Cougar blue and beyond a TCY/FOF Dynasty

[BYU 14]

This will be a TCY/FOF 2004 Dynasty that will follow the Careers of BYU alumni that make it to the next level. I will be coaching the BYU team handling all functions and be the GM of the Arizona Cardinals, handling only Player personnel decisions and hiring/firing Coaches and scouts. The Dynasty will begin in 2005 with the storyline being that I take over BYU at mid Season after they open the 2004 campaign at 0-5.

My first year was miserable; we limped home at 3-8 and took a huge prestige hit. Despite the adversity, my recruiting class was ranked 14th overall by Rivals, which I think is a bit high as I really only landed 2 Blue Chippers. My crown jewel was QB Dwight Gatlin from New Middletown, Ohio, who was the #4 ranked QB in the nation, and seriously considered Oklahoma before giving us a late commit. DT Barry Wohlman, was the 23rd Ranked DT in the Nation, and his cousin Ike Wohlman is a returning all MWC performer at OLB, and the star of our Defense going into his Senior Season. (kind of a neat coincidence to have 2 players with a not that common last name in the fold) Both of these players will likely start as true freshmen as my QB situation is horrendous, and the interior D-line is not much better. I am hoping that both of these players will be the first BYU alums I have recruited to play on Sundays.

In the preseason I hire 45 yr old Jack Bailey as my new DC, and Lenny Bradford as syndicate coordinator. My OC, Adam Clark is actually one of the better assistants around and though at times struggled with my new 1 back offense, shows the potential to turn the Cougar attack into a Juggernaught at age 47. I also needed to downgrade the schedule during this time of transition and signed up to play home and home sets against Duke and Arizona. Along with Notre Dame and Rutgers my non-conference Schedule is a lot less foreboding than in 2004, when it featured USC, Notre Dame, Stanford and Boise state.

I have a lot of rebuilding to do, the team will be young and recruiting will not be easy this year coming off a mediocre Season. My Goal for 2005 will be to finish 7-4 and hopefully land a Bowl bid to restore some prestige to the program. Up next 2005 Preseason report for the Cougars. I will not report as extensively on the Cardinals as my main focus will be to follow the exploits of any BYU players I send to the pros.

[BYU 14]

Week 1

BYU 63 Duke 21

Recap-The memories of last years 0-5 start are a distant memory as we shred Duke for 499 yards and blow open a 21-21 halftime tie with a 35 point 3rd Quarter. Super Frosh Dwight Gatlin goes 15 of 29 for 275 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 1 interception. I also manage 172 yards on the ground with Winston Smothers leading the way, piling up 107 yards on 15 carries. Starting TB Marshall Reid gets to pack it in early after gaining 55 yards on just 6 carries and scoring 2 TD’s. The Defense gets in on the scoring as Senior CB Ron Watson returns an errant Duke pass 22 yards for a score midway through the third to quash any waning hope Duke had of getting back into the game. My other Blue Chip Frosh Barry Wohlman gets 4 tackles (3 solo, 1 assist) including 1 for a loss and Cousin Ike leads the Cougar Defense with 8 Tackles and a pass defensed. All in all a great start, and we emerge healthy going into a bye week prior to the Arizona game.

Current Injuries

None

Recruiting

Visits-None

Commits-None

Our lack of success last year is already hurting us as very few decent prospects want anything to do with us from my early contacts.

NFL

San Francisco 28 Arizona 7

It may be a rough year as Ken Dorsey and Al Welch are my Quarterbacks. If only I could get Dwight Gatlin to come out early for the draft……Like prior to his Sophmore Season.

Alumni
None

[BYU 14]

Week 2

Bye for BYU

We take advantage of the early bye to tweak the game plan, and address some weaknesses. I like Gatlin’s big play ability (4 completions of 25 yards or more against Duke) but I want him to take the high percentage short throws more often to sustain drives. We only had one drive of 8 plays or more (exactly 8) and six 3 and outs. In addition, our receiving corps is really not that strong so I don’t anticipate them running behind coverage against the better secondaries we will face. Defensively after Duke strung 3 consecutive scoring drives together in the second quarter, we adjusted things at the half and they only gained 61 yards on 8 possessions in the second half. I like what we are doing on this side of the ball and we will stay in our 3-4, as the young Freshman Wohlman did a good job taking up gaps, and the Linebackers were able to fly around and make plays. Next up Arizona.

Injuries
Nothing worse than probable

Recruiting

Visits-None

Commits-None

We are basically sending out feelers at this point, it does not look like we will be in the running for any Blue Chippers, though we desperately need a big play receiver, a durable running back and a lock down corner. Our O-line is the strongest area of the team this year but we lose all 5 starters to graduation at the end of the year, so rebuilding is definitely in order here.

NFL

Indianapolis 27 Arizona 14

We play surprisingly tough against the offensive powerhouses that are the Peyton Manning led Colts. Manning goes 20-29-0 247 with 1 TD, and Edge James adds 101 yards on 24 carries, but we are able to stiffen on several drives that looked headed for pay dirt. On our side Al Welch is inconsistent, his line is 19-38-205-1 with 2 TD strikes. A bright spots are Antquan Boldin’s 9 catches for 86 yards and Larry Fitzgeralds 6-86, with both TD receptions. I will have to keep these 2 around. Our running game averaged over 4 a pop, but we were playing from behind the whole game and could not go to it as much as I would have liked. On defense our 1st round draft pick in 2005, Austin Barden led the way with 10 tackles from the MLB position. We really need a triggerman as I feel our Defense will play well!!

Alumni
None

[BYU 14]

Week 3

Arizona 41 BYU 35 OT

Leaders
Passing
Morris Wright 16-19-294 3 TD 1 Int
Dwight Gatlin 16-27-177 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 14-69

Receiving
Curtis Blanchard 7-127 2 TD
Jimmie Mueller 6-126

Defense
Ike Wolhman LB 8 Tackles 2 Assists
Ron Watson CB 8 Tackles 1 Assist
Barry Wohlman DT 3 Tackles 1 Assist 1 Sack
AJ Foreman S 4 Tackles 1 Assist 1 Int

Recap
I am faced with a quandary here Down 28-7 going into the 4th Quarter, Senior Morris Wright leads the Cougars to 28 points including 21 unanswered to close regulation and send the game to OT tied at 35. Alas on our first possession in OT he throws a pick and Arizona goes on to claim the victory. Our run defense was plain ugly in this game as Wildcat shredded us for 282 yards on 23 carries and had 3 touchdown runs of 25 yards or more, including a 78 yard scamper to open the scoring. All told U of A picked 318 yards on the ground and we have to fix this quick! Utah is averaging 276 yards a game on the ground for a top 10 national ranking and our rival game will be ugly if we are not better here when the Utes visit Provo to close the Season. On the bright side we are second in the Nation in yards per game passing at 399. We travel to Colorado Springs next to play Air force, who is 1-0, ranked 38th and coming off a bye week. They will be ready. I don’t want a QB controversy, but Wright was nails in relief of Gatlin and I will have to ponder the fact that Gatlin might just not be ready yet.

Injuries
Glenn Klatt ILB Herniated Disk out up to 7 weeks

This hurts and we will have to start another true Freshman, Harris Diaz in his place.

Recruiting

Visits-None

Commits-None

My game plan is to focus on another top QB, a big time receiver and fill in with the best I can get elsewhere, as there are still a lot of holes on this team and we will be forced to play a lot of youngsters next year.

NFL

Minnesota 24 Arizona 23

Leaders
Passing
Al Welch 20-33-295 2 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 12-40

Receiving
Bryant Johnson 6-84 1 TD

Defense
Reynoch Thompson LB 9 Tackles
Karlos Dansby LB 8 Tackles

We had no sacks and were -3 in Turnovers and that spelled the difference in a game we lost on a 25 yd Josh Brown Field Goal as time expired.

BYU Alumni
None

[BYU 14]

Week 4

BYU-Bye

Leaders
Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Defense

Recap
We have some serious meetings about run defense and consider changing to a 4-6 Scheme, but in the end we stay with our 3-4, and hope we have made the necessary game plan adjustments for Air Force next week. I decide to make a change at QB and announce that Senior Morris Wright will get his first career start against Air force. In relief of Dwight Gatlin he is 20-25-346 4 TD 1 Int. I think the game still needs to slow down for our highly touted Freshman, and I don’t want to shatter his confidence this early.

Injuries
Glenn Klatt LB Herniated Disk out up to 6 Weeks

Recruiting

Visits
Lester Miles OLB, Aliso Viejo, Ca 6’ 215 Overall #11 Position #1

Commits-None

Miles visit is a shocker. I didn’t even offer him until last week, and did so then with reservations of wasting an invite. The number 1 Linebacker prospect in the whole country he would be a 4 year starter. Though we are his first visit he has been offered by Louisville, Nebraska, Texas and Texas A&M, with Miami also showing interest. It would be a coup to land him, but the competition is fierce.

NFL

New York Giants 33 Arizona 3

Leaders
Passing
Al Welch 10-25-82 0 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 11-38

Receiving
Antquan Boldin 3-32

Defense
Adrian Wilson S 8 Tackles 2 assists
Karlos Dansby LB 8 Tackles 1 assist

Wow, Jim Mora could sum this one up nicely….We sucked!!!! 156 yards of Offense and -2 in the Turnover category again! The Defense played well early but wore down allowing New York to score on each of its final 5 possessions allowing drives of 7, 8, 8, 10, and 15 plays!!

BYU Alumni
None

[BYU 14]

Week 5

BYU 36 Air Force 27

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 18-24-294 3 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 14-111 2 TD

Receiving
Curtis Blanchard 5-127 2 TD
Marshall Reid 4-47

Defense
Barry Wohlman DT 6 Tackles 2 assists 1 Sack
AJ Foreman S 6 Tackles 3 Assists
Harris Diaz LB 5 Tackles 4 Assists

Recap
I played a hunch and at the last minute decided to stick with the Freshman at QB. Gatlin responded with a big second half and led 2 Key scoring drives after Air Force had taken a 27-24 lead. The Defense made 2 huge plays as well late in the Game with DE Quentin Flowers forcing a Fumble on a sack of AF QB Jim Trout after BYU had taken a 30-27 lead. Following a 6 yard scoring pass from Gatlin to Blanchard, Safety Ron Watson sealed the win intercepting a Trout pass in the end zone, snuffing Air Forces last threat. 2 other Freshmen had big days on Defense as Barry Wohlman was a terror at Nose Guard and Harris Diaz tallied 9 total Tackles in his first start for injured Glen Klatt at Linebacker. We now move to 2-1, and more importantly win our conference opener against a solid Air Force squad on the road!

Injuries
Winston Smothers RB Broken Arm-Out up to 9 weeks
Glenn Klatt LB Herniated Disk-Doubtful up to 5 weeks

Recruiting

Visits
Donnie Newsome DE Downey, Ca 6’ 222 Overall #211 Position #22

Commits-None

We lose several targeted recruits this week without so much as a sniff, but we are still the only School Stud LB Lester Miles has visited. Newsome would be a good catch as well, and on a side note he played at Warren High School in Downey, which is where I started my Football Coaching career, as pretty much a glorified Gopher back it 1987….oh how long ago that seems.

NFL

Arizona 31 Dallas 17

Leaders

Passing
Al Welch 16-34-149 1 TD 0 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 18-115 2 TD

Receiving
Antquan Boldin 7-98 1 TD

Defense
Adrian Wilson S 8 Tackles 2 assists 1 Int
Karlos Dansby LB 3 Tackles 1 assist 2 Int

Welch continues to be brutal and Ken Dorsey is looking better every week. Thankfully we got the running game going, and the Defense made some big plays as they force 5 turnovers to keep Dallas in a hole the entire Game. The Cardinals are off the snide now sitting at 1-4, last in the NFC West.

Alumni
None

[BYU 14]

Week 6

BYU 38 Rutgers 31 OT

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 19-33-230 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 17-83 2 TD

Receiving
Victor Steadman 6-118

Defense
Bennie Vance CB 9 Tackles 2 assists 1 sack
Ike Wohlman LB 8 Tackles 3 assists
Ron Watson S 6 Tackles 10 assists

Recap
Suffering from the Flu, Gatlin starts slow and we fall behind 17-0, before punching one in right before the Half. We score on our first drive of the second half, and on Rutgers ensuing possession AJ Foreman picks off a Steve Crockett pass and goes 93 yards as the Cougars take their first lead. After a late Rutgers score to tie it at 31, we drive quickly into field goal range, and then poor clock management allows the game to end without an attempt. Fortunately we prevail in our second OT game of the year, scoring on Calvin Shaw’s 7 yard run on third and 2. We flush Rutgers QB Crockett out of the pocket on 4th down and stop him short of the Goal line to capture another road win. Ron Watson was everywhere in this game with an incredible 16 total Tackles. Next week we are home against a 2-2 Wyoming team who is coming off a 45-0 shellacking at the hands of UNLV. Neither of us can stop the run well, but at least we can score, a MWC leading 43 points a game thus far, but we give up 30!! Wyoming also gives up 30 plus, but the good news is they are only scoring 19.8.

Injuries
Winston Smothers RB Broken arm-Out 9 weeks
Don Goodwin DE Torn Thumb Ligament-Doubtful 7 Weeks
Glen Klatt LB Herniated Disk-Questionable 4 weeks

Recruiting

Visits-None

Commits-None

Miles has now tripped to Miami and I am worried if we don’t lock him up soon he will be gone. No other visits and we lose 3 other targeted prospects who commit to other Schools this week. I am hoping for more Visits next week or this years recruiting class could be rather weak.

NFL

Philadelphia 17 Arizona 14

Leaders
Passing
Ken Dorsey 20-34-227 1 TD 0 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 14-51

Receiving
Anquan Boldin 5-63
Ricky Dudley 5-67

Defense
Karlos Dansby LB 8 Tackles 4 assists 1 sack
Adrian Wilson S 7 Tackles 4 assists
Russell Davis DT 80 yd fumble return for a score

We make the move to Dorsey and he plays fairly well, though we get in too many 3rd and longs, averaging 7.8 yards per occurrence. Though we convert a respectable 8 of 15, we fail in crucial situations. Add to this, Neil Rackers missing 3 field goals and another goes from the “we should have won” category, to yet another heartbreaking loss. That is why the Eagles are 5-0, and we are 1-5, good teams find a way to win.

BYU Alumni
None

[BYU 14]

Week 7

BYU 31 Wyoming 27

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 13-17-254 2 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 11-101 2 TD
Calvin Shaw 9-57

Receiving
Victor Steadman 6-129

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 13 Tackles 4 assists
Ike Wohlman LB 8 Tackles 1 Assist
Ron Watson S 6 Tackles 5 assists 1 Int

Recap
A win is a win, but we were totally dominated up front on Defense by long sustained drives. Wyoming ran 71 plays to our 46 and had a time of possession edge of over 15 minutes! They also had 4 drives of 8 plays or more and we had none. I like that fact we can strike quickly, but I would also like to control the ball a bit better. Reid has strung together some good performances and is averaging 6.7 YPG. The problem is he has just 62 carries in 5 games, I have to get him more involved. Harris Diaz was a Monster and is now our second leading tackler behind Ike Wohlman, despite only starting 3 games. Glenn Klatt has been cleared to play next week against San Diego State, but it will be as Diaz’ backup. The youngster is just too active on Defense to bench. We continue to reside in the top 10 in scoring at 40.1 PPG, but rank in the 70’s and 80’s in most defensive categories. We basically have the Wohlman Cousins, Diaz and Watson making plays for us, nobody else has been consistent.

Injuries
Winston Smothers RB Broken Arm-Out 9 weeks
JC Isbell WR Torn Knee Cartilage-Out 9 weeks
Don Goodwin DE Torn Thumb Ligament-Doubtful 9 weeks

As mentioned Klatt is back at Linebacker, but I don’t see him starting again, unless it is next to Diaz at the other inside spot. Goodwin aggravated his Thumb against Wyoming, but he will still strap it up and go. Isbell was in rotation at receiver, but not a vital cog.

Recruiting

Visits
Grady Orton QB 6’3 187 Lemoore, Ca Overall #7 Position #1

Commits-None

Another Cali Boy comes in and he just happens to be the #1 QB prospect in the country. I have offered scores of players in the 500-1000 overall rating range, and not one has come to visit. Instead I have 2 of the top 11 players overall and a top 25 DE. They must see the opportunity to play for 4 years and if I can land either of the 2 Studs I will be overjoyed.

NFL

Seattle 17 Arizona 16

Leaders
Passing
Ken Dorsey 14-27-147 1 TD 3 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 16-48

Receiving
Larry Fitzgerald 5-60

Defense
Adrian Wilson S 9 Tackles 4 assists
Austin Barden LB 5 Tackles 4 assists

Wow, this team is Jekyll and Hyde. After decent outputs the last 2 games the Offense goes into the tank as we average just 3.6 yards a play. Adrian Wilson is really having a solid Season now leading the Team in Tackles. It is good to get Rookie Austin Barden back after limited playing time the last 3 weeks due to injury. We are drawing under 40,000 fans a game, easily last in the League. Support this bad is a long time in the making and we will need to fix it with smart player personnel moves.

BYU Alumni
None

[BYU 14]

Week 8

San Diego St 27 BYU 24

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 14-28-211 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 13-94 1 TD
Calvin Shaw 10-68 1 TD

Receiving
Jimmie Mueller 3-69

Defense
Justin Watson LB 8 Tackles 1 Sack
Benny Vance CB 6 Tackles 3 assists
Ike Wohlman LB 6 Tackles 2 assists

Recap
Third down killed us today, as we only convert 1 of 10 opportunities. This totally negates our occasional big plays, and highlights the problem you will have with a young Quarterback, consistency. Fans on post game Radio shows wonder why we did not run the ball more when our 2 RB averaged 7.2 and 6.8 yards a carry. I have to agree and I talk to my OC Adam Clark about letting the Horses run behind our experienced Line. Defensively we were not bad, but failed to make key stops late in the game. The Aztec's kicker not nailed a 57 yd Field goal with under 4 minutes left for the win. We then go 3 and out and again our Defense wilts at the end, allowing San Diego St to run off a 9 play drive and run out the clock.

Injuries
Winston Smothers RB Broken Arm-Out 8 weeks
JC Isbell WR Torn Knee Cartilage-Out 8 weeks
Don Goodwin DE Torn Thumb Ligament-Doubtful 8 weeks
Edgar Brady LB stretched Knee Ligament-Doubtful 8 weeks

Recruiting

Visits
Bennie Rayburn QB Camillus, NY 6’3 197 Overall #21 Position #4
Julio Fredrickson RB Sparks, NV 6’ 197 Overall #28 Position #4
Kendrick McGee RB Berthoud, CO 6’1 204 Overall #266 #18
Gus Cerny TE Tooele, UT 6’3 203 Overall #793 Position #26
Pete Rose WR Downers Grove, IL 6’4 211 Overall #206 Position #8
Emmanuel Ogden WR Pendleton, OR 6’1 190 Overall #322 Position #20
Ellis Baxter C Fallbrook, CA 6’1 245 Overall #126 Position #13
Craig Oliver G Dover, DE 6’2 268 Overall #345 Position #30
Richie Conover G Hayesville, NC 6’4 263 Overall #140 Position #10
Chester Guerra G Owyhee, NV 6’3 283 Overall #209 Position #17
Wade Such DT Brownsville, TX 6’1 250 Overall #375 Position #17
Wendell Thompson CB Rio Hondo, TX 5’11 169 Overall 191 Position #15
Bryant Bruce S Salt Lake City, UT 6’ 180 Overall 789 Position #46

Commits
Bennie Rayburn QB Camillus, NY 6’3 197 Overall #21 Position #4

Holy Frequent Flier miles, we have 13 visits in one weekend!! Campus services is busier than Wal-mart the day after Thanksgiving, and Local Buffet owners are worried about Pot Roast shortages with all the recruits in town. We actually had 16 visits scheduled but 3 cancelled as they committed elsewhere. Among them high priority recruit Tom Longmate T from New Jersey. A huge surprise is the commit of Bennie Rayburn, who tells us he will be a Cougar before the end of his Visit. The only reason he was recruited is that the brother of Longmate’s High School coach was Rayburn’s Coach and mentioned he was interested in coming west. He is a great pickup, and will be groomed as a possible replacement to Gatlin in 3 Years. I decide to still pursue Orton as you can never have enough arms in this offense, though Rayburn’s commit makes the likely hood of getting him unlikely.

NFL

Washington 26 Arizona 20

Leaders
Passing
Ken Dorsey 20-30-217 0 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 11-76

Receiving
Ricky Dudley 5-73

Defense
Karlos Dansby LB 9 Tackles 2 assists 1 Int
Austin Barden LB 8 Tackles 4 assists

In front of a half empty Stadium we take a 17-10 lead into the fourth, before allowing Washington to take a 20-17 lead. Racker’s hits a 39 yd Field Goal with 3 seconds left for the Tie, but Washington strings a 10 play 60 yard drive together on their first possession of OT to take the win. All in all we allowed 4 drives of 10 plays or more and predictably incurred a 13 plus minute deficit in time of possession. We need to sustain more drives, and will take the upcoming Bye week to evaluate things and bask in the glory of a 1-7 start.

BYU Alumni
None

[BYU 14]

Week 9

Notre Dame 45 BYU 14

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 7-23-51 0 TD 1 Int Sacked 9 times!!!

Rushing
Marshall Reid 13-55

Receiving
Curtis Blanchard 2-36

Defense
Ike Wohlman LB 8 Tackles 4 assists 2 Int, both returned for TD
Barry Wohlman 6 Tackles 1 assist 1 sack
Harris Diaz LB 4 Tackles 5 assists

Recap
51 total yards on 50 plays, we were one of the best Offenses in the nation and Notre Dame just crushed us!!! If not for Wohlman returning picks 79 and 97 yards we would never have sniffed the end zone. Gatlin is horrible and I leave him in despite the chanting mob calling for Morris Wright. This is the second year in a row Notre Dame has owned and humiliated us, but I want to keep them on the Schedule as this type of opponent is vital to gauge our progress against and raise our prestige.

No academic problems to speak of and I assign some time blocks as preventative action. The Alumni are still not happy, but the community support is still good and the Students have been phenomenal. UNLV comes in at 3-3 next week, and we are tied with them for second place in the MWC at 2-1. Our hated rival Utah, or the school up North as they should be referred to, is 4-0 and nobody has come close to them in conference play.


Injuries
Winston Smothers RB Broken Arm-Out 8 weeks
JC Isbell WR Torn Knee Cartilage-Out 6 weeks
Don Goodwin DE Torn Thumb Ligament-Doubtful 7 weeks
Edgar Brady LB stretched Knee Ligament-Doubtful 7 weeks

We have not been seriously hurt in this area as only one pre-Season starter has missed time and we actually improved at the position (LB) when he went down.

Recruiting

Visits-None

Commits
Julio Fredrickson RB Sparks, NV 6’ 197 Overall #28 Position #4
Pete Rose WR Downers Grove, IL 6’4 211 Overall #206 Position #8
Ellis Baxter C Fallbrook, CA 6’1 245 Overall #126 Position #13

We score some solid commits, getting Fredrickson who is ranked as the #2 Back in the West and will contribute early. As suspected we lose Orton to UCLA who will have a chance to start early on a powerhouse. Rose will help and could potentially be the big play receiver we need and Baxter should also contribute by his Junior year. No new visits and we lose lots of recruits. With many holes to fill we will have to resort to plan B at many positions.

NFL

Bye
No news is good news here as Arizona limps into the second half of the Season.

Leaders
Passing

Rushing

Receiving

Defense

Alumni
None

[Darkiller]

YES ! a BYU dynastie !!!
GREAT !!

(I am a BYU fan as well in College football, glad to see I'm not alone !)

...however, I support the 49ers in the pros ;-)

[BYU 14]

Welcome to the Dynasty Darkiller, another Cougar fan to share my misery :) The last 3 Seasons have been tough in RL, but I hope they give Crowton one more year to turn it around.......I still believe he can do it.

I am actually a Viking fan but since I live in Phoenix now, gotta give some love to the locals......

[BYU 14]

Week 10

BYU 41 UNLV 30

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 20-31-250 2 TD 0 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 22-96 2 TD

Receiving
Marshall Reid 5-63
Bennie Horton 4-58 2 TD

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 9 Tackles 2 assists
Alvin Fletcher CB 2 Tackles 0 assists 2 Int 1 TD

Recap
On a day when my Defense spent too much time making UNLV QB Lewis Gantry look like the second coming of Peyton Manning, it was finally a pair of reserves that pulled the game from the fire. First, down 30-27 LB Justin Watson jarred the ball loose from a scrambling Gantry and backup DT Fred Blackburn fell on the ball. Two plays later Gatlin found Bennie Horton with a 30 yard rope down the sideline for the go ahead score. Back came UNLV, for what looked like another late game stealing drive when reserve CB Alvin Fletcher stepped in front of UNLV’s Lamont Duffy, snatching the rock and taking it 76 yards to pay dirt! On the ensuing drive he did it again, sealing the deal and allowing Marshall Reid to run out the clock.

On the offensive side, OC Adam Clark responded to our “talk” by getting the ball to Reid more and also placing more emphasis on the short passing game. I like the results as Gatlin takes what he is given for the most part and has some moments where he develops a nice rhythm. There is still some inconsistency however as our first 3 drives of the second half end 3 and out, due mainly to Gatlin’s errant passing. Still we manage a slight time of possession edge and I am happy overall. Utah stops Air Force to remain unbeaten in League play, with our win we now hold second place alone. We travel to New Mexico next week to face the 2-6 Lobos, whose only league win is against San Diego St, the only MWC team we have lost thus far. We will be favored but I am still worried.

Injuries
Winston Smothers RB Broken Arm-Out
JC Isbell WR Torn Knee Cartilage-Doubtful
3 other injuries but all are probable to play next week

Recruiting

Visits
Dale Becker LB Collinsville, Il 6’1 211 Overall UR Position #69
Archie Castillo G Orlando, Fl 6’5 289 Overall #452 Position #35
Kyle Harding T Macon, GA 6’4 256 Overall #704 Position #65
Arnold Wooden DE Lone Peak Ut, 6’2 234 Overall #765 Position #85

Commits
Gus Cerny TE Tooele, UT 6’3 203 Overall #793 Position #26
Chester Guerra G Owyhee, NV 6’3 283 Overall #209 Position #17
Donnie Newsome DE Downey, Ca 6’ 222 Overall #211 Position #22
Dale Becker LB Collinsville, Il 6’1 211 Overall UR Position #69

3 of the 4 commits are really solid and help us down the road, I really like what Guerra brings to the table as he is already 283 and a punishing run blocker. Becker is a late recruit and couldn’t be happier, committing before he even arrives for his visit. He could be a sleeper. The news is not all good however as we lose our most coveted recruit, Lester miles, again to UCLA. The Bruins are putting together the top class in the country and I will be interested to see how good they are in a couple of years. We still have 8 schollies to give and it is getting late.

NFL

St Louis 27 Arizona 17

Leaders
Passing
Ken Dorsey 22-35-214 1 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 12-54

Receiving
Anquan Boldin 7-54
Larry Fitzgerald 6-59 1 TD

Defense
Adrian Wilson 7 Tackles 4 assists
Bertrand Berry 6 Tackles 1 sack
Austin Barden 5 Tackles 3 assists

More of the same, we lead 17-7 at the half and then give up 17 unanswered points in the second half to give the game away. We cross mid field only one time in the second half before our final drive. With 46 Seconds left we get the Ball at the St Louis 46 after a 14 yard punt return by Boldin. 4 Plays and 8 yards later, game over.
Alumni
None
Next year as we get some alumni in the league hopefully, I will begin to move my focus to them, the recaps of the Cardinals games are just pretty much space fillers right now.

[BYU 14]

Week 11 **I lost some data that wasn’t saved, this is the reason for some of the recruiting shifts. Luckily not too much damage was done

New Mexico 17 BYU 10
Current Record-Overall 5-4 Mountain West 3-2

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 15-36-190 0 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 19-127

Receiving
Curtis Blanchard 4-62

Defense
Ron Watson S 8 Tackles 1 assist
Harris Diaz LB 7 Tackles 3 assists

Recap
Gatlin is inconsistent again and he misses several wide open targets and throws an interception in the end zone on the potential tying Touchdown drive. I have been under pressure all Season whenever Gatlin does not perform, and this week should be no different. Coincidentally Back up QB Morris Wright is the 3rd in his family to play for BYU and his Father is one of the loudest alumni. Regardless of the complaints Gatlin’s inconsistency is starting to irk me and I will probably start the Senior next week. We need a win to become Bowl eligible and Utah will be tough, so it better come next week against Colorado State.

The Defense played well this week at New Mexico only got 2 more total yards than we did, the difference was we turned it over twice and the Lobo’s took care of it. Harris Diaz has really impressed this year since stepping in for an injured Glenn Klatt in game 3. He now leads the team with 58 Tackles (16 for loss) 20 assists, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles.

Injuries
Bennie Vance CB-Out Sprained Back
Winston Smothers RB-Out Broken Arm
Mack Emerson TE-Out Torn Knee ligaments
Don Goodwin DE-Doubtful Torn Thumb ligaments
JC Isbell WR-Doubtful Torn Knee cartilage

Recruiting

Visits
Craig Oliver G Dover, DE 6’2 268 Overall #345 Position #30
Hugh Horton G Temperance, MI 6’4 283 Overall UR Position #96
CJ Nixon G Ripley, MS 6’3 256 Overall UR Position UR
Herb Wong LB Paxton, FL 6’2 208 Overall UR Position #73

Commits
Tom Longmate T Little Silver, NJ 6’3 277 Overall #50 Position #3
Wade Such DT Brownsville, TX 6’1 250 Overall #375 Position #17
Leland Fletcher WR Golden, CO 6’ 175 Overall #405 Position #26
Darrin Shields LB Fontana, CA 6’ 208 Overall #293 Position #23
Roderick Jamison LB Boulder CO 6’5 220 Overall #552 Position #36
Corey Sampson LB Layton, UT 5’10 193 Overall UR Position UR

We get some great news as Tackle Tom Longmate, after calling Bennie Rayburn Decommits from Syracuse and becomes a Cougar, this is huge for our O-line next year and he may be a 4 year starter!! Landing 3 Linebackers help shore up a area where depth is badly needed, all look decent enough and if they work hard may all contribute at some point in their careers. Fletcher gives us another solid threat at WR along with Rose, though he needs to sharpen his routes if he expects to play early on. It wasn’t all good news though as Chester Guerra decommits, saying he has thought it through and wants to stay closer to home. He will be suiting up for MWC rival UNLV next year. We wish him well.

NFL

Arizona 20 San Francisco 10

Leaders
Passing
Ken Dorsey 16-26-167 1 TD 3 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 14-51 1 TD

Receiving
Larry Fitzgerald 4-43
Anquan Boldin 3-26 1 TD

Defense
Raynoch Thompson LB 11 Tackles 2 assists
Austin Barden LB 10 Tackles 1 forced Fumble
Adrian Wilson S 8 Tackles 4 assists 1 forced Fumble

Our young Linebackers wreak havoc as Thompson and Barden combine for 23 total tackles between them. Wilson has his usual solid game and one of the top Safeties in the League at supporting the run. Though Dorsey does his best to keep the 49ers in the game we jump to a 20-7 halftime lead and hold on for win #2

BYU Alumni
Donny Davison LB Miami Dolphins
Opp NY Jets W 30-10 Started-4 Tackles 0 assists

Davison was drafted by us and released after training Camp. The Dolphins signed him after injuries to Seau and Arrington and he gets his first NFL start a week later, at last a Cougar to follow.

[BYU 14]

Week 12

BYU 28 Colorado St 14
Record Overall 6-4 Mountain West 4-2

Leaders
Passing
Morris Wright 14-26-146 2 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 25-134

Receiving
Marshall Reid 4-20
Curtis Blanchard 2-54 1 TD

Defense
Ike Wohlman LB 9 Tackles 2 assists
Edgar Brady LB 8 Tackles
Ron Watson S 6 Tackles 1 Int

Recap
AJ Foreman S (88 yds) and Jerry Prior DE (69 yds) both return Interceptions for Touchdowns, as our Defense is our best Offense. Prior’s pick starts the scoring and Foreman’s gives us our first lead since that point after we entered the 4th quarter down 14-7. I decide to go with the Senior Wright at QB, and as good as he has looked in relief he is not spectacular in his first start. Still, he did not do anything to lose the game so he will get to keep the job for our rivalry game against the team up North. We are now bowl eligible and with only 2 other MWC schools being able to claim this currently, we are in good shape as the MWC has 3 tie ins. Wyoming is the only other school that can become Bowl eligible if they win out.

Injuries
Bennie Vance CB-Out Sprained Back
Winston Smothers RB-Out Broken Arm
Mack Emerson TE-Out Torn Knee ligaments
Don Goodwin DE-Doubtful Torn Thumb ligaments
JC Isbell WR-Doubtful Torn Knee cartilage

Recruiting

Visits
Mel Lewis CB San Jose, CA 5’11 168 Overall UR Position 94
Julio Anthony CB Tooele, UT 6’ 160 Overall UR Position UR

Commits
CJ Nixon G Ripley, MS 6’3 256 Overall UR Position UR
Herb Wong LB Paxton, FL 6’2 208 Overall UR Position #73

Two commits who will probably be no more than backups, now we are just looking for depth, 2 more slots open and I am looking for another Guard, a CB or Safety. I will take the first 2 positions to commit.

NFL

Jacksonville 20 Arizona 10

Leaders
Passing
Ken Dorsey 9-34-100 0 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 15-76
Marcel Shipp 7-39 1 TD

Receiving
Shaun LeFavor 4-30

Defense
Raynoch Thompson LB 10 Tackles 2 assists 1.5 Sacks
Russell Davis DT 7 Tackles 2 assists

BYU Alumni
Donny Davison LB Miami
Opponent Carolina L 13-21 Did not Start-1 Tackle 1 Assist

[BYU 14]

Rivalry week is upon us and Utah stands between us and our pre-Season goal of 7-4. It would be all the sweeter to achieve this mark with a win over them. They have already locked the MWC conference crown up with a 6-0 League record behind their own Freshman QB, a Redshirt Gunslinger named Rodney Dostie. It could be a good 3 year rivalry between him and Gatlin if both mature and develop. I say 3 years because I am sticking with the Senior Morris Wright, much to the delight of his Father Archibald. I can hear the Elder Wright now at the Cougar Club luncheons, "if only he had put my boy in earlier, we would be playing for the MWC title this week, we would at least be 7-3 right now, maybe 8-2!!".......blah, blah, blah!! Parents never change :)

Looking forward to the off Season I think Ike Wohlman has a shot to repeat as 1st team all MWC LB, also both JC Foreman S and Barry Wohlman DT are the front runners for Defensive Freshman of the year, while I think Gatlin has a shot at the offensive honors in this category. I was real happy with the play of our young guys overall, add Harris Diaz and 3 true Freshmen played a big role on D. At least 1 of our Lineman should also be recognized on the MWC first or second team. Regardless of what happens this weekend I think we have made great strides. I am already worried about next year on the O-Line though. We will be real young and real inexperienced up front. Our veteran line made our skill kids look better then they were on occasion this Year. Next Season that luxury will be sorely missed!!

[BYU 14]

Week 13

Utah 35 BYU 27
Record Overall 6-5 Mountain West 4-3

Leaders
Passing
Morris Wright 20-33-305 3 TD 0 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 15-48

Receiving
Jimmie Mueller 7-151 1 TD
Curtis Blanchard 5-92 2 TD

Defense
Barry Wohlman DT 10 Tackles 2 assists
Ike Wohlman LB 7 Tackles 1 assist
Ron Watson S 6 Tackles 3 assists

Recap
This was all a rivalry game should be, we held a 10-7 lead late in the second quarter, then gave up a late TD, and spent the rest of the day playing catch up, never closer then 1, never further behind then 8. Wright played probably our best quarterbacked game of the year and my heart goes out to him. He has always remained supportive and positive throughout the QB controversy and played his ass off today. Both teams played crisp turnover free ball, and the difference was the Ute’s ability to sustain the run, while we could not. JT Blubaum led the way for the team up North ripping off 138 yards on 30 carries and scoring 3 TDs. Marshall Reid meanwhile was swarmed and held to his lowest YPC average of the year. On Defense the Wohlman cousins played like animals, especially the Freshman Barry, 12 total tackles by a Nose Guard!!!! We finish 6-5 and should still score a bowl regardless of what Wyoming does since we beat them head to head.

Injuries
Harris Diaz LB-Out sprained Back
Mack Emerson TE-Out Torn Knee ligament
Winston Smothers RB-Out Broken Arm
Bennie Vance CB-Out sprained Back
JC Isbell WR-Doubtful Torn Knee cartilage

The Diaz injury hurts, hopefully he will be OK for a Bowl game if we get one...If not, our ability to stop the run could be impeded, as it was against Utah!

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Mel Lewis CB San Jose, CA 5’11 168 Overall UR Position 94

We have 1 schollie left and it is reserved for Salt Lake City Skylines own Bruce Bryant, an All-State player ranked 5th overall among all players in Utah and 46th nationally at his Position. Come be a Cougar B Bryant!!

NFL

Atlanta 21 Arizona 11

Leaders
Passing
Ken Dorsey 18-31-168 0 TD 0 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 11-39

Receiving
Larry Fitzgerald 8-62

Defense
Adrian Wilson S 13 Tackles 3 assists 1 forced Fumble
Raynoch Thompson 10 Tackles
Sammy Knight S 8 Tackles 2 assists

I think our Safeties making 26 total tackles between them sums up this game fairly well. Michael Vick looked like Joe Montana…….with just a tad more speed, and even the Peanut vendors ran for a few yards, Atlanta totaled 180 on the ground and it is amazing they only scored 21. Our only score came after Ken Dorsey was pulled, Al Welch completed a pass….his only completion to Anquan for a 33 yard score with 14 seconds left. We need serious help, under Center, at CB, and some Linebackers who will keep our safeties a bit cleaner…..is it April yet???

Alumni
Donnie Davison LB Miami
Opponent Cincinnati W 19-17 Did not Start-0 Tackles 1 assist

Limited time but at least Donnie is getting to taste his 15 minutes, his career will probably by fairly short, but he sure was a stud at the Y.

[BYU 14]

Weeks 14-16

No Games
Record Overall 6-5 Mountain West 4-3

Bowl Game-Citrus Bowl
Week 17 Vs Notre Dame
A chance to revenge a Week 9 Pummeling against the Fighting Irish, though I will be hard pressed to find a way to make up a 31 point difference. I Will give the Bowl start to the Senior Wright, and hope he plays like he did against Utah. We need to find a way to shut down the Irish QB Walt Benson. He riddled our secondary like they were plastic cones playing defense hitting 20-22 for 289 yards and 3 Touchdowns….Hell maybe I will try plastic cones instead next week. I would really like to finish at least competitive, hopefully with a tough win and some momentum for next year, when a realistic goal should be to challenge Utah for MWC supremacy.

Injuries
At this time we are still looking at being without TE Mack Emerson and LB Harris Diaz. Diaz as mentioned earlier would really hurt us. DE Goodwin, RB Smothers and WR Isbell are all still doubtful but will be ready to go as it is the last game of the Year. I hope that somehow Diaz is cleared for the game.

Recruiting

We got our final commit in S Bryant Bruce, he will provide some depth and may actually see some time as we will look to shore up the secondary next year. Our complete class is listed below.

2005 Recruits Position Overall Rank Position Rank
Bennie Rayburn QB 21 4
Julio Fredrickson RB 28 4
Gus Cerny TE 793 26
Pete Rose WR 206 8
Leland Fletcher WR 405 26
Ellis Baxter C 126 13
CJ Nixon G UR UR
Tom Longmate T 50 3
Donnie Newsome DE 211 22
Wade Such DT 375 17
Darrin Shields ILB 293 23
Roderick Jamison ILB 552 36
Herb Wong OLB UR 73
Corey Sampson OLB UR UR
Mel Lewis CB UR 94
Bryant Bruce S 789 46

Amazingly Rose, Baxter and Shields all make the All-Country team which is an incredible number for one school to land, and only Rose is in the top 10 in the country at his position. Hopefully they will all pan out as worthy of this recognition in College. UCLA and Marshall each land 2 from this list as well.

NFL

The Cardinals win 2 of 3 primarily on the strength of Neil Racker’s foot as he boots 4 field goals each in wins over Seattle 19-0 and Houston 19-10. The defense plays equally well in a 17-15 loss to Tennessee when Thomas Jones was stopped at the 1 on a 2 pt conversion try with no time on the Clock. We are now 4-11 and if we can upgrade the Offense in the off Season can easily shoot for a 9 win Season next year.

BYU Alumni
Donnie Davison LB Miami
Moved to inactive Roster week 14

Davison is no longer needed as LaVarr Arrington returns to reclaim his job. The Dolphins keep Cedric Shello, an undrafted free agent to back him up and Davison spends the rest of the year on the practice Squad. Hopefully a good camp will allow him to stay around next Season.

[BYU 14]

Week 17 Citrus Bowl

Notre Dame 52 BYU 27
Record: Overall 6-6 Mountain West 4-3

Leaders
Passing
Morris Wright 17-36-207 1 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Marshall Reid 17-159 1 TD

Receiving
Marshall Reid 6-32
Jimmie Mueller 4-80

Defense
Ron Watson S 8 Tackles 1 assist
Hunter Diaz LB 6 Tackles 4 assists
Justin Watson LB 4 Tackles 1 assist 2 sacks 2 Int

Recap
It was a completely different story from our regular Season meeting……for the first 3 ½ Quarters. We jumped up on a shall shocked Irish Team 21-7 as Marshall Reid picked up a Morris Wright Fumble and took it in from 16 yds out to start the scoring. After a turnover led to a Wright to Isbell scoring strike, Notre Dame came back to pull within 7. As time would down in the first quarter Reid ran off tackle, broke from the grasp of a defender and bolted 89 yds to regain a 2 Touchdown lead and the crowd smelled upset.

The smell turned out to be nothing more than burnt Bratwurst from the Tailgating though, as Notre Dame regained their composure and fought back for a 24-21 Halftime lead. The teams fought on even ground through the third and early in fourth, then with the score 31-27, the Irish scored 21 straight points in the last 6 minutes to turn the game into a laugher. Still it was a hard fought game and the improvement over the first time we met the Irish is something to build on. Watson had a sick game on Defense and Marshall Reid’s performance earned him MVP honors, despite being on the losing team…..a true rarity.


Injuries
TE Mack Emerson, suffering from a Knee injury, was the only one who missed the game. We ended the game with no new Injuries and everyone should be healthy for Spring Ball (Which is a feature the next TCY really needs) 

Recruiting

In case you missed it I will again list our 2005 Class
2005 Recruits…..Position….Overall Rank….Position Rank
Bennie Rayburn……..QB……………21……………4
Julio Fredrickson……RB……………28……………4
Gus Cerny…………...TE……………793………….26
Pete Rose……………WR…………...206………….8
Leland Fletcher……..WR……………405………… 26
Ellis Baxter…………. C……………..126…………. 13
CJ Nixon…………….G……………..UR…………..UR
Tom Longmate………T……………..50……………3
Donnie Newsome……DE…………...211………….22
Wade Such…………..DT…………....375………….17
Darrin Shields……….ILB…………...293………….23
Roderick Jamison……ILB…………..552…………..36
Herb Wong…………. OLB………….UR…………..73
Corey Sampson……...OLB…………UR…………..UR
Mel Lewis…………...CB…………...UR…………. 94
Bryant Bruce………...S……………..789…………. 46

Rayburn will Redshirt unless we do not see measurable improvement in Gatlin. Fredrickson, Rose, Longmate and Newsome will all compete for PT as true Freshman, as we are still lacking quality depth. Everyone else should redshirt.

NFL

St Louis 30 Arizona 24 OT
Record 4-12

Leaders
Passing
Ken Dorsey 16-27-186 1 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Thomas Jones 16-48 1 TD
Marcel Shipp 10-52 1 TD

Receiving
Anquan Boldin 6-75 1 TD

Defense
Adrian Wilson S 13 Tackles 4 assists 2 forced fumbles
Austin Barden LB 10 Tackles 3 assists

Well, we mercifully end a frustrating Season with a stellar performance against the 11-5, division winning Rams. Again very few bright spots on Offense, but Wilson plays a killer game on D, and better get some recognition this off Season, he was by far our most consistent player this year. Quarterback killed us this year and we need help, it will by the #1 off Season priority.

Alumni
Donnie Davison LB Miami
Opponent New England L 24-31 Inactive

[BYU 14]

<pre><font face=courier>
2005 Summary for Brigham Young

Record: 6-6 Mountain West 4-3
Rank: 68

Brigham Young Team Rank
Rushes 338 88
Rushing Yards 1321 76
Yards Per Carry 3.90 51
Pass Attempts 380 26 (T)
Completions 215 26
Passing Yards 2942 22
Yards Per Attempt 7.74 37
3rd Down Conversions 40.7 30 (T)
Points Per Game 31.1 33
Turnovers 31 116 (T)
Turnover Margin -8 102 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 454 112
Rushing Yards 1840 96
Yards Per Carry 4.05 73
Pass Attempts 388 119 (T)
Completions 217 120 (T)
Passing Yards 2881 121
Yards Per Attempt 7.42 77
3rd Down Conversions 40.8 96 (T)
Points Per Game 30.5 90 (T)
Turnovers 23 49 (T)

Primary Formation: Single-Back Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 63 DUKE (124) 21
3 35 at UofA (94) 41
5 36 at AFA (39) 27
6 38 at RUTG (109) 31
7 31 WYOM (79) 27
8 24 at SDST (90) 27
9 14 ND (14) 45
10 41 UNLV (86) 30
11 10 at NMEX (102) 17
12 28 at CSU (67) 14
13 27 UTAH (17) 35
17 27 vs ND (14) 52 Citrus Bowl

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
10 Gatlin QB 252 141 1905 7.55 15 17
8 Wright QB 128 74 1037 8.10 10 5
Team --- 380 215 2942 7.74 25 22

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
21 Reid RB 176 1086 6.17 10 26 30
34 Shaw RB 56 271 4.83 3 9 16
10 Gatlin QB 49 -130 -2.65 0 37 202
8 Wright QB 25 -40 -1.60 0 18 76
Team --- 338 1321 3.90 14 98 340

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
88 Blanchard WR 82 46 821 17.8 394 10
3 Steadman WR 70 36 574 15.9 147 0
21 Reid RB 65 43 343 7.9 195 5
81 Mueller WR 54 28 537 19.1 239 2
80 Horton WR 22 9 159 17.6 29 0
9 Isbell WR 20 10 109 10.9 63 3
89 Emerson TE 18 11 102 9.2 76 2
34 Shaw RB 17 12 66 5.5 60 1
Team --- 380 215 2942 13.6 1307 25

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
48 Wohlman OLB 74 20 0.0 8 0 4
41 Diaz ILB 71 31 1.0 20 0 2
24 Watson S 66 30 0.0 11 6 4
59 Brady OLB 49 20 5.0 12 0 5
91 Wohlman DT 46 15 6.0 10 0 1
96 Watson ILB 42 13 2.0 2 3 3
20 O'Donnell CB 40 10 0.0 1 2 5
The College Years
35 Foreman S 35 21 0.0 4 6 3
90 Goodwin DE 32 6 6.5 9 0 0
36 Tinker CB 32 8 0.0 3 0 5
26 Fletcher CB 26 5 0.5 0 0 4
73 Flowers DE 20 5 3.0 4 0 0
29 Vance CB 20 7 1.0 3 0 2
77 Prior DE 19 9 5.0 6 1 0
22 Claytor S 16 3 0.0 1 1 1
50 Harding ILB 12 3 0.0 2 0 0
Team --- 719 222 32.0 103 19 41
</pre></font>

Post Season Awards
Curtis Blanchard WR 1st team all MWC
Ike Wohlman LB 1st Team all MWC
Ron Watson S 1st Team all MWC
Marshall Reid RB 2nd Team all MWC
Calvin Berkebile K 2nd Team all MWC
Justin Watson LB 2nd Team all MWC
Edgar Brady LB 2nd Team all MWC
Curtis O’Donnell CB 2nd Team all MWC

Academic All-Americans
Harvey Ashraf P

Academic All-MWC
Dwight Gatlin QB
Curtis Blanchard WR
Morris Doherty WR
Harvey Ashraf P
Harris Diaz LB
Harvey Geary LB

A decent award showing, a little disappointed none of my Freshman were honored, I probably hurt Gatlin benching him later in the year. Very surprised Justin Watson was 2nd Team all MWC at LB and Harris Diaz got nothing…..his stats were much better.

Team Rankings
Academics 30th
Recruiting 20th
TV Revenue 53rd
Ticket Revenue 40th
Donations 71st
GPA 2.89 (5th)
Attendance 55,900 (31st)
<pre><font face=courier>
Final Top 10
1-LSU 13-0
2-Nebraska 12-1
3-Michigan 12-1
4-Georgia 11-2
5-Miami 10-2
6-West Virginia 11-1
7-Florida 10-2
8-Kansas St 10-2
9-Louisville 11-1
10-Notre Dame 10-2
LSU beat Nebraska 31-28 in the National Championship game.
</pre></font>

NFL
<pre><font face=courier>
2005 Summary for Arizona Cardinals

Record: 4-12
Winning Pct.: .250

Arizona Cardinals Team Rank
Rushes 421 25
Rushing Yards 1806 18
Yards Per Carry 4.28 4 (T)
Pass Attempts 508 21 (T)
Completions 278 30
Passing Yards 2921 32
Yards Per Attempt 5.75 31
3rd Down Conversions 41.3 18
Points Per Game 16.4 27 (T)
Turnovers 31 25 (T)
Turnover Margin -8 24 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 528 30 (T)
Rushing Yards 2237 32
Yards Per Carry 4.23 28
Pass Attempts 530 23
Completions 326 26
Passing Yards 3701 20
Yards Per Attempt 6.98 19
3rd Down Conversions 47.2 30
Points Per Game 20.0 15
Turnovers 23 14 (T)

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 7 at SFO 28
2 14 at IND 27
3 23 MIN 24
4 3 NYK 33
5 31 at DAL 17
6 14 at PHI 17
7 16 at SEA 17
8 20 WAS 26
10 17 STL 24
11 20 SFO 10
12 10 at JAX 20
13 11 at ATL 21
14 15 TEN 17
15 19 SEA 0
16 19 HOU 10
17 24 at STL 30

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
2 Dorsey QB 358 205 2033 5.67 7 15
4 Welch QB 150 73 888 5.92 6 8
**Team --- 508 278 2921 5.75 13 23

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD
45 Jones RB 228 1000 4.38 5
31 Shipp RB 121 499 4.12 3
**Team --- 421 1806 4.28 10

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
81 Boldin WR 151 80 868 10.8 199 7
11 Fitzgerald WR 116 62 783 12.6 223 4
84 Dudley TE 70 36 331 9.1 84 0
80 LeFavor WR 36 21 293 13.9 50 0
45 Jones RB 29 20 128 6.4 76 0
83 Johnson WR 37 18 232 12.8 25 1
**Team --- 508 278 2921 10.5 791 13

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack Hurr Ints Defn
24 Wilson S 103 37 0.0 0 1 5
48 Barden ILB 93 29 0.0 2 0 5
55 Thompson OLB 81 22 1.5 0 0 10
96 Gregg DT 71 25 3.0 6 0 0
46 Knight S 69 30 0.0 1 2 18
58 Dansby OLB 63 29 1.0 1 3 4
21 Hill CB 55 19 1.0 0 3 9
98 Davis DT 48 20 1.5 10 0 1
92 Berry DE 46 22 6.0 17 0 0
37 Clinton CB 42 11 0.0 0 1 4
28 Starks CB 37 21 1.0 0 0 6
97 Pace DE 26 11 2.5 7 0 1
27 Macklin CB 24 4 0.0 0 1 5
54 Hayes OLB 19 8 1.0 0 0 3
40 Boyd S 17 10 0.0 1 0 2
**Team --- 896 316 20.0 47 11 74
</pre></font>
Post Season Awards
Austin Barden LB Defensive Rookie of the Year
Rick DeMulling G All League 1st Team

Disappointed that Wilson got no love at the Safety spot, probably due to his less than glamorous Pass coverage stats, but he was hell against the Run. Very happy with Barden, he will be a leader on the Defense for years to come.

Superbowl
Philadelphia 33 Indianapolis 28

[BYU 14]

Off Season 2006

Player issues
I sit in my overstuffed Chair staring into eyes, that won’t even climb from the mahogany surface of my desk to meet my gaze directly. Junior DT Mario Doyle, a rags to riches walk on, who would have been Barry Wohlman’s primary backup, and more importantly was in line to be granted a Scholarship, is sullen. He was caught accepting Money from a Booster and will now pay by sitting on the Sidelines this Season, not even allowed to practice with the team. I advise him that, as he has not used a Red shirt year, he will have 2 years of eligibility left when he returns, but he will not get the Scholarship until he has shown his commitment to the team. If he meets the requirements set before him the Schollie will be waiting at the start of 2007.

So often Kids will leave a School over this, already this week Running Back Alonzo Sullivan, suspended last Season due to grades has transferred to division 3 Wabash, he was not pegged as a top 3 player, so it makes sense for him. We have another Academic casualty this Season as well as Safety Irv Matney will serve a suspension for the 2006 Season. He appeared in 9 games last year and would have been a rotation player this Season. Hopefully he sticks around as well as gets his grades up.

Incoming recruits
The following Recruits will compete for playing time as true Freshman, or be relied upon to provide depth. Those marked by a * are projected starters coming out of Spring Ball.

Gus Cerny TE *
Leland Fletcher WR *
CJ Nixon G
Randall Burnside G (Walk on)
Corey Sampson LB
Bryant Bruce S

Redshirts
Bennie Rayburn QB
Julio Fredrickson RB
Pete Rose WR
Ellis Baxter C
Tom Longmate T
Donnie Newsome DE
Wade Such DT
Roderick Jamison LB
Darrin Shields LB
Herb Wong LB
Mel Lewis CB

Staff
Syndicate coordinator Lenny Bradford has retired, he was a good one and will be missed. We hire Kim Ekuban who is VG/Terrible/Good , we will have to avoid syndicate violations  Everyone else is back and I am content with the staff for now.

Schedule
No open spots to fill

NFL

Free Agency

Signed
Jeff Garcia QB 4 years 20.1 million
Dominick Davis RB 2 years 1.94 million
Chester Pitts T 2 years 3.1 million
Nat Dorsey T 2 years 1.1 million
Derrick Burgess DE 2 years 2.16 million
Dan Wilkinson DT 2 years 2.36 million
Morlon Greenwood 3 years 3.2 million
Lito Sheppard CB 2 years 1.35 million

Resigned
Ricky Dudley TE 1 year 870 K
Demetric Evans DE 1 year 620 K

Key Losses
Neil Rackers K
Russell Davis DT


Draft
1(5) Nick Schokora DT Nebraska
1(6) Walter Burnside CD Northwestern
2(6) Frankie Quintaro T Wisconsin
3-None
4 (6) Richie Cullen LB Boston College
5 (6) Donny Bode K North Texas
6 (6) Brendan Newman FB Colorado
7 (1) Bennie Frierson LB Virginia
7 (6) Wally Glenn QB Stanford
Draft Grade B

Burnside and Schokora will start and Bode will take over the kicking duties for the departed Neil Rackers. A decent draft in which we addressed most needs.

Undrafted Free Agents
Jay Eloms CB Iowa
Deon Withrow RB Colorado
Julio Shepard C Iowa St
Ike Wohlman LB BYU
Wille Godfrey G BYU

We get your couple of BYU alumni, Wohlman was not impressive at the combines and does not look like a solid prospect, but we will give him shot.

BYU Alumni
Donny Davison LB-Released by Miami

[BYU 14]

We get ready for the start of the 2006 Season with a combination of hope and intrepidation. Utah will again be favored in the pre-Season MWC poll and Air force should be tough again too. After that it should be a dog fight with us, San Diego St, CSU and UNLV all fighting to climb into a contenders spot. New Mexico and Wyoming should bring up the rear, though the Cowboys came off a great Season for them, I would be surprised if they approached their former success. Pre-Season depth chart and scouting report up next. Also this Season I will drop the Cardinal updates and replace it with more from the MWC, including standings and game results. From the NFL I will only post weekly scores and the happenings involving BYU Alumni, which should still be pretty sparse this year :(

[BYU 14]

2006 BYU Preseason Report

Preseason Rank Mountain West Rank:

Roster/Depth Chart
<pre><font face=courier>
# = Returning Starter $ = Will Redshirt this Season
Returning Starters: Offense 2 Defense 7 Specialists 2

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
#Gatlin, Dwight 10 QB So 32 91
$Rayburn, Bennie 19 QB Fr 22 71
Martin, Bryce 6 QB* Sr* 15 24
Burroughs, Zach 11 QB* Jr* 7 22
</pre></font>
Rayburn did not progress as hoped in Spring Ball so he will redshirt. This leaves 2 Walk-on players as backups to Gatlin, hopefully he will stay healthy. Gatlin is still somewhat raw but should be improved and ready with a year under his belt, if a young O-line can hold up.
<pre><font face=courier>
Stoddard, Daniel 42 RB So* 52 100
$Fredrickson, Julio 20 RB Fr 51 68
Smothers, Winston 28 RB Jr 41 66
Shaw, Calvin 34 RB So 37 63
</pre></font>
Stoddard beats out true frosh Julio Fredrickson, who will now redshirt as well. Depth is pretty good here with Smothers returning from injury and Shaw who saw action as a true Freshman.
<pre><font face=courier>
Hightower, Damon 25 FB* Jr* 20 48
Boren, Kirk 31 FB* Jr* 19 50
</pre></font>
They see very little time so they will be expected to keep their grades up and be demons on Special teams.
<pre><font face=courier>
Cerny, Gus 89 TE Fr 24 67
Joseph, Geoff 82 TE So* 21 89
Downs, Darren 86 TE* Jr 24 37
Becerra, Darnell 87 TE* Jr 23 31
Buick, George 97 TE* So 3 3
</pre></font>
Not a strength as numbers 3-5 on the depth chart are walk-ons. Cerny gains the nod as a true Freshman but Joseph will see a lot of time as Cerny develops
<pre><font face=courier>
Hitchcock, Ellis 7 WR So* 52 80
#Mueller, Jimmie 81 WR Sr 37 37
Fletcher, Leland 8 WR Fr 36 89
Isbell, J.C. 9 WR Sr 32 43
Horton, Bennie 80 WR Jr 25 39
$Rose, Pete 88 WR Fr 24 60
Doherty, Morris 85 WR Jr 16 37
Hodges, Cary 5 WR* Jr 12 31
</pre></font>
Things are looking up in the receiving corp. Only 1 returning starter in Mueller but there is talent among the youngsters, especially redshirt freshman Ellis Hitchcock. Fletcher worked hard on his routes and upstaged the more heavily recruited Pete Rose. Three potentially solid starters here, as Mueller plays beyond his skills.
<pre><font face=courier>
Benson, Winfred 58 C Jr 34 75
Flynn, Melvin 51 C So* 31 76
$Baxter, Ellis 56 C Fr 7 100
Burks, Terrance 67 G Sr 33 33
Ballard, Kyle 62 G So 30 47
Nixon, C.J. 78 G Fr 10 33
Burnside, Randall 64 G* Fr 0 3
Fletcher, Irv 61 T Sr 51 51
Lyon, Ed 63 T So* 22 54
Lathon, Ron 76 T Jr* 36 36
$Longmate, Tom 69 T Fr 29 61
Watson, Emmanuel 60 T* Jr 28 41
Gray, Maurice 72 T* Sr 7 30
</pre></font>
This is a MAJOR concern as youth and inexperience are the order of the day. The five projected starters have a grand total of 2 College starts between them and the 2 best prospects are too raw to contribute and will redshirt this Season. Gatlin will be facing a lot of pressure and our talented backs may find the going tough early on.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Ashraf, Harvey 14 P Sr 54 54
Galloway, Mo 2 P* So* 6 24
#Berkebile, Calvin 4 K Sr 37 50
Coffey, Desmond 1 K Jr* 23 56
</pre></font>
Special teams will be solid, though not spectacular and this is important as these guys could make a difference in close games.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Goodwin, Don 90 DE Sr 44 61
#Flowers, Quentin 73 DE Sr 41 41
$Newsome, Donnie 95 DE Fr 35 56
Waite, Hunter 70 DE Sr 32 32
Preston, Bob 94 DE Sr* 19 42
Prior, Jerry 77 DE Sr 19 42
Bradley, Jeff 74 DE So* 12 62
Tran, Vernon 98 DE* Jr* 5 9
#Wohlman, Barry 91 DT So 47 95
Cramer, Ed 75 DT Jr* 18 64
$Such, Wade 79 DT Fr 17 87
Blackburn, Fred 93 DT Sr* 14 28
Doyle, Mario 99 DT* Jr 28 48 Suspended
</pre></font>
An area of strength with all 3 starters back, with the ends both starters for the third year. Wohlman got 6 sacks from his NG position and will be relied upon heavily to plug the inside gaps and absorb double teams on passing plays. Both Redshirts have potential and will contribute down the road.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Watson, Justin 96 ILB Sr 35 52
#Diaz, Harris 41 ILB So 25 66
$Jamison, Roderick 92 ILB Fr 14 100
$Shields, Darrin 55 ILB Fr 12 95
Harding, Claude 50 ILB* Sr* 15 47
Dickerson, Lamont 49 ILB* Sr 14 41
Geary, Harvey 40 OLB So 40 81
Meehan, Oliver 52 OLB* Jr* 26 48
Hochstetler, Harvey 54 OLB Sr 16 23
Peters, Charles 53 OLB Jr 15 17
$Wong, Herb 46 OLB Fr 13 72
Sampson, Corey 59 OLB Fr 3 28
</pre></font>
We should be tough to run on between tackles with Watson and Diaz back, and our two Freshman show a ton of upside. On the edges 2 first year starters step up and Meehan is a walk-on who will earn a scholarship if he holds onto the job. He is a hard nosed player who works as hard as anyone, while Diaz should contend for all League honors.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Tinker, Mike 36 CB Sr 33 33
Vance, Bennie 29 CB So 19 59
Irish, Barry 23 CB So 25 41
$Lewis, Mel 45 CB Fr 11 55
Fletcher, Alvin 26 CB* Sr* 20 38
Newville, Darryl 47 CB* Sr 15 15
#Foreman, A.J. 35 S So 37 58
Perry, Derek 43 S So* 37 58
Bruce, Bryant 33 S Fr 30 68
Claytor, Monty 22 S Sr 25 44
Matney, Irv 39 S Jr 24 45 Suspended
</pre></font>
Another area lacking quality depth. Tinker and Foreman return but neither has shown sustained greatness, though Foreman has that potential and Bruce could make some noise by Seasons end.
</pre></font>

Players to watch
Dwight Gatlin QB
Daniel Stoddard RB
Winfred Benson C
Barry Wohlman DT
Harris Diaz LB
Harvey Geary LB
AJ Foreman S

Top Newcomers
Gus Cerny TE
Ellis Hitchcock WR
Leland Fletcher WR
Bryant Bruce S

2006 Schedule
<pre><font face=courier>
Rival: Utah
Stadium Capacity: 65,000
Season Tickets Sold: 47,700

Week Opponent
2 (48) ARIZONA
3 at Duke
$$5 NEW MEXICO
6 at Rutgers
$$7 (35) COLORADO STATE
$$8 at UNLV
$$9 SAN DIEGO STATE
10 (13) NOTRE DAME
$$11 at (20) Utah
$$12 AIR FORCE
$$13 at (41) Wyoming

Home Games in ALL CAPS
$$-Conference Games
</pre></font>

Outlook
We could still be a year away from contending for a Conference Championship, as there is a lot of inexperience on the Offensive side of the ball and Gatlin is not ready to carry the team at this stage. Our defense should keep us in games against teams we match up with well, and the key will be to play solid special teams and not shoot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and penalties. A 7-4 record and another Bowl would be a success and set us up well for a MWC title run next year.

BYU Alumni
Donnie Davison LB: Exp 2-Unsigned Free Agent
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Exp R-Active Backup SLB
Luther Blake WR Arizona: Exp 2-Practice Squad
Willie Godfrey G Arizona: Exp R-Practice Squad

The few, the proud, and mostly inactive. Davison may not be long for the Game if he is not picked up soon, as his Father in-Law has a nice position waiting in his Real Estate business back in Provo. Wohlman is the only alumni on an active roster and is there solely on his work ethic, backing up Raynoch Thompson at the Strong side LB position, he could see some time unless the Cardinals can find a better option.

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 2 (We had a bye in Week 1)

Arizona 27 BYU 24 OT
Record Overall 0-1 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 21-26-289 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 22-68 1 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 9-176

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 8 tackles 3 assists
Derek Perry S 6 tackles 3 assists
Justin Watson LB 4 tackles 2 assists 1 sack, 1 Int

Recap
Positives and negatives come with this OT loss to U of A. Gatlin looked sharp and Ellis Hitchcock will be a stud, besides his 9 catches he returned a punt for 80 yards and a TD, this kid is a game breaker! The running game was not what it could and hopefully will be later in the year and we gave up 8 sacks which makes it difficult to sustain drives. I was worried about the O-Line and this game totally justified those fears, hopefully experience will allow them to gel. On Defense we were effective against the pass but were inconsistent against the run, and just couldn’t make the big play. A sack in OT forced us to kick a Field goal and Arizona scored a Touchdown in 2 plays to get the W.

Injuries
Irv Fletcher T Out-Arthroscopic Knee surgery.

This hurts as he was our only lineman with a start prior to this Season, the good news is he could be back in only 3 weeks.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

We recruit as follows this year. 1 QB, 1 RB, 1 TE, 1 WR, 0 C, 2 G, 1 T, 1 P, 1 K, 1 DE 0 DT, 2 ILB, 1 OLB, 1 CB and 1 S
Mountain West Scoreboard

Utah 35 Utah State 14
Wyoming 37 Kansas 31
Wake Forest 27 Air Force 20
Colorado State 13 Cornell 3
Arizona 27 BYU 24
Michigan 59 New Mexico 3
Wisconsin 31 San Diego St 3
North Texas 58 UNLV 7

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
Team Overall MWC PF/PA
Utah 1-0 0-0 35-14
Colorado St 1-0 0-0 13-3
Wyoming 1-0 0-0 37-31
San Diego St 1-1 0-0 44-58
Air Force 0-1 0-0 20-27
BYU 0-1 0-0 24-27
UNLV 0-1 0-0 7-58
New Mexico 0-2 0-0 27-86
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

BYU at Duke
Indiana at Colorado St
Northwestern at Wyoming
Missouri at UNLV
Arizona St at San Diego St
Air Force at Hawaii
Brown at Utah

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Did not play

Luther Blake WR Arizona: Released
Willie Godfrey G Arizona: Released

Well we are down to one remaining Dynasty Alumni and he is buried deep on the Bench. With the release of Blake and Godfrey there are now 9 Alumni free agents waiting for a call that will likely not come.

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 3

BYU 34 Duke 9
Record Overall 1-1 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 17-33-284 2 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 20-75

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 5-75 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 4-92

Defense
Derek Perry S 7 tackles 1 assist
Justin Watson LB 6 tackles 1 Int 1 TD
Oliver Meehan LB 6 Tackles 1 assist

Recap
On a rainy afternoon in Durham we get a sloppy win, but we’ll take it kind of win. Gatlin is inconsistent after a good first outing, a scene played out way too many times last year, and again the running game was not overwhelming. In fact our offense was nearly non-existent until the second half when Gatlin led 3 successive scoring drives as we were finally able to pull away. In the first half it was all defense as nursing a 3-0 lead in the second quarter Justin Watson returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown. Then, after 7 minutes of uneventful sparring Bennie “the Jet” Vance picked off Dukes QB Clancy at the BYU 2 and wove his way 98 yards for the games second TD. All in all the Defense had 3 interceptions and made big stops time and again. We did cut our sacks down to 3, but Duke is not formidable up front and I still lose sleep over Gatlin’s safety in the pocket.

Injuries
Irv Fletcher T Out-Arthroscopic Knee surgery.
Oliver Meehan LB-Out Broken Ribs

Meehan is really a gutty player and he could be out for over 2 Months. This Injury is damaging as it could force me to remove Herb Wong’s redshirt if nobody can step up.

Recruiting

Visits
Paul Post QB Sandy, UT-Overall 291 Position 29
Bruce Rhett RB Boulder, CO-Overall 141 Position 17

Commits
None

We get two early visits from players we really want. Post is the top QB to come out of Utah in years and he would give us quality depth. Rhett is out #1 RB priority and is a powerful runner.

Mountain West Scoreboard

BYU 34 Duke 9
Utah 42 Brown 14
Colorado St 31 Indiana 17
Northwestern 26 Wyoming 21
Missouri 42 UNLV 17
Arizona St 27 San Diego St 24
Air Force 31 Hawaii 21

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 2 0 0 1.000 77 28 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Colorado State 2 0 0 1.000 44 20 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
Wyoming 1 1 0 .500 58 57 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Brigham Young 1 1 0 .500 58 36 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Air Force 1 1 0 .500 51 48 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 1 2 0 .333 68 85 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
New Mexico 0 2 0 .000 27 86 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
UNLV 0 2 0 .000 24 100 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

UNLV at Illinois
Colorado St at Colorado
Wyoming at Boston College
Tennessee at Utah

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Did not play

Another week on the Bench for our last remaining Dynasty warrior. None of our seniors this year look like solid prospects either so it may be a few Seasons before we have a bonafide star from our Dynasty. On a side note the Cardinals are 3-0 which means Jeff Garcia must be crisp.....An obscure reference for fans of the "Mark Patrick on sports" show. :)

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 4 Bye


Record Overall 1-1 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing


Rushing


Receiving


Defense


Recap
Not much to report on the bye week, we prepare to open MWC conference play against New Mexico. This is a good opener to build confidence as they are 0-2 and have not played well at all. Hopefully we take advantage of the opportunity to get a lot of kids in and gain valuable experience for the tougher road ahead.

Injuries
Irv Fletcher T Out-Arthroscopic Knee surgery.
Oliver Meehan LB-Out Broken Ribs

It does not look like Fletcher will be back until after New Mexico, and even if he was able to go we would have probably rested him to avoid a re-injury.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

We take advantage of the bye to hit the recruiting trail really hard, it spurs no new visits, but overall I feel we are ahead of last years pace in terms of establishing dialogue with quality student athletes.

Mountain West Scoreboard

Illinois 52 UNLV 0
Colorado 28 Colorado St 10
Boston College 28 Wyoming 20
Tennessee 38 Utah 13

A tough week for the league, though Wyoming showed fire and may be better then we are giving them credit for.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 2 1 0 .666 90 66 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Colorado State 2 1 0 .666 54 48 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Brigham Young 1 1 0 .500 58 36 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Air Force 1 1 0 .500 51 48 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 1 2 0 .333 78 85 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
San Diego State 1 2 0 .333 68 85 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
New Mexico 0 2 0 .000 27 86 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
UNLV 0 3 0 .000 34 152 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

Air Force at Colorado St
New Mexico at BYU
UNLV at Utah
Wyoming at San Diego St

Good in State rivalry with Air force and CSU, while UNLV could be in big trouble facing an angry Ute team, smarting from the rout at the hands of Tennessee.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: played sparingly in 34-20 loss at the hands of Green Bay, was not involved in any tackles, but is hanging on to his roster spot tenaciously.

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 5

BYU 63 New Mexico 20
Record Overall 2-1 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 24-34-348 4 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 19-129 3 TD

Receiving
Daniel Stoddard 7-63
Jimmie Mueller 5-110
Leland Fletcher 5-93 2 TD

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 5 tackles 2 assists
Justin Watson LB 5 tackles 1 assist
AJ Foreman S 3 tackles 2 Int
Mike Tinker CB and Derek Perry S returned Ints for Touchdowns

Recap
We take full advantage of a porous New Mexico Defense to rack up 515 yards and finally get the run game going, even better we allow only 1 sack and Gatlin is lights out with what might be his best game to date. We are becoming a second half force as we put together 4 consecutive scoring drives beginning in the third quarter to blow the game out of reach.

Injuries
Oliver Meehan LB-Out Broken Ribs

Fletcher will be back for the Rutgers game to anchor the steadily improving line and this should bolster their growing confidence even more.

Recruiting

Visits
Bo Chavous RB Albuquerque, NM Overall 23 Position 3
Johnnie Derby TE Bakersfield, CA Overall 444 Position 9
Todd Gurley K Henderson, NV Overall 519 Position 13
Quentin Clements S Garden Grove, CA Overall 187 Position 10

Commits
None

4 more recruits elect to trip to the Y, the most promising among them is Blue Chip RB Bo Chavous, the top rated back in the Southwest and 3rd nationally at his position. We were not recruiting him hard but will step up the pace now. Everyone else are solid top 20 players at their position and could all contend for starting spots down the road. With top notch facilities, a new energy and the chance to play early we feel confident that we are on pace for a solid class.


Mountain West Scoreboard

BYU 63 New Mexico 20
Colorado St 24 Air Force 23
Utah 44 UNLV 34
San Diego St 33 Wyoming 7

A barn burner up in Fort Collins as CSU edges Air Force Academy to keep pace with Utah, who struggles against an outclassed UNLV team.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 3 1 0 .750 134 100 1 0 0 1.000 44 34 Won 1
Colorado State 3 1 0 .750 78 71 1 0 0 1.000 24 23 Won 1
Brigham Young 2 1 0 .666 121 56 1 0 0 1.000 63 20 Won 2
San Diego State 2 2 0 .500 101 92 1 0 0 1.000 33 7 Won 1
Air Force 1 2 0 .333 74 72 0 1 0 .000 23 24 Lost 1
Wyoming 1 3 0 .250 85 118 0 1 0 .000 7 33 Lost 3
New Mexico 0 3 0 .000 47 149 0 1 0 .000 20 63 Lost 3
UNLV 0 4 0 .000 68 196 0 1 0 .000 34 44 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

Wyoming at Colorado
BYU at Rutgers
Dartmouth at Air Force
Colorado St at Brown
New Mexico at New Mexico St
Yale at San Diego St

The MWC could go 5-1 next week as the Colorado schools and SDSU look to feast on the Ivy League, while we play Rutgers who is 0-2 and has been outscored 83-0. They are coming off a 2 week bye though and these teams can be dangerous.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Did not play in 27-19 win against the Bears. For the year he has appeared in 2 games and is credited with 1 tackle, but still pulling that NFL pay check!

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 6

BYU 58 Rutgers 22
Record Overall 3-1 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 19-35-311 3 TD 3 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 39-171 3 TD

Receiving
Daniel Stoddard 5-42 1 TD
Leland Fletcher 5-124 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 4-96

Defense
Mike Tinker CB 4 tackles 1 sack
Darryl Newville CB 4 tackles 1 sack
Barry Irish CB 4 tackles 1 Int

Recap
Our defense gave Rutgers its first points of the Season, but they also proved very opportunistic recording 5 picks for the second game in a row, which now gives us 14 interceptions for the Season!! Gatlin had another up and down game throwing 3 TD’s but also 3 Int’s of his own. The tone was truly set with the running game as Stoddard exploded for 171 yards on 39 carries, which equated to a 13 minute time of possession advantage. After tearing out to a 31-7 first quarter lead we did let Rutgers get as close as 37-22, which bothers me, but we responded to score the gamers final 21 points to complete the rout.

Injuries
Oliver Meehan LB-Out Broken Ribs

Still only one starter out which will remain the key to our success, given our lack of depth.

Recruiting

Visits
Roger Bronson WR Saint George, UT Overall 578 Position 45
Juan McConnell G Phoenix, AZ Overall 137 Position 13
Andrew Reynolds LB San Antonio, TX Overall 91 Position 6

Commits
None
Three more visits but sill no commits and 2 key losses as Bo Chavous takes his ample game to Nebraska and Johnnie Derby stays home and elects to attend Stanford. We will return our focus to Bruce Rhett for our backfield and will really up the efforts on Andrew Reynolds, who was another we didn’t think would give us a look.

Mountain West Scoreboard

BYU 58 Rutgers 22
Colorado 52 Wyoming 3
Air Force 48 Dartmouth 6
Colorado St 33 Brown 28
New Mexico St 30 New Mexico 6
San Diego St 21 Yale 18

Wyoming is brought back to reality against Colorado and it appears they have lost the will to compete, and now bad is New Mexico? The rest of the MWC wins, albeit Rutgers and the Ivy league will not make anyone tremble in fear, still a 4-2 week is better than the alternative for the League. At this point I think we have a legitimate shot to contend for the League crown if we continue to move the ball like we have been.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Colorado State 4 1 0 .800 111 99 1 0 0 1.000 24 23 Won 2
Brigham Young 3 1 0 .750 179 78 1 0 0 1.000 63 20 Won 3
Utah 3 1 0 .750 134 100 1 0 0 1.000 44 34 Won 1
San Diego State 3 2 0 .600 122 110 1 0 0 1.000 33 7 Won 2
Air Force 2 2 0 .500 122 78 0 1 0 .000 23 24 Won 1
Wyoming 1 4 0 .200 88 170 0 1 0 .000 7 33 Lost 4
UNLV 0 4 0 .000 68 196 0 1 0 .000 34 44 Lost 4
New Mexico 0 4 0 .000 53 179 0 1 0 .000 20 63 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

Air Force at New Mexico
Colorado St at BYU ESPN 2
UNLV at Wyoming
San Diego St at Utah Cox local TV

We break the top 50 and land a National cable game on ESPN 2, this is a key early League game and the loser will be facing an uphill climb the rest of the way. San Diego St at Utah will be another key game with both teams at 1-0 in League play.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Plays late in the Cards 31-10 Loss to the Bears and records 1 tackle and his first career sack. Hopefully this will be the start of some more playing time as Ike fights to make the most of his chances.

[SweetC]

I like the style of your posts, easy to read and good mix of stats and narratives, keep it going!

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 7

BYU 48 Colorado St 17
Record Overall 4-1 Mountain West 2-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 21-32-362 4 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 15-91 1 TD

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 7-180 1 TD
Daniel Stoddard 6-53 1 TD

Defense
Derek Perry S 7 tackles 1 assist
Harvey Geary LB 6 tackles 2 assists
Barry Wohlman DT 4 tackles 1 assist

Recap
Things were starting out bleak as CSU held a 17-3 lead with under 5 minutes to go in the second quarter after Donnie KcKnight hit Clay DeGrange with a 22 yard rope. Things turned quickly as the electrifying RS Freshman Ellis Hitchcock returned the ensuing kickoff a school and MWC record 108 yards for a touchdown!! Ellis has been relatively quiet as a receiver recently as teams often double him up, but he has energized the Cougar special teams with his return ability. The attention given Hitchcock has also allowed our true Freshman surprise Leland Fletcher to become a game breaker as his performance earns him POG honors. Defensively we made some adjustments and CSU’s offense was done for the day as their 7 second half possessions resulted in 1 missed FG and 6 punts. Our offense was unstoppable after the half as we scored on 6 of 7 possessions and again established ourselves as a dominating second half team.

Injuries
Oliver Meehan LB-Doubtful Broken Ribs

Meehan should be ready after the UNLV game

Recruiting

Visits
Nick Levitt TE Modesto, CA Overall 514 Position 13
Justin Jenkins G Philadelphia, PA Overall 2 Position 1
Lance Boyd G San Francisco, CA Overall 295 Position 28
Bryce Schultz G Washington, DC Overall 208 Position 21
Mack Linquist P Fairplay, CO Overall 685 Position 17
Jackie Trippi DE Akron, OH Overall 45 Position 6
Shaun Keith LB Oakdale, CT Overall 335 Position 19
Thurman Upshaw LB Fleming Neon, KY Overall 457 Position 27
Ricardo Bradford LB Morgan Hill, CA Overall 239 Position 14
Andrew Reynolds LB San Antonio, TX Overall 91 Position 6
Ty Lucas CB Fort Lupton, CO Overall 191 Position 14
Kendrick Cota S Carlsbad, CA Overall 414 Position 24

Commits
Andy Schroder WR Jacksonville, FL Overall 67 Position 6
Kirk Saurez T Milwaukee, WI Overall 52 Position 7
Pete Winslett LB Fair Oaks, CA Overall 168 Position 7

We get our first commit and they all are top 10 at their position which is great news. The best of the lot is Saurez, who could be starting as a true freshman, he has all the tools and all the intangibles to be great. We have a slew of visitors, including Justin Jenkins who is the best Offensive Lineman available; we may have a shot with him. Jackie Trippi is also within the top 50 in the country overall and would be a great addition to the D-Line next to Wohlman. If we land one more Blur Chipper I will be happy, especially if he is a Guard from Philadelphia or a Linebacker from Texas. 

Mountain West Scoreboard

BYU 48 Colorado St 17
Air Force 35 New Mexico 28
Wyoming 34 UNLV 14
Utah 28 San Diego St 21

A big win for us helps us keep pace with Utah who edges SDSU. Air Force struggles with a very bad New Mexico Team and it is shaping as a battle between us and that School up North.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 4 1 0 .800 227 95 2 0 0 1.000 111 37 Won 4
Utah 4 1 0 .800 162 121 2 0 0 1.000 72 55 Won 2
Colorado State 4 2 0 .666 128 147 1 1 0 .500 41 71 Lost 1
Air Force 3 2 0 .600 157 106 1 1 0 .500 58 52 Won 2
San Diego State 3 3 0 .500 143 138 1 1 0 .500 54 35 Lost 1
Wyoming 2 4 0 .333 122 184 1 1 0 .500 41 47 Won 1
New Mexico 0 5 0 .000 81 214 0 2 0 .000 48 98 Lost 5
UNLV 0 5 0 .000 82 230 0 2 0 .000 48 78 Lost 5
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

BYU at UNLV
Air Force at Boston College
Utah at Colorado St
New Mexico at Wyoming

We face a horrible UNLV team who statistically has both the worst Defense and second worst Offense in the MWC, while we have the best on both sides of the ball. We score 45.4 points a game (3rd in the nation) while UNLV gives up 46.0 (3rd worst) should be a mismatch, but the Rebels did play Utah tough. Gatlin is the #1 ranked QB in the MWC and Stoddard the #1 RB. We also are the top passing team in the conference and #8 nationally.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Does not play as the Cardinals fall to Seattle 13-6 to slip below .500 for the first time this Season.

[BYU 14]

Thanks for comments SC, I am having fun with this. It will be better when we get some folks in the NFL to follow that actually play :)

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 8

BYU 48 UNLV 22
Record Overall 5-1 Mountain West 3-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 24-37-340 4 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 19-140 2 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 9-122 2 TD
Leland Fletcher 6-95 1 TD

Defense
Monty Claytor CB 5 tackles
Charles Peters LB 4 tackles 1 sack 1 Int

Recap
We fall behind 7-0, then unleash the hounds. We score on 5 of our next 6 possessions to take a 31-7 lead into the Half and coast from there. Gatlin rediscovers Ellis Hitchcock, connecting with the California flyer for 2 second quarter TD strikes en-route to a huge day for both players. Stoddard again surpasses the century mark behind our steadily improving Offensive line, though we still allow 4 sacks. Defensively we pick 3 more passes off, and play a lot of 2nd and 3rd stringers as we are able to maintain a big lead throughout. This also allows us to rest some starters that are dinged up. All in all we pile up 553 yards of total offense for the game, and we now rank 7th nationally in Passing offense at 331.3 YPG, and 3rd in scoring at 45.8, only Michigan and TCU do it better.

Injuries
Oliver Meehan LB-Doubtful Broken Ribs

Harris Diaz has also been hampered by a thumb injury and he has been pulled early when the games are under control.

Recruiting

Visits
Korey Webb T Chula Vista, CA Overall 72 Position 9

Commits
Paul Post QB Sandy, UT CA Overall 291 Position 29
Nick Levitt TE Modesto, CA Overall 514 Position 13
Lance Boyd G San Francisco, CA Overall 295 Position 28

We lose to coveted recruits when Bruce Rhett RB goes to MWC rival Air Force and top ranked Offensive Lineman Justin Jenkins G taps Michigan as his home for the next 5 years. Jenkins was a dream, but we really thought we had Rhett and his lose hurts! Still we score the depth we wanted at QB with local boy Post and land a solid G in Boyd. Only one new visit in Webb, but he is a good one. Our class is shaping up to be pretty good and if we can score some secondary help and a couple more solid Linemen we will be happy.

Mountain West Scoreboard

BYU 48 UNLV 22
Boston College 24 Air Force 14
Utah 17 Colorado St 16
Wyoming 48 New Mexico 14

Still us and the School up North, though Colorado St gave Utah much more trouble than we had with them. Wyoming crushes New Mexico, but it’s New Mexico.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 5 1 0 .833 275 117 3 0 0 1.000 159 59 Won 5
Utah 5 1 0 .833 179 137 3 0 0 1.000 89 71 Won 3
Wyoming 3 4 0 .428 170 198 2 1 0 .666 89 61 Won 2
Air Force 3 3 0 .500 171 130 1 1 0 .500 58 52 Lost 1
San Diego State 3 3 0 .500 143 138 1 1 0 .500 54 35 Lost 1
Colorado State 4 3 0 .571 144 164 1 2 0 .333 57 88 Lost 2
New Mexico 0 6 0 .000 95 262 0 3 0 .000 62 146 Lost 6
UNLV 0 6 0 .000 104 278 0 3 0 .000 70 126 Lost 6
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

San Diego St at BYU
Wyoming at Air Force
Utah at New Mexico

Utah has the week off against the Lobos while we play host to the SDSU Aztecs, who historically give us trouble with their wide open Offense. We have Notre Dame coming up in 2 weeks, which will really gauge our progress, but we cannot afford to look past the Aztecs.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Does not play again in a 17-16 loss to St Louis. The Cardinals promising start has now begun to resemble business as usual as they now are only a half game ahead of last place Seattle.

