HB Arnett’s
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Vol. 35, Issue 12 –October 10, 2014
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Missing Players Cause Missed Opportunity for Win
BYU lost 31-24 in overtime to Central Florida last night in Orlando. It was a heartbreaking loss.
It was a loss that could be easily explained by the absence of such stellar Cougar players as Alani Fua, Jamaal Williams, Jordan Johnson, Craig Bills, Dallin Leavitt, Terran Houk Brayden Kearsley and of course, Taysom Hill.
The problem with that theory, however, is that those same players all played the entire game or some of the game last week against Utah State in Provo and BYU still lost.
I don’t minimize the loss of key players in a defeat. I don’t give it the credence that most do, however. That is because when players go down, ninety five percent of the time they are replaced by players that are also on scholarship.
If coaches award scholarships to players out of high school or after being a walkon for a couple of seasons, they are announcing to their fan base that these players can do exactly that…play at a scholarship level.
If coaches give starters, backups and squad members scholarships, they should be able to play at this level. That of course is the theory. The reality is that most coaches miss at a lot of their evaluations and there are scholarship players that are on teams that can’t play.
Impact Game
The players BYU lost to injury, were clearly the best scholarship players BYU coaches thought they had available. It did impact the game. So did Cougar mistakes and miscues.
Algie Brown’s fumble was a huge mistake. Game management by coaches and especially play calling in overtime was suspect. As long as we want to look for reasons for the loss, we might as well point out the missed defensive holding call to end the game.
The bottom line is that BYU lost a game it could have and should have won.
Christian Stewart played well for his first time out of the gate. After the first quarter he was serviceable enough for the Cougars to be competitive. His first game numbers were 22-37 for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also had one pick.
BYU’s best offensive weapon was rushing the ball. They racked up 189 yards, most of which was gained by Algernon Brown, Paul Lasike and Stewart, when scrambling on some key downs.
BYU made improvements in its pass rush against the Knights. They actually had 2 sacks and 2 interceptions. Unfortunately, for the fourth game in a row, they made an extremely mediocre passer look like NFL material.
BYU now heads back home to take on Nevada Saturday, October 18 in Provo for Homecoming.
The Wolfpack are currently 3-2 and will be playing Colorado State in Reno tomorrow. The UNR wins have been over Southern Utah, Washington State and San Jose State. The two losses have been at the hands of Boise State and Arizona, both on the road.
Game start time is now 8:15 pm MDT and the contest will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
BYU Football and Buyer’s Remorse
We have all experienced it at some time.
Years ago I bought a vehicle called a Vega. Last year I bought two Pocket Hoses, the kind that expand when filled with water. I was hosed alright.
My most recent case of buyer’s remorse happened in August. I bought the BYU football preseason hype. I bought it hook, line and sinker, or should I say hook, line and stinker.
Here are some things I bought and how those purchases have turned out after a regular season that is now officially ½ over after six games.
Purchase: The BYU offense is premier and primed to make national noise
Remorse: Robert Anae’s offense was and is a Ponzi scheme. As long as Taysom Hill kept paying out, the scheme worked with Hill’s playmaking ability covering offensive and defensive deficits that eventually could never be covered. Once Hill missed a play making payment because of a season ending injury the scam was exposed.
Purchase: Buying Taysom Hill as a Heisman Candidate.
Remorse: None. Absolutely none. Seeing how Hill carried this team by himself before getting hurt, and how this team plays without him, screams to me that he actually may be the best college football player in the country.
Purchase: BYU was going to have great success throwing the ball over the top and going deep on opposing defenses.
Remorse: The Cougars did have great success in fall camp successfully throwing the ball deep against the BYU defense. That was a bad buy because every team is having success throwing the ball deep on the BYU defense.
Purchase: Special Teams were going to be vastly improved.
Remorse: Only partial remorse: Punting is outstanding and Field Goal and PAT kicking is sound. Kick and punt coverage is like the pocket hose I purchased. It keeps rupturing.
If the Cougars can’t cover on kickoffs, there is a very simple solution, in my opinion. Find somebody that can kick the ball into the end zone. Maybe I’m too biased, but am I the only one that seems to notice that every team BYU has played so far this season has a kicker that can get the ball to at least the goal line?
Purchase: The offensive line will be vastly improved.
Remorse: Absolutely none.
Purchase: Bronson Kaufusi will be a beast as an outside linebacker.
Remorse: The sooner the coaching staff gets him back on the line of scrimmage with his hand on the ground, the better he and the defense will be.
Purchase: BYU will be fine at middle linebacker.
Remorse: There are no playmakers in the middle. Harvey Langi may have hope but so far he is mostly hype.
Purchase: Jordan Leslie.
Remorse: None.
Purchase: Rest of Receivers and Remnants of post graduate transfers.
Remorse: Mostly Busts. Nick Kurtz actually busted his foot and looks like a for sure redshirt. There is a reason that Devon Blackmon is no longer at Oregon. Same for Keanu Nelson at Stanford. Defensively, Harvey Jackson left Nebraska for a reason. He certainly is no Skye PoVey, because he can’t beat him out.
Purchase: Bronco handing off the defense coordinator job to Nick Howell.
Remorse: I don’t sing, but so far this decision by Mendenhall hasn’t been anything like Aretha Franklin’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T, but more like R-E-J-E-C-T.
Purchase: BYU defensive backs are the best ever.
Remorse: BYU hasn’t put any corners in the NFL since 1978. That streak looks to extend easily for another decade or so. I’ve bought assignment sound for the Bronco decade. Now I will settle for some simple athletic ability.
