BYU Football | News and Message Board for Cougar Fans

Then and Now... A Different Cougars Host New Mexico

2010-11-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

For the BYU Cougars, it has been a very interesting season. After having one of the best recruiting classes ever, Cougars were stunned when Harvey Unga, the all time BYU leading rusher, dismissed himself from the team and BYU for honor code reasons. Hoping to be able to move forward, BYU coaches had the tough decision to make of who would be the starting quarterback. Though many felt that highly touted recruit and true Freshman Jake Heaps would be lock for the job, Coach Bronco Mendenhall was unable to name Riley Nelson (or Jake Heaps) as a backup. This was until the decision was made for him, when Nelson opted for surgery that would take him out the remainder of the season.

After an impressive and win over Washington to open up the year, BYU went on to lose their next four straight games, including a blowout by Utah St. After that, many felt that was it for BYU in 2010 and a chance for a postseason was long shot. To throw another log on the fire, Defensive Coordinator, Jamie Hill, was dismissed following the loss to Utah St. As an explanation, Bronco said he felt that he needed his team to feel his presence and influence more and the only way he felt he could do that was to take back play calling duties.

The following game, BYU was able to hold off San Diego State and finally snap its losing streak. Although it had only been a week since Bronco had taken over, you could see very big execution and attitude differences from players on the field. Following SDSU, the Cougars had the tough task to take on BCS buster, TCU, on their home turf. Amazingly enough, BYU held on for most of the half, only allowing TCU to score 3 points, however, fatigue overpowered as TCU cruised on to an easy victory while only giving up 3 points from BYU.

Despite the loss, the defense was praised for their execution and effectiveness. The offense, however, remained as one of the worst in college football, as pass after pass was either dropped or off target. The cougars were forced to heavily rely on the running game. This strategy continued into the home game against Wyoming, where Cougars looked to maybe be able to put up some points, only to struggle to barely pull off a win with a defensive stop. It was a win, but definitely felt like a loss.

BYU was then lucky enough to have their bye week in which Bronco said they worked harder through than they had any other bye week in times past. Knowing that their difficulty of schedule was decreasing over the next four games, an opportunity for a bowl was not yet out of the picture. This would, however, require the Cougars to win 4 out of their last 5 games, something that seemed impossible after the first four games.

BYU came out to face UNLV at home fired up ready to play. For the first time all year, flashes of a balanced offensive and defensive cougar team began to flash. They went on to have their first blowout of the year and finally found some passing and running balance on offense.

The next task was to go on the road and try and get a win on the road, something the Cougars had not been able to do all year, at Colorado State. Many felt that the youth of the team could cause some problems being on the road. However, BYU came out, once again, firing on all cylinders. After a "flea-flick", trick play on the second drive, which resulted in a fade touchdown pass to Luke Ashworth, BYU went on crush the Rams, while only allowing them to score 10 points.

This week the Cougars return home to face New Mexico, where BYU seniors will play their last game at Lavell Edwards Stadium. It is hard to recognize the team we have seen the past two games, when compared to the first three. Whatever it may be, BYU is definitely playing and executing with much more confidence and effectiveness than they have all year. The big test for the Cougars will be next week, as they face Utah in Salt Lake. Early in the season, many felt that BYU had no chance to give a game to the Utes, now, we may have ourselves a game.

Nelson Out for Season - Chambers Out for Two Weeks

2010-09-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

It was announced on Tuesday that Riley Nelson was injured during the Florida State game and will opt for surgery that will put him out for the rest of the season. The announcement was made official just a day after Coach Mendenhall announced that he still planned to utilize the two quarterback system. Mendenhall also said that Riley first injured his shoulder during fall camp, which was kept quiet, and on Saturday the injury was worsened. Riley made the decision to have surgery in hopes to return to the team by spring practice.

Of course the other result of the injury is that Jake Heaps will now be the full starter of the team and will get all the reps in both practices and games. In response to the move, Heaps expressed his excitement for the opportunity to fully take control of the offense and hopefully show what he is capable of. He admits that there is still a lot of work to be done, but feels that good things are ahead for BYU Football.

It is quite ironic that one of the biggest controversies was pushed to a forced decision. There were many that felt that a decision should have been made during fall camp, however, Bronco continued to boldly say that no one had "emerged" as a starter and until someone had, the two qb system would remain in tact.

No one likes to see anyone get injured, especially someone as hard working and tough of a guy as Nelson. However, Riley's sacrifice may help BYU win more games by the end of the season. It was clear that Bronco was not close to making a decision and everyone knew splitting reps was affecting the effectiveness of both quarterbacks and receivers. Now that Bronco's hand was forced, I do believe we will begin to see much more effectiveness on offense.