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 9

BYU 76 San Diego St 23
Record Overall 6-1 Mountain West 4-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 22-32-281 6 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 30-226 1 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 9-120 4 TD
Daniel Stoddard 6-59 1 TD

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 3 tackles 1 sack 1 Int 1 TD
Justin Watson LB 3 tackles 2 assists 1 Int
Barry Irish CB 2 Int 1 TD (6 Interceptions for the year for our Nickle back)

Recap
We are behind 13-0 barely 3 minutes in when we decide to play and once we decide we never stop! SDSU plays 5 DB’s and looks to take away our deep game. We oblige by taking the underneath routes and unveiling a punishing running game. The early deficit becomes a 42-16 Halftime lead and it only gets better. We again top 500 yards total offense and record an incredible 6 interceptions, our third game with 5 or more, the secondary are ball hawks!! 2 of these picks are returned for scores as our defense, though not stout, can generate the big play. We were also 9/13 in 3rd down conversions and San Diego St was victimized by 22 Penalties!! Not surprisingly their Coach Jackie Henson is terrible with discipline.

Injuries
Oliver Meehan LB-Doubtful Broken Ribs
Jimmie Mueller WR-Doubtful Strained Triceps

That tapping you hear is not the Raven, it is I, knocking on wood as we continue to be lucky with injuries.

Recruiting

Visits
Kenyon Witcher RB Winchester, KY Overall 322 Position 33
Steve Monroe G Flint, MI Overall 304 Position 29
Malcolm Williams G Sierra Vista, AZ Overall 407 Position 53

Commits
None

Kendrick Kota S, tells us he has always fancied himself as Cat like and thinks the Cougars would be a good fit, he then takes his game to Maryland. Note to Kota, a Terrapin is a Turtle!! Not much else here, we are still fighting for some good prospects, though only 6 commits to date concerns me some. I hope we land Witcher cause you gotta love that name.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 76 San Diego St 23
Air Force 17 Wyoming 12
Utah 45 New Mexico 21

Nothing changes as Utah coasts and our big win gives us a lot of confidence going into the Notre Dame game. Wyoming is a real enigma as they again look respectable in a tough loss to Air force.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 6 1 0 .857 351 140 4 0 0 1.000 235 82 Won 6
Utah 6 1 0 .857 224 158 4 0 0 1.000 134 92 Won 4
Air Force 4 3 0 .571 188 142 2 1 0 .666 75 64 Won 1
Wyoming 3 5 0 .375 182 215 2 2 0 .500 101 78 Lost 1
Colorado State 4 3 0 .571 144 164 1 2 0 .333 57 88 Lost 2
San Diego State 3 4 0 .428 166 214 1 2 0 .333 77 111 Lost 2
UNLV 0 6 0 .000 104 278 0 3 0 .000 70 126 Lost 6
New Mexico 0 7 0 .000 116 307 0 4 0 .000 83 191 Lost 7
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

Notre Dame at BYU
Air Force at UNLV
New Mexico at Yale
Colorado St at San Diego St

Us and New Mexico have none League games, while Air Force takes on UNLV in what should be a laugher. CSU and SDSU will be interesting as CSU comes off a bye and we all know what happened to San Diego St, they are wounded and angry.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Bye

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 10

Notre Dame 63 BYU 3
Record Overall 6-2 Mountain West 4-0

Leaders
Passing
Bryce Martin 11-19-111
Dwight Gatlin 4-20-79 1 Int

Rushing
Calvin Shaw 9-22
Daniel Stoddard 2-0

Receiving
Calvin Shaw 5-42
Leland Fletcher 2-51

Defense
Derek Perry S 10 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
Harris Diaz LB 7 tackles 5 assists
Barry Wohlman 7 tackles 3 assists 1/2 sack

Recap
Where to start…..well it was a nice breezy 63 degrees at kickoff, that was about the highlight. We were down 21-0 after one and never got closer after that then 28-3. Notre Dame gave us a big wake up call gashing our defense for 654 total yards, while holding us to 209. Gatlin had far and away his worst game as a Cougar and was benched before the half. We did get 2 more picks, but after that the highlight of the day was, well nothing. 3 for 17 on third down, 9 penalties for 71 yards and an 8 minute time of possession disadvantage. Plain and simple around every turn was an Leprechaun with a big club and we took them all. We need to recover quickly because we have Utah next, and that game will probably decide who represents the MWC in the post Season.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Pulled Quadriceps
Oliver Meehan LB-Doubtful Broken Ribs
Jimmie Mueller WR-Doubtful Strained Triceps

Could have been worse, but Joseph was our starting Tight End, though not a big part of our Offense.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Korey Webb T Chula Vista, CA Overall 72 Position 9
Mack Linquist P Fairplay, CO Overall 685 Position 17
Andrew Reynolds LB San Antonio, TX Overall 91 Position 6

We get 3 solid commits, with the additions of Webb and Reynolds particularly exciting as they are both top 10 at their Positions. We will have solid bookend Tackles with the earlier commit of Kirk Saurez. We now have 9 commits and with 4 top 100 overall players this will be our best class yet, a signal that things are headed in the right direction at least.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Notre Dame 63 BYU 3
Air Force 42 UNLV 14
New Mexico 59 Yale 24
Colorado St 38 San Diego St 13

We have already been over our pain, New Mexico gets their first win over the Ivy leagues Yale squad, while San Diego St did not recover from the shellacking we gave them and fall big to CSU. UNLV still sucks.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
Utah 6 1 0 .857 224 158 4 0 0 1.000 134 92 Won 4
Brigham Young 6 2 0 .750 354 203 4 0 0 1.000 235 82 Lost 1
Air Force 5 3 0 .625 230 156 3 1 0 .750 117 78 Won 2
Colorado State 5 3 0 .625 182 177 2 2 0 .500 95 101 Won 1
Wyoming 3 5 0 .375 182 215 2 2 0 .500 101 78 Lost 1
San Diego State 3 5 0 .375 179 252 1 3 0 .250 90 149 Lost 3
New Mexico 1 7 0 .125 175 331 0 4 0 .000 83 191 Won 1
UNLV 0 7 0 .000 118 320 0 4 0 .000 84 168 Lost 7
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

BYU at Utah ESPN
San Diego St at Air Force
Wyoming at Colorado St
UNLV at New Mexico

Not a good wave to be riding into the game for the MWC Championship, but we will have to put it behind us….it’s rivalry week! UNLV will try to get win #1 against the equally hapless Lobo’s while Air Force looks to stay in contention for a share of the MWC crown.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Inactive Roster.

Return of Morlon Greenwood makes Wohlman expendable, at least to the extent that he is needed solely for injury insurance. Things do not look promising long term for our only Alum on an NFL team at the moment.

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 11

Utah 38 BYU 31
Record Overall 6-3 Mountain West 4-1

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 15-25-260 3 TD

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 18-87 1 TD

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 6-100 1 TD
Daniel Stoddard 4-42

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 14 tackles 7 assists
Derek Perry S 13 tackles 4 assists
AJ Foreman 8 tackles 2 assists

Recap
A heartbreaking loss, but everything a rivalry game should be. The teams went back and forth all day and neither team turned the ball over. We led 14-7 after one, but the Ute’s stormed back to take a 24-14 lead into the break as Rodney Dostie looked like Michael Vick against us. On the day he was 16-22-274 4 TD and added 43 yards rushing on 11 carries. In the end it was our inability to shut down the Ute’s running game when it mattered the most. After Calvin Berkebile tied the score at 31 with 8:05 left on a 34 yard FG, Dostie engineered a masterful drive that ended with a 28 yard scoring strike to Neil Dellenbach for the game winning score. After a Cougar punt Utah was able to run out the clock, twice picking up first downs on big 3rd down runs. We are 0-2 against top 20 teams with this loss, but this is far better than the pasting we took at the hands of Notre Dame the week before. One extremely bright spot was Harris Diaz, who was a maniac recording 21 total tackles for the game!!

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Pulled Quadriceps

Six other players are nicked up including Diaz and Stoddard but they should all be ready to go against the Falcons this week.

Recruiting

Visits
Jorge Simmons CB Riverside, CA Overall UR Position 75
Ed Cochran CB Boise, ID Overall UR Position 87

Commits
Todd Gurley K Henderson, NV Overall 519 Position 13
Ralph Greer LB Gresham, OR Overall UR Position 83

We get the Kicker we wanted and add some depth at LB. We are still looking to get help at both CB and S, as well bolster the O-Line and add a RB and DE. We are still in the hunt for Jackie Trippi to fill the DE spot, who is ranked 45th overall in the country and 6th at his position, we would really solidify a solid recruiting class.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Utah 38 BYU 31
San Diego St 24 Air Force 17
Wyoming 28 Colorado St 7
New Mexico 35 UNLV 7

A week of upsets as SDSU takes out Air force and Wyoming shocks Colorado St, this makes our game against Air Force this week huge as we can lock up 2nd place in the MWC with a win and secure a Bowl game.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 7 1 0 .875 262 189 5 0 0 1.000 172 123 Won 5
Brigham Young 6 3 0 .666 385 241 4 1 0 .800 266 120 Lost 2
Air Force 5 4 0 .555 247 180 3 2 0 .600 134 102 Lost 1
Wyoming 4 5 0 .444 210 222 3 2 0 .600 129 85 Won 1
Colorado State 5 4 0 .555 189 205 2 3 0 .400 102 129 Lost 1
San Diego State 4 5 0 .444 203 269 2 3 0 .400 114 166 Won 1
New Mexico 2 7 0 .222 212 338 1 4 0 .200 120 198 Won 2
UNLV 0 8 0 .000 125 357 0 5 0 .000 91 205 Lost 8
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

Air Force at BYU Fox Sports
Colorado St at UNLV
San Diego St at New Mexico
Wyoming at Utah ESPN 2

If ever we needed Wyoming to pull an upset, this is the week as a win against Utah would help our quest to share the MWC crown. CSU looks to get Bowl eligible against UNLV after being upset by Wyoming. Air Force is in a similar situation against us.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Did not play

An injury to Karlos Dansby allows Ike to be placed back on the active Roster, he is a gamer who is fighting to stick in the NFL.

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 12

Air Force 32 BYU 26
Record Overall 6-4 Mountain West 4-2

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 15-27-260 2 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 17-58 2 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 5-119 2 TD
Daniel Stoddard 4-21

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 9 tackles 4 assists
Harvey Geary LB 6 Tackles 2 assists
Derek Perry S 6 tackles 2 assists

Recap
Our third loss in a row and this is just as heartbreaking as the Utah game. The Gabe Donovan/Alfred Anthony show killed us as Donovan threw for 253 yards and 4 TD and Anthony pitched in 141 yards rushing and 51 receiving to lead a well balanced Falcon attack. Our Defense has not been the same since the Notre Dame blowout and today Air force hangs a nearly 10 minute TOP advantage on us 34:33 to 25:27. We again are miserable on third down converting just 2 of 9. In addition our Defense gives up 3 scoring drives of 10 plays or more, that just wears our Defense down. It is here that our lack of depth is most apparent, and hopefully we can develop our kids enough to fix this by next Season. Offensively we just never got in a rhythm, but still led 26-21 at the half before folding. My boasts of how strong of a second half team we were several weeks ago ring pretty hollow now.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Pulled Quadriceps

We are healing up, but sill have some minor aches and pains that are effecting our players.

Recruiting

Visits
Brian Riddell G Arvada, CO Overall UR Position 90

Commits
Perry Ah Yat RB Oakdale, MN Overall 737 Position 68
Jackie Trippi DE Akron, OH Overall 45 Position 6
Ed Cochran Boise, ID Overall UR Position 87


We for all intents and purposes close out recruiting with a huge coup stealing Trippi from the heart of Pac-10 country. Ah Yat will provide depth at RB but will not challenge Stoddard or Fredrickson who is waiting in the wings. We still need a Guard and a Safety and are making some late calls to fill these needs.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Air Force 32 BYU 26
Colorado St 42 UNLV 14
San Diego St 28 New Mexico 14
Utah 35 Wyoming 7

Utah clinches the MWC title with an easy win while CSU looks to be finishing strong. UNLV at this point is playing for pride and a Coaching change could be in order here after a horrible Season. We are atop the MWC in passing Offense and 3rd in rushing Defense, though this statistic is misleading as our failure to stop the run has done us in during our 3 game skid.


Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 8 1 0 .888 297 196 6 0 0 1.000 207 130 Won 6
Air Force 6 4 0 .600 279 206 4 2 0 .666 166 128 Won 1
Brigham Young 6 4 0 .600 411 273 4 2 0 .666 292 152 Lost 3
Colorado State 6 4 0 .600 231 219 3 3 0 .500 144 143 Won 1
San Diego State 5 5 0 .500 231 283 3 3 0 .500 142 180 Won 2
Wyoming 4 6 0 .400 217 257 3 3 0 .500 136 120 Lost 1
New Mexico 2 8 0 .200 226 366 1 5 0 .166 134 226 Lost 1
UNLV 0 9 0 .000 139 399 0 6 0 .000 105 247 Lost 9
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

BYU at Wyoming
Utah at Air Force Local TV
New Mexico at Colorado St
UNLV at San Diego St

We need a win against a dangerous Wyoming squad and a Utah victory over Air Force to secure second place in the MWC and a Bowl bid. Utah is ranked 12th and would like a strong finish to try and crack the top 10, while CSU, along with Air Force are fighting for post Season privileges. All in all not a bad Season for the MWC, but apart from Utah nobody is ready for the national stage at this time.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Inactive Roster

Dansby is activated, which relegates Ike back to the practice squad. The Cardinals lose to Kansas City 20-14 to fall to 5-6 on the year and will need a lot of help, along with 4 or 5 wins to make the playoffs.

[BYU 14]

2006 Week 13

BYU 23 Wyoming 7
Record Overall 7-4 Mountain West 5-2

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 19-27-231 2 TD

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 33-187 1 TD

Receiving
Daniel Stoddard 7-75 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 5-72 1 TD

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 9 tackles 1 assist
Justin Watson LB 4 tackles 2 assists 1 Int
Bennie Vance CB 4 tackles 3 assists

Recap
Our goal here was simple, get the ball to our stud and control the line of scrimmage. Though not flashy, it worked as planned as we took it to Wyoming in the trenches and Stoddard had another big day compiling 262 all-purpose yards, while our Defense held the Cowboys to 329 total yards and grabbed 3 more interceptions. Air Force’s upset of Utah however leaves no guarantee we will be going Bowling, so we will have to sweat it out for a couple of weeks. Regardless it was good to get a win to close it out and to witness the emergence of our line over the year as we end the regular Season with a 3000 yard passer and a 1000 yard rusher. In addition playing half the year with torn ligaments in his Thumb Harris Diaz finished the year on fire, which will hopefully get him some all MWC votes.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Pulled Quadriceps

Nothing new here and hopefully a couple weeks off will allow us to enter a Bowl game completely healthy, if not was have all spring and summer to get over the nagging injuries effecting Diaz, Meehan and others of less importance.

Recruiting

Visits
Mack Lynch S Leucadia, CA Overall UR Position 84

Commits
Brian Riddell G Arvada, CO Overall UR Position 90

Riddell gives us some depth, though I am already worried about the Guard position next Season, hopefully some of the young kids can develop. We still need a Safety and will probably contact a couple more kids in case Lynch does not pan out. We will not get a star here, but perhaps there is a Diamond in the rough out there that can help us as our Pass defense this year was lethal…..half the time to our opponents, half the time to us.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 23 Wyoming 7
Air Force 31 Utah 24
Colorado St 29 New Mexico 21
San Diego St 35 UNLV 30

The Air Force academies upset of Utah is galling as we could have tied for a share of the crown had we beat the Falcons last week. Regardless AFA closed out the Season hot and along with us, CSU and to a lesser extent San Diego St are all on the Bowl bubble.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 8 2 0 .800 321 227 6 1 0 .857 231 161 Lost 1
Air Force 7 4 0 .636 310 230 5 2 0 .714 197 152 Won 2
Brigham Young 7 4 0 .636 434 280 5 2 0 .714 315 159 Won 1
Colorado State 7 4 0 .636 260 240 4 3 0 .571 173 164 Won 2
San Diego State 6 5 0 .545 266 313 4 3 0 .571 177 210 Won 3
Wyoming 4 7 0 .363 224 280 3 4 0 .428 143 143 Lost 2
New Mexico 2 9 0 .181 247 395 1 6 0 .142 155 255 Lost 2
UNLV 0 10 0 .000 169 434 0 7 0 .000 135 282 Lost 10
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

Utah at West Virginia Fox Sports
Nevada at UNLV

Utah closes it with a big game against West Virginia and a win could take some sting off the stumble against Air Force. For UNLV it is only a question of getting a bit of pride to take into the off Season.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Inactive Roster

The Cardinals edge Tampa Bay to climb back to .500 at 6-6, while Ike wiles away the week chasing down Thomas Jones with the practice squad.

[BYU 14]

2006 Weeks 14 and 15

No Games scheduled
Record Overall 7-4 Mountain West 5-2

Bowl Game
We are invited to the GMAC Bowl to play against 25th ranked Washington State from the Pac 10. They are 8-3 overall and finished 5th in a tough Conference, with all 3 losses coming to Pac 10 foes. It will be a good test and another chance to knock off a top 25 team, which would be a first on my Coaching regime.

Injuries
None

We still have some nagging injuries but everyone will be ready for the Bowl game.

Recruiting

Visits
Wade Streck S Milwaukie, OR Overall UR Position UR

Commits
Wade Streck S Milwaukie, OR Overall UR Position UR

Streck fills out our class of 2006 and may be that Diamond in the rough. From what I see he was extremely underrated and had 5 D1 Schools looking at him but nobody would pull the trigger. He committed halfway through his visit and is looking forward to being a Cougar.

Mountain West Scoreboard
UNLV 30 Nevada 0
West Virginia 34 Utah 13
Both games in week 14

Utah bombs badly in their chance to regain some stature; however they were the lucky recipients of an early invite to the Cotton Bowl, which they accepted prior to this game. It’s all about the Rebels as UNLV can at least be happy winning their final game against cross state rival Nevada.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 8 3 0 .727 334 261 6 1 0 .857 231 161 Lost 2
Air Force 7 4 0 .636 310 230 5 2 0 .714 197 152 Won 2
Brigham Young 7 4 0 .636 434 280 5 2 0 .714 315 159 Won 1
Colorado State 7 4 0 .636 260 240 4 3 0 .571 173 164 Won 2
San Diego State 6 5 0 .545 266 313 4 3 0 .571 177 210 Won 3
Wyoming 4 7 0 .363 224 280 3 4 0 .428 143 143 Lost 2
New Mexico 2 9 0 .181 247 395 1 6 0 .142 155 255 Lost 2
UNLV 1 10 0 .090 199 434 0 7 0 .000 135 282 Won 1
</pre></font>
2006 Bowl Games
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Michigan (11-0) vs Georgia (11-1)
Orange Bowl Ohio State (10-1) vs Tennessee (9-2)
Fiesta Bowl Maryland (9-2) vs Nebraska (11-1)
Cotton Bowl Southern California (9-2) vs Utah (8-3)
Sugar Bowl Clemson (8-3) vs Purdue (10-2)
Peach Bowl Oklahoma (9-3) vs California (10-1)
Liberty Bowl Kansas State (9-2) vs Miami of Florida (7-4)
Gator Bowl Pittsburgh (9-2) vs Louisiana State (8-4)
Holiday Bowl Penn State (8-3) vs Air Force (7-4)
Sun Bowl Virginia (8-3) vs Arizona State (9-2)
Aloha Bowl Iowa (7-4) vs Florida (9-2)
Motor City Bowl Georgia Tech (7-4) vs Memphis (8-3)
Independence Bowl Texas A&M (8-3) vs Washington (6-5)
Citrus Bowl Colorado State (7-4) vs Notre Dame (9-2)
Outback Bowl Virginia Tech (6-5) vs Auburn (8-3)
Alamo Bowl Colorado (7-4) vs Boise State (10-1)
GMAC Bowl Washington State (8-3) vs Brigham Young (7-4)
Bluebonnet Bowl Texas (8-3) vs Miami of Ohio (10-2)
Oahu Bowl UCLA (7-4) vs South Carolina (6-5)
Tangerine Bowl Boston College (10-1) vs Texas Christian (9-2)
Gotham City Bowl West Virginia (7-4) vs Cornell (8-3)
Humanitarian Bowl Bowling Green (7-4) vs South Florida (8-3)
Las Vegas Bowl North Texas (8-3) vs Pennsylvania (10-1)
</pre></font>
We have 4 MWC teams make the post Season with Air Force taking the Holiday Bowl spot we coveted. Colorado St and Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl is a bizarre matchup and will not be a very competitive game at all. The Bowl committee blew this one.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Inactive Roster

The Cards fall to 6-8 losing to Oakland 35-28 and St Louis 19-14 to fall from playoff contention. Wohlman, barring an injury looks like he will finish the year on the inactive Roster. His future after that is up in the air depending of what direction the Cardinals take in the Off Season.

[BYU 14]

2006 Post Season

GMAC Bowl Washington St 49 BYU 7
Record Overall 7-5 Mountain West 5-2

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 7-17-100 2 Int
Bryce Martin 6-16-99 4 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 7-88 1 TD

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 5-119
Ellis Hitchcock 3-37

Defense
Bennie Vance CB 10 tackles
AJ Foreman S 8 tackles 2 assists
Alvin Fletcher CB 7 tackles 3 assists

Recap
Cougars VS Cougars as we brought high hopes into this game with the chance to knock off a Pac 10 foe. After an interception put a stop to WSU’s opening 10 play drive, our Offense took the field fired up and ready to strike. Three plays later Washington States Scottie Rhodes stepped in front of a Dwight Gatlin pass, raced 29 yards to score and the route was on. WSU split time between Clyde Tucker and Stephen Terrell, and the 2 headed QB monster combined for 398 yards going 31-40. Our duet of Gatlin and Martin looked like a duo better suited to making a Country music album after an off key performance that featured 6 interceptions between them. The lone offensive bright spot was Stoddard ripping off a 75 yard TD run early in the third quarter. Unfortunately on his other 6 carries he only gained 13 yards total, and after being down 35-0 at the half we were not going to resort to smash mouth Football anyway. The performance of our front 7 was horrible, which is apparent when our top 3 tacklers (all with 10 total tackles or more) are from the secondary. Losing 4 of 5 to end the year was not what I had hoped for, but we have a good idea of the work we need to do in the off season, the first order of which may be looking at a new D coordinator as our Pass Defense is ranked 122nd in the Nation by the time the final Gun goes off.

Injuries
None-We end the year with no major injuries to rehab and we will hit spring ball in full health.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
None

We have handed out our allotment of Scholarships and Rivals.com ranks our recruiting class 17th in the country. We have proven in our tenure that we can recruit, but it is time those recruits started paying dividends on the field.

Post Season Scoreboard
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Michigan (12-0) 38, Georgia (11-2) 12
Orange Bowl Tennessee (10-2) 17, Ohio State (10-2) 14
Fiesta Bowl Nebraska (12-1) 33, Maryland (9-3) 7
Cotton Bowl Southern California (10-2) 59, Utah (8-4) 23
Sugar Bowl Purdue (11-2) 20, Clemson (8-4) 19
Peach Bowl Oklahoma (10-3) 33, California (10-2) 9
Liberty Bowl Miami of Florida (8-4) 34, Kansas State (9-3) 9
Gator Bowl Pittsburgh (10-2) 42, Louisiana State (8-5) 39
Holiday Bowl Penn State (9-3) 28, Air Force (7-5) 6
Sun Bowl Virginia (9-3) 35, Arizona State (9-3) 24
Aloha Bowl Florida (10-2) 38, Iowa (7-5) 9
Motor City Bowl Georgia Tech (8-4) 45, Memphis (8-4) 13
Independence Bowl Washington (7-5) 55, Texas A&M (8-4) 23
Citrus Bowl Notre Dame (10-2) 25, Colorado State (7-5) 22
Outback Bowl Auburn (9-3) 24, Virginia Tech (6-6) 17
Alamo Bowl Colorado (8-4) 42, Boise State (10-2) 9
GMAC Bowl Washington State (9-3) 49, Brigham Young (7-5) 7
Bluebonnet Bowl Texas (9-3) 44, Miami of Ohio (10-3) 15
Oahu Bowl UCLA (8-4) 30, South Carolina (6-6) 6
Tangerine Bowl Texas Christian (10-2) 21, Boston College (10-2) 14
Gotham City Bowl West Virginia (8-4) 35, Cornell (8-4) 14
Humanitarian Bowl South Florida (9-3) 35, Bowling Green (7-5) 32
Las Vegas Bowl North Texas (9-3) 28, Pennsylvania (10-2) 10
</pre></font>
Ironically the team I thought would be the least competitive, CSU, was the most competitive only losing to Notre Dame by 3. All other MWC teams were handled rather easily and it does bode well for the conference in terms of national respect.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona: Free agent

Ike’s fears finally come true as he is released immediately after the Cardinals Season ending win against San Diego. The Cards finish 7-9, good for third in the NFC West. Hopefully one of guys can latch on next year with somebody, but it does not seem likely.

[BYU 14]

<pre><font face=courier>
2006 Summary for Brigham Young

Record: 7-5 Mountain West 5-2
Rank: 54
Brigham Young Team Rank
Rushes 386 63 (T)
Rushing Yards 1351 65
Yards Per Carry 3.50 72
Pass Attempts 386 29
Completions 228 18
Passing Yards 3409 7
Yards Per Attempt 8.83 9
3rd Down Conversions 41.0 32 (T)
Points Per Game 36.7 7
Turnovers 21 48 (T)
Turnover Margin +13 9 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 377 31 (T)
Rushing Yards 1323 48
Yards Per Carry 3.50 52
Pass Attempts 410 123
Completions 213 119 (T)
Passing Yards 2988 122
Yards Per Attempt 7.28 77 (T)
3rd Down Conversions 37.4 75 (T)
Points Per Game 27.4 81 (T)
Turnovers 34 5 (T)

Primary Formation: Single-Back Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
2 24 UofA (107) 27
3 34 at DUKE (123) 9
5 63 NMEX (109) 20
6 58 at RUTG (119) 22
7 48 CSU (52) 17
8 48 at UNLV (115) 22
9 76 SDST (66) 23
10 3 ND (8) 63
11 31 at UTAH (34) 38
12 26 AFA (44) 32
13 23 at WYOM (86) 7
16 7 vs WSU (19) 49

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
10 Gatlin QB 345 208 3145 9.11 31 14
6 Martin QB 41 20 264 6.43 0 4
Team --- 386 228 3409 8.83 31 18

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
42 Stoddard RB 241 1320 5.47 16 79 134
10 Gatlin QB 76 -128 -1.68 1 49 274
28 Smothers RB 33 107 3.24 0 11 16
Team --- 386 1351 3.50 18 155 485

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
7 Hitchcock WR 89 56 996 17.7 400 11
8 Fletcher WR 94 49 924 18.8 402 9
42 Stoddard RB 66 49 435 8.8 337 5
81 Mueller WR 48 26 533 20.5 190 2
9 Isbell WR 27 12 164 13.6 23 2
82 Joseph TE 21 13 144 11.0 76 1
Team --- 386 228 3409 14.9 1553 31

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
43 Perry S 65 22 0.0 13 4 6
41 Diaz ILB 64 34 1.0 8 1 2
35 Foreman S 48 14 0.0 8 4 4
29 Vance CB 42 19 0.0 3 3 7
91 Wohlman DT 40 9 2.0 10 0 0
40 Geary OLB 39 19 0.0 2 0 2
96 Watson ILB 34 16 2.0 3 4 5
26 Fletcher CB 31 8 0.0 3 0 4
36 Tinker CB 26 5 1.0 4 2 6
53 Peters OLB 24 3 1.0 1 2 1
90 Goodwin DE 19 10 3.5 5 0 0
73 Flowers DE 18 12 5.5 6 0 0
52 Meehan OLB 18 4 0.0 1 0 1
23 Irish CB 18 4 0.0 1 6 4
33 Bruce S 15 9 0.0 3 4 1
47 Newville CB 13 2 1.0 1 0 4
22 Claytor S 13 2 0.5 2 0 1
Team --- 644 209 23.0 85 30 50
</pre></font>
Our passing game was explosive but the defensive ratings were appalling, especially against the pass, which is kind of funny considering we had so many interceptions. Our turnover margin was also top 10 and a big reason we finished as well as we did. I think I will be interviewing Defensive coordinators in the off season as it really deosn’t matter what you do moving the ball if you can’t play D. I think we will have the talent there next year and they need to start playing to potential.
Post Season Awards
National

All Freshman Team
Leland Fletcher WR

Academic All-American
Dwight Gatlin QB

MWC

Top Offensive Freshman
Leland Fletcher WR

All MWC 1st Team
Dwight Gatlin QB
Daniel Stoddard RB
Ellis Hitchcock WR

All MWC 2nd Team
Calvin Berkebile K
Quentin Flowers DE
Bennie Vance CB

All MWC Academic
Dwight Gatlin QB
Morris Doherty WR
Harvey Ashraf P
Harvey Geary LB
Derek Perry S

Another fairly decent showing, especially in academics, and a big year for Leland Fletcher, though I find it odd that after making the National All-Freshman Team and top Offensive Freshman in the MWC, that he didn’t at least make 2nd team all MWC. As the awards show our strength was our skill positions on offense and we seriously need to get the Defense up to that level so we don’t have to score 30 plus every time out to win.

Final Team Rankings 2006
Academics 33rd
Recruiting 26th
TV Revenue 44rd
Ticket Revenue 38th
Donations 75th
GPA 2.88 (6th)
Attendance 58,400 (31st)
<pre><font face=courier>
Final Top 25
Michigan 12-0 B10 1
Nebraska 12-1 B12 2
Tennessee 10-2 SEC 3
Georgia 11-2 SEC 4
Ohio State 10-2 B10 5
Southern California 10-2 P10 6
Florida 10-2 SEC 7
Notre Dame 10-2 IND 8
Purdue 11-2 B10 9
Oklahoma 10-3 B12 10
California 10-2 P10 11
Pittsburgh 10-2 BE 12
Texas 9-3 B12 13
Maryland 9-3 ACC 14
Texas Christian 10-2 USA 15
Boston College 10-2 BE 16
Penn State 9-3 B10 17
Washington State 9-3 P10 18
Kansas State 9-3 B12 19
Miami of Florida 8-4 ACC 20
UCLA 8-4 P10 21
Arizona State 9-3 P10 22
Texas A&M 8-4 B12 23
Virginia 9-3 ACC 24
Clemson 8-4 ACC 25
Michigan beat Georgia 38-12 in the National Championship game.
</pre></font>
2006 Recruiting class
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Post, Paul QB 5-11 184 UT 291 29 2 1
**Ah Yat, Perry RB 5-9 181 MN 737 68 14 1
$$Levitt, Nick TE 6-5 240 CA 514 13 71 3
Schroder, Andy WR 5-9 166 FL 67 6 4 1
**Boyd, Lance G 6-3 266 CA 295 28 39 7
$$Riddell, Brian G 6-4 259 CO --- 90 19 3
**Suarez, Kirk T 6-6 287 WI 52 7 2 2
**Webb, Korey T 6-5 280 CA 72 9 9 1
**Linquist, Mack P 6-1 178 CO 685 17 13 2
**Gurley, Todd K 6-4 199 NV 519 13 1 1
Trippi, Jackie DE 6-6 256 OH 45 6 2 1
**Reynolds, Andrew ILB 6-3 226 TX 91 6 6 1
##Greer, Ralph ILB 6-2 214 OR --- 83 16 2
**Winslett, Pete OLB 5-11 199 CA 168 7 23 2
$$Cochran, Ed CB 5-9 167 ID --- 87 3 2
##Streck, Wade S 6-1 173 OR --- --- 20 2
</pre></font>
Overall a good recruiting class that ends up be graded at 26th in the nation when all is said and done. The crown jewels are our bookend tackles, another playmaking wide Receiver and Trippi and Reynolds on Defense. Some of these guys will definitely play next year.

BYU Alumni
<pre><font face=courier>
Ike Wohlman LB Arizona
GP GS tackle Asst Sack Rply Pply
3 0 2 0 1 4 4
</pre></font>

Wohlman, now a free agent only got in on 8 plays all year but did manage 2 solos and a sack. His future now is uncertain as there are many Linebackers out there with more talent, though probably very few that work as hard.

[BYU 14]

Off Season 2007

Staff
The biggest concern is our Defense and I am thinking of replacing Jack Bailey, who I do not feel is getting the most out of our players, though we are very young. After sending out feelers I decide to give him another year to improve the D, as there is nobody I feel could make the type of impact I would like not already locked into a contract.

We lose 2 scouts as Winfred Pharms (Mid Atlantic) and Jermaine Folse (Great Lakes) both retire. Though not our primary regions we still land a player from these areas on occasion so I would like competent people there. For the Mid Atlantic I hire Jorge Troglia who is at least fair at every position but Kicker, and I can get them from closer to home. He is excellent with Receivers and D-Linemen and should perform adequately. For the Great lakes region I hire Malcolm Barginski. He is terrible with Quarterbacks, but good or better with every other position. I will always visit potential QB’s myself so this should not be a problem.

Player issues
Mario Doyle could not persevere and ends up leaving School due to last Seasons suspension for taking Money from a Booster, I wish I could strangle these Boosters sometimes as they bring nothing but trouble over half the time. Hey I want to win too but I can’t do that losing players to things like this!

I have no suspensions or academic issues which make me extremely happy, a dozen or so players would like some more free time and I will listen to their reasons, but in the end you are here to play ball and 7-5 is not acceptable at BYU…..translation, don’t count on much sympathy.

Scheduling
We have 2 open dates and I will look to get a home and home and a 1 year deal as I would prefer a fresh opponent on our schedule every year. A Tougher team for later in the year and a patsy early, preferably taking the home and home offer would be ideal.
I got a good offer from North Texas for an away game in week 2 which I take. They are a bowl team who went 9-3 last year while winning the Sun Belt conference. Not a major power but a good test. I get a home and home with San Jose St for week 4, they were 3-8 last year and should provide a good tune-up before our first league game.

Incoming recruits
The following Recruits will compete for playing time as true Freshman, or be relied upon to provide depth. Those marked by a * are projected starters coming out of Spring Ball.
Andy Schroder WR*
Lance Boyd G*
Mack Linquist P*
Todd Gurley K
Ralph Greer LB
Ed Cochran CB
Redshirts
Paul Post QB
Perry Ah Yat RB
Nick Levitt TE
Brian Riddell G
Kirk Saurez T
Korey Webb T
Jackie Trippi DE
Andrew Reynolds LB
Pete Winslett LB
Wade Streck S

We have the luxury of being able to redshirt some kids who could probably contribute (Suarez, Trippi, Reynolds) The ones that will start will do so only because of their talent. Schroder in particular wooed people during spring ball and is the number WR going into the fall behind Hitchcock, really impressive when you consider he bumped an All Freshmen team selection in Leland Fletcher to the number 3 spot.

NFL Draft
Only Punter Harvey Ashcraf and Tackle Irv Fletcher were invited to the combines and neither was taken in the NFL draft. Utah CB Bubba Clayton was the highest MWC pick going to Jacksonville with the final pick of round 2.

BYU Alumni
The only remaining Dynasty alumni still trying to catch on as free agents besides Ashcraf and Fletcher are Ike Wohlman LB and Harvey Layman T. Wohlman has been working out on campus and I have offered him a graduate assistant spot until he gets an opportunity. Everyone else has called it a career and entered the Rat race.

[BYU 14]

2007 BYU Preseason Report

Preseason Rank 59th Mountain West Rank 4th :

Roster/Depth Chart
<pre><font face=courier>
# = Returning Starter $ = Will Redshirt this Season * = Redshirt used 1st player(s) listed at each position projected starter(s)
Returning Starters: Offense 7 Defense 6 Specialists 0

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
#Gatlin, Dwight 10 QB Jr 47 91
Rayburn, Bennie 19 QB So* 26 71
$Post, Paul 4 QB Fr 14 69
Martin, Bryce 6 QB* Sr 21 24
Burroughs, Zach 11 QB* Sr* 8 22
</pre></font>
Gatlin returns as the starter for his third year and should take his place as one of the top 2 QB’s in the league along with Utah’s Rodney Dostie. If he can improve as much as he did from his Freshman to Sophomore years he will get some attention. Rayburn, though only a red shirt Freshman should be a capable backup.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Stoddard, Daniel 42 RB Jr* 59 100
Fredrickson, Julio 20 RB So* 60 69
Smothers, Winston 28 RB Sr 41 65
Shaw, Calvin 34 RB Jr 38 63
$Ah Yat, Perry 47 RB Fr 32 63
</pre></font>
Fredrickson had an amazing spring and actually out performed Stoddard, the problem is how do you move a 1300 yard rusher to the bench because of this? We will have to make sure Fredrickson gets his touches to stay happy as he looks like the real deal and the competition can only make Stoddard that much better. Our backfield is set from the next few years.
<pre><font face=courier>
Hightower, Damon 25 FB* Sr* 22 48
Boren, Kirk 31 FB* Sr* 20 50
</pre></font>
They see very little time so they will be expected to keep their grades up and be demons on Special teams, same as last year.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Joseph, Geoff 82 TE Jr* 36 89
Cerny, Gus 89 TE So 35 67
$Levitt, Nick 84 TE Fr 29 51
Becerra, Darnell 87 TE* Sr 29 31
Downs, Darren 86 TE* Sr 24 37
Buick, George 97 TE* Jr 4 4
</pre></font>
Joseph surprised people in taking the job from Cerny in fall camp last year, the two remain close but Joseph is the better all around player at the moment
<pre><font face=courier>
#Hitchcock, Ellis 7 WR Jr* 66 80
Schroder, Andy 3 WR Fr 42 100
#Fletcher, Leland 8 WR So 34 89
Rose, Pete 88 WR So* 27 60
Horton, Bennie 80 WR Sr 25 39
Doherty, Morris 85 WR Sr 18 37
Hodges, Cary 5 WR* Sr 19 31
</pre></font>
We are loaded here and though we do not have a Superstar that rivals Utah’s All-American Neil Dellenbach, I don’t think any other team in the League can match our total package. Schroder is our next big threat here and he may end up being the best we have ever had to date.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Benson, Winfred 58 C Sr 52 75
Flynn, Melvin 51 C Jr* 49 76
Baxter, Ellis 56 C So* 27 100
#Ballard, Kyle 62 G Jr 47 47
Boyd, Lance 70 G Fr 29 52
Nixon, C.J. 78 G So 12 33
$Riddell, Brian 61 G Fr 5 72
Burnside, Randall 64 G* So 0 3
#Watson, Emmanuel 60 T Sr 46 46
Longmate, Tom 69 T So* 46 61
Lyon, Ed 63 T Jr* 41 54
Lathon, Ron 76 T Sr* 40 40
$Webb, Korey 77 T Fr 27 70
$Suarez, Kirk 65 T Fr 25 80
</pre></font>
Looking better than last year as, we at least have 3 starters returning, and some good young talent waiting in the wings. Longmont worked hard on technique and I am anxious to see what he can do. Boyd will have to start as a true Freshman as Guard is our weakest point on the line and he is the most prepared, though the less touted Riddell, may eventually be better. Benson played well last year and has developed into a real leader on the line.
<pre><font face=courier>
Linquist, Mack 9 P Fr 21 100
Galloway, Mo 2 P* Jr* 5 24
Coffey, Desmond 1 K Sr* 31 56
Gurley, Todd 14 K Fr 20 65
</pre></font>
Break in 2 new starters here and there will be some growing pains. With Hitchcock leading the way our return game should still be solid though.
<pre><font face=courier>
Newsome, Donnie 95 DE So* 45 56
Preston, Bob 94 DE Sr 26 42
Bradley, Jeff 74 DE Jr* 15 62
$Trippi, Jackie 71 DE Fr 12 100
Tran, Vernon 98 DE* Sr* 10 10
#Wohlman, Barry 91 DT Jr 58 95
Such, Wade 79 DT So* 27 87
Blackburn, Fred 93 DT Sr 21 28
Cramer, Ed 75 DT Sr* 18 64
</pre></font>
Donnie Newsome was a big recruit for us last year and we look to him to boost our pass rush as we start two new bodies at DE. Wohlman was double and triple teamed a lot last year but is still a beast and he should have an easier time if Newsome pans out.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Diaz, Harris 41 ILB Jr 29 66
Shields, Darrin 55 ILB So* 28 95
Jamison, Roderick 92 ILB So* 25 100
$Reynolds, Andrew 96 ILB Fr 20 90
Greer, Ralph 57 ILB Fr 18 30
Harding, Claude 50 ILB* Sr 15 47
#Geary, Harvey 40 OLB Jr 47 81
Wong, Herb 46 OLB So* 29 72
$Winslett, Pete 44 OLB Fr 18 77
Peters, Charles 53 OLB Sr 17 17
Sampson, Corey 59 OLB So 10 28
Meehan, Oliver 52 OLB* Sr* 30 48
</pre></font>
A solid crew led by 2 year starter Harris Diaz, who still performed well last year hampered by a thumb injury over half the Season. Geary is a player that has failed to live up to potential but could be good if he can reach the next level. Huge upside in the middle with Shields and Jamison, 2 highly touted recruits from last year, while Herb Wong will get first crack at the OLB spot opposite Geary.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Vance, Bennie 29 CB Jr 33 59
Irish, Barry 23 CB Jr 29 41
Lewis, Mel 45 CB So* 17 55
Cochran, Ed 49 CB Fr 17 54
Fletcher, Alvin 26 CB* Sr 25 38
#Perry, Derek 43 S Jr* 57 58
#Foreman, A.J. 35 S Jr 39 58
Bruce, Bryant 33 S So 35 68
Matney, Irv 39 S Sr* 24 45
$Streck, Wade 37 S Fr 17 61
</pre></font>
The good news is we added depth, the bad news is 3 of 4 starters are back from a secondary that helped us rank 122nd in the country against the pass, nonetheless this group should be better just due to the experience. The big concern is our Corners, where Bennie “the Jet” Vance returns to be joined by last years nickel back Barry Irish, who tied for the team lead in picks with 6, but is horrible against the run. The safeties are solid and we may just need to play more zone this year.

Players to watch
Dwight Gatlin QB
Daniel Stoddard RB
Julio Fredrickson RB
Ellis Hitchcock WR
Donnie Newsome DE
Barry Wohlman DT
Derek Perry S
Top Newcomers
Andy Schroder WR
Lance Boyd G

2007 Schedule
<pre><font face=courier>
Rival: Utah
Stadium Capacity: 65,000
Season Tickets Sold: 47,200

Week Opponent
2 at (48) North Texas
4 SAN JOSE STATE
$$5 44) AIR FORCE
6 at Rutgers
$$7 at Wyoming
$$8 SAN DIEGO STATE
9 (12) NOTRE DAME
$$10 at UNLV
$$11 at New Mexico
$$12 COLORADO STATE
$$13 at (37) Utah

Home Games in ALL CAPS
$$-Conference Games, ##-League Championship Games, **-Post-Season Games
</pre></font>

Outlook
We will again be led by underclassmen, albeit underclassmen with experience, 13 returning starters bodes well and if our Defense can improve only to the mid 70’s we will be more of a force this year. Gatlin, Stoddard and Hitchcock should compete for all MWC honors as should Wohlman, Diaz and Perry on Defense. The schedule is not that tough with only one pre-Season top 20 team on tap (Notre Dame) and we get them at home. We should contend for the league crown and hopefully it will be on the line when we travel to Salt Lake city in November to face the hated Utes. San Diego St has a new Coach so they are an unknown but I don’t see much of a shift in power from last year across the league, though UNLV should be somewhat better.

BYU Alumni
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

It could be a lean year on the Alumni front as none of these 4 figure to get a sniff with an NFL team. That said we will enjoy having Ike as a Graduate assistant and just hope for the best with our former Cougars.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 1

BYE
Record Overall 0-0 Mountain West 0-0

Injuries
None

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

We catalog our needs and with only 12 Scholarships to give decided on the following.
Offense
RB-1, WR-2, C-1, G-1, T-1
Defense
DE-1, DT-1, ILB-1, OLB-2, CB-1, S-1

In addition we will look for the 4 best walk-ons we can get, 1 each at QB, G, DE, CB.
There are a number of decent players in Utah this year and it will be a priority to get them, we will also look in our home state first for the Walk-ons as we attempt to take control of the in-state recruiting war with Utah. We will have to get good quality this year due to the limited scholarships, so a little more prestige would help, but we will do what we can.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Air Force 13 Ohio St 9
North Carolina St 38 Utah 31
Michigan St 58 San Diego St 0

Utah is shocked by NC St, while Air Force pulls a huge upset of the Buckeyes. This sets Air Force up as an intriguing team as we knew they had some weapons on offense, but thought their front 7 might be suspect, they certainly did not play that way against Ohio St. Aztecs? Wow, rough start for the new Coach.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 1 0 0 .000 13 9 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Brigham Young 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Colorado State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Wyoming 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
New Mexico 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
UNLV 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 0 1 0 .000 0 58 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Utah 0 1 0 .000 31 38 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

BYU at North Texas
Wyoming at Illinois
Northwestern at Colorado St
Air Force at Hawaii
New Mexico at Toledo
Cornell at Utah

A nearly full MWC schedule sees some intriguing match-ups with Wyoming and CSU taking on the Big 10. North Texas is replacing their entire backfield but they have a tough Defense, that returns a lot of starters, their secondary is very good.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Our 4 remaining hopefuls are still looking for employment.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 2

BYU 34 North Texas 31 OT
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 20-31-334 4 TD 3 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 18-119

Receiving
Daniel Stoddard 7-58 1 TD
Andy Schroder 5-74 1 TD

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 11 tackles 6 assists
AJ Foreman S 9 tackles 1 assist
Herb Wong LB 9 tackles

Recap
3 youngsters making their BYU debuts tear it up in the lone star state. Watching Andy Schroder run through the NT secondary sends chills up my spine and I can not wait to unleash him against some inferior Defenses, there is no way you can cover our three headed Monster at receiver. Two young Linebackers also show great promise, especially Darrin Shields, the RS Frosh playing alongside Diaz in the middle is explosive to the ball, and actually seems quicker than Diaz, this is great news as the year goes on and our defense hopefully gels. Gatlin had a solid opener against the aforementioned talented NT secondary and Stoddard looks like he is again poised for a big Season. I was a little disappointed in our occasional lapses on Defense as we should never have needed to go to OT to get this win. That said the mean Green’s debuting QB Leslie Korzuk showed great poise and patience leading 3 long scoring drives or 78, 80 and 90 yards. We can not let teams march on us like we are a parade ground or we will get some ugly results against the likes of ND, Air Force and Utah.

Injuries
None

I love it when I catch the trainer napping during the day, I buy him a pillow and hope this list stays blank all Season.

Recruiting

Visits
None
Commits
None

After spending our first week in our home state we expand and send out feelers on the West Coast, as well as a few selected National recruits we feel might be interested in the Y.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 34 North Texas 31
Wyoming 28 Illinois 21
Colorado St 27 Northwestern 20
Air Force 38 Hawaii 27
Toledo 48 New Mexico 0
Utah 24 Cornell 6

Two big wins for the MWC as we get a big 10 sweep with Wyoming and CSU, only New Mexico loses as the conference goes 5-1 for the week, complete with the team up Norths annual foray into the Ivy League ;)

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 2 0 0 1.000 51 36 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 34 31 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 1 0 0 1.000 28 21 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Colorado State 1 0 0 1.000 27 20 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Utah 1 1 0 .500 55 44 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
UNLV 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
New Mexico 0 1 0 .000 0 48 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
San Diego State 0 1 0 .000 0 58 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
UNLV at Clemson
Wyoming at Boston College ESPN 2
San Diego St at Arizona
Dartmouth at Colorado St
Yale at New Mexico

I must have missed the memo that mandates the entire MWC play an Ivy League School every year, don’t you get the same results from your scout team? Give Wyoming props they open up with two BCS opponents and another upset here would say something about the Cowboys. UNLV will be happy to escape Clemson with a score, while the Tigers should score more than Hugh Grant at a Brothel.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

We still wait, and wait, and wait……..At least the Arena season starts

[BYU 14]

Dynasty Tidbits

In our Third year of the dynasty I wanted to see how we were making out in the battle for Utah's best players. Here are the three highest home states on each of Utah's D1 Teams.

BYU
California 23 Players
Utah 11 Players
Colorado 7 Players

Utah
Utah 21 Players
California 16 Players
Colorado and NY 6 Players each

Utah St
California 21 Players
Utah 10 Players
Texas 4 Players

As you can see we all like California, but Utah is dominating the battle for in State recruits with as many as us and USU combined. I also find Utah's "Empire State" pipeline interesting as most of their Team comes from west of the Missisipi. Utah State in general gets the home players neither us or Utah want.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 3

BYE
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0

Injuries
None

Healthy is good!

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

We have no visits yet which is especially disconcerting given the fact we are aggressively recruiting 5 local products. I want to be more visible to local kids to get some of them idolizing us. We are also hitting California heavy as always.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Clemson 45 UNLV 19
Boston College 41 Wyoming 24
Arizona 30 San Diego St 24
Colorado St 43 Dartmouth 10
New Mexico 23 Yale 7

God bless the Ivy League as the MWC falls flat against everyone else. Still a little early to get a firm handle on how we will stack up against the rest of the League, but I am thinking Air Force may be the team to beat right now.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Colorado State 2 0 0 1.000 70 30 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Air Force 2 0 0 1.000 51 36 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 34 31 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Utah 1 1 0 .500 55 44 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 1 1 0 .500 52 62 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
New Mexico 1 1 0 .500 23 55 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
UNLV 0 1 0 .000 19 45 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
San Diego State 0 2 0 .000 24 88 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule

San Jose St at BYU
Minnesota at Utah
Colorado St at Colorado ABC
Wyoming at Kansas
Virginia Tech at Air Force ESPN 2
Arizona St at San Diego St
Dartmouth at UNLV
New Mexico at Princeton

A full slate for the MWC, including the standard meet the Ivy League games. Some intriguing match-ups involving Air Force and Colorado St, both of which will get TV exposure. We hope to make a statement against San Jose and get some confidence for a big match up on the horizon against Air Force.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Still no Movement, Ike is considering contacting the Utah entry in the Arena 2 league.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week4

BYU 49 San Jose St 17
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 20-28-216 4 TD

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 27-183

Receiving
Andy Schroder 7-83 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 6-78 2 TD

Defense
Derek Perry S 9 tackles 1 assist
Donnie Newsome DE 5 tackles 2 assists 3 sacks
Bryant Bruce S 4 tackles 2 assists 1 Int
Darrin Shields also returned an Interception 36 yards for a TD

Recap
Excellent job of ball control as we rack up a near 10 minute TOP advantage and have no turnovers en-route to the easy victory. One pattern I dislike is the the fact we are not showing killer instinct in the second half, as we led 21-3 at halftime and 35-3 midway through the third quarter before giving San Jose 14 unanswered points while out Offense dozed off. I also have concerns with our Pass defense as we allowed 284 yards to not that good of a QB in Eugene Ricci. Other positives were of course our run game as Stoddard is developing a habit of getting stronger the more we feed him the ball. Donnie Newsome is also off to a great start to his BYU career as he now has 5 sacks and 5 TFL’s in only 2 games.

Injuries
None

Nothing at all of note here

Recruiting

Visits
Geoff Lyle S Flagstaff, AZ Overall 216 Position 6
Commits
None

Lyle is a great player but this visit is surprising as the Kid idolizes ASU and I don’t see this as more than a pacifier for some blue haired uncle who bleeds Cougar Blue. We will really hit our top targets hard this week as we really want to score some early commits if we can.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 49 San Jose St 17
Utah 35 Minnesota 17
Colorado 35 Colorado St 9
Wyoming 21 Kansas 9
Virginia Tech 31 Air Force 23
Arizona St 35 San Diego St 3
UNLV 44 Dartmouth 17
Princeton 31 New Mexico 27

A big win for Utah and a respectable showing by Air Force that tells me they will be a very tough opponent next week. UNLV matches its win total of last year in the second game with their waxing of Dartmouth and the Ivy fights back as Princeton upsets New Mexico. A good start for the MWC as only 2 of the 8 teams have losing records, though the competition has not been stiff.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 83 48 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Utah 2 1 0 .666 90 61 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Air Force 2 1 0 .666 74 67 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Wyoming 2 1 0 .666 73 71 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Colorado State 2 1 0 .666 79 65 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
UNLV 1 1 0 .500 63 62 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
New Mexico 1 2 0 .333 50 86 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
San Diego State 0 3 0 .000 27 123 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Air Force at BYU Fox Sports
Colorado St at San Diego St
UNLV at Wyoming
New Mexico at Utah

A huge early game with us and Air Force and the best it gets is Fox Sports?  We will also see if UNLV has gotten better and if SDSU is really that bad.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Still no action here, though Wohlman is doing a great job with our Linebackers as a graduate assistant.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week5

BYU 21 Air Force 17
Record Overall 3-0 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 21-31-298 3 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 22-40

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 7-105
Andy Schroder 5-96 1 TD
Leland Fletcher 4-57 2 TD

Defense
Derek Perry S 10 tackles 1 assist
Harris Diaz LB 6 tackles 2 assists
Barry Wohlman DT 5 tackles 3 assists ½ sack

Recap
This was a tale of 2 games, the first that we led 14-0 after 3 quarters, as our defense led by Derek Perry was all over the field. The Falcons Gabe Donovan, who killed us last year, still managed 291 yards through the air, but most of that came in a furious 4th Quarter that say Air Force take a 17-14 lead. Our Defense again gave up big plays through out the night but stopped AFA twice deep in our territory with Interceptions (1 in the end zone) and then pounced on an Air Force fumble with 1:47 left in the game, after Gatlin had given BYU the lead on a 4 play 68 yard drive that answered Air Force’s go ahead Field goal. It was gutty effort, especially considering that our Run game was almost non-existent netting only 53 yards.

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE-Out Sprained Back
Jeff Bradley DE-Doubtful Abdominal strain

This is a big hit for a position that just doesn’t have depth, Newsome was off to an incredible start and hopefully this will not hamper him all year. We will now start a Senior Scout team player next week and only play Bradley if needed.

Recruiting

Visits
Ken Chandler QB UT Overall 216 Position
TJ Parker RB NV Overall 133 Position
TJ Rodgers C CA Overall 269 Position
Dennis Adams G UT Overall 327 Position
Reuben Ballard DT Overall 578 Position

Commits
None

We really don’t want a scholarship QB this year but if Chandler wants to come we will let him as he is a solid player. TJ Parker would give us a third straight year getting a solid Running back, and Dennis Adams is the best lineman in Utah, though he appears to be leaning to our hated rival up North at the moment.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 21 Air Force 17
San Diego St 29 Colorado St 22
Wyoming 47 UNLV 32
Utah 55 New Mexico 17

A big shocker with SDSU, who had yet to look really competitive upsetting CSU, it could be the Aztecs are finally getting things moving under their new Coach. Utah rolls and it looks like us and them again as we survive our test against AFA. Wyoming is looking good again early, but should settle mid pack by years end.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 3 0 0 1.000 104 65 1 0 0 1.000 21 17 Won 3
Utah 3 1 0 .750 145 78 1 0 0 1.000 55 17 Won 3
Wyoming 3 1 0 .750 120 103 1 0 0 1.000 47 32 Won 2
San Diego State 1 3 0 .250 56 145 1 0 0 1.000 29 22 Won 1
Air Force 2 2 0 .500 91 88 0 1 0 .000 17 21 Lost 2
Colorado State 2 2 0 .500 101 94 0 1 0 .000 22 29 Lost 2
UNLV 1 2 0 .333 95 109 0 1 0 .000 32 47 Lost 1
New Mexico 1 3 0 .250 67 141 0 1 0 .000 17 55 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Rutgers
West Virginia at Utah
Wyoming at Wisconsin
Dartmouth at Air Force
Brown at Colorado St
New Mexico St at New Mexico
San Diego St at Yale

Utah has a big game against West Virginia, whom they are 0-2 against and hungry to beat, while Wyoming again shows they will play anyone traveling to the Badger den. You have to feel for the victims in our weekly tour of all that is Ivy as both Air force and Colorado St will be looking for redemption after tough losses this week.
BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Still hoping, still working out, still waiting……At least they have perseverance.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week6

BYU 38 Rutgers 7
Record Overall 4-0 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 14-33-261 4 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 19-80

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 5-110 2TD

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 6 tackles 3 assists
Herb Wong LB 5 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
AJ Foreman S 5 tackles 1 assist 2 Int’s

Recap
This was a real erratic performance. Hitchcock electrified even the Rutgers partisan crowd with a dazzling 106 TD return of the opening kick off, a short while later a Gatlin to Geoff Joseph pass made it 14-0 and it seemed the route was on. Gatlin however could never settle into a pattern of consistency often missing open receivers which led to a paltry 2 of 11 third down conversion rate. The defense however was stellar holding the Scarlet Knights to 242 total yards and recording 6 sacks, 4 interceptions and a fumble recovery. We did just enough offensively to move in spurts and take advantage of turnovers.

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE-Out Sprained Back
Jeff Bradley DE-Doubtful Abdominal strain

Bradley played, but we are really feeling the loss of Newsome, he may have had 6 sacks by himself against Rutgers had he played.

Recruiting

Visits
Stanley Baxter T Tucson, AZ Overall 42 Position 9
Junior Hanshaw LB Woodinville, WA Overall 75 Position 3

Commits
Reuben Ballard DT Logan, UT Overall 578 Position 43

We land our first commit on local kid Reuben Ballard. He will give us depth at an important position in our Defense, as the NG’s take a pounding. Both visitors this week are bonafide Blue Chippers and we would really love to get the Hanshaw Kid, he is an active Linebacker whose motor is full tilt for the entire game putting him in the action at all times. Through 8 games his Senior year he has 90 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 8 interceptions!! Plus he has 16 catches as a Tightend.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 38 Rutgers7
Wisconsin 27 Wyoming 24
West Virginia 27 Utah 17
Air Force 51 Dartmouth 7
Colorado St 42 Brown 13
New Mexico St 24 New Mexico 12
Yale 28 San Diego St 25

Wyoming is playing well and could be a spoiler in League play. AFA and CSU respond as expected with big wins against the Ivy League, while San Diego St loses to Yale, the Eli’s first win!!! How do you upset Colorado St and lose to Yale??? Utah is still 0 for Virginia, and you won’t find many tears down here for them.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 4 0 0 1.000 142 72 1 0 0 1.000 21 17 Won 4
Utah 3 2 0 .600 162 105 1 0 0 1.000 55 17 Lost 1
Wyoming 3 2 0 .600 144 130 1 0 0 1.000 47 32 Lost 1
San Diego State 1 4 0 .200 81 173 1 0 0 1.000 29 22 Lost 1
Air Force 3 2 0 .600 142 95 0 1 0 .000 17 21 Won 1
Colorado State 3 2 0 .600 143 107 0 1 0 .000 22 29 Won 1
UNLV 1 2 0 .333 95 109 0 1 0 .000 32 47 Lost 1
New Mexico 1 4 0 .200 79 165 0 1 0 .000 17 55 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Wyoming ESPN 2
Air Force at New Mexico
UNLV at Colorado St
Utah at San Diego St

I expect a test this week from Wyoming and don’t like playing the game in Laramie, it can be a tough placer to play!! Air force and Utah both should have easy goes of it as we jockey for position atop the MWC

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent
Yawn…….I wonder if my Father in Law has an opening for me???

[BYU 14]

2007 Week7

BYU 48 Wyoming 17
Record Overall 5-0 Mountain West 2-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 19-32-316 2 TD

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 22-127 3 TD

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 5-141 1 TD
Andy Schroder 5-68

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 10 tackles 2 assists
Bennie Vance CB 7 tackles
Derek Perry S 6 tackles 2 assists
Herb Wong LB 5 tackles 4 assists

Recap
The score does not indicate it, but Wyoming played tough as it was 27-17 going into the fourth Quarter. From here it was all BYU as we wore them down to tally 21 in the final 15 minutes. Maybe the most complete game our Offense has put together this Season as we amass 536 total yards and 31 first downs. Though we got no sacks or Interceptions, the Defense set us up great on 2 occasions forcing fumbles by Wyoming at their own 28 and own 11, which yielded 10 BYU points. Shields re-emerged after not showing much for a few games and looks like he will only continue to improve.

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE-Out Sprained Back

Bradley returns to start at DE, but Newsome could be out up to 4 more Weeks.

Recruiting

Visits
Ross Fadler T San Diego, CA Overall 1 Position 1
Benjamin Arreola LB Indianapolis, IN Overall 18 Position 2
Renaldo Canty CB Keokuk, IA Overall 26 Position 2
Bard Carter CB Modesto, CA Overall 47 Position 3
Jerome Noisy CB Union City, CA Overall 155 Position 13
Godfrey Dixon DE Nephi, UT Overall 209 Position 28
Rob Clayton T Great falls, MT Overall 213 Position 20
Shaun Sweeny S Oxford, OH Overall 221 Position 7
Jesse Gomez LB Norco, CA Overall 272 Position 16
Damon Seaver LB Lincoln City, OR Overall 321 Position 12
Wendell Wilkins WR Austin, TX Overall 386 Position 24
Lenny Finley WR Alhambra, CA Overall 419 Position 27

Commits
Wally Jennings RB Coon Rapids, ME Overall 7 Position 1
Stanley Baxter T Tucson, AZ Overall 42 Position 9

This is our biggest recruiting coup ever, as we land the #1 RB in the country. Wally Jennings fell in love with our Campus as it reminded him of his Home town and committed halfway through the visit, we were shocked and overjoyed. This kid has run for over 1600 yards in 8 games, caught 41 Passes and scored 23 Touchdowns. He also has 60 tackles and 4.5 sacks from his Linebacker position. Needless to say TJ Parker, our targeted RB goes elsewhere committing to Oregon St. Baxter is also a huge commit and we are going to be really deep at T. Among the many visiting this week are National #1 player Ross Fadler from San Diego. His family has ties to the School, but it does not make him a lock, that is probably the only Reason he gave us a look actually.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 48 Wyoming 17
Air Force 44 New Mexico 3
Colorado St 31 UNLV 28
Utah 21 San Diego St 20

CSU and Utah in dogfights against 2 of the leagues weaker teams, though San Diego St always seems to play tough against better teams and lose games they should win. Air Force was dominant and I hope they can know Utah off which would put is in great position. The 5-0 start is the best of my career, but a couple of tough games loom ahead.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 5 0 0 1.000 190 89 2 0 0 1.000 69 34 Won 5
Utah 4 2 0 .666 183 125 2 0 0 1.000 76 37 Won 1
Air Force 4 2 0 .666 186 98 1 1 0 .500 61 24 Won 2
Colorado State 4 2 0 .666 174 135 1 1 0 .500 53 57 Won 2
Wyoming 3 3 0 .500 161 178 1 1 0 .500 64 80 Lost 2
San Diego State 1 5 0 .166 101 194 1 1 0 .500 49 43 Lost 2
UNLV 1 3 0 .250 123 140 0 2 0 .000 60 78 Lost 2
New Mexico 1 5 0 .166 82 209 0 2 0 .000 20 99 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
San Diego St at BYU
Colorado St at Air Force Local TV
North Texas at UNLV
Wyoming at Utah

The Aztecs worry me as they upset CSU and gave Utah a big scare. They are better than their 1-5 record and just seem to never play consistently at key times, often looking flat against weaker teams. We will get a barometer of how UNLV and Utah are by their results against Teams we have beaten.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Layman and Ashcraf have more promise as a Law firm then NFL players and Wohlman, our best shot to hook up with a team goes home each night to an answering Machine awarding him fabulous prizes for a 3 hour tour of the Tropico resort and his Mother telling him he “should maybe give this crazy Football dream up”

[BYU 14]

Just want to know if there is anything else anyone would like to see in this Dynasty in terms of Stats or other Features? I plan to take this about 20 years into the future before "retiring" so any suggestions that might make it more enjoyable are welcome.

[MacroGuru]

Great read, thoroughly enjoyed it.

I myself am a true blue cougar living here in Utah (Orem) and growing up playing catch with Steve Young, the Bellini Brothers, Gordon Hudson, and Watching Jimmy Mac and his OL party at my house with my Uncle and Dad (Can we say Honor Code Violations galore!)

Anyways, I am leaning at doing a BYU or Memphis Dyansty, and I am loving the reads.

[BYU 14]

Indoorsoccersim,

Great to hear from you, thanks for the kind words.

I knew Jimmy Mac from when he finished his HS career at Roy (I lived in Layton) He was 3 years older so I never got to play against him, but we would race his Charger in my Friends big brothers Camaro on a regular basis, and often drink Beer with him afterwards. It is amazing he made it through 5 years at the Y, wild times, he was completely crazy back then, well still is I'm sure. The Bellini's were solid receivers and I guess Steve did OK too.

It would have been great to go to BYU after high School but the best 4 year offer I got was a preferred walk on at Weber St :) Hope you keeping reading.

I heard they hired Jamal Willis to be an academic counselor for the Team, I think that is a smart move, especially when it comes to helping the non-LDS/minority athletes adapt to life in happy Valley and the Honor code, Jamal is a great guy and was a one of the better RB's BYU ever had IMO.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 8

BYU 56 San Diego 10
Record Overall 6-0 Mountain West 3-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 16-21-189 4 TD
Bennie Rayburn 6-9-113 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 19-173 1 TD
Julio Fredrickson 12-37 1 TD

Receiving
Andy Schroder 8-114 2 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 5-62 2 TD

Defense
Bennie Vance CB 7 tackles 1 assist 1 sack
Harris Diaz LB 5 tackles 2 assists 1 Int
AJ Foreman S 3 tackles 2 Int 1 TD

Recap
Our starters get an early shower as we put any hope the Aztecs have of staying in the game to bed early as Daniel Stoddard goes 58 yards to Pay dirt on the first play from scrimmage. Two Dwight Gatlin TD passes put us up 21-0 after one quarter and an AJ Foreman Interception turns into a 35-0 lead 82 yards later. We got our first extended look at Bennie Rayburn and he played well directing 2 second half scoring drives, the second of which saw Julio Fredrickson score his first BYU touchdown. The defense also intercepted 4 passes, recorded 5 sacks and held the Aztecs to 282 total yards while we racked up 514.

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE-doubtful Sprained Back

Newsome may be back against the Irish next week, it will be a game time decision. We have a handful of minor injuries that should not effect us come Saturday.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Jerome Noisy CB Union City, CA Overall 155 Position 13
Shaun Sweeny S Oxford, OH Overall 221 Position 7

No visits this week but in our best Public Enemy impersonation we will “Bring the Noise” as Jerome Noisy will bring his game to BYU to play Corner for us, just the name along conjures up visions of a trash talking lock down cover guy covered in Nike swag.
Noisy was not the highest rated CB we recruited but the one we like best, in addition our Ohio contacts continue to pay dividends as we score Safety Shaun Sweeney, the 7th ranked prospect at his position, another good weekend on the recruiting trail.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 56 San Diego St 10
Air Force 17 Colorado St 7
North Texas 24 UNLV 10
Utah 36 Wyoming 14

No upsets this week and once again Wyoming shows they are not ready to step up as a MWC contender. Air force scored the weeks biggest win to stay in contention for the League title, everyone else is likely playing for fourth at this point.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 6 0 0 1.000 246 99 3 0 0 1.000 125 44 Won 6
Utah 5 2 0 .714 219 139 3 0 0 1.000 112 51 Won 2
Air Force 5 2 0 .714 203 105 2 1 0 .666 78 31 Won 3
Colorado State 4 3 0 .571 181 152 1 2 0 .333 60 74 Lost 1
Wyoming 3 4 0 .428 175 214 1 2 0 .333 78 116 Lost 3
San Diego State 1 6 0 .142 111 250 1 2 0 .333 59 99 Lost 3
UNLV 1 4 0 .200 133 164 0 2 0 .000 60 78 Lost 3
New Mexico 1 5 0 .166 82 209 0 2 0 .000 20 99 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Notre Dame at BYU
Air Force at UNLV
Utah at Colorado St Local TV
New Mexico at San Diego St

This week is huge for us as we play #11 Notre Dame, I can’t believe there is no TV for this game, while Utah and Colorado St warrant coverage??? This will definitely let us know how far we have come since last Season. Notre Dame is only favored by 2 so the Bookies believe in us at least 

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Still no calls to our Alumni, and it is looking pretty bleak at this point. I think the first Alumni with shots to stick will be Winfred Benson C from this years class (a slim chance at best) and Gatlin and Barry Wohlman from next years class, both should have a decent shot.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 9

Notre Dame 35 BYU 6
Record Overall 6-1 Mountain West 3-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 15-26-293

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 12-11

Receiving
Andy Schroder 5-151
Leland Fletcher 4-86

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 9 tackles 1 assist
Bennie Vance CB 8 tackles
Harris Diaz LB 6 tackles 2 assists (5 tackles for loss!)

Recap
62,200 fans, the biggest turn out of my tenure turn out to see us fall flat again as we attempt to prove we can play with the big boys. The key was consistency up front on both sides of the ball. Defensively we record 13 tackles for loss and 2 sacks against the Irish, the problem is when we weren’t making plays on their side of the LOS, they were shredding us. Offensively Gatlin played well and had no turnovers but missed some key 3rd down passes. Our total lack of a running game also took us out of our game plan as we ended up with a net rushing total of -1 yard. Our talented trio of receivers continues to play well, but we need to run the ball to get the most from our offense.

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE-Out Sprained Back

We tried to play Newsome and he re-aggravated his back injury and may now miss the rest of the year, we may just shut him down as we have him for 3 more years and he will be will be a key defensively as our best pass rusher.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Benjamin Arreola LB Indianapolis, IN Overall 18 Position 2
Jesse Gomez LB Norco, CA Overall 272 Position 16

Two huge commits on the Defensive side of the ball as Arreolo will add superb depth to probably our strongest position defensively and Gomez, an all USA first team player will give us the impact player we need off the edge. We are set defensively except for DE. We will need to look for a diamond in the rough here as we put all our efforts into Dixon Godfrey, who elected to stay close to home and attend Western Michigan.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Notre Dame 35 BYU 6
UNLV 31 Air Force 22
Utah 21 Colorado St 17
New Mexico 34 San Diego St 31

UNLV ends an 11 game MWC losing streak and shocks Air Force in a game that pretty much eliminates the Falcons from any shot at the MWC Title. CSU continues to be the hard luck team of the league losing another heartbreaker to Utah. The Rams are tied with San Diego St for last in the MWC, despite being .500 overall.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 6 2 0 .750 240 156 4 0 0 1.000 133 68 Won 3
Brigham Young 6 1 0 .857 252 134 3 0 0 1.000 125 44 Lost 1
Air Force 5 3 0 .625 225 136 2 2 0 .500 100 62 Lost 1
Wyoming 3 4 0 .428 175 214 1 2 0 .333 78 116 Lost 3
UNLV 2 4 0 .333 164 186 1 2 0 .333 91 100 Won 1
New Mexico 2 5 0 .285 116 240 1 2 0 .333 54 130 Won 1
San Diego State 1 7 0 .125 142 284 1 3 0 .250 90 133 Lost 4
Colorado State 4 4 0 .500 198 173 1 3 0 .250 77 95 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Utah at Air force ESPN 2
BYU at UNLV
Colorado St at New Mexico
Wyoming at San Diego St

A huge game in Colorado Springs as the Team up North travels to the Falcons nest. Air Force may be even more dangerous than usual as they saw their MWC title hopes dashed by UNLV last week, now they can only play spoiler. CSU will look to get back on track against New Mexico, while Wyoming looks to climb back to .500 against the Leagues most disappointing team in San Diego St. We will need to jump on UNLV early and not let them hang around like the Falcons did, as they are starting to show promise in the Run and Shoot Offense of first year OC Darryl Stewart.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Another weekend in the Bleachers for our forlorn four.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 10

BYU 35 UNLV 10
Record Overall 7-1 Mountain West 4-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 21-34-320 2 TD

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 25-124 2 TD

Receiving
Pete Rose 7-100 2 TD
Andy Schroder 6-116

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 6 tackles
AJ Foreman S 6 tackles
Derek Perry S 4 tackles 1 assist 1 Int

Recap
UNLV is the bread as they score first and last, while we get the 35 points in between. A win is positive but we are a not to stellar 5-13 on third down conversions. Seeing as we won the turnover battle 6-0, the margin of victory should have been higher. Total yardage favored us 452-378 and without the big +6 in turnovers it probably would have been a close game. There were some bright spots though. Pete Rose who was the higher rated recruit, but who has been in Leland Fletchers shadow his whole time here had his biggest day as a Cougar and will start next week due to a Shoulder injury sustained by Fletcher. CB Barry Irish who led the team with 6 picks last year, despite never starting a game, finally got his first 2 of the Season today, and he has started all 8 games.

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE-Out Sprained Back
Leland Fletcher WR-Out Dislocated Shoulder

With the emergence of Andy Schroder, Fletcher is not having the Season he had last year with 22 catches in 8 games, but he is still has to be respected and it remains to be seen if Rose can command that type of respect in his place.

Recruiting

Visits
Mitchell Walton WR Bonita, CA Overall 876 Position 58
Justin Lindquist DE Weare, NH Overall 679 Position 67
Cedric Wiles DE Dayton, TX Overall 680 Position 68
Commits
TJ Rodgers C Fresno, CA Overall 269 Position 15

Another good commit with Rodgers and he joins a solid corp of Centers. We bring in a couple of DE, who will look at to provide depth, we think either of them could develop into decent pass rushers. We have 4 scholarships left, and will still look for 4 walk ons to round the class.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 35 UNLV 10
Utah 35 Air Force 28
Colorado St 40 New Mexico 21
San Diego St 41 Wyoming 13

Utah’s win insures that it comes down to us and them for the MWC Title, so long as we get past New Mexico and CSU. San Diego St rocked Wyoming as they continue to be an enigma turning in the rare gem of a game, then looking like a High school team on most other occasions. CSU is still competing for a Bowl bid as is Air Force, the rest of the League will be home for the Holidays.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 7 2 0 .777 275 184 5 0 0 1.000 168 96 Won 4
Brigham Young 7 1 0 .875 287 144 4 0 0 1.000 160 54 Won 1
Air Force 5 4 0 .555 253 171 2 3 0 .400 128 97 Lost 2
San Diego State 2 7 0 .222 183 297 2 3 0 .400 131 146 Won 1
Colorado State 5 4 0 .555 238 194 2 3 0 .400 117 116 Won 1
Wyoming 3 5 0 .375 188 255 1 3 0 .250 91 157 Lost 4
UNLV 2 5 0 .285 174 221 1 3 0 .250 101 135 Lost 1
New Mexico 2 6 0 .250 137 280 1 3 0 .250 75 170 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at New Mexico
Wyoming at Air Force
UNLV at Utah

After this set of games Utah should be 6-0 in League play and pointing to us, just what you want in a rivalry game. We must do our part and though we should get past New Mexico without much trouble, Colorado St looms as anything but a give me the week after.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

The biggest news here is Irv Fletchers fantasy team is in first place in a league with his coworkers down at the warehouse.

[BYU 14]

As the Cougar dynasty goes on Christmas hiatus, I want to wish all everyone on the board a very merry Christmas to you and your families. Be safe and happy!

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 11

BYU 38 New Mexico 0
Record Overall 8-1 Mountain West 5-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 19-32-295 4 TD 1 TD

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 27-122
Julio Fredrickson 7-33

Receiving
Andy Schroder 7-93 3 TD
Pete Rose 4-40 1 TD

Defense
AJ Foreman S 6 tackles 1 Int 1 TD
Derek Perry S 4 tackles 2 assists
Darrin Shields 3 tackles 2 assists 1 Int

Recap
Total Defensive domination as we allow New Mexico 188 total yards and grind out a 38:42 to 21:18 time of possession advantage. New Mexico is also victimized by 14 penalties and only crossed midfield twice, with their longest drive of 52 yards ending by a fumble at our 1. The offense was nicely balanced with another solid game by Stoddard and a 3 touchdown performance by Andy Schroder, who is making a strong run to be BYU’s MWC offensive player of the year in as many Seasons.

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE-Out Sprained Back
Leland Fletcher WR-Out Dislocated Shoulder

No sign of improvement is noted with Newsome and it now seems highly likely we will hold him out until next year. In some non BYU injury news Wyoming’s fine Linebacker Jesse Austin is injured against San Diego St and later diagnosed with a degenerative Hip condition that may cause him to miss all of next year. He does have a redshirt to burn, but there is no guarantee he will be able to play again. It is a shame as he has averaged over 10 total tackles a game during his 2 plus seasons as a Cowboy thus far.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Cedric Wiles DE Dayton, TX Overall 680 Position 68
Dennis Adams G Bountiful, UT Overall 327 Position 31

Adams is a local boy who will shore up our Guard position, and Wiles will be looked at as a pass rushing specialist down the road. We have 2 schollies left and will either bring in 2 Receivers, or 1 receiver and one more DE.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 38 New Mexico 0
Air Force 43 Wyoming 40
Utah 38 UNLV 17

Air Force and Wyoming play a thriller, which qualifies Air Force for a bowl bid. Utah keeps there end of the deal in staying unbeaten for our showdown next week; we must first get by CSU.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 8 2 0 .800 313 201 6 0 0 1.000 206 113 Won 5
Brigham Young 8 1 0 .888 325 144 5 0 0 1.000 198 54 Won 2
Air Force 6 4 0 .600 296 211 3 3 0 .500 171 137 Won 1
San Diego State 2 7 0 .222 183 297 2 3 0 .400 131 146 Won 1
Colorado State 5 4 0 .555 238 194 2 3 0 .400 117 116 Won 1
Wyoming 3 6 0 .333 228 298 1 4 0 .200 131 200 Lost 5
UNLV 2 6 0 .250 191 259 1 4 0 .200 118 173 Lost 2
New Mexico 2 7 0 .222 137 318 1 4 0 .200 75 208 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Colorado St at BYU
San Diego St at UNLV
New Mexico at Wyoming

The only game that matters is ours as CSU is looking to become Bowl eligible and we are hoping to go into our showdown with the school up North unbeaten. Everyone else is just playing for pride.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Still no calls, no cards, no letters. The dream is rapidly drawing to a close for our dynasty alumni from the last 2 Seasons.

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 12

Colorado St 33 BYU 14
Record Overall 8-2 Mountain West 5-1

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 12-27-214 2 TD 4 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 13-62
Julio Fredrickson 4-35

Receiving
Andy Schroder 4-91
Ellis Hitchcock 2-33 2 TD

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 13 tackles 4 assists
Darrin Shields LB 10 tackles 5 assists
Derek Perry S 10 tackles 3 assists

Recap
CSU had a plan, wear our defense down with the run, minimize mistakes and bring a disruptive high pressure defense into Lavell Edwards Stadium. It worked to perfection as it is apparent we were looking past CSU at Utah, and they were playing for a Post Season. The Rams pound out 233 yards rushing and sprinkle in 166 yards of efficient passing to do to us what we did to New Mexico last week, running up a 38:41 to 21:19 TOP advantage. They also record 4 sacks and intercept 5 passes. A brilliantly executed game plan by Colorado St and it takes some luster from our match up with Utah next week, though we can still capture a share of the MWC and secure the Conferences #1 Bowl slot with a win.

Injuries
Bob Preston DE-Out Separated Shoulder
Leland Fletcher WR-Out Dislocated Shoulder
Donnie Newsome DE-Doubtful Sprained Back

We could not afford an injury at DE, and this puts us in a bad place. Against better judgment we will look to use Newsome in passing situations this week to get some pressure on Utah’s Gunslinger Rodney Dostie. If we let him sit in the pocket unmolested he will kill us.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Mitchell Walton WR La Verne, CA Overall 876 Position 58

Walton is a good fit for what we needed, he gives us insurance and we were not going to get another top flight receiver with the log jam we have at the starting spots right now with 2 Sophomores and a Freshman. One scholarship left.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Colorado St 33 BYU 14
San Diego St 59 UNLV 57
Wyoming 45 New Mexico 17

Game of the week in an OT slugfest between San Diego St and UNLV, and Wyoming manages to escape from a three way tie for the Cellar.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 8 2 0 .800 313 201 6 0 0 1.000 206 113 Won 5
Brigham Young 8 2 0 .800 339 177 5 1 0 .833 212 87 Lost 1
Air Force 6 4 0 .600 296 211 3 3 0 .500 171 137 Won 1
San Diego State 3 7 0 .300 242 354 3 3 0 .500 190 203 Won 2
Colorado State 6 4 0 .600 271 208 3 3 0 .500 150 130 Won 2
Wyoming 4 6 0 .400 273 315 2 4 0 .333 176 217 Won 1
UNLV 2 7 0 .222 248 318 1 5 0 .166 175 232 Lost 3
New Mexico 2 8 0 .200 154 363 1 5 0 .166 92 253 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Utah ESPN 2
San Diego St at Air Force
Wyoming at Colorado St
UNLV at New Mexico

A lot at stake for us and Utah as the much ballyhooed showdown is dimmed somewhat by our loss, but still has big ramifications. We have already secured the best record of my tenure, but we are shooting for 10 wins. Utah OC Lincoln Anderson’s Power I offense will be crippled slightly with 2 starting RB’s (Oliver Crockett and Darryl Yount) out with injuries, but that just means we have to deal more with the potent Dostie to Dellenbach combo. We will give the Ute’s All-American receiver some extra companionship.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent
The good news for these four is, with no NFL work they get to come to the game 

[BYU 14]

2007 Week 13

Utah 41 BYU 22
Record Overall 8-3 Mountain West 5-2

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 14-37-347 1 TD 4 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 14-57 2 TD

Receiving
Andy Schroder 4-57
Pete Rose 3-108

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 9 tackles 3 assists
Harvey Geary LB 9 tackles 3 assists
Darrin Shields LB 7 tackles 2 assists

Recap
Utah’s top 2 RB’s were sidelined with injuries, which we thought boded well going into the game. We adjusted our game plan to double cover Neil Dellenbach, which we hoped would force someone else to step up and beat us. Well it did and that person was reserve RB Daniel Molnar who rushed for a career high 106 yards on 19 carries, a feat that opened things up just enough for Dellenback to still record 6 catches for 114 yards despite our extra attention, and Rodney Dostie to throw for 254 yards and 4 scores. Utah learned from CSU well and took it to us on the ground, compiling 246 yards running, which earned them a 9:02 time of possession advantage and again left our defense tired and battered. Gatlin’s inconsistency in big games has really become a concern and his 4 interceptions killed us as we turned the ball over twice inside the Utah 30 and once inside our 20, as they converted 3 of our 4 miscues into scores. This loss relegates to a second tier bowl again, as we had a chance to go to a BCS Bowl, due to the MWC displacing the big East in the big money series.

Injuries
Bob Preston DE-Out Separated Shoulder
Leland Fletcher WR-Out Dislocated Shoulder
Jeff Bradley DE-Out hyper extended Knee
Darrin Shield LB-Out separated Shoulder

Again we are decimated at DE going into the post Season, and on top of that we will not have our best Linebacker either. Fletcher will still be out as well and we can not afford to lose any weapons as banged up as our Defense is.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

Still one Scholarship remaining as we head into a dead period before the Bowl games, we also will be looking to fill our other 4 roster slots with walk-ons.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Utah 41 BYU 22
Air Force 45 San Diego St 3
Colorado St 24 Wyoming 3
New Mexico 44 UNLV 41

The two Cellar dwellers provide the game of the week as New Mexico escapes last place in their thrilling win over the Rebels. Colorado St and Air Force both finish strong and should earn Bowl bids.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 9 2 0 .818 354 223 7 0 0 1.000 247 135 Won 6
Brigham Young 8 3 0 .727 361 218 5 2 0 .714 234 128 Lost 2
Air Force 7 4 0 .636 341 214 4 3 0 .571 216 140 Won 2
Colorado State 7 4 0 .636 295 211 4 3 0 .571 174 133 Won 3
San Diego State 3 8 0 .272 245 399 3 4 0 .428 193 248 Lost 1
Wyoming 4 7 0 .363 276 339 2 5 0 .285 179 241 Lost 1
New Mexico 3 8 0 .272 198 404 2 5 0 .285 136 294 Won 1
UNLV 2 8 0 .200 289 362 1 6 0 .142 216 276 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Nevada at UNLV
Utah St at Utah

Two meaningless non-conference games, though a loss would cast Utah in an unfavorable light heading into their BCS game. The battle of Nevada is all UNLV has to play for and it will probably remain that way for the foreseeable future.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Time is running short for our alumni and Ike has already told us he will join the staff as LB Coach next year if nothing develops, which now seems like a certainty.

