Category Archives: Matt

by | December 6, 2011 · 1:52 pm

Heaps Leaves

by Matt Mangum

matt@loyalcougars.com or on twitter @matt_mangum

It became official yesterday that Jake Heaps was leaving BYU. It has been interesting to follow some of the conversation on twitter regarding Heaps’ big move. I’ve recently discussed the idea of Jake Heaps transferring here on the blog. In that post I wrote that I felt it would be a mistake for Heaps to transfer. I still feel that way. I think it’s unfortunate that this has worked out this way, but at the end of the day Heaps has to do what he thinks is best for him. Having already discussed what I think a transfer means for him, I am now more interested in what his decision means for BYU football.

The answer is: not much.

Aside from the Nelson versus Heaps debate, the loss of Heaps changes very little in the short term. Most would agree that Nelson was the likely starter going into the 2012 season. He would have lasted until he got hurt or faltered. At which point Heaps may have had a chance to finish off the schedule. Many people feel that Heaps would have done better with the schedule BYU had in the second half of this season than he did with the first few games. But that belief is anchored in the quality of the opponent, not in the development curve of Heaps. Heaps has not progressed as expected. Does that mean he will not in the future? No. He just isn’t there yet. Neither of them were ready in 2010. Heaps was not ready when 2011 began. Nelson didn’t blow him out of the water, Heaps simply did not perform.Was it a scheme problem? Partially. But a better scheme doesn’t make throws more accurate, make decisions in the pocket or stay focused after taking a hit. Heaps just wasn’t ready in 2011. I don’t see the gap between them being big enough in 2011 or 2012 to make a huge difference. If the gap had been larger, there would never have been a question about who to start.

In the long term, Heaps’ transfer will have negligible impact on recruiting. For the most part BYU recruits from the same places and from the same pool of players repeatedly. Most of these players will know the story and will see it for what it is. It was a singular bad situation. This will be ancient history in 18 months or less. BYU also relies heavily on finding students who love the program and want to play specifically at BYU. Those players will not be dissuaded by Jake Heaps’ decision. Ben Olson didn’t stop Jake Heaps from coming to BYU and Jake Heaps won’t stop Tanner Mangum from coming to BYU.

I don’t wish anything bad on Jake Heaps. I don’t held this decision against  him. For me, he simply becomes a quarterback at another school. It’s not at all personal for me as a fan nor should it be. Early last year I was among those that felt his talents were being squandered under the two quarterback system. I wanted Anae to give him the keys. He got the keys and made some incremental progress. This season I was disappointed with his lack of continued growth. I was continually mocked on the Rise and Shout podcast for being a Riley Nelson hater. But the fact of the matter is that when Nelson came in, the offense immediately began to get in the endzone more frequently. When that happens, the choice is clear. The team has to do what is in their best interest to win football games and Jake Heaps has to do what he feels is in his best interest to get to the next level or achieve his other goals. That’s what happened here. That’s life.

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by | December 4, 2011 · 8:13 pm

BYU will face Tulsa

by Matt Mangum

matt@loyalcougars.com or on twitter @matt_mangum

If we had all just read Rivals.com in August, we would have known that this was coming. BYU and Tulsa are officially going to square off in the Armed Forces Bowl.

BYU and Tulsa have played 7 times. BYU holds a 6-1 advantage in those matchups. Many of you will best remember the 2007 matchup. Max Hall threw for 537 yards. It was a 55-47 shootout that ended with a gut punch in the final minute when Andrew George fumbled the football. (George totally redeemed himself later) I’m not sure I can even talk about it without getting upset. So here we are in 2011 preparing to face Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas, Texas. This season Tulsa’s losses came against the following schools: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State (who should be playing for a title), Boise State and Houston. Those are all decent teams and Tulsa doesn’t have much to be ashamed of there. In 2011 BYU lost to Texas, Utah and TCU. Neither of the team’s complete schedules shed much light on the matchup. There is one common opponent, Central Florida, and both teams beat the Golden Knights by a score of 24-17.

Tulsa boasts a quarterback, G.J. Kinne who has thrown for over 2800 yards and 25 TDs. Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson’s combined statistics are over 2800 yards and 25 TDs. Kinne threw for over 300 yards in five different games. As individuals, Nelson and Heaps only topped 300 yards a couple of times. That is an eery stat to me when I think about this game in the context if the 2007 matchup. The good news is that these are almost entirely different teams and the comparison is purely historical. The bad news is that Tulsa is not UTEP. This is a serious matchup against a team that can score points and move the football. This is a good chance for BYU to measure how far they have actually come this season. It should be exciting for fans and players. There are going to be alot of decisions to be made this offseason and this game may provide a good measuring stick to make quality decisions. If it does not go well, BYU heads into an offseason of uncertainty. If it does go well, it provides some serious framework for this offseason and next year.