It was also announced today that O'neill Chambers will be suspended for two weeks from the football team for "disciplinary reasons." The suspension comes from Coach Mendenhall himself and would not specify what caused the suspension. It is known that Chambers has had a mixed attitude in the locker room and has popped off on a few occasions in practice. Chambers will not be able to practice with the team or play in the games for two weeks and will solely focus on academics. He will also be moved from off campus housing to Wymount Terrace for the time being. Chambers has not been much of a play maker thus far in the season, besides returning both kickoffs and punts.

Sources say Chambers is unhappy with the suspension and is working things out in his head.

Bronco's Monday Media Report

2010-09-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Bronco Mendenhall met with reporters on Monday to discuss upcoming news about the team. Of course, as has been the case this year, many questions revolved around what is next for the quarterback situation. Bronco said that he was "not ready" to announce who would be starting this week against Nevada, but that he wanted to discuss more with his coaching staff and discuss with his players first before announcing it to the media. He did say that he should have an answer for media by Wednesday, which is the last day they get of Bronco before Saturday.

When asked why he felt there was such an issue with protection in regards to the amount of sacks FSU was able to get he said that much of the sacks resulted from the quarterback not getting rid of the ball quickly enough. When asked if the receivers were open, he did say that the receivers were having a tough game getting open, hence the longer hold time for the quarterback.

Heaps did definitely "hold on" to the ball longer, but he also did receive quick pressure from defensive rushers on several occasions. The offensive line was clearly not on target, which may have resulted from two offensive lineman getting hurt and returning the same game. From watching the game, it was clear that FSU's aggressive, "twisting" defensive moves were much to aggressive for our offensive line. Considering the experience of BYU's offensive line, I do not expect to see this continue.

In regards to depth chart changes, Bronco said that you probably see less players play during games now. He said that he would like to see starting players get more practice reps in practice, which will most likely result in more playing time for the starters and less shuffling like we have seen the first three games.

Most likely we will have an idea who will be starting quarterback this week as Bronco intends to make that decision early and reflect it in practice reps for this week. Whoever is named the starter has their work cut out for them. If Nevada plans to keep its current trend, BYU will have to put a lot of points up on the board.

BYU Loses to Florida State 34-10

2010-09-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

It seems that the BYU Cougars still have much to work on for the 2010 season before they impress anybody. I do not think there was that high of expectations for the young Cougar squad, considering the massive loss of veteran players they experienced, which included their Quarterback, Running Back, Tight End, and almost all of their defensive front. So to see growing pains should not be a shocker to anybody.

The Cougars almost did themselves a disservice opening up the season with such a well executed game against Washington, which many felt was going to be a sure loss. The team looked sound, precise, and well executed, which even surprised Coach Bronco Mendenhall.

However, the team quickly returned to earth for the Air Force and Florida State games, showing that indeed the lack of experience is taking its toll.

As stated beforehand, Riley Nelson started the game only to go three and out on the first possession. Following a strong defensive stand, Jake Heaps took the reins and was able to slightly move the ball, but failed to convert the drive to points. From there, Nelson once again returned to the game, which made many wonder if we were going to see yet another game of every other series reps, which has not been a popular strategy thus far. However, following Nelson's second drive which resulted in an interception, Heaps took the field and solely remained on the field for the rest of the game.

Though Heaps did not shock the world and Cougar fans with a game winning, perfect performance, I believe a good, solid step forward was taken. During the last two minutes of the second quarter, we saw a glimpse of what could very well be the Cougar offense very soon. To end the half, Jake Heaps was able to lead the Cougar offense down the field for over 70 yards to score a touchdown. The touchdown marked the first official collegiate touchdown for both Jake Heaps and Cody Hoffman, in which Heaps through a bullet to Hoffman on a crossing route. At half, the score was 13-10, with FSU on top.

Going into the second half, many would think momentum would have been in BYU's favor, having just scored and receiving the ball. However, failure to move the ball and big offensive plays on the part of FSU quickly squelched any momentum BYU might of had. In fact, by the fourth quarter, it looked as though many of the defensive players were playing at 70%.

Sure, the Cougars suffered another bad loss. However, this game looked a lot different from Air Force. Throughout the entire AF game, there seemed to be no chemistry, no momentum and no answer for anything.

During FSU, we saw many good things. The defense looked great at times, when execution was sound. The offensive showed that they can move the ball when momentum and rhythm is present. In the end, the team just lacked consistency and endurance to get the win. This is expected for the first few games of a young team.

