Florida State stomps BYU
Turns out the BYU football team isn’t very good this year. Florida State beat BYU this afternoon 34-10. Bad tackling on defense hurt all game long.
At least it appears the Jake Heaps era has begun. Jake throws a beautiful ball but he looks like a freshman out there. Still I hope Jake starts going forward. The offense needs to find a rhythm and there were some moments that it almost looked like things were starting to click today.
Anyhow, Nevada looked great in crushing Cal last night. They could crush BYU next week if the team doesn’t pull things together. I am now thinking that going 8-4 would be a major accomplishment for BYU this season.
That defense was mind bogglingly bad. The receivers were bad but that has a lot to do with the 2 qb situation. Hopefully we can build off this. But the d. I don’t think it is going to get better.
Comment by Clark — September 18, 2010 @ 4:45 pm
What, you don’t like the “bounce off ball carriers without grabbing them” defensive technique Clark?
Comment by Geoff J — September 18, 2010 @ 5:08 pm
There were at least a dozen plays in which BYU had 2-3 missed tackles before they brought the guy down. Pathetic. And the receivers dropping more catches. Three weeks in a row and those guys haven’t figured out how to hold onto a ball. And I’m sorry, that has nothing to do with the 2 QB situation. A thrown ball is a thrown ball, who cares who’s throwing it? And Heaps’ 3 fumbles. Uh boy, this is going to be a painful season.
Comment by Rusty — September 18, 2010 @ 5:33 pm
The offense looked good for 2 solid drives in the second half, but that’s about it. I remain hopeful that with Heaps at the helm, the offense can come together and start and putting some points on the board. Di Luigi was really the lone bright spot today, and he’s been pretty solid through 3 games, but the receivers really need to step it up. I can’t figure out what’s wrong with McKay Jacobsen.
But that defense was terrible and I don’t see them improving anytime soon. As always, speed kills BYU, but there’s no excuse for those missed tackles.
Comment by Christopher — September 18, 2010 @ 6:36 pm
Yeah, I saw a few minutes of the game. And they suck.
The real question, though, after looking at the whole of Big-Time College Football, is who would want BYU to succeed in that slimepit?
Comment by Mark B. — September 18, 2010 @ 6:43 pm
Stinky, Part deux.
Comment by mondo cool — September 19, 2010 @ 3:19 pm
I was at the game, and one thing to keep in mind was that it was obscenely hot on the BYU side of the field, with the Cougar bench in sunlight the entire time, whereas the FSU bench was in shade after the first 45 minutes or so.
When we first moved to Florida, football games before mid-October were scheduled for the evening out of consideration for the health of players and crowd. Now it is all about television revenues, and the networks dictate kickoff. The result for the crowd has been record numbers of treatment for heat exhaustion and dehydration. One can only imagine the toll on the team. Things may pick up when the Cougs aren’t fighting against such unmerciful humidity and heat. (Although not really an excuse since FSU had to deal with the elevation on their trip to Provo last fall.)
There were two sections for BYU fans, and we bought our tickets as part of that block, in sunlight the entire game. Although I live in Florida, I could only stand about the first quarter before bailing out and taking one of the many empty seats on the FSU side.
We were able to arrive in town in time for the fireside the night before. I’ve never seen that stake center so full (probably beyond the legal capacity), and it was an inspiring program. People brought their non-member neighbors. When the team sang of the Army of Helaman, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house.
There was concern among the FSU contingent that the fandom behave for this game. People who travelled to Provo last fall were treated well, and wanted to return the favor. One of the FSU students told us that the quarterback had sent an email to the entire student body, faculty and staff encouraging sportsmanlike behavior (something that had never been done before). At the stadium, there was a sign showing “Caffeine-free drinks available here.”
Some of the FSU students were annoyed at the notion that all members needed to cheer for BYU. There was a “Go Lamanites!” sign, and another that showed the church-distribution picture of Jesus, noting that he was wearing garnet and gold.
There are quite a few well-known BYU faculty who are FSU alum. Brent Barlow, Terry Olsen, and Robert L. Millet come to mind. Who knows who they cheered for.
Comment by Anon Forthis — September 19, 2010 @ 3:56 pm
FSU sounds like a university worthy of the name. I’m impressed.
Comment by Mark D. — September 19, 2010 @ 4:19 pm
Thanks for the report Anon. I’m glad to hear FSU fans were treated well in Provo and there was an effort in Talahassee to return the favor.
Comment by Geoff J — September 19, 2010 @ 5:57 pm
On the bright side: besides a horribly-timed fumble last week, Austin Collie has looked terrific for the Colts so far this week. ;-)
Comment by Ben Park — September 19, 2010 @ 7:54 pm
Err, I meant “so far this year”
Comment by Ben Park — September 19, 2010 @ 7:55 pm
Looks like it’s going to be a rough year for the cougs. They will be lucky to end with a winning season if things keep going the way they are. I really only see 4 more wins on the schedule.
Comment by Paul — September 20, 2010 @ 12:18 pm
Hehe. That’s crazy talk Paul. Of the 9 remaining games Nevada, TCU, and Utah are the most daunting. But the other 6 are very winnable.
Comment by Geoff J — September 20, 2010 @ 1:01 pm
Wow. Wow!!
http://www.byucougars.com/Filing.jsp?ID=14397
That comes as a surprise. Nelson done for the season with shoulder surgery. It’s all Heaps all the time going forward.
