Its vision is much larger than that.

Getting out from underneath the television contract of the Mountain West Conference and gaining control over the distribution of all its sporting events, allows BYU to now deliver its games to a worldwide audience.

As has been mentioned in the national media, all BYU athletic teams will now be able to utilize the reach of BYUtv which is available in 55 million homes in the United States.

However, the opportunity to deliver games throughout the world via BYUtv International may represents an even greater opportunity.

BYUtv International is currently available in over 150 countries in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

In several countries it is available much as it is the U.S., airing on both cable systems and direct broadcast satellite. In most parts of the world it is also available to “back yard” dish owners, which is not an insignificant number, and online television viewers through Move Networks.

Imagine the opportunity for BYU to eventually carry its brand to a worldwide audience. Many of the Olympic sports that BYU participates in are more popular in other parts of the world than they are here at home. The Cougars can also take advantage of the growing interest in American football in many areas around the globe.

During the 1970’s and 1980’s BYU football and basketball games were often carried on the LDS Church satellite system. Some of those games were picked up and aired in South America. BYU basketball in particular was well received and the Cougar program became instrumental in the popularity of basketball there.

Its not hard to fathom BYU eventually being recognized around the world as the “American brand” when it comes to college athletics. Think about the impact that could have on both recruiting and marketing.

This new arrangement may also create a greater opportunity for BYU athletic teams to serve as emissaries of the school’s sponsoring institution, the Church of  Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to millions of people throughout the world, much as BYU’s performing arts and dance companies have made BYU a near-household name in countries such as China. Sometimes sports teams can get in doors that missionaries can’t.

Wednesday’s events were bigger than most media members or even BYU fans realize.

Lavell Edwards Stadium

One of BYU’s most difficult issues in going independent in football is the immediate scheduling challenges for 2011 and 2012.

With the press release issued today by the Western Athletic Conference, scheduling for the Cougars is coming a little more into view.

BYU will play five games against WAC opponents in 2011 and four games in 2012. They will host three games the first season and two games the second year.

Utah State is not part of the agreement since the Cougars and Aggies were already scheduled to play each other during those seasons.

WAC defectors to the Mountain West Conference, Fresno State and Nevada were also excluded.

The agreement gives BYU time to put together future schedules against bigger-name football schools beginning in 2013. It also helps out a depleted WAC over the next two seasons as the conference looks to survive.

In 2011 BYU already has Texas, Oregon State, Utah State and presumably Utah on the schedule. The additional five games with the other WAC programs would make a total of nine games on the slate, leaving three games needing to be scheduled for next season.

The 2012 schedule for the Cougars will include the four games against WAC schools to go along with previously scheduled games against USU, Hawaii, Oregon State and Boise State. Again, Utah would also presumably be on the schedule for a total of nine games that season as well.

It is unknown if Notre Dame will be on the schedule in 2011 or 2012, the Irish do appear to have openings on their schedules for those years. The Cougars will face Texas again in a home-and-home series beginning in 2013.

Today’s announced agreement with the WAC also includes a 2011-12 home-and-home series in basketball with Idaho.

BYU Enters a New Era

BYU officially announced its football independence today, and in the process revealed that the Cougars have entered into an eight-year agreement with ESPN to broadcast every BYU home football game beginning next season.

BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe also announced a 6-year agreement to play Notre Dame in football.

In addition, BYU will retain the rights to rebroadcast those games on a “same-day” basis on BYUtv.

Holmoe said that the two pillars of the the decision to go independent were access and exposure for the program.

BYU also officially announced that its other athletic programs will compete in the West Coast Conference beginning in 2011.

One of the biggest questions regarding BYU’s move to independence in football is the issue of scheduling.

Holmoe intimated today that that is an issue that can be dealt with, especially with the help of ESPN/ABC. He also indicated that he has fielded several phone calls during the past few days from programs from around the country who are interested in scheduling the Cougars.

“Together in partnership, ESPN and BYU Athletics, our vision is to play football games across the country, against many of the storied football programs in their legendary stadiums, and to have those same highly regarded programs return to Provo to play in Lavell Edwards Stadium,” said Holmoe.

