BYU Cougars: 2010 Exit Survey

Coming into the 2010/2011 season the BYU Cougars had some high expectations. They were coming off of an 11-2 year in 2009/2010 that included wins over Oklahoma, Utah, Air Force and Oregon State. After beating Jake Locker and Washington to start off the year, BYU fell into a tail-spin losing 4 consecutive games and 5 out of 6 including a loss to Utah State (which finished 4-8). BYU then reeled off 4 straight victories against teams with losing records before falling to a Top 25 team in Utah. In it's bowl game BYU made short work of Conference USA's UTEP by putting up 52 points against them. BYU finished 7-6 and in a 3rd place tie (with Air Force and San Diego State) in the Mountain West Conference. Earlier this year we spoke with the website BYU Football Talk about the upcoming season in our Pre-Season Preview. Now that the season is over we once again call on our friends at BYU Football Talk to find out about their thoughts on the 2010/2011 football season and get a quick glimpse into next year.


In our Pre-Season preview you predicted BYU to finish 9-3. They ended up 7-6 after dropping 4 straight early before coming back to win 5 out of 6 to close out the year. Do you consider this year a success, a failure or somewhere in the middle?

As it stands now, the verdict on the 2010 BYU football season cannot be given. It wasn't the reloading success that I optimistically predicted last summer, but with a winning record and a bowl win, it can't be deemed a complete failure. Lack of experience and chemistry on offense cost BYU two, maybe three games early in the year. A series of bizarre plays cost BYU another win in the regular season finale against Utah. Poor defensive coaching the first five games didn't help either.

Two pivotal moments in the year were the firing of the defensive coordinator five games into the season, and the bye week eight games into the season. Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall took over the defense and the impact was immediate. He had those guys playing as well as the best defensive units in the country. The bye week gave the offense extra time to work on its chemistry, and that side of the ball exploded the final five games.

The best part of 2010 is that most of the contributors will be back, not just for 2011 but 2012 as well. Obviously, the early struggles cannot be ignored, so 2010 will never be considered a resounding success. However, if the lessons learned the hard way this year result in 11, 12, or even 13 win seasons and top 10 rankings (note the plural) in the near future, then we can look back on 2010 and call it a success.


One of the most interesting things about BYU is that their student athletes go on missions which takes them away from football for entire seasons. With Riley Nelson returning next season do you think it would be beneficial for young Jake Heaps to go now or wait until later in his career?

Following the New Mexico Bowl, Jake Heaps was asked the mission question. While many BYU football players who belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serve two year missions, it is not mandatory. Heaps answered that he will not leave the team to serve a mission, rather he will stick around and help build what was started this year and help BYU start the Independent road successfully.

Riley Nelson has already served a mission and will be back next year. Coming off a medical redshirt, he will still have two years of eligibility. Although Nelson's running ability adds a wrinkle to the offense, Heaps showed that he is clearly the future. He has the potential to enter the Ty Detmer and Jim McMahon realm of BYU quarterbacks. Bronco Mendenhall is hesitant to name Heaps the starter next year, but it will take a catastrophic turn of events for Nelson to start over Heaps.


Outside of the QB position who are you most excited about seeing play next year?

There are a lot of players who get me excited about 2011.

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy is another freshman who not only contributed, but impressed. His speed and athleticism gives him the ability to make plays all over the field.

Cornerback Corby Eason should assume a full time role with Brandon Bradley graduating. He can become BYU's next shutdown corner. Besides his play making in the secondary, he also makes plays in the back field. Eason's specialty this year was the corner blitz. He had 3.5 sacks this year, which gives the BYU defense a tool that I don't ever remember seeing in over 20 years watching BYU football.

Wide receiver Cody Hoffman became Jake Heaps' go to guy, and BYU's best deep threat, at the end of the year. Hoffman also emerged as a dangerous return man on kickoffs.

Running back Drew Phillips redshirted this year, but the word coming from the practice field is that he is explosive and has playmaker written all over him. On the scout team, he scored over 20 touchdowns against BYU's first-team defense.


What was your favorite moment of this College Football Season?

Watching Jake Heaps breakout in the UNLV game. During the week before this game, I questioned on my blog whether Heaps was the worst freshman quarterback to ever play for BYU. He had thrown for less than 100 yards the two previous games, he threw a pick-6 in the last game that almost cost BYU the game, and he had a sickening 2:7 touchdown to interception ratio.

