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Five True Freshmen to Watch for BYU in 2013

Brett Richins — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:05:14 +0000

Bronco Mendenhall has had a number of true freshmen make an impact on his team during his tenure as the head football coach at BYU. Current players like Daniel Sorensen, Craig Bills, Eathyn Manumaleuna, Jamaal Williams, Mike Alisa and Spencer Hadley all made significant contributions as true freshmen in recent years. Despite the lowering of the mission age by the LDS Church–allowing prospective missionaries to leave at 18 instead of waiting until 19–and a large number of junior college transfers set to enter the program this fall, there are still a handful ...

Bartley’s Prep Coach Praises Newest Cougar

Brett Richins — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:47:49 +0000

When BYU announced the signing of basketball recruit Frank Bartley of Future College Prep in Carson, California on Monday, it took Cougar nation by surprise. Bartley wasn’t on the radar screen of any of the media that typically covers BYU recruiting. The main reason for that is that he just recently ended up on the radar screen of the BYU coaches themselves. As recent as just a couple of months ago. The Cougar staff was recruiting Bartley’s teammate Warren Sledge, who ended up signing with The Citadel, when they spotted the Baton ...

Fischer Will Bolster BYU’s Outside Shooting

Brett Richins — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:16:39 +0000

BYU basketball has struggled with its three-point shooting in recent seasons. Last year, Dave Rose’s team made just 33.8 percent of its three-point attempts. During the 2011-12 season, the Cougars shot 34.2 percent from the arc after making 36 percent of their shots during 2010-11 when Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery were seniors. Jimmer and Jackson’s junior seasons resulted in the best three-point shooting team in the Rose era, with that squad making 41.7 percent of its three-point attempts. From Rose’s first year in 2005-06 until last season, BYU had averaged 38.1 percent ...

A Great Wrinkle for the New BYU Offense

Brett Richins — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:39:25 +0000

BYU will be unveiling a new offense when it opens the 2013 football season on August 31 in Charlottesville, VA against the Virginia Cavaliers. In his second stint as offensive coordinator, Robert Anae has brought with him a new-found philosophy that he learned at the feet of Rich Rodriquez in Arizona, while coaching the offensive line for the Wildcats last season. Football fans may remember that Rodriquez made his name as the head coach of West Virginia before coaching at Michigan and Arizona. However, BYU got a taste of Rich Rod’s uptempo, spread ...

BYU Leading the Way in College Rugby

Brett Richins — Tue, 07 May 2013 05:19:47 +0000

As Jonny Linehan’s last-second drop goal sailed through the posts to give BYU a thrilling 27-24 win over rugby powerhouse Cal in the Varsity Cup national championship game on Saturday, what the 4000-plus fans at South Field witnessed was the dawning of a new era in collegiate rugby. For decades, the sport was dominated by Cal. Coming into the inaugural Varsity Cup, the Golden Bears had won 26 national championships dating back to 1980. During that time the program has produced 126 All-Americans, 43 members of the U.S. National Team and a ...

Sander, Patch Sweep BYU Into Title Match

Brett Richins — Fri, 03 May 2013 13:42:28 +0000

BYU volleyball will play for its fifth national title on Saturday, and its first in nine seasons. The Cougars (26-4) dispatched Penn State 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-22) in the national semifinals at UCLA’s Pauly Pavillion Thursday night to earn their fifth all-time appearance in the NCAA championship game where they will face MPSF rival UC Irvine. Junior Taylor Sander led BYU with a match-best 17 kills, seven digs and three blocks. Freshman Ben Patch also had double-digit kills with 12, while adding two aces and six blocks. “I thought we did a lot ...

BYU and Cal Clash for Rugby National Title

Brett Richins — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:36:14 +0000

Defending national champion BYU seeks its second-consecutive national club rugby championship when the Cougars host arch-nemesis Cal in the inaugural Varsity Cup National Collegiate Rugby Championship on Saturday afternoon. The clash of national rugby powerhouses marks the seventh time in the last eight years that the two teams have met for the title, and will be the Cougars’ eighth straight championship game appearance. BYU defeated Arkansas State 49-42 last year to claim the 2012 crown. California has won six of the seven previous meetings, including a 21-14 victory in the championship game in ...

Davies Draft Propects Improving?

Brett Richins — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:15:28 +0000

Former BYU post player Brandon Davies might be making his way up some draft boards around the NBA. If nothing else, he’s starting to show up on some of those online mock drafts out there. Davies wasn’t getting a sniff from the several drafts sites until his outstanding performances in a couple of post-season All-Star appearances in April. He was named the MVP of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament after averaging 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds, and leading his team to the championship of the tournament. Virtually every NBA front office is represented ...

Undrafted Cougars Begin Their NFL Quests

Brett Richins — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:14:21 +0000

Six former BYU Cougars now begin the process of trying to make NFL rosters as undrafted free agents. Braden Brown, Uona Kaveinga, Romney Fuga, Braden Hansen, Brandon Ogletree and Preston Hadley will all try to live the dream in the coming weeks and months as they try to latch on in the NFL. Rather than be taken in the last round or two, some players would prefer to go the route of free agency because it allows them to sign on with a team that has specific needs that matches a player’s ...

Ziggy’s Talents Will Fit in Well in Motor City

Brett Richins — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:03:55 +0000

The truth be told, the Detroit Lions may have passed on former BYU defensive end Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah with their No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft if one of the top three offensive tackles would have been available. The Lions entered draft weekend with three primary needs–offensive tackle, defensive secondary and defensive end. Either Eric Fisher of Central Michigan, Luke Joeckel from Texas A&M or Lane Johnson from Oklahoma could have provided Detroit’s franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford with much needed security on his blind side. With those ...