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by | · 5:33 am

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

By Matt Mangum

matt@loyalcougars.com or on twitter @matt_mangum

A couple of months ago I read an article detailing why Jake Heaps should consider transferring to the University of Utah. Since that time, there has been a lot of other speculation about what Jake Heaps may decide to do with his football career following this season. I don’t buy for a minute that he is not seriously weighing out his options. I hope that nobody reading  this article beleives that either. However, I think he would be making a mistake if he left.

Where is he going to go? Jake’s time at BYU has been stormy. In two years he has worked with two very different OCs and inside of two different offensive systems. It was pretty clear that Robert Anae had little to no confidence in Jake Heaps last year. Towards the end of the season he opened things up a little bit. However, I left that season with the feeling that Anae did not feel comfortable giving Heaps the keys to the car. The entire situatuation in 2010 was a debacle. In my opionion it was as much of a coaching failure as anything. The team started the season without a single quarterback prepared to play. So after Anae got fired and Doman was promoted to OC, Doman put together a new offensive system that should have been a place for Heaps to thrive. There were two problems with this: Heaps was not ready for primetime at the beginning of 2011 and neither was Doman’s offense. This combination was a little bit of a nightmare to watch.

So where am I going with this? Jake Heaps and the staff never seemed to dedicate any time to simply developing Jake Heaps as a quarterback. He has some great raw skills. If this is going to work, he needs time to bring those skills up to the FBS level. At BYU he has an OC with confidence in Heaps’ future. He has already spent a year working with the new system. If he transfers to another school (wherever it may be), he’ll have to sit out a year anyways and he’ll have to learn a third offensive system. He would also not learn some of the intangible lessons that he will learn if he stays. If he does stay, the right move is to redshirt him next year. This would allow him time to bring his skills up to the FBS level and time to mature as a football player and leader. I believe that this combination gives him the greatest chances of success with his remaining years of eligibility. Moving to a new system will set his career back two years with only two years of eligibility and will not provide the same growth opportunity as a leader. Staying and redshirting is likely the most difficult thing for him to do. But in the end, doing the difficult thing will likely produce the best results.

So what about Bronco? Is he going to leave for UCLA or some other crazy situation when 2011 ends? I think Bronco may get some attention from schools and his name will be mentioned in some of these conversations. The main reasons that I believe Bronco would consider leaving are: BCS access and the ability to create a new coaching staff from scratch. I believe that many of Bronco’s comments about conference realignment indicate that he would love to be with a program that had access to the BCS system. I think that is more important to him than TV contracts. He’s a coach, he wants to win championships. For this same reason, I think he would also prefer to coach a team in a conference. I am absolutely putting words into his mouth here. But, if I were in his shoes, that’s how I would feel. He also had to wait for several years before he was able to get a coaching staff together that espoused his philosophies. Were he to start at a new program, he could likely put together a similar staff of his own right away.

I think the chances of Bronco leaving are higher than the chances of Jake transferring. If Bronco gets some attention, it would be from a program with real clout. I don’t think those same types of programs are going to be coming for Heaps. I think that Heaps transferring would be a mistake, but I am not sure that I could say the same thing about Mendenhall leaving. He could be offered a job at a prestigious program for a higher paycheck. From a professional standpoint, it would be a good move for him. Heaps on the other hand is a college sophomore who wants to play in the NFL. Transferring to a lesser program where all of his current problems may still exist, will not help him got to the NFL. A Bronco departure would be worse for the program than a Jake Heaps transfer. I think this is why the mere thought of a Bronco departure gets me concerned. Is the program really in danger of losing Mendenhall? I’m not sure. But I’d feel much better about it if we knew Bronco was going to stay for the long haul. The two are in very different stages of their respective careers but could be facing some similar choices. I hope they both stay, but I’m afraid that one or both of them will decide to leave.

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by | September 9, 2011 · 9:15 am

More or Less

by Matt Mangum

matt@loyalcougars.com on twitter @matt_mangum

Last week’s game was both difficult to watch and also very exciting. As a defensive guy, I love the fact that the defense made the win happen. However, like many of you, there was a lot that I saw that also made me nervous. So those stirring emotions have inspired me to put together some thoughts on things I think we need to see more of and a few things we really need to see less of as the cougars head to the Lone Star State to fave the Texas Longhorns. Just to keep this clear: When I say I want to see more of something, I am saying that they did that well and they need to do keep on doing it. When I say I want to see less of something, I am saying that there was too much of it last week.

More:

Form Tackling. The defense looked great. A fundamental component of their performance was the form tackling, especially when a BYU defender had a ball carrier one on one in the backfield. This is not your grandaddy’s BYU defense. These guys hit hard and they wrap up the ball carrier. This has always been a pet peeve of mine when watching BYU football. The best form tackling in the past 20 years has been when Bronco Mendenhall is the DC. I’m glad he is back in that role, because arm tackling and trying to just knock ball carriers down had come back into vogue since he was not in that role. It may sometimes look cool on a highlight reel, but bad form will usually only get you into the opponent’s highlights.

