HB Arnett’s
“Lite”
801 372 0819
Vol. 38, Issue 6, September 3, 2018
Some subscribers say the player participation chart was unreadable. Here it is again. Hopefully this will work.
What I Loved About the Season Opener
The best part of the game that I loved, besides the win, was the stat sheet. No, not the stats that shows how many pass completions there were or how many yards Squally Canada had (98). Those were nice, but the best part of the official stat chart is who played for BYU in the game. Below is the player participation chart for the Arizona game.
Now go to the BYU roster and check on what eligibility year most of these guys are. I’ll save you the work. Besides the solid game by Tanner Mangum, the running of Squally Canada and the defensive game plan by Ilaisa Tuiaki, the most exciting thing about this game was seeing just how many young contributing players in this game there really were. The present win over Arizona was great, but the future looks greater for 2019 and beyond. For example.
Brady Christensen OL, RS Freshman
James Empey, OL, RS Freshman
Tristen Hoge, OL, RS Sophomore
Matt Bushman, TE, Sophomore (touchdown catch)
Isaiah Herron, CB, Freshman
Dallin Holker, TE, Freshman (almost touchdown catch)
Jared Kapisi, DB, Sophomore
Lopini Katoa, RB, RS Freshman
Lorenzo Fauatea, DL, Sophomore
Khyris Tonga, DL, Sophomore
Alden Tofa, DL, Freshman
D’Angelo Mandell, CB, Freshman
Malik Moore, CB, Freshman
Skyler Southam, PK, Freshman
Alden Tofa, DL, Freshman
They didn’t see the field, but just a friendly reminder that both true freshmen quarterbacks, Zach Wilson and Jaren Hall were both dressed and ready to go if needed. They will be needed next year and maybe this year if Mangum doesn’t stay healthy.
Just an unfriendly reminder, that young linebackers seeing the field against Arizona were few and very far between. BYU needs linebackers to get ready to replace the current senior crew of Takitaki, Pau’u and Anderson.
Just an observation. This new Jeff Grimes designed offense is a perfect fit for BYU’s talent and current roster. They are big and strong and can control the line of scrimmage. Still, can you imagine how much better this offense would be if they had a game changer at running back and wide receiver? Canada was great, but he had at several opportunities running in space to take the ball to the house but doesn’t have game changer speed or athleticism. Same goes for receivers. This is a journeyman group but lacks a game breaker. The closest it comes is Aleva Hifo.
That said, both Canada and Hifo received glowing reviews from me for their play against Arizona.