Oregon State Gets The Full Nelson From BYU
BYU took down the Oregon State Beavers this afternoon 38-28. Here are some thoughts on the game:
– For the second straight week QB Riley Nelson played the entire time while Jake Heaps watched from the sideline. Riley continued to show signs of brilliance mixed in with stretches of ineptitude. The good news is that Riley showed more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff this week. He and the offense seem to be getting better week by week.
– HUGE game for sophomore receiver Cody Hoffman. This kid was virtually invisible the first few weeks while Jake Heaps was QB. In the last few weeks Hoffman has put up great numbers.
– Conversely, Ross Apo who was clearly a favorite of Jake Heaps has had quiet games as of late. Hopefully he can get more involved going forward as well.
– The injury bug hit the BYU defense pretty hard this game. Starting defensive linemen Loni Fangupo and Romney Fuga both left the game with injuries. Others got dinged up too. Luckily the opponent next week is Div. 1AA Idaho State so that is a quasi BYE week for BYU.
– Running back Michael Alisa further solidified his role as the new #1 running back for BYU. Kid looks excellent.
– There is no QB controversy anymore. Riley Nelson is the guy for BYU for now. This kid is as tough and surly as Max Hall but is much faster and more elusive as a runner. He doesn’t have a cannon of an ARM but he has a good enough arm to win at this level.
– Remember how kicker Justin Sorenson was supposed to have a super powerful leg? Not so much this season. Kid sent none of his kickoffs even in to the endzone. Made for some solid kickoff returns for OSU. Plus Sorenson was not even close on a couple of long FG attempts.
– Here’s a stat for you: Since Riley Nelson has taken over as QB BYU has punted ONE TIME. That is 9+ quarters and only one punt. The main problem with that stat is there have been too many drive ending turnovers in that streak.
– BYU’s safeties are a weakness of the team. They get beat over and over in pass coverage. The problem is that they end up making the corners look bad when they screw up. Like today on a long bomb TD from OSU when Travis Uale got beat badly and didn’t help Corby Eason out. Fans might blame Eason but that was Uale’s gaffe.
– It will be interesting to see what happens with Jake Heaps as the backup. Will he redshirt next season? Can he handle being benched? One thing is certain — he deserved to be benched this season.
Last, it looks like the Big12 invite thing is not dead. If Missouri decides to leave the Big12 BYU could still be next in. But even if that happens it would be 2013 season at soonest. If Mizzou stays BYU might not ever get in, or at least BYU would only be in if the Big12 goes back to 12 teams. But for now it seems like it is a wait and see situation.
Sound off BYU fans.
Thanks, Geoff. We may actually end up with a record that makes us look better than we actually were. I’m all for that.
Comment by Ben Park — October 16, 2011 @ 1:37 am
This game was running the same time, somewhat, as the Ranger’s and our HOA activity. I logged on and ESPN was reporting half-time, came back and the game was over.
Comment by Stephen M (Ethesis) — October 16, 2011 @ 7:56 am
Brandon Ogletree is a beast. 6 tackles, 2 force fumbles, and an interception.
Comment by Christopher — October 16, 2011 @ 3:01 pm
Nelson is improving each week. His weaknesses were definitely on display but I think what we’re seeing as much as Nelson’s progression is Doman’s. He’s getting much better at call playing – especially after a pretty horrible start with overly complex plays and little focus on the running game.
All that said this is two bad teams in a row that we should have locked up early and didn’t. So while it’s great to have the win let’s be honest about who we’re winning against.
What I was most surprised about was how great BYUTV’s coverage was. I was expecting something a step up from the Mountain but not that big a step up. Instead I got great camera angles, not that bad of direction, and pretty solid commentary. Yeah there were things you could gripe about. While I joked about it being close to ESPN clearly it wasn’t. But it was certainly way better than we had any right expecting from a local channel.
As you said this was an injury plagued game. The defense was hit particularly hard. Something to keep in mind when judging them. Pendleton and Ogletree both stepped it up though. Loved where Pendleton missed the blitz, fell down and still made the blitz.
The other thing I really liked was that both the offense and defense finally started making adjustments after halftime. I was unsure of the defense adjustments since the constant blitzing seemed to open up the deep ball and led to at least one of the touchdowns. But arguably it may have led to some of the turnovers as well. I’ll let those better versed in the details of defensive strategy decide whether Bronco’s plan was a good one.
Regarding the punt stat. It’s impressive until you realize we’ve had way too many interceptions. We’re still struggling in the red zone where we shouldn’t as well. Realistically the score could have been much higher, earlier had we not kept blowing chances.
Comment by Clark — October 16, 2011 @ 7:59 pm
I think Nelson probably is improving, but given the level of competition I can’t be sure.
Comment by Adam G. — October 19, 2011 @ 8:21 am
Geoff, don’t feel too bad, you can root for byu on the sing-off.
Comment by Matt W. — November 12, 2011 @ 5:09 pm