second quarter is where they turned things on. Harvey Unga rumbled 1 yard for a touchdown. Then, later, Max Hall hit Austin Collie in stride for a 62 yard TD pass. We had an extra point blocked. Hall hit Collie for another little 8 yard touchdown pass for the final score of the half to make it 27-0

In the second half, BYU wasted no time, and scored on a Hall-to-Unga 11 yard TD pass for the final offensive touchdown of the game.
David Nixon picked off a Karsten Sween pass and returned it 19 yards to the house.
The rest of the scoring would be a Justin Sorenson 35 yard field goal.

We played Max Hall, Brendan Gaskins and Kurt McEuen. Ouch...........

Unga had 95 yards. Hall now has thrown 15 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. That's like a 5-1 ratio.
Next game is Utah State. Even though they beat the Idaho Vandals 42-17, that still doesn't mean anything. We can make it 2 straight shutouts. Wow.

ECU lost to NC State, 30-24. That means their BCS dreams are gone.

Oregon lost to Boise State on Eugene, 37-32.

Georgia outplayed Arizona State, 27-10. Nothing big happened. Maybe BYU jumped a few spots. I'll have to check that.

Up next: USU in Logan.

Quick Post about Wyoming game

2008-09-19T15:27:00.002-06:00

BYU plays Wyoming tomorrow in Provo. Wyoming is always a big game. For some odd reason, I always like playing Wyoming. With all due respect, we should beat them tomorrow by a considerable amount. They tend to start very slow and have a lot of turnovers. They had to come from behind to beat Mac foe Ohio, got creamed by Air Force, 23-3, and was down 10-0 at halftime, before coming back to beat South Dakota State, 16-13. Plus, this is their first road game of the season. Not this week, Poke fans.

Prediction: BYU:45 Wyoming:10

MWC goes 4-0 vs. Pac-10

2008-09-14T16:11:00.002-06:00

The MWC is pretty good after all. Here's the roundup:

UNLV 23- # 15 Arizona State, 20. Wow. The Rebels came back from a 20-10 deficit to beat the ASU Sun Devils in Tempe on Saturday. UNLV blocked a field goal in overtime to preserve the win.

New Mexico 36, Arizona, 28. New Mexico put the Wildcats away early, and came away with a win.

TCU 31, Stanford 14. TCU had this game early to escape Ike, and they were tied 14-all at the half, but TCU pulled away in the second half.

Air Force 31- Houston 28. This game was also played early the beat Hurricane Ike. Air Force was up 31-7 before Houston rallied.

Wyoming 16, North Dakota State 13. Pathetic. Embarrassing. The Pokes were down 10 at halftime before rallying. As I said, sad. BYU plays them next week in Provo.

San Jose State 28, SDSU 10. The only MWC team to lose yesterday.

BYU embarrasses UCLA

2008-09-14T14:17:00.005-06:00

Hehe
BYU just might not be overrated. Take that, ESPN! BYU destroyed UCLA, in good fashion too, shutting out Norm Chow's supposedly high powered offense, 59-0. Come on. Northern Iowa commited less turnovers and played much better than the Bruins. But......

Anyway, most of BYU's scoring came in the first half. It started off with the Cougars forcing UCLA to go 3 and out. BYU wasted no time, marching 78 yards in 12 plays, ending with Max Hall's 12 yard TD pass to Dennis Pitta, who shook off a tackler and walked into the end zone.

Next drive, which came in the second quarter, Hall hit Austin Collie on a 2 yard TD pass.

BYU got the ball back when Jan Jorgenson blindsided Kevin Craft, and Ian Dulan fell on the ball. On the next play, Hall hit Austin Collie for a 37 yard TD pass.

UCLA's running back had the ball, and when he got to the outside, he got flipped up and he fumbled. BYU recovered. Hall would later hit Michael Reed for an eleven yard TD pass.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Bruins coughed up the ball again, this time on the kcikoff, and Shiloah Te'o recovered. Ouch.... BYU would turn that into points when Hall again hit Harvey Unga for a 15 yard score. Four of the five touchdowns BYU scored in the second quarter, were all from 15:00 to 9:42. Amazing.

BYU would score for the last time in the quarter with 14 seconds to go, Hall hit Dennis Pitta for a 2 yard score, in which Hall rolled out of the pocket and hit an open Pitta for Hall's 6 passing touchdown in the first half, which was an MWC record by the way, and 1 short of tying the NCAA record. They went into the break up 42-0. BYU blocked a Kai Forbath 32 yard kick and returned it to the 48. Talk about reliving a nightmare. During that time, the whole crowd was shouting " Block that kick!" In which it worked.

After the kickoff, BYU got to the 50, when Hall's pass got tipped and picked off by UCLA's Moore. BYU would stop them, and Hall would throw his 7th touchdown pass of the game, a 7 yarder to Unga.

On the next drive after a 3 and out, Brendan Gaskins finds Michael Reed for a 36 yard gain to the UCLA 9. Reed had made huge catches on 3rd downs all day. Mitch Payne would hit a 24 yard field goal, in which was their first attempt this year.

Wayne Latu would top off the scoring to put BYU up 59-0 on a 13 yard TD run. That was set up when Craft dropped back for a screen pass, and Matt Putnam broke through the line and picked it off. BYU scored 59 points through 3 quarters. Watch out, MWC.

Some game stats: Hall, 27-35, 271 yards, 7 touchdowns, 1 interception. BYU punted twice all day. Harvey had 17 carries for 71 yards, Fui had 9 for 34, Latu,5 for 24, J.J. Diluigi had 7- 34, and Hall had 3-12. Gaskins went 4-5 for 66 yards. Max had a rating of 201. Beautiful. Not to mention, Austin's back. He had 10 catches for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Utah only beat UCLA 44-6 last year. 38 points is nothing compared to 59, and a shut out, UCLA had a much better offense this time. Kevin Craft has to hate life at LaVell Edward's stadium. Last time he went there in an SDSU uniform, he started, and BYU jumped out to a 40-3 lead. Kai Forbath also missed another close field goal.

This was UCLA's worst loss since 1929. What now, Pac-10.

BYU jumped four spots in the polls, to 14. Good. good. Very good. Also, we are ahead of East Carolina.