Less:

Stalling on offense. I don’t think that BYU got into the red zone in the entire first half of last week’s game. If I am reading the box score correctly (because I have blocked out most of the offense performance), the closest they got was somewhere around the 34 yard line. That drive was killed by a penalty and then a 9 yard loss by Heaps. Apparently you can get away with that when playing Ole Miss. You can’t get away with that when playing a team like Texas.  This offense needs to put together a succession of plays that gets the ball down the field and into the endzone or through the uprights. Scoring early is going to be very important. It’s a confidence booster and it will keep BYU in the game. The offense needs to get into a real rhythm early and sustain drives.

More:

Swagger on Defense. The defense is good. I think they can compete with anybody in the country. There are some questions in the backfield but the play at safety was better than expected and even Corby Eason did not give up a game losing play. When an offense picks on you, you have to respond. Ole Miss was picking on Eason and Texas will too. UT brought Brian Harsin from Boise State to light a fire under this offense. They will be prepared. The defense needs to continue playing like they expect to dominate. If Eason gets pciked on, he can’t let them get in his head.

Less:

Hesitation from Heaps. He looked nervous out there. I guess he was a little shaken up early and he never seemed to recover. If the Texas defense smells blood in that water, they will come after him hard. I’d like to keep him off of the grass as much as possible, but I think it may be good for him to take a hit early and get it over with. The key is on how he responds to that. He can’t get timid. He needs to take the time to go through his reads and run the offense. It appeared to me that the shotgun was not originally planned to be such a large part of the offense approach. When Heaps got gun-shy, Doman pulled him back from the line of scrimmage. Doman needs to be able to run the offensive gameplan without worrying about Heaps’ psyche.

These are some of many things that I think are going to carry over into this game. If BYU can mange to take care of these four I think they will be in pretty good shape. Texas is a better team than Ole Miss and will require BYU o play a cleaner and more urgent style of football if  they expect to win. I think BYU has the pieces to make this happen, it all will come down to execution.

Go Cougars!

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by | August 13, 2011 · 9:19 pm

Lark for Vice President

by Matt Mangum matt@loyalcougars.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Let’s get one thing out in the open here. I do not hate Riley Nelson. Like I said on the most recent podcast, I have never met him and I have nothing against him. I just don’t see him as a quarterback for BYU. So, while I will spend some time here addressing the basis for my opinion, the main point of this post is that I really like what I am hearing from and about James Lark. On Podcast 26, Adam asked me where my comfort level is on Lark taking over in the event that something happens to Heaps. I’d really just like to take a minute and continue that discussion.

Most discussion of Riley Nelson refers to what he does with his legs vs. his arm. This is not unfounded. In his collegiate career (at BYU and Utah State) he has more rushing attempts (131) than completed passes (104). His stats are a little tricky to evaluate. His injury in 2010 makes things difficult and his lack of playing time in 2009 did not provide us with much. The most there is to go by is his freshman season at Utah State in 2006 and that was 5 years ago. During that season he completed 77 of 139 passes for 925 yards and threw 6 TDs to 7 INTs. He ran the ball 79 yimes for 290 yards (3.7 per carry) and no TDs. This rushing average placed him 180 something among rushers that season. In 2010 he only got 31 carries for 148 yards (4.8 yards per carry). He played a partial season and he was hurt. But at the same time I think it is worth noting that he only attempted 40 passes in that same period of time. He is not a passing quarterback. I don’t think he could maintain that 4.8 yards per carry average over an entire season. Serious defenses figure out what is going on and scheme appropriately. He also runs the risk of being seriously injured. I think that inserting him into the game as a change of pace or as part of a special package is also a waste of time. If anybody is paying attention, they know he can’t throw further than 10 -15 yards in front of him and that he is HIGHLY likely to try and run regardless. It’s too predictable. He also requires an entirely differently offensive scheme than the rest of the team runs.

Listen, he’s athletic and football smart. There’s got to be a place for him on the field. I just don’t think it’s at quarterback. I read one report that he lined up on one of the special teams coverage teams this morning. I think that may be a start, but that’s probably not the only useful place for him. Now if BYU didn’t have any options (ie no James Lark) I see why you keep him there. But Lark is just as good, and perhaps better, of an option. So I would prefer he take the snaps if there was ever a need.