Now on to the QB saga. Looking purely at statistics, many would argue that Jake did not prove anything more than Riley did against AF. Total offense was actually lower for the FSU game. So, which QB is the deserving starter.

Sure the numbers don't say much, but watching the games do. It is very clear, that most potential for success lies with Heaps taking most of the snaps from here on out. I definitely feel that Riley could be a contributor to the offensive in some fashion, however, not as the starting QB. Heaps showed that he can move the ball, make critical plays, and keep composure in a very, very unstable, harsh environment. What a way to kick off the season, by getting your first (almost full) game in the hot, humid stadium of Florida State. It wasn't always pretty, but what we did see was a kid that can lead this team and learn and grow into a great quarterback.

Bronco remained pretty quiet about the whole QB situation (as he usually does), but did say he was impressed how Heaps handled himself despite the hostile situation. He has not yet announced his decision for who will be the started for the next game.

BYU does get to return home for the game this Saturday, but by no means does this guarantee a victory.

In fact, BYU is not even the favorite.

BYU faces a very strong Nevada team, who is now 3-0 and crushed Cal this weekend to show just why they deserve to be a Top 25 team. They just missed the list, coming in 26th, but they rank 3rd in offensive production.

The BYU defense will be faced with yet another very talented quarterback who is capable of hurting you in many different ways. In fact, Nevada's quarterback may be the best that BYU has faced thus far. Hopefully, being at home will reignite the youth of this team and regain some of that composure we saw in game 1.

BYU vs Florida State Preview

2010-09-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

BYU heads to Tallahassee, Florida on Saturday to face the Seminoles in their second of two game series agreement. Last year, FSU marched into Provo and quickly put hopes of BYU BCS busting year to an end as

The Seminoles went on to beat BYU 54 to 28.

Bronco Mendenhall admits that he believe he "underestimated" FSU and their athleticism as well as underestimated quarterback Christian Ponder's ability to scramble for first downs. It was clear that BYU was still on their Oklahoma victory honeymoon and failed to make the proper preparations.

Bronco said that mistake would not be made again this year.

Both BYU and FSU are coming off disappointing losses as FSU was routed by home team Oklahoma and BYU got smashed by Air Force. Both schools are hoping to come off the losses and learn to adjust and move forward. Of course, one of the schools will be frustrated with a second straight loss, which Vegas says will be BYU, being 10 point underdogs.

FSU comes in with their new head coach, Jimbo Fisher, who says that preparing for BYU's two quarterback system adds some complexity to preparing and is more "time consuming." Riley Nelson will take the first snap, however, Bronco also said that this will not determine who gets the most snaps of the game. The game plan going forward is that the two quarterbacks will be used in "situational" elements that play to their strengths. Beyond that, Bronco has not issued any other information about their strategy.

Of course most of Cougar faithful are hoping to see more of Jake Heaps play on Saturday, as he was benched the entire second half of the Air Force game after throwing an interception. However, Oklahoma was able to launch a pretty strong offensive strike on FSU and most of that was done through the air. Considering that this is Heaps' strength, I expect to see much more playing time for the Freshman this week.

Bronco continues to reinforce his belief of "protecting" Heaps by limiting his minutes until he feels that he is fully "ready" to be the full time quarterback. After last week's game, my guess is that we are only a few games away from that.

A New BYU Football Era

2010-09-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

Jim Mcmahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, and Ty Detmer. These are pioneers of the BYU quarterback legacy that has now created an expectation of what is to be displayed at BYU in regards to the quarterback position. With these pioneers, there are another handful of names that can be listed who stood out as top college quarterback of their time. BYU was one of the first college football teams to start throwing the ball down field. Lavell Edwards and Norm Chow set the standard for the spread offense and helped pave the way for what is now a common offensive lineup to see throughout the country. However, since then, the quarterback at BYU has been in the national spotlight and programs expect to face a throwing offense when they come into Provo.

What has surprised many spectators are the quarterbacks that have been "built" at BYU. Many quarterbacks that play at BYU are not top national recruits who are receiving multiple BCS contending scholarship offers. They are not the 6'4"'s, 210 lbs with running and throwing ability. They usually are an average size guy with a slightly above average strength of arm that doesn't catch much attention at a college combine. However, time and time again, BYU is able to show that they can build these quarterbacks in their system and turn them into reliable, NFL style quarterbacks.

In 2010, the game changed for BYU. For the first time in quite some time, a national, heavy recruited quarterback made the choice to play at BYU. Sure there have been the Ben Olsens and Brett Engemens who brought a lot of hype into Provo, only to disappoint in the long run, however, never has BYU seen a recruit step on the field as a true freshman and be able to throw the ball as Jake Heaps does. It is a new era for BYU Football.