Holmoe also said that he expects that the rivalry with Utah will continue. “Chris Hill and I are currently working on that,” said Holmoe. “We’ve had some great discussion and really there are just a few small little details to fill out. We are both in agreement that its an important game to continue in the rivalry. ESPN is very excited for that game, so we will have that done in the very near future.”

Another issue to be tackled is access to the BCS.

Holmoe explained that BCS access was not the primary consideration in the decision to go independent in football, but that BYU has been in contact with the BCS and that they hope to work out an arrangement in the future.

“There is a process that we will go through, to find out what our access and distribution of funds might be. We’ve had the discussions early enough, but those details will be worked out in a formal way in the next days and weeks to come,” Holmoe said.

As it currently stands, Holmoe says that BYU can qualify for a BCS Bowl if it finishes in the top 14 of the BCS rankings.

BYU Football goes Independent

BYU took control of its own destiny on Tuesday, announcing its independence in football and joining the West Coast Conference in all other sports beginning July 1, 2011.

The university will hold a press conference Wednesday at noon (MT) to make the official announcement and explain details.

In that press conference it is expected that BYU will also announce that it has entered into an agreement with ESPN to televise at least some of its home football games.

ESPN already has a contract in place to broadcast West Coast men’s basketball games.

The WCC currently consists of eight faith-based institutions including Gonzaga, Pepperdine, St. Mary’s, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Portland, San Diego and Loyola Marymount.

The move also gives BYU greater control over the distribution of all of it athletic events through BYU Television, which plans to move into a new HD broadcast center in November.

The press conference will be carried live on BYUtv and streamed on byutv.org.

Locker vs. BYU in 2008 (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The BYU Cougars face one of the premier players in college football when they open the season this Saturday against the Washington Huskies in Provo.

Washington quarterback Jake Locker may be the first player taken in next year’s NFL draft, and he’s a strong candidate for the Heisman Trophy in 2010.

He’s big, fast, has a strong arm and can kill you with his ability to run.

The Cougars defeated Locker and the Huskies two seasons ago in Seattle when Jake was whistled for the infamous celebration penalty after leading his team to a last second touchdown.

Of course the ensuing PAT after the 15-yard penalty was blocked and BYU escaped with a 28-27 victory.

With all of Locker’s athleticism, his Achilles Heel has been his lack of consistent accuracy throwing the ball. Enter former BYU quarterback and new Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian last season.

Under Sark, Locker improved his accuracy in 2009 to just over 58 percent. That’s up some 11 percentage points from 2007 when he burst onto the scene as a freshman. With another offseason and fall camp under Sarkisian, he’s expected to make another leap in his accuracy this year.

When the Cougars take the field on Saturday there will be three keys to limiting Jake Locker’s impact on the game.

1) Keep him on the sidelines:

The Cougars must sustain their drives when they have the ball and keep Locker off the field as much as possible. BYU has been among the leaders in third-down conversions over the past couple of years and they will need to continue that trend.

The secret to the Cougars success in this category has been solid gains on first down and Max Hall’s ability to make plays in manageable third-down situations.

The good news is that the Washington defense has multiple question marks on a squad that was less than stellar last season. The bad news is that the Cougs will be trying to sustain drives with a duo of inexperienced quarterbacks in Riley Nelson and Jake Heaps.

BYU’s ability to run the ball with Kariya and Di Luigi against the Washington front seven may be the key to the game. In 2008, BYU was able to physically punish the Huskies with Unga and Vakapuna behind a big offensive line.

2) Make him beat you with his arm:

That’s a lot easier said than done. Under Sarkisian’s tutelage, Locker has been more selective as a runner and more effective as a passer. That said, if you allow Locker to beat you with both his feet and his arm you are in trouble as a defense.

BYU has traditionally struggled against mobile quarterbacks.

The key will be to keep him in the pocket, be disciplined in rush lanes and limit his opportunities to break containment. The Cougars must also wrap up when they have Locker in their sights. He has a tremendous ability to slip and break tackles and then make you pay with a big play.

BYU’s increase in athleticism at linebacker should be a positive for the Cougar defense this year. It should also help in controlling Locker. The one chink in the armor is that some of the increase in speed and athleticism has come with the price tag of inexperience. Get out of position against a guy like Locker and you could be in trouble.