Lark has been a more accurate passer in Fall Camp. Stats from camp are hard to evaluate. The situations are different and player’s numbers of reps vary. But I think many would agree that Lark has been (at least) the second most accurate passer in camp. He also is a better fit scheme wise. 2010 is clear proof that Nelson and Heaps are completely different kinds of quarterbacks. The offense is going to get in a rhythm based on Heaps’ skill set. In the event that Heaps goes down, Nelson would require a complete retool of the offense. Remember what that was like? Lark provides the best opportunity to continue running the same offense.

I also like Lark’s attitude. This is a guy that has largely been overlooked but has stuck around and continues to work hard. The biggest reservation I have is his number of reps. Without the reps in practice, he may not be ready to step in and run the offense if he needs to. So in the event he is asked, I fear he will find himself unprepared for lack of practice. This was what plagued both Nelson and Heaps last year. Is it possible that Lark has not wowed himself into the number two role simply because he is not ready for it? I suppose that is possible, but I suspect that the problem is more closely related to numbers of reps.

So in conclusion, my comfort level with Lark in the event that he is asked to take a meaningful snap is decent. I think he has the potential and the talent to fill that role. Given the limited information I have access to, he would be my choice. However, if he continues to sit in the third string role, he will not be ready when that time comes and we’ll be looking at a reheated version of the problems that plagued the offense early in 2010.  

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by | August 6, 2011 · 1:41 am

Fall Camp 2011 is already better than Fall Camp 2010

by Matt Mangum

matt@loyalcougars.com

on twitter @matt_mangum

Two quarterback systems are so last year. Like, who would ever be seen rotating quarterbacks. Seriously.

There are several reasons, in my opinion, that this Fall Camp is already starting off better than last year. The obvious one is the quarterback situation. A year ago the internet was rife with speculation regarding what would happen at the quarterback position. The prevailing wisdom was that it was only a matter of time before Heaps took the reins. That turned out to be true, however the injury to Nelson was obviously unanticipated and unfortunate for him. The two quarterback system has almost never worked in football and the team will be better off with one starting quarterback. Especially this one. One of the reasons that I love Fall Camp 2011 more than 2010: a single starting quarterback.

The hype and expectations sorrounding Jake Heaps are a little intense. There is part of me that would advise Cougar Nation to tone down the expectations a little bit. There is another part of me that loves the excitement and the confidence in a sophomore who is yet to start a full season and is under the wing of a brand new, first time offensive coordinator. This type of excitement is much better than what we were looking at last year. It turned out that the coaches had a difficult time selecting a starter because neither of the top two guys were ready to take the job full time. But after a strong finish to the season and an offseason as the number one guy under his belt, Jake Heaps is as ready as he is going to be. This is more preparation than Max Hall had before his 2007 campaign. In 2011 we should expect a more finished product. Do I think he’ll get better every year? Of course. But I think that 2011 will be the tell tale sign of exactly who this kid is and what he can really do.  

The coaching staff has a much different look as well. It turned out that some of the excitement from last year’s staff was a smokescreen to cover for sideline and coach box tension. Bronco Mendenhall finally had the window of opportunity to put together a coaching staff that is aligned under a single philosophy and was really hand picked for the team and the program. Surprisingly enough, I am not going to go into any long diatribe about how I am more excited about Doman this year than I was about Anae last year. Mostly because that is an obvious point. But leaving Anae aside, Doman as the offensive coordinator has me excited. On the Rise and Shout Podcast counting down Adam’s quarterback rankings, Adam and I discussed the concept of QBs as coaches on the field. Two of the great BYU quarterbacks that fit this description are Steve Sarkisian and Brandon Doman. I think Sark was born to be a coach. I feel the same way about Brandon Doman. Everybody close to him feels that he will be a head coach somewhere someday. There is reason to be excited about this guy right now.

Overall I think this part of the season can be boiled down to a single word for BYU fans. Expectations. Last year felt like the great unknown. 2011 right now is a season full of promise. That is the best part of this Fall Camp. It’s all about the expectations. While there are issues to be worked out at this time of year, they appear less obvious and less extreme than they were a year ago. And the team appears better prepared to handle them. That is why Fall Camp 2011 is already better than 2010.  

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by | July 16, 2011 · 5:38 pm

BYU All Time Defensive Team

by Matt Mangum

Earlier this week, I posted my selections for the BYU All Time Offensive Team. Some of those decisions were pretty hard to make. On the other hand, selections to this defense were easy for me. I have always been a defensive minded fan. This was also alot of fun for me as I got to go back and go through some of the great defensive performances in BYU football history. Interestingly enough, multiple players put up record numbers in games against New Mexico. I guess I may miss some of the teams in the old MWC after all. If you miseed my BYU All Time Defensive Team Watch List, you can access it here. So without any further ado, these are my choices for the BYU All Time Defensive Team.