[BYU 14]

2007 Weeks 14 through 16

No Games scheduled
Record Overall 8-3 Mountain West 5-2

Bowl Game
We will be going to the Holiday Bowl to play Penn St who has a record of 7-4 (4-4 Big 10) They are on a similar streak as us having lost 4 of their last 5, though all the teams were ranked in the top 30 that beat them. The Big 10 is loaded and despite the Nittany Lions bad finish they are still ranked 25th and boast a balanced attack that could give our bruised Defense problems. We have never met Penn St during my tenure and it would be great to close the Season with a win against a Big 10 team.

Injuries
Leland Fletcher WR-Out Dislocated Shoulder
Bob Preston DE-Out Separated Shoulder

Shields, Bradley, TE Geoff Joseph and DT Wade Such all have nagging injuries still, but will all probably play.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Cedric Wiles DE Dayton, TX Overall 680 Position 68
Walk-ons
Donnie Davison QB Boulder, CO Overall 947 Position 84
Kurt Doe G Midvale, UT Overall UR Position UR
Wayne Harrison DE Laughlin, NV Overall UR Position UR
Jeremy Meadows CB Hyrum, UT Overall UR Position UR

We round out the recruiting class with Cedric Wiles, an athletic De with some upside and a bevy of walk-ons, the most promising of which is Davison, who got no serious love from D1 schools despite a top 100 ranking at his position, we were in the right place at the right time on this one. The others will be pretty much scout team bodies.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Nevada 10 UNLV 7
Utah 41 Utah St 14
Both games in week 14

Utah closes strong against a decent Utah St team and UNLV bombs against rival Nevada to finish 2-9, but as least they doubled their win total from last Season.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Utah 10 2 0 .833 395 237 7 0 0 1.000 247 135 Won 7
Brigham Young 8 3 0 .727 361 218 5 2 0 .714 234 128 Lost 2
Air Force 7 4 0 .636 341 214 4 3 0 .571 216 140 Won 2
Colorado State 8 4 0 .666 321 228 4 3 0 .571 174 133 Won 4
San Diego State 3 8 0 .272 245 399 3 4 0 .428 193 248 Lost 1
Wyoming 4 7 0 .363 276 339 2 5 0 .285 179 241 Lost 1
New Mexico 3 8 0 .272 198 404 2 5 0 .285 136 294 Won 1
UNLV 2 9 0 .181 296 372 1 6 0 .142 216 276 Lost 5
</pre></font>
2006 Bowl Games
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Miami of Florida (11-0) vs Southern California (11-0
Orange Bowl Michigan (10-1) vs Oklahoma (11-1)
Fiesta Bowl Georgia (10-2) vs Notre Dame (10-1)
Cotton Bowl Tennessee (9-2) vs Utah (10-2)
Sugar Bowl Wisconsin (8-3) vs Virginia Tech (10-1)
Peach Bowl Colorado (10-2) vs Washington State (9-2)
Liberty Bowl Maryland (8-3) vs Nebraska (9-2)
Gator Bowl Boston College (9-2) vs Arkansas (8-4)
Holiday Bowl Penn State (7-4) vs Brigham Young (8-3)
Sun Bowl Virginia (7-4) vs Oregon (8-3)
Aloha Bowl Purdue (7-4) vs Florida (9-2)
Motor City Bowl Clemson (7-4) vs Texas Christian (9-2)
Independence Bowl Michigan State (8-3) vs Texas A&M (7-4)
Citrus Bowl Air Force (7-4) vs Central Michigan (8-4)
Outback Bowl Florida State (6-5) vs South Carolina (7-4)
Alamo Bowl Ohio State (6-5) vs Boise State (9-2)
GMAC Bowl Colorado State (7-4) vs Arizona State (7-4)
Bluebonnet Bowl Miami of Ohio (8-4) vs Texas (7-4)
Oahu Bowl Washington (6-5) vs Louisiana State (6-5)
Tangerine Bowl West Virginia (8-3) vs South Florida (8-3)
Gotham City Bowl Pittsburgh (6-5) vs Bowling Green (8-3)
Humanitarian Bowl Toledo (8-3) vs Baylor (8-3)
Las Vegas Bowl Troy (8-3) vs Princeton (7-4)
</pre></font>
Four MWC teams in the post Season as expected and we will be looking for a big showing to validate our recent acceptance by the BCS. Utah and Air Force are favored, while us and CSU are picked to lose.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Our alum get to see their names in the dynasty for probably the last time and a sparse senior class from this Season does not look to make a splash next year……God bless the class of 2008!

[BYU 14]

2007 Post Season

Holiday Bowl Penn St 49 BYU 3
Record Overall 8-4 Mountain West 5-2

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 15-29-230 2 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 18-22
Julio Fredrickson 8-18

Receiving
Pete Rose 5-58
Ellis Hitchcock 4-76

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 8 tackles 5 assists
Harvey Geary LB 8 tackles 1 assist
Darrin Shields LB 7 tackles 3 assists

Recap
Lions devoured the Christians tonight, without even chewing! Penn States Graham Rivers went off shredding our Secondary for 386 yards and 5 TD’s. The fashion he did it in is even more impressive as 5 Nittany Lion receivers accounted for 5 catches each. Add to this the 128 yards piled up by RB Glenn “Leader of the Band” Miller and it was an offensive onslaught that parted our Defense more than hair is parted at Barber College on any given day. 34 first downs and 597 yards of total Offense spelled no chance for our hapless crew on this day. We could muster only 42 total yards on the ground and Gatlin spent the better part of game running for his life as we were simply dominated on the LOS. This is a crushing loss and again validates how far we are from being an upper echelon team. The internet will be rife with Arm Chair coaches questioning our ability to finish, step up against top teams, and even what we feed the kids for a pre-game Meal….It is safe to say I will not be surfing Cougarboard.com after this debacle.

Injuries
Leland Fletcher WR-Out Dislocated Shoulder
Bob Preston DE-Out Separated Shoulder

Preston ends his BYU career in the training room and Fletcher will be healed and healthy for spring ball.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
None

We have handed out our allotment of Scholarships and Rivals.com ranks our recruiting class a stellar ranking of 14th in the entire country. Another solid class, and in my mind it is time we started reaping dividends next year.

Post Season Scoreboard
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Southern California (12-0) 33, Miami Fla(11-1) 24
Orange Bowl Michigan (11-1) 41, Oklahoma (11-2) 40
Fiesta Bowl Georgia (11-2) 28, Notre Dame (10-2) 17
Cotton Bowl Tennessee (10-2) 38, Utah (10-3) 14
Sugar Bowl Virginia Tech (11-1) 37, Wisconsin (8-4) 0
Peach Bowl Colorado (11-2) 27, Washington State (9-3) 14
Liberty Bowl Maryland (9-3) 31, Nebraska (9-3) 28
Gator Bowl Boston College (10-2) 40, Arkansas (8-5) 10
Holiday Bowl Penn State (8-4) 49, Brigham Young (8-4) 3
Sun Bowl Oregon (9-3) 29, Virginia (7-5) 17
Aloha Bowl Florida (10-2) 47, Purdue (7-5) 21
Motor City Bowl Texas Christian (10-2) 28, Clemson (7-5) 13
Independence Bowl Texas A&M (8-4) 26, Michigan State (8-4) 21
Citrus Bowl Air Force (8-4) 30, Central Michigan (8-5) 22
Outback Bowl South Carolina (8-4) 35, Florida State (6-6) 21
Alamo Bowl Ohio State (7-5) 48, Boise State (9-3) 9
GMAC Bowl Colorado State (8-4) 26, Arizona State (7-5) 17
Bluebonnet Bowl Miami of Ohio (9-4) 42, Texas (7-5) 21
Oahu Bowl Washington (7-5) 24, Louisiana State (6-6) 10
Tangerine Bowl West Virginia (9-3) 28, South Florida (8-4) 10
Gotham City Bowl Pittsburgh (7-5) 34, Bowling Green (8-4) 20
Humanitarian Bowl Toledo (9-3) 45, Baylor (8-4) 28
Las Vegas Bowl Troy (9-3) 40, Princeton (7-5) 15
</pre></font>
Well the Mountain west goes 2-2 with CSU and Air Force bringing honor and us and Utah bringing shame, CSU’s win is most impressive as Air Force was favored against Central Michigan.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Ike Wohlman LB Free Agent
Harvey Layman T Free Agent
Harvey Ashcraf P Free Agent
Irv Fletcher T Free Agent

Our Cougar crew ends the Season as they started it, unsigned, unknown and unwanted. They have all decided they will pack it in and leave our NFL hopes to future hopefuls. Wohlman makes it official and joins our staff as Linebackers Coach.

[BYU 14]

<pre><font face=courier>
2007 Summary for Brigham Young

Record: 8-4 Mountain West 5-2
Rank: 37

Brigham Young Team Rank
Rushes 386 69 (T)
Rushing Yards 1422 60
Yards Per Carry 3.68 54 (T)
Pass Attempts 376 26 (T)
Completions 209 29 (T)
Passing Yards 3410 8
Yards Per Attempt 9.06 6
3rd Down Conversions 38.4 34 (T)
Points Per Game 31.8 18
Turnovers 22 59 (T)
Turnover Margin +10 13 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 412 80 (T)
Rushing Yards 1328 52
Yards Per Carry 3.22 42
Pass Attempts 388 110 (T)
Completions 213 112 (T)
Passing Yards 3002 122
Yards Per Attempt 7.73 94
3rd Down Conversions 38.6 92
Points Per Game 22.7 58 (T)
Turnovers 32 4 (T)

Primary Formation: Single-Back Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
2 34 at NTEX (39) 31
4 49 SJST (86) 17
5 21 AFA (31) 17
6 38 at RUTG (118) 7
7 48 at WYOM (85) 17
8 56 SDST (97) 10
9 6 ND (7) 35
10 35 at UNLV (114) 10
11 38 at NMEX (104) 0
12 14 CSU (33) 33
13 22 at UTAH (15) 41
17 3 vs PNST (21) 49

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
10 Gatlin QB 361 201 3266 9.04 32 18
Team --- 376 209 3410 9.06 34 20

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
42 Stoddard RB 226 1131 5.00 10 60 99
10 Gatlin QB 84 -80 -0.95 1 51 276
20 Fredrickson RB 62 335 5.40 3 15 9
Team --- 386 1422 3.68 14 128 397

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
3 Schroder WR 95 59 1016 17.2 467 10
7 Hitchcock WR 84 39 694 17.7 347 9
88 Rose WR 48 20 375 18.7 128 3
42 Stoddard RB 38 22 181 8.2 130 2
8 Fletcher WR 37 22 438 19.9 177 6
82 Joseph TE 35 22 315 14.3 144 2
80 Horton WR 12 9 166 18.4 65 2
Team --- 376 209 3410 16.3 1594 34

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
41 Diaz ILB 71 23 0.0 11 1 6
43 Perry S 68 25 0.0 12 2 15
55 Shields ILB 66 26 0.5 12 2 4
35 Foreman S 63 15 0.0 8 5 4
29 Vance CB 52 15 1.0 2 1 6
40 Geary OLB 39 23 0.0 5 2 4
46 Wong OLB 39 16 2.5 7 3 11
91 Wohlman DT 37 13 1.5 8 0 0
26 Fletcher CB 31 6 1.0 2 1 3
23 Irish CB 24 2 0.0 1 2 9
74 Bradley DE 15 7 3.5 5 0 0
33 Bruce S 15 7 0.0 0 2 3
93 Blackburn DT 12 3 5.5 6 0 0
95 Newsome DE 12 9 6.5 7 0 0
92 Jamison ILB 12 5 0.0 0 0 2
Team --- 678 213 36.0 106 21 76
</pre></font>
A solid overall Season for Gatlin, but he continues to underachieve in the big games which causes many to wonder whether the success he does have is a result of talent, or the system he plays him allows him to compile superior numbers against inferior teams. Stoddard compiles his second straight 1000 yard campaign, and there is no doubting his skill as he has performed behind an inconsistent line up to this point in his career. He looks like a lock to play on Sundays, so long as he stays healthy his Junior and Senior Seasons. Diaz again leads the Defense, but it looks as though Shields will be ready to assume the mantle of D-leader by next Season, and he will only be a sophomore! We have another freshman jewel at receiver as Andy Schroder took full advantage of the attention given to Ellis Hitchcock to have an outstanding debut. If we can keep our big 3 at Receiver next year we will again drive defenses nuts with our aerial assault. Donnie Newsome led the team in sacks, despite missing half the Season with injuries and he will be another force on that side of the ball for the next 3 Seasons.

Post Season Awards
National

All Freshman Team
Andy Schroder WR

Academic All-American
Dwight Gatlin QB

MWC

Top Offensive Freshman
Andy Schroder WR

All MWC 1st Team
None

All MWC 2nd Team
Dwight Gatlin QB
Daniel Stoddard RB
Tom Longmate T
Barry Wohlman DT
AJ Foreman S

All MWC Academic
Dwight Gatlin QB
Morris Doherty WR
Pete Rose WR
Desmond Coffey K
Roderick Jamison LB

We have a WR make Freshman All American and take the MWC top offensive Freshman honors for the second year in a row. Beyond that it is a little disappointing that we could only manage 5 all MWC performers on the second team. The good news is all 5 will return next year and will be looking to improve on these accolades. Once again Gatlin shows he can pass the big Final in the Class room, now only winning the big game remains. 

Final Team Rankings 2007
Academics 21st
Recruiting 14th
TV Revenue 46th
Ticket Revenue 33rd
Donations 53rd
GPA 2.94 (5th)
Attendance 58,800 (26th)
<pre><font face=courier>
Final Top 25
USC beat Miami of Florida 33-24 in the National Championship game.
School Rank
Southern California 1
Michigan 2
Notre Dame 3
Tennessee 4
Miami of Florida 5
Virginia Tech 6
Colorado 7
Oklahoma 8
Florida 9
Georgia 10
Boston College 11
Maryland 12
West Virginia 13
Nebraska 14
Washington State 15
Texas Christian 16
Penn State 17
Texas A&M 18
Toledo 19
Utah 20
Virginia 21
Wisconsin 22
Miami of Ohio 23
Ohio State 24
Oregon 25
</pre></font>
2007 Recruiting class
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Davison, Donnie QB 5-10 175 CO 947 84 15 2
Jennings, Wally RB 5-10 202 MN 7 1 2 1
Finley, Lenny WR 6-2 179 CA 419 27 61 3
Walton, Mitchell WR 6-1 189 CA 876 58 --- 9
Rodgers, T.J. C 6-2 252 CA 269 15 40 5
Adams, Dennis G 6-6 274 UT 327 31 2 1
Doe, Kurt G 6-5 280 UT --- --- 16 2
Baxter, Stanley T 6-5 285 AZ 42 9 1 1
Wiles, Cedric DE 6-2 221 TX 680 68 61 5
Harrison, Wayne DE 6-3 219 NV --- --- 12 2
Ballard, Reuben DT 6-5 278 UT 578 43 4 1
Arreola, Benjamin ILB 6-2 236 IN 18 2 1 1
Gomez, Jesse OLB 6-0 203 CA 272 16 41 4
Noisy, Jerome CB 5-7 162 CA 155 13 22 5
Meadows, Jeremy CB 5-9 162 UT --- --- 19 2
Sweeney, Shaun S 5-11 187 OH 221 7 7 1
</pre></font>
Probably our best recruiting class yet in terms of Scholarship players. Wally Jennings looks to be the heir apparent to Daniel Stoddard and he makes our depth at RB among the best anywhere in the nation. Stanley Baxter and Benji Arreola are 2 other blue Chippers who should enjoy outstanding careers in Cougar blue. Everyone else is fairly solid and look for Jesse Gomez and Jerome Noisy to be starters by their Sophomore Seasons.

BYU Alumni
<pre><font face=courier>
</pre></font>

We had nobody that even sniffed an NFL roster this year and our 4 that held out hope throughout the 2007 Season have moved on to other pursuits.

[BYU 14]

Off Season 2008

Staff
No turnover here and I again resist the urge to fire Defensive Coordinator Jack Bailey as I feel there is nobody else that would do any better at this point. He will definitely be on a short lease this Season however.

Player issues
Redshirt Sophomore CB Mel Lewis is picked up by local Police after they bust a party in which drugs were present. Though he is exonerated of any criminal wrong doing, there is this little thing at BYU called the Honor Code. Merely being present at the party constitutes violation of the Honor Code and he will be watching the 2008 Season from the sidelines. Walk-on FB Kirk Boren has left the team due to lack of playing time, which is neither here nor there since the FB is a non factor in our Offense.

Scheduling
We have 1 open date and promptly add Arizona, who I still have a bit of a grudge against after they beat us in successive Seasons in which I felt we were better. We schedule the Wildcats to a Home and Home set and will play them in week 4. The NCAA also approaches us after the normal Scheduling period and grants us approval to play a 12th game in 2008. We promptly add Illinois as our Season opener for the 2008 Season.

Incoming recruits
The following Recruits will compete for playing time as true Freshman, or be relied upon to provide depth. Those marked by a * are projected starters coming out of Spring Ball.
Mitchell Watson WR
Kurt Doe G
Cedric Wiles DE
Jerome Noisy CB
Jeremy Meadows CB
Redshirts
Donnie Davison QB
Wally Jennings RB
Lenny Finley WR
TJ Rodgers C
Dennis Adams G
Stanley Baxter T
Wayne Harrison DE
Reuben Ballard DT
Benjamin Arreola LB
Jesse Gomez LB
Shaun Sweeny S

We have no projected starters going into Fall practice but both Noisy and Wiles figure to see significant PT early. The biggest luxury is being able to Red Shirt some great talents in Jennings, Adams, Arreola and Gomez to let them develop and ease into College life. I am actually very encouraged that this is the first year of my tenure that we will not have to ask true Freshmen to step in and start right away. We are finally beginning to develop some depth.

NFL Draft
Reserve Running back Winston Smothers and C Winfred Benson are the only Cougar alum invited to the NFL draft combines after our Senior workouts for scouts. Neither one is drafted as Smothers with a 4.7 40 is too slow to play RB at the next level and Benson has a horrible combine and is heavily downgraded.

Other MWC alumni of note:
Gabe Donovan QB Air Force: Donovan who was no better than the third best MWC QB last year behind Utah’s Rodney Dostie and Gatlin is surprisingly drafted 5th overall by the Miami Dolphins who like his mobility and accuracy throwing on the run.

Bill Lucas LB Utah: Lucas is also taken in the first round with the 30th pick by Baltimore. He was a force at Utah and his leadership will be missed. He had 57 tackles, 25 assists 2 Int and 6 passes defensed in his senior Season with the Utes.

Neil Dellenbach WR Utah: In a mild surprise the 2 time All-American and and all-time NCAA leader in receiving yardage and Touchdown receptions with 4492 and 46 respectively falls all the way to the second pick of round 5 going to the Seattle Seahawks. He reminds many of another sure handed Seahawk pick of the past who wore number 80, and was considered a little too slow to be an NFL standout. Lets hope he turns out to be as much of a steal as a certain MR. Largent was.

BYU Alumni
Smothers and Benson are the only 2 dynasty alumni around at the start of the Season and both will start the year as free agents. Smothers was signed as an undrafted FA by the Cardinals but was cut at the conclusion of training camp.

[BYU 14]

As I did in the prior post I will list the draft fortunes of some of our more prominent MWC opponents. If anyone would like periodic updates on some of the foes we have grown to love over the years let me know and I will oblige. For myself I am really hoping that things work out for both Gatlin and Rodney Dostie from Utah after this Season. This will be their fourth year going head to head in the battle for the Beehive boot, and I would like to see them have some NFL battles in the future as well, almost as much as I want to see Gatlin finally get a head to head win, against the QB from "up North" this Season. :mad:

[BYU 14]

2008 BYU Preseason Report

Preseason Rank: 44th Mountain West Rank: 3rd

Roster/Depth Chart
<pre><font face=courier>
# = Returning Starter $ = Will Redshirt this Season *Elig = Redshirt used *Pos = Walk on.
Returning Starters: Offense 9 Defense 10 Specialists 1
First player(s) listed at each position projected starter(s)
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
#Gatlin, Dwight 10 QB Sr 61 74 14
Post, Paul 4 QB So* 32 80 18
Rayburn, Bennie 19 QB Jr* 31 87 5
Burroughs, Zach 11 QB* Sr 13 28 5
$Davison, Donnie 17 QB* Fr 7 66 n/a
</pre></font>
This will be the curtain call for what has been an impressive, yet somewhat hollow career for Gatlin. Touted as a savior, the Ohio Gunslinger has looked brilliant at times, and very mediocre (usually in big games) at others. We hope he is a bit more hungry this year and takes us to our first MWC Title in my tenure. Both back ups are solid, with local boy Post being an especially pleasant surprise, pushing the more highly touted Rayburn for the #2 spot.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Stoddard, Daniel 42 RB Sr* 69 95 10
Fredrickson, Julio 20 RB Jr* 69 69 9
$Jennings, Wally 22 RB Fr 58 73 n/a
Shaw, Calvin 34 RB Sr 40 71 2
Ah Yat, Perry 47 RB So* 29 52 -3
</pre></font>
We are simply loaded here, but again, when it isn’t broken, don’t try and fix it. This means Fredrickson will continue to back up Stoddard and Shaw will finish is last year as #3. If he stays healthy this year and next Stoddard could be the first Cougar ever to have 4 straight 1000 yard seasons. We look good for the future too as our top recruit, Wally Jennings could start now for over half the teams in the country, as it he will redshirt and look to battle Fredrickson when Stoddard is gone.
<pre><font face=courier>
Hightower, Damon 25 FB* Sr 30 30 -8
Cortez, Lonnie 49 FB* Fr 4 22 n/a
</pre></font>
They see very little time so they will be expected to keep their grades up and be demons on Special teams, same as last year, and the year before.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Joseph, Geoff 82 TE Sr* 44 98 8
Cerny, Gus 89 TE Jr 47 83 12
Levitt, Nick 84 TE So* 30 59 1
Buick, George 97 TE* Sr 7 7 -3
</pre></font>
2 very solid players here, and though Cerny had a better spring we will stay with the incumbent starter. These guys will be counted on to block for Stoddard and slip underneath on dig routes and curls as we stretch the field with our wide outs.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Hitchcock, Ellis 7 WR Sr* 75 89 9
#Schroder, Andy 3 WR So 52 97 10
#Fletcher, Leland 8 WR Jr 50 98 16
Rose, Pete 88 WR Jr* 29 83 2
Walton, Mitchell 86 WR Fr 24 62 n/a
$Finley, Lenny 87 WR Fr 23 75 n/a
</pre></font>
Without a doubt the best receiving corp in the MWC this year, these guys can flat our make things happen. The biggest gains over the off Season were made by Leland Fletcher, who worked like a demon coming off a late Season Shoulder injury, and feeling the heat from Rose as Pete filled in well for him while he was out. Unfortunately Rose appeared to spend more time lifting Chicken Wings then he did weights and made little progress over the spring and summer. I like all of our top 3 to have a shot at the NFL, and actually worry about losing Hitchcock early if he has a good Season.
<pre><font face=courier>
Flynn, Melvin 51 C Sr* 71 86 22
Baxter, Ellis 56 C Jr* 49 85 22
$Rodgers, T.J. 58 C Fr 4 67 n/a
#Ballard, Kyle 62 G Sr 56 56 9
#Boyd, Lance 70 G So 42 45 13
$Adams, Dennis 68 G Fr 20 86 n/a
Nixon, C.J. 78 G Jr 16 52 4
Riddell, Brian 61 G So* 14 78 9
Doe, Kurt 60 G* Fr 6 39 n/a
Burnside, Randall 64 G* Jr 3 22 3
#Longmate, Tom 69 T Jr* 60 79 14
Lyon, Ed 63 T Sr* 53 53 12
Webb, Korey 77 T So* 43 80 16
Suarez, Kirk 65 T So* 38 86 13
Lathon, Ron 76 T Sr 37 65 -3
$Baxter, Stanley 66 T Fr 15 95 n/a
</pre></font>
3 of our 5 starters from last year return and they are all solid, but the biggest reason to smile here will come from first year Starter Melvin Flynn. The Junior was just nasty in the off Season picking up obscene gains, and pushing the rest of the crew. Longmate and Lyon are nice bookends at the Tackle spots, and though we are not as strong as would like to be at Guard, the future looks bright with Dennis Adams and Brian Riddell waiting in the wings. I fully expect this group to set the tone for an offense that will accrue over 5000 total yards.
<pre><font face=courier>
Linquist, Mack 9 P So 28 100 7
Galloway, Mo 2 P* Sr* 7 7 2
#Coffey, Desmond 1 K Sr 38 48 7
Gurley, Todd 14 K So* 14 75 -6
</pre></font>
Coffey was adequate last year, but Gurley has the most upside, he just has not developed the consistency we need yet. Lindquist has 3 years and a cannon of a leg to become one of the top Punters in the west.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Newsome, Donnie 95 DE Jr* 57 73 12
Trippi, Jackie 71 DE So* 45 80 33
Bradley, Jeff 74 DE Sr* 18 42 3
Wiles, Cedric 73 DE Fr 17 79 n/a
Tran, Vernon 98 DE* Sr 13 38 3
Cortez, Sean 72 DE* So 9 22 n/a
Kelly, Dave 90 DE* So 8 8 n/a
$Harrison, Wayne 94 DE* Fr 1 54 n/a
#Wohlman, Barry 91 DT Sr 69 85 11
Such, Wade 79 DT Jr* 37 77 10
Cramer, Ed 75 DT Sr 30 54 12
$Ballard, Reuben 99 DT Fr 19 81 n/a
</pre></font>
Newsome, despite an injury plagued Freshman season still led the team in sacks with 6.5. I am really looking forward to seeing the damage he can do over a full Season, his job should be made even easier by the expected emergence of RS Freshman Jackie Trippi and continued force in middle we have in Wohlman, who doesn’t throw up impressive stats, but eats a whole lot of double teams for the Linebackers, he should go within 4 rounds in next years NFL draft.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Shields, Darrin 55 ILB Jr* 57 69 29
#Diaz, Harris 41 ILB Sr 50 83 21
Jamison, Roderick 92 ILB Jr* 39 70 14
Reynolds, Andrew 96 ILB So* 39 82 19
$Arreola, Benji 50 ILB Fr 26 81 n/a
Greer, Ralph 57 ILB So 21 39 3
#Geary, Harvey 40 OLB Sr 61 61 14
#Wong, Herb 46 OLB Jr* 45 80 16
Winslett, Pete 44 OLB So* 37 70 19
$Gomez, Jesse 93 OLB Fr 25 85 n/a
Sampson, Corey 59 OLB Jr 16 48 6
Meehan, Oliver 52 OLB* Sr 30 55 0
</pre></font>
All 4 starters return and this could be a special unit. Darrin Shields is a gym rat with an attitude and eats, sleeps, dreams and then eats Football again!! His off Season gains were just ridiculous and though only a Sophomore this year, he is already the unquestioned heart and soul of this D. If he gets adequate support from Geary and Wong on the edges, and the steady job we have always gotten from Diaz, our Defense could be brutal to run against. If anyone falters Pete Winslett impressed in the spring and is ready to step up, as are Jamison and Reynolds in the middle, though it won’t be Shields spot they are chasing, he is solid there as long as he is a Cougar.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Irish, Barry 23 CB Sr 50 50 21
#Vance, Bennie 29 CB Sr 48 68 15
Noisy, Jerome 27 CB Fr 32 70 n/a
Cochran, Ed 21 CB So 26 63 9
Lewis, Mel 45 CB Jr* 19 46 2 (suspended)
Meadows, Jeremy 24 CB* Fr 5 43 n/a
#Perry, Derek 43 S Sr* 58 80 1
Bruce, Bryant 33 S Jr 40 55 5
#Foreman, A.J. 35 S Sr 41 50 3
$Sweeney, Shaun 36 S Fr 38 55 n/a
Streck, Wade 37 S So* 28 69 11
Matney, Irv 39 S Sr 27 55 3
</pre></font>
Despite the fact that we have 4 starters returning I am less than confident in this unit. Irish and Vance are steady, but not flashy and have trouble with blazers. Noisy will get some PT this year and he may be the first true Playmaker I have had at Corner. The Safeties inspire even less confidence, so much so that I am going with Junior Bryant Bruce over incumbent AJ Foreman, who did not give me the kind of off Season I would expect from a 3 year starter, and hopeful leader. Nobodies’ job is safe here and the only Safety that worked hard in my mind was the unheralded Wade Streck…..I like his upside when we got him and he will play over higher rated players if they don’t perform.

Players to watch
Dwight Gatlin QB
Daniel Stoddard RB
Ellis Hitchcock WR
Andy Schroder WR
Melvin Flynn C
Tom Longmate T
Donnie Newsome DE
Barry Wohlman DT
Darrin Shields LB

Top Newcomers
Jacki Trippi DE
Jerome Noisy CB

2008 Schedule
<pre><font face=courier>
Rival: Utah
Stadium Capacity: 65,000
Season Tickets Sold: 56,400

Week Opponent
1 ILLINOIS
2 at San Jose State
3 at (8) Notre Dame
4 ARIZONA
$$5 SAN DIEGO STATE
6 at Rutgers
$$7 at UNLV
$$9 (23) UTAH
$$10 (39) AIR FORCE
$$11 at Wyoming
$$12 (41) COLORADO STATE
$$13 at New Mexico

Home Games in ALL CAPS
$$-Conference Games,
</pre></font>

Outlook
We are experienced and solid in all areas, with the only big concern being the secondary. This should be the Season that playing a lot of young players begins to pay off as we will be battle tested and in need of only that one break through win against a top 25 team to get us rolling. We will get that shot in week 3 against the pre-Season #8 Fighting Irish, and I have a special speech saved for that game, so long as we get by Illinois, and an overmatched but dangerous San Jose St team. We are picked 3rd in the MWC, but I think we are without a doubt the sleeper. Utah, though they return Dostie at QB lose their top 3 receivers and return no running back that went for over 500 yards, which is where they look to bull teams around to set Dostie up to go deep. They do return 4 of 5 lineman however, so whoever lugs the rock will have some holes. Defensively they were hit hard and this is where they will be tested as they do not have a lot of experience on this side of the ball. Air Force, despite losing their trigger man returns some capable weapons including MWC 1st team selections Alfred Anthony RB (1000 yard rusher) and Duane Hoyt WR. David Ward DE, Conrad Wayne LB and Toby Jackson S are also returning MWC first team selections and lead a stout Defense. Colorado state will be solid as well, bit nobody else looks to challenge for one of the top 3 spots.

BYU Alumni
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Same as last year as our only two active alumni begin the year looking for work after Smothers is cut by Arizona. I am afraid this Season will be like last as we are still looking for our first Cougar alum of the dynasty to make a splash in the big time.

[BYU 14]

We get ready to open our Season against Illinois, and with the wealth of returners we have I am confident that we can make a strong run at not only the MWC title, but a definite top 20 ranking. Gatlin has a shot to be the most prolific passer in NCAA history by the end of the year, though many scouts are calling him no better than a back up in the NFL as he is projected to go in the late rounds. I am excited for this season and it will be vital to our future as a great showing will help draw more solid recruits, and but us in a position to be able to reload next year versus rebuilding after losing several key players to graduation.

Trev Albert continues to ridicule the MWC addition to the BCS and points to Utah's atrocious post Season record as proof, we incoporate this into our rallying cry as Fall practice winds down and we prepare for the Illini. "Time for a new Flag bearer!"

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 1

BYU 49 Illinois 35
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 19-32-399 5 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 19-75

Receiving
Andy Schroder 4-94 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 4-80 1 TD
Daniel Stoddard 4-98

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 13 tackles 3 assists 1 Int
Derek Perry S 8 tackles 2 assists
Harris Diaz LB 5 tackles 3 assists

Recap
We open up 2008 before a near sell out crowd of 62,500 rabid fans, who like the staff feel this may be a special year. Illinois comes in fired up and determined to end the optimism before the leaves have even turned. After Gatlin caps our opening drive with an 11 yard TD strike to Schroder, the Illini fire back, scoring 3 unanswered touchdowns and appear to have us on the ropes before Gatlin again connects, this time on a 25 yard hook up to Leland Fletcher as the half winds down. After tying the score on our opening drive of the 3rd we get spark we need to surge ahead, as after stuffing Illinois, Hitchcock takes a punt and weaves his way 77 yards for a score as the crowd goes nuts. Illinois will not die however and they fight back to tie the score twice, the second coming on a 12 yd pass from Tommie Nunes to Winston McNeil to knot things at 35 with 8 minutes left. We answer right back however, then pick Nunes off and Gatlin seals the deal with his 5th TD pass of the day with 2:11 remaining and we are out of the gates running. As expected Darrin Shields is a terror, leading the defense with 16 total tackles and a crucial pick to insure there would be no disappointment this day. Turnovers are in fact the key, as our 3 to 1 edge, as well as special teams play makes the difference. I am not happy that we were out gained 507-473, and am really unhappy that we gave up 209 yards rushing, as I thought this would be an area of great improvement. Either I have over-estimated our talent, or that Coaching change I have been pondering really needs to happen this year.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back

Joseph, who had back problems as a Freshman see them flare up again and we could be without him for up to 6 weeks. Luckily there is not much of a drop from him to local product Gus Cerny at this position.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

We target 5 Local prospects, who are all ranked in the top 1000 nationally, the best of them being Guard Bucky Glover 286 overall 26 by position. We need a solid commit here and he would fit the bill. We also send out feelers to some talent we feel we can get in Texas, California and the surrounding states.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 49 Illinois 35
Minnesota 38 UNLV 10
Texas A&M 31 Wyoming 3
Arizona 31 San Diego St 27
Air Force 52 Utah St 10

Air Force looks scary, easily handling a Utah St team that should compete for the Sunbelt Title this year. Status quo elsewhere as the League looks to step up in competition and goes 0-3 against BCS teams not from Illinois.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 1 0 0 1.000 52 10 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 4
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 49 35 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Utah 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Colorado State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 4
New Mexico 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 0 1 0 .000 27 31 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
Wyoming 0 1 0 .000 3 31 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
UNLV 0 1 0 .000 10 38 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 6
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at San Jose St Local TV
Air Force at Virginia Tech ABC
Clemson at UNLV
Indiana at Colorado St
Kansas at Wyoming
Princeton at New Mexico
Utah at Cornell Fox Sports

We will at least get some TV exposure as a League, as the Falcons land a big national network game against Virginia Tech, and Utah will open on Fox cable against Ivy League “power” Cornell. New Mexico also opens up against the Ivy, the first of 3 games they have against the MWC’s favorite cannon fodder. Everyone else plays some programs with a bit more prestige and a win or two in these games would be nice for the League.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Oh followers of former Cougars unite, for another Season of tales from the Wal-Mart and the County sports and rec flag Football league.

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 2

BYU 38 San Jose St 31
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 20-37-307 2 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 21-179 1 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 5-119 1 TD
Andy Schroder 5-62 1 TD
Leland Fletcher 4-71

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 15 tackles 2 assists
Derek Perry S 7 tackles 5 assists 1 Int
Barry Wohlman DT 5 tackles 1 assist ½ sack
Safety Bryant Bruce also picks off 2 passes

Recap
Our Defense is struggling out of the gate and despite the fact that we intercept San Jose QB Eugene Ricci 5 times, they also hang 434 total yards on us, including another 175 rushing, not good. Offensively we get 506, paced by a strong effort by Stoddard, but we get caught in 3rd and long way too much and only convert 5 of 13. This game is a dogfight the entire way as we open up a 10-0 lead on a Fredrickson run and a Desmond Coffey FG. The Spartans claw back and actually take a 17-10 halftime lead as we lose 2 fumbles. After a severe tongue lashing my charges respond with two 3rd quarter TD’s and we cling to a 24-17 lead heading into the 4th quarter. San Jose quickly turns this into a 24-31 disadvantage as Ricci throws TD passes of 31 yards to OJ Bradley and 35 yards to Eddie Lauer, nephew of the today show host Matt. After we punt, an interception stalls a San Jose drive and Gatlin goes to work taking us 78 yards to tie it with an 8 yard pass to Schroder. San Jose comes back and again the Defense comes up with a huge play as Freshman Jerome Noisy, in at nickel back makes his first big play as a Cougar picking Ricci off again. At this point we looked to use up clock and get a last second field goal, and I call a draw on 2nd and 7 at our own 37. Stoddard hits the hole, cuts left and goes 63 yards for the game winning touchdown!!! A bullet dodged but you can bet we will be talking about this Defense…especially with Notre Dame, ranked in the top 10 on tap.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle Sprain

Trippi’s injury really hurts us and these types of sprains can be tricky, we may be looking at not seeing him again this Season as it is quite severe. This really depletes our line and will now allow teams to pay more attention to Donnie Newsome on the other side.

Recruiting

Visits
Paul Duffy CB Bountiful, UT Overall 583 Position 41
Harold Buchanan LB Salt Lake City, UT Overall 821 Position 49

Commits
None

We get 2 early visits from a pair of locals and both could help us, especially Duffy who I feel can be another under rated player, similar to Wade Streck in the secondary. This bodes well in that instate recruits are now back to giving BYU the respect that had been missing for a few Seasons.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 38 San Jose St 31
Air Force 30 Virginia Tech 24
UNLV 36 Clemson 28
Colorado St 24 Indiana 8
Wyoming 35 Kansas 14
New Mexico 38 Princeton 6
Utah 24 Cornell 9

Break up the MWC!!! The conference goes 7-0 on the week with the most impressive wins by far being Air Force’s victory over the Hokies and UNLV’s huge upset of Clemson. In fact the only victory maybe less impressive than ours was Utah’s less than dominating conquest of Cornell. Looks like Dostie is missing his buddy Dellenbach already.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 2 0 0 1.000 82 34 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 5
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 87 66 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
New Mexico 1 0 0 1.000 38 6 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Utah 1 0 0 1.000 24 9 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Colorado State 1 0 0 1.000 24 8 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 5
Wyoming 1 1 0 .500 38 45 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
UNLV 1 1 0 .500 46 66 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 0 1 0 .000 27 31 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Notre Dame-ESPN
Colorado at Colorado St-Fox sports
Arizona St at San Diego St
North Texas at UNLV
New Mexico at Dartmouth
Yale at Wyoming

We get #7 Notre Dame this week and I all but challenge the manhood of the defense imploring them to maybe stop the run….just for the hell of it. CSU has a big instate showdown and San Diego St hosts the ASU Sun Devils in a challenging match-up. Wyoming gets some slack since they opened against 2 BCS schools, but how about New Mexico?? Maybe the Ivy can just absorb the Lobo’s since they have a better league record there, than they do in the MWC.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Note to selves………get Skis out, it will snow soon and that’s about the odds you have of getting signed……(s)no(w) chance at all.

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 3

BYU 27 Notre Dame 16
Record Overall 3-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 15-32-326 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 28-118 2 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 3-44 1 TD
Andy Schroder 3-64
Leland Fletcher 3-87

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 8 tackles 1 assist
Bryant Bruce S 6 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
Barry Wohlman DT 5 tackles 1 assist
Donnie Newsome DE 4 tackles 2 sacks

Recap
The defense responds!!! In a probably the most brutal game week practice we have ever had we have the scouts pound our defense over and over, hoping to get the mentality needed to meet the challenge of Notre Dames powerful running game. Our players erase the memories of previous poundings holding the Irish to 93 yards running and only a 2.7 avg per carry, I am ecstatic. On the other side of the ball we manage to spring Stoddard for a game high 118 yards, and though Gatlin is again inconsistent in a big game, we take care of the Ball, as his interception is our only turnover. We come up with big plays on both sides of the ball as Gatlin hits a couple of throws for over 40 yards and we intercept Arnie Frederick 3 times on the day. Our special teams are all consistent and we have the biggest win in my tenure as Cougar Coach. Shields again has a big day on defense and Donnie Newsome and Cedric Wiles apply pressure to Frederick all day long, getting 3 sacks and 4 hurries between them.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle Sprain
Ellis Hitchcock WR-Out Tonsillitis

Wiles has stepped nicely for Jacki Trippi, who still looks like a lost cause this Season. Hitchcock could hurt us the most of the 3. He played the game gainst Notre Dame deathly ill and will undergo a tonsillectomy on Monday, possibly missing 2-4 games. Rose will have to contribute at our third WR spot in his absence.
Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

Still only 2 visits, but this win should catch the attention of some of our targeted players, letting them know the Cougars mean business.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 27 Notre Dame 16
Colorado 28 Colorado St 24
Arizona St 16 San Diego St 14
North Texas 48 UNLV 35
New Mexico 48 Dartmouth 7
Wyoming 44 Yale 0

New Mexico and Wyoming score easy drubbings over their Ivy Foes, and CSU and San Diego St are competitive though the MWC needs to repeat the success of last week on a regular basis to be taken seriously as a national player. We have been under close scrutiny as a conference since our inclusion into the BCS and at least one School has to rise up and make some noise, if we stay healthy it could be our year.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 3 0 0 1.000 114 82 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
New Mexico 2 0 0 1.000 86 13 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
Air Force 2 0 0 1.000 82 34 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 5
Utah 1 0 0 1.000 24 9 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 2 1 0 .666 82 45 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Colorado State 1 1 0 .500 48 36 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
UNLV 1 2 0 .333 81 114 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
San Diego State 0 2 0 .000 41 47 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Arizona at BYU Local TV
Michigan St at San Diego St
Utah at Ohio St
Hawaii at Air Force Fox Sports
Colorado St at SMU
New Mexico at Yale

An ambitious schedule this week with Utah and San Diego St leading the way. Arizona, though PAC 10 is down and we need to keep them there. CSU and Air Force both have very winnable games and of course New Mexico makes its weekly foray into the land of Ivy…wonder if they would schedule High School teams if the NCAA would allow it?

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Another week on the lazy boys for our only 2 dynasty prospects….I can’t wait to send some talent to the draft after this Season. Next week I will give an update on our former rivals, now Rookies in the NFL, Neil Dellenbach WR and Bill Lucas LB from Utah, and Gabe Donovan QB from Air Force.

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 4

BYU 37 Arizona 3
Record Overall 4-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 15-27-186 3 TD
Paul Post 5-8-83 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 30-199 1 TD

Receiving
Pete Rose 5-71
Andy Schroder 5-43 2 TD
Leland Fletcher 5-89

Defense
Cedric Wiles DE 5 tackles 1 sack
Herb Wong LB 5 tackles
Barry Wohlman DT 3 tackles 1 assist 1 sack
Darrin Shields LB 2 tackles 6 assists

Recap
We control the Wildcats from the outset and actually end up coasting home, while getting a lot of our second team players some game experience. The only thing you need to know about this game is Daniel Stoddard. Already BYU’s all-time leading rusher, with a Season and a half of eligibility remaining, Daniel punishes the Wildcat defenders and leads a ground attack that out rushes U of A 244 to 39. They are not much better throwing the ball as we sack Wildcat QB Rod Irby 3 times, pick him off twice and allow only 93 yards through the air, while racking up a 37:17 to 22:43 time of possession advantage to totally dominate the game.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle Sprain
Ellis Hitchcock WR-Out Tonsillitis

No new injuries of note, though both Donnie Newsome and Barry Wohlman are nursing sprains and we need to be careful as our D-line depth is still not great. Stoddard for as much punishment as he dished out, took a bit too and is suffering from a sprained neck, which as been a chronic issue for him over the years. He will not miss any time however.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

Still no new visits, though we are currently in contention for some top players including Brandon Cash and Brad Dunlap, the top 2 Linebacker prospects in the country, though both are showing a lot of love to Michigan.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 37 Arizona 3
San Diego St 24 Michigan St 17
Utah 17 Ohio St 14
Air Force 24 Hawaii 3
Colorado St 27 SMU 12
New Mexico 35 Yale 14

Another huge week for the MWC as we again go unbeaten and score a big win against Ohio St, courtesy of our Crimson rivals up North. Air Force is also looking tough and San Diego St again shows the ability to be a spoiler. New Mexico sits atop the Ivy League at 3-0 

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 4 0 0 1.000 151 85 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 4
New Mexico 3 0 0 1.000 121 27 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 4
Air Force 3 0 0 1.000 106 37 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 6
Utah 2 0 0 1.000 41 23 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Wyoming 2 1 0 .666 82 45 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Colorado State 2 1 0 .666 75 48 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 1 2 0 .333 65 64 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
UNLV 1 2 0 .333 81 114 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
San Diego St at BYU
Air Force at Wyoming local TV
Utah at Colorado St Local TV
UNLV at New Mexico

League play gets underway and we draw the Dangerous Aztecs, who are the most unpredictable team in the League, I try to keep the players focused as we can not afford to take anyone lightly, regardless of our record to date. Utah and Colorado St will be a good match up as the Rams have improved and are hoping the Ute’s are vulnerable coming off their big win against the Buckeyes.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

With nothing but dust gathering on our Free agents lets take a look at some of the top players from the MWC last Season as they complete week 4 of their Rookie Seasons

Bill Lucas LB Baltimore (Utah) Luke has earned the starting SLB spot with the Baltimore Ravens playing beside veteran stars Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware. Through 4 games he has 26 tackles, 9 assists and a sack. His best game came against Dallas in week 2 when he recorded 9 tackles and an assist, with a QB hurry. At this pace he looks to be inline for Rookie honors at years end.

Neil Dellenbach WR Seattle (Utah) Neil showed well in the pre-season and surprised everyone, as he has done throughout his career by earning the starting Flanker spot beating out Darrell Jackson. Early in the opener against St Louis, he suffered a hamstring injury before he had an opportunity to make a catch and has not played since. He looks to be out at least another Month and it remains to be seen how effective he will be when he returns.

Gabe Donovan QB Miami (Air Force) Donovan, the second QB taken in the draft is currently the number 2 signal caller behind 14 year veteran Steve McNair and looks to be the QB of the future in Miami. He has yet to see any regular Season

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 5

BYU 21 San Diego St 20
Record Overall 5-0 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 13-22-213 3 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 12-151

Receiving
Andy Schroder 6-111 1 TD
Daniel Stoddard 3-38 1 TD

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 8 tackles 3 assists
Herb Wong LB 8 tackles
Derek Perry S 4 tackles 4 assists
Barry Wohlman DT 3 tackles 2 assists 2 sacks

Recap
In a game in which we had one turnover, hit on 50% of our third down conversions and sprung Daniel Stoddard for 151 yards we still trailed from the 9:15 mark of the second quarter until there was just 3:52 remaining in the game. San Diego State had a solid plan to keep the ball away from our explosive offense, and take away the big play when did have possession. After Gatlin hit Leland Fletcher with a 23 yard strike to open the scoring, San Diego St fought back behind a balanced running attack and a short passing game spearheaded by Oscar Shuman to take a 10-7 lead on Everett Vrabel’s 1 yd run. From there we played catch up but could not take the lead until Gatlin’s 11 yard pass to Andy Schroder made it 21-20 late in the fourth. After a holding the Aztecs to a 3 and out we were unable to make a first down and Shuman took San Diego St to our 20 in 53 seconds, where Hugh Watts 37 yd field goal sailed wide right with 17 seconds remaining, allowing us to escape by the skin of our Teeth.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle Sprain
Ellis Hitchcock WR-Out Tonsillitis

Still no change to the injured list and thankfully Stoddard should be back to full strength next week after playing a heroic game still fighting the pain of his sprained neck. We really need to get Hitchcock back from his tonsillectomy as our vertical passing game goes as he goes.

Recruiting

Visits
Donny Ellard QB Belgrade, MT Overall 43 Position 5
Darrin Ponder RB Bloomfield, NM Overall 20 Position 2
Marvin Dillon TE Malibu, CA Overall 246 Position 10
Leon Riley CB Mission Viejo, CA Overall 187 Position 15
Gus Brazinski DT Park City, UT Overall 335 Position 25

Commits
None

A group of recruits come in this week led by the West’s best back Darrin Ponder. We are deep at RB but if we can keep getting this type of back to show us interest we will take it. Ellard is as good as any QB we have recruited, and he could be in line to take the Wheel after a redshirt year and a Season of grooming, if we can get him to come. Brazinski gives us 3 talented local boys who are looking at staying home and wearing the hallowed Cougar Blue, as I feel the tide is shifting in the battle for the best in state recruits. It would be nice to start seeing some commits roll in though.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 21 San Diego St 20
Air Force 45 Wyoming 21
Colorado St 42 Utah 34
UNLV 31 New Mexico 7

Our narrow escape gets us off on the right foot and I have a feeling that the MWC will be a dog fight this year, with Air Force looking tough and Colorado St upsetting the Utes. Though the Aztecs could be spoilers I see this being a 4 team race, with Wyoming, New Mexico and UNLV bring up the rear.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 5 0 0 1.000 172 105 1 0 0 1.000 21 20 Won 5
Air Force 4 0 0 1.000 151 58 1 0 0 1.000 45 21 Won 7
Colorado State 3 1 0 .750 117 82 1 0 0 1.000 42 34 Won 2
UNLV 2 2 0 .500 112 121 1 0 0 1.000 31 7 Won 1
New Mexico 3 1 0 .750 128 58 0 1 0 .000 7 31 Lost 1
Utah 2 1 0 .666 75 65 0 1 0 .000 34 42 Lost 1
Wyoming 2 2 0 .500 103 90 0 1 0 .000 21 45 Lost 1
San Diego State 1 3 0 .250 85 85 0 1 0 .000 20 21 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Rutgers
West Virginia at Utah
Dartmouth at Air Force
Colorado St at Brown
New Mexico St at New Mexico
San Diego St at Yale

Only the Utes are ambitious this week as West Virginia will be bear, the rest of the League will be favored, including contest against 3 Ivy League Schools. At least New Mexico will not be involved in the Grid Iron sacrifices this week.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Still reading the help wanted ads….unfortunately none of them start with “Wanted, mediocre ex-BYU players to take spots on bench”

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 6

BYU 45 Rutgers 26
Record Overall 6-0 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 23-35-385 5 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 20-68 1 TD

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 7-118 2 TD
Gus Cerny 5-63
Daniel Stoddard 4-35 1 TD

Defense
Harris Diaz 10 tackles 1 assist
Herb Wong LB 8 tackles 1 assist 1 sack
Darrin Shields LB 8 tackles 1 assist
Derek Perry S 3 tackles 2 assists 1 Int

Recap
On a cold Rainy day in New Brunswick the dreary weather took a bite out of the Cougar running game, but had no effect on Dwight Gatlin’s hot hand as he torched the Scarlet Knight secondary. Still, the home team made it a game for 3 quarters as we lead 21-20 going into the fourth. From there Gatlin took over tossing 3 touchdowns in the quarter as we outscored Rutgers 24-6 in the final 15 minutes. Our Linebackers were all over the field led by Diaz and his 11 total Tackles. We strung together 4 drives of over 60 yards while holding Rutgers when it mattered as they only converted 2 of 11 third down opportunities. Despite the decisive win, I would have liked to see put our foes away a bit earlier, and I would definitely like to see an improved pass rush as we only record 2 sacks, but did get 6 hurries and 2 blocks.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle Sprain

Hitchcock has been cleared to play and it couldn’t come at a better time as we head into the meat of our conference schedule.

Recruiting

Visits
Kendall Milano CB Eureka, CA Overall 107 Position 9
Commits
Kendall Timlin S Honolulu, HI Overall 39 Position 3

It was the week of Kendall as we score a huge commit from the Islands, and Timlin is the best Safety prospect we have ever pulled in. He was overwhelmed by our facilities and committed midway through his visit, we also hosted another solid secondary prospect in Kendall Milano who would also bolster a rapidly improving secondary.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 45 Rutgers 26
West Virginia 40 Utah 14
Air Force 41 Dartmouth 14
Colorado St 53 Brown 17
New Mexico St 35 New Mexico 15
San Diego St 66 Yale 17

Utah is looking very mortal as they are pummeled by West Virginia and New Mexico is still winless outside of the Ivy. The rest of the conference predictably pounds the Ivy League, though it won’t get us any prestige points.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 6 0 0 1.000 217 131 1 0 0 1.000 21 20 Won 6
Air Force 5 0 0 1.000 192 72 1 0 0 1.000 45 21 Won 8
Colorado State 4 1 0 .800 170 99 1 0 0 1.000 42 34 Won 3
UNLV 2 2 0 .500 112 121 1 0 0 1.000 31 7 Won 1
New Mexico 3 2 0 .600 143 93 0 1 0 .000 7 31 Lost 2
Wyoming 2 2 0 .500 103 90 0 1 0 .000 21 45 Lost 1
Utah 2 2 0 .500 89 105 0 1 0 .000 34 42 Lost 2
San Diego State 2 3 0 .400 151 102 0 1 0 .000 20 21 Won 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at UNLV Fox Sports
Utah at Air Force Local TV
New Mexico at Colorado St
Wyoming at San Diego St

Utah at Air Force is a huge game for the Utes who are reeling after 2 consecutive defeats, and now risk falling out of contention with a loss. Meanwhile we take on UNLV, who is the worst of the teams tied for first, with Hitchcock back we should be clicking on all cylinders.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

May be time to drop these 2 from my fantasy football team  The spring draft can’t get here soon enough!!

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 7

BYU 35 UNLV 21
Record Overall 7-0 Mountain West 2-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 19-27-330 2 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 32-149 2 TD
Julio Fredrickson 9-45 1 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 7-156
Leland Fletcher 3-41
Pete Rose 3-47 1 TD

Defense
Derek Perry S 8 tackles
Bennie Vance 7 tackles 1 assist
Darrin Shields LB 6 tackles
Donnie Newsome DE 4 tackles 1 assist 2 sacks

Recap
We start this game in a hole as UNLV comes out fired up and races out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. We close the first quarter with a Gatlin touchdown pass (22 yards to Rose) then Stoddard knots the game at 14 with a 3 yard plunge at 6:23 of the second. UNLV looks content to take to the half tied, but Bernie Dyer turns a simple off tackle play into a 73 yard TD jaunt with just 30 seconds remaining in the half and we go to the locker room in shock! We tighten up in the 2nd half outscoring the Rebels 21-0 as we begin to get to UNLV QB Richard Harding, ending up with 5 sacks and 6 hurries, 5 by Barry Wohlman who wreaks havoc despite being doubled most of the game. The added pressure also forces Harding to throw 2 picks in the second half, the second one coming in our end zone with 55 seconds left. Hitchcock returns and wreaks havoc, sore throat and all with a big 156 yard effort against a secondary that just never found the answer for him.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle Sprain

Things are looking good here, though we miss the 2 players out, we fortunately only have an assortment of bumps and bruises elsewhere.

Recruiting
Visits
Chad Derubeis DT Santa Ynez, CA Overall 11 Position 1
Harry Tucker QB Louisville, KY Overall 13 Position 3
Joel Marx S Melrose, NM Overall 66 Position 5
Steven Lane RB North Las Vegas, NV Overall 51 Position 6
Norbert Tuinei RB Elmira, OR Overall 61 Position 7
Glen Ellison LB Savannah, TN Overall 200 Position 8
Malcolm Cook QB Wilmington, CA Overall 104 Position 11
Wade McConkey WR Barrington, IL Overall 160 Position 13
Ryan Springer S Scottsdale, AZ Overall 231 Position 13
Dennis Huntley LB Kansas City, KS Overall 254 Position 14
Myron Morrow LB Sunnyside, WA Overall 320 Position 17
Richie Daniels WR Laredo, TX Overall 188 Position 18
Cedric Katzman DE Leonard, TX Overall 171 Position 19
Bill Diaz T Torrance, CA Overall 217 Position 21
Bucky Glover G Springville, UT Overall 286 Position 26
Roger Laney LB Kahuku, HI Overall 433 Position 28
Gilbert Meyer TE Gypsum, CO Overall 559 Position 30
Reuben Keith T McAllen, TX Overall 263 Position 30
Lionel Foley T Corpus Christi, TX Overall 345 Position 36
Mo Mikeska DE Moab, UT Overall 441 Position 42
Juan Sheldon LB Prescott, AZ Overall 624 Position 46


Commits
Kendall Milano CB Eureka, CA Overall 107 Position 9

It doesn’t take long for Milano, who was in town last week to decide this is the place he wants to be. He is a good pickup and give us 2 strong players in the secondary, that has traditionally been a tough area for us to recruit for. The downside is, his commitment persuades local CB Paul Duffy, who we were high on to commit to Utah St. I won’t even go into detail on the visits, we are swamped and things are starting to heat up the Cougs, I expect to get at least several commits from this group over the next week or 2, which would put us back on track.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 45 UNLV 21
Air Force 23 Utah 12
New Mexico 28 Colorado St 21
Wyoming 26 San Diego St 16

It is hard to decide whether the bigger story is Utah being 0-2 in League play, or New Mexico, fresh off a loss to UNLV upsetting CSU. It is definitely starting to shake out to a battle between us and Air Force for the MWC championship, though there are still teams to be feared.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 7 0 0 1.000 252 152 2 0 0 1.000 56 41 Won 7
Air Force 6 0 0 1.000 215 84 2 0 0 1.000 68 33 Won 9
New Mexico 4 2 0 .666 171 114 1 1 0 .500 35 52 Won 1
Colorado State 4 2 0 .666 191 127 1 1 0 .500 63 62 Lost 1
Wyoming 3 2 0 .600 129 106 1 1 0 .500 47 61 Won 1
UNLV 2 3 0 .400 133 156 1 1 0 .500 52 42 Lost 1
Utah 2 3 0 .400 101 128 0 2 0 .000 46 65 Lost 3
San Diego State 2 4 0 .333 167 128 0 2 0 .000 36 47 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Air Force at New Mexico Fox sports
Colorado St at Wyoming
San Diego St at Utah

Air Force looks to continue their roll against New Mexico. The Falcons are doing it as they usually do, making the most of their talent and good Coaching. Things could not be better for us as we get a bye week before taking on Utah, this had better be the year we take our rivals down as I am 0-4 against the hated Utes in my Career.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Kind of ironic we have a bye week as that’s what our dynasty free agent rookies hear every week when they call NFL teams….Bye!

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 8

BYE
Record Overall 7-0 Mountain West 2-0

Injuries
Daniel Stoddard RB-Out Broken Clavicle
Jackie Trippi DE-Out Sprained Ankle

This we didn’t need, Geoff Joseph will return against Utah, but we will be without arguably our key player and the pressure will be on Gatlin to play mistake free, and Julio Fredrickson to at least give us enough on the ground to keep Utah honest.

Recruiting

Visits
Harold Lazer LB KY Overall 239 Position 11
Chad Dierdorf G OH Overall 263 Position 23


Commits
Malcolm Cook QB Wilmington, CA Overall 104 Position 11
Steven Lane RB North Las Vegas, NV Overall 51 Position 6
Lionel Foley T Corpus Christi, TX Overall 345 Position 36
Mo Mikeska DE Moab, UT Overall 441 Position 42
Myron Morrow LB Sunnyside, WA Overall 320 Position 17

Five solid commits this week, including a surprise commit from QB Malcolm Cook, who most people though would stay home and go to UCLA. We lose what we thought was a lock as Darrin Ponder decides he wants to remain close to home, and commits to New Mexico St. At least we won’t have to face him. Steven Lane from Nevada should provide a more than adequate replacement and Myron Morrow will give us another solid LB in the “chamber.” The most intriguing of our 2 visits this week is Chad Dierdorf, who has some pretty fair NFL bloodlines from Uncle Dan.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Utah 34 San Diego St 24
Air Force 41 New Mexico 10
Colorado St 41 Wyoming 24

Utah gets a league win coming into our game which coupled with Stoddard being out will have them confident, and hungry. Rodney Dostie has been a thorn in our side and this is our last chance to knock him and his Crimson clad buddies off. Air Force continues to roll and is garnering national attention with their impressive wins.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 7 0 0 1.000 256 94 3 0 0 1.000 109 43 Won 10
Brigham Young 7 0 0 1.000 252 152 2 0 0 1.000 56 41 Won 7
Colorado State 5 2 0 .714 232 151 2 1 0 .666 104 86 Won 1
UNLV 2 3 0 .400 133 156 1 1 0 .500 52 42 Lost 1
New Mexico 4 3 0 .571 181 155 1 2 0 .333 45 93 Lost 1
Wyoming 3 3 0 .500 153 147 1 2 0 .333 71 102 Lost 1
Utah 3 3 0 .500 135 152 1 2 0 .333 80 89 Won 1
San Diego State 2 5 0 .285 191 162 0 3 0 .000 60 81 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Utah at BYU Local TV
Boston College at Wyoming
UNLV at Colorado St Local TV
New Mexico at San Diego St

The Holy War will have MWC Title implications again, only this time it is us in the drivers seat not Utah. Our Seniors have never beaten the Utes and they will be focused and ready to make the most of their last chance. Air Force has a bye and 2 weeks to get ready for us. To say this 2 week stretch is critical is a understating the obvious.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

With nothing new with our Free Agents, we will again check on some of our favorite enemies from last Season, at the midway point in their rookie seasons.

Bill Lucas LB Baltimore (Utah) At the Midway point Lucas is leading the 4-4 Ravens in both tackles (47) and assists (20) and with both Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware in the twilight years of their careers is the heir apparent to the title of Defensive leader on this team. Just the fact that he can play Strong side Linebacker at 220 pounds speaks for how tough he is. If he stays healthy he could be real good for a really long time.

Neil Dellenbach WR Seattle (Utah) Due to his similarities to Steve Largent, Dellenbach is already a big fan favorite in Seattle, even though he has still not played since week 1 due to a Hamstring injury. He is still on the inactive list, and hopes to be added to the active roster within the next 2 weeks.

Gabe Donovan QB Miami (Air Force) Still playing understudy to veteran Steve McNair, Donovan finally gets into an NFL game this week, mopping up a 31-0 victory against Kansas City, going 4-7 for 27 yards. Gabe has potential and it will be all about the development process.

[BYU 14]

In 2005 we were very high on California Prep Grady Orton. Rated the #1 QB prospect in the country we envisioned him coming in and competing with Gatlin after a redshirt year for the Starting Job. He was the first QB to visit that year and looked like a good bet to be a Cougar. In the end he did not relish the competition that lay ahead with Gatlin and went to the PAC 10 as a UCLA Bruin, we ended up with Bennie Rayburn, who has been a more than adequate back up, but what of Orton?

After redshirting in 2006, Grady earned the starting job out of Spring ball in 2007 and led the Bruins to a 6-5 (4-4) mark and a middle of the road PAC 10 finish. His Freshman stats were 145-264 for 2026 yards, 16 TD and 15 Int. He definitely had some growing pains, but learned his lessons well. As a sophomore this Season he has the Bruins off to a 5-1 start, 3-1 in league play with the following stats, 123-197 for 1770 yards 14 TD and 6 Int. He is starting to play up to the lofty hype that comes with being the number 1 QB in the country. We would have loved to have him, but we have done alright without him.....Hopefully life imitates art for the real life Cougars, who also recently lost a #1 QB to UCLA. **cough** Ben Olson **cough** ;)

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 9

BYU 35 Utah 10
Record Overall 8-0 Mountain West 3-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 20-29-370 4 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 21-99

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 8-193 2 TD
Leland Fletcher 3-27
Pete Rose 3-39 1 TD
Andy Schroder 3-56 1 TD

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 12 tackles 4 assists
Harris Diaz LB 6 tackles 2 assists
Bryant Bruce S 6 tackles 1 assist
Donnie Newsome DE 4 tackles 1 assist 3.5 sacks

Recap
We are a little nervous without Stoddard, and it is imperative Gatlin gets over his tendency to collapse in big games. This time he responds with a monster game throwing for 370 yards and 4 TD’s. It is a defensive battle for the first half as Dostie gets the Utes up with a 12 yard run in the first quarter. We strike back just before the half as Gatlin hits Rose on a 2 yard slant. The game is as intense as any we have played against our rivals and we need to make a stronger statement in the second half. We do so by putting scoring drives of 63 and 90 yards together on our first 2 possessions of the third quarter, both topped off by Gatlin touchdown passes. Hitchcock in his second game back from a tonsillectomy, has another huge effort that garners him player of the game honors, and Donnie Newsome harasses Dostie all day sacking him 3.5 times and blocking a pass as well. On the day Dostie is 13-22-147, but throws 2 interceptions and suffers 4 sacks. Overall we hold Utah to 4.5 yards per play, and 4 of 13 on third down conversions. A solid and satisfying win, despite the fact that Utah does not have the overall talent of the past 2 seasons. The downside of such a physical, intense game though, is that we lose 4 players to injuries.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Daniel Stoddard RB-Out Broken Clavicle
Jeff Bradley DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Andy Schroder WR-Out Hyper-extended Knee
Darrin Shields LB-Out Sprained Back

Costly indeed, we suffer debilitating injuries to Shields, Schroder and Joseph again. All six will miss Air Force and we will have to rely on some backups to play out of their minds to compete with the high flying Falcons, who come to Provo after a bye.

Recruiting
Visits
Xavier Malone WR Wilsonville, OR Overall 430 Position 35
Kurt Mason CB Carlinville, IL Overall 555 Position 40

Commits
Bucky Glover G Springville, UT Overall 286 Position 26
Harold Buchanan LB Salt Lake City, UT Overall 821 Position 49

We get 2 local commits this week, with Glover coming from just down the road. He needs to bulk up by 20-25 pounds as he weighs just 266 right now, but he could be a starter down the road. With the quality of LBers we have recruited the last 2 years Buchanan should never be more than a back up, but if he works hard he will be rewarded.
We are still in the hunt for some solid players and I feel our next game will be pivotal in their decisions.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 35 Utah 10
Wyoming 23 Boston College 17
Colorado St 21 UNLV 10
San Diego St 34 New Mexico 7

Colorado St still must be wondering how in the world they lost to New Mexico (Still the Lobos only win outside the Ivy) as that game could be the one that costs them a MWC title shot. Utah has not had 3 conference defeats in years and the Crimson horde is growing restless up North. Wyoming, who has a tendency to occasionally jump up and bite someone gets a huge win against BC.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 8 0 0 1.000 287 162 3 0 0 1.000 91 51 Won 8
Air Force 7 0 0 1.000 256 94 3 0 0 1.000 109 43 Won 10
Colorado State 6 2 0 .750 253 161 3 1 0 .750 125 96 Won 2
Wyoming 4 3 0 .571 176 164 1 2 0 .333 71 102 Won 1
UNLV 2 4 0 .333 143 177 1 2 0 .333 62 63 Lost 2
New Mexico 4 4 0 .500 188 189 1 3 0 .250 52 127 Lost 2
Utah 3 4 0 .428 145 187 1 3 0 .250 90 124 Lost 1
San Diego State 3 5 0 .375 225 169 1 3 0 .250 94 88 Won 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Air Force at BYU ABC-National TV
San Diego St at UNLV
Wyoming at New Mexico
Utah at Utah St

We get the prime spot in the country this week, Saturday afternoon, ABC, nationwide, it will be a big chance to bring exposure to our program and expand our recruiting base…if of course we win.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Still no bites for our free agents, and it looks like they will be back to the real world next year.

[BYU 14]

Provo, Utah
Officials from Brigham Young University announced today that 2 players have been suspended from the Football Team for Violating the Schools Honor Code. Starting Senior Cornerback Barry Irish and reserve Junior Guard CJ Nixon have been suspended for the remainder of the Football Season for undisclosed violations of the LDS church owned University's honor code. This brings the total number of suspensions this season to four for the 10th ranked Cougars who are currently 8-0 and heading into a showdown with co MWC confernece leader Air Force. Neither the players or Coach BYU 14 were available for comment, though the Coach did issue a press release stating. "Though we are deeply disappointed in the actions of these players, we will stand behind them and do what we can to help them as regain status as students and players at the University.

Previously Defensive Back Mel Lewis and Center Ellis Baxter were suspended following separate off Season incidents, which were also not disclosed to the public.

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 10

BYU 41 Air Force 21
Record Overall 9-0 Mountain West 4-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 19-28-316 4 TD

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 29-105

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 6-113 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 4-85 2 TD
Pete Rose 3-50

Defense
Donnie Newsome DE 5 tackles 3 assists 2 sacks
Ed Cramer 5 tackles 1.5 sacks
Herb Wong 4 Tackles 2 assists 1 sack
Roderick Jamison 4 tackles 3 assists

Recap
Undermanned and underdogs due to injuries and suspensions we make a statement from the opening kickoff in what was by far our finest first half performance of the Season. After a missed Field goal and a punt on our first 2 possessions we score 3 of the next 4 times we have to ball, then Bennie “the Jet” Vance returns an errant Sammie Kerr pass 48 yards for a score as the half comes to a close, as we race out to a 24-0 halftime lead, stunning the favored Falcons. Kerr, who entered the game as the MWC leader in passing efficiency is mauled by our defense as we record 8 sacks, 2 picks and 9 hurries, 7 of them by Donnie Newsome who just eats the Falcons alive. Air Force does climb back into the game behind Kerr and cuts our lead to 31-21 entering the fourth, but 10 points in the final quarter salts the game away and leaves us in the MWC drivers seat. The most impressive part of this game was Gatlin plays another stellar game under pressure and throws 4 TD strikes, with no picks. Kerr finishes 13-35 for Air Force, but he will turn into a good one as he is only a redshirt Freshman.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out Sprained Back
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Daniel Stoddard RB-Out Broken Clavicle
Jeff Bradley DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Darrin Shields LB-Out Sprained Back
Cedric Wiles DE-Out torn Knee ligament

Our defensive line is in a shambles with 3 players out and Donnie Newsome playing through the pain of a badly bruised Rib Cage. Wiles is done for the Season and it is hard to tell with Trippi and Bradley as high Ankle sprains are unpredictable. We are playing with the houses Money with this many injuries, thankfully the schedule lightens up a little bit.

Recruiting
Visits
Adrian Finley S Orlando, FL Overall 968 Position 44

Commits
Chad Dierdorf G Canton, Ohio Overall 263 Position 23
Dennis Huntley LB Kansas City, Kansas Overall 254 Position 14

Two more solid commits, with Dierdorf a really nice get. How can you not like a player with NFL bloodlines from Canton? Huntley will keep the Cougar Linebacking corps strong as ever. We do lose local DT Gus Brazinski to Utah which is a surprise and we will have to hopefully pick up a late commit here from elsewhere, as we had all our chips on him.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 41 Air Force 21
UNLV 34 San Diego St 17
Wyoming 35 New Mexico 10
Utah 30 Utah St 13

Utah rebounds against Sunbelt conference co-leader Utah St whose only other lose was to Air Force. Wyoming moves to 5-3 and is looking at sneaking into Bowl, which would do wonders for the Cowboys who are doing it without their sensational Linebacker Jesse Austin.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 9 0 0 1.000 328 183 4 0 0 1.000 132 72 Won 9
Air Force 7 1 0 .875 277 135 3 1 0 .750 130 84 Lost 1
Colorado State 6 2 0 .750 253 161 3 1 0 .750 125 96 Won 2
Wyoming 5 3 0 .625 211 174 2 2 0 .500 106 112 Won 2
UNLV 3 4 0 .428 177 194 2 2 0 .500 96 80 Won 1
Utah 4 4 0 .500 175 200 1 3 0 .250 90 124 Won 1
San Diego State 3 6 0 .333 242 203 1 4 0 .200 111 122 Lost 1
New Mexico 4 5 0 .444 198 224 1 4 0 .200 62 162 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Wyoming Local TV
Colorado St at Air Force
UNLV at Utah

Fresh off a big national TV win we travel to Laramie, which is always a tough place to play, against the improving Cowboys. CSU, still holding hope for a MWC co-Championship if they can beat us travels to Colorado Springs to battle the Falcons.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Their window of opportunity is slowing winding down, the good news is next year we could have 3-6 players on NFL rosters if all goes well.

[Blade6119]

The Mizzou Defensive Coordinator is reading along...Hitchcock looks amazing, and i see a national championship in your future :) Have a great year coach!

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 11

BYU 45 Wyoming 27
Record Overall 10-0 Mountain West 5-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 8-14-127 1 TD
Bennie Rayburn 4-8-116

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 24-180 3 TD
Calvin Shaw 4-15

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 5-98 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 3-91
Pete Rose 2-33

Defense
Roderick Jamison LB 11 tackles 4 assists
Derek Perry S 8 tackles 1 assist 1 Int (returned 65 yds for TD)
Bryant Bruce S 7 tackles
Jerome Noisy CB 6 tackles 1 Int
Donnie Newsome DE 5 tackles 1 assist 3 sacks 2 blocks 2 hurries

Recap
Donnie Newsome is turning into a freak on defense. Playing hurt on a line already decimated with injuries, Newsome is a one man wrecking crew despite being double teamed consistently. In addition to the havoc created on the Wyoming passing game, Newsome recorded 3 of his 5 tackles behind the line. Roderick Jamison filling in for Darrin Shields at Inside Linebacker also goes off on the pokes with 15 total stops. On offense it was the Julio Fredrickson show as the highly touted Nevada native took his second carry 86 yards to pay dirt, offsetting a 75 yard fumble return for 6 by Wyoming less than a minute earlier. Despite the fact that Wyoming had the ball longer than us and racked up 424 total yards (we had 448) they were never really in the game after the midway point of the second quarter. The game was not without it’s dark moments however as Dwight Gatlin went down with a Broken Jaw on our first drive of the second half, and we do not know if he will be back in time for the Bowl season. It is into the fire for Bennie Rayburn who will make his first start next week in the game for the MWC championship.

Injuries
*Dwight Gatlin QB-Out broken Jaw
*Andy Schroder WR-Out Hyperextended Knee
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle sprain
*Gus Cerny TE-Out
Jeff Bradley DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Cedric Wiles DE-Out torn Knee ligament
*new injuries

We get Stoddard, LB Darrin Shields and TE Geoff Joseph back for CSU, but that barely offsets the loss of Gatlin, Schroder and Cerny. In addition to those out we have a laundry list of players who are hurt, but will likely play next week. In addition to Shields and Joseph this list includes, Donnie Newsome DE, Daniel Stoddard RB, Harris Diaz LB and Leland Fletcher WR. We are definitely wounded and it is only heart and athletic tape that is keeping our dream for an undefeated Season alive at this point.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
Donny Ellard QB Belgrade, MT Overall 43 Position 5
Gilbert Meyer TE Gypsum, CO Overall 559 Position 30
Xavier Malone WR Wilsonville, OR Overall 430 Position 35
Bruce Mathews DT Kearns, UT Overall 914 Position 56
Kurt Mason CB Carlinville, IL Overall 555 Position 40

A big surprise here as we get our second highly touted QB of the class. I don’t know how we can keep these two both happy in the future, though Cooks stock has fallen a bit. Ellard is an athletic specimen at 6’ 4” 200 pounds who can run. He tends to take chances though so that will have to be addressed. The other 4 commits are all solid and we are very happy to land local Mathews, who looked like he was headed out of state, but changed his mind when we entered the picture. We now have our allotment of recruits and I am very happy with the results, may even be our finest class, top to bottom yet.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 45 Wyoming 27
Colorado St 24 Air Force 17
Utah 52 UNLV 38

CSU comes up big against Air Force, keeping their MWC Championship hopes alive coming into to Provo next week. As a conference we are looking at 3 teams in a bowl for sure, with Utah and Wyoming fighting to join the list.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 10 0 0 1.000 373 210 5 0 0 1.000 177 99 Won 10
Colorado State 7 2 0 .777 277 178 4 1 0 .800 149 113 Won 3
Air Force 7 2 0 .777 294 159 3 2 0 .600 147 108 Lost 2
Wyoming 5 4 0 .555 238 219 2 3 0 .400 133 157 Lost 1
Utah 5 4 0 .555 227 238 2 3 0 .400 142 162 Won 2
UNLV 3 5 0 .375 215 246 2 3 0 .400 134 132 Lost 1
San Diego State 3 6 0 .333 242 203 1 4 0 .200 111 122 Lost 1
New Mexico 4 5 0 .444 198 224 1 4 0 .200 62 162 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Colorado St at BYU ESPN
Air Force at San Diego St
Wyoming at UNLV
New Mexico at Utah

Rayburn will get the start against the Rams as we battle for all the marbles, hopefully we can take the focus off of him and having Stoddard back will help, though there is no guarantee at this time that our Stud will see significant playing time.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Still looking for a call, but hopefully not the remote, though getting up to change channels is about as close to the action as they look to get this year.

[BYU 14]

The Mizzou Defensive Coordinator is reading along...Hitchcock looks amazing, and i see a national championship in your future Have a great year coach!

Thanks Blade, I am actually starting to think we may go undefeated at this point, at with Miami of Florida the only other School that has yet to lose, that chance may actually come this year if things go well.....Thank you Jim for putting the MWC in the BCS with your last patch :)



Check out my Historical Boxing dynasty, featuring Title Bout Championship Boxing.

Fistania Gazette (http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/showthread.php?t=89469)

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 12

BYU 45 Colorado St 15
Record Overall 11-0 Mountain West 6-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 14-21-233 2 TD

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 13-62 1 TD
Daniel Stoddard 4-27 1 TD

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 5-92 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 3-76 1 TD

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 8 tackles 1 assist
Jeremy Meadows CB 7 tackles 1 sack
Bryant Bruce S 6 tackles 3 assists
Darrin Shields LB 5 tackles 3 assists

Recap
It couldn’t have gone better as Ellis Hitchcock returns the opening kickoff 95 yards for a score and we are never headed, jumping out to a 21-7 halftime lead and pouring it on from there, as CSU never got closer than 31-15 in the second half. It was just game we needed for Bennie Rayburn’s first collegiate start as he did not have to carry the team, or face adversity at any time. Though our running game was not as potent without him, we were also able to play Daniel Stoddard (returning from an injury) sparingly. He should pass 1000 yards for the third straight season next against New Mexico. Though we were not overwhelming offensively, we made the most of our opportunities and our Defense set us up with field position all day long. On one stretch spanning the 2nd and 3rd quarters we forced CSU to punt 6 times in a row, and for the game allowed only 2 drives over 35 yards, while putting together 5 of our own exceeding 35 yards, all of which ended in points scored.

Injuries
Dwight Gatlin QB-Out broken Jaw
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Gus Cerny TE-Out
Jeff Bradley DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Cedric Wiles DE-Out torn Knee ligament
*new injuries

The good news is no new injuries and the early word is we could have both Trippi and Gatlin back for our Bowl game, depending when it is. Still a lot of players bothered by nagging injuries including Andy Schroder (Knee) Geoff Joseph and Darrin Shields (back) Donnie Newsome (Ribs) Daniel Stoddard (Clavicle) and Harris Diaz (Shoulder) We are asking our guys to battle through the pain one more week and then we will let the chips fall where they may.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
None

Our class is complete and is broken down by position as follows:
QB-2, RB-1, TE-1, WR-1, G-2, T-1, DE-1, DT-1, ILB-1, OLB-2, CB-2, S-1
There are 4 Elite10 players (best 10 at position) in our class and 12 players who earned all-State Honors. By state our Breakdown is CA-2, CO-1, HI-1, IL-1, KS-1, MT-1, NV-1, OH-1, OR-1, TX-1, UT-4, WA-1.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 45 Colorado St 15
San Diego St 17 Air Force 9
Wyoming 24 UNLV 21
Utah 30 New Mexico 13

Air Force has hit the skids, after being ranked as high as 8th nationally they lose their 3rd game in a row. Top to bottom this is probably the most parity we have had in the MWC, with the exception of us just being that much better than everyone else. Utah wins their third straight and it looks like the winner of their game with Wyoming next week will wrap up the MWC’s fourth and final Bowl bid.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 11 0 0 1.000 418 225 6 0 0 1.000 222 114 Won 11
Colorado State 7 3 0 .700 292 223 4 2 0 .666 164 158 Lost 1
Air Force 7 3 0 .700 303 176 3 3 0 .500 156 125 Lost 3
Wyoming 6 4 0 .600 262 240 3 3 0 .500 157 178 Won 1
Utah 6 4 0 .600 257 251 3 3 0 .500 172 175 Won 3
UNLV 3 6 0 .333 236 270 2 4 0 .333 155 156 Lost 2
San Diego State 4 6 0 .400 259 212 2 4 0 .333 128 131 Won 1
New Mexico 4 6 0 .400 211 254 1 5 0 .166 75 192 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at New Mexico
UNLV at Air Force
San Diego St at Colorado St
Utah at Wyoming

Utah and Wyoming are playing for a likely bowl spot, but the biggest story is our bid to go undefeated and the possibility of playing for the National Championship. Miami of Florida plays rival Florida St and if we both win, could a BYU-Miami showdown be imminent in the Rose Bowl? Currently the BCS rankings have one loss Michigan as #1, us as #2 and Miami at #3. The Canes are not happy as they are number 1 in both Polls, but are hurt be the computer rankings and SOS.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

Both Alumni are looking into signing with the Utah franchise in arena league 2. It looks like their only option at this point.

[BYU 14]

2008 Week 13

BYU 38 New Mexico 6
Record Overall 12-0 Mountain West 7-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 22-31-288 3 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 14-75
Julio Fredrickson 4-23 1 TD


Receiving
Leland Fletcher 8-125 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 4-48
Andy Schroder 3-32 2 TD

Defense
Harris Diaz LB 6 tackles 1 assist
Darrin Shields LB 6 tackles
Donnie Newsome DE 5 tackles 1 assist 1.5 sacks 4 hurries
Bryant Bruce S 5 tackles 3 assists

Recap
The electrifying Ellis Hitchcock incredibly starts this week’s game the same as last weeks, returning the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. Hitchcock has not had as big a year receiving due to injuries, and teams playing to take our vertical game away, but he is still a threat to score whenever he touches the ball. We struggle a bit after that, only managing a 14-3 Halftime lead, but it is apparent the Lobos can not put much together against our Defense after their first 2 drives, in which they gain 137 of their 274 total yards, yet manage only 3 points. Rayburn really gets on track in the second half and finishes with easily his best day as a Cougar. He is really showing chemistry with Leland Fletcher who has caught 13 balls in Rayburn’s two starts. We have finished an improbable 12-0 Season and now wait to see where we fall in the post Season scheme. A key part for us this year was the number of players who saw experience as freshmen and sophomores. Though we were prone to mistakes and wilting under pressure in prior Seasons, this years Seniors are battle tested and have responded to every challenge presented.

Injuries
Dwight Gatlin QB-Out broken Jaw
Jackie Trippi DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Gus Cerny TE-Out
Jeff Bradley DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Cedric Wiles DE-Out torn Knee ligament

Still no new injuries and if we play late enough in the Bowl Season we could be down to only 2 players out. I really hope we get Gatlin back as he is just 42 yards away from his third successive 3000 yard Season, and has already completed his third straight year with 30 TD passes. Jackie Trippi would have grown into a star this year and it is a shame he only has played in 2 games to date. He and Newsome will be a force for the next 2 years if they stay healthy.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
None

I will post our final list of recruits prior to the Bowl games, I believe we easily have a top 20 class though, and the final ratings will be interesting. Some of the other Schools in the MWC, landed some key recruits. Air Force gets the nations top QB in Donnie Sanford from NY, remember the name, he looks like the real deal. The Falcons also land the 4th ranked Outside Linebacker in the country in Harris Sutton. No other MWC school lands any top 100 players. (We land 3)

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 38 New Mexico 6
Air Force 42 UNLV 3
San Diego St 35 Colorado St 28
Utah 21 Wyoming 17

Air Force gets back on track to finish in a 3 way tie for second. San Diego St finishes strong with upsets of CSU and Air Force to close the Season, while Utah takes a bitter struggle with Wyoming, for what will probably be the conferences last Bowl bid.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 12 0 0 1.000 456 231 7 0 0 1.000 260 120 Won 12
Colorado State 7 4 0 .636 320 258 4 3 0 .571 192 193 Lost 2
Air Force 8 3 0 .727 345 179 4 3 0 .571 198 128 Won 1
Utah 7 4 0 .636 278 268 4 3 0 .571 193 192 Won 4
Wyoming 6 5 0 .545 279 261 3 4 0 .428 174 199 Lost 1
San Diego State 5 6 0 .454 294 240 3 4 0 .428 163 159 Won 2
UNLV 3 7 0 .300 239 312 2 5 0 .285 158 198 Lost 3
New Mexico 4 7 0 .363 217 292 1 6 0 .142 81 230 Lost 5
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Nevada at UNLV

UNLV plays the last conference game of the year, and despite another losing Season, even the rebels showed progress. With us losing a lot of senior players the conference will be a lot tighter next year, Air Force will have to be considered as an early favorite.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Winston Smothers RB Free Agent
Winfred Benson C Free Agent

There Season of hope is almost over, at which time they will join us all in the cubicle farms of America.

[BYU 14]

UTEP has just completed it's third straight winning Season led by Coach Steven Shultz, including their first trip to the post Season of this dynasty. The 9-2 Miners will play South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.

In recruiting, the Miners just landed the 26th ranked class in the country. (They usually are in the 60's and 70's) including 3 national top 100 players. They received commits from a total of 10 local players, all ranked in the top 1000.

With a talented Junior class returning, the Miners may be able to break through after 3 straight years of second place finishes and claim the WAC championship.