Purchase: ESPN Exposure is priceless.
Remorse: Without Taysom Hill, BYU football being exposed on ESPN is just buck (naked) bad.
Purchase: Lifetime membership of a passionate BYU football fan.
Remorse: None. I’ll be buying again next year at the annual BYU football preseason sale of hope and hype.
Thank Goodness for BYU Basketball
BYU basketball is just around the corner and it couldn’t came at a better time. With football headed on the downward trend, now it is BYU basketball’s turn at hope and hype.
So let’s get started.
This is without a doubt Dave Rose’s best team ever in Provo….at least in volume and versatility of players.
Of course that means nothing unless they can put the ball in the basket and more importantly, keep opposing players from doing the same. Rose has emphasized that defense will get extra attention this season.
I appreciate defense, but just like football, it is offense that sells tickets and keeps fan’s attention span engaged.
Last week I talked about the athletic ability of newcomer Corbin Kaufusi, the 6-10 footballer, who has opted to play basketball for the Cougars. The best endorsement for his skills in the post is that players who have played against him this summer in pickup games say that he definitely is raw, but has NBA ability.
The anecdote related to me that got my attention was the one that said that before Kaufusi showed up, there was nobody that could keep UNLV transfer Jamal Aytes from going to the basket anytime he wanted. That suddenly changed with Kaufusi on the court. Those same players said that when Kaufusi faced former Cougars Trent Plaisted and Brandon Davies, he did the same to them.
He apparently is very good at protecting the rim. That alone will make BYU a better defensive team.
Tyler Haws is still Tyler Haws. He is a scoring machine. Unfortunately, with BYU’s lack of consistent 3-point shooting last year from the perimeter, defenses could cheat against Haws and double team him inside the key when he tried to get off his mid-range jumper or get to the rim. They could do that because they didn’t have to respect any other Cougar player from beyond the arc.
Apparently, those days are over and Haws should be the beneficiary. Chase Fischer, the Wake Forest transfer, is a lot like Matt Carlino. He has never met a shot from beyond the arc he didn’t like. Unlike Carlino, Fischer is a legitimately more consistent shooter from that range.
Throw in the freshman option of Jake Toolson and BYU’s three point attack should actually be a threat this year.
The BYU body count on defense should be vastly improved inside. That is because with Kaufusi, Nate Austin, Issac Neilson, Luke Worthington, Jamal Aytes and Ryan Andrus, Rose now has 30 fouls to give in the post. That will come in handy against the likes of Gonzaga.
So far, we haven’t mentioned whom I think is still BYU’s best player in Kyle Collinsworth. He isn’t back into game playing shape the first couple of weeks of practice, but expects to be full go the first of November and in time for BYU’s first real game against Long Beach State Nov. 14.
Collinsworth is still, in my opinion, an NBA caliber player. He can handle the ball, rebound, get to the rim and defend. The question is still his shooting and especially his free throw shooting.
The 6-6 junior has attempted to answer that question this summer while rehabilitating his knee. He has a shooting doctor who has worked on his shooting mechanics. The word I get is that his free throw shooting percentage now hovers around 85 percent. Last season he hit .576 from the charity stripe.
Of course the improved free throw shooting is being done while not facing hostile crowds or with the pressure of a game being on the line. I do think, however, that we will see a noticeable improvement for Collinsworth at the line. That is important because his ability to get to the basket will also get him to the line frequently this coming season.
I mentioned volume earlier, as in volume of players. Here is the current BYU roster of 18 players, 17 of who can play this season. The one exception is 6-8 Kyle Davis, the transfer from Utah State who has to sit out the season as per NCAA regulations.
Here is the BYU Basketball Roster. For photo and BYU bio click on name.
Ryan Andrus, 6-11, 215, Center, Freshman, American Fork HS
Nate Austin, 6-11, 230, Forward, Senior, Long Peak HS
Jamal Aytes, 6-6, 225, Forward, Sophomore, UNLV Transfer
Frank Bartley IV, 6-3, 200, Guard, Sophomore, Future College Prep
Jordan Chatman, 6-5, 190, Guard, Freshman, Union HS
Kyle Collinsworth, 6-6, 210, Guard, Junior, Provo HS
Kyle Davis, 6-8, 220, Forward, Junior, USU Transfer
Jordan Ellis, 6-1, 180, Guard, Junior, Portland State Transfer
Chase Fischer, 6-3, 195, Guard, Junior, Wake Forest Transfer
Skyler Halford, 6-1, 175, Guard, Senior, SLCC
Tyler Haws, 6-5, 195, Guard, Senior, Lone Peak HS
Corbin Kaufusi, 6-10, 245, Center, Freshman, Timpview HS
Isaac Neilson, 6-11, 225, Center, Freshman, Mission Viejo HS
Dalton Nixon, 6-7, 215, Forward, Freshman, Orem HS
Josh Sharp, 6-7, 190, Forward, Senior, Lone Peak HS
Jake Toolson, 6-5, 215, Guard, Freshman, Highland HS
Anson Winder, 6-3, 190, Guard, Senior, Bishop Gorman HS
Luke Worthington, 6-10, 235, Forward, Sophomore, Homestead HS
TV Timetable
BYU vs.
Saturday, October 18 at
Kickoff: 8:15 pm MDT
TV: ESPN2
BYU vs.
Friday, October 24 at
Kickoff: 7:00 pm MDT
TV: ESPN or ESPN2
BYU vs. Middle Tennessee
Saturday, November 1 at Murfreesboro
Kickoff: 1:30 MST
TV: CBS Sports Network
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