If the Cougars can limit the damage Locker does running the ball, it should play right into their hands. Jake will face a much better secondary than he saw in Seattle two seasons ago. BYU will play tighter coverages this year and run more packages with man elements. Locker should find the windows to complete passes significantly more narrow than the last time these two teams faced off.

3) Make him pay when he runs:

You must make a quarterback pay when he runs with the football. One of the reasons Aveni Leung-Wai has been tabbed as a starter for this game is that he has shown the ability to lay the wood in fall camp.  Look for Jordan Pendleton and Andrew Rich to come head hunting as well when Locker tucks and runs.

Though Locker can hurt you running the ball, he can be hurt as well. His style of play leaves him open to punishment. The Cougars need to be physical with him without drawing penalties for late or unnecessary hits.

Notes:

Last season Jake Locker accounted for 3,188 total yards. He passed for 2,800 yards and 21 touchdowns verses 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 388 yards and 7 touchdowns.

BYU QB Riley Nelson

If Jake Heaps had even a portion of the game experience of Riley Nelson, this duel-quarterback situation at BYU would not exist.

The truth be known, Bronco Mendenhall and the Cougar coaches are seeking to play it safe to try to take some of the pressure off the true freshman.

They have made a decision to start the season-opening game against Washington with the quarterback that has taken snaps in 15 college games verses the one coming straight from high school with the big reputation.

There is some wisdom in that approach.

Nelson started eight games as a freshman at Utah State before his mission and saw action in seven games in mop-up duty behind Max Hall last season.

Over his career he has completed 56 percent of his passes for 1024 yards, throwing seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The junior also brings his legs to to the equation. He has rushed for 412 yards on 100 attempts and scored three touchdowns. All three scores came last year as a Cougar. It’s a dimension that gives a suspect Washington defense one more thing to prepare for this week.

Nelson doesn’t possess the arm or passing acumen of Heaps, but to his credit Riley battled during fall camp and performed well enough to earn the right to keep the seat warm until Heaps is fully ready to take over the helm.

And make no mistake about it, that is what this is.

It’s a safe bet that at some point during the season, Heaps will become the man and Nelson’s playing time will become situational. Starting the season as a part-time player makes for an easier transition to the college game for a freshman quarterback, at least that’s the way BYU coaches view it.

Riley taking the first snaps against the Huskies is also a way to preserve team culture and unity. Under Mendenhall, the BYU program has valued experience and tenure over youthful talent. A culture has developed of paying your dues, doing things the right way and then getting your opportunity.

As Bronco admitted this weekend, there was some division among Cougar teammates as fall camp began, and the reality is that it still exists to some degree. There are less talented players that have been in the program who are now witnessing an infusion of talent coming in and threatening to upset the apple cart. It’s only natural that some tension would arise.

All of this has factored into the creation of the two-quarterback approach to start the season.

Only time will tell us if it was the right decision.

That place is the West Coast Conference.

The WCC provides good competition in men’s basketball with programs like Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, and Santa Clara.

Add BYU to the list and that’s not a bad basketball league. Gonzaga and BYU are arguably two of the best basketball programs in the West right now.

The conference also has a contract with ESPN to televise its basketball games.

The West Coast competes in most of the sports that the Cougars currently field teams in, with softball, track and field, and swimming and diving being the exceptions. BYU could probably continue both of those programs without conference affiliations.

The WCC is home to several schools with religious affiliations, so BYU would be a fit in that regard. The Cougars’ no Sunday play policy would not be a problem for the league.

Playing in the WAC appears to be a dead option. The league is in shambles, with Utah State now talking again with the MWC and Hawaii looking at independence.

Note:

Current members of the West Coast Conference include Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, San Francisco, Portland and San Diego.

One of the current options for the school is to move forward and go independent in football and move all of its other athletic teams to the Western Athletic Conference.

In order for the WAC to continue into the future, it would need to add two additional schools, perhaps North Texas from the Sun Belt along with a program moving up from the FCS such as Montana or UC Davis.

They would join Utah State, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho and Hawaii in a severely weakened conference.