[BYU 14]

2008 Weeks 14 through 16

No Games scheduled
Record Overall 12-0 Mountain West 7-0

Bowl Game
It is official!!! The final BCS rankings pit BYU against Michigan in the Rose bowl for the national Championship!!!! This is without a doubt the greatest moment in BYU sports history and it comes after an improbable journey that saw our team mature, overcome injuries, suspensions and a missed field goal by San Diego St in the waning moments of the game, that would have turned a dream season into a plain old great season. Michigan comes in 10-1, with the only blemish a 20-14 upset loss at Purdue in week 6. We will turn this game film inside out to pick up anything we can to help shutdown the Wolverines. Of even greater concern is their Defense, which was 3rd in the nation in points allowed at 11.1, and 8th against the pass giving up just over 160 YPG.

The Wolverines top players are Senior QB DJ Mandarich who was 222-345-3111 yds 31 TD and only 7 Int, in his second full season as a starter. Complimenting him are Junior RB Jessie Chamoun 194-979 5.0 YPC 7 TD and a pair of talented sophomore receivers in Don Boatwright 50-794 11 TD and Nate Duran 44-732 5 TD. The starting Defensive line was balanced and tough recording 24.5 sacks between them, while ball hawking sophomore MLB Ronnie Owens recorded 53 tackles, 17 assists, a sack and had 7 interceptions. As a team they were +15 in turnovers so they take care of the pill, it will be a huge challenge, but we are going in to win, not just be happy we are there.

Injuries
Jeff Bradley DE-Out High Ankle sprain
Gus Cerny TE-Out Torn Calf muscle
Cedric Wiles DE-Out Torn Knee ligament

We get both Gatlin and Trippi back for the National Championship game!! Though we are still without much depth on the D-Line we can manage for just one game. Though Gatlin will not be 100%, just his presence will lift our Team up as he has responded well in big games this Season, and he finally has the complete confidence of the entire offense.

Recruiting

Final Commits
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Ellard, Donny QB 6-4 200 MT 43 5 1 1
Cook, Malcolm QB 6-1 189 CA 104 11 12 2
Lane, Steven RB 5-9 184 NV 51 6 1 1
Meyer, Gilbert TE 6-2 216 CO 559 30 11 2
Malone, Xavier WR 6-4 206 OR 430 35 4 1
Dierdorf, Chad G 6-4 260 OH 263 23 7 2
Glover, Bucky G 6-4 266 UT 286 26 1 1
Foley, Lionel T 6-3 270 TX 345 36 33 5
Mikeska, Mo DE 6-4 229 UT 441 42 3 1
Mathews, Bruce DT 6-3 272 UT 914 56 9 2
Huntley, Dennis ILB 6-0 209 KS 254 14 2 1
Morrow, Myron OLB 6-0 215 WA 320 17 5 1
Buchanan, Harold OLB 5-11 195 UT 821 49 6 1
Malano, Kendall CB 5-8 169 CA 107 9 13 1
Mason, Kurt CB 6-0 171 IL 555 40 39 4
Timlin, Kendall S 5-10 170 HI 39 3 2 1
</pre></font>
Again we are very happy with our class, and can’t wait for the impending QB battles between Ellard and Cook, though I would have to take Ellard at this time, and I am definitely glad I kept recruiting him after Cook committed. Lane could start for a lot of teams next year, but he will have to wait his turn. Malano could contribute right away in the secondary and the more we see of Bucky Glover, the more I am convinced he will be a dominating lineman one day. Kendall Timlin and Dennis Huntley are two more I think will make big impacts before their careers as Cougars come to a close.

Mountain West Scoreboard
UNLV 42 Nevada 13

UNLV finishes big against it’s in state rival, but the rumors are that Coach Broderick McKenzie, a truly good guy, will be let go before the Holiday break.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 12 0 0 1.000 456 231 7 0 0 1.000 260 120 Won 12
Colorado State 7 4 0 .636 320 258 4 3 0 .571 192 193 Lost 2
Air Force 8 3 0 .727 345 179 4 3 0 .571 198 128 Won 1
Utah 7 4 0 .636 278 268 4 3 0 .571 193 192 Won 4
Wyoming 6 5 0 .545 279 261 3 4 0 .428 174 199 Lost 1
San Diego State 5 6 0 .454 294 240 3 4 0 .428 163 159 Won 2
UNLV 4 7 0 .363 281 325 2 5 0 .285 158 198 Won 1
New Mexico 4 7 0 .363 217 292 1 6 0 .142 81 230 Lost 5
</pre></font>
2008 Bowl Games
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Michigan (10-1) vs Brigham Young (12-0)
Orange Bowl Miami of Florida (11-0) vs Georgia (10-2)
Fiesta Bowl UCLA (10-1) vs Miami of Ohio (11-1)
Cotton Bowl Missouri (11-1) vs Nebraska (9-2)
Sugar Bowl Penn State (9-2) vs Virginia Tech (7-4)
Peach Bowl Texas (9-3) vs Stanford (10-1)
Liberty Bowl North Carolina State (8-3) vs Texas A&M (8-3)
Gator Bowl Pittsburgh (9-2) vs Tennessee (8-3)
Holiday Bowl Wisconsin (8-3) vs Air Force (8-3)
Sun Bowl Clemson (7-4) vs Southern California (8-3)
Aloha Bowl Iowa (8-3) vs Florida (8-3)
Motor City Bowl Virginia (6-5) vs South Florida (10-1)
Independence Bowl Purdue (6-5) vs Colorado (8-3)
Citrus Bowl Utah (7-4) vs Notre Dame (8-3)
Outback Bowl South Carolina (7-4) vs Texas-El Paso (9-2)
Alamo Bowl Minnesota (7-4) vs San Jose State (7-4)
GMAC Bowl Washington (8-3) vs Colorado State (7-4)
Bluebonnet Bowl Oklahoma (7-4) vs Northern Illinois (8-4)
Oahu Bowl California (8-3) vs Kentucky (7-4)
Tangerine Bowl Boston College (8-3) vs Louisville (8-3)
Gotham City Bowl Syracuse (6-5) vs Utah State (8-3)
Humanitarian Bowl Texas Christian (7-4) vs Boise State (7-4)
Las Vegas Bowl North Texas (9-2) vs Cornell (8-3)
</pre></font>
Four MWC teams get Bowl bids and we will all be underdogs. Our road will of course by tough and pressure packed, but I think we learned enough in watching film to stay in the game with Michigan. I also believe Utah can beat Notre Dame and Air Force, if they play to their potential can ambush Wisconsin. CSU I am afraid will not be able to play with a talented Washington team, though last time I sold them short they were the only MWC to put on a good showing in a Bowl game.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
None-Both Smothers and Benson pack it in and we look forward to next years rookie crop, which we hope will put up to a half dozen former Cougars on NFL rosters.

[BYU 14]

2008 Post Season

Rose Bowl BYU 21 Michigan 3
Record Overall 13-0 Mountain West 7-0

Leaders
Passing
Dwight Gatlin 11-20-235 2 TD
Bennie Rayburn 1-4-2

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 23-80

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 3-37 1 TD
Andy Schroder 3-81 1 TD
Pete Rose 2-33

Defense
Donnie Newsome DE 8 tackles 4 sacks
Darrin Shields LB 8 tackles 1 assists
Derek Perry S 7 tackles 3 assists
Bryant Bruce S 6 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
Bennie “the Jet” Vance CB returns an interception 42 yards for a TD

Recap
This was a brutal, nasty defensive game in which every inch of turf was contested in a mosh pit of Blood, sweat and pain. After we punted, Michigan took the ball on their first possession and drove 47 yards in 13 plays, but could only manage a Field goal. After that the Wolverines could manage a net of only 34 yards the rest of the half as our defense played with an almost frightening fury, led by Donnie Newsome. Newsome, playing completely healthy for the first time in over 2 Months recorded 4 of our 6 sacks, in addition to 8 tackles and was in the Michigan backfield all night long. We could not do any better as our first six drives ended in punts. It was Bennie “The Jet” Vance that finally got us on the board, stepping in front of Don Boatwright and taking a DJ Mandarich pass 42 yards to the house. We finally got it going on our first drive of the second half, as Gatlin led us on a 77 yard scoring drive, topped off with a 16 yard pass to Ellis Hitchcock.

From this point you could see the writing on the Wall, as our Defense pinned their ears back and brought it, their confidence growing with each stop. Michigan RB Jessie Chamoun was held to 27 yards on 19 carries for the game, and the two times Michigan drove into scoring range, they missed Field Goals. With 4:06 left in the fourth Gatlin delivered the death blow in the form of a 53 yard bomb to Andy Schroder, which put the Cougs up 21-3 and started the celebrations! After a second Cougar interception by Bryant Bruce, and a stop on downs, the Cougars are national Champions!!!

Injuries
Bradley, Wiles and Cerny do not get to play in the game due to injuries, but all will be healthy by spring.

Recruiting
Possibly influenced by our strong Season Rivals.com ranks our recruiting class #6 in the country in their post Season recruiting wrap up.

Post Season Scoreboard
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl BYU 21 Michigan 3
Orange Bowl Georgia 20 Miami 16
Fiesta Bowl Miami of Ohio 21 UCLA 14
Cotton Bowl Nebraska 16 Missouri 13
Sugar Bowl Penn St 24 Virginia Tech 7
Peach Bowl Stanford 9 Texas 7
Liberty Bowl Texas A&M 14 North Carolina St 12
Gator Bowl Pittsburgh 23 Tennessee 6
Holiday Bowl Air Force 41 Wisconsin 6
Sun Bowl USC 23 Clemson 7
Aloha Bowl Florida 41 Iowa 14
Motor City Bowl South Florida 23 Virginia 21
Independence Bowl Purdue 22 Colorado 14
Citrus Bowl Notre Dame 41 Utah 13
Outback Bowl South Carolina 45 Utep 24
Alamo Bowl Minnesota 20 San Jose St 13
GMAC Bowl Washington 17 Colorado St 9
Bluebonnet Bowl Oklahoma 23 Northern Illinois 20
Oahu Bowl California 31 Kentucky 13
Tangerine Bowl Boston College 34 Louisville 28
Gotham City Bowl Syracuse 24 Utah St 21
Humanitarian Bowl Boise St 24 TCU 17
Las Vegas Bowl North Texas 20 Cornell 10
</pre></font>

BYU Alumni in the NFL
With Smothers and Benson officially “retired” we set our sights to this years draft class.

Dwight Gatlin QB
Calvin Shaw RB
Kyle Ballard G
Ron Lathon T
Desmond Coffey K
Barry Wohlman DT
Ed Cramer DT
Harris Diaz LB
Harvey Geary LB
Barry Irish CB
Bennie Vance CB
Irv Matney S

We should land at least of a few of these players on NFL rosters with Gatlin, Geary, Diaz and Irish being the best bets. Also Calvin Shaw is the type of power back with hands that NFL teams like, his only fault was being a Cougar at the same time as Daniel Stoddard, a good showing at the combines could add him to the list as well.

[JeeberD]

UTEP has just completed it's third straight winning Season led by Coach Steven Shultz, including their first trip to the post Season of this dynasty. The 9-2 Miners will play South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.

In recruiting, the Miners just landed the 26th ranked class in the country. (They usually are in the 60's and 70's) including 3 national top 100 players. They received commits from a total of 10 local players, all ranked in the top 1000.

With a talented Junior class returning, the Miners may be able to break through after 3 straight years of second place finishes and claim the WAC championship.

Very cool, thanks for letting me know about this. Looks like the Miners found their version of MP...

I'll need to keep a closer eye on this dynasty from now on... ;)

[JeeberD]

Dola-

Damn, too bad we lost the bowl game... :(

Congrats on the National Championship!

[BYU 14]

Thanks Jeeber, I will post updates on Utep each Season for you :)

[MizzouRah]

Great job!! I hope I can take my Tigers to a National Championship sometime in the near future!!!

Todd

[BYU 14]

Thanks Miz, I will be reading along pulling for you!

[BYU 14]

<pre><font face=courier>
2008 Summary for Brigham Young

Record: 13-0 Mountain West 7-0
Rank: 1

Brigham Young Team Rank
Rushes 458 36
Rushing Yards 1654 47
Yards Per Carry 3.61 52
Pass Attempts 379 32
Completions 232 16
Passing Yards 3967 2
Yards Per Attempt 10.46 2
3rd Down Conversions 44.7 10
Points Per Game 36.7 6
Turnovers 14 18 (T)
Turnover Margin +16 4

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 421 65
Rushing Yards 1297 46
Yards Per Carry 3.09 34
Pass Attempts 422 121 (T)
Completions 205 93
Passing Yards 2685 96
Yards Per Attempt 6.37 29 (T)
3rd Down Conversions 36.5 75
Points Per Game 17.6 22
Turnovers 30 14

Primary Formation: Single-Back Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 49 ILLN (60) 35
2 38 at SJST (54) 31
3 27 at ND (14) 16
4 37 UofA (105) 3
5 21 SDST (78) 20
6 45 at RUTG (109) 26
7 35 at UNLV (101) 21
9 35 UTAH (33) 10
10 41 AFA (27) 21
11 45 at WYOM (65) 27
12 45 CSU (40) 15
13 38 at NMEX (99) 6
20 21 vs MICH (2) 3

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
10 Gatlin QB 303 182 3194 10.54 32 7
19 Rayburn QB 67 44 685 10.22 5 1
Team --- 379 232 3967 10.46 38 9

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
42 Stoddard RB 214 1121 5.23 9 60 74
20 Fredrickson RB 129 580 4.49 7 42 94
10 Gatlin QB 60 -102 -1.70 1 38 182
19 Rayburn QB 29 -10 -0.34 0 14 59
Team --- 458 1654 3.61 19 161 443

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
8 Fletcher WR 88 55 974 17.7 495 10
7 Hitchcock WR 73 44 929 21.1 358 9
3 Schroder WR 64 36 624 17.3 247 9
88 Rose WR 49 28 503 17.9 206 3
42 Stoddard RB 33 24 330 13.7 194 3
89 Cerny TE 20 12 145 12.0 43 1
20 Fredrickson RB 19 11 131 11.9 87 1
86 Walton WR 15 8 181 22.6 44 1
Team --- 379 232 3967 17.1 1740 38

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
55 Shields ILB 91 24 0.0 15 1 6
43 Perry S 66 26 1.0 7 6 4
41 Diaz ILB 60 17 0.0 11 0 5
46 Wong OLB 54 15 3.0 7 0 6
33 Bruce S 54 20 0.0 4 7 8
95 Newsome DE 48 11 21.0 28 0 0
29 Vance CB 44 9 0.0 3 5 11
91 Wohlman DT 34 12 6.0 13 0 1
27 Noisy CB 30 10 0.5 4 3 5
40 Geary OLB 24 18 0.0 2 0 2
73 Wiles DE 19 7 5.5 8 0 0
23 Irish CB 18 4 0.0 1 1 7
92 Jamison ILB 16 7 0.0 1 0 1
35 Foreman S 12 1 1.0 3 1 0
Team --- 644 188 47.0 123 27 59
</pre></font>

Post Season Awards

National

Academic All-American
Dwight Gatlin QB

MWC

Conference MVP
Dwight Gatlin QB

Top Offensive Player
Dwight Gatlin QB

All MWC 1st Team
Dwight Gatlin QB
Ellis Hitchcock WR
Donnie Newsome DE
Barry Wohlman DT
Darrin Shields ILB
Bennie Vance CB

All MWC 2nd Team
Leland Fletcher WR
Tom Longmate T
Derek Perry S

All MWC Academic
Dwight Gatlin QB
Nick Levitt TE
Ed Lyon T
Kirk Saurez T
Mack Linquist P

The only national award goes to Dwight Gatlin for Academic All American (his third) but we show well in the MWC, garnering 6 1st team All MWC players and 3 2nd team players, plus 5 All MWC Academic players. It gets even better knowing that 6 of our 9 All MWC performers will be back next year. A pretty solid showing overall and the players that should have been recognized were IMO, with the exception of Daniel Stoddard. I can concede Alfred Anthony from Air Force getting 1st team MWC honors as he ran for 1275 yards and was a brute, but I would have to think Stoddard would have gotten the 2nd team nod over CSU’s Lee Franz. Team wise the All MWC honorees are as follows:
Air Force 11 (5 1st 6 2nd) BYU 9 (6 1st 3 2nd) Utah 8 (4 1st 4 2nd) Wyoming 7 (3 1st 4 2nd) CSU 6 (2 1st 4 2nd) New Mexico 4 (2 1st 2nd) San Diego St 2 (2 1st) UNLV 1 (1 2nd)

Final Team Rankings 2008
Academics 20th
Recruiting 6th
TV Revenue 2nd
Ticket Revenue 16th
Donations 9th
GPA 3.01 (4th)
Attendance 64,500 (22nd)

Amazing what a National Championship does to the cash flow, especially the Alumni’s purse strings
<pre><font face=courier>
Final Top 25
BYU beat Michigan 21-3 in the National Championship game.
School Rank
Brigham Young 1
Michigan 2
Miami of Florida 3
Georgia 4
Miami of Ohio 5
Pittsburgh 6
UCLA 7
Stanford 8
Nebraska 9
Penn State 10
Notre Dame 11
South Florida 12
Texas A&M 13
Southern California 14
Florida 15
California 16
Missouri 17
North Texas 18
Washington 19
Boston College 20
Air Force 21
Tennessee 22
Texas 23
Wisconsin 24
Colorado 25
UTEP 29
</pre></font>
2008 Recruiting class
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Ellard, Donny QB 6-4 200 MT 43 5 1 1
Cook, Malcolm QB 6-1 189 CA 104 11 12 2
Lane, Steven RB 5-9 184 NV 51 6 1 1
Meyer, Gilbert TE 6-2 216 CO 559 30 11 2
Malone, Xavier WR 6-4 206 OR 430 35 4 1
Dierdorf, Chad G 6-4 260 OH 263 23 7 2
Glover, Bucky G 6-4 266 UT 286 26 1 1
Foley, Lionel T 6-3 270 TX 345 36 33 5
Mikeska, Mo DE 6-4 229 UT 441 42 3 1
Mathews, Bruce DT 6-3 272 UT 914 56 9 2
Huntley, Dennis ILB 6-0 209 KS 254 14 2 1
Morrow, Myron OLB 6-0 215 WA 320 17 5 1
Buchanan, Harold OLB 5-11 195 UT 821 49 6 1
Malano, Kendall CB 5-8 169 CA 107 9 13 1
Mason, Kurt CB 6-0 171 IL 555 40 39 4
Timlin, Kendall S 5-10 170 HI 39 3 2 1
</pre></font>
I will just repost my summary from the week 14-16 update here.
Again we are very happy with our class, and can’t wait for the impending QB battles between Ellard and Cook, though I would have to take Ellard at this time, and I am definitely glad I kept recruiting him after Cook committed. Lane could start for a lot of teams next year, but he will have to wait his turn. Malano could contribute right away in the secondary and the more we see of Bucky Glover, the more I am convinced he will be a dominating lineman one day. Kendall Timlin and Dennis Huntley are two more I think will make big impacts before their careers as Cougars come to a close.

BYU Alumni
NFL Combines
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT Grade 40 Psych Bench Agility
Harvey Geary OLB 6-0 240 5.0 4.42 35 19 7.51
Calvin Shaw RB 6-1 217 4.8 4.65 19 22 7.30
Barry Irish CB 6-0 201 3.5 4.51 17 10 7.32
Dwight Gatlin QB 6-2 223 3.4 4.94 35 10 7.92
B Wohlman DT 6-5 272 3.0 5.02 20 23 7.80
Ed Cramer DT 6-2 289 3.0 5.20 27 24 8.10
Kyle Ballard G 6-5 311 2.9 5.17 38 24 7.98
Harris Diaz ILB 6-1 233 2.7 4.81 32 22 7.55
Des Coffey K 6-0 210 2.2 5.23 28 6 8.30
Ron Lathon T 6-4 295 2.0 5.60 22 21 8.25
Bennie Vance CB 5-11 185 2.0 4.63 13 12 7.41
Irv Matney S 6-3 215 2.0 4.85 19 12 7.55
</pre></font>
The Combine really shakes things up in our draft class. I knew Geary would wow the scouts with his speed and he will make a nice pick for someone in the late first or early second round. He never put up the gaudy stats in our 3-4 scheme as he was relied on to be a contain type player, and most teams would run away from him when they wanted to get outside. Shaw’s stock rose the most as scouts love his hands and power, he will end up on a roster despite the fact that he was a career backup with us. It makes you wonder how high Stoddard will go next year. Irish grades out fair and should catch on, it is a shame he ran afoul of the honor code near the end of his senior season. Gatlin’s stock drops the most as he is not that athletic and his arm strength has always been a question mark, still he is smart and understands the game, and will help the team willing to take a chance on him. Wohlman has a disappointing combine as well and projects as a 6th or 7th round pick at best. The only hope for the others is to hook up as un drafted free agents and hope to hang on through camp.

[MizzouRah]

I love the combine layout, great idea! You know, there's alot of neat dynasty posting innovations with TCY lately. I read almost all of them and there are many great styles to look at.

Back to Back, Coach?


Todd

[BYU 14]

Back to Back, Coach?

Todd

I am thinking we will be fortunate to win the MWC this year :) Air Force just scares me for some reason, especially after their dismantling of Wisconsin in the bowl game. Our Defense will be as good, maybe better, but breaking in a new QB always makes me nervous, luckily Rayburn will have some weapons to work with. My prediction for next year is 10-2 with a bowl win.

[BYU 14]

Off Season 2009

Staff
We lose Midwest scout John White to retirement, he will be missed as he turned us on to some good recruits in this region. I hire Jared Bowden to take his place. Bowden is only fair in QB’s and receivers, but is solid everywhere else, including terrific in Linemen, which will hopefully help when we are looking at some of those big corn fed boys from that area.

Player issues
A relatively insignificant off Season, as all players with eligibility left return from their Honor code suspensions to complete their careers. The only loss was walk on punter Mo Galloway, who quit the team because of lack of playing time….forgive the sound of my mock indignation, but, aw who cares, he’s a punter. 

Scheduling
I try to land Memphis but they want no part of the defending national Champions this year, I will try again for next Season, but for now we pick up Kansas for a home and home to complete our Schedule. They will come to Provo in week 3, and it will be out first meeting with the Jayhawks.

Incoming recruits
The following Recruits will compete for playing time as true Freshman, or be relied upon to provide depth. Those marked by a * are projected starters coming out of Spring Ball.

Myron Morrow LB
Kendall Timlin S
Kurt Mason CB

Redshirts
Donny Ellard QB
Steven Lane RB
Gilbert Meyer TE
Xavier Malone WR
TJ Rodgers C
Bucky Glover G
Chad Dierdorf G
Lionel Foley T
Mo Mikeska DE
Dennis Huntley LB
Harold Buchanan LB
Kendall Malano CB

We redshirt all but four true Freshmen, and QB Malcolm Cook will probably eventually redshirt as he is #4 on the depth chart. We have enough returning talent to Red shirt our best newcomers, with the exception of Kendall Timlin, who will play quite a bit at safety, he is just too damn good. Malano could have played and contributed too, but we can get by without him this Season, he and Noisy will make a nice CB tandem for the 2 years they will play together! Glover was a big surprise in the spring and he will be a force when he finally hits the field, a true Diamond in the rough, in our own back yard.

NFL Draft
Harvey Geary LB Arizona 2-42
Calvin Shaw RB Denver 2-44
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona UFA
Barry Irish CB Minnesota UFA
Barry Wohlman DT Arizona UFA
Ed Cramer DT NY Giants UFA
Harris Diaz LB St Louis UFA
Kyle Ballard G St Louis UFA

Well only two Cougars get taken in the draft with Geary going to the Cardinals where he will back up Terrell Suggs on the Strong side coming out of camp, this is a good news bad news situation as Suggs has a lot left in the tank at this point, but Geary is an athlete who will probably see a lot of time on Special teams. The news for Shaw is much better, Denver put themselves in a horrendous salary cap situation, which cost them 2 future draft picks and ended up breaking camp with 3 rookie running backs. Not only has a career college back up been drafted, he may start!! The Cardinals spent a lot of time at our facilities and picked up Gatlin and Wohlman as undrafted free agents, while Irish appears to have a shot at sticking with Minnesota, after a good workout. Our last undrafted FA, Ed Cramer spent his BYU career looking up at Wohlman, but showed enough to prompt the Giants to sign him to their Practice squad. Diaz and Ballard are two late pick ups by the Rams and both miss most of camp, yet Diaz manages to make the active Roster as the exhibition Season starts, and may actually see some PT.

Other MWC alumni of note:
Hugh Westbrook DE CSU Cincinnati 1-24
Ronnie Winslett WR NM WR Cleveland 3-65
Jorge Ward Utah CB Kansas City 3-70
Rodney Dostie Uath QB Green Bay UFA

With Dostie not being drafted, the top 2 QB’s in MWC dynasty history will now both have to try and make it as free agents. Dostie, not as savvy as Gatlin but much more athletic probably would have been worth a draft pick, had there not been a glut of decent QB’s in this draft. Winslett a speedster from NM, will start the Season on the practice squad with Cleveland, while pass rushing specialist Westbrook will actually start for the Bengals. Dostie works hard and is listed as the number 2 QB behind Blaine Harr on the Packers Roster, while Ward, who picked off 3 passes last Year will back up veteran Ray Buchanan in KC.


BYU Alumni
The following players are without a team and will stand by hoping for a call during the exhibition Season.
Ron Lathon T
Desmond Coffey K
Bennie Vance CB
Irv Matney S

[BYU 14]

2009 BYU Preseason Report

Preseason Rank: 25th Mountain West Rank: 2nd

Roster/Depth Chart
<pre><font face=courier>
# = Returning Starter $ = Will Redshirt this Season *Elig = Redshirt used *Pos = Walk on.
Returning Starters: Offense 9 Defense 7 Specialists 1
First player(s) listed at each position projected starter(s)
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
Rayburn, Bennie 19 QB Sr* 40 86 9
Post, Paul 4 QB Jr* 34 80 2
$Ellard, Donny 14 QB Fr 21 90 n/a
Cook, Malcolm 6 QB Fr 12 49 n/a
Davison, Donnie 17 QB* So* 23 66 16
</pre></font>
For the first time in four years we will have a new Quarterback under center when the Season starts. In a way Gatlin’s broken jaw last year was a blessing as it allowed Rayburn the chance to start in 2 late Season games, in which he was subjected to the intense pressure of trying to keep the undefeated Season going. He has thrown a total of 82 passes as a Cougar and completed over 60%, he has also shown more mobility than Gatlin had, and we may toy with some things to take advantage of this. As a group though I was disappointed with the lack of competitive fire in spring ball, I made it clear the job was up for grabs and neither Rayburn or Post, who I was quite high on, seemed willing or able to really assert themselves as a dominant team leader. This concerns me, but I think we will be fine here as we have plenty of weapons in Stoddard and our three amigos at receiver.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Stoddard, Daniel 42 RB Sr 71 95 2
Fredrickson, Julio 20 RB Sr* 69 69 0
Jennings, Wally 22 RB So* 64 73 6
$Lane, Steven 32 RB Fr 38 92 n/a
Ah Yat, Perry 47 RB Jr* 33 52 3
</pre></font>
It seems like Stoddard has been here forever and he will be an even bigger part of our offense this year than in the past. Not only will he be working towards a fourth straight thousand yard Season, but he should also become the all-time MWC leader in yards and rushing touchdowns with the type of Season we are expecting from him. We are just loaded in this position and with the exception of Ah Yat, the back-ups would all easily start on more than half the teams in the country. I was not happy with the off Season work here either though, as Stoddard seemed to be content knowing he would be the man, and Fredrickson, who has shown ability when called upon, was not eager to push him that hard. I am really excited about the future in Steven Lane and I can see him taking the job after a Season as Fredrickson’s understudy, if not sooner.
<pre><font face=courier>
Caskey, Tito 26 FB* Fr 6 8 n/a
Cortez, Lonnie 49 FB* So* 5 22 1
</pre></font>
They see very little time so they will be expected to keep their grades up and be demons on Special teams, same as last year, and the year before and so on.
<pre><font face=courier>
Cerny, Gus 89 TE Sr 55 83 8
#Joseph, Geoff 82 TE Sr 52 98 8
Levitt, Nick 84 TE Jr* 38 59 8
$Meyer, Gilbert 91 TE Fr 26 80 n/a
</pre></font>
A good solid group, and despite the fact that Joseph is a three year starter, I elect to go with Cerny out of spring ball. I like his attitude and work ethic, and I am also concerned with Joseph’s susceptibility to injury, as he has missed 11 games in his 3 year career. They will probably end up splitting playing time about equally when all is said and done. Nick Levitt has been a good spot player and Gilbert Meyer should keep the TE factory rolling, he has some potential.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Schroder, Andy 3 WR Jr 81 97 29
#Hitchcock, Ellis 7 WR Sr 74 89 -1
#Fletcher, Leland 8 WR Sr 66 98 16
Rose, Pete 88 WR Sr* 38 83 9
Finley, Lenny 87 WR So* 33 75 10
Walton, Mitchell 86 WR So 32 62 8
$Malone, Xavier 80 WR Fr 21 85 n/a
</pre></font>
What can I say about the three amigos? In their third and final Season together they will be relied upon heavily to make plays for our new Quarterback. Schroder in particular excites me, and his off Season gains were remarkable, there is no doubt he wants to be the man, and his numbers going into the fall justify it. Hitchcock has the ability to take over a game, either receiving or on special teams and I expected more from him going into his Senior Season. Still with 29 receiving TD’s, 6 TD’s on returns and a rushing TD as well, we will get him his touches. Fletcher is the perfect compliment as a third option and Pete Rose has shown he can contribute when needed. I want to get another big time receiver this year to join Malone and Schroder next Season to insure we will keep defense’s scrambling beyond 2009.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Flynn, Melvin 51 C Sr 93 93 22
Baxter, Ellis 56 C Sr* 34 85 -15
Rodgers, T.J. 58 C So 22 67 18
Sanders, Mark 54 C* So* 11 11 n/a
#Boyd, Lance 70 G Jr 61 61 19
Adams, Dennis 68 G So* 33 86 13
Riddell, Brian 61 G Jr* 25 78 11
$Glover, Bucky 67 G Fr 18 95 n/a
Nixon, C.J. 78 G Sr 13 52 3
$Dierdorf, Chad 75 G Fr 10 86 n/a
Doe, Kurt 60 G* So 12 39 6
Burnside, Randall 64 G* Sr 2 22 -1
#Longmate, Tom 69 T Sr* 73 79 13
#Lyon, Ed 63 T Sr 62 62 9
Webb, Korey 77 T Jr* 45 80 2
Suarez, Kirk 65 T Jr* 44 86 6
Baxter, Stanley 66 T So* 28 95 13
$Foley, Lionel 62 T Fr 14 80 n/a
</pre></font>
An experienced and formidable group spearheaded by Melvin Flynn, who works as hard as any player I have ever had. He is truly the leader here and complimented nicely by Longmate and Lyon at tackle, both of whom can open some holes for our backs, and are more than adequate as pass blockers. Lance Boyd is an overachiever, who is another gym rat and who I hope will mentor our two outstanding freshmen this year as they get familiar with College life. In the meantime redshirt freshman Dennis Adams, who still has room to grow with his 6-6 frame will hold down the spot opposite Boyd. I definitely like our depth here for the first time ever heading into the Season, particularly at the Tackle spot where both Webb and Suarez will get lots of time, in anticipation of competing for Lyon’s spot next Season.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Linquist, Mack 9 P Jr 53 100 25
Haskins, Tony 11 P* Fr 3 3 n/a
Gurley, Todd 5 K Jr* 25 75 11
Haugh, Joey 12 K* Fr 6 24 n/a
</pre></font>
Gurley in his first year as Kicker has some work to do, as he was not always consistent in the spring, but Mack Linquist made huge strides and could be an all-MWC performer this year, there is no questioning his strong leg. If he gets the finesse part down, we will have an advantage on special teams against most opponents.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Newsome, Donnie 95 DE Sr* 61 73 4
#Trippi, Jackie 71 DE Jr* 50 80 5
Bradley, Jeff 74 DE Sr 22 42 4
$Mikeska, Mo 97 DE Fr 16 60 n/a
Wiles, Cedric 73 DE So 10 79 -7
Harrison, Wayne 94 DE* So* 14 54 13
Cortez, Sean 72 DE* Jr 9 22 0
Kelly, Dave 90 DE* Jr 8 8 0
Such, Wade 79 DT Sr* 31 77 -6
Ballard, Reuben 99 DT So* 29 81 10
Mathews, Bruce 76 DT Fr 22 64 n/a
</pre></font>
One con only drool in anticipation of the havoc Newsome and Trippi will create this year if they both stay healthy. Trippi missed all but three games last year, but shows no ill effects of his Season long battle with Ankle problems and looks ready to go. Cedric Wiles is another story; as his injury last year affected him severely, he will have to work his way back into the form he showed when Trippi went down to contribute. Newsome is just a terror as his 21 sacks last year indicate, there is nary a QB in the MWC that hasn’t felt the wrath of number 95 at one time or another. Our biggest concern here is who will replace Barry Wohlman at the Nose. Wade Such gets first crack but he came into spring ball woefully out of shape and suffered accordingly, if his fall is not 100 percent better he will be on a real short lease as Rueben Ballard is breathing down his neck.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Shields, Darrin 55 ILB Sr* 69 69 12
Arreola, Benjamin 50 ILB So* 56 81 30
Reynolds, Andrew 96 ILB Jr* 48 82 9
Jamison, Roderick 92 ILB Sr* 41 70 2
Greer, Ralph 57 ILB Jr 23 39 2
$Huntley, Dennis 35 ILB Fr 12 80 n/a
#Wong, Herb 46 OLB Sr* 55 80 10
Winslett, Pete 44 OLB Jr* 52 70 15
Gomez, Jesse 93 OLB So* 42 85 17
Sampson, Corey 59 OLB Sr 23 48 7
$Buchanan, Harold 40 OLB Fr 17 80 n/a
Morrow, Myron 53 OLB Fr 13 51 n/a
</pre></font>
The heart of our defense, it is hard to imagine that after losing two of our four starters to graduation, that we may actually be better here! That could very well be the case though as Ben Arreola showed just why he was the second ranked LB in the country coming out of High School. His off Season workouts were legendary and he will be a beast this year. Shields is a high motor warrior who is already reached his potential and plays each game like it is his last, this kid knows and loves the game and he will be good for another 80-90 tackles, as well as all the intangibles the great ones possess. On the outside the very capable Herb Wong returns and gives us a little of everything over the strong side, not flashy or dominating he merely does his job and makes few mistakes. The other spot will continue to be contested between Pete Winslett, who earned the starting job out of spring and red shirt freshman Jesse Gomez who is a near carbon copy of Wong. We have plenty of talent on the bench as well, especially inside with Reynolds and Jamison.
<pre><font face=courier>
#Noisy, Jerome 27 CB So 46 70 14
Cochran, Ed 21 CB Jr 29 63 3
$Malano, Kendall 2 CB Fr 27 92 n/a
Lewis, Mel 45 CB Sr* 20 46 1
Mason, Kurt 31 CB Fr 14 56 n/a
Meadows, Jeremy 24 CB* So 13 43 8
#Bruce, Bryant 33 S Sr 60 60 20
#Perry, Derek 43 S Sr 59 80 1
Sweeney, Shaun 36 S So* 48 55 10
Timlin, Kendall 41 S Fr 45 97 n/a
Streck, Wade 37 S Jr* 32 69 4
</pre></font>
A vastly improved group led by two veteran safeties in Bruce and Perry. Bruce us a local player who flew under the radar in High School, but is another hard worker, how was able to unseat a 3 year starter last year in AJ Foreman, who is the BYU career leader in interceptions, that tells you all you need to know about this kid. Perry has started all 4 years at the Y, and is another player who, while never flashy, knows and understands the game well, and doesn’t make many mistakes. Flashy is an understatement when applied to super soph CB Jerome Noisy. Pressed into the starting line-up as a true freshman, when Barry Irish ran afoul of the honor code, noisy played with the confidence and poise of a seasoned pro. The downside is he talks more trash than most seasoned pro’s as well and we will look to tone him down just a tad. Joining him will be capable junior Ed Cochran, who while a decent player, is realistically only holding that spot for Kendall Malano next year. We will not redshirt Kendall Timlin as he will be relied upon heavily with the graduation of Perry and Bruce, and we want to get him some experience.

Players to watch
Daniel Stoddard RB
Ellis Hitchcock WR
Andy Schroder WR
Melvin Flynn C
Tom Longmate T
Donnie Newsome DE
Darrin Shields LB
Benjamin Arreola LB
Jerome Noisy CB
Bryant Bruce S

Top Newcomers
Benjamin Arreolo LB
Dennis Adams G
Kendall Timlin S

2009 Schedule
<pre><font face=courier>
Team Rank: 25
Rival: Utah
Stadium Capacity: 65,000
Season Tickets Sold: 65,000

Week Opponent
2 at Arizona
3 KANSAS
$$5 NEW MEXICO
6 at Rutgers
$$7 (43) COLORADO STATE
$$8 at UNLV
$$9 SAN DIEGO STATE
10 at (8) Notre Dame
$$11 at (32) Utah
$$12 (24) AIR FORCE
$$13 at Wyoming

Home Games in ALL CAPS
$$-Conference Games, ##-League Championship Games, **-Post-Season Games
</pre></font>
Outlook
A little surprising that the pre Season polls don’t give us more love being defending National Champions and all, especially losing only 6 starters. Not having Gatlin will hurt, but with all our other weapons back, and four of five linemen returning, we will still score plenty of points. And despite losing four starters on Defense, I think we may actually be better on that side of the ball, as we battled a lot of injuries last year. Air Force is picked to finish first in the MWC and I knew the Falcons will be tough. Still I believe we can win the conference and finish with 9 or 10 wins in the regular Season. In reality after last year anything less would be a major disappointment. We will change our game plan to take advantage of Rayburn’s mobility and will look to increase Stoddard’s carries. On Defense we will play our standard 3-4, playing a predominately read and react scheme against good running teams, and an aggressive blitzing style against teams that like to pass.

BYU Alumni Pre Season report
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Terrell Suggs suffered a season ending Knee injury in the pre Season, thrusting Geary into the starting Strong side Linebacker position.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Shaw captures the starting job with a solid pre Season over two other rookies, it will be interesting to see how he responds to this opportunity.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Gatlin makes the active roster and is number 3 on the depth chart, with veteran Jeff Garcia the starter.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Irish is #2 right Corner behind last years 4th round draft choice Wade Guerrero.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Barry is #2 on the depth chart at RDT behind third year Michigan state product Marc Ames.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Cramer starts the Season on the Giants practice squad.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Diaz will back up fellow Rookie Conrad Wayne at the Mike Linebacker position. He will probably go to the practice squad when veteran Robert Thomas returns from a foot injury next week.

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Ballard starts the year on the Rams practice squad as they elect to carry only 3 guards on their active roster.

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 1

BYE
Record Overall 0-0 Mountain West 0-0

Injuries
None

We emerge from Fall practice healthy and ready to roll against Arizona next week.

Recruiting

Visits
Ricky Schurman TE Spanish fork, UT Overall 215 Position 6
Leon Squires RB Gunnison, UT Overall 546 Position 39

Commits
None

We get early visits from two local kids that idolize BYU. I am fine with both of these prospects, so we will not look to recruit anyone else at their position as they are probable locks. Squires will fit in with my plans as we are loaded at RB, and I am not looking for another top line prospect this year. Schurman is a top 10 Tight end and should keep our legacy of solid guys at this position rolling.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Michigan 55 Wyoming 6
Air force 32 Baylor 22
Cornell 42 Colorado St 13
UNLV 31 Northern Illinois

Air Force gets out of the blocks with a win as expected and Wyoming is on the bad end of an angry Michigan team, looking for some redemption against the MWC after our upset victory over them in the Rose Bowl last Season. UNLV starts their new Coach off with a win, and in the weeks biggest shocker CSU is not only upset, but dominated by Ivy League kingpin Cornell, this could be a rough year for the Rams.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
UNLV 1 0 0 1.000 31 19 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Air Force 1 0 0 1.000 32 22 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
Utah 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Brigham Young 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 13
San Diego State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
New Mexico 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 5
Colorado State 0 1 0 .000 13 42 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 4
Wyoming 0 1 0 .000 6 55 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Arizona Fox Sports
Ohio St at Utah Fox Sports
Colorado at Colorado St
Wyoming at Kansas
San Diego St at Arizona St
Air Force at Boise St
North Texas at UNLV
Dartmouth at New Mexico

A full slate for the MWC headed by our game against Arizona, and the Utes hosting Ohio St, who pummeled them last year. Utah is an unknown as they will also be breaking in a new QB in Senior Levon Mawae, who played High School ball in Orem, Utah, just a quick sprint up the road from BYU. Air Force will be tested against perennial WAC contender Boise St, and good old New Mexico starts their annual Ivy league Schedule against Dartmouth.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Started: Mixed reviews in a 24-17 loss at Seattle, he recorded 3 tackles in the game, but his lack of size was exposed on a few occasions and he will have to bulk up to play the strong side effectively, unfortunately with Terrell Suggs out for the Season he won’t have the luxury of easing into the position.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Started: Made his NFL debut running for 44 yards on 19 carries, and also caught a ball for 13. Nothing overwhelming, but he is the best the Cash strapped Broncos have. They lose at Kansas City 16-13.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-DNP: He will probably see little time this Season barring injury and will need to be a quick study (Garcia is in the last year of his contract) if he wants to compete for the starting job next year.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-DNP: Another who will probably see little time, and it does not look like the Cardinals expect anything spectacular from him.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad: As expected Diaz was moved to the inactive Roster with the return of Robert Thomas.

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

No offers for our remaining free agents, so they sit and hope for injuries.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 2

BYU 35 Arizona 28
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 18-30-314 4 TD 5 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 33-231 1 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 7-103 3 TD
Andy Schroder 5-77
Leland Fletcher 2-78 1 TD

Defense
Jackie Trippi DE 4 tackles 1 assist 2.5 sacks
Derek Perry S 4 tackles 3 assists
Bryant Bruce S 4 tackles 2 Int

Recap
We unexpectedly struggle against the Wildcats and find ourselves in a dog fight. I wanted to let Rayburn have some room to operate, but at the same time when you have Daniel Stoddard to carry the rock it would be foolish to not but the game in his hands. Well I spent moments fading in and out of foolishness because with Stoddard averaging 7 yards a carry, he should have gotten 50 touches!! Our defense comes out asleep and Rod Irby hits Riddick Rayborn with a 93 yard bomb to open the scoring, we battle back to take the lead at Halftime on two Rayburn TD passes, the second a 69 yard strike to Leland Fletcher. Rayburn also throws 2 picks in the first half that stall drives.
At the half we talk about settling down and playing our game….Then we take the field for the 3rd and go into a tailspin. Rayburn promptly throws interceptions on three consecutive drives to start the second half. After the final one (His fifth of the game) was returned 51 yards for a Touchdown by Ernie Prescott, I lit into him with a fury only previously seen by my wife, the time she inadvertently lined our Bird cage with my Game plan for an upcoming opponent. He responds with his second TD pass to Hitchcock and we enter the fourth tied at 21. Our Defense promptly allows its first real “drive” of the game, a 72 yard march topped by Jake Talley’s 3 yard run. After this I decide to smarten up and feed the ball to Stoddard, he takes us down the field and Rayburn tops it with his fourth TD pass. We stuff the Cats and take over on our own 16, backed up I feed the ball to Stoddard 3 straight times and he rewards me by taking the final carry 67 yards for the winning Touchdown. Bryant Bruce then seals the deal with his second pick of the game and our defense of the National title is off to a successful, albeit shaky start.

Injuries
None

Very happy to get through the first game with no Injuries, we are due for a good streak here after last Seasons MASH unit imitation.
Recruiting

Visits
Roosevelt Zimmerman C Tujunga, CA Overall 318 Position 17
Marshall Wayne DT West Valley, UT Overall 594 Position 42

Commits
None

Two more visits this week, one from another Local Kid that will give us depth and the other from our top target at Center, Tujunga, CA product Zimmerman, who we hope to groom as the heir to the job if we land him.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 35 Arizona 28
Ohio St 20 Utah 10
Wyoming 35 Kansas 10
Colorado St 23 Colorado 17
Arizona St 47 San Diego St 7
Boise St 50 Air Force 44
UNLV 20 North Texas 14
New Mexico 37 Dartmouth 3

A mixed bag for the MWC, Utah shows well against the Buckeyes, but they do not have the Firepower with Dostie gone, and only one returning Running back in Darryl Yount. Wyoming thrashes Kansas and we hope to duplicate the feat next week. Boise tops Air Force in a thrilling OT battle and whether or not they can stop people, we know the Falcons can score. New Mexico again starts off great………..against the Ivy, and CSU rebounds to shock Colorado.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
UNLV 2 0 0 1.000 51 33 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
New Mexico 1 0 0 1.000 37 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 35 28 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 14
Air Force 1 1 0 .500 76 72 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Wyoming 1 1 0 .500 41 65 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Colorado State 1 1 0 .500 36 59 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Utah 0 1 0 .000 10 20 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
San Diego State 0 1 0 .000 7 47 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Kansas at BYU
Hawaii at Air Force
SMU at Colorado St
Cornell at UNLV ESPN 2
Columbia at San Diego St
Utah at Utah St
Yale at Wyoming

It is our obligatory Ivy week, but with unbeaten UNLV playing defending Ivy Champ Cornell, the conference lands an ESPN 2 game out of the deal. We will look to keep Kansas down after Wyoming demolished them this week, and eliminate our mistakes as well. Air Force will take on another high powered offense in Hawaii and we will see how their Defense weathers this storm.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Rotation: He loses the starting job after his week one performance to fellow Rookie, 4th round pick William Lindsey from Minnesota. Still he sees a fair amount of time in passing situations and records 2 tackles as the Card beat Indianapolis 26-17.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Started: In another close Bronco Loss, 17-13 to Philly, he carries 20 times for 58 yards, but losses a fumble as well. Shaw does not have the speed of a prototype NFL Tailback, but he runs hard and can catch, though he has not been used much in this area yet.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-DNP: He continues to watch and learn from the sidelines behind Garcia.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-DNP: Still on the active Roster, but not any closer to playing.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

Not much action for the Alumni crew, and it looks like Shaw and Geary will get the only real Pt this Season.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 3

BYU 66 Kansas 0
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 11-18-201 3 TD
Paul Post 5-7-56 1 TD
Donny Davison 3-6-62

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 23-113 3 TD
Julio Fredrickson 17-118 2 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 8-149 1 TD
Leland Fletcher 4-51
Andy Schroder 3-77 1 TD

Defense
Bryant Bruce S 5 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
Benjamin Arreola LB 5 tackles 1 assist 1 fumble recovery
Derek Perry S 3 tackles

Recap
Our boys take out a rough week of practice after the close shave against U of A on a very bad Kansas Jayhawk team. It is never a contest from the get go as Rayburn looks much sharper and takes us to a 38-0 halftime lead before taking a seat for the rest of the day. Ellis Hitchcock is like a man among boys out there and they can not even contain him, much less stop him. We are able to get lots of reserves into the game as all told we rack up 568 total yards to KU’s 122. Amazingly we get no sacks, but do come up with 5 turnovers while playing mistake free Offense ourselves. I am especially glad to get Fredrickson so involved as he will be the man next year and I want him happy, and working hard. It is such a dominant performance defensively that Kansas only crosses midfield one time the entire game, and that drive ended with an interception. As happy as I am I will keep the team focused, as we are not as good as this game indicates, just like we were not as bad as the team that struggled to beat Arizona last week.

Injuries
Brian Riddell G-Out Torn Calf Muscle
Wade Such DT-Out Broken Ribs

Riddell is a back up so that is not devastating, but Such could be a big loss, as Reuben Ballard (His back up) is good, but is not in the best of shape, and after him we have nobody ready to play.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

No movement on the recruiting front and it will be a busy week as we do not want to go into the early commit period with only four interested prospects. We target some top Wide Receivers as well as some secondary depth.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 66 Kansas 0
Air Force 41 Hawaii 10
Colorado St 30 SMU 21
Cornell 38 UNLV 17
San Diego St 34 Columbia 7
Utah St 45 Utah 14
Wyoming 45 Yale 6

Good showings by us and the Falcons, as expected and Colorado St has rebounded nicely with 2 wins after an opening day loss to Cornell. Speaking of Cornell, they look ready to petition a swap with New Mexico as they are now 2-0 against the MWC this year, while New Mexico as always shows it can handle the Ivy weak sisters. Utah is reeling, after a mugging at the hands of Utah St and the increased emphasis on the option game with Mawae at QB is not going smoothly. On a positive note, Wyoming’s sensational Linebacker Jesse Austin, who missed all of last year with a degenerative Hip condition has returned full force for his Senior season, after a Medical redshirt. He is a great player and a big reason behind the Cowboys 2-1 start this year.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 101 28 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 15
New Mexico 1 0 0 1.000 37 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Air Force 2 1 0 .666 117 82 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 2 1 0 .666 86 71 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
UNLV 2 1 0 .666 68 71 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Colorado State 2 1 0 .666 66 80 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
San Diego State 1 1 0 .500 41 54 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Utah 0 2 0 .000 24 65 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
San Diego St at Michigan St
Wyoming at Boston College ESPN 2
New Mexico at Princeton Local TV
Brown at Utah

New Mexico looks to continue its swath through the Ivy, and they somehow even get a TV game!! Utah will join them as they look to get well against Brown. In the bigger games, both Wyoming and San Diego St take on worthy foes, and a pair of wins here would be nice for the MWC.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Plays sparingly in a 23-10 loss to Washington recording only one tackle and sprains his thumb as well; he will not miss any time but will be hampered by it for 3-4 weeks.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: The Broncos get blasted by Indianapolis, but Shaw has his best game as a pro, gaining 48 yards on 14 carries, a 3.4 avg and scores his first NFL touchdown!!! This is also the first touchdown to be scored by an Alumni of our dynasty, congratulations Calvin!

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-DNP: Continues his apprenticeship on the Pine.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-DNP: Not so much as a sniff of the Grass again

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

Still no action for the fearsome foursome, Coffey has been working with Todd Gurley, his replacement at BYU and it looks to be paying dividends thus far.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 4

BYE
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 0-0

Injuries
Brian Riddell G-Out Torn Calf Muscle
Wade Such DT-Out Broken Ribs

These guys will both be out a while Longer, Ballard was acceptable filling in for Such, whose Injury was so severe another ½ inch would have resulted in a punctured Lung.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

Disappointing not to get at least a few visits during the Bye Week, it does not bode well for top notch early commits, though we do expect to land a couple of the Utah Players that have already tripped us, hopefully next week they will announce their intentions.

Mountain West Scoreboard
San Diego St 26 Michigan St 21
Boston College 21 Wyoming 16
New Mexico 24 Princeton 12
Utah 31 Brown 6

Good showing for both San Diego St and Wyoming, though the Cowboys fall just short. I can never figure out how you can not win consistently at San Diego St? Maybe this year they will live up to expectations and stay in the race for the MWC title. Utah and New Mexico get expected wins against the Ivy, still I think the fans up North are not going to get the Season they are used to having this Year.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 101 28 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 15
New Mexico 2 0 0 1.000 61 15 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Air Force 2 1 0 .666 117 82 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
UNLV 2 1 0 .666 68 71 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
San Diego State 2 1 0 .666 67 75 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Colorado State 2 1 0 .666 66 80 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Wyoming 2 2 0 .500 102 92 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Utah 1 2 0 .333 55 71 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
New Mexico at BYU ESPN
Air Force at Colorado St Local TV
UNLV at Utah
Wyoming at San Diego St

A couple of key early Season games as New Mexico brings their 2 and Ivy record to Provo to try and end our 15 game winning streak, longest active streak in the country since Miami lost their Bowl Game last year. Utah is looking to put it together against an improved UNLV squad. A loss here would really put the Utes in a bad spot. Wyoming and San Diego St is an intriguing match up as I think the winner could play the Dark horse role in the League Title chase this year.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Again got spot time and played ok in the Cardinals 27-17 win against the Packers. Recorded 2 tackles as he continues to nurse an injured thumb. Season to date he has 8 tackles and a pass defensed.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Bye: Shaw enjoys his week off and reflects upon the first Month of his NFL Career. His stats to date are 53 carries, 150 yards, 2.83 YPC with 1 TD. His longest run is 9 yards, which is a testament to his lack of breakaway ability. He also has 2 catches for 15 yards, and I think he could be better utilized in this area.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-DNP: He continues to hold on Extra Points and Field goals and spend a lot of time trying to keep up with new Cardinal Coach Reggie Lyon on the sideline.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-DNP: No action again, he calls his cousin Ike (Our Linebackers Coach quite a bit for advice and encouragement. He knew it would be hard, but I think he had visions of at least being a spot player, which has not happened yet.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

Nothing new on the unemployment front. 

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 5

BYU 48 New Mexico 0
Record Overall 3-0 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 16-23-263 3 TD 2 Int
Paul Post 6-6-81 1 TD

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 26-106 1 TD
Julio Fredrickson 5-18

Receiving
Andy Schroder 5-103 1 TD
Pete Rose 4-60 1 TD
Geoff Joseph 3-44
Ellis Hitchcock 2-32 2 TD

Defense
Donnie Newsome DE 5 tackles 2 assists 1 pass blk 3 hurries
Bryant Bruce S 4 tackles 1 assist
Derek Perry S 4 tackles
Jerome Noisy CB returns an interception 33 yards for a TD.

Recap
Our pass defense was incredible this week, though we get no sacks we hold New Mexico QB’s to a combined 7-42-90 with 3 picks. Newsome and Trippi at the ends definitely altered the Lobo’s game plan as New Mexico stayed with a diet of quick timing throws, that our DB’s covered nicely. Overall we had a 457-183 edge in total yards and held the Lobo’s to 1 of 15 on third down conversions. Our offense was sporadic, despite putting up 48 points and I am growing very concerned with Rayburn’s knack for throwing interceptions, he now has 7 in games and will, and though is his completing over 63% of his throws, he tries to force the ball way too much. Stoddard is out of the gate fast averaging 150 a game on the ground and he will easily hit 1000 for a fourth year, as long as he stays healthy.

Injuries
Brian Riddell G-Out Torn Calf Muscle
Wade Such DT-Out Broken Ribs
Jackie Trippi DE-Out Hyper extended Knee

Trippi is out again and after missing 10 games last year with a high Ankle sprain I am starting to get pessimistic about his ability to stay on the Field. This injury is minor and he should only miss the Rutgers game, but he is like a Ming vase out on the Gridiron.

Recruiting

Visits
Antoine Martinez WR Brentwood, CA Overall 1 Position 1
Jimmy Johnstone LB Moses Lake, WA Overall 23 Position 1

Commits
Leon Squires RB Gunnison, UT Overall 546 Position 39

Two sexy visits this week and I think we actually have a good shot at Johnstone, as Ike Wohlman is proving to be not only a good LB Coach, but an able recruiter. Martinez is being wooed by USC, UCLA, Miami and Cal and has visited all four Schools. I think his visit to Provo, is just to fill out the dance card and enjoy some clean air. Our first commit is local RB Squires, who will be looked to provide depth and not much more down the road. On a down note we lose DT Marshall Wayne to Utah St, which is a shocker. He tells us he sees more of an opportunity to play there, and in all honesty is probably right.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 48 New Mexico 0
Colorado St 24 Air Force 21
Utah 16 UNLV 13
Wyoming 45 San Diego St 10

An interesting opening week of MWC play as Utah struggles mightily with UNLV, who has shown they are competitive under their new Coach. CSU downs Air Force in a big game, and the Rams continue to play better each week after their week 1 drubbing. Wyoming and ourselves both cruise and I think Wyoming’s win is very indicative of just how much they have improved, our game in Laramie this year will not be easy.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 3 0 0 1.000 149 28 1 0 0 1.000 48 0 Won 16
Colorado State 3 1 0 .750 90 101 1 0 0 1.000 24 21 Won 3
Wyoming 3 2 0 .600 147 102 1 0 0 1.000 45 10 Won 1
Utah 2 2 0 .500 71 84 1 0 0 1.000 16 13 Won 2
New Mexico 2 1 0 .666 61 63 0 1 0 .000 0 48 Lost 1
Air Force 2 2 0 .500 138 106 0 1 0 .000 21 24 Lost 1
UNLV 2 2 0 .500 81 87 0 1 0 .000 13 16 Lost 2
San Diego State 2 2 0 .500 77 120 0 1 0 .000 10 45 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Rutgers
Dartmouth at Air Force
Colorado St at Brown
New Mexico at New Mexico St
Yale at San Diego St

An easy week for the MWC with 3 Ivy League opponents and a couple of games against lesser regarded opponents for us and the Lobos, as both Rutgers and New Mexico St are 1-2. This week will really serve as not much more than a tune up for a stretch of conference games, which will hopefully be both competitive and exciting.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Geary gets substantial time in the Cardinals 23-13 victory over the Bear and easily outplays starter William Lindsey recording 7 tackles and 1 assist, in his best game as a Pro. Hopefully this will make the Arizona staff look at inserting him back into the starting Lineup.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Held to only 47 yards on 20 carries in another frustrating loss, this one 19-16 to the Browns. I still think Denver needs to throw him the ball some, at least more than once every other Game.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-DNP: Holding for kicks and watching, at least he gets his knees dirty.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-DNP: Big Barry is as immaculate after the game as before.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: We have overlooked Irish (oops) maybe I am still smarting from his honor code violation last year  He see limited time in the Vikes 30-14 loss to Seattle, records 1 tackle and gives up one catch. Looks like he has found a niche as a sometimes Nickel back for Minnesota this Season.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Starter: With starter Adrian Rhett hampered by a foot injury, Ballard makes the start in the Rams 24-10 win against the Pack and goes 0-2 in Key Run blocks and allows a sack. Not an overly auspicious start and I believe the Rams may look for another solution here is Rhett is not able to play in the next week or two.

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

No calls, cards or letters and it is looking like they will all be done with Football after the Season. It is a shame for Vance, as though he is not extremely gifted, and was always less athletic than someone we had, he just managed to make plays. I really miss “The Jet” in our secondary.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 6

BYU 52 Rutgers 20
Record Overall 4-0 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 11-22-165 2 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 31-280 4 TD

Receiving
Daniel Stoddard 3-31 1 TD
Andy Schroder 3-54 1 TD
Geoff Joseph 2-42

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 9 tackles 2 assists
Donnie Newsome DE 6 tackles 2 sacks 1 pass blk 3 hurries
Bryant Bruce S 6 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
Pete Winslett LB 5 tackles 1 sack

Recap
Rutgers showed early they were not equipped to deal with D-Stod as he took the rock 65 yards to the house on his second carry of the game, this after Rayburn had an interception returned 38 yards for a score by the Scarlet Knights Cory Katzman, just over 30 seconds earlier. I decide I am not going to put the weight of the game on Rayburn after this and we hitch the wagon to Stoddard. This proves effective in chewing up yards, but we can not hit the key passes when we need to. Early in the Third after an Erik Gainey pass to Johnny Ford pulls Rutgers to within 7 at 24-17, Andy Schroder decides to make his presence known. With Rutgers kicking away from Hitchcock, Schroder returns the ensuing kickoff 97 yards to pay dirt, after a field goal makes it 31-20, the Scarlet Knights kick to Schroder again!! This time he takes it 81 yards to the Rutgers 12. 2 plays later we are up 38-20, and from here we pull away as if Rutgers is chained to a post. Defensively Newsome is again a terror and Shields is much more active than in the last two games roaming sideline to sideline to make plays. One thing I don’t like are 11 penalties and I can’t even tie that to home cooking, we were just not smart in this area at all.

Injuries
Brian Riddell G-Out Torn Calf Muscle
Wade Such DT-Out Broken Ribs

Trippi will be available next week, but I may stay with Cedric Wiles who played well enough, for the majority of reps and only bring Trippi in on third and long situations, I do not want to lose him long term as he makes Newsome so much more dangerous, since they have to respect both sides when he is in.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Ricky Schurman TE Spanish Fork, UT Overall 215 Position 6

We get a commit from one of the nations top Tight Ends, but we never really doubted we get Schurman as he grew up 15 minutes from Provo and idolized us. What is a concern is that we get no more visits and I don’t want to get caught scrambling late in the process. We also lose 6 recruits this week to other Schools, so I am going to re-evaluate our current direction.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 52 Rutgers 20
Air Force 44 Dartmouth 10
Brown 20 Colorado St 19
New Mexico 35 New Mexico St 7
San Diego St 31 Yale 7

What is up with Colorado St? They have beaten Colorado, Air Force and SMU, and lost to two Ivy Teams!! New Mexico shakes off their drubbing to throttle their cross state rivals and Air Force manhandles Dartmouth.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 4 0 0 1.000 201 48 1 0 0 1.000 48 0 Won 17
Wyoming 3 2 0 .600 147 102 1 0 0 1.000 45 10 Won 1
Colorado State 3 2 0 .600 109 121 1 0 0 1.000 24 21 Lost 1
Utah 2 2 0 .500 71 84 1 0 0 1.000 16 13 Won 2
New Mexico 3 1 0 .750 96 70 0 1 0 .000 0 48 Won 1
Air Force 3 2 0 .600 182 116 0 1 0 .000 21 24 Won 1
San Diego State 3 2 0 .600 108 127 0 1 0 .000 10 45 Won 1
UNLV 2 2 0 .500 81 87 0 1 0 .000 13 16 Lost 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Colorado St at BYU ESPN 2
Air Force at New Mexico
UNLV at Wyoming
San Diego St at Utah

I am very wary about out match up with CSU this week and have no idea which Rams team will show up, they are dangerous and we better be focused. Utah and Wyoming both have key games, which they need to win to be considered serious contenders, while Air Force should even their league mark up easily against New Mexico.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Geary again gets substantial minutes in the Cards 23-9 Win against Minnesota, he records 4 tackles and one assist, and is looking a lot more comfortable out there. Cardinals are now 4-2

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Denver still has not won as the Steelers drop them 38-26, but Shaw has far and away his best outing yet, going for 87 yards on 18 carries (4.8 YPC) He was definitely in a groove today and hopefully will gain some confidence from this effort.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-DNP: Still watching and Waiting

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Reserve: Barry gets in this week, only for one play, but he has felt the rush of a regular Season game. No Stats.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: Playing nickel back again, in the Loss to Arizona, Irish defends a pass, has 5 tackles, an assist and a sack, but also gives up 3 catches.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad: Rhett is cleared to play and Ballard goes back to the inactive roster.

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

Still no action on the Free Agent front and I contact Vance about becoming a graduate assistant, he will ponder and get back to me.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 7

BYU 35 Colorado St 0
Record Overall 5-0 Mountain West 2-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 15-22-225 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 26-75 2 TD

Receiving
Daniel Stoddard 5-45
Ellis Hitchcock 3-63
Andy Schroder 3-58 1 TD

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 5 tackles 2 assists ½ sack 1 forced fumble
Jackie Trippi DE 4 tackles 1 assist 4.5 sacks
Donnie Newsome DE 4 tackles 1 assist 2.5 sacks 7 hurries
Bryant Bruce S 4 tackles 3 assists
Derek Perry S and Jerome Noisy CB 2 interceptions each

Recap
Our Defense is once again stifling as we record our third shutout in the last four games. Trippi, playing primarily in passing situations, teamed with Newsome to wreak havoc as they recorded 7 sacks between them and we totaled 9 for the game. Newsome also recorded 7 hurries and seemed to spend more time in the CSU backfield than Paris Hilton spends in front of a Video Camera. Our passing game was efficient, but I really need to get our outside receivers more involved, especially in games like this one where Stoddard was contained fairly well. In fact our Offense was not particularly overpowering the entire game, as our longest drive was 56 yards, and that resulted in a mixed field goal. We had 2 drives under 30 yards, and Noisy returned one of his picks 75 yards for a TD. For the game we only had 293 total yards, well below our average of 477. We held CSU to 146 total yards, only 7 of which came on the ground and we have the second best scoring Defense in the Nation, giving up just 9.6 points a game. I can live with the inconsistency in the passing game, as long as we continue to run the ball well, and we keep playing defense like we have been, those two things are, after all, the key to Championship Football.

Injuries
Brian Riddell G-Out Torn Calf Muscle
Wade Such DT-Out Broken Ribs

Still no new injuries and Trippi should be full strength in a week of so. I will hold out of the starting lineup one more game to minimize the risk of re-injury, using him only on passing downs. Besides him and the two players that are out, the only other Cougar nicked up is wide out Pete Rose, who has a minor Ankle sprain.

Recruiting

Visits
Jorge Bozeman TE Honolulu, HI Overall 398 Position 13
Kenny Stephenson WR Ona, WV Overall 40 Position 6
John Battistone WR Columbus Junction, IA Overall 107 Position 11
Johnnie Rice WR Minneapolis, MN Overall 142 Position 15
Sherman Butler T Midvale, UT Overall 690 Position 60
Carlton Lincoln DE Albuquerque, NM Overall 203 Position 18
Joel Morton LB Missoula, MT Overall 220 Position 12
Roy Meteer LB Tucson, AZ Overall 127 Position 10
Matthew Pagano S Los Altos, CA Overall 186 Position 9
Andre Carlson S Henderson, NV Overall 176 Position 8

Commits
Donald McCormick G Honolulu, Hawaii Overall 121 Position 11
Jimmy Johnstone LB Moses Lake, WA Overall 23 Position 1

A huge week for us as we commit the top Outside Linebacker prospect in the country!! Johnstone will be the latest in a list of top LB commits we have secured. We are really developing a strong reputation at this position and our Coaches do a great job recruiting in this area as well. McCormick was our main focus at guard and he commits on his visit, another really good pick up!! Looking to replace Hitchcock and Fletcher, we have three top receiver prospects in for visits, we will need to sign 2 this year. We are also focusing on securing Andre Carlson, though either him or Pagano would bolster our secondary. Both would be even better as we do need 2 safeties this year. The area we are having trouble recruiting this year is Corner, and we may have to look at a second tier recruit here, just for depth purposes.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 35 Colorado St 0
Air Force 44 New Mexico 20
Wyoming 33 UNLV 13
San Diego St 24 Utah 21

Utah continues to struggle with their new QB and it is looking more and more like a down year for them. Wyoming is looking like the surprise team of the MWC this Season as they handle UNLV easily. Air Force still looks like the team we will need to go through though and led by QB Sammie Kerr, the Falcons can put up the points.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 5 0 0 1.000 236 48 2 0 0 1.000 83 0 Won 18
Wyoming 4 2 0 .666 180 115 2 0 0 1.000 78 23 Won 2
Air Force 4 2 0 .666 226 136 1 1 0 .500 65 44 Won 2
San Diego State 4 2 0 .666 132 148 1 1 0 .500 34 66 Won 2
Colorado State 3 3 0 .500 109 156 1 1 0 .500 24 56 Lost 2
Utah 2 3 0 .400 92 108 1 1 0 .500 37 37 Lost 1
New Mexico 3 2 0 .600 116 114 0 2 0 .000 20 92 Lost 1
UNLV 2 3 0 .400 94 120 0 2 0 .000 26 49 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at UNLV
Utah at Colorado St
New Mexico at Wyoming

Next weeks Utah/CSU game is a huge match up, and how both teams respond after disappointing efforts this week, will answer a lot for both teams. We should handle UNLV easily, and our toughest stretch will without a doubt be our last four games, that include Notre Dame, Utah, Air Force and Wyoming.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Geary had probably his poorest outing of the year in a 10-3 loss to Seattle. He records just one tackle and does not even play in the second half, after missing a few tackles in the first half.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Another solid week for Shaw who gains 74 yards on 22 carries and catches 2 balls for 12 yards in a heartbreaking 21-20 loss to Baltimore. Calvin is starting to run with a lot more authority between tackles and breaks off a Season high 16 yard run against the Ravens.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-DNP: Another week of Holding Footballs for kicks, and Clipboards for Garcia.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Starter: Pressed into action after Marc Ames ruptures his Achilles, Wohlman starts his first NFL game and records 3 tackles and a sack in the loss to Seattle. It would seem logical that Arizona would look to sign a DT this week with Ames lost for the Season, but Wohlman’s effort may have them hold off on this.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: In a 24-17 loss to St Louis, Irish sprains his knee and see only limited action against the Rams recording no stats.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad:

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

No bites again for our Free Agents.

[MizzouRah]

Coach, your team has one heck of a defense!! You've won 18 games in a row? Wowsers!!!!


Todd

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 8

BYU 27 UNLV 14
Record Overall 6-0 Mountain West 3-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 16-27-217 2 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 32-106 1 TD

Receiving
Andy Schroder 6-84 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 4-48
Geoff Joseph 3-28

Defense
Bryant Bruce S 8 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
Darrin Shields LB 7 tackles 1 assist
Donnie Newsome DE 6 tackles 3 assists 3.5 sacks 5 hurries
Benjamin Arreola LB 6 tackles 2 assists

Recap
UNLV gives us a battle and the credit goes to a fine game plan by their Coaching staff. Though Stoddard got 100 yards it took him 32 carries to do it, and there are few teams that hold him to just over 3 yards a carry. Rayburn continues to make one or two throws a game that just make me crazy, but he is completing a high percentage of his passes. Our defense was again solid giving up just 278 yards on the day though we started a bit shaky. After we opened the scoring with a Field goal UNLV took their second possession 64 yards for a touchdown and the early lead. After we punt, they go 61 yards on their next possession they go 61 yards but we rise up and stop them on downs as Donnie Newsome stuffs Rebel RB Bernie Dyer for a 1 yard loss on fourth and inches. Newsome is really picking his game up with 6 sacks and 12 hurries in our last 2 outings. Safety Bryant Bruce from Salt Lakes Skyline High School snags another pick, his 5th of the year and the 18th of his Cougar career. He is now the Schools career leader in this category. Daniel Stoddard is currently 26 yards behind former CSU RB Lee Franz on the all-time MWC rushing list. He should have that well before halftime of our next game. Unfortunately there is bad news that comes with our 19th straight win, as Darrin Shields suffers a hyper-extended elbow and could miss 2-3 games.

Injuries
Brian Riddell G-Out Torn Calf Muscle
Darrin Shields LB-Out Hyper-extended Elbow

To say the loss of Shields is huge is a gross understatement, as he is the heart and should of this Defense. He will miss San Diego St and probably Notre Dame. If we can have him back against Utah I will be happy. Wade Such is cleared to play, but is still in a lot of pain and we will bandage his ribs heavily, and ease him back in.

Recruiting

Visits
Deron Benson CB Garland, TX Overall 341 Position 16
Levon Palmer CB Los Angeles, CA Overall 362 Position 18

Commits
None

A quiet week with no commits and just 2 visits, both are solid cover corners that could definitely help us, thought Benson is tiny at just 5’7 155. Still he managed 8 interceptions his Senior Season, and 50 tackles, so he will come up and throw it in there.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 27 UNLV 14
Utah 44 Colorado St 3
Wyoming 49 New Mexico 7

Utah and Wyoming both roll to impressive wins as Utah finally gets its multiple option offense clicking on all cylinders. The Cowboys are playing some great Football with their 2 losses being a 5 point set back to 4th ranked Boston College and their opening day drubbing at the hands of 2nd ranked Michigan.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 6 0 0 1.000 263 62 3 0 0 1.000 110 14 Won 19
Wyoming 5 2 0 .714 229 122 3 0 0 1.000 127 30 Won 3
Utah 3 3 0 .500 136 111 2 1 0 .666 81 40 Won 1
Air Force 4 2 0 .666 226 136 1 1 0 .500 65 44 Won 2
San Diego State 4 2 0 .666 132 148 1 1 0 .500 34 66 Won 2
Colorado State 3 4 0 .428 112 200 1 2 0 .333 27 100 Lost 3
New Mexico 3 3 0 .500 123 163 0 3 0 .000 27 141 Lost 2
UNLV 2 4 0 .333 108 147 0 3 0 .000 40 76 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
San Diego St at BYU Local TV
Wyoming at Air force Local TV
Utah at New Mexico

We get probably our easiest game of the 5 remaining and the Aztecs are still 4-2, so it won’t be a cake walk. Wyoming’s game against Air Force will be a tremendous test for the Cowboys, and if they can put the Falcons away, they are definitely going to be a threat to us.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: A 14-13 loss to St Louis sees Geary getting limited action again, as he comes up with just one tackle. It seems like Geary is losing the confidence of the Arizona staff. After his solid game against Chicago three weeks ago his playing time has decreased each week.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: The Broncos get routed by San Diego for their 7th straight loss and Shaw has his worst game as a pro, being held to 11 yards on 3 carries and 1 catch for 13 yards. The Broncos are really bad, and a big part of their misery is the running game.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-DNP: Feeling fine, riding the pine.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Starter: Wohlman gets his second start and records 1 tackle and 1 assist in the loss to the Rams. He is not as effective as last week, but it appears the Cardinals will stick with him for now.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: Still nursing a Knee Sprain, Irish plays only on special teams in a 24-21 loss to the Bears and records no Stats.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad:

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad:

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

Our 3 players on the Practice squad are all on the winning end this week, while all our active roster players lose and our Free agents know neither emotion.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 9

BYU 42 San Diego St 7
Record Overall 7-0 Mountain West 4-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 18-36-311 3 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 23-123 1 TD

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 5-127
Leland Fletcher 5-82 3 TD
Andy Schroder 3-44

Defense
Roderick Jamison LB 6 tackles 3 assists 2 Int 1 TD
Derek Perry S 5 tackles 1 assist
Bryant Bruce S 5 tackles
Jackie Trippi DE 3 tackles 1.5 sacks

Recap
We click on all cylinders today with the only hiccups being caused by Rayburn’s erratic throws which result in 2 interceptions, the first of which is returned 65 yards for a score by the Aztecs Gene Middleton. Not to be outdone, Roderick Jamison, starting for the injured Darrin Shields picks off San Diego St QB Oscar Shuman twice, returning the first one 46 yards for his own score which puts us up 14-0 after one. After Middleton’s pick cuts it to 14-7 at the half, we explode for 21 points in the third quarter on the strength of Three Rayburn TD passes to Leland Fletcher. Julio Fredrickson topped the scoring with a 4 yard scamper in the fourth for the final margin. On the day we held an advantage of 433 total yards to 159. Roderick added 9 total tackles to his 2 picks to take player of the game honors, though we should have Shields back for Notre Dame I feel confident with Jamison in there if Darrin can’t go. Stoddard’s 123 yard effort now gives him 1034 yards for the Season, his fourth straight 1000 yard Season as a Cougar. He will definitely be missed when he moves on.

Injuries
Nobody out

Riddell and Shields are both upgraded to doubtful for Notre Dame and Shields will see sporadic playing time at the very least. In addition to these two DT Wade Such (Ribs) WR Leland Fletcher (ankle) T Tom Longmate (Bruised Ribs) and WR Andy Schroder (Hand) are banged up but should be ready to play Saturday.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Jorge Bozeman TE Honolulu, HI Overall 398 Position 13
John Battistone WR Columbus Junction, IA Overall 107 Position 11
Sherman Butler T Midvale, UT Overall 690 Position 60
Rodney Cano DT Hartford, CT Overall 360 Position 28

Rodney Cano was a late recruit and he commits during his visit to the Y, the other 3 recruits are all top 20 at their positions with the exception of Butler, who nonetheless should be solid. We are really excited about Battistone, who runs great routes and has a tendency to always find the open spot in coverage. He caught 70 passes his Senior Season and could start right away with Hitchcock and Fletcher departing. We lose two highly sought after LB recruits with Joel Morton going to Wisconsin and Roy Meteer selecting Air Force. We will have to scramble here to get some decent recruits over the next two to three weeks.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 42 San Diego St 7
Air Force 20 Wyoming 17
New Mexico 45 Utah 17

Air Force takes their must win game against Wyoming leaving us as the only unbeaten School in league play, we still play both these teams so neither is out of the race yet. Utah’s shocking loss to New Mexico relegates the Utes to the spoiler role and they will be hard pressed to make it to the post Season with games left against us, Wyoming, Air Force and West Virginia. In fact a 3-8 Season is entirely possible for the hated School up North.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 7 0 0 1.000 305 69 4 0 0 1.000 152 21 Won 20
Wyoming 5 3 0 .625 246 142 3 1 0 .750 144 50 Lost 1
Air Force 5 2 0 .714 246 153 2 1 0 .666 85 61 Won 3
Utah 3 4 0 .428 153 156 2 2 0 .500 98 85 Lost 1
San Diego State 4 3 0 .571 139 190 1 2 0 .333 41 108 Lost 1
Colorado State 3 4 0 .428 112 200 1 2 0 .333 27 100 Lost 3
New Mexico 4 3 0 .571 168 180 1 3 0 .250 72 158 Won 1
UNLV 2 4 0 .333 108 147 0 3 0 .000 40 76 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Notre Dame
UNLV at Air Force
Colorado St at San Diego St
New Mexico at Yale

It is surprising we get no TV love for our big clash with the Irish as they are ranked 17th and we are ranked 7th heading into the Weekend. This will be our first big test in my mind and I am a little nervous about Rayburn’s inconsistency throwing the ball and his 18/13 TD to Interception ratio does not excite me. Oh yeah, New Mexico’s non League game is against an Ivy Foe….Shocker!!

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Bye:

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Congrats to Shaw on his first 100 yard game as a pro as he goes for 101 yards on 29 carries in the Bronco’s 26-18 win at Cincinnati, their first of the Season. He also catches 2 passes for 58 yards in his finest game as a pro.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Bye:

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Bye:

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: Minnesota falls to 0-8 as Irish sees a slight increase in playing time, recording 2 tackles and giving up one catch. The Vikings are truly hurting as San Francisco edges them 24-21, their second 3 point loss in a row.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad:

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad:

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

A quiet week for our alumni, outside of Shaw’s stout performance for the Bronco’s. It has been a rough year for 5 alumni on active rosters as their teams are a combined 5-19.

[BYU 14]

I had an Idea inspired in part by GridIrons "March of the Highlanders" dynasty. I thought it might be neat to recruit players from the High Schools members of the message board attended. Let me know what High School you are an alumni of and I will actively pursue players from your Alma Mater that are ranked in the top 1000 in country. I will add a special section for these players if there is an interest in this.

[JeeberD]

I would suggest Irvin High School in El Paso, TX (where I went my sophomore year) for me, but I assume it would be easier for you to recruit from Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch (or Littleton, not sure which one TCY has it under) Colorado since it's much, much closer to you... :)

[weinstein7]

Montclair High School in Montclair, NJ. For you Giant fans, I was Dave Tyree's classmate. I taught him everything he knows about downing punts....ok, so I made the last part up.

[tategter]

Monte Vista HS in Spring Valley, CA. Same school district as the Highlanders, only with no talented atheletes.

[BYU 14]

I would suggest Irvin High School in El Paso, TX (where I went my sophomore year) for me, but I assume it would be easier for you to recruit from Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch (or Littleton, not sure which one TCY has it under) Colorado since it's much, much closer to you... :)

you kidding Jeeber, I love recruiting Texas, I just don't want to take too many kids from your Miners though :) Speaking of which I will put up a Utep update soon.

Got em all on the list guys, thanks and keep em coming.

[rjolley]

I'll add in Gary Roosevelt in Gary, IN.

For you NBA fans, that was the high school of Glenn Robinson. He was a freshman when I graduated.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 10

BYU 56 Notre Dame 34
Record Overall 8-0 Mountain West 4-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 21-33-319 3 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 29-125 3 TD

Receiving
Leland Fletcher 7-108 1 TD
Andy Schroder 6-121 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 4-50

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 10 tackles 1 assist ½ sack
Derek Perry S 10 tackles 1 assist
Pete Winslett LB 5 tackles 1 assist 1 sack
Benjamin Arreola LB 5 tackles 4 assists
Ed Cochran CB 2 Int 1 TD

Recap
It is fortunate that on a day we could not stop the run, Bennie Rayburn had probably his best day as a Cougar completely outplaying Notre Dame’s heralded signal caller Derrick Lynch. Notre Dame’s Quentin Stone ran for 126 yards and the Irish put up 183 as a team, by far our worst effort of the Season against the run. The main reason for this was the complete domination of our Defensive line, as our three starters (Newsome, Trippi and Such) combined for just 2 tackles 4 assists and 1.5 sacks. We started strong scoring 14 first quarter points, while forcing the Irish to punt on their first 3 possessions, en route to a 21-10 halftime lead. Starting the third quarter Notre Dame kicked the running game into high gear as Harold Lofton broke a 60 yard run to cut the gap to 21-17. On our next drive Rayburn threw his only interception of the game and Notre Dame promptly rang the till on a TD pass from Lynch to Louie Frassrand to go up 24-21. We fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Notre Dame looked poised to take control, but on second and goal from the 2, Ed Cochran picked off Lynch in the end zone and the momentum turned. We then scored on 4 of our next 5 possessions, as Rayburn got hot and Daniel Stoddard finally got untracked. A second Ed Cochrane pick was returned 41 yards for a Touchdown as we dominated the last 18 minutes of the game on the way to an impressive 22 point victory.

Injuries
None

We emerge with no new major injuries and the small collection of nicks and bruises we have will not keep anyone out of action.

Recruiting

Visits
Kenny Hipp WR Columbia, SC Overall 557 Position 46

Commits
Carlton Lincoln DE Albuquerque, NM Overall 203 Position 18
Andre Carlson S Henderson, NV Overall 161 Position 8

Two more solid commits as both are top 20 at their position, Carlson was one we really wanted and we are happy he is bringing his game to the Y. Losing both Safeties he has a legit shot to start beside Kendall Timlin next year. We still have shots at two more highly ranked prospects in C Roosevelt Zimmerman and CB Levon Palmer. The other 4 schollie’s we will look to fill with the best available players.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 56 Notre Dame 34
Air Force 45 UNLV 10
New Mexico 45 Yale 21
Colorado St 48 San Diego St 28

Air Force stays within striking distance and if both them and Wyoming win next week the last 2 games will have major implications. New Mexico, despite being 1-3 in the MWC could still go to a Bowl if they win 2 of there next 3.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 8 0 0 1.000 361 103 4 0 0 1.000 152 21 Won 21
Air Force 6 2 0 .750 291 163 3 1 0 .750 130 71 Won 4
Wyoming 5 3 0 .625 246 142 3 1 0 .750 144 50 Lost 1
Utah 3 4 0 .428 153 156 2 2 0 .500 98 85 Lost 1
Colorado State 4 4 0 .500 160 228 2 2 0 .500 75 128 Won 1
New Mexico 5 3 0 .625 213 201 1 3 0 .250 72 158 Won 2
San Diego State 4 4 0 .500 167 238 1 3 0 .250 69 156 Lost 2
UNLV 2 5 0 .285 118 192 0 4 0 .000 50 121 Lost 5
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Utah ESPN 2
Air Force at San Diego St
Wyoming at Colorado St Local TV
New Mexico at UNLV

I am encouraged with Rayburn’s last outing and with Rivals week upon us we will need another good effort from him to stop the Ute’s from stacking the box to stop Stoddard. Hopefully our run defense is tighter this week as this is the only chance we see for Utah to beat us, as Mawae is not the threat throwing the ball that Rodney Dostie was. The Falcons and Cowboys are both favored, and a loss by either would be devastating at this point.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Geary continues to see limited duty as it appears his speed is not making up for lack of size. He makes 2 tackles in a 16-13 loss to the Lions and gives up 1 catch on pass coverage.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: The good news is Calvin scores his second NFL touchdown. The bad news is that this is Denver’s only touchdown as they resume their losing ways, falling to Kansas City 10-7. Shaw gains only 34 yards on 15 carries and his 2.2 YPC average is his worst of the Season. He does catch 3 balls for 22 yards, and it looks like his skills as a receiver are finally being recognized.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Did not play.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Starter: Barry starts his third straight game, but only records 1 tackle in the loss to Detroit. Arizona is looking for more pressure up the middle and Wohlman will have to pick it up to keep his job.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Starter: With Wade Guerrero hurt, Irish gets his first NFL start and the Vikings get pounded by Green Bay 22-3. On the day Irish gives up 4 catches, defends 1 catch and makes 4 tackles in the loss. Guerrero should be back next week, which will send Barry back to the nickel back role.