Defensive Line – Jason Buck, Byron Frisch, Jan Jorgensen

Jason Buck is an Outland Trophy winner and a legend in BYU football history.In 1985 he led the team in sacks and was WAC Defensive player of the year. He is in the top ten for sacks in a season and tied for second in sacks in a game with 4 against Oregon State in 1986. He may be the best defensive linemen that BYU has ever had. He was a quarterback when he entered junior college at Ricks College. I think we’re all kinda glad that the QB thing didn’t work out. 

Byron Frisch finished his career with 25 sacks which places him fourth all time for sacks in a career at BYU. Frisch was part of the 1996 team which finished ranked in the top 5 and only suffered one loss. He was a consistent performer who finished his career with 222 tackles (42.5 for a loss). Fans who reminisce of the 1996 season will remember Frisch as being a tough competitor. However, 1996 was just the beginning of a career for Frisch who played 3 more years and seemed to get better every year.

Jan Jorgensen is a surprise selection for me. I had envisioned other players making the cut here. Specifically, I thought Shawn Knight would end up on this team. But Jan had slightly better numbers than Knight and was a contributor on a very talented defense. Jan’s biggest problem was that he never quite duplicated his 2007 season. In 2007 he had 77 tackles (20 for a loss) and 14 sacks. He is top five for sacks in a career and sacks in a season. That 2007 team was alot of fun to watch and it was a breakout year for several different players.

Linebacker – Shay Muirbrook, Rob Morris,  Shad Hansen, Rocky Biegel

Shay Muirbrook is my favorite BYU football player of all time. He led the team in tackles in 1994 and 1996. He also led the team in sacks in 1996 with 9, had 8 tackles for a loss and 3 interceptions. He was a beast and, in my opinion, the nucleus of the defense on one of the greatest BYU football teams of all time. In his final season at BYU (1996) he was first team all conference, the conference defensive player of the year and the defensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State. In that game he established the record at BYU for sacks in a game. He had 6. I originally planned on naming my first born son Shay. Then I met my wife and all of that changed. So, even though I didn’t get to name my son Shay, I still get to name Shay to my BYU All Time Defensive Team.

Rob Morris led the team in tackles in 1997 and 1998 and was the 1998 WAC Defensive Player of the Year. He ended his career with 34.5 tackles for a loss. He’s in the top ten for tackles in a season and tackles in a career. As a fan it was fun to have him on your team. You always expected him to make a play. Morris was recently featured in a “I’m a Mormon” video where he and his wife discussed their trials having children and the difficulty of losing triplets before birth. I have to warn you, I can’t watch this without crying. 

Shad Hansen was in on more tackles than any other player in BYU history. That was 408 tackles (132 unassisted). This is a guy that was simply all over the field. One unassisted tackle separates him from Rocky Biegel in the rankings of tackles in a season. In 1991 they had 193 and 192 tackles respectively.

Rocky Biegel was a linebacking teamate of Shad Hansen and, as previously noted, is number two on the list for tackles in a season with 192 tackles in 1991. He is in the top ten of tackles in a career and may have the coolest name of any BYU football player ever.

Narrowing this field down to four linebackers may have been the most difficult part of naming this defensive unit. There has been some great talent at the LB position in Provo over the years and any of these four could likely be argued off of the list in favor of some of the other names from the watchlist. In the end I feel like Hansen and Biegel did alot for the linebacker tradition at BYU. Muirbrook was a team favorite, lead an amazing defense during an incredible year and performed well in big games. Morris was simply a force that competed on a level higher than anyone else around him. So they are the ones who ended up on the team.

Defensive Back – Kyle Morrell, Dan Hansen, Derwin Gray, Aaron Francisco

Kyle Morrell simply belongs on this list. In 1984 he was first team all WAC, the WAC Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-American. He is also on every single BYU highlight reel ever made. His jump over the line to bring down the Hawaii QB in the 1984 game is something that every BYU fan has seen approximately 4 billion times. His place is cemented in BYU lore. If you need to see the tackle again, here it is. 

Sure Dan Hansen finished his career with 18 interceptions. Decent. I’ll tell you what was more than decent is what he did with the ball after he picked it off. In 1971 he had 233 yards on interception returns. In his career he had 421 yards off of picks. In case you didn’t know, those are both all time leading numbers at BYU. He is also in the top 10 for tackles in a career with 369. Did I mention that he had 36 tackles (22 unassisted) in one game against New Mexico in 1971? Unreal. If I had tried to keep him off of the list, he would have intercepted the transmission of this post and ran it all the way back to my house for revision.

At a time when the BYU quarterback was receiving unbelievable attention, Derwin Gray was getting it done on defense. Gray led the team in interceptions in 1990, 1991 and 1992. He is number 2 on the list for tackles in a game with his 22 tackle (13 unassisted) performance against Penn State in 1991. Of course, you would prefer that a defensive back does not lead the team in tackles, but Penn State put up 479 yards of total offense in that game. So it looks like Gray just ended up getting alot of work coming his way that day. His 3 interception game against New Mexico in 1991 is a BYU game high. He was a force to be reckoned with.