Against UNLV, Heaps made me look silly. He threw for 294 yards (season high) and 2 touchdowns, while guiding BYU to a 55-7 victory. The game was over at halftime with BYU up 38-0, punctuated by Heaps moving the team into field goal range in just 36 seconds after the defense intercepted a UNLV pass.

Once Heaps broke out, there was no stopping him. He passed for over 200 yards in each of the remaining four games, and finished with a 15:9 TD to interception ratio.

What area(s) does BYU need to improve on most going into the 2011/2012 season?

The defensive secondary will be replacing two corners and the strong safety. As evidenced in the New Mexico Bowl, BYU was susceptible to getting beat deep for long pass plays.

Tight end is another trademark position for BYU. This year, however, tight end play was abysmal. BYU is loaded with talent, but no one was able to step up and become the next great BYU tight end.

Defending mobile quarterbacks. BYU did well against Jake Locker in the season opener, but mobile quarterbacks for Florida State, Nevada, and Utah State all burned the Cougars.

Bowl Predictions Part 1 (12/18-12/26)

New Mexico Bowl (12/18 2pm on ESPN)
BYU (6-6) vs. UTEP (6-6)

Kevin's Prediction: BYU 41 UTEP 24

BYU has played a really tough schedule this year (FSU, Utah, TCU, Nevada, Air Force, Washington) and it has resulted in them having a pretty poor record. They really struggled early losing 4 of their first 5 but they seem to be playing pretty good football right now as they won 3 blowouts before falling to Utah by 1 point in their last game. UTEP on the other hand has not played the same type of schedule (although they did play Arkansas late and surrendered 58 points) and they ended up with the same 6-6 record. UTEP is coming into this game having lost 5 of their last 6 including losses to 4-8 UAB, 4-8 Onelane, and 5-7 Marshall

Ross's Prediction: BYU 35, UTEP 21
BYU won four of their last five games; UTEP lost five of their last six games -- give me the team with better momentum (and greater consistency in general; BYU is typically very solid).

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl (12/18 5:30pm on ESPN)

Northern Illinois (10-3) vs. Fresno State (8-4)

Kevin's Prediction: FRESNO STATE 35 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 24

Northern Illinois started off 1-2 with losses to Iowa St and Illinois but them reeled off 9 straight wins before falling to Miami (Oh) in the MAC Championship. But of these 9 wins only two of them came against teams with winning records (Temple and Toledo). Fresno State beat common opponent Illinois and also holds a win over Cincinnati. The Bulldogs had a tough schedule this year and came up short in their biggest games (lost to Nevada by 1 point, got routed by Boise State, lost to Hawaii by 20+ and lost to Ole Miss by 20+). I like Fresno in this one because they've played a much harder schedule and have beaten better teams.

Ross's Prediction: FRESNO STATE 31, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 17
NIU suffered a deflating loss in the MAC Championship game -- and then they lost their head coach a few days later.  Meanwhile, Fresno State ended the season with a nice win over Illinois and have a much more stable coaching situation.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (12/18 9pm on ESPN)

Ohio (8-4) vs. Troy (7-5)

Kevin's Prediction: OHIO 28 TROY 21

Ohio closed the year strong by winning 7 of their final 8. Despite losing to Kent State 28-6 in their finale, Ohio can be proud of late victories against Al Golden's Temple 31-23 and MAC Champion Miami (OH) 34-13. Ohio was the only team in the MAC to beat Miami (OH). Here's an interesting tidbit about Troy, they haven't beaten a team with a winning record all year long. Troy is dangerous because they can put up a bunch of points but I'm going to side with Ohio in this one.

Ross's Prediction: TROY 27 OHIO 21

Troy has a 1-3 all-time record in bowl games; Ohio has an 0-4 mark.  I'll go with the team that's actually won a bowl game before, thanks.

Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl (12/21 8pm on ESPN)

Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville (6-6)

Kevin's Prediction: LOUISVILLE 31 SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 27

Ah, Finally a game I might be interested in watching. Charlie Strong's debut season was decent has a took the Cardinals to 2 more victories than they had last year. The biggest win for Louisville when you look at their schedule was their 26-0 shutout of a team that is going to a BCS bowl (UConn). Louisville also really doesn't have any "bad" losses on their schedule as they lost to Kentucky, Oregon State, Cincy, Pitt, South Florida in OT and West Virginia by 7. Charlie also really instituted some defensive intensity as they finished 15th in the Nation in Defensive scoring giving up on 18.7 points per game. Southern Mississippi's biggest win this year was over C-USA Champion UCF. When you look at Southern Mississippi's schedule they are only 8 points from being 11-1 which is almost unfathomable for a team that lost to a 4-8 UAB team. To me this game is pretty much a toss up. The most intriguing match-up is Strong's 18.7 ppg given up versus the Golden Eagles 37.6 points scored per game. I'm a Power Conference Elitist so I'm going with the Big East team although one should argue whether the Big East counts as a Power Conference.

Ross's Prediction: LOUISVILLE 34, SOUTHERN MISS 20

Southern Miss has a potent offense and a lousy defense; Louisville has a potent defense and a lousy offense.  I think Charlie Strong will have Louisville motivated for their first bowl trip in a few years -- and Southern Miss' porous defense will be just what the Cardinals need to get going.

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl (12/22 8pm on ESPN)

Utah vs. Boise State

Kevin's Prediction: BOISE STATE 45 UTAH 17

This is THE game of the first week of Bowl Season. It means even more to me because in Week One next year Kellen Moore and Boise State will be bringing their talent to the ATL to face my Georgia Bulldogs. I think this one is tight in the first half but Boise rolls in the second half. Utah has won some decent games (Pitt, Air Force, BYU, San Diego State) but ultimately they got rolled in the two biggest games of the year and I can't see a team that lost by 25 to Notre Dame beating Boise State. Boise will also be on a mission to put a number on Utah before they head off to the Pac-10

Ross's Prediction: BOISE STATE 42, UTAH 14

Utah got blasted off the map by the one really good team they played all year (TCU), then got smoked by a mediocre Notre Dame team and struggled to beat a so-so BYU team.  Oh, and their starting QB is out for this game.  Boise will probably be disappointed to not be in another BCS game, but I think they'll rebound to smoke Utah anyway.

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (12/23 8pm on ESPN)

Navy (9-3) vs. San Diego State (8-4)

Kevin's Prediction: SAN DIEGO STATE 35 NAVY 34

Navy's signature win this year came over 7-5 Notre Dame but also lost to Duke. San Diego State ended up having a very good year at 8-4 but ultimately lost every important game they played in (Utah by 4, TCU by 5, BYU by 3, and Missouri by 3). Looking at those scores would you believe it if I told you that San Diego State was 16 points away from running the table? I think this is going to be a fun shootout. San Diego State's passing attack against Navy's running attack. The team with the ball last wins.

Ross's Prediction: NAVY 34, SAN DIEGO STATE 31

This Navy team can actually run AND pass the ball, which is double trouble for their opponents.  San Diego State was a sneaky-good Mountain West team, but I feel un-American picking against Navy here.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (12/24 8pm on ESPN)

Hawaii vs. Tulsa

Kevin's Prediction: HAWAII 48 TULSA 31

This game pits the Nation's #1 Passing Offense (Hawaii) against 16th best Passing Offense in the Nation. It should also be noted that Tulsa is 119th in the Nation defending the pass giving up 305 yards per game, only Tommy Tuberville's Texas Tech was worse this year. This will be fun to watch if you are a fan of high scoring games and blown coverages.

Ross's Prediction: HAWAII 41, TULSA 35

C'mon, it's a home game for a surprisingly good Hawaii team -- that actually plays some decent defense.  I'm not turning my back on the Rainbow Warriors now.

Little Caesars Bowl (12/26 8:30pm on ESPN)

Florida International (6-6) vs. Toledo (8-4)

Kevin's Prediction: TOLEDO 27 FIU 21

The best thing about this game has to be the Pizza. It's a shame I haven't had Little Caesars in years, I guess that's the fallback of living out in the boonies. It's hard to get excited about a team, FIU, who got their victories by beating up on 2-10 and 3-9 teams. FIU's sole win against a team with a winning record was their 52-35 win over Troy. Toledo on the other hand has a couple of quality wins. Yeah, Toledo got smoked by Arizona (41-2) and Boise State (57-14) and they couldn't hang with Northern Illinois (65-30). But they did beat Purdue 31-20 and they also beat 8-4 Ohio 20-13. This is not going to be a ratings grabber but I'd take Toledo if I was a betting man.