Jake Heaps has been throwing the ball since he was a toddler. At 9 years of age, every Saturday, his parents would drive him 3 hours to Portland to train with a top quarterback coach. Having been groomed at such a young age, it makes sense why the kid throws such a hard, good looking ball. In high school, he was able to lead his team to three straight state championships, while only losing two games throughout his high school career. His passing numbers are ridiculous and his decision to attend BYU started a fire that hadn't been felt in Provo in a while.

As the 2010 football season began for the Cougars, Heaps has been splitting time with Junior quarterback Riley Nelson. Coach Bronco Mendenhall's decision to not start Heaps has been that he feels despite the true freshman's undeniable pure talent and skills, he still lacks some leadership and "grit" that Riley Nelson possesses. So for now, it has been a trade off. No doubt Mendenhall's decision to not red shirt the freshman, thus losing a year of eligibility, shows that the coach expects him to play quite a bit this season. There is a fine line of being "gentle" with Heaps while not missing opportunities for growth and playing time. My prediction is that Heaps is the starter by game 4.

Time will tell what this new youngster will bring to BYU. He has some big shoes to fill but has already said that his goal is to be better than anyone else. With his skill set and his mindset, I don't think there is anything stopping him.

BYU Quarterback Equation

2010-09-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

I have always been good at math and enjoy the simplicity that equations can bring to solving problems (that may sound like an oxymoron). Currently, Bronco Mendenhall has chosen to enforce the very unpopular decision to start and play two quarterbacks as he continues to "wait" for one to emerge as the starting quarterback.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that two quarterbacks is a very tough job to manage and has had very little success in times past. With that being said, Bronco seems to think he can defy the odds.

Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson. You could not have two completely different quarterbacks, which is also why managing these two together becomes incredibly difficult. Lets break down the two quarterbacks, discussing their individual "variables" for their equation, and which looks to be the solution for BYU.

Riley Nelson
[ Older, more college experience, stronger running abilities, stronger leader, "gritty"]

Jake Heaps
[Pure talent, stronger arm, more precise accuracy, better spiral, quicker reads, better field vision, high qb IQ]

When evaluating BYU's history of success, the equation would much look like this:

Pass heavy offense + Reliable defense + Very capable throwing qb + moderate running compliment game=Success

Already, I am seeing that the variables of Jake Heaps match up with the history of success of BYU. There is no doubt that Heaps possesses the skills of your typical BYU quarter back, however, Nelson has shown Bronco other "intangibles" which has kept him still in the running. From experience, Bronco's equation of starters looks like this:

Mature player + Leader + Hard worker + Off the field workmanship + Moderate Skill level = BYU Starter.

As you can see, Bronco's equation lines up more with Nelson's variables which is most likely why he continues to take the first snap and play. Bronco has not been in a lot of positions where he has had a freshman with as much skill level as Heaps, competing with someone who possesses his favorable traits.

No doubt it is hard to have to tell Nelson that he will finish off his college career as a backup to a Freshman, but eventually that will be the decision. Barring an injury of some type, there is just no way that Nelson could beat out Heaps to a starting position for two years. It is only a matter of time until Bronco makes some changes to his equation, which will hopefully in turn bring about more success.

2010 BYU Football Schedule

2010-08-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

About BYU Football

2010-08-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

BYU (Brigham Young University) is a unique, private university owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Students attending the school experience a much different lifestyle compared to the normal college student. Before attending BYU, students agree to live the BYU "Honor Code", which is a code of conduct and standards that includes not participating in the use of illegal substances and alcohol, nor participating in premarital sex. Along with that, students are expected to keep themselves "well groomed" by maintaining a conservative hair style and remaining clean shaven.

No doubt, such differences in student commitment calls for a difference in culture in the university. Such a culture has helped to develop a BYU Football tradition, which has captured millions of fans across the world. With the help of Lavell Edwards, BYU gained its reputation as a passing offense and was truly one of the pioneers of college football passing teams. Such a reputation helped to give the nickname "Quarterback University", as BYU seemed to field some of the best quarterbacks in the country year in and year out. In 1984, BYU won a National Championship, which still remains it only one.

Since, then, the BYU football program has continued to thrive and find success in its program. Though there has been ups and downs as there is with every football program, BYU continues to find ways to fight through times and come up on top.

BYU-Football.com is a site dedicated to the BYU football tradition. Here we will discuss up to date news and information regarding the football team. We also invite all to come and join in on the discussion using our message boards, as long as discussion remains respectful. With the bright future that BYU Football has in front of them, there should be a lot of new memorable moments up and coming.