Aaron Francisco was part of the beginning of the Bronco Mendenhall era at BYU. Francisco played all four years of football under head coach Gary Crowton, but was the focus of alot of attention when Bronco came to town and changed what the defense was doing. Francisco did well under the coach’s new system and was the team’s leading tackler in 2003 thanks to a system which put him into position to make plays. He also led the team in interceptions that year annd was named to the All MWC team in 2003 and 2004. Part of what gets Franscisco on this list is the position he was playing under Mendenhall’s first defense. While the schemes have changed some, that 2003 season signaled a change in the way defense was coached and played at BYU.  

*Statistics for this were drawn from cougarstats.com and byucougars.com.

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by | July 12, 2011 · 2:09 pm

BYU All Time Offensive Team

by Matt Mangum

A few weeks ago I posted a list of players I was considering to be included an on All Time BYU Offensive Team. Since then I have agonized over some of these selections. I have changed my mind on some of these as recently as this morning and if I were to continue thinking about it I am sure I could change my mind again. The final team here is comprised of the players that I feel best fit the criteria that I originally set out. One of the best parts of writing something like this is the opportunity to watch old games online and remember how good some of the BYU teams of yesteryear have been. Very few football programs can put together a list with this type of talent. Even the two deep chart on a team like this is very impressive. I tried to be concise as I talked about my selection so I am looking forward to discussing this with everybody. So without further ado, here are my selections to the BYU All Time Offensive Team:

Quarterback – Jim McMahon

McMahon was recently ranked by Adam here on LoyalCougars.com as having had the best QB Season in BYU History. There is a reason he was ranked number one on that list: He’s the greatest BYU QB of all time. His 1980 season is a thing of legend. The man threw for nearly fifty touchdowns that year! He finished his BYU Career with 84 passing touchdowns and 9,500 yards. These kinds of numbers were galactic compared to is contemporaries. He owned every record in any meaningful statistical category for his position and was the undisputed leader of his team. He was also behind one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport when he led BYU back to win the 1980 Holiday Bowl against the Pony Express from SMU. There have been some great quarterbacks that have come through BYU. I submit that McMahon was the greatest of them all.

Running Backs – Harvey Unga and Luke Staley

Harvey Unga was a singularly dominant force when playing. He is the current leading rusher at BYU. Without the running game of Harvey Unga, I would argue that Max Hall does not become Max Hall. Austin Collie and Dennis Pitta probably would have had a much different experience as well. Not that he made them better players, but he created opportunity because he was such a threat. They all did that for each other. 2007 was his best season statistically. He topped 1,200 yards and ran for 13 scores. He was a fierce competitor and really came alive in the Utah game at the end of that season. He was a leader on the field and dominated with brute force. While he did not top 1,200 yards again he had three 1,000+ yard seasons in a row and, had he remained for another season, would have set a BYU career rushing record that would not even be approached for a long time. If I were only choosing one running back, Harvey would be my choice.

This was a difficult decision for me. Because I missed Luke Staley’s best games, I spent some time really looking into Staley’s career at BYU. Using the new BYUtv app on my iPhone I watched the BYU vs. Utah game from 2001. Luke Staley was a force in that game. In a sport where each team puts 11 men on the field at a time, it is difficult for a single person to take charge of games in the way that Staley did. The final 5 minutes of that game against Utah being the best example. He broke loose from pass blocking when the play broke down and was available for Doman to throw a TD pass. A few minutes later he took the corner, off of a great downfield block, and ran the rock across the yard and to the house. Going back through his body of work he has got to be the choice for this team. While he may have had just one big year, his performance meets all of the criteria that I originally set out. He is in the top ten all time for rushing yards in a game, rushing yards in a season and rushing yards in a career. Taking into account that he really only had one breakout year, that is pretty significant. Staley beats out Eldon Fortie with his prominence among his contemporaries. In 2001 he led the nation in yards per rushing attempt and scoring. He also received the Doak Walker Award.

While it is difficult to leave Fortie off of this list, I think he barely loses out to Staley. Fortie led the team in total offense, passing and rushing in 1961. He then led the team in all three of those and scoring in 1962. If you take a minute to look at that, it really is a staggering statistic. His contribution is very unique among BYU Running Backs. My Dad has told me that if I had seen Fortie play in person he would easily have made this team. He may be right.  

Wide Receivers – Austin Collie and Eric Drage

It would be a joke not to include Collie on this team. In my opinion he is simply the best receiver that has ever played at BYU. The offense at the time did not lend itself to a very ornate use of the passing tree. Collie still managed to shred secondaries. BYU fans have gotten plenty mileage out of some of Collie’s plays against Utah and he was also a nationally respected receiver. He simply had more talent that any other Cougar to play the position. In 2008 Collie had 11 games were he topped 100 yards receiving. In 2006 he accomplished the feat 6 times. He is also the all time leader for receiving yards in a career and in an individual season.