Ed Cramer DT NY Giants-Practice Squad:

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad:

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

3 of our 5 active alumni start this week, which is a Season high, unfortunately 2 of the starts are due to injury as Shaw is the only Cougar to have started every game for his team.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)

These are the four High Schools we will look to recruit from next Season. Again the rules that apply to Forum member Alma Maters, is we will go after any player in the top 1000 from these Schools, plus any that are close I feel can help us. Anyone else wants to add their Alma Mater to the list feel free.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 11

BYU 49 Utah 3
Record Overall 9-0 Mountain West 5-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 14-19-202 3 TD 3 Int
Paul Post 13-17-158-158 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 22-85 3 TD
Julio Fredrickson 9-26

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 6-111
Leland Fletcher 5-62
Andy Schroder 5-91 3 TD
Geoff Joseph 4-43 1 TD

Defense
Benjamin Arreola LB 6 tackles
Reynolds LB 4 tackles 1 assist
Jackie Trippi DE 3 tackles 2 assists 3.5 sacks
Ed Lewis CB 3 tackles 1 assist 1 Int

Recap
This was everything a rivalry should not be, and the difference in the Utes with the change at Quarterback is stunning! They had no offensive rhythm and could only manage anything resembling a drive against our backups, who played most of the second half after we vaulted to a 35-0 Halftime lead. Still, the longest drive of the day by Utah was 40 yards to begin the second half, that resulted in their only points. We on the other hand, had 4 drives that exceeded 60 yards, including beauties of 87 and 90 yards. All of this resulted in a nearly 10 minute time of possession advantage and an edge in total yardage of 474 to 155. Our defense continued to play lights out, and Utah’s strategy of constant doubles on Donnie Newsome, freed up Jackie Trippi to make 3.5 sacks and add a couple of hurries for good measure. Our passing game was as efficient as it has been all year as we completed 27 of 36 for 360 yards between Rayburn and Post, who played most of the second half. I continue to be frustrated by the number of interceptions and I know this will come back to eventually bite us if we don’t get it fixed!! Still we managed a Season best 9 of 12 third down conversion rate and played 4 intense quarters. I will give Utah credit as they contained Stoddard to an extent, but mainly be crowding the box, which again assisted in our big day throwing the ball. Utah will definitely use today as bulletin board material next year as nobody likes to receive this kind of wood shed whipping……well actually they could use their whole Season as bulletin board material for next year…….better get an auxiliary cork board just in case. 

Injuries
None

Still nothing that will keep anyone out of the next two games, both of which are huge and I attribute our surprising success this year, in large part to our ability to stay healthy

Recruiting

Visits
Alex Hawkins LB Cumming, GA Overall UR Position 68
Bucky Hoover LB El Cajon, CA Overall UR Position 83
Andrew Bethea S Kingsburg, CA Overall UR Position 62

Commits
Roosevelt Zimmerman C Tujunga, CA Overall 318 Position 17
Stan Rigney LB Oklahoma City, OK Overall UR Position 62
Levon Palmer CB Los Angeles, CA Overall 362 Position 18

Two more commits that should help us and I am especially happy about Palmer, who reminds somewhat of Jerome Noisy. Zimmerman was really the only Center we pursued and it came down to the wire between us and Cal, I had no plan B so this is really good news to me. Rigney is a good depth player and I am OK with this since we also have the number 1 OLB recruit in the country in Jimmy Johnstone to take up the slack. We still need a WR, ILB and a S. We will not get any blue chippers here, but if we at least get solid backup types, it will make for another successful recruiting class.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 49 Utah 3
Air Force 41 San Diego St 17
Wyoming 17 Colorado St 14
New Mexico 27 UNLV 24

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 9 0 0 1.000 410 106 5 0 0 1.000 201 24 Won 22
Air Force 7 2 0 .777 332 180 4 1 0 .800 171 88 Won 5
Wyoming 6 3 0 .666 263 156 4 1 0 .800 161 64 Won 1
New Mexico 6 3 0 .666 240 225 2 3 0 .400 99 182 Won 3
Utah 3 5 0 .375 156 205 2 3 0 .400 101 134 Lost 2
Colorado State 4 5 0 .444 174 245 2 3 0 .400 89 145 Lost 1
San Diego State 4 5 0 .444 184 279 1 4 0 .200 86 197 Lost 3
UNLV 2 6 0 .250 142 219 0 5 0 .000 74 148 Lost 6
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Air Force at BYU ESPN
Colorado St at UNLV
San Diego St at New Mexico
Utah at Wyoming

We really need Utah to get a win this week in Laramie as it would make our task much easier if we can knock off Air Force. The Falcons are hanging tough dealing with the loss of Senior QB Sammie Kerr, who had a 179.7 passer efficiency rating when he went down in game 5 against Colorado St with a torn Triceps Muscle. Junior Winfred Grier who took over for Kerr and threw for 1028 yards and 10 TD’s in 4 starts will also be out with a Hyper-extended Elbow, leaving the QB duties to walk-on Sophomore Dustin Dotson. We are expecting the Falcons will rely heavily on the run and two all MWC RB Alfred Anthony who has 1027 yards on the Season. New Mexico, thanks to their soft non conference schedule is still in contention for a bowl bid along with Wyoming.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Played very little in a 22-20 loss to the 49ers recording only 1 assist.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Had another outstanding effort as Denver won for the second time in 3 games beating Oakland 34-10. Ran for a career high 121 yards on 31 carries and scored his third TD of the year. Also added a Season high 4 catches for 36 yards and is really starting to develop into a competent Back. On the Season now he has 625 yards on 191 carries, a 3.27 YPC average, 3 touchdowns and 14 catches for 156 yards, an average of 11.1 per catch.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Did not play.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Starter: Had his best game as a pro recording 4 tackles and an assist in the loss to San Francisco and did a good job clogging the middle on runs. On the Season he has 9 tackles 2 assists and a sack in 4 starts since Marc Ames went down.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: Irish goes back to the bench and the nickel back role, recording 3 tackles in a 28-14 loss to Detroit. Minnesota is having a horrible Season at 0-10, but Irish continues to play hard and is happy to be playing for cash, despite the wretched Season. His totals on the year are 17 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack, 3 passes defense and 10 catches allowed.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad:

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free agent: Cramer is released by the Giants without ever playing a down in the NFL, as New York had to make roster room after signing Free Agent WR Az Hakim.

Shaw is quietly having a decent year and may yet reach 1000 yards if his development continues. Wohlman is also giving a decent account of himself after finally getting a chance. We will see if it is enough for the Cardinals to bring him back.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)

Our 4 FOF alma maters await the start of next year, as always anyone else that wants to add their High School is welcome.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 12

BYU 38 Air Force 28
Record Overall 10-0 Mountain West 6-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 22-46-317 4 TD 4 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 23-113

Receiving
Andy Schroder 7-117 2 TD
Daniel Stoddard 6-50 1 TD
Leland Fletcher 3-49
Ellis Hitchcock 2-37

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 10 tackles 3 assists
Donnie Newsome DE 5 tackles 1 assist 1.5 sacks
Bryant Bruce S 4 tackles 5 assists
Derek Perry S 4 tackles 1 assist
Pete Winslett LB 3 tackles 2 assists 1 sack 1 Int

Recap
The Falcons came in fired up and for a while it was a story of 2 Quarterbacks. BYU’s Bennie Rayburn, the seasoned junior leading the Mountain West in Yards, touchdowns and Passer rating, against the walk on 3rd string sophomore Dustin Dotson making his first Collegiate start. Rayburn made it tighter than it should have been, and at times it looked like both QB’s were playing for the same team…..and it wasn’t the Cougars!! After Rayburn got us going with a 21 yard TD pass to Schroder, Duane Hoyt ripped off a 61 yard TD run on a reverse for Air Force and it was clear the Falcons came to play!! After a Rayburn pick (yawn) Dotson threw his first career TD pass and the Falcons were up 14-7. We came back on a Julio Fredrickson TD run and Rayburn’s second TD pass to lead 21-14 at the half. 10 points to start the second half made me feel pretty good and we held a 31-14 lead up to the 5 minute mark of the fourth, then Rayburn went to work….for Air Force!!! First Winfred Nettles returned an errant Rayburn pass 71 yards for a score, then on the next possession it was Grady Flannery cashing in a pick from 22 yards out and it was suddenly a 3 point game. I stayed aggressive and luckily Rayburn stayed on target to give us the final margin of victory with a 12 yards strike to TE Geoff Joseph. With the exception of the long run on the trick play, I thought we did a great job shutting down the run, holding Air Force’s Alfred Anthony to only 27 yards on 18 carries; we also picked Dotson off twice and limited him to 14 of 33 passing. Our total yards advantage was 422 to 279, and if not for Rayburn’s 4 picks it would not have been close. Darrin Shields played a great game, especially against the run. We also recorded 4 sacks and 8 hurries which was key to disrupting the Falcons young walk-on QB. We have to do a much better job on giveaways still as we have 24 on the Season. Still we lead the nation with 35 takeaways and that is the only reason we are still undefeated.

Injuries
None out

7 players have injuries that range from a concussion (Jacki Trippi) to bruised ribs (Tom Longmate) but all should be set to play against the Pokes next week, though I will be careful with Trippi.

Recruiting

Visits
Jamie Banks S Grass Valley, CA Overall UR Position 79
Perry Farrell S Clovis, CA Overall UR Position 85

Commits
Tito Terrell WR Marysville, CA Overall UR Position UR

We get our second WR commit, and this kid was totally under the radar. He may not be ranked but I think he is better than are scout says and could surprise us, though not to the level of a Hitchcock or Schroder. Two more decent Safeties are in for visits and I see little difference in the 3 that are still considering us, if we can land one of them and ILB Bucky Hoover, I will be content, though this class is not up to the level of our last few.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 38 Air Force 28
UNLV 48 Colorado St 14
San Diego St 33 New Mexico 3
Wyoming 27 Utah 0

How bad are the Ute’s hurting? No Bowl game this year and Mawae was not the answer at QB as hoped. He is gone and it looks like Dennis Briggs, a sophomore will be the one looked upon to bring the glory back to Utah. Wyoming did their part and our last game with them will decide the MWC Champion, I think the Cowboys are for real. Air Force and New Mexico still hold Bowl aspirations as well, and besides Utah, CSU has to be the biggest disappointment. A 34 point loss to UNLV shows just how much the Rams have regressed.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 10 0 0 1.000 448 134 6 0 0 1.000 239 52 Won 23
Wyoming 7 3 0 .700 290 156 5 1 0 .833 188 64 Won 2
Air Force 7 3 0 .700 360 218 4 2 0 .666 199 126 Lost 1
New Mexico 6 4 0 .600 243 258 2 4 0 .333 102 215 Lost 1
San Diego State 5 5 0 .500 217 282 2 4 0 .333 119 200 Won 1
Utah 3 6 0 .333 156 232 2 4 0 .333 101 161 Lost 3
Colorado State 4 6 0 .400 188 293 2 4 0 .333 103 193 Lost 2
UNLV 3 6 0 .333 190 233 1 5 0 .166 122 162 Won 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Wyoming ESPN
Utah at Air Force
New Mexico at Colorado St
UNLV at San Diego St

We head to Laramie for the MWC title showdown and hopefully a prime BCS spot. We are currently ranked third behind Miami and Boston College, also both unbeaten. In addition, Boise St, TCU and Cornell are also unbeaten, though none will probably bust the BCS. Air Force and New Mexico are both playing for Bowl spots; everyone else is playing for Spring Football. Wyoming is missing 3 starters due to injury, the biggest loss being LB Gen Reynolds. The Cowboys are not flashy on offense with Nathan Flutie and Clyde Hopkins sharing the running duties combining for almost 1500 yards. Senior Earl Reed is a 3 and half year starter has had a quietly efficient year throwing for 1616 yards and 7 touchdowns with just 3 interceptions. The Cowboy defense is tough though giving up just 15.6 points per game, good enough for 18th best in the country and second best in the MWC behind us.

Suspension
Tackle Korey Webb is suspended for an undisclosed Honor Code violation, this is bad news as he figured to start next year. I hope he can come back and stays in School with us. His has been a disappointing career thus far and I had high hopes for his Junior and Senior campaigns. We will see what happens.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Had 4 tackles and an assist in a 24-14 win over Jacksonville, his best game in a while and hopefully it leads to some more PT.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Back to business as usual for the Bronco’s as they lose to the Giants 31-17. Shaw is held to 40 yards on 13 carries and does not have a ball thrown to him. You would think they would want to stay with including him in the passing game after last week, but apparently their staff sees things differently.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Did not play.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Starter: Not much of a factor in the win over the Jaguars as he had just one assist and was not used much on passing downs.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: Has 5 tackles and an assist in the Vikings 45-10 rout of Cincinnati, their first win of the year, he also allows 3 catches and has looked better in his role as nickel back

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad:

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free agent

No movement on our free agents and outside of Geary not an overly impressive week for our alumni.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)

Our 4 FOF alma maters await the start of next year, as always anyone else that wants to add their High School is welcome.

[BYU 14]

The Miners are a solid 7-3, unfortunately all of their losses have been in League Play. To undefeated Boise St, Fresno St and SMU, the three teams ahead of them in the standings. Bright spots have been a 17-6 upset of 13th ranked USC and a 45-18 dismantling of instate rival Texas Tech.

The Miners are led by Redshirt Freshman QB Irv Charnski from Irving Texas, who has played well in his first Season hitting 100 of 175 for 1180 yards, 9 TD's and 7 Interceptions. He has also run for 309 yards and 2 scores and looks to have a bright future.

At running back the Miners rely on Senior Broderick Tyner, though production is down from last Season when he tallied 1946 yards and 25 touchdowns, the Houston Native has still tallied 1102 yards on 234 carries and has 5 Touchdowns, despite being hampered by wrist injuries. Joining him in the UTEP backfield is another Redshirt Freshman, BJ Coles. Coles has had an impressive debut as well recording 603 yards on 107 carries (5.6 YPC) with 3 Touchdowns. He should also have a great career in that west Texas town of El Paso. Receiving Senior Fullback Bo Plotz leads the Miner's conservative Air attack with 33 catches, while Junior WR Allen May has tallied 371 yards on 24 catches and also has 5 TD's.

Defensively Junior LB Jose Lindquist is the man leading the team with 57 tackles, 27 assists and 2 picks. Overall the Miners will bring back some talent and should contend for the WAC crown for the next few Seasons. They close out 2009 at home against Hawaii who is 3-7 (3-4) and should handle the Rainbow Warriors easily and get to their second straight Bowl game under Coach Steven Schltz who is 41-25 in 5 Seasons at the Helm.

[JeeberD]

Outstanding report, thanks BYU 14! :) Looks like a bright future for the Miners with Charnski under center and Coles in the backfield...

Oh, and any season in which we dismantle Tech is a success in my book! :D

[Blade6119]

I went to one highschool for my first two, and am finishing up currently at another. You can take your pick, or take both ;) .(Id say whichever has higher athletic and academic prep)

First Two Years - Lafayette High School, St. Louis MO(might be under Chesterfield or Wildwood for city name, not sure)
Last Two Years - Desert Mountain High School, Scottsdale AZ

[BYU 14]

I will have to go with Desert Mountain since I live in Phoenix :) I am very familiar with them since we played them when I coached at North Canyon a few years back, that was when Steve Belles Coached there and Chad Christianson was the QB. You were in North Canyon's region the last couple of years but I coach at Westview now so I haven't met up with them since, but anyway they are now on the list.

[Blade6119]

I will have to go with Desert Mountain since I live in Phoenix :) I am very familiar with them since we played them when I coached at North Canyon a few years back, that was when Steve Belles Coached there and Chad Christianson was the QB. You were in North Canyon's region the last couple of years but I coach at Westview now so I haven't met up with them since, but anyway they are now on the list.

What position coach are you, or are you the head coach. Either way i might find some time out of my schedule next year to stop down for practice or game. Yah, chad is one of my buddies, and i actually saw him just the other day. Shame he has fallen on the ASU chart, as he went from starting over Andrew Walter to the new back-up to Sam Keller. The coaching staff in place now is just horrid, and im sad how fall our team has fallen. We had a real superstar move here from Florida, and he gets soo fed up with the coaches the move to cali...

[BYU 14]

I coached Secondary and Receivers on Varsity the last couple of Seasons, but changes with my Job have taken away some of the time I can commit, so I will be the Head Freshmen Coach this year. Would be nice if only Coaching could pay the bills, but not in AZ :) Still I will be working with the Varsity on Friday nights still, and probably the closest we play to you will be Sept 16th at Marcos De Niza in Tempe. If you want to check out any of our home games though, send me a board E-mail and I will leave your name at the gate so you can at least get in free. We have Varsity home games this year against Buena, Peoria, LaJoya, Sunrise Mountain (TV Game) and Maryvale.

[BYU 14]

2009 Week 13

BYU 41 Wyoming 21
Record Overall 11-0 Mountain West 7-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 13-20-339 3 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 21-56 2 TD
Julio Fredrickson 4-10

Receiving
Andy Schroder 3-93 1 TD
Leland Fletcher 3-124 1 TD
Ellis Hitchcock 3-54
Geoff Joseph 3-58 1 TD

Defense
Darrin Shields LB 10 tackles 1 assist
Benjamin Arreola LB 6 tackles 4 assists
Derek Perry S 6 tackles 3 assists
Donnie Newsome DE 6 tackles 1 blocked pass 3 hurries

Recap
Wyoming decided they would take away Stoddard and make Rayburn beat them and he responded to the challenge. Taking advantage of 8 and 9 men in the box Bennie exploited man coverage with big plays downfield over and over, the highlight of which was an 85 yard Bomb to Leland Fletcher early in the 3rd quarter that gave us a 31-14 lead and all but salted the Cowboys away. For their part the Cowboys did a decent job running the ball at times lead by Clyde Hopkin’s. On their very first drive they did a great job keeping us off balance going 65 yards on 12 plays, with Nathan Flutie taking it in from 6 yards out for the early lead. The Cowboys, ganging up on Stoddard were able to keep us quiet until the start of the second quarter when Rayburn found Schroder on a 48 yard aerial to knot the score. This opened the Flood gates as we scored on our next 2 drives to go up 21-7. After Clyde Hopkins turned a swing pass into a 41 yard TD scamper to cut the lead to 7, we capped the first half scoring when Todd Gurley nailed a career high 54 yard Field goal with 16 seconds left to send us into the locker room up 10. After our quick score to start the third, Wyoming was forced out of their normal game plan and we came after Reid who was harangued into a 14-29 performance that included 2 interceptions. Shields had his second 10 plus tackle game on Defense and did a great job getting off blocks on several occasions to turn what looked like big plays into minimal gains. In the end our convincing win wraps up our second straight undefeated regular Season and hopefully puts us into position to defend our National title.

Injuries
Geoff Joseph TE-Out separated Shoulder

Once again the injury prone Joseph finds his way to the infirmary. The good news is it is a slight separation and by the time we play he should be ready to go, as should the 5 players hampered with minor/lingering Injuries.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Andrew Bethea S Kingsburg, CA Overall UR Position 62

Bethea’s commit leaves us with just one Schollie left and we hope to give that to LB Bucky Hoover, though Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Pennsylvania are all still in the hunt. Again we did not get everyone we really wanted, but all needs were addressed and it should still turn into a pretty solid class when all is said and done.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 41 Wyoming 21
Air Force 28 Utah 13
Colorado St 31 New Mexico 13
UNLV 49 San Diego St 21

Air Force seals up a Bowl bid and Wyoming should have one as well, though New Mexico seriously damaged their chances getting blasted by CSU. Utah looks headed for a 3-8 campaign as they close with West Virginia and times are not happy at the School up North 

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 11 0 0 1.000 489 155 7 0 0 1.000 280 73 Won 24
Air Force 8 3 0 .727 398 231 5 2 0 .714 237 139 Won 1
Wyoming 7 4 0 .636 311 197 5 2 0 .714 209 105 Lost 1
Colorado State 5 6 0 .454 219 306 3 4 0 .428 134 206 Won 1
San Diego State 5 6 0 .454 238 331 2 5 0 .285 140 249 Lost 1
New Mexico 6 5 0 .545 256 289 2 5 0 .285 115 246 Lost 2
Utah 3 7 0 .300 169 270 2 5 0 .285 114 199 Lost 4
UNLV 4 6 0 .400 239 254 2 5 0 .285 171 183 Won 2
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Utah at West Virginia
Nevada at UNLV

While we sit and await the BCS to sort things out Utah and UNLV close out the MWC schedule with meaningless games that will extricate neither of them from a fourth place tie for last place in the MWC.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: The Cardinals take care of Tampa Bay 34-17 and Geary records 3 tackles and a pass defensed in the win, playing well again in limited minutes.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: The Broncos get their third win of the Season as Shaw goes for 55 yards on 18 carries and scores a Touchdown. They do not throw to Calvin for the second straight week, but he is now over 700 yards rushing on the year with 4 games left to play.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Did not play.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Starter: Second straight game in which Wohlman manages just 1 assist in a win. Still the Cardinals must be happy with him as they did not look to sign a replacement free agent for the Injured Marc Ames.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: The Vikings win their second straight with a narrow 17-14 decision over the Falcons. Irish has 1 tackle, 1 assist and gives up 1 catch in the win. He also gets tossed from the game for a late hit which does not endear him to the Coaches.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad:

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad:

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free agent

Shaw’s 720 yards place him third among rookies, though the top Rookie rusher, Tyrus Schlesinger of the Jets, is also the NFL leader with 1302 yards, so rookie of the year is probably out for Calvin.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)

Our 5 FOF alma maters await the start of next year, as always anyone else that wants to add their High School is welcome.

[BYU 14]

2009 Weeks 14 through 16

No Games scheduled
Record Overall 11-0 Mountain West 7-0

Bowl Game
The Bowl schedule is announced and it is with much chagrin that we find we will not be defending our National Title this year. We find ourselves in the same position as Miami last year as this time the Hurricanes take our place in the Rose bowl against a once beaten Michigan Team. We end up against #5 UCLA in the Orange Bowl and it will give us a chance to renew acquaintances with UCLA QB Grady Orton, who we aggressively recruited in 2005, only to be spurned for the Home town Bruins. A Junior, Orton completed his third Season as a starter and threw for 3150 yards and 32 Touchdowns against 18 interceptions. He completed 217 of 380 pass attempts and looks like a good bet to once again be first team PAC 10, an honor he captured in 2008, in addition to the Conference MVP honors. Complimenting him in the Bruins attack is TB Corwin Landon who ran for 695 yards and added 441 more on 43 Catches. Senior Receivers Louie Pierce 44-682 9 TDs and Marco Anderson 39-693 4 TD’s also contributed. Defensively UCLA was paced by LB Duane Walker with 76 tackles, 19 assists, 2 sacks and 3 Interceptions. Jimmy Barber and Ian Poston are the Bruins version of Newsome and Trippi and recorded 24 sacks and 34 tackles for loss between them. On paper this is a great match-up as we bring in the number one Offense in the country at 44.4 PPG against UCLA’s number one Defense at 9.8 PPG. Our Defense is 10th at 14 PPG and UCLA’s offense is 7th at 36.5.

Injuries
None out

Joseph, Schroder and Such are still banged up, but will be 100% by game time.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Bucky Hoover LB El Cajon, CA Overall UR Position 83

Our class of 2009 is now complete and again it is solid though not as good as the last two. The Crown Jewel is OLB Jimmy Johnstone, the best in the country at his position. We also have top 10 players at their position in S Andre Carlson and home grown TE Ricky Schurman. John Battistone should also be an impact player at WR. Overall 13 of our 16 recruits made all-state, and four; Johnstone, Battistone, Carlson and G Donald McCormick from Hawaii were rated as the top players in their State.

Mountain West Scoreboard Week 14
West Virginia 34 Utah 7
UNLV 42 Nevada 24

Pretty much as expected as Utah is pasted by West Virginia and UNLV again finishes it’s Season with a victory over it’s in state rival Nevada. It is UNLV’s best Season since they also went 5-6 in 2004 and Utah’s worst Season in nearly 20 years.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 11 0 0 1.000 489 155 7 0 0 1.000 280 73 Won 24
Air Force 8 3 0 .727 398 231 5 2 0 .714 237 139 Won 1
Wyoming 7 4 0 .636 311 197 5 2 0 .714 209 105 Lost 1
Colorado State 5 6 0 .454 219 306 3 4 0 .428 134 206 Won 1
San Diego State 5 6 0 .454 238 331 2 5 0 .285 140 249 Lost 1
New Mexico 6 5 0 .545 256 289 2 5 0 .285 115 246 Lost 2
Utah 3 8 0 .272 176 304 2 5 0 .285 114 199 Lost 5
UNLV 5 6 0 .454 281 278 2 5 0 .285 171 183 Won 3
</pre></font>
2009 Bowl Games
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Michigan (10-1) vs Miami of Florida (11-0)
Orange Bowl UCLA (10-1) vs Brigham Young (11-0)
Fiesta Bowl Texas Christian (11-0) vs Boise State (11-0)
Cotton Bowl Texas (11-1) vs South Carolina (9-3)
Sugar Bowl Penn State (8-3) vs Virginia Tech (8-3)
Peach Bowl Missouri (8-4) vs Washington (9-2)
Liberty Bowl Virginia (7-4) vs Nebraska (9-2)
Gator Bowl Boston College (10-1) vs Auburn (8-4)
Holiday Bowl Purdue (7-4) vs Air Force (8-3)
Sun Bowl North Carolina State (7-4) vs USC (8-3)
Aloha Bowl Wisconsin (7-4) vs Tennessee (8-3)
Motor City Bowl Georgia Tech (6-5) vs Tulane (10-1)
Independence Bowl Ohio State (6-5) vs Texas A&M (8-3)
Citrus Bowl Wyoming (7-4) vs Notre Dame (7-4)
Outback Bowl Florida (9-2) vs Miami of Ohio (9-3)
Alamo Bowl Iowa (6-5) vs Texas-El Paso (8-3)
GMAC Bowl Arizona State (7-4) vs New Mexico (6-5)
Bluebonnet Bowl Oklahoma (7-4) vs Toledo (11-1)
Oahu Bowl Washington State (6-5) vs Georgia (8-3)
Tangerine Bowl Pittsburgh (9-2) vs South Florida (8-3)
Gotham City Bowl West Virginia (7-4) vs Cornell (10-1)
Humanitarian Bowl Bowling Green (8-3) vs Utah State (8-3)
Las Vegas Bowl New Mexico State (7-4) vs Pennsylvania (7-4)
</pre></font>
For the second year in a row the MWC puts four teams in the post Season as New Mexico manages to squeak in at 6-5. They should be easy pickings for ASU, while Wyoming will play Notre Dame in what should be a competitive match-up. Air Force is the other conference rep and should be a slight favorite against Purdue. We will travel well to game, despite the fact that it is in Florida. We sold out every home game this year and gave every MWC opponent we played on the road their biggest home crowd of the Season.

BYU Alumni in the NFL

Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: The Cardinals go 0-3 in this stretch losing to Tennessee 23-13, St Louis 27-19 and Houston 18-13. Geary’s 3 game stats are.
Tennessee: 3 tackles
St Louis: 6 tackles 1 assist
Houston: 4 tackles
His best game of the year comes against the Rams and he has bulked up to 240, still it appears his NFL niche may be as a passing down specialist.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Denver moves to 4-11 winning one of three in this stretch, beating San Diego 21-3 and losing to Washington 16-13 and Dallas 17-10. Shaw continues to get better physically and with one game left still has a shot at 1000 yards, needing 105 yards in his final outing. His 3 game totals are.
Washington: 15 rushes 49 yards
San Diego: 21 rushes 80 yards, 3 catches 28 yards
Dallas: 17 rushes 46 yards, 1 catch 8 yards
Unfortunately Jake Plummer was injured in the San Diego game and though Rookie Kelly Bauer has potential, he does not bring the respect of the Snake, however small that respect may be.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Did not play in weeks 14-16

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Starter: Wohlman plays reasonably well in the three game stretch for the Cardinals, especially against St Louis where he records a Season high 6 total tackles. His three game breakdown is:
Tennessee: 1 tackle 1 assist
St Louis: 2 tackles 4 assists
Houston: 2 tackles 1 assist

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: Minnesota goes 1-2 during the stretch beating Chicago for their third win of the year and losing to Pittsburgh 30-20 and Baltimore 20-14. Irish plays sparingly in all three games with the following stats.
Pittsburgh: 3 tackles 1 catch allowed
Chicago: 2 tackles 1 assist 1 catch allowed
Baltimore: 1 pass defensed

Ed Cramer DT Cleveland-Starter: Signed to a free agent deal by the Browns before week 14 and pressed into service due to injury he starts in losses to Baltimore (34-14) and Green Bay (31-27) he is not much of a factor and records only 12 tackle against Green Bay. Still he is now on an active Roster and will hold down the fort with Colin Hawkins out for the rest of the Season.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad: All three games

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad: All three games

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

Shaw’s 720 yards place him third among rookies, though the top Rookie rusher, Tyrus Schlesinger of the Jets, is also the NFL leader with 1302 yards, so rookie of the year is probably out for Calvin.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)

Our 5 FOF alma maters await the start of next year.

[JeeberD]

Go Miners! Beat the Hawkeyes! (take that, Blade... ;) )

[BYU 14]

2009 Post Season

Orange Bowl UCLA 21 BYU 17
Record Overall 11-1 Mountain West 7-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 15-27-239 2 TD 3 Int

Rushing
Daniel Stoddard 24-53

Receiving
Ellis Hitchcock 4-86
Leland Fletcher 4-56 2 TD
Andy Schroder 4-70

Defense
Derek Perry S 8 tackles 1 Int
Pete Winslett LB 6 tackles 3 assists 2 sacks
Donnie Newsome DE 6 tackles 2 sacks
Bryant Bruce S 6 tackles 1 assist

Recap
The streak is over after 24 games, ended in part by the Quarterback that got away, in a great battle between two well matched teams. In the end our inability to strike the death blow when we had UCLA down allowed them to get back in the game and eventually overtake us. The game started with both teams showing jitters, after we forced a 3 and out by UCLA Rayburn tossed the first of his 3 interceptions and the ensuing return put UCLA in business at our 39. On their first play of the drive Grady Orton stepped back and was promptly picked off by CB Ed Cochran to end the threat. After we punted, Orton was again picked off, this time by S Derek Perry and we took over at the UCLA 35. From here Rayburn settled down eventually finding Leland Fletcher on a 6 yard bullet to draw first blood. After an exchange of punts the combination hooked up again on a 7 yard strike and we were up 14-0 in the second quarter with Orton and UCLA looking like they had no answer for our Defense. It was here that Orton showed his stuff as he responded with a 69 yard drive capped by a 5 yard Corwin Landon run to put UCLA on the board.

At this point Rayburn again became bad Bennie, throwing picks on each of our next two drives, the second of which UCLA cashed in as Landon scored again from 8 yards out to tie the score at the half. Though we held Landon to only 34 yards on the day, his ability to get yards when it mattered hurt us on several occasions. Still things looked good as we took the second half kickoff and drove 59 yards with Todd Gurley hitting a 32 yard Field goal to put us back on top. From this pint on though the UCLA defense got nasty, particularly LB Duane Walker, who wreaked havoc with 15 tackles (4 for loss) 2 assists and ½ a sack, as our last 5 possessions resulted in 3 punts and 2 turnovers on downs inside the final 5 minutes. Orton could not generate much more as 5 of UCLA’s 6 second half possessions resulted in a total net of 40 yards….The other one though, was magical. Starting in their own 7 with 10:11 left in the game, Orton engineered a brilliant drive converting 2 crucial third and longs and topping it off with a 24 yard TD pass to Marco Anderson to give UCLA the final margin of victory with 5:33 left. On the day Grady Orton was 11-21-206 1 TD 2 Int and though Rayburn had better stats Grady got it done when it counted and had the last laugh, ending our prodigious winning streak to break Cougar hearts for the second time.

Injuries
Darrin Shields LB Out-separated Shoulder

This is the second time that Shields has done this and we will look at surgery to tighten those ligaments up for his senior year, he will be 100% by Spring ball. Nobody else sustained more than a bruise in the Bowl game.

Recruiting
Rivals.com ranks our recruiting class #19 in the country in their post Season recruiting wrap up, which is a significant drop compared to the last 2 years. Our 2009 overview.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Squires, Leon RB 5-11 198 UT 546 39 4 2
Schurman, Ricky TE 6-4 252 UT 215 6 2 1
Bozeman, Jorge TE 6-5 237 HI 398 13 3 1
Battistone, John WR 6-0 172 IA 107 11 1 1
Terrell, Tito WR 6-2 184 CA --- --- --- 18
Zimmerman, Roosevelt C 6-4 269 CA 318 17 36 2
McCormick, Donald G 6-2 280 HI 121 11 1 1
Butler, Sherman T 6-5 278 UT 690 60 6 1
Lincoln, Carlton DE 6-3 240 NM 203 18 2 1
Cano, Rodney DT 6-1 258 CT 360 28 4 1
Hoover, Bucky ILB 6-2 220 CA --- 83 --- 7
Johnstone, Jimmy OLB 6-0 207 WA 23 1 1 1
Rigney, Stan OLB 5-11 206 OK --- 62 15 1
Palmer, Levon CB 6-2 174 CA 362 18 39 2
Carlson, Andre S 6-0 176 NV 161 8 1 1
Bethea, Andrew S 6-2 194 CA --- 62 --- 5
</pre></font>

Post Season Scoreboard
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Michigan (11-1) 40, Miami of Florida (11-1) 7
Orange Bowl UCLA (11-1) 21, Brigham Young (11-1) 17
Fiesta Bowl Boise State (12-0) 28, Texas Christian (11-1) 21
Cotton Bowl Texas (12-1) 10, South Carolina (9-4) 7
Sugar Bowl Penn State (9-3) 23, Virginia Tech (8-4) 17
Peach Bowl Washington (10-2) 17, Missouri (8-5) 14
Liberty Bowl Nebraska (10-2) 24, Virginia (7-5) 10
Gator Bowl Boston College (11-1) 35, Auburn (8-5) 7
Holiday Bowl Air Force (9-3) 38, Purdue (7-5) 20
Sun Bowl USC (9-3) 41, North Carolina State (7-5) 28
Aloha Bowl Tennessee (9-3) 19, Wisconsin (7-5) 14
Motor City Bowl Tulane (11-1) 48, Georgia Tech (6-6) 7
Independence Bowl Texas A&M (9-3) 27, Ohio State (6-6) 25
Citrus Bowl Notre Dame (8-4) 45, Wyoming (7-5) 0
Outback Bowl Miami of Ohio (10-3) 48, Florida (9-3) 42
Alamo Bowl Iowa (7-5) 28, Texas-El Paso (8-4) 21
GMAC Bowl Arizona State (8-4) 24, New Mexico (6-6) 16
Bluebonnet Bowl Toledo (12-1) 52, Oklahoma (7-5) 22
Oahu Bowl Georgia (9-3) 58, Washington State (6-6) 31
Tangerine Bowl Pittsburgh (10-2) 27, South Florida (8-4) 24
Gotham City Bowl West Virginia (8-4) 34, Cornell (10-2) 0
Humanitarian Bowl Utah State (9-3) 34, Bowling Green (8-4) 24
Las Vegas Bowl New Mexico State (8-4) 38, Pennsylvania (7-5) 27
</pre></font>
The MWC finishes 1-3 in the Bowls and Air Force’s thrashing of Purdue is the only bright spot. New Mexico gives a better than expected accounting of themselves, and so much for my prediction of Wyoming giving Notre Dame a game…The Cowboys are absolutely thrashed by the Irish in the Citrus Bowl. Our good friends from UTEP fail to defend the “Alamo” Bowl losing a heartbreaker to Iowa, they bring a lot back though so things will remain good in JeeberD land. Michigan has completed the journey back from last years heartbreaking loss to us, as they rout Miami to take the National Championship.


BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Cardinals defeat San Francisco 20-18, to go 7-9 for the year as Geary records 1 tackle and 1 assist in limited time.
Season Stats: 16 games, 1 start, 44 tackles, 6 assists, 2 passes defensed.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Finished the Season with 57 yards on 18 carries in a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to the Raiders that sees the Broncos finish a disappointing 4-12
Season Stats: 16 GP, 16 starts, Rushing 293-952 3.2 avg 4 TD, Receiving 18-192 10.6 avg

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Only action for Dwight was holding on extra points and field goals, probably fetched a lot of late night take out for the veterans too.

Barry Wohlman DT Arizona-Starter: Wohlman ends his rookie year with a great game as he records 4 tackles and ½ a sack in the Cards win over Frisco.
Season Stats: 11 games, 10 starts, 18 tackles, 10 assists, 1.5 sacks, 1 hurry.

Barry Irish CB Minnesota-Reserve: Gets 3 tackles in the Vikings Season ending 13-10 loss to Detroit and a final record of 3-13, this team has a lot of needs.
Season Stats: 16 games, 1 start, 31 tackles, 6 assists, 1 sack, 4 passes defensed.

Ed Cramer DT Cleveland-Starter: After languishing on the Giants practice squad all year before being cut, big Ed starts his third game for the Browns and has one tackle in a 27-7 win against Cincinnati. Cleveland finishes 7-9.
Season Stats: 3 games, 3 starts, 2 tackles.

Harris Diaz LB St Louis-Practice Squad: All Season

Kyle Ballard G St Louis-Practice Squad: All Season

Ron Lathon T-Free Agent
Desmond Coffey K-Free Agent
Bennie Vance CB-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)

Our 5 FOF alma maters await the start of next year.

[Blade6119]

Go Miners! Beat the Hawkeyes! (take that, Blade... ;) )

Hawkeyes? Im a Mizzou boy through and through...nice to know you UTEP fans are still as stupid as ever ;)

[JeeberD]

Ah crap, you midwesterners all look the same... ;)

Sorry the streak came to an end, BYU... :(

[BYU 14]

<pre><font face=courier>
2009 Summary for Brigham Young

Record: 11-1 Mountain West 7-0
Rank: 8

Brigham Young Team Rank
Rushes 489 21
Rushing Yards 1742 34
Yards Per Carry 3.56 58
Pass Attempts 365 36
Completions 219 20
Passing Yards 3491 10
Yards Per Attempt 9.56 3
3rd Down Conversions 49.1 2
Points Per Game 42.1 1
Turnovers 28 98 (T)
Turnover Margin +13 8 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 340 7
Rushing Yards 832 8
Yards Per Carry 2.44 11
Pass Attempts 379 114 (T)
Completions 162 27 (T)
Passing Yards 2090 35
Yards Per Attempt 5.51 4
3rd Down Conversions 27.7 17
Points Per Game 14.6 10
Turnovers 41 1

Primary Formation: Single-Back Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
2 35 at UofA (117) 28
3 66 KANS (125) 0
5 48 NMEX (70) 0
6 52 at RUTG (67) 20
7 35 CSU (65) 0
8 27 at UNLV (79) 14
9 42 SDST (73) 7
10 56 at ND (23) 34
11 49 at UTAH (84) 3
12 38 AFA (22) 28
13 41 at WYOM (52) 21
19 17 vs UCLA (4) 21

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
19 Rayburn QB 323 190 3112 9.63 33 25
4 Post QB 36 26 317 8.80 3 1
Team --- 365 219 3491 9.56 36 26

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
42 Stoddard RB 313 1466 4.68 21 77 126
19 Rayburn QB 100 -1 -0.01 0 52 242
20 Fredrickson RB 52 212 4.07 5 12 14
Team --- 489 1742 3.56 27 151 395

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
3 Schroder WR 85 53 989 18.6 474 12
7 Hitchcock WR 87 49 871 17.7 309 6
8 Fletcher WR 62 39 721 18.4 239 9
42 Stoddard RB 45 27 249 9.2 149 2
82 Joseph TE 42 27 338 12.5 156 5
88 Rose WR 25 11 170 15.4 86 2
Team --- 365 219 3491 15.9 1451 36

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
55 Shields ILB 62 14 1.0 8 0 3
43 Perry S 58 13 0.0 9 3 7
33 Bruce S 57 17 0.0 3 5 10
50 Arreola ILB 47 19 0.0 5 0 10
95 Newsome DE 46 14 14.0 24 0 1
44 Winslett OLB 34 9 6.5 10 3 7
45 Lewis CB 24 6 0.0 3 2 4
27 Noisy CB 23 10 0.0 4 3 5
71 Trippi DE 21 10 16.0 14 0 0
21 Cochran CB 19 10 0.0 4 7 6
93 Gomez OLB 19 7 0.0 2 0 0
7 Hitchcock WR 14 0 0.0 0 0 0
31 Mason CB 14 3 2.0 4 2 3
82 Joseph TE 12 0 0.0 0 0 0
Team --- 592 169 47.0 110 29 63
</pre></font>

Post Season Awards

National
None

MWC

Conference MVP
Daniel Stoddard RB

Top Offensive Player
Daniel Stoddard RB

All MWC 1st Team
Bennie Rayburn QB
Daniel Stoddard RB
Andy Schroder WR
Melvin Flynn C
Donnie Newsome DE
Pete Winslett OLB

All MWC 2nd Team
Geoff Joseph TE
Ellis Hitchcock WR
Lance Boyd G
Tom Longmate T
Jerome Noisy CB

All MWC Academic
Dennis Adams G
Ed Lyon T
Tom Longmate T
Todd Gurley K
Kurt Mason CB

We have a pretty good showing in the MWC with 11 players making either first or second team. The only real surprise is Pete Winslett, who never put up gaudy tackle numbers, but was third on the team in sacks and played good pass defense. Notable omissions were Jackie Trippi, who had 16 sacks, but was only a situational player in several games due to injury. This also seemed to effect Darrin Shields who had his worst year as a Cougar, despite leading the team in tackles for the second straight year. Stoddard, after being snubbed at voting time last year, deservedly gets 1st Team RB, as well as MVP and top Offensive Player. Donnie Newsome gets his second first team MWC honor, and should end up with a third if he stays healthy.

Team wise the All MWC honorees are as follows: (First team selections in parenthesis)
BYU 11 (6)
Air Force 9 (5)
Wyoming 7 (3)
New Mexico 5 (2)
UNLV 5 (3)
Utah 5 (3)
San Diego St 4 (1)
CSU 2 (1)

Final Team Rankings 2008
Academics 16th
Recruiting 19th
TV Revenue 5th
Ticket Revenue 29th
Donations 28th
GPA 3.08 (4th)
Attendance 65,000 (21st)

Recruiting down 13 spots from last year and Ticket revenue and donations drop considerably.

<pre><font face=courier>
Final Top 25
Michigan beat Miami 40-7 in the National Championship game.
School Rank
Michigan 1
UCLA 2
Boise State 3
Texas 4
Miami of Florida 5
Brigham Young 6
Boston College 7
Pittsburgh 8
Nebraska 9
Washington 10
Texas Christian 11
Southern California 12
Tennessee 13
Toledo 14
Georgia 15
Tulane 16
Texas A&M 17
South Carolina 18
Miami of Ohio 19
Penn State 20
Air Force 21
Notre Dame 22
Florida 23
Cornell 24
West Virginia 25
UTEP 34
</pre></font>
2009 Recruiting class
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Squires, Leon RB 5-11 198 UT 546 39 4 2
Schurman, Ricky TE 6-4 252 UT 215 6 2 1
Bozeman, Jorge TE 6-5 237 HI 398 13 3 1
Battistone, John WR 6-0 172 IA 107 11 1 1
Terrell, Tito WR 6-2 184 CA --- --- --- 18
Zimmerman, Roosevelt C 6-4 269 CA 318 17 36 2
McCormick, Donald G 6-2 280 HI 121 11 1 1
Butler, Sherman T 6-5 278 UT 690 60 6 1
Lincoln, Carlton DE 6-3 240 NM 203 18 2 1
Cano, Rodney DT 6-1 258 CT 360 28 4 1
Hoover, Bucky ILB 6-2 220 CA --- 83 --- 7
Johnstone, Jimmy OLB 6-0 207 WA 23 1 1 1
Rigney, Stan OLB 5-11 206 OK --- 62 15 1
Palmer, Levon CB 6-2 174 CA 362 18 39 2
Carlson, Andre S 6-0 176 NV 161 8 1 1
Bethea, Andrew S 6-2 194 CA --- 62 --- 5
</pre></font>

BYU Alumni
NFL Combines
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT Grade 40 Psych Bench Agility
Daniel Stoddard RB 5-11 223 6.2 4.42 35 11 6.85
Leland Fletcher WR 6-0 193 5.5 4.51 21 11 7.01
Ellis Hitchcock WR 6-1 208 3.9 4.50 25 12 7.14
Geoff Joseph TE 6-4 284 3.9 5.07 24 20 7.61
Melvin Flynn C 6-4 279 3.9 5.00 37 31 7.70
Ed Lyon T 6-5 297 3.4 5.27 49 31 8.09
Derek Perry S 5-10 196 3.4 4.57 31 11 7.49
Bryant Bruce S 6-0 193 2.7 4.60 33 15 7.28
Gus Cerny TE 6-3 225 2.2 5.11 23 16 7.69
</pre></font>
The combine doesn’t bring as many surprises as last year, Stoddard as expected is one of the top rated Running backs. Fletcher also figures to go on the first day with Hitchcock, Joseph and Flynn figure to go in the late rounds with Lyon and Perry being long shots at best. It is something of a surprise that Hitchcock’s stock has dropped, but I think this reflects the fact that he did not work hard his Senior Season which allowed Fletcher to finally step out of his shadow in front of the scouts.

[BYU 14]

Ah crap, you midwesterners all look the same... ;)

Sorry the streak came to an end, BYU... :(

I am surprised it went on so long as we won a few games against superior talent......

Utep had another decent year finishing 34th in the polls, 2010 looks promising for them Jeeber.

[BYU 14]

Off Season 2010

Staff
We stay intact here and I am happy with the chemistry. The current staff is.

Syndicate coordinator-Kim Ekuban age 57: Steady and consistent
Offensive coordinator-Adam Clark age 52: One of the best in the game
Defensive coordinator-Jack Bailey age 50: has improved over the last few seasons
Scouts-
NW-Jon Banks age 61
SW-Jay Drain age 56
MW-Jared Bowden age 66
DS-Brian Isaia age 36
SE-Orlando Nieto age 48
GL-Malcolm Barginski age 46
NE-Dwayne Michi age 36
MA-Jorge Troglia age 69

Player issues
2 issues to deal with this Off-season:
FB Lonnie Cortez, a walk on has left the team due to lack of playing time; I don’t think that should come as a surprise to him since we don’t use a fullback in the Offense 

T Stanley Baxter is caught stealing from the Book Store and will spend his sophomore Season in street clothes on game day. This is a big disappointment as he would have probably cracked the 2 deep this year and would have gained valuable experience. Now lets hope he learns a valuable lesson.

Scheduling
We have one opening on the schedule and I promptly approach UTEP. They decline our offer and I turn to Memphis and they sign on for a home and home. We will travel to Memphis week 14 for our first ever meeting with the Tigers who are led by FB Donnell Galloway and CB Derek McNamee, both players with NFL potential.

Incoming recruits
The following Recruits will compete for playing time as true Freshman, or be relied upon to provide depth. Those marked by a * are projected starters coming out of Spring Ball.

Jorge Bozeman TE
Tito Terrell WR
Stan Rigney OLB
Andrew Bethea S
Broderick Starks FB (Walk on)

Redshirts
Leon Squires RB
Ricky Schurman TE
John Battistone WR
Roosevelt Zimmerman C
Donald McCormick G
Sherman Butler T
Carlton Lincoln DE
Rodney Cano DT
Bucky Hoover ILB
Jimmy Johnstone OLB
Levon Palmer CB
Andre Carlson S

None of the five that we will not redshirt will see much PT, they are strictly active for depth in case of injuries. Squires, Carlton, Johnstone and Carlson all have tremendous potential and should all start by their sophomore years if they work hard. That will be the key though as despite their talent, they all need to develop. In fact none of our incoming Freshmen are in a position to help us this Season, let’s hope they have great work ethic.

NFL Draft
Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City: 1-21
Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets: 2-28
Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets: 5-28
Melvin Flynn C Detroit: 6-18
Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo: 6-23
Ed Lyon T Jacksonville: UFA
Gus Cerny TE NY Jets: UFA
Derek Perry FS New Orleans: UFA

Overall a very good showing for the Cougars as 5 get drafted and 3 more are inked as unrestricted free agents. The only Cougar who does not land a spot is S Bryant Bruce. Stoddard and Fletcher both get selected early as expected and will compete for starting posts on their respective teams. Stoddard in fact was the first MWC player taken in the draft. The irony award of the draft goes to Gus Cerny who signs a Free agent deal with the Jets, where he will be again looking up at Joseph on the depth chart. Hitchcock’s stock was truly damaged at the combine and I hope this will be a wake up call for him. If he responds the Bills could have the steal of the draft.

Other MWC alumni of note:
Toby Jackson FS Air Force, Tennessee 1-30
Victor Lyle SS CSU, Dallas 2-20
Leroy Langdon SS New Mexico, Buffalo 3-23
Alfred Anthony RB Air Force, Carolina UFA

Only 3 other MWC players go in the first 3 rounds and they are all safeties. None are slated to start coming out of camp, but all will see PT. A big surprise is Alfred Anthony going un-drafted and latching on with Carolina, not fitting treatment for the all-time #2 rusher in the MWC.

BYU Alumni
Harvey Geary LB Arizona- Will back up a now healthy Terrell Suggs at the Strong side Linebacker position.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Starts the Season as #2 on the depth chart behind rookie Dean Alworth.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Begins his NFL career on the Bills practice Squad.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Returns as the Bronco’s starter after a 952 yard rookie effort. Worked hard in the off season and has developed into a punishing inside runner.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Will back up veteran Richie May and with May’s contract expiring in 2 years looks like he will be groomed to take over.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Second string to Bryant McKinnie on the Jags, may see some playing time.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Wows the coaches during camp and captures the starting Tailback Job. He is a big play threat and will look to make some noise behind a solid, veteran line.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Will see time as a nickel back and special teams player.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Will not start but should see plenty of time in the rotation behind Santana Moss and Sean Thornton.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Wins the starting job in camp as the Jets love his size and soft hands.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-In an all too familiar spot behind his College roommate Joseph, at least they can continue their epic PS 3 Battles in Hotels across America.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

[JeeberD]

Aw man, why did we turn you down? Well, I know why we turned you down but I don't want to admit it...

[BYU 14]

Jeeber

Actually I wasn't crazy about playing UTEP early anyway, they scare me so I didn't really pursue them after they rejected me and hurt my feelings the first time, I am a sensitive Coach afterall...ask Rayburn about how sensitive I am to his interceptions!!

2010 Pre-Season report up next!!

[BYU 14]

2010 BYU Preseason Report

Preseason Rank: 15th Mountain West Rank: 1st

Roster/Depth Chart
<pre><font face=courier>
# = Returning Starter $ = Will Redshirt this Season *Elig = Redshirt used *Pos = Walk on.
Returning Starters: Offense 5 Defense 9 Specialists 2
First player(s) listed at each position projected starter(s)
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
#Rayburn, Bennie 19 QB Sr 57 86 17
Post, Paul 4 QB Sr* 41 80 7
Ellard, Donny 14 QB So* 32 90 11
Cook, Malcolm 6 QB So* 20 49 8
Davison, Donnie 17 QB* Jr* 22 66 -1
</pre></font>
Post did not press Rayburn as I had hoped and it is clearly Bennie’s job heading into the Season. I like Ellard and I think he will be ready to go as a Sophomore. We will go after another blue chipper this Season as the ascendant to the throne when Ellard is gone. Rayburn will need to get his TD to Int ratio a lot better of the future may begin with Ellard sooner than anyone likes.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
Jennings, Wally 22 RB Jr* 71 73 7
Fredrickson, Julio 20 RB Sr 71 71 2
Lane, Steven 32 RB So* 55 92 17
Ah Yat, Perry 47 RB Sr* 35 52 2
$Squires, Leon 30 RB Fr 30 86 N/A
</pre></font>
It would seem that Fredrickson would inherit the job based solely on his 1000 plus yards and 14 TD’s as Daniel Stoddard’s back up the last 3 years, however Jennings has caught him and is probably a better all around back. This is a struggle but I will go with the Sophomore and just make sure Fredrickson gets his touches, as both will help us. With Lane and Squires in the wings we are set here for at least the next 5 years.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
Caskey, Tito 26 FB* So* 8 8 2
Starks, Broderick 42 FB* Fr 5 5 N/A </pre></font>
They see very little time so they will be expected to keep their grades up and be demons on Special teams, same as last year, and the year before and so on.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
Levitt, Nick 84 TE Sr* 42 59 4
Meyer, Gilbert 91 TE So* 38 80 12
$Schurman, Ricky 89 TE Fr 31 66 N/A
Bozeman, Jorge 85 TE Fr 21 79 N/A
</pre></font>
Our top two TE’s are gone and both playing on the same NFL team, Nick Levitt has waited patiently and is the first to get a crack at the starting spot, but RS Freshman Gilbert Meyer is talented and will make his presence felt early.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
#Schroder, Andy 3 WR Sr 91 97 10
Rose, Pete 88 WR Sr 44 83 6
Finley, Lenny 87 WR Jr* 41 75 8
$Battistone, John 82 WR Fr 34 66 N/A
Walton, Mitchell 86 WR Jr 32 62 0
Malone, Xavier 80 WR So* 31 85 10
Terrell, Tito 81 WR Fr 25 47 N/A
</pre></font>
Only Schroder remains from the 3 Amigos and though Rose has started 9 games in 3 years he is still not a proven commodity when he has to pull an equal share of the load. After Rose the other 5 receivers have a total of 13 catches in a BYU uniform. There is no doubt that Schroder will be a bigger focus than ever this Season, both for us and the opponent.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
Baxter, Ellis 56 C Sr 47 85 13
Rodgers, T.J. 58 C Jr* 27 67 5
$Zimmerman,Roosevelt52 C Fr 18 57 N/A
Sanders, Mark 54 C* Jr* 11 11 0
#Boyd, Lance 70 G Sr 63 63 2
#Adams, Dennis 68 G Jr* 50 86 17
Glover, Bucky 67 G So* 37 95 19
Dierdorf, Chad 75 G So* 33 86 23
Riddell, Brian 61 G Sr* 33 78 8
$McCormick, Donald 78 G Fr 21 74 N/A
Doe, Kurt 60 G* Jr 14 39 2
Burnside, Randall 64 G* Sr 5 22 3
#Longmate, Tom 69 T Sr 73 79 0
Webb, Korey 77 T Sr* 69 80 24
Suarez, Kirk 65 T Sr* 40 86 -4
Foley, Lionel 62 T So* 39 80 25
Baxter, Stanley 66 T Jr* 32 95 4
$Butler, Sherman 63 T Fr 11 74 N/A
</pre></font>
We are pretty solid here with 3 starters returning and a host of talented underclassmen ready to step up. I am particularly impressed with our two redshirt Freshmen guards and believe both will have a shot at starting 3 years for us. Longmate did not improve, but is still the best we have at Tackle, while Korey Webb’s strong off-Season has earned him a long awaited shot to start. Ellis Baxter will take over the Center duties, and while not the vocal leader that Melvin Flynn was, he is consistent and shows good technique. I think our line will be a strong suit this year and will do a better job protecting Rayburn after giving up 39 sacks last year.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
#Linquist, Mack 9 P Sr 62 100 9
Haskins, Tony 11 P* So* 6 6 3
#Gurley, Todd 5 K Sr* 54 75 29
Haugh, Joey 12 K* So* 8 24 2
</pre></font>
I feel really good about this part of our game, due mainly to the enormous strides made by Gurley in the Off-Season. I think he will be one of the top kickers in the MWC this Season, and Linquist will continue to provide us with an edge in the field position game.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
#Trippi, Jackie 71 DE Sr* 72 80 22
#Newsome, Donnie 95 DE Sr 70 73 -9
Mikeska, Mo 97 DE So* 32 60 16
Wiles, Cedric 73 DE Jr 23 79 13
$Lincoln, Carlton 74 DE Fr 4 96 N/A
Harrison, Wayne 94 DE* Jr* 17 54 3
Cortez, Sean 72 DE* Sr* 9 22 0
Kelly, Dave 90 DE* Sr 9 9 1
#Such, Wade 79 DT Sr 51 77 20
Ballard, Reuben 99 DT Jr* 47 81 18
$Cano, Rodney 59 DT Fr 31 76 N/A
Mathews, Bruce 76 DT So 21 64 -1
Yardley, Ronnie 98 DT* So 3 3 0
</pre></font>
Defense will be the strength of the team this year and this group will anchor it. Trippi went off during the off-season and has actually outshone Newsome in fall practice to the point where I almost considered switching them. However, due to the fact that Trippi is better against the run I will leave him on the left side. Wade such also improved immensely in the off season, though Ballard will still see plenty of reps. Coming off a Season in which they combined for 34.5 sacks, I expect at least as much from our front 3 this year. Newsome’s career total of 41.5 is already a team and MWC record.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
#Shields, Darrin 55 ILB Sr 72 72 3
#Arreola, Benjamin 50 ILB Jr* 62 81 6
Jamison, Roderick 92 ILB Sr 57 69 16
Reynolds, Andrew 96 ILB Sr* 54 82 6
Greer, Ralph 57 ILB Sr 27 39 4
Huntley, Dennis 35 ILB So* 26 80 14
$Hoover, Bucky 49 ILB Fr 13 67 N/A
#Winslett, Pete 44 OLB Sr* 76 76 24
#Wong, Herb 46 OLB Sr 65 80 10
Gomez, Jesse 93 OLB Jr* 49 85 7
$Johnstone, Jimmy 43 OLB Fr 34 100 N/A
Buchanan, Harold 40 OLB So* 28 80 11
Morrow, Myron 53 OLB So 23 50 10
Rigney, Stan 48 OLB Fr 9 38 N/A
</pre></font>
With all 4 starters back this group could be dominating. Darrin Shields will be looking to rebound from a sub par season in which he was hampered by injuries, as he and Arreola look to enhance their chemistry in the middle. There were grumblings that Arreola did not work as hard as he could have and if he falters, senior Roderick Jamison is ready to step in. On the outside Herb Wong looks to have solidified his claim on the starting job he shared with Jesse Gomez last Season, while Winslett’s breakthrough Season last year saw him make the biggest gains of anyone during the off Season, and he is still just a junior. With what we have in the pipeline this group will be as good as there is in the MWC for years to come.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player # Pos Elig Current Future Change
#Noisy, Jerome 27 CB Jr 72 72 26
Malano, Kendall 2 CB So* 55 92 28
#Cochran, Ed 21 CB Sr 45 63 16
$Palmer, Levon 1 CB Fr 28 60 N/A
Mason, Kurt 31 CB So 26 56 12
Lewis, Mel 45 CB Sr 23 46 3
Meadows, Jeremy 24 CB* Jr 16 43 3
Sweeney, Shaun 36 S Jr* 55 55 7
Timlin, Kendall 41 S So 55 97 10
Streck, Wade 37 S Sr* 34 69 2
$Carlson, Andre 15 S Fr 28 100 N/A
Bethea, Andrew 28 S Fr 17 59 N/A
</pre></font>
What was once an area of weakness has improved to the point that I feel much better blitzing more and playing man coverage than I ever have. Noisy has been all we expected and RS freshman Kendall Milano is so good that last years leader in interceptions, Ed Cochran will now ride the pine. Our second Kendall anchors the secondary at free safety and played extremely well as a true freshman last season. Joining him will be another sophomore in Shaun Sweeney, not overly athletic but tough and smart. We can not afford injuries at this position as we have no depth to speak of.

Players to watch
Wally Jennings RB
Andy Schroder WR
Tom Longmate T
Donnie Newsome DE
Jackie Trippi DE
Darrin Shields LB
Benjamin Arreola LB
Pete Winslett LB
Jerome Noisy CB
Kendall Malano CB

Top Newcomers
Kendall Malano CB
Gilbert Meyer TE

2010 Schedule
<pre><font face=courier>
Team Rank: 16
Rival: Utah
Stadium Capacity: 65,000
Season Tickets Sold: 65,000

Week Opponent
2 at Kansas
$$5 at UNLV
6 RUTGERS
$$7 at (46) Utah
$$8 (50) WYOMING
$$9 at New Mexico
$$10 SAN DIEGO STATE
11 at (10) Notre Dame
$$12 at Colorado State
$$13 (23) AIR FORCE
14 at Memphis
Home Games in ALL CAPS
$$-Conference Games, ##-League Championship Games, **-Post-Season Games
</pre></font>
Outlook
It is apparent where our strength is as a team, a veteran defense that will come at you for 4 quarters. We will adjust our offensive game plan accordingly and let the Defense put us in position to win games. I think we are ranked about where we should be, considering we lost so much on Offense, though we still have some nice bullets (Schroder, Jennings, Fredrickson) in the chamber. Air Force will again be tough in the MWC and I look for Utah to be much improved and back in the hunt. Wyoming I believe is over rated and they will fall back to the bad side of .500. We have a light schedule early and I will look at this time to improve our timing on Offense, so that as the Season goes on I can unleash the full fury of all our dangerous toys on Defense.

BYU Alumni Pre Season report
Harvey Geary LB Arizona- Will back up a now healthy Terrell Suggs at the Strong side Linebacker position.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Starts the Season as #2 on the depth chart behind rookie Dean Alworth.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Begins his NFL career on the Bills practice Squad.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Returns as the Bronco’s starter after a 952 yard rookie effort. Worked hard in the off season and has developed into a punishing inside runner.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Will back up veteran Richie May and with May’s contract expiring in 2 years looks like he will be groomed to take over.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Second string to Bryant McKinnie on the Jags, may see some playing time.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Wows the coaches during camp and captures the starting Tailback Job. He is a big play threat and will look to make some noise behind a solid, veteran line.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Will see time as a nickel back and special teams player.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Will not start but should see plenty of time in the rotation behind Santana Moss and Sean Thornton.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Wins the starting job in camp as the Jets love his size and soft hands.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-In an all too familiar spot behind his College roommate Joseph, at least they can continue their epic PS 3 Battles in Hotels across America.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
Irvin has 3 players on the recruiting list, though none could really help us. The one I may consider is K Desmond Autry, he is accurate though leg strength is a big concern and he is only the 10 rated Kicker in Texas.

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
We need a punter next Season and Montclair gives us KC Tucker, the 96th ranked Punter in the country. He has great academics and would be a good fit at the Y. I give him a call and he seems genuinely excited.

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Monte Vista has 2 top 1000 players in P Stan Fields (#4 at his position) and CB Brant Drummond (#7 at his position). Both are horrible in the Class Room, but in keeping with my commitment, and due to the fact they are both solid athletes, I give them each a call. Both are happy, though Fields wants to get far away from Cali and Drummond idolizes San Diego St!! If we don’t get him we will be happy to kick his Ass for 4 years. 

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No luck here, the only player even listed from Gary goes to Emerson HS.

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
Wow, a surprise here as Scottsdale usually has a couple of good prospects. This year the only two from whole city are Kickers that both go to Saguaro HS.

Well it looks like we will primarily target three kids this Season, maybe a fourth. We will recruit no other Punters beyond the 2 listed here and maybe only one or two other CB’s, though I do really want Drummond.

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 1

BYE
Record Overall 0-0 Mountain West 0-0

Injuries
None

We come out of Fall camp healthy and ready to go!!

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

Not much action here, we go after our 3 Alumni kids, Tucker from Montclair and Drummond and Fields from Monte Vista. Apart from that the first week is spent contacting the best local kids.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Wisconsin 20 Utah 14
Northern Illinois 55 UNLV 10
Wyoming 69 Yale 14

Utah does not start the Season any better then they ended last year, though to be fair the Badgers were not a walkover and I am sure they will improve. UNLV was probably not expecting the treatment they got, while Wyoming did about whatever they wanted to to Yale, including taking their post game Buffet!!

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Wyoming 1 0 0 1.000 69 14 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Air Force 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Colorado State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Brigham Young 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
New Mexico 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
Utah 0 1 0 .000 14 20 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 6
UNLV 0 1 0 .000 10 55 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Kansas
Utah at Michigan
Boston College at Wyoming ESPN 2
Air Force at Hawaii
Yale at Colorado St
Princeton at New Mexico
Columbia at San Diego St

Well there is quite a split between the ambitious and the content as 3 Ivy League schools get the pleasure of a MWC drubbing this week. Utah is probably regretting their scheduling habits at this point in time, as a trip to Ann Arbor is no way to get well after a loss. We are ready to go and have a lot of energy for the Jayhawks as we don’t play again until week 5 after this game. They really present no threat to us and we will get a lot of kids PT in this one.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Played only on special Teams in the Cards Season opening 23-21 win over St Louis. No Stats

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Did not play

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Practice Squad:

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: The Broncos open with a 20-19 loss to San Diego and lack of a running game is a big reason. Shaw has 12 carries for 34 yards and adds 9 yards receiving on 2 catches.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Reserve: Did not play, Lions beat the Packers 27-3.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Reserve: Logs 4 plays in a 10-6 loss to Tennessee, no stats.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: Finds the going tough in a 27-17 loss to Oakland gaining only 32 yards on 11 carries, a rather rude introduction to Money ball.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Gets in for 3 passing plays in a 15-10 loss to Carolina and records 1 assist.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve: Logs 1 catch for 9 yards as the Jets open with a 21-7 win over Buffalo. If Hitchcock can climb off the Bills practice squad it will be fun to watch these two go head to head twice a year.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: Has one ball thrown to him in the Jets win, which he can’t get to, still a win is a win and the Jets are 1-0.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: Cerny also gets one pass thrown to him, which he also can not catch.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

Pretty much an unspectacular 2010 debut for the Cougar crew and their teams go 3-5 on the week to boot.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Phone call, invited to campus

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Phone call, invited to campus
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 phone call, invited to campus

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

Have not offered any of the Alumni 3 yet, but will probably offer soon to the Monte Vista kids and later to Tucker if Fields does not express interest in BYU.

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 1

BYU 58 Kansas 7
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 8-9-90 3 TD
Donny Ellard 4-8-71
Paul Post 3-7-35 1 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 19-191 2 TD
Julio Fredrickson 18-20 1 TD

Receiving
Pete Rose 3-44 1 TD
Wally Jennings 3-37
Lenny Finley 3-40 1 TD

Defense
Wade Streck S 5 tackles
Benjamin Arreola LB 5 tackles
Jessie Gomez LB 3 tackles 2 assists
Jackie Trippi DE 2 tackles 2 sacks
Kurt Mason returned 1 of his 2 interceptions 73 yards for a TD

Recap
Much of the discussion prior to the season was how would we replace Stoddard? The fire was fueled even further when I gave the starting job to Wally Jennings over Julio Fredrickson, Stoddard’s longtime backup and a popular Cougar in the community. Well, it took Jennings exactly 3 carries to answer the skeptics. His first, a 32 yard scamper was followed with a 41 yard sprint to the end zone to give us the lead. Then, after Kansas went 3 and out he promptly bolted 69 yards on the first play of the drive and both the game, and the “who will replace Stoddard” question were decided. Rayburn was razor sharp as well throwing 3 TD’s in only 9 attempts and the Defense, besides playing every kid dressed out for the game held Kansas to 3 first downs, forced 12 punts (Ten 3 and outs) and took away 5 turnovers. In fact if not for a special teams blunder (A blocked Punt for the Jayhawks only score) it would have been a near perfect game, as their Offense did not cross midfield one single time!!! It looks like we will have a stellar Defense again this year and at this point it looks like we have more than reloaded in the run game. I still question WR depth but that will become more clear in the ensuing weeks.

Injuries
None out
Nothing even minor, which is an added bonus in a game like this.

Recruiting

Visits
DJ Garner T Ogden, UT Overall 217 Position 24
Darryl Whitfield K Kaysville, UT Overall 130 Position 4
Korey McGraw S Garland, UT Overall 688 Position 36

Commits
None

We have just begun to expand our search outside the Mountain west for athletes that will be compatible to our program, but we have 3 early visits from local kids, all of whom would help our program. Utah had a pretty good crop this year and we are actively recruiting 5 players from our home state.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 58 Kansas 7
Michigan 37 Utah 13
Boston College 56 Wyoming 17
Hawaii 10 Air Force 7
Colorado St 41 Yale 0
Princeton 45 New Mexico 24
San Diego St 24 Columbia 10

Not just a bad, but an embarrassing week for the MWC. Utah hung tough, but was throttled nonetheless and Wyoming was routed by BC. Then it really gets bad as Air Force is upset by Hawaii, SDSU struggles with Columbia and the Lobos are waxed by Princeton!!! I guess the Ivy finally got sick of New Mexico posting over half their wins every year against their league 

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 58 7 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Colorado State 1 0 0 1.000 41 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
San Diego State 1 0 0 1.000 24 10 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 1 1 0 .500 86 70 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Air Force 0 1 0 .000 7 10 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
New Mexico 0 1 0 .000 24 45 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 4
UNLV 0 1 0 .000 10 55 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Utah 0 2 0 .000 17 57 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 7
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Colorado at Colorado St ESPN 2
Wyoming at Kansas
Air Force at Baylor
San Diego St at Arizona St
UNLV at North Texas

We start a two week lay off as the rest of the League looks to bounce back from the debacle of week 2. CSU faces a stiff test at home and this will be a good barometer of where they are at, and if they are ready to challenge again. Wyoming’s game against KU will be interesting, as they are coming off a humiliation to Boston College. We will see if they take it out on a bad Kansas team.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Did not play in 20-3 loss to Denver and former Teammate Calvin Shaw

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Did not play

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Practice Squad:

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: A win against the Cardinals 20-3, but not much better statistically as Shaw goes for 54 yards on 19 carries. I have a feeling that as soon as Denver gets their Salary cap problems fixed they will look to upgrade at RB.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Reserve: Did not play, Lions beat New England 9-6.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Reserve: Did not play in 20-10 loss to Eagles.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: The Chiefs beat St Louis 20-17 and the D train goes for 56 yards on 13 carries and scores his first NFL Touchdown on a 5 yard run in the 4th quarter that tied the game.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Did not play, Saints lose to Pittsburgh 26-21

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve: The Jets get routed by an improved Minnesota team 42-27 as Leland records 1 catch for 7 yards.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: Joseph gets 3 grabs for 38 yards in the Jets loss and playa an effective game all the way around. He is our Cougar star of the week.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: Cerny plays sparingly in the loss and has one ball thrown to him that he can’t get to.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

Joseph and Stoddard played well for Rookies, Shaw is struggling and most everyone else is watching.


FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 no contact this week

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Home visit, Scholarship offer
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Scholarship offer

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

We offer the Monte Vista boys and even think enough about Fields to pay him a visit, we are hoping to get a package deal here. Tucker will be on standby for a while as this unfolds.

[tategter]

Wow! Who would have thought that Monte Vista had any talent at all, let alone a top-20 player at his position. Gotta remember to root for these guys once they get assimilated into Mormon-U.

[BYU 14]

2010 Weeks 3-4

BYE
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0

Injuries
Darrin Shields LB-Out Dislocated elbow

This is as devastating for Shields as it is the team, he has suffered a series of shoulder and arm injuries and he could miss over half the Season as a senior. We have the depth to step up, but we will miss his leadership.

Recruiting

Visits
Week 3
Martin Autry WR Las Vegas, NV Overall 41 Position 6
Nick Jackson DT Page, AZ Overall 141 Position 10
Danny Duran G Heber City, UT Overall 181 Position 20
Jerome Linquist DE Salt Lake City, UT Overall 391 Position 33
Brant Drummond CB Spring Valley, CA Overall 546 Position 41

Week 4
Donny Schwartz WR ,CA Overall 37 Position 5
Bo Bennett TE ,CO Overall 70 Position 2
Tommy Kennedy LB ,WA Overall 72 Position 3

Commits
None

Good batch of recruits in for both week 3 and 4. We are drawing the attention of some top WR with Hitchcock and Fletcher gone and Schroder a senior, I would be really happy with either of the guys that have come in over the last 2 weeks. We really didn’t need a TE but Bennett is ranked as the second best and really loves BYU so we will pursue him. We also get our first visit from a FOFC alumni player as Brant Drummond stops by to tour the facilities, and though he still idolizes the rival Aztecs, I now think we have a chance to steal him. With 11 visits over the first month of the Season we should score a few early commits.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Week 3
Colorado 42 Colorado St 7
Wyoming 23 Kansas 17
Air Force 51 Baylor 7
Arizona St 17 San Diego St 14
North Texas 41 UNLV 7

Week 4
Michigan St 33 San Diego St 17
Pittsburgh 51 Wyoming 14
Air Force 27 South Carolina 24
Colorado St 55 Hawaii 14
Cornell 37 UNLV 12
Yale 20 New Mexico 17

Not shaping up as a stellar year for the MWC. Wyoming looks to be returning to form, struggling to top Kansas and suffering a second blowout loss in week 4. New Mexico and UNLV are just horrible both losing to Ivy league schools, the second such loss for the Lobos, to the same Yale team Wyoming hung 69 on and CSU beat 41-0. Air Force does not look as strong as we thought and in my mind Colorado St is our biggest threat to defending the MWC title at this point, though Utah could be a spoiler if they gel.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 58 7 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Colorado State 2 1 0 .666 103 56 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Air Force 2 1 0 .666 85 41 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Wyoming 2 2 0 .500 123 138 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
San Diego State 1 2 0 .333 55 60 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
New Mexico 0 2 0 .000 41 65 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 5
Utah 0 2 0 .000 17 57 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 7
UNLV 0 3 0 .000 29 133 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at UNLV
Utah at Air Force
Wyoming at Colorado St Local TV
New Mexico at San Diego St

Two very intriguing match ups to open league play with Utah facing an already crucial game in their third outing while CSU will need to beat Wyoming handily to assert themselves as a threat. I don’t anticipate any trouble with the Rebels, though JR QB Richard Harding is a 3 year starter and passed for over 2500 yards in his freshman and sophomore Seasons. This year however, he is hitting just 38.8% through 3 games and has a 2/7 TD Int ratio. G Chester Guerra (originally a commit to BYU) and S Ralph Dubey are their best players. Guerra is a four year starter with a career KRB % of 29.9. Dubey, also a four year starter has 8 career interceptions and is coming off a 96 tackle junior campaign. The Rebels have allowed 15 sacks in 3 games and we will be bringing the pressure.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve:
Week 3 VS Green Bay W 23-10: limited playing time, records 1 tackle
Week 4 VS Tampa Bay L 17-16: Again see limited time and gets a single tackle, has 2 total tackles on the Season

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve:
Week 3 VS Green Bay W 23-10: Did not play
Week 4 VS Tampa Bay L 17-16: Did not play

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Practice Squad:

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter:
Week 3 VS Miami L 6-3: 10 Carries 33 yards and 1 catch for 2 yards. A feeble offensive effort thwarts the stellar play of the Bronco’s defense.
Week 4 VS Indianapolis L 17-9: 11 carries for 36 yards and 1 catch for 3 yards in another poor offensive showing for Denver. Shaw has been held to under 40 yards in 3 of the Bronco’s 4 games this Season.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Reserve:
Week 3 VS Seattle W 16-7: Sees a fair amount of time against the Seahawks and goes 0-2 in Key run block opportunities and gives up a sack.
Week 4 VS Dallas L 6-21: Did not play

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter:
Week 3 VS Buffalo W 24-14: Comes off the bench in the win against Buffalo and goes 1-1 in Key run block opportunities.
Week 4 VS Oakland W 20-14: Starts in place of the injured Bryant Mckinnie and goes 2-3 in KRBO, but does allow 2 sacks, still the Jags win their second straight to pull even at 2-2 for the year.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Reserve:
Week 3 VS Baltimore L 34-20: Stoddard is benched in favor of veteran Larry Johnson as the Chiefs look for a spark. He records 26 yards on 5 carries in a reserve role, a nice 5.2 per carry.
Week 4 Bye

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve:
Week 3 VS New York Giants L 21-17: Special teams only no stats
Week 4 VS St Louis L 28-10: Special teams only no stats

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve:
Week 3 VS Tennessee W 13-9: Records 1 catch for 16 yards in the victory at Tennessee.
Week 4 VS Baltimore W 20-10: Nets 1 catch again, this one for 19 yards as the Jets move to 3-1

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter:
Week 3 VS Tennessee W 13-9: 1 catch 18 yards against the Titans as the Jets play a tight, conservative game.
Week 4 VS Baltimore W 20-10: Does not even have a ball thrown to him this week as the Jets go to a 2 tight end set and grind it out against the Ravens

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve:
Week 3 VS Tennessee W 13-9: Gets 1 catch for 4 yards against the Titans off the bench
Week 4 VS Baltimore W 20-10: Makes his first NFL start as the Jets go to their 2 tight end set against Baltimore, no catches, but contributes to the ground attack as Tyrus Schlesinger totes the rock 33 times.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

No bites for our free agents, and for the Cougars in the NFL it is great to be a Jet and that’s about it as Stoddard loses his starting job.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 No contact this week

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Phone call
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Visiting Campus

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

We get our first visit as mentioned earlier and I am hopeful both Monte Vista boys will be Cougars next Season.

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 5

BYU 58 UNLV 7
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 17-23-300 3 TD
Donny Ellard 9-13-118 1 TD 1 Int
Paul Post 0-1-0 1 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 15-96 1 TD
Julio Fredrickson 14-62

Receiving
Lenny Finley 7-131
Pete Rose 5-71 1 TD
Wally Jennings 5-62

Defense
Jerome Noisy CB 3 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
Jessie Gomez LB 3 tackles
Jackie Trippi DE 2 tackles 2 sacks
Shaun Sweeny S 2 tackles 1 assist 1 Int 1 TD

Recap
Playing in only our second game 5 weeks in we hang another 58-7 whipping on the board, identical in many facets beyond just the score to our game against Kansas to open the Season in week 2. We strike quick getting a 4 yd TD pass from Rayburn to Rose to open the scoring and a short time later Shaun Sweeney returns an interception of a Richard Harding pass 29 yards for 6. Two more Rayburn TD passes and a 16 yard scamper by Wally Jennings later we lead 41-7 at the half and it is pretty much the reserves from that point on. We really get a lot of guys in on Defense which can only help an already strong unit as the action will begin to heat up from this point on. I am especially pleased with the fact that Rayburn has 6 TD passes and no interceptions through 2 games as the need to improve on his 33-25 TD/Int rate from last year was a top priority. Wally Jennings continues to ease the pain of losing the MWC’s all time leading rusher Daniel Stoddard as he now has 287 yards and an average per carry of 8.4 through 2 games. From this point we play 9 games in a row so staying healthy will be a constant worry from this point on, as it always is with me.

Injuries
Darrin Shields LB Out-Dislocated Elbow

We got by without Shields this week but we need him back, I also hate to see a Senior stud miss extensive time with an injury as it could limit his opportunities at the next level.

Recruiting

Visits
Dave Yarborough LB, Tujunga CA Overall 1 Position 1
Christian Treats DT, Woodinville WA Overall 30 Position 2
Jimmie Travis LB, Page AZ Overall 49 Position 3
Kendrick Hubbard DT, Redlands CA Overall 184 Position 14

Commits
None

Our quartet of visitors this week are all blue chippers and landing a couple of these guys would certainly make for a successful recruiting Season, especially Yarborough. Jimmy Travis was a nice late addition. He had not planned to visit us until he received glowing reports from Page HS teammate Nick Jackson. We would love to land both these players, probably nearly as bad as their High School hates losing 2 players of such high caliber. Still no commits however and we lose our top WR target Donny Schwartz to UCLA. (they always seem to get a top player away from us every year) and in a surprise highly rated local Guard Danny Duran will go to Utah State, where he will have a chance to start for 4 years from what he told us. I feel that we can now recruit the west with any team in the country and I am confident we will land another top 20 class this year, when all is said and done.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 58 UNLV 7
Air Force 45 Utah 17
Wyoming 31 Colorado St 28
San Diego St 21 New Mexico 20

The school up North has really fallen on hard times as their 0-3 start would indicate. It look as though they still have not found an adequate QB as Junior Dennis Briggs has thrown 6 interceptions and 0 TD’s, while completing under 50% of his passes. RS Freshman RB Britt Oliver has been a bright spot gaining 239 yards (6.1 YPC) through the first 3 games. Air Force again looks strong and Wyoming is showing last Seasons success was no fluke after upending a fairly decent CSU team. New Mexico and UNLV will again battle for the Cellar.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 116 14 1 0 0 1.000 58 7 Won 2
Air Force 3 1 0 .750 130 58 1 0 0 1.000 45 17 Won 3
Wyoming 3 2 0 .600 154 166 1 0 0 1.000 31 28 Won 1
San Diego State 2 2 0 .500 76 80 1 0 0 1.000 21 20 Won 1
Colorado State 2 2 0 .500 131 87 0 1 0 .000 28 31 Lost 1
New Mexico 0 3 0 .000 61 86 0 1 0 .000 20 21 Lost 6
Utah 0 3 0 .000 34 102 0 1 0 .000 17 45 Lost 8
UNLV 0 4 0 .000 36 191 0 1 0 .000 7 58 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Rutgers at BYU
West Virginia at Utah
Dartmouth at Air Force
Colorado St at Brown
New Mexico St at New Mexico
San Diego St at Yale

We finally get to play in front of the home crowd 6 weeks into the Season and they are chomping at the bit. We will welcome a 2-2 Rutgers Team that has played tough in it’s two losses to Virginia and UConn. We are 5-0 all time against the Scarlet Knights who are led by SR QB and 4 year starter Erik Gainey. He is steady and doesn’t usually hurt his team, but he won’t beat you. JR Fred Wallace has run for 358 yards through 4 games and can break an occasional big run if you let him get the edge. Utah is looking at 0-4 with the Hokie’s coming to town, but at least they are ambitious as three other MWC schools look to feast again, on the Ivy league. I think the commissioners of our two leagues are just way too close.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Gets his most significant action to date in 34-27 loss to the Buccaneers recording 2 tackles and 1 assist. He also defends a pass and gives up 1 catch.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Sees his first regular Season action in relief of an injured Dean Alworth as the Cards fall to Tamp Bay 34-27. His debut is inauspicious as he is only 1-5 for 9 yards and an interception. There was no announcement after the game regarding who the Cardinals will start next week.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Practice Squad:

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Bye

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Reserve: Did not play, Lions beat Philadelphia in a thriller 25-24 as Jason Elam hits a 29 yard Field goal with 5 seconds left.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter: Bye

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: Daniel is back in the starting lineup and helps the Chiefs to a 31-17 victory over Tennessee going for a career high 91 yards on 25 carries, scoring 1 touchdown. He also records his first NFL catch for 13 yards and it appears he has regained the favor of the Coaches after a slow start.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Bye

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve: The Jets move to 4-1 with a 33-21 win at Cincinnati. Fletcher has no catches and is only targeted once in reserve duty.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: Records 1 catch for 15 yards and does an excellent job blocking in the Jets win. He will not ever post flashy numbers but he is the type of player that should be in the league for a while.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: Cerny sees virtually no time in the win, playing only in a few short yardage situations when the Jets went to double tights.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

Stoddard has a milestone game and hopefully will gain some confidence, I feel he can be a quality NFL back. No Cougar is showing that superstar promise, but I feel a few can draw NFL paychecks for at least a few more Seasons.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 no contact this week Really hoping we get Stan Fields.

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Phone call, Scholarship offered
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 No contact this week, Scholarship offered

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

Still feel pretty good about landing both Monte Vista Players. Fields has yet to take a visit and Drummond has only visited us.

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 6

BYU 48 Rutgers 7
Record Overall 3-0 Mountain West 1-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 8-12-181 2 TD
Donny Ellard 3-8-37 1 Int
Paul Post 4-12-56

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 20-78 1 TD
Wally Jennings 18-64 3 TD

Receiving
Andy Schroder 5-142 1 TD
Lenny Finley 4-62
Pete Rose 2-19

Defense
Andrew Reynolds LB 5 tackles
Donnie Newsome DE 4 tackles 2 sacks 3 hurries
Ed Cochran CB 3 tackles 1 assist 1 Int 1 forced Fumble
Shaun Sweeny S 3 tackles 1 assist

Recap
The nice thing now is we are getting lots of people reps, but we have not even been remotely tested yet and I would love to see how this team responds to adversity. We jump all over the Scarlet Knights scoring 28 first quarter points behind 2 Wally Jennings touchdown runs and 2 touchdowns from the arm of Rayburn. Our Defense came out firing on all cylinders and did not even allow a first down until the third quarter!!! Eight 3 and outs in a row and then two interceptions to end the first half, at which point we led 41-0. Rutgers finally put together a nice drive of 11 plays and nearly 6 minutes to score right before the end of the third against our 2’s and 3’s and we played pretty much on cruise control, adding a final TD run from Julio Fredrickson to reach the final margin. For the entire game Rutgers managed just 5 first downs and we held 3 quarterbacks to a combined 9-32 for just 39 yards. Rutgers star TB Victor Poole did manage a 5.5 YPC average on us, but with the Knights being in a hole all day he only got 8 carries.

Injuries
Darrin Shields LB Out-Dislocated Elbow

Shields is making no progress and I am starting to worry about his ability to make it back this year at all, hopefully therapy produces a breakthrough and he won’t need surgery.

