Tag Archives: Bronco Mendenhall

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 | November 15, 2011 · 9:37 pm

Podcast 44: Jeff Chatman, lousy football opponents, and Cougar hoops

Episode 44 is action pack and its dulcet tones are sure to make you happy. Adam begins with Matt. They discuss the thrashing of Idaho and preview the future thrashing of New Mexico State. They also talk a little about the men’s basketball team and they’re opening season loss to Utah State. Adam is then joined by BYU basketball legend Jeff Chatman. They discuss his career at BYU, his decision to come to BYU, his son’s decision to come to BYU, and talk about football as well. All of this and much more on a podcast that is sure to be more exciting than listening to nothing at all. Available, as always, here and on iTunes.

 

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by | November 9, 2011 · 9:49 pm

Podcast 43: Football chatter; Basketball preview

In the latest (and possibly greatest) Rise & Shout podcast, Adam joins forces with Matt to talk about the possibility of BYU joining the Big East, and Adam goes on a rant about San Diego State. They discuss Bronco’s recent forthcoming-ness in press conferences. They play answering machine. And they preview the upcoming basketball season. So much shallow analysis, that it almost seems deep. Available to download here or on iTunes.

 

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by | November 8, 2011 · 12:19 pm

5 Questions: Should BYU join the Big East in football

There have been reports that the Big East is courting BYU. Bronco even mentioned it in his press conference, which seemed really strange after the BYU coaches and administration’s cone of silence in regard to conference realignment talk during discussions with the Big 12. Why did Bronco break this code? Was he going off script? Was he trying to signal to the press and fans that something is imminent? Why? Why?

Before I completely lose it, here are five questions about whether it would be a good idea to join the Big East in football. I am assuming (and this may be completely wrong) that BYU would, like has been reported with Air Force and Boise State, only join for football and not for the other sports.

 1. What does joining the Big East actually do for BYU?
The biggest advantage is easier access to the BCS than independence, membership in the MWC, or membership in a better football league (like the Big 12). The Big East is pretty wide open in football, with the program to watch being Boise State the minute they enter the door. Let me put it this way: I can envision a much better shot at multiple BCS appearances as a member of the Big East than I can if the Cougars joined the Big 12.

The big question about BCS access is whether the Big East will keep its BCS AQ status after 2013 (discussed more below).

2. Would the money be better?
Depends. Some reports show membership in the Big East as being less profitable than independence. I think eventually, yes, especially if conference realignment makes independent scheduling of late-season match-ups harder. But that’s a tough call, especially since we don’t know for sure exactly what BYU is grossing right now.

3. Would TV access be better or worse than independence?
Again, it depends. As we’ve all learned, it’s all about Tier 3 rights, baby! If we’re playing Rutgers in New Jersey, will BYU fans outside of Utah get to see the game?

Using the Big East home games for this weekend as an example, Pittsburgh on the road at Louisville is on several regional networks and online at ESPN3. South Florida at Syracuse is a Friday night game on ESPN2.

I can say this for certain: there would be less nationally televised games on the big ESPN networks (assuming BYU can’t keep its contract with BYU), but access would definitely be better than the MWC. But many fans outside of Utah might still have to jump through hoops to catch all the games.

4. Is the Big East stable?
No, but neither is the Big 12. I think the SEC, Pac12 and Big Ten have solidified their places in the college football landscape, and everyone else is scrambling not to be left out. I don’t believe the Big East is in as bad a mess as some say. The same doomsday scenarios were played when Virginia Tech, Boston College and Miami left the Big East after the 2004 season, and while it made the Big East a mediocre football conference, they kept their card to the big kids’ table.

But can the Big East even keep it’s BCS status after a new deal is negotiated (starting in 2014)? Excellent question, but I think it can and will if BSU officially joins and they can add a handle of decent football programs. But that’s pure conjecture on my part.

5. If BYU doesn’t join a conference soon, are they going to be left out of the Super Conference realignment? Will they become irrelevant?
This is the pivotal question. Are Super Conferences imminent? I don’t think so, but many smart observers do, with a Super Conference playoff the gold at the end of that rainbow. And if you’re not in, you might as well be played FCS.

I know being left out of a Super Conference landscape scares a lot of BYU fans, and I’m sure the administration is keeping that in mind as well. If the entire system changes to the point that independence is no longer viable, the freedom of football independence could become a shackle.

Conclusion: Without, admittedly, knowing all the facts, I think BYU should hold for now. I don’t think the Big East will become any less desperate in next 12-18 months, so there’s no need to jump yet. And if Super Conferences are truly inevitable, there’s no guarantee that the Big East will even be invited to that party.

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by | October 26, 2011 · 7:04 am

Podcast 41: TCU Preview

In Episode 41, Adam and co-host Matt dive into the conference expansion stuff, and Matt reveals why he is staying away from Twitter. They play a game called answering machine and likely tick off Jake Heaps and Gary Patterson. They preview the game against TCU (send angry emails and tweets to Matt). They also briefly discuss the basketball team. All this and more is available right here or on iTunes.