Eric Drage does not feel like the obvious choice for me. Having a Heisman Trophy winner as a Quarterback almost feels like an unfair competitive advantage. On the other hand, how many receivers in BYU history have had the benefit of quartberbacks who competed on the same level as Ty Detmer? There have been alot of them. So in other words, that competitive advantage evens out. Eric Drage was a consistent high performer and was involved in some big games for the program. Drage had 4 100 yard receiving games in 3 separate seasons (1991, 1992, 1993). He is number 2 in receiving yards in a career to Austin Collie and appears in the top ten of just about every pertinent statistic. Maybe I am way off base here, this was an unexpected choice for me. However after looking at the stats and the period of time he was playing for the team, Eric Drage is my choice.

Tight End – Clay Brown

In 1980 Clay Brown played in a Holiday Bowl game where he caught 5 passes for 155 yaards. 3 of those receptions were touchdowns. One of them was the TD reception that tied the game. His participation in that game alone earns him a place in this discussion. He is not in the top ten for receptions by a tight end at BYU, but he is the the top ten for receiving yards by a tight end. (He’s no. 6 with 1,691 yards.) He gained more yards with much fewer receptions. His 15 TD receptions in 1980 place him tied for first among all pass catchers for TD receptions in a season. If you include his 3 TD catches in that year’s Holiday Bowl, he passes Austin Collie for the sole no. 1 spot on that list. Taking into account some of the prolific receiving seasons at BYU, for him to do that as a Tight End is remarkable. He may not have run away with this like McMahon did with the QB slot, but the top spot is his all the same.

I know Adam wanted to put Chad Lewis here. I stand by my earlier comment that I am not sure Chad Lewis was the best Tight End on the 1996 team. I think that distinction belongs to Itula Mili. The coaching staff in 1996 said that Mili may have been the best tight end they had ever coached. (As reported by the color commentator on the ESPN broadcast of the 1996 BYU vs. Utah game). Chad Lewis went on to a much more illustrious NFL career which may cloud the way that BYU fans remember him. Don’t get me wrong, he was awesome. He just wasn’t the best one of them all.

Offensive Line – Eli Herring, Mo Elewonibi, John Tait, Trevor Matich, Bart Oates

Eli Herring may be most famous for his decision to forego the opportunity to play in the NFL. Herring determined that he was not comfortable playing professional football on Sundays. His decision met a variety of responses from BYU fans. His decision and it’s aftermath have gained a unique place in BYU lore.

Mo Elewonibi won the Outland Trophy on 1989 and was a consensus All American. He is arguably the best offensive lineman to ever play at BYU. 

John Tait is the sole member of the 1996 team that made this list. If I were to rank offensive lines as a unit, I beleive that the 1996 O-line may have been the best that BYU has ever seen. As individuals, Tait is the only one that makes it to this list.

Trevor Matich was a great offensive lineman at a great time to be at BYU. Matich was the center on the 1984 National Championship team and I love watching him on ESPN.

Bart Oates was also at BYU at a great time. Oates was in the huddle with some great teams and led offensive lines that blocked for some very talented teams. Men like Steve Young and others owe a great deal of their success to centers like Bart Oates.

*Statistics for this article were collected at cougarstats.com and the media guide available at byucougars.com.

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by | July 1, 2011 · 11:33 pm

Dear BYU Fans, Be Cool.

by Matt Mangum

Dear Fellow BYU Fans,

Today is a special day. A day to be celebrated. Today is full of optimism and hope. BYU Football is free from the chains of the MWC. BYU’s other sports have found a home in the WCC and the WAC. Tom Holmoe successfully navigated a minefield of problems and appears to have lead us to the promised land. For that we are all grateful. Mr. Holmoe, we have never met. But I feel compelled to tell you, I love you man. I think we all do.

But a few words of advice for the BYU Fans of 2011.

First, be good to the WCC. The West Coast Conference looks to be a great place for BYU Hoops and other sports. Did you see the video on their website or the new logo today? I think that they are genuinely excited to have us and I think it is going to be a great fit. Show up to their arenas all up and down the west coast in order to support the Cougars when they come to your town. Purchase tickets, food and other concessions. Most importantly, be cool. Especially this year. Make a good first impression. Be nice to their fans. Be respectful of their institutions and their beliefs. We are guests in their arenas, even if there are a bajillion BYU fans in attendance. We are the new kids in the conference. Don’t be poor winners when we win and don’t be soursports when we lose. Build good healthy rivalries with new opponents. Most importantly, make BYU feel at home when they are on the road. Cheer like a crazy person. This whole thing is a new beginning, let’s do it right.