A big factor in BYU’s original plan to go independent was that the Cougars would be helped out with scheduling for football by playing four to six WAC teams a season.

But of the programs now left in the WAC, only Utah State and Hawaii make any sense for BYU to schedule on a regular basis. With all due respect, going independent in football to play a schedule heavy in teams from the above-mentioned list is not a viable option.

ESPN isn’t going to get excited about games featuring the Cougars against the WAC leftovers either.

You also have to believe that the coaches and athletes of the other programs at BYU would be less than thrilled to play in a watered-down WAC as well.

For these reasons, I believe the only way BYU joins the WAC as part of a move to independence in football, is if BYU has an under-the-table agreement for future inclusion from the Big XII.

Back to the Drawing Board for BYU?

In a stunning move the Mountain West Conference has struck back.

Stealing two key schools from the WAC and potentially leaving BYU without a conference for its non-football sports to play in.

Fresno State and Nevada joined the the MWC Wednesday night, just hours after reports surfaced that BYU will leave the conference to go independent in football and join the WAC in other sports.

The move leaves just six schools remaining in the WAC with Hawaii, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech, Idaho and Utah State. That’s not a very attractive group to hook up with, and it’s not enough schools to form a conference for football.

So what is BYU’s next move?

With a depleted WAC, will the Cougars move forward with reported plans to become an independent in football? Will the Cougars elect to remain a full member of the Mountain West and seek their own TV contract? Will they look to the West Coast Conference for a home for their other sports? Will they try to coax UNLV and SDSU to play in the WAC? Will they keep the status quo in football and throw in on a 12 team Mountain West?

BYU has 11 days before the September 1 deadline to notify the MWC that it is leaving the league.

Notes:

In what what a crazy day for BYU sports news on Wednesday — reports surfaced of the Cougars’ plans to go independent, the MWC struck back in a hasty invite of FSU and Nevada, Uona Kaveinga’s NCAA appeal was denied and BYU landed one of the top recruits in the state of Utah in American Fork offensive lineman Ryker Mathews.

Here’s looking forward to Thursday…

LaVell Edwards Stadium

Brigham Young University’s plan to move to independence in football has apparently been in process for a while. Numerous reports are claiming that the move is imminent.

Our sources are telling us that BYU and ESPN have agreed upon a contract that would pay BYU $4 million per year for the rights to air Cougar football games.

ESPN would have the rights to broadcast four home BYU games, with distributions rights to the other home games remaining with the University, supposedly to be aired on BYU Television.

The reports also have the Cougars moving from the Mountain West Conference to the Western Athletic Conference in all other sports.

ESPN.com is reporting that BYU will play four WAC schools each year in football as part of the deal. Such a situation would help with the scheduling difficulty that would exist as an independent in football.

The move to the WAC for BYU’s other athletic programs would also create greater exposure for the men’s basketball program. ESPN currently owns the contract to air WAC basketball games as well.

We also believe that  BYU has been working its relationship with ESPN to help broker a deal into the Bowl Championship Series. ESPN/ABC now owns the contract to televise the BCS bowl games, including the BCS title game.

Matt Reynolds BYU OT

If you want to be able to predict how well a college football team will perform,  look at two key indicators:

A) Experience at quarterback

and

B) Experience on the offensive line

If you can check both A and B, your team will probably have a very good season. In BYU’s case it’s almost always a memorable one.

Since the Cougars will begin the 2010 campaign with little-to-no experience at QB, their saving grace will be the “big uglies” (the word uglies is use with a great deal of reverence) on the offensive line.

BYU returns four of  five starters from last years team that helped the Cougars finish 2009 as the 17th best passing offense in the land and the top team in the country in third-down-conversion percentage.

Last year the Cougars started the season razor thin on the offensive line. Injuries had taken their toll to the point that BYU began the season against Oklahoma with just seven healthy offensive lineman, and that’s if you counted Matt Reynolds (6-6, 322 Jr) who started the year with a broken hand as one of the healthy.

Outside of Reynolds, the offensive line entering 2009 had little starting experience.