Ross's Prediction: TOLEDO 30, FIU 17
FIU let up off the gas in their regular season finale after they'd already clinched the Sun Belt crown and it wouldn't be too crazy to think that they might just be happy to be at their first-ever bowl game.

Under The Radar: Non-BCS Games of Week Two

I picked some good ones last week. Temple beat Villanova by hitting a FG in the last 3 seconds of the game to take a 1 point lead before returning a fumble for a TD on the last play of the game to ice it 31-24. Troy kicked a FG with 4 seconds left to top Bowling Green 30-27. In one of the best plays of the weekend East Carolina hit a 33 yard Hail Mary as time expired to fend off an upset bid by Tulsa 51-49. So 3 out of the 4 games I brought you last week were decided in basically the last play of the game. The other pick was a sentimental pick as Bill Curry and the Georgia State Panthers had their first ever game in the history of the school and beat Shorter in a rout 41-7 in front of 30,000 fans at the Georgia Dome. I was 3-1 picking straight up with no spread as I picked Tulsa to pull the upset of East Carolina but was denied on the Hail Mary. I was going to put Central Michigan at Temple as my first "Game of Week Two" but that game is now over (Temple won 13-10 in OT by the way).

UTEP (1-0) at Houston (1-0)
Fri, Sept 10th (ESPN and ESPN3.com)
10:15 PM EST

Anybody remember last year when Houston was getting some serious buzz after beating Oklahoma State (a Top 10 team at the time) and then Texas Tech? Houston was the #12 team in the nation and UTEP was coming off of a 64-7 throttling at the hands of Texas. So what happened? Well, of course UTEP pulled the upset 58-41. UTEP finished up the year by losing 5 of their next 7 games and Houston went on to finish 10-4 despite losing their last two games. Houston will be looking for revenge but it might not be as easy as they want. In addition to losing to UTEP last year, Houston only beat UTEP by 5 points in 2008 and 3 points in 2007.

My Pick: Houston


BYU (1-0) at Air Force (1-0)
Sat, Sept 11th (Versus)
4 PM EST

Last week BYU was seen beating Washington and Heisman darling Jake Locker. Air Force but up 65 on Northwestern State. Last year BYU clipped Air Force by 17 at home. This year the game is on the road for BYU but I expect them to prevail. Watch this one to get a peak at BYU Freshman Jake Heaps. Last week he went 13 of 23 for 131 yards in his debut as a true freshman.

My Pick: BYU


Bowling Green (0-1) at Tulsa (0-1)
Sat, Sept 11th

Both of these teams played games that I listed in my column last week and both games delivered on dramatic finishes. On paper this doesn't look like the best game but both teams put up valiant fights last week and came up just short. Tulsa lost at East Carolina 51-49 because of a fluke Hail Mary play and Bowling Green lost at Troy on a last second FG. Expect both teams to play with a lot of heart and emotion.

My Pick: Tulsa

Pre-Season Preview: BYU Cougars

2009 Record: 11-2 (7-1 in Mountain West)
2009 Bowl: Las Vegas Bowl (beat Oregon State 44-20)
Final 2009 AP Ranking: #12
Head Coach: Bronco Mendenhall (49-15 at BYU))
Non-Conference Schedule: Washington (9/4), at FSU (9/18), Nevada (9/25), at Utah State (10/1)

2009 Offensive Statistics
Scoring: 35.5 points per game (2nd in MWC,11th in Nation)
Rushing Yards/Game: 145 (4th in MWC)
Passing Yards/Game: 281 (1st in MWC, 17th in Nation)
Total Yards/Game: 427 (2nd in MWC, 20th in Nation) 

2009 Defensive Statistics
Scoring: 21.5 points per game (4th in MWC)
Rushing Yards/Game: 110 (2nd in MWC, 20th in Nation)
Passing Yards/Game: 218 (5th in MWC)
Total Yards/Game: 329 (4th in MWC)