 

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by | October 20, 2011 · 7:33 am

Podcast 40: Jay Drew, Mid-Season Report Cards

In Episode 40, Adam is joined by Salt Lake Tribune beat writer Jay Drew to talk about conference expansion, the current state of Cougar football, and whether Brandon Davies owes any of us an explanation. Matt then makes a triumphant return to the podcast to help Adam hand out mid-term report cards and to answer your questions from the TweetBag. Nonsense includes the Carson Palmer trade and the continuing debate about America’s best burger. As always, listen here or download on iTunes.

 

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by | October 14, 2011 · 9:51 am

5 Questions: BYU @ Oregon State

By Adam
adam@loyalcougars.com
@ajmangum

 1. How tough an environment is Reser Stadium in Corvallis? Will the crowd be a major factor?
Reser stadium seats less than 46,000, but if you talk with Oregon fans, it feels like a lot more during the Civil War games in Corvallis against the Ducks. According the Bleacher Reports top 50 college football stadiums, Reser did not make the cut (LaVell Edwards Stadium was No. 39). Of course, War Memorial Stadium at Wyoming was ranked, so not sure you can trust that. Remind me to tell you the story sometime of when I was almost killed there.

Imagine if BYU was 1-4 and had lost to an FCS opponent at home to start the season. How excited would the Cougar crowd be about a borderline top-50 team coming into town? Probably not very. I think Beaver fans are beaten down, and one win against a lousy Arizona team probably hasn’t brought them back to full power. The Cougars have a great opportunity to take the crowd out of the game early.

2. Do the Oregon State offensive strengths match-up too well with the BYU weaknesses?
I’ve read several previews that wonder if the Oregon State passing game (ranked 30th in the country in yards per game) is a bad match-up for a BYU secondary that has been vulnerable .

It’s a good question, but I don’t think the Beaver passing game is that good. Led by freshman Sean Mannion, they have only one 300+ yard game this season, and that was in a losing effort against Arizona State when they chucked the ball 66 times. I think if OSU throws the ball 60+ times against BYU, that would be a terrific sign.

Yes the passing game is their strength, and expect a decent day for them in that department, but call me skeptical of a unit that put up 230 yards against Sacramento State and is averaging just 6.1 YPA.

3. Does Riley Nelson continue his successful run? Or does Jake Heaps re-emerge?
Don and I talked a lot about this on the podcast; Nelson became the QB at the optimal time during a weak portion of the BYU schedule. Heaps played against likely 3 of the best 4 opponents the Cougars will face all year, and now Nelson gets his shot in cupcake alley.

And while that context is important, the stats so overwhelmingly favor Nelson that I’m not sure why anyone would be asking for Heaps’ return. Heaps has been almost as turnover prone, less accurate, and less efficient. With usually tons of time in the pocket, he can’t make the right decision.

Of course, if Nelson puts up a 5-for-12, 67 yards passing, 2 turnover first half, I think Bronco Mendenhall and Brandon Doman will be tempted to turn back to the former prospect. Personally, I would give James Lark a shot, but I believe if Nelson stumbles, Heaps will get the opportunity to prove his detractors wrong.

4. Is Michael Alisa for real?
Alisa was an afterthought coming out of Timpview High in 2008, a two-star filler, a special teams player.

That perception, at least for me, lasted until last week. With seasoned RBs in Josh Quezada, JJ DiLuigi and Bryan Kariya, who cared about Alisa? He entered the San Jose State game with 3 carries for 2 yards.

Now he is the RB with the highest YPC number, and he was great against the Spartans. He hit the holes violently, something that Cougar backs have failed to do this season, with the possible exception of Kariya in the 4th quarter against Utah State.

I have no idea if Alisa is for real or not, or if we just saw his career game. But I hope he gets 12-15 touches against the Beavers so we can find out if he’s really the remedy to BYU’s anemic rushing attack.

5. Can the Cougars put together 4 solid quarters? Please?
BYU has been disjointed this season, especially on offense. And the defense has also had major lapses that have cost the Cougars. Can they put together a complete game and easily win a game they should, on paper, easily win?

Unfortunately I don’t think the Cougars destroy the Beavers like they’re capable of doing. Nelson will lead the offense to 400+ yards again, but will make some major mistakes. And the defense will be solid, but give up a couple big plays. Still, the Cougars will be one win away from bowl eligibility come Saturday night.

Prediction: 24-20, BYU.

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by | October 13, 2011 · 6:01 am

Podcast 39: Conferences, QBs and Oregon State

Adam is joined by guest brother Don to discuss the ever-changing conference picture, the continuing QB controversy, and they preview the Oregon State game (without actually making predictions). They also opine on Riley Nelson’s hair and Brandon Doman’s skills as on offensive coordinator. All of this and much more available to listen here or to download on iTunes.

 

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