It’s just the opposite in 2010 though. The Cougars are deep, experienced and healthy. Between the five starters the Cougar have 65 combined starts under their belts on the offensive line. An impressive number, made even more impressive by the fact that only Nick Alletto (6-6, 325) is a senior.

Matt Reynolds is a bonafide All-American candidate at left tackle and has started every game (26) since he arrived as a freshman, while left guard Braden Hansen started all 13 games and was tabbed as a freshman All-American following last season. This year you would be hard pressed to find a better collegiate left tackle and guard combo anywhere in America.

The only graduated player on the O-line, RJ Willing at center, is being replaced by Terance Brown (6-3, 330 Jr) who started every game last year at right guard.

At that guard spot, Brown is being replaced by Alletto (although he is being given a run for his money by Jason Speredon) who started 11 games at right tackle in 2009.

Alletto’s replacement at tackle is the athletic Braden Brown (6-6, 300 So) who saw action in every game last year, starting two games for Alletto and essentially beating Nick out for the starting position this year. Add all of that up and you get one of the best offensive lines anywhere.

Then consider the depth of talent behind that starting five:

Jason Speredon (6-6, 308 Sr)

Jason can and has played virtually every position along the line and is battling in fall camp to become the starter at right guard. If he doesn’t beat out Alletto, he is a guy you could plug in anywhere along the line. His flexibility gives the Cougars a number of back-up options. It is too bad that he has been so slowed by injuries during his career.

Walter Kahaiali’i (6-3, 334 So)

Walter can play both guard and tackle. He backed up Ray Feinga at right guard as a freshman in 2007 and played in 11 games. He’s currently running with the twos at tackle even though he is recently back from a mission. Kahaiali’i has a very bright future at BYU.

Jordan Black (6-6, 298 Fr)

Jordan has come in as a true freshman and really made a statement. He is also running with the twos at tackle. He has added a good amount of size even since this spring.

Marco Thorson (6-3, 327 Jr)

You have to love “Moose”. He can play either guard spot and saw plenty of action last year, playing in 12 games. Another guy that coaches have a great deal of comfort in if he is pressed into action.

Ryan Freeman (6-2, 272 Jr)

Freeman is another player that can fill in in the interior of the line. He played in 10 games last season as a sophomore.

Houston Reynolds (6-2, 308 Fr)

Houston is backing up Terance Brown right now at center. There is little doubt that there will be another Reynolds starting for the Cougars before Houston’s career is over. Reynolds could also play guard as well.

Blair Tushaus (6-2, 275 Fr)

Tushaus is another true freshman showing well in camp. He has given Houston Reynolds a run for his money at back-up center. The Cougar coaches see him as a true center and he will probably play his entire career there.

In all there are 11 or 12 players that the Cougar coaches can rely upon in 2010, with more talent coming down the pipeline.

Other players either in camp, returning from missions this fall, or returning over the next year or two include Manu Mulitalo, Manaaki Vaitai, Brock Stringham, Micheal Yeck, Terry Alletto, Tui Crichton, Ryan Mulitalo, Fono Vakalahi and Brad Wilcox.

The BYU coaches have done quite a job of stockpiling talent along the offensive front. The future appears to be extremely bright in the trenches for the Cougars for many years to come.

Steven Thomas

The BYU defense began fall camp with several question marks.

The Cougars needed to replace the majority of their front seven. They were also searching for a solution at free safety, which was the only question mark in an otherwise solid defensive backfield.

As we approach the end of the first full week of practice some answers are beginning to unfold.

The ability of Travis Tuiloma to come into the rotation at nose tackle allows Eathyn Manumaluena to move out to defensive end.

That development greatly solidifies the defensive line and creates a rotation of Fuga and Tuiloma at NT, Manumaleuna and Putnam on the left side and So’oto and Bryson on the other. So far Bryson looks a player with a great future ahead of him.

Cougar fans should  feel a good deal of confidence in the defensive line this year.

The Cougars came into camp with a fair amount of comfort at the two outside linebacker positions. Pendleton is a star on the strong side and is backed up by Jamison Frazier who has put on a lot of size and now checks in at 225 pounds.

The weak side rotation should be Jordan Atkinson and Kyle Van Noy. Kyle has begun to come into his own as camp has progressed and has shown the speed and athleticism that many witnessed from his high school highlights. Meanwhile it’s good to see Jordan getting out on the field the past couple of practices following off-season surgery.