2009 Misc Stats
Turnover Margin: +0.00 per game (6th in MWC)
Penalties: 66 yards per game (8th in MWC)

Returning Starters
Offense: 7
Defense: 5
Kicker/Punter: 2

Top Returning Statistical Leaders
Passing: QB Riley Nelson, Jr (7 for 10 for 97 yds, 1 TD)
Rushing: RB JJ Di Luigi, Jr (45 carries for 248 yds, 3 TD, 5.5 ypc)
Receiving: WR O'Neill Chambers, Jr (32 rec, 374 yds, 1 TD, 2.5 rec/game)
Receiving: WR McKay Jacobson, Jr (23 rec, 556 yds, 4 TD, 2.6 rec/game, 24 yds/rec)
Tackles: FS Andrew Rich, Sr (84)
Sacks: LB Jordan Pendleton, Jr (3)
Interceptions: FS Andrew Rich, Sr (4)

2010 Pre-Season Rankings
Athlon Sports: #44
Phil Steele: #51
Scout: #25
Sporting News: #45
Sports Illustrated: #24

2010 Pre-Season MWC Predictions:
Athlon Sports: #3
Phil Steele: #3

Pre-Season Bowl Predictions:
Athlon Sports: Independence Bowl (vs. Boston College)
Phil Steele: Poinsettia Bowl (vs. Navy)

BYU pulled off a big win against Oklahoma to start off the 2009 season. The euphoria was short lived as they were beat by FSU 54-28. BYU has FSU on the schedule again this year so they have a chance to get some revenge. BYU's other loss came at the hands of TCU 38-7. TCU has handled BYU the last two years so it will be interesting to see if BYU can close the gap this year. We turned to BYU Football Talk to find out more about the 2010 BYU Cougars and if they will be able to replace Max Hall.


What are the major strengths and biggest weaknesses of the team?

Strengths-BYU boasts a big, talented, and experienced offensive line. Anchored by Outland Trophy candidate Matt Reynolds, four starters return from last year. Plenty of quality linemen are available to fill the fifth and final spot. The strong o-line provides a measure of comfort for a team replacing the starting quarterback and both running backs.

All wide receivers are back from last year. Speedster McKay Jacobson will again be the number one target. Luke Ashworth showed last year that he can be a playmaker as well. O’Neill Chambers and Spencer Hafoka will be in the mix as well. Chambers, however, needs to work on ball security.

In the secondary, BYU returns two good cover corners. Brandon Bradley will start and be a major contributor for the third consecutive year. Brian Logan started 2009 as an unknown JC transfer, but by season’s end he was honorable mention All-MWC. Teams will find it hard to throw the ball downfield against BYU this year.

Weaknesses-The defensive front seven quickly comes to mind as a weakness, but only because six of the seven will be new starters. The projected starters on the d-line have all been in the program and had some playing time, but the linebackers have not. One or two true freshmen are expected to see significant playing time, if they are not starters.

The other major weakness for BYU will be lack of experience in the offensive backfield. Riley Nelson saw limited action as backup quarterback last season in his first year in the program, but true freshman Jake Heaps is putting heat on Nelson for the starting spot. All-time rushing leader Harvey Unga is gone. That leaves a slew of talented running backs to take his place, but none had more than 250 yards rushing last season.


Looking at the schedule who will be the first major test?

Game one-Washington. I have been out on the limb all off season saying that Washington is the dark horse in the Pac-10. I fully expect they will be in contention for the conference title come November.

While I expect Washington to be a formidable foe, all the other storylines help to make the first game a major test. As mentioned, BYU will be breaking in a new quarterback, running back, and defensive front seven, therefore, getting off to a good start will be important for the team’s confidence. Emotions will be high on the Washington sideline for several reasons: Head Coach Steve Sarkisian is a former BYU quarterback, Washington lost the recruiting battle with BYU for Jake Heaps, and the BYU-Washington game in 2008 had a controversial penalty with one second left that many feel allowed BYU to block an extra point to win the game. The Huskies will not roll over and let BYU have this game, in fact, these dogs may learn some new tricks for this game.


What team on the schedule do you fear the most?

TCU, FSU, and Air Force are all candidates for the most feared opponent. While BYU routinely handles Air Force, the trends noted in this CollegeFootballNews.com column do place some fear in me since Air Force is the second game on the schedule. The way the Florida State offense ran right through BYU last year in Provo makes me fear the road trip to Tallahassee this year with such a young team. TCU, though, gives me the most fear.

As a conference foe, the TCU game will go a long way to determining whether or not BYU can win the conference championship. Although TCU lost studs like Jerry Hughes and Daryl Washington on defense, TCU returns 16 starters from a team that convinced many people it deserved a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. TCU has outscored BYU 70-14 over the last two years. If BYU’s new offensive and defensive starters are struggling, the worst case scenario for this game is scary. Playing this game in Fort Worth doesn’t help.