Comment by Geoff J — September 21, 2010 @ 2:23 pm
I am also looking at SDSU who is playing pretty good this year with a very fast and athletic offense (which always kills BYU) and Utah State will really be gunning for BYU and they are playing pretty good as well.
Comment by Paul — September 21, 2010 @ 2:57 pm
A lot depends upon the defense. If they improve we might still make 8-4 (although 7-5 is more likely) If not… Then yeah, a winning record might be hard.
Comment by Clark — September 22, 2010 @ 8:42 am
Chambers has been suspended for 2 games for disciplinary reasons.
Comment by Christopher — September 23, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
Ok so Nevada stomped BYU today too. Final score was 27-13. Looks like 7-5 will be a good season. BYU needs to figure out how to score more than one touchdown per game or they won’t be seeing 7-5 either.
Comment by Geoff J — September 25, 2010 @ 7:32 pm
Funny how the BYU types in my ward have mostly transferred allegiance to Boise State. At least Austin Collie had a good weekend.
Comment by Matt W. — September 27, 2010 @ 11:58 am
It’s definitely a building year. Geoff was teasing me. because I picked 8-4 or 7-5 as the record at the beginning of the season. Now that’s looking good.
This is the first time I’ve been glad the Mountain Broadcast meant I couldn’t watch. (That said, since all the remaining games except one are unwatchable I’m still amazingly annoyed at the MWC and amazingly glad BYU is going independent) Let’s look at this year as getting Heaps needed experience and wisdom not to mention the defense. But I suspect this season will be worse than any season Crowton had to put up with.
Comment by Clark — September 27, 2010 @ 12:10 pm
Hehe. Well after missing badly with your bearish calls the last several years you were due to get one right Clark.
This is a rebuilding year for sure. Combine that with the fact that Sagarin says BYU has played the #4 hardest schedule in CFB so far and a 1-3 record is not surprising. But the easy (easier) part of the schedule is coming up so the combination of more experience and easier opponents will help.
Comment by Geoff J — September 27, 2010 @ 12:17 pm
And yes, it is great to see Austin Collie kill it out in Indy. As of this week he leads the NFL in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs.
Comment by Geoff J — September 27, 2010 @ 12:19 pm
To add, I think this is also ultimately a failure of recruiting. We shouldn’t be a in position where this many people were either inexperienced or leaving college. Yes, Unga hurt us a lot. But that can only explain so much…
We really need much, much better recruiting and playing. The problem is that our recruiting is going up against the UoU who frankly have been pretty solid the past years. How many times have they been in the top 10?
I’ve long been a guy saying that we should always hope for MWC teams and not root against the U just to root against them. However honestly the biggest weakness in the MWC wasn’t the top of the conference but the perennial bottom who never seemed too concerned about improving their game. Likewise if you are a local Utah boy even if you like BYU but want to go pro, which team do you think is more likely to get you noticed? Throw in the ever present honor code issues and recruiting is going to remain a huge issue for BYU.
Comment by Clark — September 27, 2010 @ 12:20 pm
Don’t forget though Geoff we still have to play TCU and UoU. It really is a pretty difficult schedule this year. However I’d be shocked if we come unscathed out of the rest of the conference games beyond TCU and UoU. This year is shaping up to be even more cringe worthy than those two years where we had no secondary. Now we have at least a moderately competent secondary but no front defense which wears them out. Add in an offense rarely on the field and it’s hard to judge how good or bad the secondary even is.
Comment by Clark — September 27, 2010 @ 12:23 pm
Clark,
I don’t think that BYU’s current rebuilding is much of a recruiting failure. Every good college team faces rebuilding years. That is just the nature of the college game. Look at Texas. They were in the title game last year, lost a lot of senior talent, and got their butts handed to them at home this weekend by a mediocre UCLA team. Just happens.
Utah has been in the top ten about as often as BYU in the last few years. Saying Utah has been a lot better than BYU in the last 5 years is revisionist history. The two teams have been about equal on the field. The difference is that Utah’s up year in 2008 allowed them to finish undefeated.
Last, if BYU loses to Utah and TCU this year but wins the rest the Cougs will end the regular season 7-5. That is what I was talking about.
Comment by Geoff J — September 27, 2010 @ 1:36 pm
I think there are always rebuilding years. It’s just a fact of life – especially when big names leave. However I think this may turn out to be a much worse year than any of the Crowton years or Bronco’s first year. It’ll be a good experience for him. I just hope the fans don’t turn on him like they did Crowton.
Yes, BYU has to play very good with all the crappy teams. At this stage I’d be amazed if they don’t blow at least one of these other games and finish 6-6 or even 5-7. But 7-5 is doable.
The problem is that not only all this inexperience to deal with (and frankly limited players in places like runningback – Delugi is good but far too slight to do a lot of traditional things Unga or Tonga could do). The next big problem is that the weakness of the team is leading to it starting to get pretty beat up. Let’s hope Heaps doesn’t get injured!
Comment by Clark — September 28, 2010 @ 8:17 am
Here is a must-read post over at CougarBoard about the behind-the-scenes details of BYU’s move to independence.
Comment by Geoff J — September 29, 2010 @ 6:04 pm
Interesting. As I said, I’ll be really glad when most BYU games aren’t broadcast on a network few can see even in Utah!
Comment by Clark — September 29, 2010 @ 6:32 pm