The bigger question marks coming into the fall were the two inside backers slots. There is significant responsibility put on the inside linebackers in this BYU defense to make plays, particularly at the mike position.

The buck position should be capably manned by Brandon Ogltree, who came into fall camp with a broken hand that has slowed him a bit. Brandon can fill the gaps and has the speed and motor to go sideline to sideline. He’s aggressive and a good fit for what the Cougars need at that spot.

Vying for the mike spot vacated by the graduated Matt Bauman are a number of candidates. The Cougars can always go with Shane Hunter. Shane is undersized at 5-10, 232 but coming in to camp he was the most trustworthy guy. Don’t be surprised though, to see Austen Jorgensen starting at mike when the season opens September 4th against the Huskies.

Austen saw significant action at outside linebacker as a true freshman before serving a mission. He has looked good in camp for a recently returned missionary and at 6-2, 235 has good size. He also has the ability to cover in pass defense, which is a key skill at mike.

There is a lot of talent to fill in behind the three guys we have mentioned, and some of them could play either inside linebacker position. Some of that talent includes Aveni Leung-Wai, Zac Stout and Collin Keoshian.

It will be interesting to see how the inside backers come together and perform, especially since they face very mobile quarterbacks in their first four games of the season.

Finally, expect to see the coaches call on Steven Thomas to try to answer the question mark at free safety when the season starts. Thomas has good speed, is entering his fourth year in the program and is the guy the coaches feel they can most trust.

The BYU defense demands a lot from the FS position and the coaches have typically gone with the steady guy in that spot rather than someone who may be a better athlete but has less experience. For that reason don’t expect DeQuan Everett to be the answer at free safety. DQ is a guy that looks like can really play, but is best suited as a cornerback. In addition, he simply hasn’t been in the program long enough to be trusted with all of the responsibilities of playing free safety.

Since the Cougars don’t rotate a lot of bodies into the secondary it would not be surprising to see DQ redshirt this season, given that the Cougars lose Bradley and Logan at corner next year.

Jake Heaps

The BYU quarterback battle has quickly boiled down once again to a choice between Riley Nelson and Jake Heaps.

The question is which one of these signal callers is best suited to take advantage of the talent the Cougars will put out the field this season. They vary vastly in their strengths and style of play.

Heaps is the prototypical pocket passer, while Nelson is a guy that relies on his feet as much as his arm.

In our previous segment, we mentioned that the Cougar offense will operate with more receivers on the field and fewer tight ends than in the past. So whose game is best suited to run that show?

Both Nelson and Heaps had solid performances Tuesday on the practice field. Nelson completed 4 of 6 passes; three of his completions were touchdowns. He also gained 48 yards on 6 carries.

For Riley, it was a good showing in what has thus far been a less than scintillating camp for the junior, who has looked uncomfortable in the pocket and has been inconsistent with his passes.

Heaps, meanwhile, connected on 10 of 11 passes with two touchdowns. Jake’s lone incomplete pass was intercepted by Brian Logan in the red zone.

My contention has been from early in the spring that Jake Heaps is the quarterback on the BYU roster that gives this team the best chance of success in 2010 and beyond. That opinion hasn’t changed in the weeks and months since.

It’s almost incomprehensible to think that BYU would start a true freshman at quarterback. And it’s understandable that the coaches are struggling to wrap their heads around that one.

Yet Heaps can make all the throws that you look for in a Division-1 quarterback, and he was the most college-ready QB in the country coming out of high school this year. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be bumps in the road. There will be. Maybe a lot of them.

But with the Cougars employing more three and even four wide receiver sets this year, it makes sense to go with someone that can consistently get the ball into the hands of those talented receivers, and do it in stride and on time.

Heaps is light-years ahead of any quarterback on the roster in that department. Jake can air it out deep and do so accurately. He has shown the ability to throw the ball on target to virtually any place on the field.

Jake is also a film junkie. He’s a student of the game. His grasp of the play book, his understanding of defenses and his overall QB IQ is well ahead of his years–and his peers.