Recruiting

Visits
Bo Bennett TE Aspen, CO Overall 70 Position 2
Shawn Gillespie RB Wichita, KS 194 Overall 194 Position 16
Dean Shepard C Agoura, CA Overall 280 Position 14

Commits
Martin Autry WR Las Vegas, NV Overall 41 Position 6

Our first commit is a good one and someone who could see fast action as Rose and Schroder are both gone after this year. Autry racked up 77 receptions for Chaparral HS for an astounding 1852 yards (24.05 per catch) He is a weapon and will love our system. Our 3 visitors this week are also quite capable and we would really love to land Bennett as our program does not have the marquee TE people are accustomed to seeing at the Y.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 48 Rutgers 7
West Virginia 41 Utah 38
Air Force 66 Dartmouth 0
Colorado St 35 Brown 3
New Mexico St 27 New Mexico 17
Yale 38 San Diego St 13

Utah continues to search for their first win though they did play West Virginia tough. Air Force is rolling and New Mexico continues to get worse and worse, speaking of which is Yale that good??? The Aztecs are notoriously inconsistent and their embarrassing loss to the Eli’s does nothing to detract from that proud tradition.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 3 0 0 1.000 164 21 1 0 0 1.000 58 7 Won 3
Air Force 4 1 0 .750 196 68 1 0 0 1.000 45 17 Won 4
Wyoming 3 2 0 .600 154 166 1 0 0 1.000 31 28 Won 1
San Diego State 2 3 0 .500 89 118 1 0 0 1.000 21 20 Lost 1
Colorado State 3 2 0 .500 166 90 0 1 0 .000 28 31 Won 1
New Mexico 0 4 0 .000 78 113 0 1 0 .000 20 21 Lost 7
Utah 0 4 0 .000 72 143 0 1 0 .000 17 45 Lost 9
UNLV 0 4 0 .000 36 191 0 1 0 .000 7 58 Lost 4
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Utah
Air Force at Colorado St Fox Sports
UNLV at San Diego St
New Mexico at Wyoming

The rivalry game is here and I would normally be unhappy playing it so early in the Season, but Utah has truly fallen on hard times, riding a 9 game losing streak dating back to last year, and on paper they do not look that bad. The big problem is that they are still looking to replace Rodney Dostie with a QB that at least has a pulse on the field. Air Force and CSU are the big league match-up this week and a Ram upset would be just what the doctor ordered for us.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Harvey sees scant time in a 20-3 loss to Ron Mexico and the Atlanta Falcons ;) he records 1 tackle and sees some time on special teams as well.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Gatlin again gets in the game but only as a back up as the Cards sign free agent Graham Rivers from Penn State and hand him the starting job. Still Gatlin gets some action going 1-2 for 5 yards, but he throws another interception. He is definitely not turning heads when he gets the chance to play.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve: Ellis is called up off the practice squad and gets into a 38-9 drubbing at the hands of the Steelers, as Buffalo is totally outclassed. Hitchcock grabs 1 reception for 10 yards and is impressive in his route running.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Shaw has one of his worst games as a pro, being held to 17 yards on 10 carries against the Titans, as the Lions lose 14-13 to fall to 1-4. Three of their losses have been by a total of 5 points, and just an average game by Hitchcock here could have spelled the difference.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Reserve: Did not play, Lions beat the Giants 30-22 to move to a surprising 5-1.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter: Jags fall to Indy 31-16 and Lyon, in his second NFL start goes 1-2 in Key run blocks and does not allow a sack, an improvement over his debut as a starter 2 weeks ago.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: D-Stod continues to play with fire after his benching in game 3, going for a career high 97 yards on 20 carries as the Chiefs edge Houston 29-24. He also hauls in a 5 yards scoring pass for his first career receiving TD. He has hit a groove and has now run for 302 yards on the Season and boosted his YPC to 4.08.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Did not play, Saints fall to the 49ers 29-7.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve: Fletcher, nursing a strained rotator cuff grabs 1 pass for 7 yards as the Jets take New England 30-27 in a key divisional match-up.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: In addition to delivering punishing blocks to Patriot defenders all day long with his 284 lb frame, Joseph manages to snag 3 receptions for 41 yards. On the Season Geoff now has 8 catches for 112 yards.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: See limited action in short yardage situations, has no balls thrown his way.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

Stoddard is looking like the real deal after his second productive game and is the biggest contributor as Shaw has been hamstrung with a bad O-line and Joseph is used more as a weapon to help the running game than a receiving threat. Still he leads all Cougar alumni in receptions with 8.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Called to say hi and let him know he is still on the radar.

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 No contact this week, Scholarship offered
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 called and explained that we are really interested in Brant becoming a Cougar. San Diego St has entered the mix and he loves them, so we will see where this goes. Scholarship offered.

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

Starting to wonder about both kids from Monte Vista as neither has shown enthusiasm now that some other schools are after them.

[Tellistto]

Nice dynasty. Looking forward to reading it further.


Tell

[BYU 14]

Thanks Tell, not always as active with updates as I would like to be, but I am having fun with it. Hopefully it goes another 8-10 Seasons before I start my retirement at Golf dynasty :)

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 7

BYU 52 Utah 24
Record Overall 4-0 Mountain West 2-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 16-27-238 2 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 15-138 1 TD
Bennie Rayburn 14-31

Receiving
Andy Schroder 4-75
Pete Rose 4-43 1 TD
Lenny Finley 3-59

Defense
Roderick Jamison LB 8 tackles 2 assists
Benjamin Arreola LB 5 tackles 3 assists
Jackie Trippi DE 4 tackles 2 assists 2 sacks
Kendall Malano CB and Ed Cochran CB returned interceptions for Touchdowns

Recap
This game is why they make you play. On paper the 3-0 Cougars should have stomped the 0-4 Utes from the get go. On the field we found ourselves down 10-0 early as Utah came out ready to go to war. After missing a Field goal on our first drive the Utes went 69 yards on 12 plays and jumped to a 3-0 lead. Rayburn’s first interception of the Season on our next possession translated into a Darryl Yount TD run and Rice Eccles stadium was shaking. We promptly answered with a 76 yard drive capped with a Rayburn to Leavitt TD pass, then Ed Cochran raced 42 yards to the house with an interception for a 14-10 lead. Utah got the ball with 1:17 left and what followed may be the most exciting 1:17 in the history of the series, if not College Football. After a running play that had the crowd thinking Utah would be happy with a 4 point halftime deficit, Dennis Briggs hit Blake Desmond with an 83 yard touchdown pass behind a napping Ed Cochran. (33 seconds left) We took the ensuing kickoff to the 23 and on the first play Wally Jennings went off tackle and 77 yards later we had the lead back. (16 seconds left) Utah’s Wendell Otomo received the Kickoff 4 yards deep and decided to bring it out. 7 seconds later he was celebrating his 104 yard TD return with the Utah student section. (9 seconds left) Utah kicked off and Andy Schroder fielded the bouncing kick at the 9, hemmed in at the 25 he reversed field and finished a 91 yard TD return as time expired in the half. 33 seconds, 28 points and 26,000 breathless fans as we went to the locker room with a 28-24 lead. The second half was anti-climatic as we allowed the Utes to stay close taking a 31-24 lead into the fourth as Rayburn got erratic. A 21 point fourth, sparked by our defense buried the Utes in a game that was much closer than the final score.


Injuries
Darrin Shields LB Out-Dislocated Elbow
Donnie Newsome DE Out-Dislocated Knee

Two of our best players on the defensive side of the ball out! This is about the worst case scenario for the team and the players as they are both seniors. Hopefully both will be back before the post season as they are leaders on this team.

Recruiting

Visits
Shaun Tanner RB Salina, KS Overall 17 Position 1
Lonnie Pierce WR Valdosta, GA Overall 111 Position 12
Travis Atherton G Palos Heights, IL Overall 62 Position 8
Kim Wallace G Post Falls, ID Overall 134 Position 16
Stan Fields P Danville, CA Overall 674 Position 17
JB Koonce LB Flagstaff, AZ Overall 228 Position 9
Austin Fredrickson LB Spokane, WA Overall 105 Position 5
Irving Hodgson S Hurlock, MD Overall 5 Position 1

Commits
Bo Bennett TE Aspen, CO Overall 70 Position 2
Kennedy Mathis QB Gresham, OR Overall 79 Position 12
Kendrick Hubbard DT Redlands, CA Overall 184 Position 14

Three solid commits this week who should all eventually compete for starting roles. Bennett’s commit is especially exciting as he has the tools to be an NFL tight end if he develops like we think he will. Mathis is a mobile athletic QB that will fit nicely in our system. A nice crop of visitors this week as well led by Hodgson, who surprised us with his interest, he would be a huge get, as RB Shaun Tanner, the best back in the country. We are getting a good rep for running backs and do a better job attracting top prospects here than we do at the QB position.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 52 Utah 24
Colorado St 38 Air Force 14
San Diego St 21 UNLV 9
Wyoming 45 New Mexico 17

Big shocker in Colorado, not so much that the Rams beat Air Force, but by the margin of their victory. Wyoming is looking better than expected and the other unbeaten conference record belongs to San Diego St, who has beaten the two worst teams in the conference.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 4 0 0 1.000 216 45 2 0 0 1.000 110 31 Won 4
Wyoming 4 2 0 .666 199 183 2 0 0 1.000 76 45 Won 2
San Diego State 3 3 0 .500 110 127 2 0 0 1.000 42 29 Won 1
Colorado State 4 2 0 .666 204 104 1 1 0 .500 66 45 Won 2
Air Force 4 2 0 .666 210 106 1 1 0 .500 59 55 Lost 1
New Mexico 0 5 0 .000 95 158 0 2 0 .000 37 66 Lost 8
Utah 0 5 0 .000 96 195 0 2 0 .000 41 97 Lost 10
UNLV 0 5 0 .000 45 212 0 2 0 .000 16 79 Lost 5
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Wyoming at BYU ESPN
San Diego St at Air Force
Utah at UNLV
Dartmouth at New Mexico

Big time exposure for us, as we get an ESPN national game. Wyoming has a potent offense but we should exploit their Defense as it is among the poorest in the league. Right now we are averaging 54 points a game, which should translate to a big outing against the Cowboys. Air Force should bring the Aztecs back to reality this week and Utah stands to get their first win against a weak UNLV team.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Bye

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Bye

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve: Hitchcock plays but does not record a catch, despite 5 opportunities in a 23-3 loss to Baltimore. The Bills are not getting good QB play as JP Losman is only 19-44 with 2 picks in the game.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Denver gets their second win of the year, 30-28 over Houston as Shaw gains 41 yards on 11 carries and scores a touchdown. He also records 3 receptions for a modest 10 yards.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Practice Squad: Ritchie May returns from injury, which relegates Flynn back to the practice squad.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Reserve: Lyon returns to the bench after 2 starts and does not play in a 27-17 loss to Tennessee.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Reserve: Inexplicitly Stoddard is benched for veteran Larry Johnson after two 90 plus yard games. Off the bench he gains 35 yards on 8 carries for a Season best 5.8 YPC average. Johnson gains 71 yards on 16 carries and scores a touchdown. The Chiefs lose to the Colts 24-10.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Did not play, Saints lose to Seattle 20-17.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve: Still banged up Fletcher records 1 grab for 13 yards in a 30-24 loss to Cleveland.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: Joseph’s involvement falls again in the Jets loss as he records 1 reception for 14 yards, and does his usual stellar job blocking.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: Does not play in the Jet’s loss to the Browns.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

Not too much in terms of contributions from any of the alumni this week, with Stoddard and Lyons going to the bench only 2 Cougars are starting now.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 No contact this week.

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Fields comes in for a visit and we think we may be back in contention, Scholarship previously offered
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Looks like we are losing him as he pays a visit to San Diego St, the school he idolizes, we will start to look for another option at Corner. Scholarship previously offered.

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

[Tellistto]

Go BYU!

Tell

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 8

BYU 44 Wyoming 14
Record Overall 5-0 Mountain West 3-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 25-35-396 4 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 24-141

Receiving
Andy Schroder 10-167 2 TD
Pete Rose 5-81 1 TD
Lenny Finley 5-93 1 TD

Defense
Roderick Jamison LB 6 tackles 1 assist
Benjamin Arreola LB 4 tackles 1 assist
Cedric Wiles DE 2 tackles 3 assists 2.5 sacks

Recap
Wyoming had no answer for the Rayburn to Schroder connection as they clicked 10 times for 167 yards and 2 scores. The Cougars ended the first quarter up 14-7 as Wyoming’s Terrell Brennan galloped 57 yards in the final 2 minutes after Rayburn found pay dirt twice through the air earlier in the period. We controlled the clock in the second quarter and took a commanding 27-7 into the locker room following a 13 yard scamper by Rayburn and 2 Todd Gurley field goals. On the Day we built up a 14 minute advantage in time of possession thanks to a punishing ground game and a defense that held Wyoming to 4 plays or less on 10 of 12 drives for the game. Still the Cowboys averaged 5.0 yards a carry on the ground; however our big halftime lead all but rendered their running game an afterthought in the second half. This game is huge as it clearly establishes us as the class of the league again this Season. It is also our 17th straight MWC win and we have not lost to a conference foe since a Season ending 41-22 drubbing at the hands of Utah in 2007.

Injuries
Darrin Shields LB Out-Dislocated Elbow
Donnie Newsome DE Out-Dislocated Knee

Our two top defenders are still out; however we are getting solid play from their replacements Jamison and Wiles.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
Shawn Gillespie RB Wichita, KS Overall 194 Position 16
Dave Yarborough LB Tujunga, CA Overall 1 Position 1

A week that has our fans ecstatic sees us land the #1 rated recruit in the country. Yarborough is a freaking Monster who averaged over 10 tackles a game his senior season and threw in 5 sacks and 6 picks to boot. Gillespie is not chopped liver either and will add some nice depth to our already talented stable of running backs.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 44 Wyoming 14
Air Force 46 San Diego St 15
Utah 35 UNLV 31
Dartmouth 50 New Mexico 24

Air Force, smarting from last weeks upset routs San Diego State, which coupled with our win over Wyoming leaves us as the only unbeaten team in conference play. Utah also gets off the snide, though not without a struggle. It is amazing how the Utes have fallen. After going 10-3 in 2007, they have finished 7-5, 3-8 and now sit at 1-5. New Mexico is one of the worst teams in the country after getting shellacked by Dartmouth.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 5 0 0 1.000 260 59 3 0 0 1.000 154 45 Won 5
Air Force 5 2 0 .714 256 121 2 1 0 .666 105 70 Won 1
Wyoming 4 3 0 .571 213 227 2 1 0 .666 90 89 Lost 1
San Diego State 3 4 0 .428 125 173 2 1 0 .666 57 75 Lost 1
Colorado State 4 2 0 .666 204 104 1 1 0 .500 66 45 Won 2
Utah 1 5 0 .166 131 226 1 2 0 .333 76 128 Won 1
New Mexico 0 6 0 .000 119 208 0 2 0 .000 37 66 Lost 9
UNLV 0 6 0 .000 76 247 0 3 0 .000 47 114 Lost 6
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at New Mexico
Colorado St at San Diego St
Wyoming at UNLV
Utah St at Utah

A game in which we should get our reserves plenty of PT is on tap as we travel to Albuquerque. These games worry me as there is the risk of injury if things get out of hand, as well as the risk of developing sloppy habits.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Arizona-Reserve: Cardinals lose to St Louis 26-24 and Geary records 1 tackle in limited playing time.

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Does not play in the Cardinals loss.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve: Hitchcock records 2 catches for a career high 61 yards as the Bills secure their first win, 23-21 over the Jets.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: The Bronco’s get stymied by San Diego 27-6 and Shaw is held to 20 yards on 11 carries. The second time in the last 3 games he has averaged below 2 yards a carry.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Practice Squad:

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Reserve: KC beats the Jags 26-10 and Lyon sees insignificant minutes at the end recording no stats.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Reserve: D-Stod remains on the Bench and is limited to a Season low 19 yards on 7 carries in the Chiefs 26-10 win over Jacksonville. Starter Larry Johnson has a 20-76 game.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Plays special teams in the Saints 21-14 win over Carolina.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve: Still nursing his injured rotator cuff, Fletcher grabs one ball for 12 yards in the Jets 23-21 loss to Buffalo as former teammate Hitchcock gets the W and has the better game.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: Geoff records 1 catch for 7 yards in the loss. Currently 10-133 for the Season.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: Plays, but no catches in the loss to Buffalo.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

A rather non descript week for the cougars as our only 2 starters are bottled up effectively.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 No contact this week.

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Scholarship offered-Now looks like our best bet to land a player from a FOFC alumni school.
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Commits to San Diego St!! He loved the Aztecs, so this is not a big surprise. Now he gets to feel our wrath for the next 4 or 5 years though 

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 9

BYU 38 New Mexico 0
Record Overall 6-0 Mountain West 4-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 24-33-378 5 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 26-88
Wally Jennings 2-20

Receiving
Andy Schroder 6-133 2 TD
Pete Rose 4-69
Gilbert Meyer 4-49 1 TD

Defense
Jackie Trippi DE 3 tackles 3 sacks
Benjamin Arreola LB 3 tackles 2 assists
Jerome Noisy CB 2 tackles 2 assists 2 Int

Recap
Though Rayburn was sharp, it was an overall sloppy game from the offensive side which was my fear. We only averaged 2.5 YPC on the ground and gave up 6 sacks and had 9 penalties on top of that. The good news is Schroder is really turning into one of the premier receivers in the nation as he exceeds 100 yards again and adds 2 more TD’s. Defensively we get lots of players into the rotation and hold New Mexico to -8 yards net rushing and only 90 yards passing, while allowing a scant 8 first downs. We add 7 sacks of our own and have 20 players get credit for at least 1 tackle, while resting the starters for much of the second half. Our time of possession average was a staggering 15:58 and we allowed New Mexico to advance past midfield just once the entire game as their longest drive covered just 38 yards. All told we forced seven 3 and outs by the Lobos out of 13 possessions and racked up 3 picks. A totally dominating effort on the defensive side of the ball.

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE Out-Dislocated Knee
Lenny Finley WR Out-Torn Wrist Tendon
Wally Jennings RB Out-Torn Achilles Tendon

The good news is, Darrin Shields is upgraded to doubtful and will play with a cast on his Elbow next week. Apart from that my worst fears were realized as sophomore sensation Wally Jennings goes down with a torn Achilles, finishing him for the Season!! He had accumulated 650 yards, 7 touchdowns and 6.9 YPC at the time of his injury, this will hurt!

Recruiting
Visits
Wade Hill C Barnesboro, PA Overall 628 Position 29
Brandon Jefferson LB Chicago, IL Overall 382 Position 17
KC Tucker P Montclair, NJ Overall UR Position 96
Reggie McQuilken K Simi Valley, CA Overall 667 Position 25
Deion Ellis LB Poway, CA Overall 473 Position 34

Commits
Lonnie Pierce WR Valdosta, GA Overall 111 Position 12
Korey McGraw S Garland, UT Overall 688 Position 36

Pierce is a great pickup and should develop into a weapon in our offense. He tallied an astounding 85 receptions for 2230 yards and 13 Touchdowns, a definite big play threat. McGraw is the best Safety in the state, but will probably be relegated to backup status as a Cougar. With our visits this week we are looking mostly to fill holes and add depth, though both Jefferson and Ellis have a lot of upside.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 38 New Mexico 0
San Diego St 34 Colorado St 0
Wyoming 35 UNLV 31
Utah 21 Utah St 14

San Diego St again shows it’s reputation for erratic play is well deserved as they trounce Colorado St and move to 3-1 in league play. Wyoming barely escapes with a victory over winless UNLV and our pals up North get Win number 2 against in state rival Utah State.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 6 0 0 1.000 298 59 4 0 0 1.000 192 45 Won 6
Wyoming 5 3 0 .625 248 258 3 1 0 .750 125 120 Won 1
San Diego State 4 4 0 .500 159 173 3 1 0 .750 91 75 Won 1
Air Force 5 2 0 .714 256 121 2 1 0 .666 105 70 Won 1
Colorado State 4 3 0 .571 204 138 1 2 0 .333 66 79 Lost 1
Utah 2 5 0 .285 152 240 1 2 0 .333 76 128 Won 2
New Mexico 0 7 0 .000 119 246 0 3 0 .000 37 104 Lost 10
UNLV 0 7 0 .000 107 282 0 4 0 .000 78 149 Lost 7
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
San Diego St at BYU ESPN2
Air Force at New Mexico
Colorado St at Utah

We get the unpredictable Aztecs at home and though we usually handle them, there is always that possibility we will get them in juggernaught mode, when they are very dangerous. Air Force should stay right in the thick of things as they travel to New Mexico, while the Utes will look to get to .500 in league play against CSU.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Harvey Geary LB Free Agent: Geary is cut by the Cardinals who resign T Todd Weiner for Offensive line depth. His Career totals are 23 games played, 1 start, 50 tackles, 7 assists and 3 passes defensed. We will see if he latches on to another team

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Does not play in the Cardinals 20-6 loss to Carolina.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve: Hitchcock continues to get more involved in the Bills 17-14 win over the Bengals catching 3 passes for 46 yards,

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Denver puts up another anemic offensive effort losing to Jacksonville 12-9, but Shaw carries 14 times for 61 yards, a season best 4.3 per carry.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Practice Squad: Bye

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Reserve: Does not play in the Jags snorefest victory over Denver.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Reserve: Stoddard gains only 28 yards on 8 carries, but scores 2 Touchdowns in the Chiefs 28-20 win over the Raiders. For the Season is numbers are 95-384 4.04 YPC 4 TD’s.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Plays late in the game and records a tackle as the Saints top Tampa Bay 28-10.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Starter: Fletch gets his first start but only grabs one ball for 4 yards as the Jets fall to the Steelers 19-17. He is still nursing a rotator cuff injury, but he has developed a strong friendship with Santana Moss, which might be worse than the injury.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: The big TE also records 1 catch for 4 yards in the loss to Pittsburgh.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: Plays sparingly against the Steelers, no stats.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent

A slightly productive week for our backs, but we will now add Geary to the list of Free agent Cougars hoping to get a chance before the athletic clock winds down.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 The loss of Fields to FSU forces us to offer Tucker, who is visiting us this week.

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Commits to Florida State Can’t really fault him here, though over the last 2 plus Seasons our record is 30-1, while the Gators are “only” 24-7 ;)
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Committed to San Diego St Bastard!

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

[BYU 14]

<pre><font face=courier>
2010 Summary for Texas-El Paso

Record: 5-3
Rank: 43

Texas-El Paso Team Rank
Rushes 372 1
Rushing Yards 1529 1
Yards Per Carry 4.11 24
Pass Attempts 173 95 (T)
Completions 99 80 (T)
Passing Yards 1284 75
Yards Per Attempt 7.42 41
3rd Down Conversions 46.2 6
Points Per Game 24.8 59 (T)
Turnovers 3 2 (T)
Turnover Margin +13 3 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 259 78 (T)
Rushing Yards 968 82
Yards Per Carry 3.73 74
Pass Attempts 217 86
Completions 117 71 (T)
Passing Yards 1671 96
Yards Per Attempt 7.70 99
3rd Down Conversions 39.7 95
Points Per Game 19.8 43 (T)
Turnovers 16 26 (T)

Primary Formation: T-Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
1 31 FSU (38) 17
2 27 ISU (54) 21
3 14 TXTC (106) 34
5 10 BSU (11) 21
6 17 at FRST (21) 21
7 56 SMU (92) 7
8 27 SJST (96) 24
9 17 at RICE (70) 14
11 at NEVA (114)
12 at TLSA (107)
13 HAWI (91)

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
8 Charneski QB 167 98 1266 7.58 6 2
Team --- 173 99 1284 7.42 6 2

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
29 Coles RB 172 726 4.22 7 49 79
8 Charneski QB 91 353 3.87 2 32 74
48 Lassner RB 54 227 4.20 2 20 45
37 Kerchner FB 36 123 3.41 5 15 20
Team --- 372 1529 4.11 18 120 226

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
85 May WR 54 29 569 19.6 144 2
29 Coles RB 24 12 90 7.5 21 0
81 Voorhees TE 24 13 141 10.8 60 1
37 Kerchner FB 22 18 202 11.2 80 1
48 Lassner RB 18 9 103 11.4 52 0
4 Guthrie WR 12 3 26 8.6 6 0
39 Pritchett FB 8 8 55 6.8 11 1
Team --- 173 99 1284 12.9 420 6

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
59 Lindquist ILB 59 18 0.5 6 3 7
49 Torelli OLB 46 13 0.0 5 0 1
46 John S 28 8 0.0 5 1 1
27 Lang CB 27 10 0.0 1 0 6
95 Wooden DE 25 9 3.5 7 0 0
56 Noland OLB 25 8 0.0 2 1 0
38 Gillespie S 25 10 0.0 3 0 3
47 Emarlos ILB 21 6 0.0 5 0 1
25 Hammond CB 18 3 0.0 2 3 0
20 Diefendorf CB 18 12 1.0 4 2 7
78 Bell DT 17 8 1.5 5 0 0
93 Buchanan DT 16 13 4.5 6 0 0
40 Whitten CB 9 6 0.0 0 0 0
Team --- 391 141 17.0 57 10 26
</pre></font>

The Miners have been up and down this Year and while their potent old school T Formation offense leads the Country in rushing, they have struggled defensively and that has contributed to their 5-3 record overall. Things started great with an upset of Florida State, but a game 3 shellacking at the hands of Texas Tech led to a 3 game skid. With things in upheaval, the legs and arm of Irv Charneski brought the Miners back to pound SMU. They then struggled in ugly wins against San Jose and Rice, but now look in great position to run the table against the bottom half of the WAC, which should place them in their third straight Bowl, which will hopefully yield the first Post Season win of Coach Steven Shultz’ tenure. The scary thing about this team is Charneski and leading rusher BJ Coles are sophomores, while the Starting O-line features 2 Juniors, 1 sophomore and 2 Freshmen! That bodes very well for that punishing ground game for the next 2 plus Seasons!

[JeeberD]

We beat FSU! :eek:

Of course, a beatdwon by Tech ruins the entire season...

Thanks for the update, BYU 14... :)

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 10

BYU 27 San Diego State 10
Record Overall 7-0 Mountain West 5-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 18-30-252 3 TD 2 Int

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 25-70

Receiving
Julio Fredrickson 4-25 1 TD
Pete Rose 4-63
Xavier Malone 3-61 1 TD
Andy Schroder 2-19 1 TD

Defense
Ed Cochrane CB 6 tackles 1 assist ½ sack
Jackie Trippi DE 5 tackles 1 assist 2.5 sacks
Benjamin Arreola LB 5 tackles
Jerome Noisy CB 4 tackles

Recap
The Aztecs played inspired against us on Defense holding us to our lowest output of the Season. We definitely felt the impact of being without Jennings as Julio Fredrickson is a talented back, but just lacks Wally’s breakaway ability. As a result SDSU was able to play a little looser in the secondary and gave Rayburn some major headaches at times. The biggest impact was on our third down conversion rate as we turned just 4 of 14 in this area. San Diego State also deserves credit for keeping Andy Schroder in check as he was running wild on MWC secondarys entering this game. Defensively we kept things in check, harassing Aztec QB Oscar Shuman relentlessly sacking him 6 times (8 total for the game) and holding him to an 18-33-174 day. Against the run we were again an immovable force as the Aztecs netted -16 on the ground!!

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE Out-Dislocated Knee
Lenny Finley WR Out-Torn Wrist Tendon
Wally Jennings RB Out-Torn Achilles Tendon

No new injuries, but our offense will continue to suffer, maybe as much with Finley out as Jennings, as Lenny took some of the heat off of Schroder.

Recruiting
Visits
Jerome Nunez CB Bronx, NY Overall 536 Position 40
Commits
Wade Hill C Barnesboro, PA Overall 628 Position 29
Kim Wallace G Post Falls, ID Overall 134 Position 16
Jerome Lindquist DE Salt Lake City, UT Overall 391 Position 33
Deion Ellis LB Poway, CA Overall 473 Position 34
Jonathan Brandon CB Sacramento, CA Overall 882 Position 62

A great week for commits as we get some needed depth at O-line (Wallace should eventually start) and in the Secondary. A very intriguing player is Ellis at OLB, though undersized he is speedy and gives us some great athleticism outside. We lost our targeted Kicker to UCLA, so we will hold off until next year to recruit there. We do need a Punter still though.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 27 San Diego St 10
Air Force 48 New Mexico 13
Colorado State 24 Utah 17

Air Force is really clicking with their new I formation attack and we look forward to a showdown with the Falcons for the MWC title in the regular Season finale. Utah is struggling despite a solid running game as Dennis Briggs has thrown 10 picks and only 5 touchdowns. Their Defense is also giving up 33 points a game, 108th in the Nation.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 7 0 0 1.000 325 69 5 0 0 1.000 219 55 Won 7
Air Force 6 2 0 .750 304 134 3 1 0 .750 153 83 Won 2
Wyoming 5 3 0 .625 248 258 3 1 0 .750 125 120 Won 1
San Diego State 4 5 0 .444 169 200 3 2 0 .600 101 102 Lost 1
Colorado State 5 3 0 .625 228 155 2 2 0 .500 90 90 Won 1
Utah 2 6 0 .250 169 234 1 3 0 .250 93 152 Lost 1
UNLV 0 7 0 .000 107 282 0 4 0 .000 78 149 Lost 7
New Mexico 0 8 0 .000 132 294 0 4 0 .000 50 152 Lost 11
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Notre Dame
UNLV at Air Force
New Mexico at Colorado State
Utah at Wyoming

Holy War part Deux against the Irish, who will not go down without a fight. They are currently 4-3, but have played some tough teams, including number 1 Michigan. They have a balanced attack lead on the ground by Junior Quentin Stone 162-618 7 TD’s and through the Air by sophomore Derrick Lynch, a talent who is 125-212-1947 14 TD 8 Int.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Does not play as Cardinals are trounced by the Saints 31-7

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Practice Squad: Hitchcock placed on the inactive Roster as the Bills re-activate Brock Woodson.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: The Broncos fall again, to KC this time 20-16, as Shaw rings up a 21 carry 63 yard performance. This marks his third week in a row without a catch as well.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Practice Squad:

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter: Thrust back into the starting line-up as Bryant Mckinnie tears a Knee ligament, Lyon goes 0-2 in KRB, and allows no sacks as the Jags beat San Diego 24-3

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: D-Stod regains the starting job from Larry Johnson and gains 70 yards on 16 carries, scoring a TD in the Chiefs 20-16 win over Denver, as former backfield mates meet for the first time.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Plays only special teams in the romp over Arizona, no stats.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Starter: Bye

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: Bye

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: Bye

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent
Harvey Geary LB-Free Agent

A nice week for Stoddard, gaining his job back and scoring in a KC win, he is quietly having a decent Rookie Season. Lyon also did well in Pass protection in his return to the starting lineup.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Scholarship offered, our last hope to land an FOFC alumni High Schooler.

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Committed to Florida State
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Committed to San Diego St

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 11

BYU 42 Notre Dame 35
Record Overall 8-0 Mountain West 5-0

Leaders
Passing
Bennie Rayburn 20-32-327 4 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 20-89 2 TD

Receiving
Andy Schroder 11-229 3 TD
Pete Rose 3-36
Gilbert Meyer 3-20 1 TD

Defense
Jackie Trippi DE 8 tackles 1 assist 2 sacks
Darrin Shields LB 7 tackles 3 assists
Kendall Malano CB 7 tackles 1 assist
Herb Wong LB 5 tackles 2 assists

Recap
Notre Dame came out physical and after an exchange of punts marched the ball 59 yards to take an early 7-0 lead. Mixing in the run just enough to keep us honest, Irish QB Derrick Lynch was in the zone, going 21-34-361 with 4 TDs and no interceptions. His leadership and the Cougars inability sustain a meaningful drive helped stake Notre Dame to a 21-7 halftime lead as we were out gained 250-107 in the first half. Things looked glum as the Irish stuffed us on our first possession then went 76 yards, scoring on a Lynch to Quentin Stone pass from 22 yards out to expand the lead to 28-7. From here though our Offense exploded as Rayburn caught fire as we scored on 5 or our next 6 drives, with the only blemish being a Rayburn interception by Doug Jacobs at the Notre Dame 11, to save what probably would have been another touchdown. The defense meanwhile did their part forcing 5 consecutive Notre Dame punts, as we held the their suddenly anemic attack to 3 and out on 4 of those drives. Stunned the Irish found themselves down 42-28 with 55 seconds left. From here Lynch showed heart taking his team 80 yards to pull within 7, but with 5 seconds left an onside recovery and a kneel down sealed the come from behind win for the good guys. One of many positives to come from this game was the return of Darrin Shields. He rallied the Defense in the second half and refused to allow his teammates to accept the fact that they could not shut down the Irish when they had to. Schroder of course was unstoppable and in addition to his monster receiving day, he added 5 yards rushing, 59 on punt returns and 141 on Kickoff returns for an incredible total of 434 yards for the game!!!

Injuries
Donnie Newsome DE Out-Dislocated Knee
Lenny Finley WR Out-Torn Wrist Tendon
Wally Jennings RB Out-Torn Achilles Tendon
Mo Mikeska DE Out-Severe Hamstring pull

Mikeska’s injury makes Newsome’s slow recovery from a dislocated Knee all the more troublesome as our medical staff tells us Mo is lost for the Season. Hopefully Donnie will have a breakthrough and make it back before the postseason as we are thin at DE.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
KC Tucker P Montclair, NJ Overall UR Position 96
Brandon Jefferson LB Chicago, IL Overall 382 Position 17

Another solid LB commitment as it appears we might be ready to challenge Penn State as LBU. Jefferson will add some more depth and some solid athleticism inside. He finished his High School career with 95 tackles, 5 sacks and 6 picks as a senior and was selected to the Illinois All-State team. KC Tucker is our first FOFC alumni commit and will look to take over the punting duties as a true frosh next year.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 42 Notre Dame 35
Air Force 31 UNLV 28
Colorado St 49 New Mexico 21
Utah 31 Wyoming 11

UNLV is playing with a ton of heart for an 0-8 team as they lost their third straight by 4 points or less. New Mexico on the other hand gave up over 40 points for the 5th time this year and can officially claim the worst defense in the MWC, overall they are 118th in the country in scoring Defense. Utah upsets Wyoming with ease and the Cowboys are now in danger of losing out on a bowl bid.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 8 0 0 1.000 367 104 5 0 0 1.000 219 55 Won 8
Air Force 7 2 0 .777 335 162 4 1 0 .800 184 111 Won 3
Colorado State 6 3 0 .666 277 176 3 2 0 .600 139 117 Won 2
Wyoming 5 4 0 .555 259 289 3 2 0 .600 136 151 Lost 1
San Diego State 4 5 0 .444 169 200 3 2 0 .600 101 102 Lost 1
Utah 3 6 0 .333 200 275 2 3 0 .400 124 163 Won 1
UNLV 0 8 0 .000 135 313 0 5 0 .000 106 180 Lost 8
New Mexico 0 9 0 .000 153 343 0 5 0 .000 71 201 Lost 12
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Colorado State ESPN2
Air Force at Wyoming Fox Sports
UNLV at New Mexico
San Diego State at Utah

Two big games at the top of the standings as CSU can still ruin our MWC victory string and Air Force at Wyoming has big bowl implications for the pokes. The only good thing about the UNLV/New Mexico game is that one of them will finally win.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Does not play as Cardinals edge the 49ers 13-10

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Practice Squad: Bills lose to New England 26-23

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: The Broncos are rolled by Oakland 33-0 and Calvin is abused to the tune of 26 tough yards on 10 carries. No receptions for the 4th week in a row.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Practice Squad: Vikings 24 Lions 19

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter: Jags get handled by Houston 30-7 and Lyons goes 1-2 in key run blocks and allows a sack, his third of the season.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: The Chiefs destroy San Diego 29-3 and Stoddard explodes, having easily his best day as a pro. Daniel carries 24 times for 143 yards and adds 1 reception for 5 more in the win.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Saints lose 27-24 to the Falcons and Perry gets 1 assist in limited duty.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Starter: In his second pro start Fletch grabs 3 receptions for 60 yards and turns 2 into Touchdowns, the first of his career as the Jets dump Miami 34-9

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter: Bad news as Joseph tear knee cartilage early and could miss the rest of the Season. No stats in the win and a common issue in his College career, injuries has reared its ugly head in the pro’s.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve: Cerny, stepping in with Joseph sidelined grabs 2 passes for 10 yards. Though he is not the blocker big Geoff is, the Jets may actually gain something receiving wise.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent
Harvey Geary LB-Free Agent

A big week for two of our alumni as D-Stod goes off and Fletcher gets his first NFL scores. Cerny also triple his season catch total in one game and will look to make the most of fellow alum Joseph’s injury. Stoddard was also considered for POW honors for his performance as he was the second leading rusher for the week in the league behind Willis McGahee.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Commits to BYU We land one of three and he will play early, glad to have a FOFC alumni on board!

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Committed to Florida State
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Committed to San Diego St

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

[BYU 14]

Will resurrect this while I wait for Bowl bound........forgot how much I miss the old School.

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 12

BYU 37 Colorado St 6
Record Overall 9-0 Mountain West 6-0

Leaders
Passing
Paul Post 8-13-118 2 TD
Bennie Rayburn 8-15-93 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Steven Lane 11-94 1 TD
Julio Fredrickson 18-77

Receiving
Andy Schroder 4-69
Pete Rose 3-53 2 TD
Julio Fredrickson 3-4
Gilbert Meyer 2-48 1 TD

Defense
Cedric Wiles DE 6 tackles 2.5 Sacks
Jackie Trippi DE 6 tackles 1 assist 1.5 sacks
Wade Such DT 4 tackles 2 assists
Darrin Shields LB 3 tackles
Kendall Malano CB 3 tackles 2 assists

Recap
As devastating a victory as we could have as we lose Bennie Rayburn for the Season to a Shoulder injury!! Not all was lost though as Paul Post puts up respectable numbers in relief and our Defense, rotating heavily, completely shuts down the Ram attack, holding CSU to 8 first downs, 117 total yards and compiling 5 sacks, plus 11 tackles for loss!!! With the game in control throughout we got a lot of experience for the backups as mentioned above. Really standing out were DE’s Trippi and Wiles, combining for 13 total tackles and 4 sacks. It will be hard to sit Cedric down when Newsome is ready to play again. Julio Fredrickson continues to make the most of his opportunities stepping in for Jennings, with Steven Lane showing he is capable as well. Our run at another title will hinge on how well Post fills in for Rayburn.

Injuries
Bennie Rayburn QB Out-Shoulder Surgery
Lenny Finley WR Out-Torn Wrist Tendon
Wally Jennings RB Out-Torn Achilles Tendon
Mo Mikeska DE Out-Severe Hamstring pull

Though we now have our two best Offensive players out for the year, Donnie Newsome will return next week from his Knee injury to bolster the Defense. The MASH unit contains some key players and the only one in the group that even has a chance to come back this year is Finley, and even that is a long shot.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
DJ Garner T Ogden, UT Overall 217 Position 24

We snag another solid local product, rated as the second best Lineman in the State behind Guard Danny Duran, who inexplicably went to Utah St? In all the Aggie’s actually picked up the top three players in the state, also getting FB Cornelius Fry and Kicker Whitfield, who we did pursue. I may have to get them back on the Schedule since they are now the “top Instate recruiter” according to their message boards. 

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 37 Colorado St 6
Air Force 41 Wyoming 11
New Mexico 27 UNLV 6
San Diego St 24 Utah 21

Air Force keeps hopes alive with a solid thrashing of Wyoming, who is now fighting for their Bowl life, with the Aztecs coming on strong. New Mexico dominates UNLV in the battle for worst MWC team while Utah will finish in the bottom half of the League for the second straight year…..oh where has Rodney gone?

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 9 0 0 1.000 404 110 6 0 0 1.000 256 61 Won 9
Air Force 8 2 0 .800 376 173 5 1 0 .833 225 122 Won 4
San Diego State 5 5 0 .500 193 221 4 2 0 .666 125 123 Won 1
Wyoming 5 5 0 .500 270 330 3 3 0 .500 147 192 Lost 2
Colorado State 6 4 0 .600 283 213 3 3 0 .500 145 154 Lost 1
Utah 3 7 0 .300 221 299 2 4 0 .333 145 187 Lost 1
New Mexico 1 9 0 .100 180 349 1 5 0 .166 98 207 Won 1
UNLV 0 9 0 .000 141 340 0 6 0 .000 112 207 Lost 9
</pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
Air Force at BYU ABC
Colorado St at UNLV
Utah at New Mexico
Wyoming at San Diego St

We will battle the Falcons on National TV for the MWC title at home. An advantage we will need with both Rayburn and Jennings on the shelf. The only other game of significance features Wyoming and SDSU battling for Bowl eligibility, loser stays home.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: Sees garbage time in a 37-14 loss to KC, goes 1-1 for 6 yards.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve: Bills lose to Detroit 31-21, but Ellis gets 2 more catches for 31 yards. For the year he has 8 catches for 148 yards in limited duty.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Broncos grind out a 12-7 win at San Francisco as Shaw manages only 37 yards on 12 carries. Calvin is hanging on to his job, but is only averaging 2.91 yards a carry.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Practice Squad: Watches as Lions beat Buffalo and Hitch 31-21.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter: Ed gets his 5th start, a 31-21 loss to Dallas and goes a paltry 1-3 in KRB, but does not allow any sacks.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: D-Stod seems to have reestablished himself as the starter after his big showing last week and follows that up with 21 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs crush Arizona 37-14.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Browns edge the Saints 24-23, Perry sees no action.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve: Fletcher goes back to the Bench and gets no receptions in the Jets 24-17 win against Chicago.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Injured: Out with Torn Knee cartilage for up to 5 weeks, as in College Cerny will pick up the slack while he is out..

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Starter: With Joseph out, Cerny grabs 2 balls and scores a touchdown in the Jets win. Though not the blocker that Joseph is, he may actually be an upgrade in the receiving department.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent
Harvey Geary LB-Free Agent

Another solid Week for Stoddard while Shaw continues to struggle….Also good to see Gatlin get some more Grass time.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Commits to BYU We land one of three and he will play early, glad to have a FOFC alumni on board!

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Committed to Florida State
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Committed to San Diego St

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

[Tellistto]

Nice to see this back, always did enjoy reading this dynasty and will again!


Tell

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 13

BYU 35 Air Force 27
Record Overall 10-0 Mountain West 7-0

Leaders
Passing
Paul Post 18-35-301 4 TD 4 Int

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 22-72

Receiving
Andy Schroder 5-58 2 TD
Mitchell Walton 4-87
Malone 3-64

Defense
Benjamin Arreola LB 11 tackles 2 assists 1 sack 1 Int
Roderick Jamison LB 7 tackles 2 assists ½ sack
Kendall Timlin S 7 tackles
Jackie Trippi DE 5 tackles 1 assist 2 sacks

Recap
With Paul Post struggling in the face of an aggressive, fired up Air Force defense that recorded 5 sacks and 4 interceptions, the Cougs were on the ropes trailing 17-7 as the third Quarter wound down. It was then that Post, who had tossed his fourth pick on the previous possession, engineered a brilliant 12 play 89 yard drive, capped by a 3 yard pass to Steven Lane to cut the lead to 3. Air Force responded immediately going 65 yards in just over 3 minutes to stretch it to 24-14. After Post’s third TD strike the Falcons answered again with a Field goal and we sat at 27-21 with 2:09 left. It took the Cougs all of 53 seconds to go 65 yards, the Money shot coming on an 8 yard pass to Handy Andy Schroder from Post, as the crowd erupted!!! Air Force still had 1:16, but it was the Defenses turn as Jerome Noisy turned it up and stepped in front of a Winfred Grier pass on the Cougar 33…..67 yards later the game was in the Ice box!! In addition to Noisy’s heroics Benji Arreola was a maniac collecting 13 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pick and selling Popcorn at Halftime. The win clinches the MWC and leaves only Memphis in the way of an unblemished regular Season, potentially our 2nd on the last 3 years.

Injuries
Bennie Rayburn QB Out-Shoulder Surgery
Lenny Finley WR Out-Torn Wrist Tendon
Wally Jennings RB Out-Torn Achilles Tendon
Mo Mikeska DE Out-Severe Hamstring pull
Donnie Newsome DE Out-Dislocated Knee
Darrin Shields LB Out-Dislocated Elbow

As good as the win is, this could not get any worse! Newsome re-injures his Knee and is now gone for the Year, joined by fellow Defensive leader Shields, who is also done for the Season. Anything we do this post Season will be with smoke and mirrors as we are potentially crippled on both sides of the ball now. Especially if Post can not find some poise in the pocket.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
None

Our class is complete and we will review this in the post Season report

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 35 Air Force 27
Colorado St 38 UNLV 8
New Mexico 45 Utah 28
San Diego St 30 Wyoming 24

We of course celebrate our third straight MWC Championship and fans are rejoicing our return to the Glory of the pre-Crowton era. Trouble is brewing up North as Utah is walloped by the Lobos and there is talk Trevor Moore’s job is in jeopardy after his second straight losing Season. San Diego St caps a strong finish with an exciting win over Wyoming to get Bowl eligible and UNLV finishes comfortably in the Cellar, a spot they have held 4 of the last 5 Seasons.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 10 0 0 1.000 439 137 7 0 0 1.000 291 88 Won 10
Air Force 8 3 0 .727 403 208 5 2 0 .714 252 157 Lost 1
San Diego State 6 5 0 .545 223 245 5 2 0 .714 155 147 Won 2
Colorado State 7 4 0 .636 321 221 4 3 0 .571 183 162 Won 1
Wyoming 5 6 0 .454 294 360 3 4 0 .428 171 222 Lost 3
New Mexico 2 9 0 .181 225 377 2 5 0 .285 143 235 Won 2
Utah 3 8 0 .272 249 344 2 5 0 .285 173 232 Lost 2
UNLV 0 10 0 .000 149 378 0 7 0 .000 120 245 Lost 10 </pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Memphis Local TV
UNLV at Nevada

The Cougars and UNLV will both try and cap perfection….from opposite ends of the spectrum however. I will be rooting for the Rebels, but they are just horrid! I think back to 2006 when highly touted Lineman Chester Guerra, de-committed to BYU to stay home and play at UNLV. He has started every single game since he was a true Freshman and compiled a career KRB % of 31.5 as UNLV has gone 11-32 during that time……wonder if he ever thinks about what it would have been like to play for the 42-5, 1 National Championship Cougars instead? 

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: DNP in Cardinals 41-6 thrashing at the hands of Dallas….Art is really beginning to imitate life in the desert 

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve: Ellis has his best day as a pro catching 3 passes for 53 yards and his first NFL touchdown as Buffalo drops Oakland 20-14.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Broncos lose to the Bengals 22-16, but Shaw goes off for 123 yards on 26 carries, by far his best outing of the Season, setting a new career high for yardage as well.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Practice Squad: Lions throttle the Saints 27-7

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter: Goes 1-2 in KRB and again allows no sacks as the Jags fall to Cleveland 21-13.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: Stoddard is held to 59 yards, but has only 14 carries as the Chiefs play from behind, losing to the Jets 23-17. Daniel did score his 7th TD of the Season in the loss.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: Saints fall to Detroit, Perry falls back to the pine, and stays there for the whole game.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Reserve: Fletcher tears his Quad in the early going and is done for the Season!!! Final stats for the year. 11 catches 147 yards 2 TD’s 13.3 YPC

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Injured: Still out with Torn Knee cartilage for up to 4 more weeks.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Starter: Nothing spectacular in the Jets 23-17 win over KC. 1 catch for 6 yards and 0-1 in KRBO.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent
Harvey Geary LB-Free Agent

Shaw has a big day and props to Hitch for his first professional Touchdown. It appears as though being a Jet is unhealthy as two of the three Cougar alum on that team are now out.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Commits to BYU We land one of three and he will play early, glad to have a FOFC alumni on board!

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Committed to Florida State
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Committed to San Diego St

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

[Izulde]

What do Stoddard's chances for RotY look like? He's definitely the best player to come out of BYU so far by my lights.

[BYU 14]

What do Stoddard's chances for RotY look like? He's definitely the best player to come out of BYU so far by my lights.

I would have to say he is a long shot at this point. There are two other very good Rookies in the League.

Aaron Curtis Miami 181 carries 893 yards 3 TD 4.93 YPC Attended Pitt.

Sammy Flowers Atlanta 155 carries 931 yards 5 TD 6.0 YPC! Attended Florida

D-Stod currently has 170 carries 749 yards 7 TD 4.4 YPC.

Being benched in favor of Larry Johnson those few games definitely hurt him, if he starts every game I believe he is one of the frontrunners.

He is definitely our best looking prospect to date. Joseph will be around for a while because of his blocking skills, but will never put up big receiving numbers. Then there is that injury thing too, he has yet to be healthy for an entire Season dating back to his Freshman year.

[BYU 14]

2010 Week 14

BYU 52 Memphis 6
Record Overall 11-0 Mountain West 7-0

Leaders
Passing
Paul Post 12-16-234 4 TD
Donny Ellard 6-10-107

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 11-81
Steven Lane 20-49 1 TD

Receiving
Andy Schroder 6-141 3 TD
Xavier Malone 6-136
Julio Fredrickson 3-32 1 TD

Defense
Kendall Malano CB 5 tackles 1 assist
Jackie Trippi DE 4 tackles 2 sacks
Bruce Matthews DT 3 tackles 1 sack
Shaun Sweeney S 3 tackles 1 assist 1 Int
Herb Wong LB and Roderick Jamison LB each had 1 Int, Wong’s going for a TD

Recap
We started slow only leading 7-3 after one, but stretched it to 21-3 at the half, before erupting for 31 more after Halftime. We have lost some key players to injury on Offense but we still have Andy Schroder, who ran wild again averaging 23.5 on 6 catches and taking 3 house, to run his season TD total to 17!! This game also put him over 1000 yards receiving for the second time in his Cougar career. Xavier Malone also had over 100 yards receiving to compliment Schroder, who has come to be called “The threat” by his teammates. Defensively we put the screws to Memphis holding them to 127 total yards and 7 first downs…All this without Newsome and Shields! Hopefully this Defensive momentum carries into our Bowl game, wherever that may be as whoever we play will look to take Schroder out of the equation.

Injuries
Bennie Rayburn QB Out-Shoulder Surgery
Lenny Finley WR Out-Torn Wrist Tendon
Wally Jennings RB Out-Torn Achilles Tendon
Mo Mikeska DE Out-Severe Hamstring pull
Donnie Newsome DE Out-Dislocated Knee
Darrin Shields LB Out-Dislocated Elbow

The list did not grow and that is as good as it will get at this point. The only one that MAY be back for a Bowl game is Finley at this point…maybe Shields, but that chance is so slim it makes Calista Flockhart look like Rosanne Barr.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
None

Our class is complete and we will review this in the post Season report

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 52 Memphis 6
Nevada 20 UNLV 19

A thorough drubbing of Memphis leaves us hoping for the best as the Bowl games are slotted. UCLA, Michigan and Louisville also sit at 11-0 and we are third in the BCS rankings at the moment. UNLV manages to give away the Battle of the Silver State to a bad Nevada team, which balances the bottom of the MWC standings with the top. 

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 11 0 0 1.000 491 143 7 0 0 1.000 291 88 Won 11
Air Force 8 3 0 .727 403 208 5 2 0 .714 252 157 Lost 1
San Diego State 6 5 0 .545 223 245 5 2 0 .714 155 147 Won 2
Colorado State 7 4 0 .636 321 221 4 3 0 .571 183 162 Won 1
Wyoming 5 6 0 .454 294 360 3 4 0 .428 171 222 Lost 3
New Mexico 2 9 0 .181 225 377 2 5 0 .285 143 235 Won 2
Utah 3 8 0 .272 249 344 2 5 0 .285 173 232 Lost 2
UNLV 0 11 0 .000 168 398 0 7 0 .000 120 245 Lost 11 </pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
None

4 teams are Bowl eligible, but the smart money has only Air force and CSU getting a call. Shame since the Aztecs have only 1 winning Season and no post Season appearances in our dynasty.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve: DNP, Cardinals drubbed by Oakland
31-10. Maybe the Gatlin Gun needs a shot?

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve: Plays but has no catches in the Bills 28-13 win over the Vikings.
Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter: Broncos handle St Louis 31-17 as Shaw goes for 46 yards on 17 carries and scores a TD. They still don’t use him as a receiver enough as he has 9 catches for 33 yards on the Season.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Practice Squad: Lions lose to Miami 20-17.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter: Jags fall to the Redskins 13-9; Lyon is 0-2 in KRBO and again gives up no sacks. He is not a vital part of their run game, but has only allowed 1 sack in the last 9 games.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter: Stoddard has another big day exploding for 131 yards on 25 carries, scoring his 8th TD of the Season in the Chiefs 37-12 thrashing of Seattle. D-Stod is fast becoming a workhorse behind a strong KC line. He now sits at 880 yards for the Season for the 9-4 Chiefs.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve: DNP in 31-28 win over Baltimore.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Injured: Fletch will finish the Season on IR.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Injured: Upgraded to doubtful but does not play in the Jets 17-12 loss to Green Bay on the Frozen tundra.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Starter: Gus grabs 2 passes for a season high 21 yards in the Jets loss. Makes no impact blocking.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent
Harvey Geary LB-Free Agent

Stoddard carries the flag for the Cougars again with his third 100 game of the Season. Still trails Atlanta’s Sammy Flowers and Miami’s Aaron Curtis for Rushing yards among Rookies, though he is closing the gap. Flowers sits at 999 after 13 games and Curtis has 940 for the Fins.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Commits to BYU Our first FOFC alumni recruit
Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Committed to Florida State
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Committed to San Diego St

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits

[tucker342]

Just read through the dynasty, great stuff!:)

Could you add
City High School located in Iowa City, IA
(it may be called Iowa City High School in TCY, can't remember at the moment)


Go Miners! Beat the Hawkeyes! (take that, Blade... ;) )
I think That would be me that your referring to Jeeber;)

[BYU 14]

Thanks Tucker, glad your enjoying it. I will get Iowa City on the list......Anything to increase our talent pool so we can get an FOFC alumni player to the next level.

Sorry Weinstein7, I don't think our new Punter from Montclair has a future on Sundays.....as long as he doesn't put our D on short fields next year I will be happy though. :)

[Chas in Cinti]

Hey BYU...

How about "Wm Henry Harrison HS, Evansville, IN"

Regards,
Chas

[BYU 14]

Hey BYU...

How about "Wm Henry Harrison HS, Evansville, IN"

Regards,
Chas

You're in Chas, welcome!

[tucker342]

Thanks Tucker, glad your enjoying it. I will get Iowa City on the list......Anything to increase our talent pool so we can get an FOFC alumni player to the next level.

Sorry Weinstein7, I don't think our new Punter from Montclair has a future on Sundays.....as long as he doesn't put our D on short fields next year I will be happy though. :)
Well if it was real life you would get at least one recruit per year (in fact, you Arizona State fans may remember Hakim Hill, great athlete and football player who just couldn't stay out of trouble). Unfortunately it seems like the recruiting in Iowa is usually pretty bleak in TCY...

[BYU 14]

Well if it was real life you would get at least one recruit per year (in fact, you Arizona State fans may remember Hakim Hill, great athlete and football player who just couldn't stay out of trouble). Unfortunately it seems like the recruiting in Iowa is usually pretty bleak in TCY...

Hakim was a great talent. It seems the Sun Devils have had terrible luck with Running backs getting into serious trouble, with the Loren Wade tragedy as well. ASU's lack of discipline has a very talented team in disarray.

[BYU 14]

2010 Weeks 15 through 17

No Games scheduled
Record Overall 11-0 Mountain West 7-0

Bowl Game
Well we get a New Years day game, but it won’t be for the National Title, which is just as well with our Injury situation. Michigan and UCLA will meet for all the marbles and it should be a good game with UCLA led by one time BYU recruit/defector Grady Orton, currently sidelined with a calf injury but he should be back for the game. We draw a tough Florida team who came in at 9-2 with Losses to Bama and Auburn. They are led by true Freshman sensation Bucky Treftz, who ran for 1571 yards and 10 scores. QB Phil Garrett is quietly efficient, compiling passing stats of 139-224-1983 16 TD 5 INT. His favorite target is Eugene Bradford who averaged 18.6 yards on 41 catches. The Gator Defense is absolutely stifling against the run, giving up just 1.85 yards a carry and 56.4 yards per game!! Post will have to be sharp if we have any chance in this one, though they only allowed 196 YPG through the Air. Hopefully our D continues to play lights out as this one will come down to the team that wins field position and makes the fewest mistakes. Statistically our Defense was even better, though not against the same caliber of competition.

Injuries

Bennie Rayburn QB Out-Shoulder Surgery
Wally Jennings RB Out-Torn Achilles Tendon
Mo Mikeska DE Out-Severe Hamstring pull
Donnie Newsome DE Out-Dislocated Knee
Darrin Shields LB Out-Dislocated Elbow

Lenny Finley will be back to give Post another target and there is still a small chance Shields may play…..Bottom line is we will miss all these guys come New Years day.

Recruiting
Visits
None

Commits
None

Our class is complete and we will review this in the post Season report

Mountain West Scoreboard Week 15-16
No games played

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 11 0 0 1.000 491 143 7 0 0 1.000 291 88 Won 11
Air Force 8 3 0 .727 403 208 5 2 0 .714 252 157 Lost 1
San Diego State 6 5 0 .545 223 245 5 2 0 .714 155 147 Won 2
Colorado State 7 4 0 .636 321 221 4 3 0 .571 183 162 Won 1
Wyoming 5 6 0 .454 294 360 3 4 0 .428 171 222 Lost 3
New Mexico 2 9 0 .181 225 377 2 5 0 .285 143 235 Won 2
Utah 3 8 0 .272 249 344 2 5 0 .285 173 232 Lost 2
UNLV 0 11 0 .000 168 398 0 7 0 .000 120 245 Lost 11
</pre></font>
2010 Bowl Games
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Michigan (11-0) vs UCLA (11-0)
Orange Bowl Florida (9-2) vs Brigham Young (11-0)
Fiesta Bowl Nebraska (10-2) vs Louisville (11-0)
Cotton Bowl Miami of Florida (9-2) vs South Carolina (9-3)
Sugar Bowl North Carolina State (8-3) vs Ohio State (8-3)
Peach Bowl Oklahoma (9-3) vs Washington (8-3)
Liberty Bowl Florida State (7-4) vs Texas (10-1)
Gator Bowl West Virginia (9-2) vs Auburn (8-4)
Holiday Bowl Purdue (7-4) vs Air Force (8-3)
Sun Bowl Clemson (6-5) vs Southern California (8-3)
Aloha Bowl Iowa (8-3) vs Georgia (7-4)
Motor City Bowl Georgia Tech (6-5) vs South Florida (10-1)
Independence Bowl Michigan State (7-4) vs Colorado (7-4)
Citrus Bowl Colorado State (7-4) vs Bowling Green (10-2)
Outback Bowl Virginia (6-5) vs Tennessee (7-4)
Alamo Bowl Penn State (6-5) vs Fresno State (10-1)
GMAC Bowl California (7-4) vs San Diego State (6-5)
Bluebonnet Bowl Miami of Ohio (10-2) vs Iowa State (6-5)
Oahu Bowl Washington State (7-5) vs Alabama (7-4)
Tangerine Bowl Boston College (10-1) vs Tulane (9-2)
Gotham City Bowl Toledo (9-2) vs Pittsburgh (9-2)
Humanitarian Bowl Houston (8-3) vs Texas Christian (7-4)
Las Vegas Bowl North Texas (9-2) vs Pennsylvania (8-3)
</pre></font>
We land in the Orange Bowl and it is still a nice payoff for us and the MWC, which sends 4 teams overall, including San Diego St in their first post Season appearance of the dynasty. I like Air Force to win and CSU in an upset. I don’t like the Aztecs chances at all and would feel better about ours if we were healthier….Florida by the will be without their starting TE Tyrus Yeast (nice name) 15-196 1 TD and Starting FB William Hatcher 33-90. QB Phil Garret was also hurt in their last game, but he will be back for us. Go MWC!!

BYU Alumni in the NFL

Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve:
Week 15 49ers 28 Cardinals 13-DNP
Week 16 Chargers 17 Cardinals 7-DNP
Week17 Seahawks 31 Cardinals 30-DNP

Gatlin ends the Season on the Bench as the Cardinals lose their final 6 games. Does not appear that he has a future in the Desert.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve:
Week 15 Patriots 17 Bills 13-Has 3 receptions for 52 yards
Week 16 Bears 19 Bills 6-Season best 4 catches for 22 yards
Week17 Dolphins 24 Bills 20-No Catches

Ellis started to get more involved in the Offense as the Season went on and should be a solid 3rd or 4th receiver in this league if he continues to develop.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter:
Week 15 Raiders 20 Broncos 17-Shaw carries 22 times for 95 yards with 1 TD
Week 16 Seahawks 38 Broncos 13-Has 7 carries for 45 yards in Seahawk rout
Week17 Chiefs 20 Broncos 16-Carries 17 times for only 37 yards

Ends dismal 4-12 campaign, losing for second time to Stoddard and the Chiefs by a 20-16 count. Denver’s line is horrid and Shaw is not good enough to get it done without a good line.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Reserve:
Week 15 Lions 22 Vikings 3-KRBO 0-1
Week 16 Lions 23 Jets 13-KRBO 1-1
Week17 Lions 42 Bears 21-KRBO 2-4

Flynn gets activated for the final 3 games and plays in all three, playing well. Lions finish strong and will be going to the Post Season.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter:
Week 15 Jaguars 30 Texans 10-KRBO 0-1, 1 sack allowed
Week 16 Giants 31 Jaguars 24-KRBO 1-3
Week17 Jaguars 27 Colts 26-KRBO 0-0

Jags finish 6-10 and Lyons plays well as a pass protector, not much of force in the running game. Seems to have found a home with Jacksonville.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter:
Week 15 Chargers 26 Chiefs 20-Carries 28 times for 66 yards
Week 16 49ers 28 Chiefs 14-Gains 70 yards on 14 carries with 1 TD
Week17 Chiefs 20 Broncos 16-Has 19 carries for 64 yards in besting Shaw’s crew

Chiefs limp home but will still make the playoffs as Stoddard surpasses 1000 yards in season ending win against the Broncos, capping off a fine Rookie campaign.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve:
Week 15 Saints 13 Falcons 12-DNP
Week 16 Saints 24 Bengals 7-DNP
Week17 Saints 27 Buccaneers 17-DNP

Sees little action down the stretch, but he will draw a Post Season check as the Saints finish strong winning 5 of last 6.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Injured:
Week 15-IR
Week 16-IR
Week17-IR

Disappointing end for Fletcher who was starting to look comfortable in the Jets offense. His injury is serious and could have long standing effects.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter:
Week 15 Jets 20 Dolphins 18-Has 1 catch for 5 yards in return from injury
Week 16 Lions 23 Jets 13-Gains 9 yards on 2 receptions
Week17 Patriots 31 Jets 24-Has best day as pro with 4 grabs for 73 yards

Joseph returns from injury to play well the final 2 games, needs to work on speed in the off Season to become a truly effective weapon.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve:
Week 15-has 2 receptions for 31 yards against the Dolphins
Week 16-No receptions, plays sparingly against Detroit
Week17-Starts as Jets come out in 2 TE set, has no opportunities for a catch though

Not a bad Season for an un-drafted free agent, he will work hard to stick on the roster in the off Season.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent
Harvey Geary LB-Free Agent

Stoddard was the star of this Season though Shaw could do better with a line and Joseph figures to be a serviceable TE, if he can get over the injury bug. Fletcher is facing a huge obstacle with his injury….a lot of uncertainty as we had to the playoffs for some of our former Cougs. One thing that probably is certain though. The dream is most likely over for the 8 free agents listed above. Best of luck as you move on fella’s. Stoddard, Lyon and Perry will all see action in the playoffs.

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits for 2010

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Commits to BYU Our first FOFC alumni recruit

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Committed to Florida State
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Committed to San Diego St

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits for 2010

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits for 2010

Iowa City HS, Iowa City, IA (Tucker342)
New for 2011 Season

William H Harrison HS, Evansville, IN (Chas in Cinti)
New for 2011 Season

Now up to 7 FOFC Alumni for next year…..

[BYU 14]

2010 Post Season

Orange Bowl Florida 23 BYU 13
Record Overall 11-1 Mountain West 7-0

Leaders
Passing
Paul Post 16-39-287 1 TD 1 Int

Rushing
Julio Fredrickson 21-24
Paul Post 7-6

Receiving
Andy Schroder 9-222 1 TD
Pete Rose 2-22
Julio Fredrickson 2-3

Defense
Wade Such DT 10 tackles 3 assists ½ sack
Roderick Jamison LB 10 tackles 3 assists
Herb Wong LB 6 tackles 2 assists
Ed Cochran CB 5 tackles

Recap
As I thought going in the game was decided by special teams and turnovers, as both teams played outstanding Defense. Florida absolutely stymied Julio Fredrickson and we were equal to the task limiting the sensational Bucky Treftz to 58 yards on 30 carries. In fact the Gators offense were unable to put the ball in the end zone, unfortunately an 86 yard punt return by Eugene Bradford and a 29 yard scamper with a recovered fumble by Martin Schokora gave Florida all they needed on this day. The lone bright spot for the Cougars was Andy “The Threat” Schroder, who carried the BYU offense on his back, lighting up the Florida secondary and earning game MVP honors. We turned the ball over 3 times to Florida’s 1, which negated a 326 to 203 advantage in total yards. At one point our Defense forced Florida to punt on 7 straight possessions, 5 of which were 3 and out. It was a heartbreaking way to end the Season and I can’t help but think things would have been different if Rayburn had played.

Injuries
Wally Jennings RB-Out Torn Achilles Tendon
Mo Mikesha DE-Out Severe Hamstring pull
Donnie Newsome DE-Out Dislocated Knee
Bennie Rayburn QB-Out Shoulder surgery

Shields could have played, but with our Defense playing well, we did not want to risk another injury prior to the combines. Rayburn and Newsome will be ready for the combine and subsequent pre draft workouts, while Jennings and Mikesha will both be fine for spring ball.

Recruiting
Rivals.com ranks our class 12th in the Nation, as land several blue chip prospects. Surprisingly we are only 2nd in the MWC as Air Force lands the 2nd ranked class in the entire country behind Penn State. The Falcons could be a force when this group matures. The Jewels of this class are Diamond Dave Yarborough, Bo Bennett and Martin Autry.
<pre><font face=courier>
Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Mathis, Kennedy QB 6-2 191 OR 78 12 2 1
Gillespie, Shawn RB 5-8 177 KS 194 16 3 2
Bennett, Bo TE 6-5 232 CO 70 2 1 1
Autry, Martin WR 6-1 194 NV 41 6 1 1
Pierce, Lonnie WR 6-2 184 GA 111 12 4 1
Hill, Wade C 6-1 252 PA 628 29 27 1
Wallace, Kim G 6-3 260 ID 134 16 1 1
Garner, D.J. T 6-5 291 UT 217 24 4 1
Tucker, K.C. P 6-0 179 NJ --- 96 79 3
Linquist, Jerome DE 6-4 234 UT 391 33 5 1
Hubbard, Kendrick DT 6-1 232 CA 184 14 21 2
Yarborough, Dave ILB 6-1 223 CA 1 1 1 1
Jefferson, Brandon ILB 6-1 216 IL 382 17 16 2
Ellis, Deion OLB 6-3 214 CA 473 34 58 3
Brandon, Jonathan CB 5-11 165 CA 882 62 --- 10
McGraw, Korey S 6-1 176 UT 688 36 7 1
</pre></font>

Post Season Scoreboard
<pre><font face=courier>
Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Michigan (12-0) 28, UCLA (11-1) 23
Orange Bowl Florida (10-2) 23, Brigham Young (11-1) 13
Fiesta Bowl Nebraska (11-2) 23, Louisville (11-1) 10
Cotton Bowl South Carolina (10-3) 42, Miami of Florida (9-3) 27
Sugar Bowl North Carolina State (9-3) 44, Ohio State (8-4) 19
Peach Bowl Oklahoma (10-3) 22, Washington (8-4) 19
Liberty Bowl Texas (11-1) 24, Florida State (7-5) 14
Gator Bowl West Virginia (10-2) 24, Auburn (8-5) 17
Holiday Bowl Air Force (9-3) 28, Purdue (7-5) 21
Sun Bowl Southern California (9-3) 55, Clemson (6-6) 6
Aloha Bowl Iowa (9-3) 45, Georgia (7-5) 24
Motor City Bowl South Florida (11-1) 48, Georgia Tech (6-6) 31
Independence Bowl Michigan State (8-4) 31, Colorado (7-5) 28
Citrus Bowl Bowling Green (11-2) 35, Colorado State (7-5) 3
Outback Bowl Tennessee (8-4) 17, Virginia (6-6) 10
Alamo Bowl Penn State (7-5) 38, Fresno State (10-2) 24
GMAC Bowl California (8-4) 58, San Diego State (6-6) 7
Bluebonnet Bowl Miami of Ohio (11-2) 37, Iowa State (6-6) 10
Oahu Bowl Washington State (8-5) 45, Alabama (7-5) 28
Tangerine Bowl Boston College (11-1) 28, Tulane (9-3) 17
Gotham City Bowl Toledo (10-2) 14, Pittsburgh (9-3) 10
Humanitarian Bowl Houston (9-3) 47, Texas Christian (7-5) 41
Las Vegas Bowl North Texas (10-2) 21, Pennsylvania (8-4) 17
</pre></font>
The MWC finishes 1-3 in the Bowls and Air Force beats Purdue for the second year in row to salvage some “pride” for the conference. Despite going 7-4 Jeeber’s UTEP Miners are uninvited as a late Season upset loss to Toledo does them in. San Diego State as expected was hammered. CSU’s effort was a big disappointment and of course nothing more needs to be said about the Cougars. Michigan takes their second National Championship in a row and they will be in the hunt next year returning their entire backfield and 3/5 of the Line, though they must replace their 2 leading receivers.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona-Reserve:
Final Stats: 3 for 8 20 yards 0 TD 2 INT

Gatlin appears in 3 games, completing 37.5% of his passes. Signed through 2011, it does not appear that Gatlin will ever be considered as a potential starter here. Will compete with Wally Glen and Dean Alworth for the backup job behind Graham Rivers, who finished 184-337-1677 8 TD 20 INT. It tells you how dire the Cards QB situation is, when Rivers starts with that TD/INT ratio.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo-Reserve:
Final Stats: 10 Receptions 275 yards 15.2 Avg 1 TD

A nice enough rookie campaign. It appears Hitchcock will make a nice 3rd or 4th receiver and could develop into a consistent player. Signed through 2012 he is a good leader and will survive on his knowledge of the game.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver-Starter:

Final Stats: 234 carries 768 yards 3.28 YPC 3 TD, 13 receptions 46 yards 3.5 YPC 1 TD

Shaw fell into a great situation with the salary cap strapped Broncos. They can not afford to upgrade without some maneuvering, which has allowed Shaw to establish himself as starter. The problem is this same issue means Shaw runs behind a patchwork line. He is a powerful inside runner, but is not the type of back that can create his own holes. Signed through 2012, Shaw has proven to be very durable, which is a valuable asset behind the Broncos horrid line.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit-Reserve:

Final Stats: 3 for 8 KRBO (37.5%), allowed 1 sack (1.8%)

Appeared in 8 games for the 11-5 Lions, who made the playoffs and lost 23-20 to the Saints in the Wildcard round. Flynn, signed through 2012, could find himself in the mix if Detroit does not re-sign starter Seth McKinney in the offseason.

Ed Lyon T Jacksonville-Starter:

Final Stats: 8 for 21 KRBO (38%), allowed 4 sacks (1.2%)

Lyon started the final 8 games for the Jags (10 overall) and performed well enough. A strong pass protector, Lyon is a free agent and should end up somewhere as a competent back up if Jacksonville does not resign him.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City-Starter:

Final Stats: 256 carries 1080 yards 4.21 YPC 9 TD, 5 receptions 33 yards 6.6 YPC 1 TD

What can you say about D-Stod, the pride of our dynasty thus far. Had an outstanding Rookie season helping the Chiefs all the way to the Super Bowl where they lost to Washington 24-19. Outstanding breakaway speed and quick to the hole, Stoddard will be a star in this league for sometime to come. Finished third for ROTY, in a close race behind winner Aaron Curtis of Miami. Really cranked it up in the post Season running for 169 yards against Miami and 134 against Indianapolis. Signed through 2013 and the Chiefs will undoubtedly try to keep around for a long while.

Derek Perry FS New Orleans-Reserve:

Final Stats: 2 tackles 2 assists, allowed 1 catch.

Played limited time on all 16 games, mostly on special teams and enjoyed an extended Season as the Saints lost in the 2nd round of the Playoffs to Washington 31-13 . Signed only through 2010, Perry will probably not be brought back and will hope to hook up with someone in the off Season.

Leland Fletcher WR NY Jets-Injured:

Final Stats: 11 receptions 147 yards 13.3 YPC 2 TD.

A somewhat disappointing rookie Season, ended by a shredded Quad in game 13. Fletcher faces a tough off Season of rehab and will be hard pressed to get back at full strength by training camp. Signed through 2013, if he recovers Fletch could become a contributor. Injury does put his future in doubt at this time however.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets-Starter:

Final Stats: 18 receptions 224 yards 12.4 YPC

A huge TE at 284 lbs, Joseph is like an extra Tackle out on the field. If he can improve his speed and overcome the injury bug, Joseph could become a top flight TE. Signed through 2012, Joseph is a clutch third down receiver and will look to help the 9-7 Jets get over the hump and back to the post Season next year.

Gus Cerny TE NY Jets-Reserve:

Final Stats: 10 receptions 84 yards 8.4 YPC 2 TD

Gus is in a familiar spot backing up Joseph. The only consolation is the fact that Josephs durability almost insures he will start several games a year. A free agent, Cerny would do well to resign with the Jets where he did perform adequately when needed.

Barry Irish CB-Free Agent
Barry Wohlman DT-Free Agent
Ed Cramer DT-Free Agent
Harris Diaz LB-Free Agent
Kyle Ballard G-Free Agent
Irv Matney S-Free Agent
Bryant Bruce S-Free Agent
Harvey Geary LB-Free Agent

FOF Forum Alma Mater
Irvin HS, El Paso, TX (JeeberD)
No recruits for 2010

Montclair HS, Montclair, NJ (weinstein7)
KC Tucker P UR/96 Commits to BYU Our first FOFC alumni recruit

Monte Vista HS, Spring Valley, CA (tategter)
Stan Fields P 674/17 Committed to Florida State
Brant Drummond CB 546/41 Committed to San Diego St

Gary Roosevelt HS, Gary, IN (rjolley)
No recruits for 2010

Desert Mountain HS, Scottsdale, AZ (blade6119)
No recruits for 2010

Iowa City HS, Iowa City, IA (Tucker342)
New for 2011 Season

William H Harrison HS, Evansville, IN (Chas in Cinti)
New for 2011 Season

Now up to 7 FOFC Alumni for next year…..

[Tellistto]

Tough luck in the Orange Bowl there. Next season is a new one and hopefully the team will come out fighting once again with the new players coming to bolster the roster.

Tell

[Peregrine]

Just finished reading through this dynasty BYU, good stuff. Any plans to start it up again at some point?

[BYU 14]

Thanks Peregrine,

I have thought about it and actually may....I had originally planned to start a new one with BBCF, but as much as I really think about the game, it just hasn't grabbed me like TCY did, so when I am ready to cut back on playing Oblivion in my free time, I will probably resume this dynasty.

[Izulde]

You've inspired me to start a similiar dynasty, BYU. :)

[Peregrine]

I know the feeling BYU, BBCF has better graphics and so much of a better overall look, but for some reason it seems kind of flat to me so I end up coming back to TCY. But I've also been playing Oblivion, great game.

[BYU 14]

<P>I am feeling a little nostalgic, so I am bringing this back.&nbsp; I always crave TCY from time to time while I wait for version 2 *cough* You there Jim? *cough*</P>
<P>&nbsp;</P>
<P>Have to piece everything back together and we will be running again.</P>

[Vegas Vic]

<P>I am feeling a little nostalgic, so I am bringing this back.</P>

Glad to hear it. I'll be following along.

[BYU 14]

2011 BYU Preseason Report

Preseason Rank: 11th Mountain West Rank: 1st

Roster/Depth Chart

Bold = Returning Starter - Red = Redshirt *Elig = Redshirt used -
*Pos = Walk on – Orange = Suspended
Returning Starters: Offense 5 Defense 7 Specialists 1
First player(s) listed at each position projected starter(s)
Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Post, Paul 4 QB Sr* 39 80
Ellard, Donny 14 QB So* 37 90
Cook, Malcolm 6 QB So* 26 49
Mathis, Kennedy 8 QB Fr 22 95
Davison, Donnie 17 QB* Jr* 26 66

Post actually regressed over the off-season, which does not make me happy for a Senior leader. Ellard is right there and will get some playing time if Post struggles, especially with his upside. Mathis was a prize recruit as the 12th ranked QB in the country. He has huge upside, but lots of work to do to reach the level needed to start for us one day

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Jennings, Wally 22 RB Jr* 72 73
Lane, Steven 32 RB So* 62 92
Gillespie, Shawn 23 RB Fr 42 66
Ah Yat, Perry 47 RB Sr* 36 52
Squires, Leon 30 RB Fr* 35 86

Jennings has a firm grip on the job entering the preseason and brings back 653 yards, despite only starting 6 games due to injury. Lane still has huge upside and will still contribute. The best of a solid squad of backups is Squires, though he is the rawest of the bunch as redshirt freshmen. With our QB not lighting the world on fire through camp and the youth in the receiving corps, Jennings will see an increased workload.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Caskey, Tito 26 FB* So* 9 9
Starks, Broderick 42 FB* Fr* 6 6
They see very little time so they will be expected to keep their grades up and be demons on Special teams, same as always here.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Meyer, Gilbert 91 TE So* 58 80
Levitt, Nick 84 TE Sr* 42 59
Schurman, Ricky 89 TE Fr* 33 66
Bozeman, Jorge 85 TE So 32 79
Bennett, Bo 83 TE Fr 31 93

Gilbert Meyer ran away with the job and leads a capable group. We always seem to have good TE’s and the future is bright with Bo Bennett learning the ropes as a redshirt this season. He was the #2 TE in the nation last year and is Meyers heir apparent.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Finley, Lenny 87 WR Jr* 52 75
Malone, Xavier 80 WR So* 45 85
Autry, Martin 88 WR Fr 45 81
Battistone, John 82 WR Fr* 43 66
Walton, Mitchell 86 WR Sr 36 62
Terrell, Tito 81 WR So 27 47
Pierce, Lonnie 3 WR Fr 27 90

Schroder is gone and will be a huge loss as he starts his NFL career as a first round draft pick. Finley was a part time starter last year, but had injury issues and his durability is a question mark. After him we are real young. Look for true freshman Martin Autry to get plenty of time, along with fellow youngsters Malone and Battistone. These guys need to mature quickly or teams will start loading the box on us.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Zimmerman, Roosevelt 52 C FR* 33 57
Rodgers, T.J. 58 C Jr* 32 67
Hill, Wade 56 C Fr 22 66
Sanders, Mark 54 C* Sr* 12 12
Adams, Dennis 68 G Jr* 67 86
Glover, Bucky 67 G So* 55 95
McCormick, Donald 78 G Fr* 42 74
Riddell, Brian 61 G Sr* 38 78
Dierdorf, Chad 75 G So* 27 86
Wallace, Kim 69 G Fr 19 97
Doe, Kurt 60 G* Jr* 21 39
Webb, Korey 77 T Sr* 85 85
Baxter, Stanley 66 T Jr* 42 95
Suarez, Kirk 65 T Sr* 40 86
Foley, Lionel 62 T So* 35 80
Garner, D.J. 79 T Fr 22 65
Butler, Sherman 63 T Fr* 21 74
Only 2 starters back and both are All-Academic MWC players which means we will at least be smart up front. The real wildcard will be RS freshman Zimmerman at C. He will have to grasp things quickly and make sure we are solid in our protection schemes. If he falters TJ Rodgers is right on his tale. I expect the Offense to struggle at times this season as they gel, but with 4 of 5 potential starters back next year we should get back to putting up the kind of offensive numbers people expect from us.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Tucker, K.C. 7 P Fr 15 28
Haskins, Tony 11 P* So* 7 7
Gurley, Todd 5 K Sr* 60 74
Haugh, Joey 12 K* So* 10 24

Set here at place kicker at least as Gurley returns following a great junior season that saw him named to the all MWC 1st team as kicker. Punter is another issue. Tucker is not really D1 material and we will look for another punter through recruiting. If he is subpar we could give a lot of short field opportunities to people.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Trippi, Jackie 71 DE Sr* 72 80
Mikeska, Mo 97 DE So* 37 60
Wiles, Cedric 73 DE Sr 33 79
Lincoln, Carlton 74 DE Fr* 27 97
Linquist, Jerome 95 DE Fr 18 80
Harrison, Wayne 94 DE* Jr* 19 54
Cortez, Sean 72 DE* Sr* 10 23
Ballard, Reuben 99 DT Jr* 56 81
Cano, Rodney 59 DT Fr* 29 76
Mathews, Bruce 76 DT Jr 26 64
Hubbard, Kendrick 92 DT Fr 23 100
Yardley, Ronnie 98 DT* Jr 3 3

Donnie Newsome has taken his game to the next level, but Jackie Trippi is a returning all MWC 1st team performer, with 36 career sacks (20 last year) He should break Newsome’s MWC record if all goes well. Mikesha and Ballard will be the other two starters and both have some starting experience under their belts filling in due to injuries. Mikesha started 4 games last year and Ballard started 6 as a freshman. This group should be good and give out Linebackers plenty of opportunities to make plays.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Arreola, Benjamin 50 ILB Jr* 86 86
Reynolds, Andrew 96 ILB Sr* 58 82
Huntley, Dennis 35 ILB So* 44 80
Yarborough, Dave 51 ILB Fr 30 94
Jefferson, Brandon 45 ILB Fr 27 62
Hoover, Bucky 49 ILB Fr* 13 67
Winslett, Pete 44 OLB Sr* 83 83
Gomez, Jesse 93 OLB Jr* 62 85
Johnstone, Jimmy 43 OLB Fr* 39 100
Buchanan, Harold 40 OLB So* 34 80
Morrow, Myron 53 OLB Jr 27 50
Rigney, Stan 48 OLB Fr* 18 38
Ellis, Deion 57 OLB Fr 10 60

We lost 2 starters, but will still be real good here, led by hard hitting Benjamin Arreola and all MWC 1st selection Pete Winslett on the outside. Arreola has started every game since coming to BYU and is a rugged performer who will team well with Sr Andrew Reynolds. Winslett is valued for his pass coverage skills and is able to effectively neutralize most TE’s he faces. The pipeline is stocked here, especially inside with super stud Diamond Dave Yarborough in the wings. He was the top ranked player in the country last year and we are lucky not only to have him, but to be able to redshirt him this season. He will be a four year starter.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Noisy, Jerome 27 CB Sr 72 72
Malano, Kendall 2 CB So* 60 92
Palmer, Levon 1 CB Fr* 35 60
Mason, Kurt 31 CB Jr 32 56
Brandon, Jonathan 20 CB Fr 24 58
Meadows, Jeremy 24 CB* Sr 21 43
Sweeney, Shaun 36 S Jr* 67 67
Timlin, Kendall 41 S Jr 66 97
Streck, Wade 37 S Sr* 37 69
Carlson, Andre 15 S Fr* 33 100
Bethea, Andrew 28 S So 32 59
McGraw, Korey 29 S Fr 23 56

The strength of what will be a very good defense this Season returns all 4 starters, 3 of whom will return next season as well! Jerome Noisy has started since he was a true freshman and has 11 career picks, 3 of which have gone house. Soph Kendall Malano may end up being even better when it is all said and done, as he is a ferocious hitter in run support and solid in both man and zone coverage. Timlin at FS has 2 seasons left and will likely play on Sundays when he leaves BYU.

Players to watch
Benjamin Arreola ILB
Korey Webb OT
Pete Winslett OLB
Wally Jennings RB
Jackie Trippi DE
Jerome Noisy CB

Top Newcomers
Martin Autry WR

We have several here, but only Autry is needed to make an immediate impact.

2011 Schedule

Team Rank: 11
Rival: Utah
Stadium Capacity: 65,000
Season Tickets Sold: 65,000
Week Opponent
2 MEMPHIS
4 (40) TEXAS-EL PASO
$$5 at (25) Air Force
6 RUTGERS
$$7 WYOMING
$$8 at San Diego State
9 at (20) Notre Dame
$$10 UNLV
$$11 NEW MEXICO
$$12 at Colorado State
$$13 UTAH
Home Games in ALL CAPS
$$-Conference Games

Outlook
At this point anything less than a top 15 finish and a MWC title would be considered a failure. Air force again should be our top competition as their highly ranked recruiting class should make an immediate impact. Utah should rebound as they return some weapons, but depth is lacking from the hated school up north. I don't think our offense is strong enough to make another big run at the BCS, but we should remain a cusp top 10 team all season with our Defense. A couple of good test early against Air Force and Memphis will tell us more. We also have Notre Dame, in what has become a very good rivalry.

BYU Alumni Pre Season report
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona (3) -The Cards have 6 QB’s on the preseason roster, including the top FA from the offseason Eli Manning. His days in Arizona are likely numbered as he is currently on the practice squad.

Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® - Undrafted FA, assigned to the Cardinals practice squad, probably not going to stick

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Once again begins the year on the practice Squad, though he was activated and hauled in 18 balls last season.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® - Taken as a 3rd round pick, he will be the Cowboys starting punter, very strong leg.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Lost his job as starter to 4 overall pick Bo Chavous of Nebraska. Still a punishing inside runner, his 3.26 career YPG are not feature back stuff.