Who is the best player on your team that nobody talks about?

Cornerback Brandon Bradley. Bradley has quietly played in 25 games the last two years (16 starts) and accumulated 104 tackles, 7 pass break ups, 2 forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. He will be a senior this year and a big reason why a minimum of 8 wins is expected, even with all the key personnel losses.

Who is the best offensive player on the team?

Matt Reynolds. Reynolds is a junior and he has already been named to pre-season first team All-America teams, to the Outland Trophy watch list, and to the first round of 2011 NFL mock drafts (if he comes out early). Reynolds plays tackle and has started every game since his freshman year. You can read his full player bio here (It is impressive).

Who is the most impactful defensive player on the team?

Outside linebacker Jordan Pendleton. With the defensive strength in the secondary, teams will try to exploit the inexperienced front seven. As the lone starter returning on the front seven, Pendleton will need to continue to be an animal filling running lanes and pressuring quarterbacks. Pendleton converted from safety to linebacker last season and his athleticism adds a dimension to his play that increases his impact on the field.

What player(s) needs to step up this year in order for the team to reach it's full capability?

The yet to be named starting quarterback, the running back committee (Bryan Kariya, J.J. Di Luigi, Joshua Quezada, Drew Phillips), and the yet to be named starting free safety.

One thing the last 40 years has taught us is that as the QB goes, so goes BYU football. If the new quarterback hits the ground at full speed, then the sky is the limit.

A new quarterbacks’ two best friends are a great offensive line, and an effective run game. While the running backs have little game experience, they have lots of talent and potential.

The free safety is a critical member of the BYU defense. As evidence, the only game that free safety Scott Johnson missed last year was Florida State. Fifty-four points and 500+ yards of total offense later, we all had a greater appreciation for what the free safety does. Andrew Rich might switch from strong safety to free safety, which would put an experienced player in that spot. As of now, the coaches have said they will identify the next best safety, be it free or strong, and that will dictate whether Rich makes the move.

A serious deficiency in any one of these three areas can drop the total wins by two games.

Who is the top offensive newcomer that can make an impact this year?

If Jake Heaps can win the quarterback competition, he is the obvious answer to this question. However, freshman running back Joshua Quezada appears to be a sure bet to make an impact this year. After enrolling in January, he turned a lot of heads during spring practice. Quezada still has to learn blocking schemes for the passing games, so his production will be limited early in the year, but by season’s end it will be no surprise if he is getting the bulk of the carries.

Who is the top defensive newcomer that can make an impact this year?

Kyle Van Noy was a 2009 recruit who gray shirted. Like Quezada, Van Noy was impressive in spring practices. He was a four star prospect and rated the 11th best WLB by Scout.com. With only one returning linebacker, Van Noy has an opportunity to start from day one. At the very least, he will be a solid contributor this year.

Gut feeling on the team’s final record at the end of the regular season and what makes this a successful season in your eyes?

9-3. The season starts with a tricky four game stretch: Washington, Air Force, Florida State, and Nevada. Washington and Florida State are two quality opponents. Air Force and Nevada are two quirky offenses that could give a new front seven trouble. While I think BYU should come out of these four games with a 3-1 record, it is not unthinkable that BYU could be 1-3 as well. My gut tells me BYU will be 2-2 after September. I would like to see a great game plan for TCU that takes everyone by surprise and that gets BYU the W. If so, BYU could run the table. However, I am expecting one loss in the final 8 games to make the record 9-3.

Success at BYU is measured the same way every year. BYU wants to win the MWC, win the State Championship (beat Utah and Utah State), and win all home games. While a 9-3 record probably won’t accomplish all of these goals, it does make a fifth consecutive 10+ win season possible with a bowl win. Considering all the offensive firepower that BYU lost and the uncertainty on the defensive side of the ball, I will even consider an 8-4 season, plus a bowl win, a success. While we always have our sights set high in Provo, at the end of the year, I should be able to say that, at 8-4, BYU was able to manage the graduation turnover and the difficult schedule well and we are well positioned for great success the next few years.


Make sure to follow BYU football through BYU Football Talk.You can also visit another site by the editor of BYU Football Talk at College Football Haven.

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