Second, today is not about BYU vs. Utah. We both got what we wanted. Move on.

Third, right now everything is super shiny and new. This feeling is going to wear off at some point. Something is going to happen and you are going to feel irked or jilted. It may be a football scheduling issue. You may get booed at a road game. The MWC will get an automatic bid (okay that last one is never going to happen). But when that bad thing does happen, remember this day. Remember how exciting this is. This is a great situation for BYU and given the current landscape this will continue to be a great situation for BYU. When the newness starts to wear off, think big picture. Access and Exposure.

Fourth, be patient. Football scheduling is going to be hard. Bowl affiliations are going to be in flux. These things will be sorted out over a matter of years instead of months. Mr. Holmoe and the rest of the BYU Administration have done a good job so far. Be patient when things are not perfect. Going independent was a move years in the making. It is going to take some time to smooth everything out.

Finally, All Loyal Cougars everywhere should Rise and Shout. Today is a great day. This is the beginning of something great. Put on some BYU Gear and enjoy it.

-A Fellow BYU Alum and Fan

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by | · 2:14 pm

Dear MWC, It didn’t need to be like this.

by Matt Mangum

Dear Mountain West Conference,

It didn’t need to be like this. On September 16, 1999 I attended a football game in Provo, Utah. The BYU Cougars were hosting the Rams from Colorado State. It was the first game of the Mountain West Conference. There were hats, t-shirts and plenty of optimism to go around. It was a great day. I think the game was
on ESPN. What happened?

By the late 1990’s the Western Athletic Conference had expanded to include 16 teams. Most of the teams that had originally formed the WAC felt it was too big. Travel budgets were going up and the competition was getting watered down. That is why BYU, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming (all original members of the WAC) Colorado State, San Diego State, Air Force and UNLV ended up forming you. This is why you exist. The newly minted leadership in 1999 took little to heart from the events that had led to the birth of the MWC.

One glaring example is the way the TV deals worked out. The Mtn. only worked because of the large fan bases around a couple of schools. BYU, Utah, TCU and maybe Air Force could draw interest from places other than the areas immediately surrounding their stadiums. Those schools have alumni and pockets of fans across the country. BYU never needed the Mtn. in order to get the games out to their fans. Utah and TCU would both become a big enough draw for ESPN that they didn’t need the conference network either. So in an effort to get Wyoming televised from week to week you took BYU, Utah and TCU and hid them from the entire college football world. In 2006, nobody had ever heard of the Mtn. You told me to call DirecTV and do the lobbying for you. The problem was that when I was calling in 2006 the guy who answered the phone at the DirecTV calling center had no clue what I was talking about. None. Neither did the guy at any of the bajillion sports bars and restaurants that I called in order to find a place to watch the game. I rarely found a place by the way. Thanks for nothing.

Over the next few years, you worked so hard not to give BYU, Utah or TCU any special treatment that you completely alienated them. You completely alienated their alumni and fan bases as well. Instead of sending letters to DirecTV, Dish Network and local cable providers they were sending letters to their alma
mater. The schools that created draw for the Mtn. were all unhappy. Like a stubborn child you refused to budge.

So here we are. July 1, 2011 and at high noon BYU will no longer be a member of the MWC. The MWC, which exists as a result of the efforts of BYU, Utah and a couple other schools to maintain a viable athletic conference, will look suspiciously liked the WAC did in 1999. BYU has their own TV deal with ESPN. I
don’t have to call anybody to lobby for games. People at restaurants will know what I mean when I say, “Can you put that TV on ESPN?” BYU can schedule anybody they want and will make more money than the entire conference did last year on the Mtn. (That figure may be a little overblown. But if it is, it’s not by
much)

I’m sorry that it ended this way. It hasn’t been pretty. Your parting shots while BYU was on it’s way out simply confirmed that it was time to go. It isn’t going to get any better for you when TCU leaves for the Big East next year. Utah is off to thePac-12 and there you are. You have a new logo and some new members. There are some decent programs. However, if past performance is any indicator of future success, your leadership will turn them into something else: leftovers. You need something more than a reheated logo to make this thing taste right. The good news for me is that I don’t care anymore. As of today you are no longer my problem. You can’t weigh BYU down any longer. I really don’t mean any ill will. At this point, I am completely detached from you. It feels good. Liberating. I already cancelled my Sports Pack with DirecTV. Just like when I ordered it, I was sure to make clear why I didn’t need it anymore. When I call later on and cancel my entire subscription, I’ll be sure to mention the Mtn. You see, I can get BYUtv and ESPN with just about any provider.

I would close this with “Good Luck”, but it wouldn’t be sincere. I don’t hope that you flounder into obscurity, I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about it.

-A Fan

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