Riley Nelson is a terrific athlete, but he has yet to prove that he has a Division-1 caliber arm. He can make things happen with his feet, but without having to respect his passing prowess or the threat of a deep ball, defenses will be able to limit or negate Nelson’s effectiveness.

As a true freshman at Utah State in 2006, Nelson quarterbacked the Aggies to an upset victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs in his first college start. However, WAC defenses were able to make adjustments and scheme for Riley and shut down the Aggies over the final six games.

The Aggies went 0-6 the rest of the way that year and averaged less than 12 points a game in the process. In Nelson’s defense, the cupboard was extremely bare offensively for USU, and at BYU he will be working with a huge upgrade in talent. The question is, can Nelson better maximize that talent around him than Jake Heaps?

The BYU Cougars are not going to change their DNA. They are who they are; they throw the football. A quarterback that demonstrates poise in the pocket and accuracy with his arm is at a premium. That’s the recipe for success in Provo.

Another thing to muse upon:  What if Nelson were to win and hold the starting job? Does anyone think Jake Heaps will sit the pine in Provo cooling his heels for the next two years waiting for his chance as a junior? Ain’t gonna happen.

Inserting Jake Heaps’ talents into this offense, with the weapons the Cougars have, is the right move. One wonders how long this whole thing will go on. The time is soon at hand to get the young Heaps the reps he will need to be prepared for the season.

McKay Jacobson (2009 Las Vegas Bowl)

2010 marks the return of the wide receiver for the Cougars.

The BYU offense will look a little different this season. Expect to see more receivers on the field and fewer double tight end sets.

BYU is well known for employing its talented tight ends with great effectiveness, but this year the combination of inexperience at tight end and depth and talent at wide receiver will necessitate a change in the way the Cougars approach things.

As usual, there is talent galore at tight end, but there isn’t a single tight end on the roster that has played so much as one snap in a Division-1 college football game.

Luckily for the Cougars the wide receiving corps is here to save the day, led by McKay Jacobson and O’Neill Chambers. Both of them went through their own physical and mental metamorphosis this offseason and both of them have returned this fall committed to taking their games to the next level.

The Cougars will also change the way they use Jacobson, employing him more as an inside receiver and looking to create mismatches with him in the slot.

By moving the speedy and sure-handed McKay to the inside, the offensive brain trust at BYU can create situations where he will be covered by safeties and, on occasion, linebackers. Advantage Jacobson.

Chambers has entered fall camp looking like he is in the best shape of his life. He has been working this summer on utilizing the size and strength advantages he has on most cornerbacks.

O’Neill was singled out by the BYU entourage at Mountain West Conference Media Day as one of the players on the team that has most improved his effort and commitment during the offseason. Despite dropping a key pass in practice today, one gets the feeling that Chambers is set to have an excellent year.

The Cougars also return experience in the form of Luke Ashworth and Spencer Hafoka. Ashworth is not a particularly explosive player, but he is a solid route runner with good size and sticky hands.

Meanwhile, keep an eye on Hafoka this season. He has been slowed with health issues during his career, but he has the ability to be a valuable asset on the field. Spencer also brings some ability to stretch the defense vertically.

If the Cougars really want to get serious about going vertical, they can turn to freshman Ross Apo.

Although the opportunity to show what he can do has been limited so far in fall camp, Ross is an incredible talent with an unusual package of size, speed, soft hands, long arms and the ability to leap over a building with a single bound (that last part is a bit of an exaggeration). It will be interesting to see how Apo works his way into the rotation as camp progresses.

Apo’s biggest obstacle is that his competition in high school was mediocre at best, so he may struggle some with the adjustment to college. That said, it shouldn’t take too much adjustment for the 6′4″ true freshman to just line up on the outside and streak down the field on some poor, unsuspecting 5′ 10″ cornerback.

One cannot help but think about the possibility of Jacobson, Chambers and Apo at receiver, with Devin Mahina at tight end and JJ Di Luigi coming out of the backfield. Did someone say something about rebuilding this year?

The question that needs to be asked is which BYU trigger man is best suited to get the ball to this group of receivers. We’ll try to answer that question in out next segment.

Y Flag Flies over BYU Practice

Football season is underway in Provo!

The BYU Cougars kicked things off with a two-and-a-half  hour practice session Saturday, that after the team’s annual morning race to the “Y” overlooking the BYU campus.

As the Mendenhall Era enters its sixth season, the Cougars are a team that are upgraded in talent but lack experience and leadership in key areas.

That lack of experience have led some to wonder if the program’s streak of four straight 10-plus win season will come to an end.

The fact that the Cougars linger just outside the top 25 in the coaches poll to start the 2010 season after losing 11 starters from last years team is a testament to the program and its coach.

BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall addressed the media following Saturdays practice.

Observations from day one of practice:

Even though the competition for the starting quarterback has been “opened up” to four players, it is clear that this race is between Heaps and Nelson. Lark only attempted one pass (incomplete) in 11-on-11 drills and Munns did not see action.

Generally the QB’s struggled early on before putting together scoring drives. In fact in early drills the ball slipped out of Nelson hands three times, twice the ball spun end-over-end above his head before hitting the ground behind him. Meanwhile Jake had several passes batted down throughout the day.

Heaps did lead the way in 11-on-11 team play by completing 8 of 13 (62%) passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. His first strike came on a one-yard pass to Matt Marshall. His second touchdown came on the final play of the day, a 44-yard bomb to McKay Jacobson.

Nelson finished the day 5 of 8 (63%) for 49 yards. Riley also ran twice for 13 yards and a score. His running touchdown came after a questionable call by the referee (Coach Mendenhall) on a pass from Riley to Luke Ashworth that appeared to be completed for a touchdown.

While, as Bronco mentioned in his interview with the press, execution was spotty on day one – there was an obvious increase in the level of athletic prowess as the Cougars took the field on Saturday.

It was interesting to note how many plays were made by the newcomers on defense. DE Thomas Bryson had a couple of sacks as did Alani Fua who starts his BYU career as a linebacker, while DE Tayo Fabuluje and CB DeQuan Everett both knocked down passes. At first blush, DQ looks like he will contribute in the secondary.

Travis Tuiloma looks like a beast. He spent time Saturday going one-on-one with Romney Fuga and he more than held his own. The coaches may well get their wish, which is that Travis can play a role in the NT rotation this year. It’s uncanny how well this staff has recruited young nose tackles that come in from high school and step right onto the field and produce.

The luxury of being able to move Eathyn Manumaleuna out to DE would be huge for this team. Rotating Eathyn and Matt Putnam (not practicing until next week) give the Cougars some interesting options.

McKay Jacobson and O’Neill Chambers really look good. Both of them have rededicated themselves over the off season and taken their preparations to the next level. Each of them appeared to have really changed their bodies in the weight room as well.

Chambers looks leaner and faster than in 2009. As expected, it looks like McKay will be utilized a lot as an inside receiver. He will be able to create serious mismatch problems for teams.

With youth at tight end this is the year, the receivers should shine.

Speaking of tight ends, Devin Mahina saw a lot of reps with the ones at TE. He appears to have a decent shot at locking down the starting TE spot. He’s almost assuredly going to be in the rotation. By the way, don’t expect to see a lot of double tight end sets this year.

Austin Holt certainly passed the eyeball test and you would never guess just by looking at him that he just returned from a mission. It will be interesting to see how the coaches handle things with so many freshmen tight ends on the roster. Somebody is going to redshirt.

The offensive line may be one of the best and deepest at BYU in a long time. If your going to break in a new college quarterback, this is the group of guys you want in front of him.

OT Brandon Brown is a very impressive athlete. The roster lists him at just 250 pounds, but he looks to be pushing a good 280. He came with a lot of emotion on Saturday. His play over the last several months has pushed Nick Alletto to starting guard.

It was disappointing not to see RB/KR Drew Phillips on the field. Hopefully he can get his academic clearance taken care of quickly. Drew was on the sideline today sporting a low-profile mohawk and looking thinner that expected. The team roster lists him at just 175 pounds.

RB/FB Alge Brown is another guy that passes the eyeball test. He is a very impressive looking athlete at 6-1, 226 pounds. Have to wonder if he will not see the field at fullback this season.