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® - In a huge surprise 4th round pick Jamison has won the starting job at Mike for the Broncos. Great pass rusher and above average upside. Could turn into a real steal for Denver.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) -Will continue to back up veteran Richie May. Was thought to be the Center of the future, but May has been extended through 2014.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® - A truly sad story, the MWC all-time sack leader was plagued by injuries his senior year and despite being a 2nd round pick, finds himself on the practice squad as the Lions brass are not impressed with his physicality.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® - An undrafted FA, Such is penciled in to start at LDT for the pack. This speaks more to the Packers problems at the DT spot (all three players on the active roster are undrafted FA’s) then it does for anything Such has done. The pack will struggle to stop the run this year.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) - He will carry the load as KC’s starter after a 1000 yard rookie campaign, look for him to develop into one of the better backs in the AFC if he stays healthy.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® - Made the squad as a back up after being picked in the 6th round. Good upside, but will need time.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® - 5th rd pick, not very tough across the middle, which lands him on the practice squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - The Pats 1st round pick (13 overall) will step right into the starting lineup with his 4.4 speed and big play ability. “The Threat” is the best prospect of this draft form BYU.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Still stuck behind Santana Moss and Sean Thornton, Fletch begins the season inactive due to a torn Quad. Could be out up to 11 weeks.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Will back up big FA signing Jeremy Shockey from the Giants, a move which also spelled doom for Gus Cerny, who was released.

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® - Brought in as an undrafted FA, Fredrickson rushed for over 600 yds last year for the Cougars and should see time on special teams.

Baxter Ellis C Oakland ® - 7th round pick of the Raiders, made the squad and the Jets love his potential (89) as a run blocker. Begins the year as a back up.

Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®

Geary after a decent rookie season was cut by Arizona after only 7 games last year. He and Harris Diaz, who has not played since 2009 look to be done, while Perry may hook up as a special teams player somewhere. Of the Rookies it appears none have what it takes to play in the NFL. Rayburn was fine in 2010 for us when at 100%, but is regarded as a system QB lacking the tools an NFL QB needs.

[dunkie23]

Glad you started this up again. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 1

Bye Week
Record Overall 0-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
N/A

Rushing
N/A

Receiving
N/A

Defense
N/A

Recap
N/A

Injuries
None

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

Make mostly phone calls this week, contacting the #2 QB in the country in Darrin Canty, he expresses concern about distance. I also contact 2 very good backs from California in Jerald Kong and Gino Blake. Kong has also been contacted by USC and UCLA, so he will be tough to pull. The best Utah recruit is T Glen Lee #2 Tackle and #46 overall. Hopefully we convince him to stay home.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Michigan 51 - Air force 3
Wyoming 24 Illinois 17
Washington 44 New Mexico 10
Colorado St 24 San Jose St 10

Rough times for the Falcons, maybe they are not top 25 material after all. The Lobos got what could be expected and CSU won a game it should have. The Cowboys win is impressive, even though it comes against a mid tier Big 10 team. Wyoming has been a fairly consistent 5-7 team over the last few years for the most part and are usually tough.

Mountain West Standings
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Colorado State 1 0 0 1.000 24 10 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 1 0 0 1.000 24 17 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
UNLV 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 11
Brigham Young 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
San Diego State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Utah 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
New Mexico 0 1 0 .000 0 44 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Air Force 0 1 0 .000 3 51 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1

Next weeks Schedule
Memphis at BYU
Wyoming at Texas
UNLV at Kentucky
New Mexico at Northern Illinois
San Diego St at Columbia
Hawaii at Air Force

We have more talent than Memphis as their best player is their FB, who I can not see beating us. Their QB Jr Artie Alexander threw for 1686 yards last year, but was picked off 22 times and only threw 6 TDs. That does not bode well for them against our experienced secondary. Wyoming has balls, going to Texas for game 2, if they win this one they will be a force this year. SDSU continues a MWC tradition of playing cupcake Ivy League teams early.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Dwight Gatlin QB Arizona (3) – His career may be over as he was released by the Cardinals before the last pre-season game

Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® - Gets 13 plays in a 38 – 32 loss to San Francisco, no statistics of note.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Ellis is activated in time for the opener against New England and has 1 catch for 16 yards. The Bills rout the Patriots 35 – 13.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® - Makes a solid debut for “America’s team” punting 5 times for a 41.4 avg with a long of 49 and one kick downed inside the 20. Cowboys lose 23 – 17 to Philly. 

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – The Broncos fall to Oakland 16 – 7 and Calvin is limited to 8 yards on 4 carries. Rookie Bo Chavous, who supplanted him as starter has a mediocre NFL debut with 14 carries for 46 yards.

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® - Decent game for the Rookie in the loss as he garners 5 tackles, 2 assists and 1 pass defensed.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Plays on special teams on a 30 – 24 loss to the Vikings, no stats.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® - Donnie is activated and gets 6 plays against Minnesota with no stats. I am hoping he can stick; he was one of my favs at BYU.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® - One surprise is that the Packers won with their weak D-Line, 26 – 23 over Chicago. Even bigger is Wade’s stat line. 8 tackles and .5 sack, great game for someone who has no business on an NFL roster.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – The Chiefs get the W 27 – 24 over the Chargers, but D-Stod is bottled up fairly well with only 57 yards on 19 carries and 1 catch for 3 yards.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® - Shields gets 2 tackles and forces a fumble in very limited duty, not bad for 8 plays. Dolphins lose to the Jets 31 – 28.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® - Remains on the practice squad, did not play.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Logs 3 catches for 24 yards in the 35 – 13 pasting suffered at the hands of Buffalo. The yards will come a little tougher in the NFL for “The Threat”

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Ends up being probable with his Quad injury and gets in on a few plays, no catches in the 31 – 28 win over Miami.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Not surprisingly is barely on the field backing up Shockey, mostly in on run plays, no stats.

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® - Julio sees time in the backfield carrying the ball 11 times for 23 yards.

Baxter Ellis C Oakland ® - Sees limited action in the 16 – 7 win over Denver. Does not accumulate any stats.

Of all players, I have to give this weeks Game Ball to Green Bay DT Wade Such, who had a surprisingly impressive debut.


Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

All the guys are still working out and hoping as they welcome Gatlin to the club.

Note - After restarting this I wonder why I ever stopped doing it. I was probably more immersed in this diary than any I have done - Good to see all these old names again.

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 2

BYU 42 Memphis 6
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 16-26-199 2 TD, 1 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 15-154 1 TD
Donny Ellard 8-34 1 TD

Receiving
Lenny Finley 6-88 1 TD
Wally Jennings 3-15 1 TD
Gilbert Meyer 3-30

Defense
Shaun Sweeny SS 8 tackles, 1 assist
Jesse Gomez OLB 6 tackles, 1 sack
Andrew Reynolds ILB 4 tackles, 1 sack
Kendal Timlin FS 4 tackles, 1 Int returned for TD

Recap
A sellout crowd of 65,000 packs LES to cheer us on to a decisive opening victory. As expected our Defense sets the tone, limiting Memphis’ talented RB Skip Fantozzi to 36 yards on 17 carries. We also sack Artie Alexander 5 times, which offsets his 13-18 passing performance. All in all we limit them to 166 total yards and an average of 2.9 per play. I decide last minute to start the Sophomore Donny Ellard as Paul Post has just not worked hard enough in my opinion. Ellard is solid and adds a dimension Post does not as a decent runner. The true star of the game of course is Jennings, who averages over 10 yards a carry, including 2 runs of over 40 yards.

Injuries
None – Always great news!!

Recruiting

Visits
Cris Young WR Kanab, UT - Overall 528, Position 44
Floyd Whitcomb CB Salt Lake City, UT - Overall 726, Position 51
Mitchell Beam S Monument Vally, UT - Overall 826, Position 55

Commits
None

We get 3 local recruits tripping, all solid players, but not superstars. The secondary players in particular will add needed depth and I think we should land all 3 of these players.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 42 Memphis 6
Texas 37 Wyoming 6
Kentucky 31 UNLV 6
Air Force 54 Hawaii 7
Northern Illinois 49 New Mexico 3
San Diego St 63 Columbia 28

Wyoming comes crashing back to earth at the hands of the Longhorns and UNLV is stymied by Kentucky. Air Force obviously had a chip on their shoulder after the opening game debacle against Michigan and Hawaii pays dearly. The biggest embarrassment for the week goes once again to the Lobos who are obliterated by the Huskies.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 42 6 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 1 0 0 1.000 63 28 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Colorado State 1 0 0 1.000 24 10 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Air Force 1 1 0 .500 57 58 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 1 1 0 .500 30 54 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Utah 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
UNLV 0 1 0 .000 6 31 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 12
New Mexico 0 2 0 .000 3 93 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
Next weeks Schedule
UNLV at Iowa
Boston College at Wyoming
South Carolina at Air Force
Colorado St at Hawaii
New Mexico at Yale
San Diego St at Northern Illinois (TV3)
Brown at Utah

Some interesting matchups this week. Give Wyoming and Air Force credit, they are taking on BCS teams while Utah opens with Ivy league patsy Brown and New Mexico looks to get off the snide at Yale, a game they could lose. The Aztecs go to Northern Illinois to see if they can fair better than the Lobos did last week. We have a Bye, so I will be hitting the recruiting trail.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® - Gets only 4 plays in a 25-19 loss to Baltimore, no statistics.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Records 3 catches off the bench against the Eagles for 46 yards and a touchdown. Bills move to 2-0 with a 26-15 win.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Cowboys beat Miami 20-13, Linquist punts 7 times for a 43.4 average with a long of 55. For the season he now has 6 inside the 20, great weapon.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – A dismal day in a 21-16 loss to the Bears as Shaw has 7 carries for 8 yards and 1 catch for 4 yards.

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Roderick starts and is again decent with 4 tackles and 3 assists in the loss to Chicago.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Did not play as Detroit beats Oakland 23-17

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Donnie gets in for a few plays in the win over the Raiders and blocks a pass.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Starts and gets 2 tackles, 1 assist and a sack as the Packers fall to KC 19-13. Wade could turn into the story of the year.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – Stoddard picks it up gaining 75 yards on 15 carries in the 19-13 win over Such’s Packers. He also pulls in 1 reception for 7 yards.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Did not play in the 20-13 loss to Dallas.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - “The Threat” picks it up in week 2 pulling in 5 receptions for 52 yards as the Patriots beat Washington 24-13.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Limited PT sees Leland garner 1 catch for 6 yards as the Jets beat the Giants 27-21.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Joseph makes the most of his playing time with 2 catches for 25 yards in the win over the Giants.

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – The Jets are giving Julio some time behind DeShaun Foster as he carries 12 times for 39 yards this week against the G-Men.

Baxter Ellis C Oakland ® – Again no stats in a handful of plays in the Raiders 23-17 los to the Lions.

Close in my mind between Stoddard and Schroder, but in the end I have to go with Stoddard for my weekly game ball.

Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

Phone is not a ringing

[Izulde]

Northern Illinois is the Huskies, btw. :)

Salukis is Southern Illinois.

Fantastic to see this back and I'm once again getting that urge... only with a different school than Wyoming this time. :D

[BYU 14]

Northern Illinois is the Huskies, btw. :)

Salukis is Southern Illinois.

Fantastic to see this back and I'm once again getting that urge... only with a different school than Wyoming this time. :D

Doh, fixed it, I always mix them up.

Just keep that DDS: PB diary going, that was one of the reasons I picked this back up, wanting to see how my Cougars would continue to do into the future. Mateen Yeaton for the HOF :)

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 3

Bye
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
N/A

Rushing
N/A

Receiving
N/A

Defense
N/A

Recap
N/A.

Injuries
None

Recruiting

Visits
Brock Russell CB Pearl City, HI – Overall 7, position 1
Carlton Sanford DE Stockton, CA – Overall 33, Position 7
Glen Lee T Beaver, UT – Overall 46, Position 2
Earnest Boyd S Las Vegas, NV – Overall 140, Position 7
Timothy Dela Cruz OLB Visalia, CA – Overall 211, Position 11
Rod Downs OLB Page, AZ – Overall 229, Position 13
Grant Norton TE San Diego, CA – Overall 470, Position 11

Commits
None

Some big recruits in for this early in the Season, including the nations #1 CB and Utah’s top player. Lee would be a huge get as we need a future stud at OT and we should have an advantage with him being a homegrown player and Utah down right now. He is getting a ton of attention however, with offers from Air Force, Miami, Nebraska, USC and Texas. His only other visit scheduled right now is to Texas. Brock has offers from Michigan, South Florida and Washington St, but we are the only school he is tripping right now. He could step in and start as a true freshman next year.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Iowa 21 UNLV 14
Wyoming 44 Boston College 38
Air Force 38 South Carolina 14
Hawaii 35 Colorado St 10
New Mexico 45 Yale 42
Northern Illinois 42 San Diego St 39
Brown 10 Utah 7

How inept is Utah’s offense going to be this year losing 10-7 to Brown!! New Mexico wins, but giving up 42 to Yale is nothing to get happy about. Wyoming and Air Force show they are going to be competitive, with each recording big wins over BCS teams, while UNLV at least acquitted themselves well.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 42 6 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Air Force 2 1 0 .666 95 72 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Wyoming 2 1 0 .666 74 92 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 1 1 0 .500 102 70 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Colorado State 1 1 0 .500 34 45 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
New Mexico 1 2 0 .333 48 135 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Utah 0 1 0 .000 7 10 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
UNLV 0 2 0 .000 20 52 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 13

Next weeks Schedule
Utah at Minnesota
Colorado at Colorado St
Kansas at Wyoming
San Diego St at Arizona St
UTEP at BYU (TV4)

If Utah struggled against Brown, they could be in big trouble against Minnesota who is averaging 36 points a game led by Brock Van Pelt and his 5.63 YPC average. The Gophers D is not exactly stellar though giving up 29.5 PPG, so the Utes may be able to hang with them. We face UTEP who is still running Irving Monroe’s old school T formation attack. They are led by 3rd year starter BJ Coles at one HB spot, who has run for 234 yards in 2 games averaging 7.0 per carry. Junior QB Irv Charneski is a duel threat passing for over 1700 yards and running for over 400 in each of his first 2 years at the helm. They also have 5 takeaways in 2 games and will be aggressive on Defense.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – The Cards get their first win, 24-13 over Carolina but Longmate does not play.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Gets a bit more PT as the Bills fall to Cincinnati 45-42 for their first loss of the season. Ellis has 4 catches for 54 yards. For the season he has caught 9 of 10 balls thrown his way.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Dallas is beat down by Detroit 35-3 and Mack has his worst day of the season averaging only 36.6 on 6 punts. He has put 8 of 18 punts inside the 20 for the year though.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Another Denver loss (0-3) this time to the Jaguars as Shaw runs for 16 yards on 5 carries in relief of Chavous.

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Starts and has a good day against the Jags despite the loss, recording 7 tackles and 1 assist.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Flynn sees some PT in the Lions 35-3 romp over Dallas and goes 0 for 1 in KRB (key run blocks)

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Newsome also sees more action and records his first 2 tackles of the Season in the win over the Cowboys.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – The Cinderella man starts and gets 2 tackles and 1 assist as the Packers lose their 2nd in a row to San Francisco 30-24. Through 3 games Wade has 12 tackles, 2 assists and 1.5 sacks.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – D Stod busts out in style as he scores 2 TD’s and goes for 124 yards on only 11 carries, as the Chiefs beat the Steelers 24-16 to move to 3-0.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Dolphins fall to Indy 37-28 and Shields records 1 tackle in limited action.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - 2 catches for 21 yards for Schroder as New England is stymied by Tennessee 23-6. There are calls for a change at QB as Donovan McNabb is showing the effects of age.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Does not play as the Jets edge Cleveland 17-9 to also move to 3-0.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Not much time for Joseph either as he records no stats in the win.

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – In keeping with the pattern, Fredrickson also sees his lowest amount of PT thus far, gaining 7 yards on just 2 carries and chipping in his first catch of the season for 16 yards.

Baxter Ellis C Oakland ® – Baxter gets some mop up duty as the Raiders fall to Houston 30-11. He is 1 for 1 in KRB, but also allows a sack.

Easy decision for the game ball this week as Stoddard turned in far and away the best performance of our alumni.

Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

Not going anywhere for a while?

[BYU 14]

Passing
Player Pos Team GP GS Att Cmp Pct Yards Avg Lg TD Int
Lazer, Willie QB SDST 2 2 73 44 60.2 757 10.36 56 7 2
Ellard, Donny QB BYU 1 1 26 16 61.5 199 7.65 31 2 1
Briggs, Dennis QB UTAH 1 1 24 16 66.6 148 6.16 32 1 0
Borrego, Orlando QB AFA 3 3 75 38 50.6 533 7.10 36 5 7
Griffith, Ernie QB CSU 2 2 55 30 54.5 374 6.80 57 2 4
Cosell, A.J. QB WYOM 3 3 65 35 53.8 395 6.07 44 2 2
Harding, Richard QB UNLV 2 2 70 36 51.4 416 5.94 50 2 1
Bridges, Lance QB NMEX 2 1 47 22 46.8 273 5.80 29 2 2
Perez, Dexter QB NMEX 2 2 53 21 39.6 226 4.26 30 0 3

Rushing
Player Pos Team GP GS Att Yards Avg Lg TD YPG
Jennings, Wally RB BYU 1 1 15 154 10.2 46 1 154.0
Gill, Ben RB UTAH 1 1 29 115 3.9 17 0 115.0
Hopkins, Clyde RB WYOM 3 3 58 281 4.8 47 3 93.6
Starks, Brant RB CSU 2 2 42 176 4.1 32 1 88.0
Comella, Mo RB SDST 2 2 25 124 4.9 36 2 62.0
Kovach, Kendall RB CSU 2 0 27 116 4.2 24 1 58.0
Farley, Brant RB NMEX 3 3 45 174 3.8 26 1 58.0
Rhett, Bruce RB AFA 3 3 47 132 2.8 24 2 44.0
Reynolds, Skip RB UNLV 2 2 25 88 3.5 18 0 44.0
Harding, Richard QB UNLV 2 2 25 -4 -0.1 14 0 -2.0

Receiving
Player Pos Team GP GS Targ Ctch Yards Avg YAC Lg TD
Chatman, Quinn WR SDST 2 2 21 16 247 15.4 159 55 5
Stark, Jose WR AFA 3 3 29 15 296 19.7 118 36 1
Whipple, Claude FB WYOM 3 3 14 11 61 5.5 44 15 0
Wisne, William WR NMEX 3 2 25 11 148 13.4 29 28 1
Henson, Jumbo WR SDST 2 2 17 10 193 19.3 59 43 1
Ford, Brandon WR UNLV 2 2 19 9 115 12.7 14 30 0
Hopkins, Clyde RB WYOM 3 3 15 8 104 13.0 72 44 1
Ashe, Desmond WR NMEX 3 0 13 7 111 15.8 26 30 1
Henson, Brandon WR SDST 2 2 13 7 147 21.0 44 56 1
Aaron, Sammie WR NMEX 3 3 21 6 82 13.6 18 29 0
Finley, Lenny WR BYU 1 1 8 6 88 14.6 40 21 1
Cassidy, Duane WR UNLV 2 2 10 6 77 12.8 0 19 0
James, Antonio TE AFA 3 2 13 6 94 15.6 53 33 2
Powell, Albert TE CSU 2 2 10 6 69 11.5 11 19 0
Desmond, Blake WR UTAH 1 1 9 6 66 11.0 16 22 0
Fulcher, Ross WR CSU 2 2 12 6 60 10.0 43 15 1
Sacco, Charles WR UNLV 2 1 11 6 88 14.6 47 34 1

Defense
Player Pos Team GP GS Tckl Asst Sack TFL Blkd Hurr
Wallace, Victor S NMEX 3 3 27 9 0.0 4 0 0
Stuart, Arnold ILB NMEX 3 3 27 10 0.0 2 0 0
Stevenson, Daniel ILB AFA 3 3 19 7 0.0 6 0 0
Torres, Marlon S WYOM 3 3 18 11 0.0 4 0 0
Kinney, Myron S AFA 3 3 18 5 0.0 2 0 0
Shelton, Corwin OLB WYOM 3 3 18 3 0.0 2 0 0
Springer, Leo S SDST 2 2 18 2 0.0 4 0 0
Fielding, Spencer OLB WYOM 3 3 17 5 1.0 2 0 0
Shula, Skip ILB UNLV 2 2 16 8 0.0 2 0 0
Allen, Julio ILB WYOM 3 3 16 9 0.0 2 0 0

Player Pos Team GP GS Ints IRYd TD Cght Defn PPly PDPct
Wallace, Victor S NMEX 3 3 2 14 0 4 2 70 23.1
Henderson, Neal CB SDST 2 0 2 92 1 1 0 27 27.0
Spielman, Malcolm CB AFA 3 3 2 37 0 7 3 75 22.5
Fielding, Spencer OLB WYOM 3 3 1 0 0 3 1 75 21.0
Rivers, Tito S AFA 3 3 1 32 0 4 2 84 21.3
Slack, Ross ILB NMEX 3 2 1 0 0 2 0 42 21.1
Stevenson, Daniel ILB AFA 3 3 1 10 0 8 1 78 19.2
Castellanos, Eddie CB UNLV 2 2 1 0 0 3 1 56 21.4
Porter, Amos CB CSU 2 0 1 27 0 3 0 57 20.3
Brookins, Matt CB AFA 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 41 21.9
Wheeler, Earl CB WYOM 3 3 1 0 0 3 1 65 21.2
Boyle, Raymond S CSU 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 13 28.4
Kelly, Donny ILB AFA 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 12 29.1
Allen, Julio ILB WYOM 3 3 1 0 0 5 0 74 19.5
Sutton, Harris OLB AFA 3 3 1 27 1 1 0 49 21.6
Henderson, Trent CB CSU 2 2 1 6 0 6 3 68 21.6
Nixon, Mitchell CB AFA 3 0 1 24 0 8 1 64 19.0
Timlin, Kendall S BYU 1 1 1 39 1 1 0 16 25.0
Brandon, Artie S SDST 2 2 1 18 0 4 1 79 20.6
Jett, Jorge S NMEX 3 3 1 46 0 3 2 57 22.4
Brady, Phillip ILB WYOM 3 3 1 18 0 6 1 66 19.9
Nomellini, Derek CB AFA 3 3 1 0 0 2 2 63 22.6
O'Neill, Rob CB CSU 2 0 1 11 0 3 0 41 20.4

Blocking
Player Pos Team GP GS KRB KRO BPct SkA PPly SPct RPly OPct
Bowie, Tyrone G NMEX 3 3 13 31 41.9 0 89 0.0 69 44.9
Marshall, Jackie G WYOM 3 3 9 34 26.4 0 64 0.0 125 27.2
Hane, Glen C AFA 3 3 9 22 40.9 1 68 1.4 94 23.4
Johnston, Deron T AFA 3 3 9 17 52.9 1 82 1.2 98 17.3
Harder, Oscar C CSU 2 2 8 13 61.5 1 57 1.7 71 18.3
Connell, Wendell T AFA 3 3 7 27 25.9 1 79 1.2 100 27.0
Boltwood, Wally C WYOM 3 3 7 24 29.1 2 63 3.1 124 19.3
Meyer, Nate T WYOM 3 3 6 13 46.1 0 63 0.0 124 10.4
Shwiner, Leonard G WYOM 3 3 6 17 35.2 0 64 0.0 123 13.
Austin, Damon T NMEX 3 3 6 11 54.5 0 90 0.0 73 15.0
Arriaga, Oscar G AFA 3 3 6 14 42.8 0 84 0.0 100 14.0
Graham, Ronald G SDST 2 2 5 14 35.7 1 70 1.4 36 38.8
Butler, Darnell G UNLV 2 2 5 9 55.5 0 69 0.0 35 25.7
Santoki, Kirk T WYOM 3 3 5 23 21.7 1 64 1.5 126 18.2
Duncan, Isaac C UTAH 1 1 5 18 27.7 0 24 0.0 43 41.8
Grim, Bernard G UTAH 1 1 5 9 55.5 0 24 0.0 43 20.9
Davis, Nick G SDST 2 2 5 12 41.6 2 71 2.8 36 33.3
Kelleher, Willie G CSU 2 2 5 8 62.5 1 56 1.7 69 11.5

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 4

BYU 33 Utep 17
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 0-0

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 16-24-379 3 TD

Rushing
Wally Jennings 27-198 1 TD
Donny Ellard 5-8

Receiving
Wally Jennings 5-37
Lenny Finley 4-173 1 TD
Xavier Malone 3-128 2 TD

Defense
Jesse Gomez OLB 9 tackles, 3 assists
Shaun Sweeney SS 6 tackles, 2 assists, 1 Int
Benjamin Arreola ILB 5 tackles, 5 assists
Andrew Reynolds ILB 5 tackles, 3 assists

Recap
We were certainly not consistent as UTEP’s high pressure defense gave us fits at times, but is also left the door open for big plays and we made plenty of them! Starting on the second play of the opening drive when Wally Jennings went 76 yards for a score the hits kept coming. An 82 yard TD pass from Ellard to Malone early in the 2nd quarter. A 94 yard strike from Ellard to Finley in the 3rd quarter. Finally, a 33 yard pitch and catch, Ellard to Malone to finish the scoring. UTEP added a 97 yd kickoff return for six by Dexter Diefendorf and actually cut our lead to 26-17 early in the 4th quarter before Malone’s last TD iced it. Defensively we did a great job limiting the Miners vaunted rushing game to 94 yards on 39 carries and harassed Irv Charneski into a horrid 13-32 performance throwing the ball.

Injuries
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Out up to 8 weeks

This is devastating. Though Cedric Wiles played well in Trippis place recording 2 sacks, he is just not Trippi. This is not only damaging to our front 7, but it also means Trippi will not break former Teammate Donnie Newsome’s all-time MWC sack record. Jerome Noisy suffered a broken hand against UTEP, but he is probable and should not miss any time.

Recruiting

Visits
Spencer Reuter P Stockton, CA – Overall135, Position 3
Gino Fuller WR San Jose, CA – Overall 137, Position 9

Commits
None

Two kids in this week and we could use them both, especially Reuter as our punting has been atrocious with KC Tucker averaging a paltry 33.1 yards a kick, with a long of only 41. Fuller would definitely keep our tradition of great receivers going and he is our #1 priority at this position.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 33 UTEP 17
Utah 38 Minnesota 17
Colorado 35 Colorado St 30
Wyoming 38 Kansas 3
Arizona St 45 San Diego St 14

Could Brown be that good?? I can’t imagine it, but they are 2-0 right now. Minnesota’s defense lived up to their porous billing as they were torched by the Utes. Wyoming definitely has to be recognized for their stellar OOC play as they go 3-1 against the BCS. The Pokes are led by Sr. RB Clyde Hopkins, who has 362 yards through four games and the surprising play of redshirt freshman AJ Cosell at QB who has thrown for 600 yards and 5 TD’s. The QB spot was a real area of concern for Wyoming as they had 2 freshmen, a sophomore and 2 walk-ons competing for the job.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 75 23 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Wyoming 3 1 0 .750 112 95 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Air Force 2 1 0 .666 95 72 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Utah 1 1 0 .500 45 27 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 1 2 0 .333 116 115 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
Colorado State 1 2 0 .333 64 80 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
New Mexico 1 2 0 .333 48 135 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
UNLV 0 2 0 .000 20 52 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 13

Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Air Force (TV2)
San Diego St at Colorado St
Wyoming at UNLV
Utah at New Mexico

Conference play opens up with a huge game between us and Air Force. The winner of this one has the inside track to the MWC Championship, with Wyoming likely to be the only major obstacle remaining for the winner. The Falcons are also led by an electrifying redshirt freshman at QB in Orlando Borrego. He was the #1 ranked QB coming out in 2009 and has thrown for 533 yards and rushed for 136, which leads the team. He has however shown a tendency to force throws and has 7 interceptions on 3 games. We will look to pressure him and force mistakes, but having Trippi on the sideline will make this a bit more difficult.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – No action for Tom as an inspired Eli Manning leads the Cards to a 42-13 trouncing of his former team the Giants.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Hitchcock has no balls even thrown his way as the Bills fall meekly to the Dolphins 38-6

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Bye Week

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Bye Week

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Bye Week

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Flynn gets in against the Saints and goes 0 for 1 on KRB’s in the Lions 34-21 loss.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Newsome sees limited action against the Saints recording 1 assist.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Such has 2 assists and blocks a pass as Green Bay falls to division rival Minnesota 26-13.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – Stoddard garners his second straight 100 yard game, gaining 101 yards on 13 carries, but it can’t save the Chiefs from their first loss of the year as they fall 13-12 to the Jets. He also catches 1 pass for 17 yards.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Does not play in the Dolphins 38-6 rout of Buffalo.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Schroder has his best game yet as a pro with 6 receptions for 107 yards and his first NFL TD. He also returns 5 kickoffs for 123 yards as the Pats defeat Oakland 23-19.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Does not play again in the Jets 13-12 win over KC.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Joseph has 2 thrown his way, but comes up empty both times.

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Julio is back in rotation getting 10 carries for 30 yards in the Jets win.

Baxter Ellis C Oakland ® – does not play in the 23-19 loss to the Pats.

Another close one, but I have to with Schroder this week as he tops 100 yards receiving and scores his first NFL TD. Most importantly his team gets the W as well.

Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

And they wait…..

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 5

Air Force 27 BYU 24
Record Overall 2-1 Mountain West 0-1

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 26-45-389 3 TD, 4 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 8-36
Steven Lane 14-36

Receiving
Lenny Finley 8-165
Xavier Malone 5-57 2 TD
Gilbert Meyer 4-66

Defense
Benjamin Arreola ILB 8 tackles, 5 assists
Kendall Timlin FS 4 tackles, 2 assists
Jerome Noisy CB 4 tackles, 1 assist
Cedric Wiles DE 3 tackles, 2 assists, 1/2 sack

Recap
Two young Quarterbacks playing in their first big game as the winner would become the clear frontrunner for the MWC Title. Air Forces Orlando Borrego was completely neutralized going 7-20 for only 90 yards and an Int. He did not however, do anything to put the Falcons in peril. Ellard on the other hand was brilliant at times, yet his mistakes proved costly as 2 of his 4 picks were returned for Touchdowns. Coupled with our all-MWC kicker missing 3 of 4 FG attempts and Wally Jennings going down with a broken ankle in the 2nd quarter and we just had too many obstacles to overcome. Our Defense was again stellar giving up only 79 yards rushing and 90 passing and they were the only reason we were not blown out as our offense imploded at critical times. The player of the game was Air Force Linebacker Daniel Stevenson who registered 10 tackles, 3 assists, half a sack and a 64 yard Int return for the Falcons first TD. I have a talk with our OC Adam Clark after the game about abandoning our running game when Jennings went down. I realize the drop off from Jennings to Lane is steep, but with the way our Defense played why gamble? The loss brings a 3 year conference unbeaten streak to an end and puts us in a huge hole in the quest to capture our 4th straight MWC title. Back to our kicker, Gurley is now 3 for 8 on FGs this year after hitting 21 of 26 last year....Kickers are freaking head cases!!!

Injuries
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Out up to 10 weeks
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Out up to 7 weeks

Our marquee players on both sides of the ball are out for extended periods! While the defense will get it done without Trippi, we desperately need someone to step up and tote a good portion of the load Jennings was carrying. Martin Autry and Jerome Noisy (Bruised Sternum, Broken hand) both probable and T Korey Webb (Hip Pointer) is doubtful. All three are expected back at full strength in 3-4 weeks.


Recruiting

Visits
Gino Blake RB Los Angeles, CA – Overall 29, Position 5
Lewis Medzihradsky CB Cerritos, AC – Overall 34, Position 6
Sammy Sweazy OLB Brooklyn, NY – Overall 59, Position 2
Neal Fisk C Corsicana, TX – Overall 76, Position 7
Arnie McCarthy ILB Berthoud, CO – Overall 93, Position 11
Lorenzo Pritchett S Wiggins, CO – Overall 257, Position 12
Darrell Fennell RB Murray, UT – Overall 272, Position 20
Daryl Godfrey T Ben Lomond, UT – Overall 595, Position 47

Commits
Grant Norton TE San Diego, CA – Overall 470, Position 11

A huge week coming up for visits as we have our top RB target as well as another top CB coming in, though if Medzihradsky commits he will need to accept a much easier to pronounce nickname. Fisk would really shore up questions that remain at Center and is talented enough to compete for time next year…He is a priority. Fennell is the best back in Utah and I certainly wouldn’t mind settling for him if we can’t reel Blake in. Our first commit will undoubtedly continue our fine TE tradition. Norton only weighs 228 right now, but can pack another 25-30 pounds on his 6’3” frame no problem. He had 36 catches for 676 yards and 3 scores for his HS.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Air Force 27 BYU 24
Colorado St 22 San Diego St 21
Wyoming 16 UNLV 14
Utah 38 New Mexico 23

Some exciting games to open conference play with Utah getting the only substantial margin of victory, but it comes at New Mexico’s expense so no reason to break an arm patting yourself on the back big red!! CSU went for 2 to pull out the game of the week against the Aztecs and UNLV gave Wyoming all they could handle. Should be an interesting season in the MWC

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Wyoming 4 1 0 .800 128 109 1 0 0 1.000 16 14 Won 3
Air Force 3 1 0 .750 122 96 1 0 0 1.000 27 24 Won 3
Utah 2 1 0 .666 83 50 1 0 0 1.000 38 23 Won 2
Colorado State 2 2 0 .500 86 101 1 0 0 1.000 22 21 Won 1
Brigham Young 2 1 0 .666 99 50 0 1 0 .000 24 27 Lost 1
San Diego State 1 3 0 .250 137 137 0 1 0 .000 21 22 Lost 3
New Mexico 1 3 0 .250 71 173 0 1 0 .000 23 38 Lost 1
UNLV 0 3 0 .000 34 68 0 1 0 .000 14 16 Lost 14

Next weeks Schedule
Rutgers at BYU
Utah at West Virginia
Air Force at Dartmouth
Colorado St at Brown
New Mexico at New Mexico St
Yale at San Diego St

Who knew it was Ivy week as even mighty Air Force will venture to the land of turtle necks to play Dartmouth. I am very interested in the CSU Brown game to get a better gage of where Utah stands, or I could just hope the Utes get walloped by West Virginia. Rutgers pays LES a visit and we have had trouble with them in years past. This Season they are 1-3 coming in and will not hurt us running averaging only 75.5 yds a game. Their only win is a 35-7 thrashing of Dartmouth and last week they were throttled by West Virginia 35-10. They are another team with a young QB, starting true freshman Mark Clark, who is hitting 50.9% of his passes and has thrown for 748 yards in 4 games, with 5 TDs and 4 Picks. We should be able to rattle him. Defensively 4 year starter Scott Hanley is a force at ILB with 27 tackles, 10 assists, 4 TFL and an interception.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – Cardinals beat Dallas 26-7, Longmate chills on the bench drinking Gatorade.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Hitchcock gets back into the action with 3 catches for 54 yards as the Bills move to 3-2 with a 27-24 win over the Broncos.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Mack’s performance is a fine reflection on Arizona’s defense as he was forced to punt 9 times for a 42.7 avg in the 26-7 loss.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – As mentioned the Broncos fall to Buffalo 27-24 and Calvin gets 4 carries for 15 yards and 1 reception for another 15. Denver is now 0-4

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Jamison again has a decent game starting at MLB with 5 tackles and 4 assists, as well as 1 pass defensed in the loss.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Bye Week

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Bye Week

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Green Bay falls to 1-4 with their 4th straight defeat 17-6 to New Orleans. Wade has 2 tackles in the loss.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – The Raiders slow Stoddard down, holding him to 61 yards on 16 carries, but the Chiefs win 17-10 to move to 4-1.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Shields collect 1 assist in a 34-17 waxing of the Chargers as the Fins win their 2nd straight after dropping their first 3.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Schroder is really getting his sea legs as he explodes for another 100 yard day, with 120 yards on 5 catches and a 36 yard TD reception. The Dolphins fall behind 27-0 to the Jets before a furious 4th quarter rally sees them come up just short in a 27-21 loss.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Fletcher has 2 catches for 17 yards and gets on the score sheet in the 27-21 win over the Pats with 14 yd TD reception from Chad Pennington.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Geoff has 1 catch but drags Patriot defenders with him for 30 yards in the win

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Julio again gets a good number of reps gaining 32 yards on 8 carries as the Jets display a balanced attack.

Baxter Ellis C Oakland ® – Ellis gets 13 plays in the 17-10 loss to D-Stods Chiefs, but records no stats

Have to give “The Threat” his second straight game ball after another fine performance. Through 5 games Schroder leads the Patriots in receptions (21) yards (324) longest reception (63) and is second in yards per catch (15.4). so far Andy is definitely living up to the expectations of a first round draft choice.

Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

Not looking good at this point

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 6

BYU 41 Rutgers 3
Record Overall 3-1 Mountain West 0-1
Rank: 17 (Despite beating us Air Force is ranked 22)

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 18-29-259 5 TD, 1 Int

Rushing
Steven Lane 29-133
Leon Squires 10-17

Receiving
Xavier Malone 5-98 3 TD
Lenny Finley 4-45 1 TD
Gilbert Meyer 3-54 1 TD

Defense
Carlton Lincoln DE 5 tackles, 1 assist, 2 Sacks
Cedric Wiles DE 3 tackles, 2 Sacks
Shaun Sweeney SS 3 tackles, 1 assist
Kendall Timlin FS 3 tackles, 1 assist

Recap
We control the game throughout, but only lead 7-0 at the half on an 11 yard pass from Ellard to Finley in the 1st quarter. In the second half we go off however as the running game gets going and opens things up for Ellard, who finds the TD machine Xavier Malone 3 times for scores. All this kid does is catch touchdown passes as 7 of his 15 receptions have gone house. He averages an even 20 yards a catch. On the Defensive side Lincoln and Wiles crank it up with 2 sacks apiece as we keep Clark on the run all day and hold yet another QB to a sub 50% performance (10-26) The Scarlet Knights rack up -9 net yards rushing, despite the absence of any big numbers from our linebacking corp. Of course the fact that they ran only 44 plays compared to 82 for us could have something to do with that as well. The time of a possession was a staggering 39:27 to 20:33 in our favor.

Injuries
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Out up to 9 weeks
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Out up to 6 weeks

Our marquee players on both sides of the ball are out for extended periods! While the defense will get it done without Trippi, we desperately need someone to step up and tote a good portion of the load Jennings was carrying. Martin Autry and Jerome Noisy (Bruised Sternum, Broken hand) both probable and T Korey Webb (Hip Pointer) is doubtful. All three are expected back at full strength in 1-3 weeks. To this group add OLB Pete Winslett who has the flu, but won’t miss any playing time.

Recruiting

Visits
Neal Wright DT Stillwater, MN – Overall 109, Position 8
Leonard Collins P Apopka, FL – Overall 117, Position 1
Don McDonald K Janesville, WI – Overall 158, Position 3
Blake Hanshaw G Douglas, AZ – Overall 181, Position 16
Joey Dunlap K Sparks, NV – Overall 350, Position 9

Commits
None

No new commits this week, which is disheartening and we lose several who have tripped us earlier in the season including; Carlton Sanford DE 33/7, (UCLA) Lewis Medzihradsky CB 34/6, (USC) – screw him, I hated his name anyway  - Arnie McCarthy ILB 93/11, (Colorado) Spencer Reuter P 135/3 (USC) and Gino Fuller WR 137/9. (Cal) The loss of Fuller hurts the worst as I thought we had him. This is to be expected when you compete directly with the PAC-10 for a lot of guys like we do and I am happy if I snatch 2-4 from them a year. Collins is the best Punter in the country and his upcoming trip is a surprise, I am also happy 2 of the top 10 kickers are giving us a look, though Hanshaw is really one from this group I want to land.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 41 Rutgers 3
West Virginia 45 Utah 14
Air force 33 Dartmouth 22
Colorado St 37 Brown 7
New Mexico St 27 New Mexico 14
San Diego St 28 Yale 0

Almost as good as a BYU blowout win is a Utah blowout loss, it was a very good weekend. New Mexico is just horrid and when the Lobos play UNLV I am sure there will be more empty seats than people as their battle should decide the Cellar dweller. Colorado St also say something about Utah as they trounce Brown, I hope the Utes are on the cusp of being bowl eligible when we meet them, I would love to dash their hopes and ruin their season……again 

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Wyoming 4 1 0 .800 128 109 1 0 0 1.000 16 14 Won 3
Air Force 4 1 0 .800 155 118 1 0 0 1.000 27 24 Won 4
Colorado State 3 2 0 .600 123 108 1 0 0 1.000 22 21 Won 2
Utah 2 2 0 .500 97 95 1 0 0 1.000 38 23 Lost 1
Brigham Young 3 1 0 .750 140 53 0 1 0 .000 24 27 Won 1
San Diego State 2 3 0 .400 165 137 0 1 0 .000 21 22 Won 1
New Mexico 1 4 0 .200 85 200 0 1 0 .000 23 38 Lost 2
UNLV 0 3 0 .000 34 68 0 1 0 .000 14 16 Lost 14

Next weeks Schedule
Wyoming at BYU
New Mexico at Air Force
Colorado St at UNLV
San Diego St at Utah

We face a surprising 4-1 Wyoming team and good news is we get them at home. Redshirt freshman QB AJ Cosell is now 65-109 (59.6%) for 730 yards, 6 TDs and only 2 Interceptions. He has also chipped in 110 yards rushing and another TD there. Not bad for the 48th best QB in the class of 2009. Sr. Clyde Hopkins may be the best RB we have faced to date with 441 yards on 83 carries (5.3 YPC) and he is Wyoming’s all time leading rusher and has run for 2836 yards and 31 TDs in his career averaging 4.9 YPC. What does not bode well for the Pokes is their rushing defense, ranked 110th in the nation. Even with Jennings out we can exploit that. Air Force has a gimme at home, so we will not see a need conference loss for them this week.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – Cardinals fall to Philly 26-14 and Tom gets no action to speak of. The up and down Arizona squad now sit at 3-3.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – The Hitcher gets no balls thrown his way in limited time as Buffalo beats Oakland 27-17.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – The Cowboys travel to New York and are beaten by the Giants 24-13, though Linquist only punts 2 times for a 46.5 average as Dallas only has 9 total possessions on the day resulting in three FG attempts, a TD, 2 fumbles and end of the game on the other seven.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Calvin Shaw gets a season high 12 carries but only gains 33 yards as Miami pastes Denver 37-3.

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Roderick gets 3 tackles and 2 assists, giving up 2 catches as well in the thumping at the hands of the Dolphins.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Lions lose to Chicago 30-27 and Flynn sees little time recoding no stats

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Donnie is moved back to the practice squad

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – The Pack is now 1-5 as they lose to Carolina 27-14. Such has 2 tackles and 1 assist. He has not duplicated his opening day performance, but has held on to the starting job all year.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – Bye Week

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Darrin has 1 tackle in the 37-3 thrashing of Denver.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Bye week, which is a shame since he was just getting in a groove.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Leland pulls in a season high 3 grabs for 31 yards, but the Jets are defeated by San Diego to suffer their firs loss (5-1) of the season

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Joseph only see time in double tight sets and gets no balls thrown to him.

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Fredrickson gets very little PT this week gaining 6 yards on 2 carries

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – Ellis gets 15 plays in the 27-17 loss at Buffalo, no stats.

Game ball this week goes to Leland Fletcher by default as our two best Alum have byes

Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 7

BYU 45 Wyoming 14
Record Overall 4-1 Mountain West 1-1
Rank: 13th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 15-22-217 2 TD
Paul Post 3-8-43

Rushing
Steven Lane 21-87 2 TD
Leon Squires 6-10

Receiving
Steven Lane 5-42
Lenny Finley 3-80 1 TD
Xavier Malone 3-53

Defense
Andrew Reynolds ILB 7 tackles
Dennis Huntley ILB 5 tackles
Pete Winslett OLB 4 tackles, 1 assist
Benjamin Arreola ILB 3 tackles, 1 assist 1 Int (returned for TD)

Recap
Defense again sets the tone as we race to a 35-7 halftime lead and never look back, playing reserves a good part of the 2nd half. Wyoming runs the ball as well as anyone has on us recently, but still only net 76 yards on 31 carries. We overwhelm AJ Cosell and he is pulled after throwing 4 picks and only throwing for 47 yards. His replacement, sophomore Seth Morton goes 5-7 for 44 yards and adds 17 yards rushing on 3 carries, as this loss may have created a QB controversy in Laramie. Ellard was very efficient, allowing Post to see his first PT of the year and he looked understandably rusty. I may start him against a weaker team like UNLV to allow him to get some quality reps.

Injuries
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Out up to 8 weeks
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Out up to 5 weeks

No new injuries, which is good. Martin Autry and Jerome Noisy (Bruised Sternum, Broken hand) both probable still (both are playing) and T Korey Webb (Hip Pointer) is upgraded to questionable. Autry and Webb should be back at full strength in 2 weeks. Noisy re-aggravated his hand is now in a cast for 6-8 weeks.

Recruiting

Visits
Kendall Cormier DE New Auburn, WI – Overall 5, Position 1
Darrin Canty QB Tulia, TX – Overall 11, Position 2
Lonnie Osborne QB Waterville, ME – Overall 17, Position 3
Shawn Tyler WR Edgewood, MD – Overall 163, Position 14
Seth Parker G Mountlake Terrace, WA – Overall 199, Position 19

Commits
Joey Dunlap K Sparks, NV – Overall 350, Position 9
Neal Wright DT Stillwater, MN – Overall 109, Position 8
Timothy Dela Cruz OLB , CA – Overall 211, Position 11
Mitchell Beam S Monument Vally, UT - Overall 826, Position 55

We pick up two commits on their visit (Wright and Dunlap) Dunlap makes me really happy as he can step right in as a true frosh and can drive the ball on kickoffs. Wright and Dela Cruz are solid 3 star players who should someday compete for starting spots. Beam is a good player and will give us depth, I still hope to land either Boyd or Pritchett at Safety. We lose both our running back recruits, Gino Blake to USC (our 3rd loss to the Trojans) and local star Darrell Fennell to the hated Utes!!! See you on the field Darrell! On the plus side 2 of the top 3 QB’s in the country are coming to town and I would be happy with either, though we don’t really need a QB in this years class, might as well keep the pipeline stocked if you can. Even better is Cormier, the nations top DE. We are competing with BC, Miami, Michigan and Utah State of all teams. I think we have a good shot.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 45 Wyoming 14
Air Force 45 New Mexico 20
Colorado St 30 UNLV 3
Utah 38 San Diego St 24

I would say we have exposed Wyoming as a pretender to the throne this year, so at this point it looks like I will need to rely on either CSU or Utah to knock off the Falcons. Don’t see it happening, though the Rams are coming on and it is a rivalry.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 5 1 0 .833 200 138 2 0 0 1.000 72 44 Won 5
Colorado State 4 2 0 .666 153 111 2 0 0 1.000 52 24 Won 3
Utah 3 2 0 .600 135 119 2 0 0 1.000 76 47 Won 1
Brigham Young 4 1 0 .800 185 67 1 1 0 .500 69 41 Won 2
Wyoming 4 2 0 .666 142 154 1 1 0 .500 30 59 Lost 1
San Diego State 2 4 0 .333 189 175 0 2 0 .000 45 60 Lost 1
New Mexico 1 5 0 .166 105 245 0 2 0 .000 43 83 Lost 3
UNLV 0 4 0 .000 37 98 0 2 0 .000 17 46 Lost 15

Next weeks Schedule
BYU at San Diego St
Air Force at Colorado St (TV3)
UNLV at North Texas
Utah at Wyoming

Possibly the biggest week of the season as CSU is likely our best bet to beat Air Force and the Rams are still unbeaten on League play, so they will be bringing it. We face a wide open SDSU team that relies on Junior signal caller Willie Lazer. An apt name, since he has a cannon of an arm, but sometime throws too hard. He is 123-216-1821 14 TDs, 9 Ints for the season. He has also been sacked 20 times and we could have a field day in this one with our front 7. They don’t run a lot, but leading rusher Mo Comella average a respectable 4.0 on 50 carries and has caught 13 balls as well. Lazers favorite target is RS freshman WR “Jumbo” Henson, who has hauled in 26 balls for 451 yds and 3 TDs. Jumbo is only 5’11, but a stocky 193. Defensively FS Leo Springer is everywhere for the Aztecs. 57 tackles, 27 assists, 11 TFL and 2 interceptions. He was all MWC 2nd team FS last Season. The Utes travel to Wyoming and it will be interesting to see if the Pokes can recover. Laramie is a tough place to play and Utah should have their hands full.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – Arizona is beaten 37-34 in a thriller by Seattle. Longmate does not play.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Bye Week

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Dallas gets to 2-4 beating San Francisco 20-14. Linquist punts 3 times for a 38.3 average.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Denver falls again,to San Diego this time 19-10. They are now 0-6 and Shaw gains 26 yards on 6 carries and catches 1 ball for 2 yards.

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – 5 tackles and 2 assists on the loss to the Chargers. Jamison is playing fairly well. The real issue in Denver is the O-line.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Tampa Bay beats the Lions 23-20 as Flynn goes 0-1 on KRB (Now 0-3 on the year)

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Pactice squad

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Such has started all 7 games for the Pack, who move to 2-5 with a 17-7 win at home against Atlanta. Wade has an assist and a hurry.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – KC beats the Patriots to move to 5-1 and D-Stod carries 14 times for 56 yards and adds a catch for 1 yard. On the Season his line is 88-474 2 TDs, 5.38 YPC and 5 receptions for 31 yards.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Bye Week

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Schroder is bottled up well in the loss to KC, hauling in 4 balls, but only gaining 35 yards.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Oakland defeats the Jets, who are now 5-2 after a 5-0 start. Fletcher gets no balls thrown to him off the bench.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Geoff tears ligaments in his elbow in the loss to Oakland and will need surgery . Doctor’s project he is done for the season. His final 2011 numbers are 3-55, 0 TD, 18.3 YPC.

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Julio is moved to the practice squad as Tyrus Schlesinger returns to active duty and reclaims the starting job from DeShaun Foster. On the Year Julio’s numbers are 45-137 0 TD, 3.04 YPC and 3 Catches for 29.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – Baxter goes 1-2 in KRB in the win over the Jets and plays well in limited time/

Nobody stood out this week, so Stoddard’s rather ordinary performance earns him the game ball. Tough week to be a Jet as well as 2 of our 3 appear done for the year in New York.

Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

Don’t see any of them getting another chance.

[BYU 14]

Updates on a couple of old friends

Rodney Dostie was the Utah starting QB from 2005 to 2008 and gave us fits along with his favorite target Neil Dellenbach. (2004 to 2007) Dwight Gatlin was at the Cougar helm all 4 years as well, though he was benched for Senior Morris Wright for the 2005 Holy War. Dostie truly frustrated us during those years winning 3 of 4, though it was Gatlin that would get the last laugh as he took BYU to their second national championship in school history in 2008. A brief recap of their historic rivalry.

2005 Utah 35 BYU 27
As indicated Gatlin is benched and Sr Morris Wright keeps us in the game, though in the end Dostie shows what is in store as he leads a late drive to ice the game. Utah finishes 9-3 (7-0) and wins the MWC. We finish in a three way tie for second at 6-6 (4-3) as we get blitzed by Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl 52-27

2006 Utah 38 BYU 31
Another close battle, but again it is Dostie that triumphs hitting on 16 of 22 passes for 274 yards and 4 TD's. He also adds 43 yards rushing. Gatlin's only consolation is he edges Dostie for the honor of 1st team All-MWC QB. We finish 7-5 (5-2) to tie Air Force for 2nd place in the MWC, while the Utes take their 3rd straight MWC Title finishing 8-4 (6-1) We lose in the GMAC Bowl to Washington St 49-7. Utah is crushed by USC 59-23 in the Cotton Bowl.

2007 Utah 41 BYU 22
The worst game for us of the series as Dostie throws for 254 yards and 4 TD's and Dellenbach pulls in 6 of them for 114 yards. Gatlin is horrid going 14-37-347 with 1 TD and 4 Picks!!! They also hold the best RB in BYU history, Daniel Stoddard to 57 yards on 14 carries. We finish 8-4 (5-2) 2nd place again, while the Utes go 10-3 (7-0) for their 4th straight MWC crown. We go on to get thumped 49-3 by Penn St in the Holiday Bowl, while Utah lands in the Cotton Bowl again and is throttled by Tennesee 38-10. One bright note is future BYU stalwart and 1st round draft pick, Andy "The Threat" Schroder makes 1st team Freshman all-American.

2008 BYU 35 Utah 10
More than a win, this is redemption for 3 years of misery at the hands of the Red Devil Dostie. Donnie Newsome sacks Dostie 3.5 times and without Dellenbach the Utah QB is a mere 13-22 for 147 yards and throws 2 interceptions. Gatlin is superb going 20-29 for 340 yards and 4 TDs with just 1 Int. D-Stod is hurt, but Julio Fredrickson adds 99 yards on the ground on 21 carries. We complete a dream season 13-0 (7-0) beating Michigan 21-3 to win our 2nd National Championship in school history. (The first also coming at the hands of Michigan in 1984) Utah falls to 3rd in the MWC 7-5 (4-3) and suffers a 41-13 thrashing to Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl.

Where are they now.

Dwight Gatlin - An undrafted Free agent, Gatlin plays with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 and 2010. He is cut after training camp in 2011 and is currently a free agent. He has thrown only 8 passes in his NFL career, completing 3 for 20 yards and has also thrown 2 Interceptions. A rough journey for the Mountain Wests and BYU's all time leading passer.

Rodney Dostie - Also an undrafted Free agent signed by Green Bay in 2009. Dostie ended up starting 3 games his rookie season and finished 66-123-713, 3 TDs, 6 Ints. In 2010 he started 11 games and had solid stats of 210-337-2164 (62.3%) with 14 TDs and 10 Ints. Currently in 2011 he is firmly entrenched as the Packers starting QB and through 7 games is 161-260 (61.9%) for 1544 yds, 9 TDs, 9 Ints. Dostie's career record is 12-11 and he has thrown for 4421 yds and hit on 60.6% in his NFL career to date. He is a great short to medium range passer, a great fit for the west coast offense.

Neil Dellenbach - The only one drafted of the group, Neil went to the Seahawks with the 2nd pick of the 5th round in 2008. His started 7 games as a Rookie, 11 his second year and is currently the Seahawks starting Flanker. His statline.
2008 30-338 yds, 11.2 YPC, 1 TD
2009 35-602 yds, 17.2 YPC, 4 TD
2010 72-1056 yds, 14.6 YPC, 8 TD
2011 (through 7 games) 36-637 yds, 17.6 YPC, 8 TDs

He has developed into a very good player for Seattle and is signed through 2014, this season will easily be his best to date and could earn him a Pro Bowl berth if he keeps up his current pace.

Roster Makeup - The current Roster make up by State of Utah's 3 D-1 Schools.

BYU
California - 19
Utah - 15
Nevada - 5
Texas - 5
Colorado - 4
Hawaii - 3
Kansas - 3
Ohio - 3
Oregon - 3
Illinois - 2
Minnesota - 2
New Mexico - 2
Washington - 2
Arizona - 1
Connecticut - 1
Florida - 1
Georgia - 1
Iowa - 1
Idaho - 1
Indiana - 1
Montana - 1
New Jersey - 1
New York - 1
Oklahoma - 1
Pennsylvania - 1
Tennesee - 1
Wisconsin - 1

Utah
California - 13
New York - 7
Tennessee - 5
Utah - 5
Illinois - 4
Pennsylvania - 4
Washington - 4
Colorado - 3
Kentucky - 3
Massachusetts - 3
Ohio - 3
Rhode Island - 3
Alaska - 2
Connecticut - 2
Georgia - 2
Maine - 2
Missouri - 2
Missisipi - 2
Vermont - 2
Florida - 1
Hawaii - 1
Indiana - 1
Iowa - 1
Maryland - 1
Michigan - 1
Minnesota - 1
North Carolina - 1
Nebraska - 1
New Jersey - 1
Nevada - 1
South Carolina - 1
Virginia - 1

Utah State
California - 14
Utah - 10
New York - 6
Ohio - 6
Pennsylvania - 5
Texas - 5
Washington - 5
Illinois - 4
Florida - 3
Maryland - 3
Indiana - 2
Michigan - 2
Virginia - 2
Wisconsin - 2
Alaska - 1
Arizona - 1
Colorado - 1
Connecticut - 1
Kansas - 1
Kentucky - 1
Massachusetts - 1
Minnesota - 1
Missouri - 1
Missisippi - 1
Montana - 1
Nebraska - 1
Nevada - 1
Oregon - 1
South Carolina - 1
Tennessee - 1
West Virginia - 1

We obviously rely on a main pipeline (California, Utah and Texas) for more than half our players. Utah State also looks heavily in these areas, though will take any good remaining athletes anywhere they can find them (16 states with 1 Athlete each) What really surprises me is how much Utah ignores the instate Kids. Either they feel they can't comete with us, or just like to rely on a surprisingly strong East Coast pipeline they have developed. Utah State also likes New York and I can only imagine it is because the state has a lot of 2nd and 3rd tier D-1 Kids and not a lot of competition. Just out of curiousity I checked three Schools that should recruit the New York-New Jersey area heavily.

Buffalo - 51 Kids from New York
Syracuse - 66 Kids from New York - Wow!!!
Rutgers - 45 Kids from Jersey, 7 from New York.

so the local schools are getting kids from this area, there are just plenty to go around, talent level is another thing as Buffalo is 1-10, 3-8 and 2-9 the last 3 complete seasons (1-4 this year) Syracuse fared a little better going 7-5, 6-5 and 2-9 (1-5 this year) and Rutgers was 2-9, 6-5 and 2-9 over that period (0-6 this year) Maybe these schools need to venture west a bit.

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 8

BYU 31 San Diego St 21
Record Overall 5-1 Mountain West 2-1
Rank: 11th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 19-36-297 2 TD, 4 Int

Rushing
Steven Lane 21-66 1 TD
Donny Ellard 8-17

Receiving
Steven Lane 8-70
Lenny Finley 6-180 2 TD
Xavier Malone 2-20

Defense
Jerome Noisy CB 6 tackles, 2 PD
Shaun Sweeney SS 6 tackles
Cedric Wiles DE 5 tackles, 4 sacks
Carlton Lincoln DE 5 tackles, 3 assists, 3 sacks

Recap
I think I know what we are not this year….A road team!! Ellard has thrown 2 picks in 4 home games and 8 picks in 2 road games. We were down 14-0 in under 3 minutes as San Diego forced a 3 and out and returned the punt to our 9, scoring on the next play. We get the ball back and after a penalty Ellard is picked off by Earnest Rayburn, who takes it house. We moved the ball but kept bogging down inside the Aztec 30. Thankfully, Gurley found his stroke this game and was 3 for 3 on field goals, keeping us close as we trailed 14-9 going into the 4th quarter. Luckily our defense was also lights out again as Cedric Wiles and redshirt freshman Carlton Lincoln combined for 7 sacks from the DE position. I had a feeling we could exploit the Aztec O-Line going in and these 2 did it in spades. Ellard finally got us going as we exploded for 22 4th quarter points, though it took a 36 yard strike down the seam to Lenny Finley to finally salt it away with 2:10 left in the game and the Cougars clinging to a 24-21 lead. San Diego’s big bright spot on Offense was Mo Comella who gained 55 yards on only 8 carries (6.8) I really wonder why they did not use him more when we had Willie Lazer running for his life. Even when Lazer did get the ball away, we held him to 4.4 per attempt. (15-37 for 165 yds) For the special teams aficionados among us, Todd Gurley’s fine performance was more than offset by the abysmal job KC Tucker did punting…a 30.2 average and a long of 39 yds….ugh! Playing on the road the way we do, there is no way we are the #11 Team in the country right now.

Injuries
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Out up to 7 weeks

Great news as Jacki Trippi is upgraded to questionable and looks to be fully recovered in 4 weeks. Martin Autry now has a concussion and is probable, while Jerome Noisy continues to play through a broken hand. T Korey Webb should be fully recovered from his Hip pointer in a week and in a potentially big blow, ILB Andrew Reynolds is doubtful up to 7 weeks with a torn Thumb ligament.

Recruiting

Visits
Brant Seibert ILB Woodburn, OR – Overall 139, Position 14
Bucky Meester RB Rochester, NY – Overall 145, Position 10
David Mason RB Glendale, AZ – Overall 293, Position 22
Travis Shepherd QB Hickory, NC – Overall 711, Position 51

Commits
Glen Lee T Beaver, UT – Overall 46, Position 2
Blake Hanshaw G Douglas, AZ – Overall 181, Position 16
Cris Young WR Kanab, UT - Overall 528, Position 44

We lose yet another player who gave us a visit to USC in S Earnest Boyd (140/7) but I can live with that since we land two premium Offensive Linemen, including Utah’s best overall player and #2 overall OT Glen Lee. His commitment is huge!!! Hanshaw is certainly a quality player as well and Cris Young is a good depth player, who will probably average around 20 catches a year eventually. We now have 8 commits in and 5 are ranked in the top 15 for their position, while 6 are All-State selections. (Hanshaw is not surprisingly, despite being the top ranked Offensive lineman in Arizona.) Two potentially good additions visit this week in Seibert and Bucky Meester who ran for over 1600 yards his final season in HS. Hey if Utah can go to New York, so can I!! He also has offers from Notre Dame and Ohio State though.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 31 San Diego St 21
Air force 38 Colorado St 0
North Texas 28 UNLV 13
Wyoming 35 Utah 13

Wyoming rebounds nicely in bringing Utah’s MWC leading ground attack (201.8 YPG) to a halt. But the big news is Air Force pretty much wrapping up the MWC Title with a sound thrashing of CSU. They will need to lose twice for us to sneak by and I don’t see it happening. Wyoming has a chance to beat them, nobody else does. UNLV has now lost 16 straight!!

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 6 1 0 .857 238 138 3 0 0 1.000 110 44 Won 6
Brigham Young 5 1 0 .833 216 88 2 1 0 .666 100 62 Won 3
Wyoming 5 2 0 .714 177 167 2 1 0 .666 65 72 Won 1
Colorado State 4 3 0 .571 153 149 2 1 0 .666 52 62 Lost 1
Utah 3 3 0 .500 148 154 2 1 0 .666 89 82 Lost 1
New Mexico 1 5 0 .166 105 245 0 2 0 .000 43 83 Lost 3
UNLV 0 5 0 .000 50 126 0 2 0 .000 17 46 Lost 16
San Diego State 2 5 0 .285 210 206 0 3 0 .000 66 91 Lost 2

Next weeks Schedule
UNLV at Air Force
BYU at Notre Dame
Colorado St at Utah
San Diego St at New Mexico

Why is UNLV even going to bother showing up…..It could get real ugly in Colorado this weekend. With our road woes I am not crazy about our trip to South Bend to face the Irish, even though they are having a down year (3-4) which includes a 61-0 embarrassment in Ann Arbor at the hands of #1 Michigan. Notre Dame is lead by 4 year starter Quentin Stone at TB. He has 3679 yards and 39 TDs in his career and has been a bright spot in a dismal season so far. QB is another story. Junior Derrick Lynch is a 3 year starter but has regressed every year. He is only hitting 47.2% of his passes this year and has 13 TDs and 10 Ints. Compare this to his freshman season (123-205-1814 19 TD, 7 Int) and the slip is painfully obvious. Their O-line is pretty good, especially at the OT spots, but they have 4 starters out on a Defense that has been woefully inconsistent.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – Big Tom got some action in the Cards 14-12 loss to Washington, but it wasn’t pretty. 0-1 KRB and 2 sacks allowed.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – The Bills beat San Diego 31-20 and are now 5-2, but Ellis only has 2 balls thrown his way and catches neither.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – The Cowboys are walloped by St Louis 31-6. Mack punts 7 times for a hefty 45.7 average.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Gotta feel good for Calvin. The Broncos beat New England 13-10 for their first win of the year and Shaw has his best game rushing 11 times for 54 yards and hauling in 3 passes for 24 more off the bench.

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Roderick is still starting and has a decent game in the Denver win recording 4 tackles and an assist.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – With Ritchie May injured, Flynn gets his first career start, goes 1-2 in KRB and allows no sacks, but the Lions still fall to Atlanta 23-13.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Newsome is reactivated and comes off the bench to record 1 tackle and his first career sack in the loss to Atlanta.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Bye Week

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – The Chiefs are stymied by Miami 17-13 and Stoddard has his worst game as a pro, begin held to 14 yards on 9 carries. A forgettable day for BYU’s all time leading rusher.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Does not play in the 17-13 win over Stoddard’s Chiefs.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Andy ties a season low with only 2 catches for 41 yards in the Pats loss to Denver, though Brock Dole, in for the injured Donovan McNabb throws his way 8 times.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Bye Week

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Out – Torn Elbow Ligaments

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Practice Squad

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – Bye Week

Not a lot of overwhelming performances this week, so my game ball goes to Calvin Shaw in his most productive outing of the Season.


Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

Unemployed still

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 9

Notre Dame 38 BYU 17
Record Overall 5-2 Mountain West 2-1
Rank: 31st

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 14-32-262 1 TD, 3 Int
Paul Post 0-1-0 1 Int
Donnie Davison 1-1-17

Rushing
Steven Lane 17-27 1 TD
Leon Squires 3-17

Receiving
Steven Lane 5-89
Lenny Finley 3-79
Xavier Malone 3-31 1 TD

Defense
Benjamin Arreola ILB 9 tackles, 3 assists
Jesse Gomez OLB 6 tackles, 2 assists
Jerome Noisy CB 6 tackles, 1 assist
Cedric Wiles DE 5 tackles, 1 assist, 1/2 sack

Recap
“Outlined against a blue-gray October sky….” We get our asses handed to us by a mediocre Notre Dame team as our road woes continue! The much maligned Derrick Lynch torched our secondary for 261 yards and 4 TDs as we scarcely pressured him at all. Donny Ellard again made a strong case for a home/road QB platoon combo with 3 more picks, two of them inside our 40. On the day the Irish Defense forced seven 3 and outs and nine punts overall. I finally put Paul Post in and his first pass went 86 yards the other way for a TD, one and done and we finished with our 3rd string QB.

Injuries
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Out up to 6 weeks
Andrew Reynolds ILB – Torn Thumb Ligament – Questionable up to 6 weeks
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Questionable up to 3 weeks
Lenny Finley WR – Deep Thigh Bruise – Probable 1 week
Jerome Noisy CD – Broken Hand – Probable up to 6 weeks

One bit of good news is we come out of the game no worse injury wise than we went in. Trippi only played sparingly against Notre Dame, but will be back in the starting lineup next week. Jennings injury is killing us and is also a probable contributor to Ellards recent struggles.

Recruiting

Visits
Michael Brock CB Oakland, CA – Overall 630, Position 45

Commits
None

Don’t know how much the embarrassment at South Bend played into this, but we lose six recruits that visited us this week to other schools. Darrin Canty QB (11/2) to Ohio St, David Mason RB (293/22) to Arizona St, Shawn Tyler WR (163/14) Maryland, Leonard Collins P (117/1) Florida, Sammy Sweazy OLB (59/2) Miami and in a head scratcher Kendall Cormier DE (5/1) to Utah State!!! WTF, the best DE in the country to Utah State, sure they are a contender in the Sunbelt Conference. He will be one I follow the next 4 years (he should start from day 1) and we need to get the Aggies on our schedule a time or two….not bitter, just pissed 

Mountain West Scoreboard
Notre Dame 38 BYU 17
Air Force 37 UNLV 7
Utah 10 Colorado St 6
New Mexico 36 San Diego St 24

The Aztecs showing against a poor New Mexico team makes our performance against them 2 weeks ago seem all the worse. I am just baffled at how much better we play at home vs on the road. Air Force was kind to UNLV, perhaps looking ahead to two key MWC road matchups. Utah continues to hang around in the title picture with an ugly win over CSU.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 7 1 0 .875 275 145 4 0 0 1.000 147 51 Won 7
Utah 4 3 0 .571 158 160 3 1 0 .750 99 88 Won 1
Brigham Young 5 2 0 .714 233 126 2 1 0 .666 100 62 Lost 1
Wyoming 5 2 0 .714 177 167 2 1 0 .666 65 72 Won 1
Colorado State 4 4 0 .500 159 159 2 2 0 .500 58 72 Lost 2
New Mexico 2 5 0 .285 141 269 1 2 0 .333 79 107 Won 1
UNLV 0 6 0 .000 57 163 0 3 0 .000 24 83 Lost 17
San Diego State 2 6 0 .250 234 242 0 4 0 .000 90 127 Lost 3

Next weeks Schedule
UNLV at BYU
Air Force at Utah (TV3)
New Mexico at Colorado St
San Diego St at Wyoming

A much need breather for us to regroup against UNLV, who look to break a 17 game losing streak. They are truly anemic, with only 201 yards rushing through 6 games and a paltry 1.42 YPC. Both of these numbers dead last in D-1. Their QB, Senior Richard Harding has been sack 31 times and is competing only 45.9% of his passes, an indication of how horrible their line is. RS freshman WR Charles Sacco is their only real threat, averaging 17.0 YPC on 21 receptions. Defensively ILB Skip Shula leads the defense with 52 tackles, 25 assists, 1 sack and 9 TFL. As a team they only have 10 sacks, so we should have all day to throw. I think about starting Post, but he is only 3-9 with a pick on the season, so I will give Ellard another week. Utah can really help us, but I think they are too one dimensional to trip the Falcons up, so it will likely be up to Wyoming, who should cruise past the Aztecs, next week.

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – Bye Week

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Buffalo defeats the Jets 27-12 and Ellis chips in 2 catches for 16 yards. On the season his numbers are 13-186, 1 TD for the 6-2 Bills.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – The Cowboys lose again to Seattle 24-14 to fall to 2-6, Mack punts 7 times for a 44.2 average. On the season he is averaging 42.4 yards on 46 punts, with a long of 58 and 16 downed inside the 20. Solid numbers!

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Calvin makes the most of his chances gaining 46 yards on just 5 carries, but the Broncos still fall to KC 35-14.

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Starts and doesn’t play too well in the loss to the Chiefs getting 3 tackles and 3 assists. He has now started all 8 games as a rookie and has 36 tackles, 18 assists, 2 passes defenses and 1 forced fumble.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – In his second career start Flynn is 0-1 in KRB, but has still not allowed a sack all season. The Lions beat Carolina 14-9.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Does not play in the win over the Panthers.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – The Packers sit at 2-6 after being beaten by Tampa Bay, as Such records 2 tackles.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – A good day for D-Stod in the Chiefs 35-14 romp over Denver as he runs for 95 yards on 17 carries and scores 2 TDs. Daniel’s numbers through 8 games are 114-583 (5.11 YPC) 4 TDs and 5 receptions for 31 yards.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Plays sparingly in a 16-3 loss to Oakland and garners 1 assist.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Schroder pulls in 3 receptions for 43 yards, but the Patriots struggles continue as they drop their 4th straight falling to San Diego 24-6.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – The Jets lose to Buffalo 27-12 and Fletch hauls in 2 balls for 27 yards.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Out – Torn Elbow Ligaments

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Julio is reactivated, but does not play in the loss to the Bills.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – The Raiders beat Miami 16-3, but Baxter does not play.
Easy choice for the game ball this week as it goes to Daniel Stoddard who hits pay dirt twice for the Chiefs.

Mid Season NFL Standings
2011 Regular Season Standings
AFC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 5 3 0 .625 193 219 5-2 2-1
Baltimore 4 5 0 .444 206 213 3-5 1-2
Pittsburgh 2 7 0 .222 163 177 2-6 2-1
Cleveland 1 8 0 .111 133 225 1-7 1-2

AFC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tennessee 7 1 0 .875 197 107 6-1 2-1
Indianapolis 6 2 0 .750 212 175 5-2 1-1
Houston 6 2 0 .750 175 132 5-2 1-1
Jacksonville 5 4 0 .556 173 177 4-4 1-2

AFC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Buffalo 6 2 0 .750 221 184 5-2 2-1
New York Jets 5 3 0 .625 156 166 4-3 2-1
Miami 4 4 0 .500 198 143 4-3 1-1
New England 2 6 0 .250 113 181 1-6 0-2

AFC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Kansas City 6 2 0 .750 174 117 5-2 3-0
San Diego 4 4 0 .500 161 147 4-3 1-1
Oakland 3 5 0 .375 130 150 3-4 1-1
Denver 1 7 0 .125 104 185 1-6 0-3

NFC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Chicago 7 1 0 .875 180 147 6-1 2-1
Minnesota 6 3 0 .667 191 178 5-3 2-1
Detroit 3 5 0 .375 177 169 2-5 0-2
Green Bay 2 6 0 .250 123 171 2-5 1-1

NFC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tampa Bay 4 4 0 .500 164 164 4-3 1-2
Carolina 4 5 0 .444 213 164 4-4 3-0
New Orleans 4 5 0 .444 219 212 4-4 1-2
Atlanta 3 6 0 .333 160 226 3-5 1-2

NFC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York Giants 3 5 0 .375 169 202 3-4 3-0
Washington 3 5 0 .375 146 190 3-4 1-1
Philadelphia 3 5 0 .375 169 188 3-4 1-2
Dallas 2 6 0 .250 100 190 1-6 0-2

NFC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
St. Louis 6 2 0 .750 200 155 5-2 2-0
San Francisco 6 2 0 .750 209 163 5-2 2-1
Seattle 6 2 0 .750 212 154 5-2 1-2
Arizona 3 5 0 .375 203 173 3-4 0-2

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 10

BYU 38 UNLV 13
Record Overall 6-2 Mountain West 3-1
Rank: 23rd

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 22-36-325 3 TD, 2 Int

Rushing
Steven Lane 28-189 2 TD
Leon Squires 5-9

Receiving
Lenny Finley 8-101 2 TD
Xavier Malone 6-111 1 TD
Steven Lane 5-74

Defense
Benjamin Arreola ILB 7 tackles, 2 assists, 4 PD
Pete Winslett OLB 4 tackles
Kendall Timlin FS 3 tackles
Carlton Lincoln DE 2 tackles, 1 assist, 2 sacks

Recap
The end result was a win and after their first drive we controlled the game with a TOP advantage of 37:28 to 22:32, but the first half was still sloppy. UNLV drove like they had the keys to our D on their first possession before settling for a field goal. We then responded with 17 unanswered points, but yet another Ellard interception was returned for 6 right before halftime and we only led 17-10. Donny’s second pick of the game led to a UNLV field goal and it was 17-13 with 4 minutes left in the third. Luckily our Offense once again got hot and we closed out the scoring with 21 unanswered points, but I am far from happy with Ellards inconsistency. Out Defense was once again miserly allowing just 5 net yards rushing to the Rebels and sacking Harding 4 times. One area of concern is that we get no turnovers and are now a minus 5 in that category on the season. Not what I have come to expect from our teams. One thing that really makes me happy was the performance of Lane, our Line drove them off the ball all night, even if it was UNLV.

Injuries
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Out up to 5 weeks
Korey Webb T – Sprained Back – Out up to 7 weeks
Andrew Reynolds ILB – Torn Thumb Ligament – Questionable up to 4 weeks
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Probable 2 weeks
Jerome Noisy CD – Broken Hand – Probable up to 5 weeks

Webb has been hobbled all season it seems and now goes down for up to 7 weeks. Kirk Suarez will step in and I won’t worry too much about that spot. Apart from that we are as healthy as can be expected for this stage in the season.

Recruiting

Visits
Bucky Mandalari P Pylesville, MD – Overall UR, Position 25
Christian Fox P Houston, MO – Overall UR, Position 29
Steven Webb DE Cederhurst, NY – Overall 311, Position 41

Commits
Daryl Godfrey T Ben Lomond, UT – Overall 595, Position 47
Michael Brock CB Oakland, CA – Overall 630, Position 45

Some Decisions to make here as I am now down to 2 scholarships and still desperately need a Punter and a DE. To start we lose Lonnie Osborne QB (17/3) to USC (hate the Trojans) Neal Fisk C (76/7) to North Texas, Brant Siebert ILB (139/14) to Oregon, Rod Downs OLB (229/13) to ASU and Lorenzo Pritchett S (257/12) to Air Force. I also withdraw offers to Seth Parker G, (194/19) Travis Shepherd QB, (711/51) and Floyd Whitcomb CB. (726/51) That leaves the three players visiting this week at the two positions I need, as well as Bucky Meester RB (145/10) and Brock Russell CB (7/1) on the board. I leave these two as they are top 10 players at their respective positions and I don’t believe you should ever pass up the chance to land guys that fit in this category. If I get one or both of them, I will pursue the best available DE and/or P to fill my 4 walk-on spots available.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 38 UNLV 13
Air Force 24 Utah 17
Colorado St 35 New Mexico 7
Wyoming 17 San Diego St 13

Its up to Wyoming now as Utah falls short in their bid to upset Air Force, though the Cowboys were far from impressive in squeaking by San Diego St, who has to be considered a pretty solid 2-7 team as they can compete.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 8 1 0 .888 299 162 5 0 0 1.000 171 68 Won 8
Brigham Young 6 2 0 .750 271 139 3 1 0 .750 138 75 Won 1
Wyoming 6 2 0 .750 194 180 3 1 0 .750 82 85 Won 2
Utah 4 4 0 .500 175 184 3 2 0 .600 116 112 Lost 1
Colorado State 5 4 0 .555 194 166 3 2 0 .600 93 79 Won 1
New Mexico 2 6 0 .250 148 304 1 3 0 .250 86 142 Lost 1
UNLV 0 7 0 .000 70 201 0 4 0 .000 37 121 Lost 18
San Diego State 2 7 0 .222 247 259 0 5 0 .000 103 144 Lost 4

Next weeks Schedule
New Mexico at BYU
Air force at Wyoming
Utah at UNLV

It all boils down to Air force and Wyoming. If the Pokes beat the Falcons it is possible we will all end up in a three way tie and it will come down to tie breakers, again we have to win out to insure this. This week we draw the Lobos and it will be at home which is good. I have made the decision to start Paul Post at QB to give Ellard a chance to observe the game and hopefully see some things he has not been seeing on the field. As Defenses have adjusted, he has not and now has 15 interceptions (11 on the road) overall, which will not get it done! New Mexico is an I formation, run first team that relies on sophomore Brant Farley 126-501, 1 TD and junior Jesse Conway 63-278, 3 TDs to move the chains. They have a good O-line and have only allowed junior QB Lance Bridges 100-194-1577, 10 TD, 6 Int to be sacked 12 times all season. Senior FS Victor Wallace is a legit playmaker on Defense and could play on Sundays next season. He has 83 tackles, 29 assists, 5 interceptions and 8 TFL on the season. He is all over the place!

BYU Alumni in the NFL
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – Longmate is pressed into starting duty due to injuries and does not fair well in a 23-20 loss to St Louis. He is 1-4 on KRBs and allows a sack.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Buffalo is defeated by Kansas City on the road 20-6 and Ellis gets 1 catch for only 7 yards.

Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Another loss for the Cowboys, 19-7 to Washington and Linquist has a mediocre game punting 6 times for a 39.6 average.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Denver is hammered by the Jets 43-13 and Calvin’s day epitomizes the Denver effort as he gains 4 yards on 5 carries and chips in a reception for 9 yards. Ugly!

Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – For a starter Jamison doesn’t make much of an impact getting only 1 tackle and 1 assist in the debacle against the Jets.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Flynn returns to the bench and accrues no stats in limited action as the Lions beat Green Bay 13-7.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Gets some limited PT against the Pack and records an assist.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Wade gets 2 tackles and a hurry on the Packers 13-7 loss to Detroit.

Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – Stoddard records season highs in both carries (24) and yards (136) as Kansas City grinds out a 20-6 win against Buffalo. D-Stod now looks like a sure bet to reach 1000 yards for the second consecutive season, avoiding any sophomore jinx.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – The Dolphins win a wild shootout against rapidly sinking New England, but Shields gets only a few snaps and record no stats.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

Andy Schroder FL New England ® - This can’t be what Schroder hoped for his rookie season as the Patriots drop their 5th straight to Miami 35-26, though he does have a solid day with 5 catches for 105 yards.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Leland contributes little in the Jets 43-13 dismantling of Denver catching only 1 pass for 12 yards.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Out – Torn Elbow Ligaments

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Another day on the pine as Julio does not play in the Jets big win.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – The Raiders are blanked by the Chargers 20-0 and Baxter does his part allowing a sack in limited time.

No doubt once again this week. The game ball goes to Daniel Stoddard for his 136 yard performance against the Bills.


Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

Hope your reading the employment ads fellas

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 11

BYU 44 New Mexico 0
Record Overall 7-2 Mountain West 4-1
Rank: 20th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 13-21-264 2 TD, 1 Int
Paul Post 3-6-52

Rushing
Steven Lane 20-175 2 TD
Leon Squires 12-72 1 TD

Receiving
Gilbert Meyer 4-89
John Battistone 4-96 2 TD
Xavier Malone 3-42

Defense
Benjamin Arreola ILB 5 tackles, 4 assists, 1 sack
Jerome Noisy CB 5 tackles, 2 assists, 2 forced fumbles
Jackie Trippi DE 4 tackles, 3 assists, 3 sacks
Shaun Sweeney SS 4 tackles, 1 Int

Recap
Easily our most complete game of the year as we outgain the Lobos 576-138 and accrue 29 first downs to their 7. I change my mind and stay with Ellard and he does a good job managing the game, which is all he needed to do as dominate as our line was. Lane has his second huge game as we garner 260 yards total on the ground and average 6.1 YPC. We hold New Mexico to eight 3 and outs and have 4 drives of our own over 60 yards, that all result in touchdowns. Hopefully this is the start of a strong stretch run and with Trippi back in the starting lineup and making a strong return with 3 sacks. Trippi is now 3.5 sacks behind the MWC all time leader, former Cougar Donnie Newsome. San Diego States William Yates should get there first however as he trails Newsome by just 1.

Injuries
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Out up to 4 weeks
Korey Webb T – Sprained Back – Out up to 6 weeks
Andrew Reynolds ILB – Torn Thumb Ligament – Probable 2 weeks
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Probable 2 weeks
Jerome Noisy CB – Broken Hand – Probable up to 4 weeks

No new injuries as we get a little better each week. Hopefully Jennings will be back at full strength for the Bowl game.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
Steven Webb DE Cedarhurst, NY – Overall 311, Position 41
Bucky Mandalari P Pylesville, MD – Overall UR, Position 25

We get the two positions I really needed Scholarship players at, I will offer walk-on opportunities to a G, RB and a S. This rounds out our class and it is not as good as some recent efforts, but strong nonetheless with four top 250 players and five ranked in the top 15 at their position.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 44 New Mexico 0
Air Force 28 Wyoming 24
UNLV 20 Utah 18

Utah completely tanks it against UNLV as the Rebels end their 18 game losing streak and it couldn’t have come against a better opponent. That result is small consolation however as Air Force wraps up the MWC Title with the road win over Wyoming. A solid finish for the Falcons who could end up in a BCS Bowl game.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 9 1 0 .900 327 186 6 0 0 1.000 199 92 Won 9
Brigham Young 7 2 0 .777 315 139 4 1 0 .800 182 75 Won 2
Wyoming 6 3 0 .666 218 208 3 2 0 .600 106 113 Lost 1
Colorado State 5 4 0 .555 194 166 3 2 0 .600 93 79 Won 1
Utah 4 5 0 .444 193 204 3 3 0 .500 134 132 Lost 2
New Mexico 2 7 0 .222 148 348 1 4 0 .200 86 186 Lost 2
UNLV 1 7 0 .125 90 219 1 4 0 .200 57 139 Won 1
San Diego State 2 7 0 .222 247 259 0 5 0 .000 103 144 Lost 4

Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Colorado St (TV5)
UNLV at San Diego St
Wyoming at New Mexico

Hopefully we don’t have let down now that Air Force is the MWC Champion, plus it is a road game. Again I am tempted to start Post, but there is really no point to now as we are playing for next year and Ellard needs the experience. CSU will be tough on the road as they boast a very good TB in sophomore Kendall Kovach who stepped in when Brant Starks tore his knee up in game 2 and has rushed for 932 yards. Senior QB Ernie Griffith has been serviceable in his first year as starter, throwing for 1462 yards and only 7 interceptions. Pete Winslett’s cousin Spencer is a stalwart for the Rams at FS with 37 tackles and 4 interceptions.

BYU Alumni in the NFL ($ = Starter)
$Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – In his second start Longmate goes 0-2 in KRB and allows another sack as the Cardinals fall to San Francisco 23-13.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Was moved to the practice squad, which does not bode well for his future in Buffalo. The Bills beat New England 20-10.

$Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – The Cowboys lose a close one to Philly 30-27 and Mack only punts 4 times for a measly 36.7 average.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Shaw rebounds to get 47 yards on 11 carries off the bench, but the Broncos are hammered again! This time Oakland does the honors 41-13.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Jamison at least has his best game in several weeks in the one sided loss recording 7 tackles and 3 assists.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – Flynn doesn’t play at all in the Lions 23-20 loss to the Vikings.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Donnie gets a bit more time and makes the most of it recording 2 tackles, 1 sack and a blocked pass in the loss.

$Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Such gets 1 tackle and 1 assist and the Packers get another loss, this time to Chicago 17-10.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – The Chiefs lose a shootout to San Diego 33-27 and Stoddard gets his 4th 100 game of the season gaining 124 yards on just 15 carries. D-Stod is 157 yards shy of 1000 with 6 to play. He is currently 4th in the NFL in rushing, 61 yards behind League leader Aaron Curtis of Miami.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Speaking of Miami, the Dolphins edge the Jets 28-26 and Shields contributes a tackle to the cause.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

$Andy Schroder FL New England ® - The season continues to go south for the Patriots as Andy hauls in 2 balls for 29 yards in the 20-10 loss to Buffalo.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Fletcher gets no action in the Jets 28-26 loss to the Dolphins.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Out – Torn Elbow Ligaments

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Fredrickson sits out his third straight game in the loss to Miami.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – Baxter gets a few reps in the Raiders 41-13 thrashing of Denver, going 0-1 in KRB.

Do I really need to say it? Game ball to D-Stod again.


Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)

Zzzzzzz

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 12

BYU 35 Colorado St 32
Record Overall 8-2 Mountain West 5-1
Rank: 13th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 19-36-240 3 TD, 1 Int

Rushing
Steven Lane 33-190 2 TD
Leon Squires 6-63

Receiving
Steven Lane 6-50
Xavier Malone 5-89 1 TD
Autry 4-59 I TD

Defense
Jerome Noisy CB 4 tackles, 3 assists, 2 PD
Kendall Timlin FS 4 tackles, 1 assist, 1 Int
Benjamin Arreola ILB 4 tackles
Carlton Lincoln DE 3 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack

Recap
We follow a totally dominant game against New Mexico with an equally dominant first half against the CSU, racing to a 21-3 lead. Then, once again we suffer the road malady which has plagued us all year giving up 18 third quarter points to the Rams that include an 89 yard TD pass and a 29 yard fumble return and enter the 4th tied at 21. Ellard then leads 2 TD drives connecting on scoring passes to Gilbert Meyer and the X-man, Xavier Malone. However, no sooner had we extended out lead to 35-24, then Ernie Griffith hits another long pass for the Rams to Ross Fulcher, they go for 2 and make it, and we are forced to hang on. They get the ball back with 2:00 remaining at their own 6 after Ellards only Int of the game, but we hold them on downs and take a knee to end it. What makes this latest road struggle frustrating is it is the Defense that lets us down this time. Luckily we close the season at home against Utah. We will have to travel somewhere for the Bowl game and since the team already has a horrendous 1-5 Bowl record under my watch I am not overjoyed about the post season at all this year.

Injuries
John Battistone WR – Torn Rotator Cuff – Out for the Season
Lenny Finley WR – Torn Knee Cartilage – Out for the Season
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Out up to 6 weeks
Korey Webb T – Sprained Back – Out up to 5 weeks
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Questionable up to 3 weeks
Andrew Reynolds ILB – Torn Thumb Ligament – Probable 1 week
Jerome Noisy CB – Broken Hand – Probable 3 weeks

How quickly fate can turn. Jennings is cleared for non contact activity and I will save him for the Bowl game. Enough of the smiley news though as we lose 2 WRs, including our best one for the year and Trippi reinjures his Shoulder and is likely done as well!! It just doesn’t get any worse than that, luckily Steven Lane has really come on over the last 3 games and the Line is doing a great job run blocking. We will need that now more than ever.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

As mentioned our scholarship class is set, please welcome next years new Cougars

Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Norton, Grant TE 6-3 228 CA 470 11 58 2
Young, Cris WR 6-0 181 UT 528 44 3 1
Hanshaw, Blake G 6-3 270 AZ 181 16 2 1
Lee, Glen T 6-3 258 UT 46 2 1 1
Godfrey, Daryl T 6-6 284 UT 595 47 5 2
Mandalari, Bucky P 5-11 175 MD --- 25 33 1
Dunlap, Joey K 5-10 166 NV 350 9 4 1
Webb, Steven DE 6-3 238 NY 311 41 24 4
Wright, Neal DT 6-4 250 MN 109 8 1 1
Dela Cruz, Timothy OLB 6-1 216 CA 211 11 27 1
Brock, Michael CB 5-8 164 CA 630 45 75 3
Beam, Mitchell S 5-9 171 UT 826 55 8 1

I am also trying to get the following recruits to walk-on at BYU since I have 4 roster slots open.

Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Levens, Brenden RB 5-9 183 TX --- 97 82 8
Prescott, Ronald G 6-5 279 FL --- 93 72 6
Page, Chester ILB 6-4 206 TX --- 89 --- 2
Floyd, Rusty OLB 5-11 198 UT --- 77 10 1
Congdon, Blake OLB 6-3 205 NE --- 89 9 1
Madison, Dave S 6-0 176 WY --- 92 3 1


Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 35 Colorado St 32
San Diego St 42 UNLV 31
New Mexico 38 Wyoming 23

UNLV promptly starts another losing streak and after the Cowboys failed to secure a possible tie for the MWC crown against Air Force, they apparently turned in their pads getting waxed by New Mexico.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 9 1 0 .900 327 186 6 0 0 1.000 199 92 Won 9
Brigham Young 8 2 0 .800 350 171 5 1 0 .833 217 107 Won 3
Wyoming 6 4 0 .600 241 246 3 3 0 .500 129 151 Lost 2
Utah 4 5 0 .444 193 204 3 3 0 .500 134 132 Lost 2
Colorado State 5 5 0 .500 226 201 3 3 0 .500 125 114 Lost 1
New Mexico 3 7 0 .300 186 371 2 4 0 .333 124 209 Won 1
San Diego State 3 7 0 .300 289 290 1 5 0 .166 145 175 Won 1
UNLV 1 8 0 .111 121 261 1 5 0 .166 88 181 Lost 1

Next weeks Schedule
Utah at BYU (TV5)
Air Force at San Diego St
Colorado St at Wyoming
New Mexico at UNLV

There are potentially 5 MWC teams that could be Bowl eligible this year, though Utah would have to beat us, so let’s rule them out right now! The Utes still have the best rushing attack in the MWC with their Power I offense, led by junior Ben Gill (751 yards) and freshman Kelvin Basso. (600 yards) QB Dennis Briggs is not a game changer, but the senior has completed just over 60% of his passes and (1429 yds, 8 TD, 6 Int) and only been sacked 14 times. ILB Thurman Upshaw is one Ute we are glad we don’t have to see anymore after this game. The 4 year starter has 62 tackles, 28 assists, 15 TFL and 3 interceptions. He could play on Sunday next year. One strange side note on him is that he totaled exactly 87 tackles in each of his first 3 seasons. He will need 25 between us and Utah St next week to reach that this year. Injuries could play a factor with the firepower we have out, but Utah is short a couple of key defenders as well with both sophomore CB Deion Peterson and talented, yet injury prone senior OLB Antoine Vanderpool on the bench.

BYU Alumni in the NFL ($ = Starter)
Tom Longmate RT Arizona ® – After starting 2 games, the Cardinals went looking for other options, cutting Tom after last weeks loss to San Francisco.

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Practice Squad, Bills beat Dallas 13-10

$Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Mack has his busiest day of the year in the 13-10 loss to Buffalo punting 10 times for a 41.0 yard average.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – 5 carries for 25 yards for Calvin as the Broncos make it respectable this week, but still fall to Green Bay 37-30.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Another decent game for Roderick in the loss to the Packers as he gets 6 tackles and 1 assist.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – A “thrilling” 9-6 loss to Kansas City, no stats in limited PT for Flynn.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Newsome also plays sparingly, but records an assist in the pitchers duel against the Chiefs.

$Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Wade is still starting, but fails to get on the stat sheet in the wild 37-30 win over the Broncos.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – A subpar effort in the 9-6 victory over Detroit as Stoddard gets 12 carries and gains 46 yards, his second lowest output of the season for the 8-3 Chiefs.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Miami falls to Philly 31-17 and Shields does not play.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

$Andy Schroder FL New England ® - The Patriots drop their 7th straight 20-10 to the Giants, as Schroder hauls in 4 passes for 56 yards. The Pats are rebuilding, but more was expected of them than this.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Fletcher grabs 1 reception for 9 yards as the Jets lose 17-14 to the Redskins.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Out – Torn Elbow Ligaments

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Does not play

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – The Vikings down Oakland 30-24 and Baxter goes 0-1 in KRB.

A week of less than stellar from the former Cougs, so earning his first game ball this week will be Roderick Jamison.

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 13

Utah 21 BYU 20
Record Overall 8-3 Mountain West 5-2
Rank: 23rd

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 17-30-246, 5 Int

Rushing
Steven Lane 23-140 1 TD
Leon Squires 3-20

Receiving
Xavier Malone 5-74
Leon Squires 4-46
Steven Lane 2-33

Defense
Andrew Reynolds ILB 9 tackles, 2 assists
Pete Winslett OLB 5 tackles, 2 assists, 1 PD
Kendall Timlin FS 5 tackles, 2 assists
Benjamin Arreola ILB 4 tackles, 5 assists

Recap
Needless to say this totally ruins our season. I can not believe how inconsistent Ellard has been this year and of all games to pull a Max Hall in he picks this one? I should say this one picked him….5 TIMES!!!! One of which went back to the house for 6!!! We were -5 in the turnover battle in this one and are now -11 on the season! Still, with all that we are up 20-14 with just under 3 minutes left, when Kelvin Basso breaks a 62 yard TD run against our normally stout Defense. We get 2 more possessions and they both end in…..INTERCEPTIONS!! Just a terrible day by Ellard and having 2 receivers out can’t screw him up that much….Totally wastes another good day by Steven Lane who surpasses the 1000 yard mark, despite only starting 8 games.

Injuries
John Battistone WR – Torn Rotator Cuff – Out for the Season
Lenny Finley WR – Torn Knee Cartilage – Out for the Season
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Out up to 5 weeks
Korey Webb T – Sprained Back – Out up to 4 weeks
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Questionable 2 weeks
Jerome Noisy CB – Broken Hand – Probable 2 weeks

Jennings and Noisy will be full strength for our Bowl game and both Trippi and Webb could be back as well. There is also a very minute chance, depending on when we play, that Finley may be able to go, but I would rather not risk that, since he will be back next year.

Recruiting

Visits
None

Commits
None

Recruiting Complete 12 Scholarships

Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Norton, Grant TE 6-3 228 CA 470 11 58 2
Young, Cris WR 6-0 181 UT 528 44 3 1
Hanshaw, Blake G 6-3 270 AZ 181 16 2 1
Lee, Glen T 6-3 258 UT 46 2 1 1
Godfrey, Daryl T 6-6 284 UT 595 47 5 2
Mandalari, Bucky P 5-11 175 MD --- 25 33 1
Dunlap, Joey K 5-10 166 NV 350 9 4 1
Webb, Steven DE 6-3 238 NY 311 41 24 4
Wright, Neal DT 6-4 250 MN 109 8 1 1
Dela Cruz, Timothy OLB 6-1 216 CA 211 11 27 1
Brock, Michael CB 5-8 164 CA 630 45 75 3
Beam, Mitchell S 5-9 171 UT 826 55 8 1


Mountain West Scoreboard
Utah 21 BYU 20
Air Force 38 San Diego St 12
Wyoming 18 Colorado St 17
UNLV 42 New Mexico 13

Strange week with New Mexico getting routed by hapless UNLV just one week after knocking off 3rd place Wyoming in convincing fashion. CSU is knocked out of Bowl contention, though Utah still has a shot if they take out Utah St (7-3) next week.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 10 1 0 .909 365 198 7 0 0 1.000 237 104 Won 10
Brigham Young 8 3 0 .727 370 192 5 2 0 .714 237 128 Lost 1
Wyoming 7 4 0 .636 259 263 4 3 0 .571 147 168 Won 1
Utah 5 5 0 .500 214 224 4 3 0 .571 155 152 Won 1
Colorado State 5 6 0 .454 243 219 3 4 0 .428 142 132 Lost 2
UNLV 2 8 0 .200 163 274 2 5 0 .285 130 194 Won 1
New Mexico 3 8 0 .272 199 413 2 5 0 .285 137 251 Lost 1
San Diego State 3 8 0 .272 301 328 1 6 0 .142 157 213 Lost 1

Next weeks Schedule
UNLV at Nevada
Utah at Utah St (TV5)

These two games tie up the MWC season and we will just sit back now and wait for our Bowl invite. Go Aggies!!!

BYU Alumni in the NFL ($ = Starter)

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Back on the active roster, makes 2 catches for 24 yards in the Bills 16-3 loss to Jacksonville.

$Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Dallas beats Atlanta and Linquist punts only 4 times for a 37.7 yard average.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Denver’s defense is atrocious as they give up 40+ for the third time on their last four games losing to Cincinnati 42-14. Shaw gains 12 yards on 7 carries.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Jamison records 3 tackles and 5 assists as part of that fine Bronco effort on D in the blowout loss to the Bengals.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – The Lions knock off Seattle 24-19 and Melvin goes a perfect 1 for 1 in KRB.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Donnie gets a few reps and manages to block a pass (his 3rd of the season) against the Seahawks.

$Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Green Bay is humbled by Washington 24-0 as Such gets 3 tackles on the day.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – Stoddard has a pretty good outing on the Chiefs 24-21 victory over the Colts with 13 carries for 74 yards. He has now gone 6 games without a pass even thrown his way and I can’t figure that out since he is a great breakaway threat.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Pittsburgh edges Miami 37-31 and Shields gets a few plays but no stats.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

$Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Another week, another loss, this time 24-21 to Baltimore. Schroder has 3 catches for 32 yards and has now fallen to second on the team in receiving behind Deion Branch.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – Fletcher has 1 catch for 23 yards in the Jets 27-7 win over Houston.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Out – Torn Elbow Ligaments

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Julio finally gets back on the field on the win over the Texans, but carries just once for no gain.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – Ellis gets a few plays in the Raiders 31-14 loss on Cleveland and allows a sack.

Again, no superstar performances, but D-Stod does enough to get yet another game ball.


Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)
Tom Longmate RT ®

[BYU 14]

2011 Week 14

Regular Season Complete
Record Overall 8-3 Mountain West 5-2
Rank: 26th

Recap
A disappointing regular season that sees us lose more than 1 game for the first time since 2007. The biggest reason of course is our horrible turnover margin of -11 and the inconsistent play of sophomore QB Donny Ellard, who had a 5 interception game and two 4 interception games. On a positive note Ellard threw for over 3000 yards and Steven Lane rushed for 1000 yards after we lost starting TB Wally Jennings in game three. We would have had a 1000 yard receiver as well if Finley had not gone down in week 12. We now wait for our Bowl invite, which will likely be the Holiday Bowl.

Injuries
John Battistone WR – Torn Rotator Cuff – Out for the Season
Lenny Finley WR – Torn Knee Cartilage – Out for the Season
Jackie Trippi DE – Separated Shoulder – Out up to 4 weeks
Korey Webb T – Sprained Back – Doubtful up to 3 weeks
Wally Jennings RB – Broken Ankle – Probable 1 week
Jerome Noisy CB – Broken Hand – Probable 1 week

The Good news is we will have everyone but Finley and Battistone back for the Bowl game. Battistone of course is a backup so will not impact us, but Finley will for sure, though there is still a very small chance he may be able to play, despite the current prognosis.

Final recruiting wind up

Player Pos HT WT ST NRank ByPos StRank ByPos
Norton, Grant TE 6-3 228 CA 470 11 58 2
Young, Cris WR 6-0 181 UT 528 44 3 1
Hanshaw, Blake G 6-3 270 AZ 181 16 2 1
Lee, Glen T 6-3 258 UT 46 2 1 1
Godfrey, Daryl T 6-6 284 UT 595 47 5 2
Mandalari, Bucky P 5-11 175 MD --- 25 33 1
Dunlap, Joey K 5-10 166 NV 350 9 4 1
Webb, Steven DE 6-3 238 NY 311 41 24 4
Wright, Neal DT 6-4 250 MN 109 8 1 1
Dela Cruz, Timothy OLB 6-1 216 CA 211 11 27 1
Brock, Michael CB 5-8 164 CA 630 45 75 3
Beam, Mitchell S 5-9 171 UT 826 55 8 1


Mountain West Scoreboard
Nevada 17 UNLV 10
Utah St 35 Utah 21

Utah gets knocked out of Bowl contention and Utah State wins the Beehive Boot as the best Football team in the state since us and the Utes both finish 1-1 against in state competition and Utah St is 1-0.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 10 1 0 .909 365 198 7 0 0 1.000 237 104 Won 10
Brigham Young 8 3 0 .727 370 192 5 2 0 .714 237 128 Lost 1
Wyoming 7 4 0 .636 259 263 4 3 0 .571 147 168 Won 1
Utah 5 6 0 .454 235 259 4 3 0 .571 155 152 Lost 1
Colorado State 5 6 0 .454 243 219 3 4 0 .428 142 132 Lost 2
UNLV 2 9 0 .181 173 291 2 5 0 .285 130 194 Lost 1
New Mexico 3 8 0 .272 199 413 2 5 0 .285 137 251 Lost 1
San Diego State 3 8 0 .272 301 328 1 6 0 .142 157 213 Lost 1

Next weeks Schedule
Regular Season complete

BYU Alumni in the NFL ($ = Starter)

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2) – Buffalo is defeated by Washington 21-7 and Ellis makes 2 catches for 22 yards.

$Mack Linquist P Dallas ® – Dallas edges hapless New England for their second win in a row 28-22 as Mack punts 3 times for a 39.6 average.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3) – Another thumping, this time at the hands of Minnesota 38-23 as Calvin carries 5 times for 38 yards. He has still yet to get into the end zone as Denver falls to 1-12.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ® – Jamison has a terrible game against the Vikings with 2 tackles and 1 assist.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2) – The Lions lose to San Diego 22-20 and Flynn does not play.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ® – Donnie gets an assist against the Chargers in limited playing time.

$Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Green Bay edges Oakland 19-16, as Such garners his usual 2 tackles, but he also strains his Patella Tendon and is likely done for the Season as the Packers currently sit at 4-9.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2) – Stoddard scores a career high 3 TDs and rambles for 78 yards on 23 carries as the Chiefs rip the Bears 38-17. He also has two passes thrown his way, but catches neither.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ® – Miami is completely stymied by the Steelers 19-0 as Shields gets 2 tackles and an assist off the Bench.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad.

$Andy Schroder FL New England ® - Schroder has a solid showing in the 28-22 loss to Dallas hauling in 6 balls for 87 yards as Donovan McNabb is back in the lineup.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2) – The Jets squeak by Philly 32-31 in an exhilarating game, but Leland does not see a single ball thrown his way.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Out – Torn Elbow Ligaments

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Julio does not play against the Eagles.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ® – Ellis again see the field in reserve duty in the 19-16 loss to Green Bay and goes 0-1 in KRB

Have to again go with Stoddard for his 3 TD explosion with this weeks game ball.


Free Agents (exp)
Harvey Geary SLB (3)
Harris Diaz MLB (3)
Derek Perry FS (2)
Gus Cerny TE (2)
Ed Lyons (LT) (2)
Bennie Rayburn QB ®
Herb Wong WLB ®
Lance Boyd RG ®
Dwight Gatlin QB (3)
Tom Longmate RT ®

[BYU 14]

2011 Weeks 15 - 17

Regular Season Complete
Record Overall 8-3 Mountain West 5-2
Rank: 26th

End of Season Top 25

School Record Conf Comp Poll Loss Sched Total Rank
Michigan 11-0 B10 1.00 1.00 0.00 2.68 4.68 1
Georgia 11-1 SEC 2.25 3.00 1.00 0.36 6.61 2
Miami of Florida 10-1 ACC 2.75 2.00 1.00 1.20 6.95 3
Texas 11-1 B12 4.75 4.00 1.00 2.32 12.07 4
Washington State 10-1 P10 5.00 7.50 1.00 2.56 16.06 5
Miami of Ohio 10-2 MAC 6.75 7.50 2.00 1.76 18.01 6
Air Force 10-1 MWC 8.25 5.50 1.00 3.88 18.63 7
Boise State 10-1 WAC 10.00 5.50 1.00 4.08 20.58 8
Pittsburgh 9-2 BE 10.00 9.50 2.00 1.92 23.42 9
West Virginia 9-2 BE 14.50 13.50 2.00 3.16 33.16 10
Washington 8-3 P10 11.50 19.50 3.00 0.12 34.12 11
Toledo 10-2 MAC 17.75 10.50 2.00 4.76 35.01 12
Texas Christian 9-2 USA 15.75 13.50 2.00 4.20 35.45 13
Michigan State 9-2 B10 9.25 23.00 2.00 3.04 37.29 14
North Carolina State 9-2 ACC 17.25 17.50 2.00 1.88 38.63 15
UCLA 8-3 P10 20.00 14.00 3.00 1.64 38.64 16
Oklahoma 8-3 B12 15.00 20.00 3.00 1.52 39.52 17
Louisiana State 9-3 SEC 7.25 30.50 3.00 0.20 40.95 18
South Florida 9-2 USA 23.75 13.50 2.00 4.60 43.85 19
Tennessee 8-3 SEC 21.50 16.00 3.00 3.68 44.18 20
Houston 9-2 USA 19.00 23.00 2.00 4.44 48.44 21
Florida 7-4 SEC 19.50 25.50 4.00 0.04 49.04 22
Bowling Green 8-3 MAC 22.00 23.00 3.00 2.48 50.48 23
California 8-3 P10 21.00 24.00 3.00 2.76 50.76 24
Nebraska 8-3 B12 33.75 10.50 3.00 4.04 51.29 25

We linger just outside the rankings at 26 and need a bowl win to avoid being unranked for the first time since 2007. We have three non-BCS schools in the top 10 lead by Miami of Ohio, which is a surprise since they have 2 losses, though they come at the hands of #2 Georgia and #3 Miami in the first 2 games of the season. Michigan is the only unbeaten and have been a Juggernaught outscoring their opponents by an average of 45-8. They get Georgia for all the marbles and Dawgs, whose only loss was a 17-14 upset at the hands of Florida will have their hands full.

Bowl Schedule

Game Matchup
Rose Bowl Michigan (11-0) vs Georgia (11-1)
Orange Bowl Miami of Florida (10-1) vs Washington State (10-1)
Fiesta Bowl Texas (11-1) vs Air Force (10-1)
Cotton Bowl North Carolina State (9-2) vs Miami of Ohio (10-2)
Sugar Bowl Florida State (7-4) vs Michigan State (9-2)
Peach Bowl Kansas State (8-4) vs Washington (8-3)
Liberty Bowl Maryland (7-4) vs Oklahoma (8-3)
Gator Bowl Pittsburgh (9-2) vs Louisiana State (9-3)
Holiday Bowl Penn State (7-4) vs Brigham Young (8-3)
Sun Bowl Clemson (6-5) vs UCLA (8-3)
Aloha Bowl Iowa (8-3) vs Tennessee (8-3)
Motor City Bowl Georgia Tech (6-5) vs South Florida (9-2)
Independence Bowl Purdue (7-4) vs Nebraska (8-3)
Citrus Bowl Wyoming (7-4) vs Notre Dame (7-4)
Outback Bowl Florida (7-4) vs Houston (9-2)
Alamo Bowl Boise State (10-1) vs Bowling Green (8-3)
GMAC Bowl California (8-3) vs Cornell (9-2)
Bluebonnet Bowl Missouri (8-3) vs Toledo (10-2)
Oahu Bowl Southern California (6-5) vs South Carolina (7-4)
Tangerine Bowl West Virginia (9-2) vs Texas Christian (9-2)
Gotham City Bowl Boston College (7-4) vs Utah State (8-3)
Humanitarian Bowl Louisville (8-3) vs Kent State (8-3)
Las Vegas Bowl North Texas (8-3) vs Brown (9-2)

We draw a 7-4 Penn St team in the Holiday Bowl that has the potential to be explosive. They run a Pro style offense and are lead by senior TB Mario Barlow 174-1113, 6.3 YPC, 7 TD. He has 4014 yards in his career as a Nittany Lion and will be asked to carry the load. Starting QB junior Brock Berry is a walk-on who started all 11 games and threw for 2414 yards (174-315) 22 TD and 16 Int. I find it amazing that Penn St has no Scholarship QBs better. Sophomore Bruce Stewart looks better on paper, but coach Brock Barrett went with the walk-on. Maybe it’s a name thing? Their defense ranked 67th against the run and 12th against the pass, as well as being +7 in the turnover department, which worries me. I think we need to try and play smash mouth in this one.

Air Force gets a Fiesta bid against Texas and Wyoming will take on resurgent Notre Dame who won their last 6 (including kicking our ass) after starting 1-4.

BYU Alumni in the NFL ($ = Starter)

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2)
Week 15: Bills beat Miami 37-14 and Ellis ties a season high with 4 catches for 34 yards.

Week 16: Has 1 catch for 16 yards as the Bills are routed by the Giants 31-13.

Week 17: The Bills close with a 17-10 win against the Jets and Hitch grabs 2 more balls for 17 yards. The win clinches the division and puts Buffalo in the playoffs.

Tom Longmate RT Cincinnati ®
Week 14: Missed Tom getting picked up by the Patriots. He starts and is 0-2 in KRB and allows 2 sacks in their 28-22 week 14 loss to Dallas and is promptly cut.

Week 17: Gets a few plays, but no stats as the Bengals close with a 37-34 win over the Steelers.

$Mack Linquist P Dallas ®
Week 15: Punts 7 times for a 43.2 avg as Dallas beats the Giants 34-28

Week 16: The Cowboys complete the New York sweep beating the Jets 24-13 as Mack punts 2 times for a 45.0 average

Week 17: Dallas brings it home strong with a 31-18 pounding of Washington as Linquist punts 4 times for a 40.5 average. Despite winning their last 5 the Cowboy only finish 7-9, last in the NFC East.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3)
Week 15: An uninspired 27-0 loss to KC, Shaw has 4 carries for 23 yards

Week 16: A heartbreaking 27-24 loss to the Lions, Shaw gains only 7 yards on 3 carries.

Week 17: The Broncos put the bow on a miserable 1-15 season losing to San Diego 20-12. Shaw carries 4 times for 17 yards and adds 2 catches for 11.


$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ®
Week 15: In the loss to the Chiefs Jamison garners 4 tackles and 3 assists.

Week 16: One of Roderick’s better games of the year as he chips in 7 tackles and an assist in the Detroit game. Interestingly enough he has benched in this one and recorded these numbers as a reserve

Week 17: He wins his starting job back for the finale and tallies 4 tackles and 4 assists in the loss to San Diego. An up and down rookie campaign for sure.


Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2)
Week 15: Limited PT and no stats in a 20-7 win over Chicago

Week 16: Same story here as the Lions beat Denver 27-24, but Flynn sees little time.

Week 17: Detroit finishes in a flourish, winning their 3rd straight 27-24 over Green Bay. Flynn again plays sparingly going 0-1 in KRB. The strong finish pulls Detroit even for the year at 8-8.


Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ®
Week 15: Limited PT and no stats in the win over the bears

Week 16: Rinse and repeat at Denver

Week 17: Finishing the season where he started it in the win over the Pack, guarding the Gatorade.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ® – Out - strained Patella Tendon - Sure enough Wade does not see the field in the Packers final three games, all loses to Minnesota 24-21, San Diego 28-20 and Detroit 27-24. The Pack finish at 4-12, but Such starts all 13 games he plays in. Not bad for an undrafted FA.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2)
Week 15: Stoddard heats up the frigid mile high city to the tune of 135 yards on 17 carries as the Chiefs rout Denver 27-0

Week 16: A solid, workman like performance for D-Stod in a 30-15 victory over Minnesota with 23 carries for 90 yards.

Week 17: KC will head into the playoffs full steam ahead as they finish the season 13-3 clobbering Oakland 42-14 in the finale. Stoddard carries 16 times for 61 yards and gets involved in the passing game with 2 catches for 10 yards.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ®
Week 15: Sees limited time, with no stats as the Bills clobber Miami 37-14.

Week 16: Does not play in the Fins 20-17 win over the Redskins

Week 17: The Dolphins close out the season with a wild 41-38 win over the Patriots, though Shields still only plays sparingly, accumulating no stats again.

Pete Rose FL Miami ® – Practice Squad the entire season. At least he got in to watch NFL games free. Dolphins finish 8-8.

$Andy Schroder FL New England ®
Week 15: Pats fall to the Jets 26-18, but Schroder hauls in his first TD pass since game 5 and ends up with 4 catches for 35 yards.

Week 16: The Rookie is starting to heat it up with 6 catches for 59 yards and 2 more TDs, but alas the Pats fall again 31-24 to McNabb’s old team, the Eagles.

Week 17: The 41-38 loss to Miami was wild and Schroder went off with a season high 9 catches for 111 yards and 1 TD. The Pats are a dismal 2-14, but Schroder’s strong finish has fans excited for his future with the team.


Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2)
Week 15: Fletcher gets a few plays, but no action in the Jets 26-18 win over New England.

Week 16: A bit better against the streaking Cowboys as Fletch hauls in 2 passes for 38 yards in a 24-13 loss.

Week 17: Fletcher gets his first and only start of the year and grabs a 15 yard TD pass, his only catch, in a season ending 17-10 loss to the Bills. The Jets finish 9-7 thanks to their collapse in the final 2 games and miss out on a wildcard spot.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2) – Out – Torn Elbow Ligaments – Joseph finishes the season on IR. Hopefully he will be back at full strength next year.

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ® – Julio was sent back to the practice squad after the Philly game and spends the final 3 weeks of the season there.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ®
Week 15: Baxter is starting to get some more reps, but he is not impressive in a 24-13 loss to the Chargers allowing 2 sacks.

Week 16: The Raiders bounce back to defeat Chicago 20-10 and Ellis is 0-1 in KRB and allows another sack.

Week 17: The good news is Ellis does not allow a sack this week, but goes 0-1 in KRB in his limited time and the Raiders are paddled 42-14 by KC to end the season at 5-11.

Final 3 games balls
Week 15: No contest, D-Stod in a runaway for his performance against the Denver.

Week 16: Close between Schroder and Stoddard, but I have to go with the rookie by the nose of the football.

Week 17: No doubt this week, Schroder again with his 9 catch effort against the Dolphins to end the season.

[BYU 14]

2011 Post Season recap

Holiday Bowl – BYU 42 Penn St 21
Record Overall 9-3 Mountain West 5-2
Final Rank: 19th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 18-27-281, 2 TD, 1 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 21-100, 3 TD

Receiving
Gilbert Meyer 5-74
Xavier Malone 4-59, 1 TD
Martin Autry 4-61

Defense
Jesse Gomez OLB 7 tackles, 1 sack
Kendall Timlin FS 6 tackles, 2 assists, 2 int
Andrew Reynolds ILB 6 tackles, 3 assists
Jerome Noisy CB 5 tackles, 1 assist, 1 int

Recap
Wally Jennings makes a triumphant return winning Bowl MVP honors for his 3 scores, including a 61 yard scamper in the 4th to put the game away. Penn St moved well early and it was nip and tuck as both teams scored a touchdown apiece in each of the first 3 quarters. Penn St QB Brock Berry looked at times like Joe Montana and at others like Donny Ellard in the Utah game. In the end it was that resemblance that made a difference, as Berry ended up with 4 interceptions, one of which was returned for 6 by Lavon Palmer. Berry’s foibles offset a solid performance by Nittany Lion TB Mario Barlow, who had 97 yards on just 14 carries. It was truly the kind of big play performance we needed from our Defense to keep us close and they delivered. In fact, after Penn States third quarter score, their final seven drives ended accumulated only 53 total yards. The results were 3 punts, 3 interceptions and time expiring. A big boost heading into the off season and a great send off for some deserving seniors.

Bowl Results

Rose Bowl Michigan (12-0) 26, Georgia (11-2) 16
Orange Bowl Miami of Florida (11-1) 29, Washington State (10-2) 14
Fiesta Bowl Texas (12-1) 43, Air Force (10-2) 17
Cotton Bowl Miami of Ohio (11-2) 38, North Carolina State (9-3) 20
Sugar Bowl Florida State (8-4) 38, Michigan State (9-3) 35
Peach Bowl Washington (9-3) 38, Kansas State (8-5) 10
Liberty Bowl Maryland (8-4) 25, Oklahoma (8-4) 10
Gator Bowl Pittsburgh (10-2) 41, Louisiana State (9-4) 17
Holiday Bowl Brigham Young (9-3) 42, Penn State (7-5) 21
Sun Bowl UCLA (9-3) 52, Clemson (6-6) 7
Aloha Bowl Tennessee (9-3) 23, Iowa (8-4) 14
Motor City Bowl South Florida (10-2) 34, Georgia Tech (6-6) 3
Independence Bowl Purdue (8-4) 31, Nebraska (8-4) 8
Citrus Bowl Notre Dame (8-4) 49, Wyoming (7-5) 17
Outback Bowl Florida (8-4) 56, Houston (9-3) 7
Alamo Bowl Bowling Green (9-3) 31, Boise State (10-2) 17
GMAC Bowl California (9-3) 24, Cornell (9-3) 14
Bluebonnet Bowl Toledo (11-2) 33, Missouri (8-4) 16
Oahu Bowl South Carolina (8-4) 34, Southern California (6-6) 31
Tangerine Bowl Texas Christian (10-2) 24, West Virginia (9-3) 21
Gotham City Bowl Utah State (9-3) 17, Boston College (7-5) 14
Humanitarian Bowl Louisville (9-3) 41, Kent State (8-4) 10
Las Vegas Bowl Brown (10-2) 21, North Texas (8-4) 9

Michigan grabs another National Championship, their 4th in 8 years. They are 7-1 in bowls during that time and their only loss came against us in our National Championship season of 2008. We are also the only MWC club to win a Bowl game as Air Force and Wyoming get hammered.

Final Rankings

Michigan 12-0 B10 1.00 1.00 0.00 2.08 4.08 1
Miami of Florida 11-1 ACC 1.75 2.00 1.00 0.56 5.31 2
Georgia 11-2 SEC 4.25 4.00 2.00 0.08 10.33 3
Texas 12-1 B12 4.25 3.00 1.00 2.36 10.61 4
Miami of Ohio 11-2 MAC 5.25 5.50 2.00 1.00 13.75 5
Pittsburgh 10-2 BE 9.50 6.50 2.00 1.32 19.32 6
Washington State 10-2 P10 4.00 14.00 2.00 0.88 20.88 7
Texas Christian 10-2 USA 8.00 10.50 2.00 3.56 24.06 8
Washington 9-3 P10 8.00 15.00 3.00 0.20 26.20 9
UCLA 9-3 P10 11.50 10.00 3.00 1.96 26.46 10
Air Force 10-2 MWC 14.00 8.00 2.00 2.52 26.52 11
Toledo 11-2 MAC 13.25 7.50 2.00 4.60 27.35 12
South Florida 10-2 USA 15.75 9.00 2.00 4.48 31.23 13
Bowling Green 9-3 MAC 11.25 18.00 3.00 1.16 33.41 14
Boise State 10-2 WAC 18.50 13.00 2.00 3.64 37.14 15
Tennessee 9-3 SEC 19.00 13.00 3.00 3.32 38.32 16
Florida 8-4 SEC 16.75 20.00 4.00 0.04 40.79 17
California 9-3 P10 19.00 19.00 3.00 2.32 43.32 18
Brigham Young 9-3 MWC 22.00 14.00 3.00 4.32 43.32 19
North Carolina State 9-3 ACC 17.00 23.00 3.00 0.80 43.80 20
Notre Dame 8-4 IND 18.00 28.00 4.00 0.32 50.32 21
West Virginia 9-3 BE 24.00 21.00 3.00 2.44 50.44 22
Michigan State 9-3 B10 17.50 28.50 3.00 3.00 52.00 23
Utah State 9-3 SBC 22.50 25.00 3.00 2.80 53.30 24
South Carolina 8-4 SEC 19.00 31.00 4.00 0.48 54.48 25

Surprised Air Force finished so high after Texas destroyed them. Also a nice comeback for the Irish to crack the top 25 and Utah State shows they may be for real sneaking in as well.

2011 Summary

Record: 9-3
Rank: 19

Brigham Young Team Rank
Rushes 445 40 (T)
Rushing Yards 1813 34
Yards Per Carry 4.07 30
Pass Attempts 383 31 (T)
Completions 220 21 (T)
Passing Yards 3470 10
Yards Per Attempt 9.06 7
3rd Down Conversions 37.6 39 (T)
Points Per Game 34.3 13
Turnovers 29 109 (T)
Turnover Margin -8 97 (T)

Opponents Team Rank
Rushes 365 23 (T)
Rushing Yards 839 9
Yards Per Carry 2.29 9
Pass Attempts 331 54 (T)
Completions 150 13 (T)
Passing Yards 1814 7
Yards Per Attempt 5.48 5
3rd Down Conversions 22.4 3
Points Per Game 17.7 22 (T)
Turnovers 21 49 (T)

Primary Formation: Single-Back Formation

Week Team Versus Oppnt
2 42 MEMP (84) 6
4 33 UTEP (65) 17
5 24 at AFA (11) 27
6 41 RUTG (109) 3
7 45 WYOM (59) 14
8 31 at SDST (95) 21
9 17 at ND (31) 38
10 38 UNLV (107) 13
11 44 NMEX (100) 0
12 35 at CSU (71) 32
13 20 UTAH (73) 21
17 42 vs PNST (45) 21

Passing Pos Att Comp Yards Y/Att TD Int
14 Ellard QB 364 213 3358 9.22 28 23
Team --- 383 220 3470 9.06 28 24

Rushing Pos Att Yards Y/Att TD Stff YdLst
32 Lane RB 216 1050 4.86 11 69 143
14 Ellard QB 87 -38 -0.43 1 49 247
22 Jennings RB 71 488 6.87 5 23 38
30 Squires RB 51 220 4.31 1 15 30
Team --- 445 1813 4.07 19 162 474

Receiving Pos Targ Catch Yards Y/Ctc YAC TD
80 Malone WR 84 46 779 16.9 319 11
87 Finley WR 75 43 958 22.2 356 8
32 Lane RB 57 39 431 11.0 297 1
88 Autry WR 48 21 292 13.9 62 1
91 Meyer TE 34 28 407 14.5 154 2
82 Battistone WR 33 14 258 18.4 81 3
22 Jennings RB 18 12 122 10.1 70 2
30 Squires RB 16 7 71 10.1 47 0
86 Walton WR 13 6 75 12.5 8 0
Team --- 383 220 3470 15.7 1403 28

Defense Pos Tack Asst Sack TFL Ints Defn
50 Arreola ILB 57 32 1.0 15 1 11
36 Sweeney S 49 13 0.0 4 2 14
93 Gomez OLB 47 15 3.0 12 1 5
96 Reynolds ILB 42 17 1.0 9 1 3
27 Noisy CB 42 13 0.0 2 2 15
41 Timlin S 41 16 0.0 5 7 4
44 Winslett OLB 31 13 0.0 7 0 5
74 Lincoln DE 31 10 12.5 17 0 0
73 Wiles DE 29 9 10.0 19 0 0
2 Malano CB 23 9 0.0 4 0 8
71 Trippi DE 19 10 7.0 12 0 0
1 Palmer CB 19 7 0.0 1 1 4
99 Ballard DT 18 6 1.5 8 0 1
Team --- 602 186 40.0 127 15 76

Our Turnover ranking says all you need to know about what didn't go well for us this season.

Final Rankings
Academics - 16
Recruiting – 33
TV Revenue – 33
Ticket Sales – 17
Donations – 49
Average Attendance – 65,000 (All Sell outs)

The attendance boon nests us a Stadium expansion, as 6400 seats will be added in 2012. Recruiting was down and we need a real good class next season to make up for it.

Awards
Donnie Ellard – MWC Offensive POY, 1st Team All-MWC QB
Martin Autry – MWC Freshman Offensive POY
Lenny Finley – 1st Team All-MWC WR
Xavier Malone – 1st Team All-MWC WR
Steven Lane – 2nd Team All-MWC RB, All-MWC Academic Team RB
Dennis Adams – 2nd Team All-MWC G, All-MWC Academic Team G
Korey Webb – 2nd Team All-MWC OT
Benjamin Arreola – 2nd Team All-MWC ILB
Jesse Gomez – 2nd Team All-MWC OLB
Jerome Noisy – 2nd Team All-MWV CB
John Battistone – All-MWC Academic Team WR
Todd Gurley – All-MWC Academic Team K
Pete Winslett – All-MWC Academic Team OLB
Kurt Mason – All MWC Academic Team CB

A nice laundry list of awards and we get all our first teamers and all but 2 of our second teamers back.

Discipline
Korey McGraw FS – Academic suspension
Joey Haugh K – Honor Code suspension (Fighting)

McGraw would have seen some time in nickel packages and will have 3 years left, if he returns for 2013. Haugh is a walk-on back up kicker, what the hell. I will likely cut him.

BYU Alumni in the NFL ($ = Starter)

Ellis Hitchcock WR Buffalo (2)
Playoffs: Wild Card – The Bills beat the Chargers 25-19 and Hitchcock grabs 1 pass for 16 yards off the bench.

Divisional – A 19-17 upset of KC puts the Bills into the AFC title game, Hitchcock gets no receptions.

AFC Championship: The Bills run comes to an end as they fall to Tennessee 27-17, Ellis gets 1 reception for 11 yards to end the Season.

Final 2011 Stats – No starts - 25 receptions for 306 yards and 1 TD, also only 1 drop all season.

Tom Longmate RT Cincinnati ®
Final 2011 Stats – 3 starts – 1 of 9 KRB, allowed 6 sacks, nothing too stellar.

$Mack Linquist P Dallas ®
Final 2011 Stats - 16 starts – 86 punts for a 41.5 yd avg, 29 inside the 20.

Calvin Shaw RB Denver (3)
Final 2011 Stats – 0 starts – lost his job and suffered through an abysmal season. 98 carries for 379 yds (3.86 YPC), 13 receptions for 95 yards. Did not find the end zone all season.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver ®
Final 2011 Stats – 15 starts – 70 tackles, 37 assists, 3 PD. Not exactly the numbers expected of a starting MLB in the NFL, but not much around him either.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (2)
Final 2011 Stats – 2 starts – 2 of 8 in KRB allowed no sacks in 117 plays, something that could keep him around.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit ®
Final 2011 Stats – 0 starts – 5 tackles, 4 assists, 2 sacks and 3 blocked passes. Played 193 plays all season and will have to work hard in the off season to stick around.

Wade Such DT Green Bay ®
Final 2011 Stats – 13 starts – The surprise of the season, starting every game before a season ending Knee injury. 26 tackles, 7 assists, 1.5 sacks and 1 blocked pass. Not bad for an undrafted free agent.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (2)
Playoffs: Divisional – KC is shocked by the Bills 19-17, but D-Stod plays like a warrior gaining 159 yards on 28 carries. It just isn’t enough in the end.

Final 2011 Stats – 16 starts – 256 carries for 1327 yards (5.18 YPC) 7 TDs. Also hauls in 7 passes for 41 yards, could have been used more in this capacity. Stoddard is tough and durable and is firmly entrenched as one of the leagues bright young running backs. He ranked 3rd in the NFL in rushing and was first in yards per carry. Longest run of the season was 65 yards. Definitely our brightest star so far.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami ®
Final 2011 Stats – 0 starts – Was in on only 83 plays all year and recorded 7 tackles and 3 assists. A long shot to keep an NFL job.

Pete Rose FL Miami ®
Final 2011 Stats - Practice Squad the entire season.

$Andy Schroder FL New England ®
Final 2011 Stats – 16 starts – looks to have a bright future after a fine rookie season. 69 catches for 957 yards, 6 TDs and 13.8 YPC. Led the Patriots in receiving and also averaged 24.4 yards on kickoff returns and 4.0 on punt returns. Schroder even managed to gain 14 yards rushing on 3 carries. Looks like he has a bright future in the league.


Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (2)
Final 2011 Stats – 1 start – A disappointing season for Leland with just 14 catches for 178 yards, 12.7 YPC and 2 TDs.

Geoff Joseph TE NY Jets (2)
Final 2011 Stats – 0 starts – Lost his starting job to free agent Jeremy Shockey, then suffered ghastly Elbow injury after appearing in just 7 games. Had 3 receptions for 55 yards (18.3 YPC)

Julio Fredrickson RB NY Jets ®
Final 2011 Stats – 0 starts – Julio got considerable time off the bench in the first 5 games, then carried only 3 times the rest of the season. Had 46 carries for 137 yards, 2.97 YPC and 3 receptions for 29 yards. Does not look to fit into the Jets future plans.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland ®
Final 2011 Stats – 0 starts – Got in on 222 plays all season, went 2 of 8 in KRB and allowed 6 sacks.

Cougar of the year award goes by a landslide to Daniel Stoddard, not even close here, though Schroder could challenge him in the future.

Final NFL Standings

AFC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Cincinnati 11 5 0 .687 405 399 9-3 4-2
Baltimore 9 7 0 .562 388 370 7-5 4-2
Pittsburgh 6 10 0 .375 336 349 4-8 3-3
Cleveland 4 12 0 .250 295 384 2-10 1-5

AFC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Tennessee 12 4 0 .750 368 278 9-3 4-2
Indianapolis 10 6 0 .625 390 342 8-4 4-2
Houston 8 7 1 .531 294 284 7-5 3-3
Jacksonville 6 10 0 .375 248 293 5-7 1-5

AFC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Buffalo 10 6 0 .625 337 316 8-4 5-1
New Jersey 9 7 0 .562 347 321 7-5 3-3
Miami 8 8 0 .500 384 374 7-5 4-2
New England 2 14 0 .125 282 406 1-11 0-6

AFC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Kansas City 13 3 0 .812 391 229 9-3 5-1
San Diego 11 5 0 .687 354 288 8-4 5-1
Oakland 5 11 0 .312 272 339 4-8 2-4
Denver 1 15 0 .062 233 460 1-11 0-6

NFC North W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Minnesota 12 4 0 .750 375 336 9-3 5-1
Chicago 9 7 0 .562 296 334 8-4 3-3
Detroit 8 8 0 .500 334 304 6-6 3-3
Green Bay 4 12 0 .250 261 350 2-10 1-5

NFC South W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
Carolina 9 6 1 .593 358 257 7-5 5-1
New Orleans 9 7 0 .562 365 330 6-6 3-3
Tampa Bay 9 7 0 .562 300 285 7-5 3-3
Atlanta 4 12 0 .250 248 362 3-9 1-5

NFC East W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
New York 9 7 0 .562 353 325 6-6 4-2
Philadelphia 8 8 0 .500 365 354 6-6 3-3
Washington 8 8 0 .500 309 310 6-6 3-3
Dallas 7 9 0 .437 285 350 4-8 2-4

NFC West W L T Pct PF PA Conf Div
St. Louis 13 3 0 .812 392 316 9-3 6-0
San Francisco 10 6 0 .625 361 299 8-4 4-2
Seattle 8 8 0 .500 356 314 6-6 2-4
Arizona 3 13 0 .187 383 407 3-9 0-6


2011 Super Bowl Champions
Tennessee Titans

[BYU 14]

2012 BYU Preseason Report

Preseason Rank: 14th - Mountain West Rank: 1st

Roster/Depth Chart
Bold = Returning Starter - Red = Redshirt - *Elig = Redshirt used - *Pos = Walk on – Orange = Suspended
Returning Starters: Offense 10 Defense 7 Specialists 1
First player(s) listed at each position are the projected starter(s)

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Ellard, Donny 14 QB Jr* 59 90
Cook, Malcolm 6 QB Jr* 32 49
Mathis, Kennedy 8 QB Fr* 31 95
Davison, Donnie 17 QB* Sr 28 66

Ellard made some good progress over the off season and is far ahead of the rest. I didn’t bring in a QB this year, because I see us set for the next 4 years between Ellard and Mathis, who has huge upside, but a lot of work to do. Ellard needs to drastically reduce his interceptions and the reason for many of them is he takes too many chances. It results in big plays, but killed us in all three of our loses last season.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Jennings, Wally 22 RB Sr* 79 79
Lane, Steven 32 RB Jr* 76 92
Gillespie, Shawn 23 RB Fr* 57 66
Squires, Leon 30 RB So* 38 86

Only four deep here, which is a minor concern considering Jennings is coming off an injury. In all reality I could say we have two retuning starters here after Lane stepped in and rushed for 1000 yards and got stronger as the year went on. There is actually a lot of debate as to who should start, with our OC lobbying for Lane. He makes a strong case and the truth is I need to get both of them touches. I prefer a balanced attack, but with four starters back on a line that was punishing people be seasons end we may become more run oriented. I will look to add recruit two backs this year. Lane will be a senior next season and Squires has potential, but I am not completely sold on him, so we need at least one legit blue chipper in this next recruiting class.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Blevins, Antonio 39 FB* Fr 17 36
Caskey, Tito 26 FB* Jr* 10 10
Starks, Broderick 42 FB* So* 7 7

The usual, get good grades, play good special teams, don’t ask to run the ball….ever.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Meyer, Gilbert 91 TE Jr* 77 80
Schurman, Ricky 89 TE So* 42 66
Bennett, Bo 83 TE Fr* 42 93
Bozeman, Jorge 85 TE Jr 38 79
Norton, Grant 46 TE Fr 36 66

We have a real strong pipeline here and I think Meyer is as good a receiving TE as we have ever had. He has great hands and runs good routes, but at 6’2” and only 239 pounds he does not project to be anything special at the next level. Redshirt freshman Bo Bennett on the other hand should play on Sundays for years to come. Great upside, 6’5” and 251 already, he could be special, but will have to wait his turn. No need to recruit here this season.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Malone, Xavier 80 WR Jr* 63 85
Finley, Lenny 87 WR Sr* 54 75
Autry, Martin 88 WR So 53 81
Battistone, John 82 WR So* 45 66
Young, Cris 5 WR Fr 35 78
Terrell, Tito 81 WR Jr 28 47
Pierce, Lonnie 3 WR Fr* 25 90

It doesn’t get any better as we return all three starters, who combined for 110 catches and 20 touchdowns. I know we are loaded at RB, but then I look at these guys and don’t want to become more run oriented. Decisions, decisions and it will basically come down to Ellard as to the direction we take. Lonnie Pierce is a big play guy, who also looks to be clutch, but he will barely see the field this year. Cris Young is a pleasant surprised, signed mainly for depth as he was not highly regarded, he will redshirt this year, but will push for playing time in a year or two.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Rodgers, T.J. 58 C Sr* 40 67
Hill, Wade 56 C Fr* 38 66
Zimmerman, Roosevelt 52 C So* 30 57
Sanders, Mark 54 C* Sr 13 13
Glover, Bucky 67 G Jr* 79 95
Adams, Dennis 68 G Sr* 70 86
McCormick, Donald 78 G So* 49 74
Wallace, Kim 69 G Fr* 32 97
Dierdorf, Chad 75 G Jr* 25 86
Hanshaw, Blake 61 G Fr 14 66
Doe, Kurt 60 G* Sr 22 39
Baxter, Stanley 66 T Sr* 63 95
Garner, D.J. 79 T Fr* 48 65
Foley, Lionel 62 T Jr* 42 80
Butler, Sherman 63 T So* 32 74
Godfrey, Daryl 70 T Fr 25 34
Lee, Glen 71 T Fr 18 98

With four starters back and the best guard combo in the MWC in my opinion we should continue to be able to run the ball well and should definitely improve on our mediocre pass protection last year (39 sacks allowed) Garner and Baxter are both well over 300, but the inside guys average about 287, which is a little small for BYU, but I think we are more athletic here than years past. Dennis Adams is a tough SOB who has started 36 straight games entering the season and is our leader in the trenches.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Mandalari, Bucky 19 P Fr 20 86
Tucker, K.C. 7 P So 25 28
Dunlap, Joey 4 K Fr 36 95
Haugh, Joey 12 K* Sr* 10 24
Garrison, Shane 9 K* Fr 1 26

Even with two true freshmen here, it can only get better than last year. Tucker was horrid and Todd Gurley had a huge drop off in production his senior season after an All-MWC 1st team performance his junior year.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Mikeska, Mo 97 DE Jr* 37 60
Lincoln, Carlton 74 DE So* 22 96
Linquist, Jerome 95 DE Fr* 25 80
Webb, Steven 96 DE Fr 11 71
Harrison, Wayne 94 DE* Sr* 19 54
Ballard, Reuben 99 DT Sr* 69 81
Cano, Rodney 59 DT So* 33 76
Mathews, Bruce 76 DT Sr 30 64
Wright, Neal 73 DT Fr 23 85
Hubbard, Kendrick 92 DT Fr* 17 100
Yardley, Ronnie 98 DT* Sr 4 4

Carlton Lincoln should continue the BYU tradition of BYU sack machines in the mold of Donny Newsome and Jackie Trippi. He is woefully underdeveloped, but is a physical freak who still recorded 12.5 sacks starting 11 of 12 games as a freshman. Junior Mo Mikeska will now get his chance to step in on the left side and while not a prolific pass rusher has the tools to be an excellent run stuffer. Ballard returns for his senior year to man the Nose and while he did not accrue eye popping stats last year (18 tackles, 6 assists, 1.8 sacks) he took a lot of double teams and kept people off our inside backers, which can’t be measured by numbers. Jerome Linquist (Mack’s little brother) will be the first off the bench at end, while Cano and Mathews will spell Ballard. We also have two nice freshmen in the wings at DT.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Arreola, Benjamin 50 ILB Sr* 87 87
Yarborough, Dave 51 ILB Fr* 41 94
Huntley, Dennis 35 ILB Jr* 44 80
Jefferson, Brandon 45 ILB Fr* 26 62
Hoover, Bucky 49 ILB So* 16 67
Page, Chester 47 ILB* Fr 10 42
Gomez, Jesse 93 OLB Sr* 72 85
Buchanan, Harold 40 OLB Jr* 46 80
Morrow, Myron 53 OLB Sr* 38 50
Johnstone, Jimmy 43 OLB So* 38 100
Rigney, Stan 48 OLB So* 27 38
Ellis, Deion 57 OLB Fr* 15 60
Dela Cruz, Timothy 33 OLB Fr 13 93
Congdon, Blake 44 OLB* Fr 17 74

The news most Cougar fans are excited about here is beginning of the Dave Yarborough era. The countries overall #1 ranked player in the class of 2011 is ready to make his debut after a redshirt season. He is slightly less developed than Dennis Huntley, but is a raw talent that has maximum potential in all areas, though durability may be a concern. He will have an able mentor in senior Benjamin Arreola, a four year starter himself, who was the #2 ILB recruit (18 overall) in his class and has not missed a game his entire career. Ben is coming off a season that saw him log 57 tackles, 32 assists, 15 TFL, 1 sack and 1 Int. He was All-MWC 2nd team ILB as a junior. Jesse Gomez and Harold Buchanan will man the outside spots. Senior Gomez recorded 47 tackles, 15 assists, 12 TFL, 3 sacks and a pick in his first season as a starter. Buchanan is not as highly regarded as his companions (Overall 821, Position 49) but is a hard worker and will bring a blue collar work ethic to the group.

Player # Pos Elig Current Estimate Future Estimate
Malano, Kendall 2 CB Jr* 76 92
Mason, Kurt 31 CB Sr* 37 56
Palmer, Levon 1 CB So* 29 60
Brandon, Jonathan 20 CB Fr* 27 58
Brock, Michael 38 CB Fr 17 78
Timlin, Kendall 41 S Sr* 85 97
Sweeney, Shaun 36 S Sr* 67 67
Carlson, Andre 15 S So* 37 100
McGraw, Korey 29 S Fr* 31 56
Bethea, Andrew 28 S Jr 28 59
Beam, Mitchell 37 S Fr 19 56

We lose Jerome Noisy, but still return 3 very capable starters led by junior Kendell Malano at corner, who will now be asked to step into the lockdown role left vacant by the graduation of Noisy. The Flyin’ Hawaiian Kendall Timlin is a ball hawking free safety who led the team with 7 interceptions last season and is joined by fellow senior Shaun Sweeney at SS. A third senior, Kurt Mason will step in opposite Malano and with only Malano back next season we will need to develop some youngsters. Lavon Palmer is a dangerous return man who will get action in the nickel package and sophomore Andre Carlson is a vicious hitter at 205 pounds who will be groomed to step in for Timlin next season.

Players to watch
Wally Jennings RB
Gilbert Meyer TE
Bucky Glover G
Benjamin Arreola ILB
Kendall Malano CB
Kendall Timlin FS

Top Newcomers
Dave Yarborough ILB
Joey Dunlap K

Dunlap will be asked to better Todd Gurley’s performance of last season and we only hope the true freshman has nerves of steel. Yarborough is a RS freshman, but there are few players that have generated so much excitement before ever stepping on the field at BYU.

2012 Schedule

Team Rank: 14
Rival: Utah
Stadium Capacity: 71,400
Season Tickets Sold: 71,400

Week Opponent
1 (28) UTAH STATE
2 at Texas-El Paso
$5 (20) AIR FORCE
6 RUTGERS
$7 at Wyoming
$8 SAN DIEGO STATE
9 at (22) Notre Dame
$10 at UNLV
$11 NEW MEXICO
$12 COLORADO STATE
$13 at Utah

Home Games in ALL CAPS
$-Conference Games

Outlook
We get a fairly tough in state test from Utah State to start the season, though they have some big contributors to replace. They run the old school Double Wing and have shown you can have success at the D-1 level with this antique offense. Air Force again is our biggest threat in the MWC and the defending champions have 7 starters back on offense, but only 5 on defense, which is hopefully something we can exploit. The other big games of course are at #22 Notre Dame and Utah, both of whom vanquished us last season and both could be potential pitfalls this year, especially Notre Dame. I predict a 10-1 record with a likely loss to Notre Dame and another MWC Title for the Cougars. With 17 starters back, I don’t see how we can’t improve on last season.

2012 NFL Combine
We have 12 Cougars enter the NFL draft, though there are only 2-4 that will likely get drafted, with as many as 6 possibilities to start training camp on a team as either a draft pick or undrafted free agent. Here are their grades and combine numbers.

Player Grade 40 yd Wonderlic 225 BP Agility
Paul Post QB 5.5 4.72 24 9 7.45
Jerome Noisy CB 5.2 4.50 29 13 7.34
Andrew Reynolds ILB 4.9 4.73 31 24 7.35
Jackie Trippi DE 4.4 4.81 30 29 7.05
Kirk Saurez OT 3.9 5.41 45 23 7.65
Korey Webb OT 3.7 5.45 48 30 7.54
Pete Winslett OLB 2.4 4.58 34 18 7.62
Perry Ah Yat RB 2.3 4.75 22 11 7.32
Cedric Wiles DE 2.2 5.04 24 22 7.60

Brian Riddell G, Nick Levitt TE and Todd Gurley K all graded out under 2.0 and shouldn’t even have bothered. The surprise of this group has to be Post, a respectable 4.72 and a strong arm have some scouts very interested as he is ranked the #2 QB in a very weak draft for the position. I think Trippi slipped due to so many injuries, but his 7.05 agility is extremely good for a DE, besting both Noisy and Reynolds, who I think are mid round selections. Webb scored the 6th highest wonderlic of the combine and was our strongest player, but scouts were not happy with his speed. Winslett turned heads with his 40, but at 5’11” and 228 he is undersized and weak.

BYU Alumni Pre Season report ($ = Starter)

$Mack Linquist P Dallas (2) – Firmly entrenched as the Cowboys starting punter after a solid rookie campaign.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver (2) - Again penciled in to start at Mike, did have 107 total tackles as a rookie, but realistically only an average NFL middle Linebacker.

Jerome Noisy CB Denver ® - Drafted with the first pick of the 4th round by the Broncos, Noisy projects very well at zone coverage and is a good run support player. Will likely see time in nickel/dime packages. Not very physical.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (3) – Still back up to Richie May, he could start for some teams as he is balanced and quite strong. Unfortunately Detroit is not one of them.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit (2) - Still hanging on but is woefully undersized at 6’ 244 for an NFL defensive end. This will likely prevent him from ever being anything more than a bench player for a few years at best.

Korey Webb LT Jacksonville ® - Amazingly Webb gets drafted going in the 6th round with the 19th pick, a big body and very smart he is a decent pass blocker, but horrible in run blocking. May not survive training camp.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (3) – The former 1st rounder enters his third season with the Chiefs with 2407 career yards under his best and a firm grip on the starting RB job. Arguably one of the top 5-7 backs in the NFL, but still largely unknown outside of Kansas City.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami (2) – Still has some upside, but not progressing fast enough and is relegated to the practice squad.

Pete Rose FL Miami (2) – Rose starts 2012 where he spend all of 2011, on the practice squad.

$Andy Schroder FL New England (1) - “The Threat” is poised for a huge sophomore season after closing out a 69 reception rookie season with 19 catches and 4 touchdowns on the final 3 games of 2011. He is a definite star in the making.

Paul Post QB New England ® - In quite the surprise Post is reunited with Schroder when the Patriots take him with pick number 2 of the 2nd round. He is Donovan McNabb’s backup heading into training camp, though at 5’11” he is not built like a typical NFL QB, he has good timing and pocket sense.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (3) – Still the 4th option at receiver, at least he starts this season healthy, but as a 2nd round pick has to be viewed as a possible bust at this time. His route running is absolutely horrendous.

Pete Winslett WLB NY Jets ® - The Jets apparently are impressed enough with his 4.58 speed that they overlook size and strength deficiencies, bringing Pete in as an undrafted free agent.

$Kirk Suarez RT NY Jets ® - Drafted 18th in the 7th round, the Jets shock reporters when he is named the starter going into camp. They are surely looking for other options as Suarez is not very strong and a poor run blocker.

Baxter Ellis C Oakland (2) – Enters his 2nd season with the Raiders assigned to the practice squad. Has great upside as a run blocker, but mediocre at pass protection.

Geoff Joseph TE Seattle (3) – Cut by the Jets after his serious Elbow injury, Geoff is brought in be the Seahawks to back up Tyrus Pallansch. Josephs strength was blocking and injury seems to have hampered that, though he can still make the clutch third down reception.

Andrew Reynolds MLB ® - I thought he had a good shot at being drafted, but the Seahawks pick him up as an undrafted FA. Good be a decent pickup as he is solid against the run and a decent looking special teams guy. Pass defense is a liability though and that could be why his stock plummeted.

Calvin Shaw RB (4) – After three years in Denver, Shaw is released and signs with Tampa Bay. Still a powerful inside runner, he will likely be used as a short yardage back by the Bucs as he is not too fleet of foot. A well deserved fresh start after a frustrating 2011 season.

18 former Cougars from my regime on NFL rosters, with 5 starting. Stoddard and Schroder are clearly the cream of the crop, but I look for Noisy to possibly do some things and will be real interested to see what happens with Post in New England if McNabb goes down again.

Unemployed (Exp)
The following Cougars are out of work headed into training camp. I will not list these guys during the season unless they are signed

Dwight Gatlin QB (4) – The all time Cougar passing leader is hanging on in vain.
Ellis Hitchcock FL (3) – Cut by Buffalo, kind of say this coming
Gus Cerny TE (3) – Second year out of the league
Tom Longmate RT (2) – Bounced around between 3 teams his rookie season, it appears his bouncing is done.
Bennie Rayburn QB (2) – A never was, time to check the arena league, oh never mind, they folded.
Julio Fredrickson RB (2) – No surprise here the way the Jets buried him at the end of the year
Wade Such DT (2) – I must say this surprises me since he started 13 games for the Packers, but then again they were weak on the D-line
Herb Wong OLB (2) – Never caught on last year, but still holding out hope.

The guys below are all free agent rookies and realistically hold virtually no hope of making it.
Nick Levitt TE, Cedric Wiles RDE, Todd Gurley K, Brian Riddell LG and Perry Ah Yat RB.

[BYU 14]

2012 Week 1

BYU 24 Utah St 3
Record Overall 1-0 Mountain West 0-0
Rank: 8th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 19-27-309 1 TD

Rushing
Wally Jennings 18-51 2 TD
Steven Lane 2-24

Receiving
Lenny Finley 5-106
Xavier Malone 4-92
Gilbert Meyer 3-38

Defense
Benjamin Arreola ILB 12 tackles, 1 sack
Shaun Sweeney SS 7 tackles, 3 assists
Dave Yarborough ILB 7 tackles, 2 assists, 1 Int
Kendall Timlin FS 5 tackles, 3 assists

Recap
Not as easy as it may appear at first glance as the Aggies came out determined to stuff our running game, get us in long yardage situations and then bring the house. The strategy worked like a charm in the first half as they sacked Ellard 3 times and put the screws to Wally Jennings. At the half we had only 128 total yards and 62 of those came on one drive. We were equally effective against the Aggies punishing Double Wing attack and took a scoreless tie into the locker room and the break!

We finally got untracked in the 3rd quarter behind touchdown runs of 8 and 16 yards from Wally Jennings. Utah St never really threatened to make it a game as their whole scheme revolves around wearing a team down and gaining 3-4 yards a pop which we did not allow, holding them to 2.8 yards a carry. Of course they were even better holding us to 1.8 and opening up the “who should start at running back” chatter on the BYU message boards. Luckily Ellard carried the Offense today, standing tall in the face of heavy pressure and shredding the Aggies. This was a game he may have folded in last year, so hopefully it is a glimpse of things to come. He was especially deadly in the short passing game, mostly check downs, completing 13 of 14 for 130 yards in the 0-10 yard range!!

One more note. Kendall Cormier, the blue chip DE that spurned us for the Aggies is redshirting, so we will see him in the future hopefully.

Injuries
Wayne Harrison DE – Out – Hyper-extended Knee – Up to 6 weeks

You never like injuries, but at least Harrison is a backup, other than this we are healthy.

Recruiting
We have our full allotment of 16 scholarships this year and I set our needs as follows.
Offense
1 QB, 2 RB, 1 WR, 1 C, 1 G, 1 OT
Defense
2 DE, 1 DT, 1 ILB, 1 OLB, 2 CB, 2 S

The secondary is my biggest concern by far as we are already a little thin and I don’t want to provide depth with walk-ons, never a good thing back there. I will do this section a little different from now on, adding players as they visit and then tracking them wherever they end up. That way we can occasionally check up on the ones who came to see us, but got away. We will call this the Kendall Cormier process :)

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 24 Utah St 3
Fresno St 49 New Mexico 14
Tulane 45 Wyoming 0

Not a bright and shiny start for the MWC. You expect this of the Lobos, but I thought Wyoming would be better and they flat out got embarrassed!! By Tulane!!! I will have to take a look at the Pokes a little closer and they were fairly young last year and in my mind were the 3rd best team in the MWC pre-season. This pretty much sums them up though, no consistency in Laramie and the only certain thing about them is you never know what you will get.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 1 0 0 1.000 24 3 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Air Force 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Utah 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
UNLV 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Colorado State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
San Diego State 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
New Mexico 0 1 0 .000 14 49 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
Wyoming 0 1 0 .000 0 45 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2

Next weeks Schedule
BYU at UTEP (TV5)
Indiana at Colorado St
UNLV at Iowa
Arizona St at San Diego St
Utah St at Air Force
Northern Illinois at New Mexico
Utah at Brown

Some interesting matchups with a full slate on tap, but most do not bode well for the MWC. The school up north continues our tradition of kicking an Ivy League schools ass in non-conference play, while everyone else is a bit more ambitious. I will have a close eye on the Utah St/Air Force game to see how we compare against a common opponent. We travel to Jeeberville to take on the Miners and another old school offense as they still run the T-formation. UTEP opened up against Miami and took a 52-27 drubbing for their time. Seems Irv Charneski has been there forever pulling the strings of the Miner attack, but the shifty QB is finally a senior. He has strung a nice career together in El Paso. The numbers for his first 3 seasons are pretty consistent;
Passing yards: 1737, 1724 and 1681
Rushing yards: 404, 491 and 336
He is a capable duel threat signal caller and is joined in the backfield by another four year starter BJ Coles, who is coming off back to back 1000 yard seasons. Coles was the lone bright spot against Miami, going for 103 yards on 15 carries. He will test us.

BYU Alumni in the NFL $ = Starter (Experience)

$Mack Linquist P Dallas (2) – Dallas loses a defensive battle to the Giants 19-13 and Mack punts 6 times for a sparkling 46.5 avg

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver (2) – Jamison logs 5 tackles and 3 assists as the Broncos pick up where they left off, though they lose respectfully, falling to KC 27-24.

Jerome Noisy CB Denver ® – Jerome sees some PT and records 2 tackles in the loss to the Chiefs.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (3) – Melvin gets about a dozen plays and manages to go 0 for 2 in KRB as the Lions are handled by Chicago 22-7.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit (2) – Newsome plays even less than Flynn in the loss and accrues no stats.

Korey Webb LT Jacksonville ® – Webb makes the team and gets a few plays in an opening day 21-16 loss to the Colts. He goes 0 for 1 in KRB.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (3) – Stoddard starts his third season in fine enough style leading the Chiefs to their 27-24 win over Denver, rushing for 85 yards on 15 carries and scoring 1 TD.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami (2) – Practice squad

Jackie Trippi DE Miami ® – Jackie makes the roster and gets 1 tackle in limited PT as the Dolphins start off the year with a 21-20 over Buffalo.

$Andy Schroder FL New England (2)- New England opens with a nice offensive display, beating the Jets 38-28 and Schroder plays a big part hauling in 5 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Paul Post QB New England ®- Paul does a great job holding a clipboard and watching a fine performance by McNabb in the Pats win.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (3) – Fletcher comes off the bench to grab 3 balls for 30 yards in the 38-28 loss to New England.

Pete Winslett OLB NY Jets ® – Pete gets in for one play (probably McNabb taking a knee) in the loss to the Pats to pop his NFL cherry.

$Kirk Suarez RT NY Jets ® – Surprisingly he is still the starter and does a decent job in the Jets loss, going 1 for 2 in KRB and allowing no sacks.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland (2) – Does not play in the Raiders 21-11 opening day win over the Chargers.

Geoff Joseph TE Seattle (3) – Our 3rd year TE sees very little action and gets no stats as Seattle ties Arizona 13-13…ugh!

Andrew Reynolds ILB Seattle ® – Does not play in the kiss your sister fest against the Cardinals.

Calvin Shaw RB Tampa Bay (4) – Shaw makes a quiet debut for the Bucs, gaining 9 yards on just 3 carries as the beat the Saints 27-24. He has been nursing a cold and will hopefully get more carries as the season wears on.

Co game balls this week to Stoddard and Schroder, who both played key roles in opening day victories for their teams.

PS - If anyone wants updates on a certain school, a recruit we didn't get or if anyone we played against went on to make it in the NFL, like Rodney Dostie, let me know.

[Izulde]

How are the Hogs doing? :)

[BYU 14]

How are the Hogs doing? :)

Ask and you shall receive. Not bad overall, a couple of SEC South titles, but pretty much a middle of the pack team on average and no post season appearances since 2007. Here is a team overview, I will highlight a few players tomorrow for you. I will try and get a home and home next season between them and the Cougars.

Season by Season

2004 Season Standings, Southeastern - South

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Arkansas 9 4 0 .692 358 242 6 2 0 .750 195 145 ---
Louisiana State 9 3 0 .750 498 160 6 2 0 .750 318 124 ---
Alabama 7 5 0 .583 480 256 4 4 0 .500 286 209 ---
Mississippi 5 6 0 .454 282 291 3 5 0 .375 180 237 ---
Auburn 4 7 0 .363 243 275 2 6 0 .250 123 239 ---
Mississippi State 1 10 0 .090 118 423 0 8 0 .000 66 348 ---


2005 Season Standings, Southeastern - South

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Louisiana State 13 0 0 1.000 542 160 8 0 0 1.000 374 73 ---
Auburn 6 6 0 .500 316 310 4 4 0 .500 219 221 ---
Alabama 5 6 0 .454 338 319 4 4 0 .500 250 252 ---
Mississippi 6 5 0 .545 336 425 3 5 0 .375 183 338 ---
Arkansas 4 7 0 .363 260 318 3 5 0 .375 215 258 ---
Mississippi State 1 10 0 .090 137 453 0 8 0 .000 83 381 ---


2006 Season Standings, Southeastern - South

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Louisiana State 8 5 0 .615 411 268 6 2 0 .750 264 143 ---
Auburn 9 3 0 .750 334 199 5 3 0 .625 200 159 ---
Arkansas 4 7 0 .363 236 240 4 4 0 .500 203 137 ---
Alabama 4 7 0 .363 273 349 3 5 0 .375 193 263 ---
Mississippi 4 7 0 .363 159 318 1 7 0 .125 87 264 ---
Mississippi State 3 8 0 .272 228 413 1 7 0 .125 125 327 ---


2007 Season Standings, Southeastern - South

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Arkansas 8 5 0 .615 371 326 7 1 0 .875 279 177 ---
Louisiana State 6 6 0 .500 317 296 4 4 0 .500 210 188 ---
Alabama 6 5 0 .545 297 251 4 4 0 .500 179 182 ---
Mississippi 3 8 0 .272 159 335 2 6 0 .250 112 279 ---
Mississippi State 2 9 0 .181 172 393 1 7 0 .125 104 300 ---
Auburn 2 9 0 .181 203 348 1 7 0 .125 138 232 ---


2008 Season Standings, Southeastern - South

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Louisiana State 5 7 0 .416 303 391 5 3 0 .625 225 199 ---
Auburn 6 5 0 .545 249 265 5 3 0 .625 173 189 ---
Mississippi State 5 6 0 .454 329 295 4 4 0 .500 252 207 ---
Arkansas 3 8 0 .272 168 337 2 6 0 .250 124 254 ---
Alabama 3 8 0 .272 266 307 2 6 0 .250 177 252 ---
Mississippi 2 9 0 .181 188 368 1 7 0 .125 125 274 ---


2009 Season Standings, Southeastern - South

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Auburn 8 5 0 .615 303 239 6 2 0 .750 216 132 ---
Arkansas 7 4 0 .636 280 204 5 3 0 .625 206 153 ---
Louisiana State 5 6 0 .454 232 309 4 4 0 .500 180 198 ---
Alabama 5 6 0 .454 356 256 3 5 0 .375 232 183 ---
Mississippi State 3 8 0 .272 125 295 2 6 0 .250 92 217 ---
Mississippi 2 9 0 .181 135 391 1 7 0 .125 72 289 ---


2010 Season Standings, Southeastern - South

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Auburn 8 5 0 .615 319 228 5 3 0 .625 171 118 ---
Alabama 7 5 0 .583 335 290 5 3 0 .625 213 173 ---
Arkansas 6 5 0 .545 195 210 5 3 0 .625 161 147 ---
Louisiana State 4 7 0 .363 284 273 4 4 0 .500 226 189 ---
Mississippi State 3 8 0 .272 194 414 2 6 0 .250 150 311 ---
Mississippi 0 11 0 .000 152 423 0 8 0 .000 124 312 ---


2011 Season Standings, Southeastern - South

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Louisiana State 9 4 0 .692 460 237 6 2 0 .750 295 116 ---
Auburn 7 4 0 .636 297 306 4 4 0 .500 195 238 ---
Arkansas 6 5 0 .545 225 300 4 4 0 .500 156 232 ---
Alabama 5 6 0 .454 313 362 3 5 0 .375 235 238 ---
Mississippi 4 7 0 .363 230 336 2 6 0 .250 153 257 ---
Mississippi State 2 9 0 .181 181 421 1 7 0 .125 114 324 ---

Bowl Record

Bowl History for Arkansas

Year Bowl Game Opponent Result
2007 Gator Bowl Boston College L, 10-29
2004 Gator Bowl Boston College L, 22-25

Record vs other Teams

Arkansas against All Conferences

Team Wins Losses Ties Pct.
Illinois 2 0 0 1.000
Texas 1 0 0 1.000
Virginia Tech 1 0 0 1.000
Arizona State 1 0 0 1.000
UCLA 1 0 0 1.000
$$Vanderbilt 4 0 0 1.000
Louisiana-Monroe 1 0 0 1.000
New Mexico State 1 0 0 1.000
Connecticut 1 0 0 1.000
$$Mississippi State 7 1 0 .875
$$Kentucky 3 1 0 .750
$$Alabama 6 2 0 .750
$$Mississippi 5 3 0 .625
Kansas State 1 1 0 .500
$$South Carolina 2 2 0 .500
$$Auburn 4 4 0 .500
$$Louisiana State 4 4 0 .500
Georgia Tech 1 3 0 .250
$$Georgia 1 6 0 .143
Boston College 0 2 0 .000
Pittsburgh 0 7 0 .000
$$Florida 0 4 0 .000
$$Tennessee 0 3 0 .000
Notre Dame 0 2 0 .000
**All Conferences 47 45 0 .511


Georgia seems to have their number, but on the bright side they pretty much own Alabama.

I would stay away from Pitt too :)

[BYU 14]

2012 Week 2

BYU 31 UTEP 13
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 0-0
Rank: 12th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 18-29-287 2 TD, 1 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 14-69 1 TD
Steven Lane 7-22

Receiving
Lenny Finley 7-106 1 TD
Xavier Malone 4-67 1 TD
Gilbert Meyer 4-49

Defense
Kendall Timlin FS 9 tackles, 1 assist, 1 Int (returned for TD)
Dave Yarborough ILB 7 tackles, 5 assists
Benjamin Arreola ILB 6 tackles, 4 assists
Kendall Malano CB 6 tackles, 1 assist, 1 PD

Recap
Looks like the personality of this years squad is manifesting itself early on. Start slow, finish strong, which I can deal with as long as our slow start doesn’t have us looking out of holes. UTEP threw us a change up and chose to feed the rock to Ralph Reeves more than BJ Coles and Reeves responded with a decent game with 23 carries for 83 yards, Coles chipped in 49 yards and Charneski 26 (plus 184 passing) for the Miners, who took a 7-0 lead on Charneski’s 9 yard run in the 1st quarter. Ellard brought us right back, finishing the drive with 4 straight completions, the last going 17 yards to Xavier Malone and that was it, 7-7 at halftime.

We took a 14-10 lead into the 4th and Dwayne Meadows booted an 18 yard FG to cut it to 14-13 with over 14 minutes to go. Joey Dunlap hit a 23 yd FG to put us up 17-13 and it stayed that way until 3:06 remained, when a 9 yard strike to Finley from Ellard and a Kendall Timlin pick six 40 seconds later put it away. Freshmen sensation Diamond Dave Yarborough continued to live up to the hype in his young career with another fine performance.

Injuries
Wayne Harrison DE – Doubtful – Hyper-extended Knee – Up to 4 weeks
Jesse Gomez OLB – Doubtful – Pulled Groin – 3 weeks

Harrison has made great progress, though Gomez is a concern as a pulled groin can turn into a nagging injury and I am contemplating holding him out a game.

Recruiting
Conrad Alston CB Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 277, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Clifton Green DT Kaysville, UT – Overall 323, Position 25 – Visit week 2

We get two quick visits from local kids that are both top 25 nationally at their position and ranked #3 and #6 in the state respectively. I like both and Green could be a real sleeper as I think he is better than scouted and comes from Davis HS, which has good athletic prep.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 31 UTEP 13
Colorado St 42 Indiana 9
Boston College 21 Wyoming 17
Arizona St 52 San Diego St 23
Air Force 41 Utah St 7
Northern Illinois 30 New Mexico 10
Utah 17 Brown 14

Wow, some shockers here, mainly CSU stomping Indiana and Utah squeaking by Brown! Have the Utes fallen that much? Air Force again will be formidable judging by their win over Utah St, which was a little bit more impressive than our opening day win over the Aggies. I also guess Tulane is a Juggernaught, since Wyoming only lost to BC by 4 a week after getting shellacked by the Green Wave.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 55 16 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
Colorado State 1 0 0 1.000 42 9 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Air Force 1 0 0 1.000 41 7 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
UNLV 1 0 0 1.000 16 10 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Utah 1 0 0 1.000 17 14 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 0 1 0 .000 23 52 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 2
Wyoming 0 2 0 .000 17 66 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3
New Mexico 0 2 0 .000 24 79 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3

Next weeks Schedule
Colorado at Colorado St (TV4)
Wyoming at Kansas
Cornell at Air Force (TV5)
Dartmouth at UNLV
San Diego St at Eastern Michigan

We get the week off to hit the recruiting trail hard, while several fellow MWC teams celebrate cupcake week with the likes of Cornell, Dartmouth and Eastern Michigan. CSU’s big win this week generates some interest in their matchup with Colorado, landing them on Fox Sports network.

BYU Alumni in the NFL $ = Starter (Experience)

$Mack Linquist P Dallas (2) – Linquist punts 5 times for a 41.4 avg as the Boys fall in a thriller to Baltimore 34-31.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver (2) – Denver gets a W!!! A 17-14 win over the Panthers sees Jamison log 4 tackles and 2 assists.

Jerome Noisy CB Denver ® – Noisy gets some quality time in nickel packages and records 2 tackles and an assist in the win over Carolina.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (3) – Flynn sees very little time and records no stats as Detroit falls to the Jags 24-13.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit (2) – Donnie gets on the field a bit more this week and manages 2 tackles against Jacksonville for the 0-2 Lions.

$Korey Webb LT Jacksonville ® – Webb does a solid job in his first NFL start going 2 for 5 in KRB and allowing no sacks in the Jaguars 24-13 win at Detroit.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (3) – The Chiefs win 28-13 over Tampa and D-Stod manages 2 touchdowns, but is bottled up for only 39 yards on 12 carries. He also adds 2 receptions for 8 yards.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami (2) – Practice squad

Jackie Trippi DE Miami ® – Trippi sees significant time off the bench and records 2 tackles, but the Dolphins slip to 1-1 with a 24-14 loss at home to the 49ers.

$Andy Schroder FL New England (2) - Schroder is hobbled with Bursitis, but still manages to corral 4 balls for 58 yards in a 28-7 win over Seattle and the Patriots are now 2-0! But the real story is…..

Paul Post QB New England ®- McNabb goes down with an apparent Knee injury and Post comes off the bench to complete 11 of 20 for 78 yards taking care of the ball effectively in the Patriots win. It is not known if McNabb will be back for the next game yet. If not, Paul gets his first NFL start. I am beginning to wonder now if I missed the boat continuing to stay with Ellard over him last season….

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (3) – Fletcher hauls in 1 pass for 8 yards in the Jets 17-14 win over St Louis.

Pete Winslett OLB NY Jets ® – Winslett again gets only a couple of plays in the Jets win. You have to wonder how long he will be around.

$Kirk Suarez RT NY Jets ® – Not the best game for Kirk in the victory, going 0-1 in KRB and allowing a sack. It shows the Jets know he is a weak link by not running his way much.

Ellis Baxter C Oakland (2) – We hardly knew ye. Ellis is cut by Oakland and joins the list of Cougars hanging around the free agent pile, which now numbers 15.

Geoff Joseph TE Seattle (3) – Joseph gets a few plays in short yardage sets in the Seahawks 28-7 loss to New England.

Andrew Reynolds ILB Seattle ® – Andrew gets 1 entire play in Seattle’s loss, hopefully he kept his big boy pants clean.

Calvin Shaw RB Tampa Bay (4) – Calvin is healthy and gets 6 carries in the 28-13 loss to Stoddard’s Chiefs, but only manages 14 yards.

Game Ball
I have to go a new direction this week and give the game ball to Paul Post. No he was not a hero, but he managed the game well after McNabb got hurt. You have to cheer for a 5’11” guy that didn’t even start as a senior in College.

[BYU 14]

2012 Week 3

BYE
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 0-0
Rank: 12th

Injuries
Wayne Harrison DE – Questionable – Hyper-extended Knee – 3 weeks
Jesse Gomez OLB – Questionable – Pulled Groin – 2 weeks

The good news is we will be real healthy heading into the Air force game and I decide I will allow Gomez to play. The Falcons are healthy heading into the Hawaii game too, so it will hopefully be the two best in the MWC at top strength in week 5.

Recruiting
Conrad Alston CB Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 277, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Clifton Green DT Kaysville, UT – Overall 323, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Vernon Cash DE Idaho Falls, ID – Overall 24, Position 9 – Visit week 3
Ronald Shelton ILB Magna, UT – Overall 299, Position 16 – Visit week 3
Ted Steber WR Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 348, Position 25 – Visit week 3

Three more visits this week and all are solid players. We now have 4 of the top 10 players from Utah showing interest in BYU, as well as Idaho’s top prospect, but still no high profile nationally acclaimed kids. This isn’t a big worry as we usually don’t get these visits this early and I am still happy that everyone thus far is top 25 at their position. It would be nice to lock up 3-4 early commits by week 5 so I can really shower 2 or 3 blue chippers with plenty of attention.
*One nostalgic link in this class is Shelton, who played for Cyprus where I coached for 3 years before moving to Arizona back in 1994.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Colorado 27 Colorado St 14
Wyoming 30 Kansas 21
Air Force 38 Cornell 21
Dartmouth 28 UNLV 19
San Diego St 21 Eastern Michigan 16

Colorado States glory is short lived as the Buffs hand them their annual loss in the big in-state rivalry. Air Force and Wyoming do as expected and UNLV has truly sunken to new depths, there may not be a worse program in the entire country. San Diego St should be a league power and it just doesn’t seem anyone can get things going down there. In reality they should be able to recruit So Cal as well as anyone outside of USC and UCLA and while they have a ton of Cali kids on the roster, close to half were not even ranked in the top 1000 out of High School.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 2 0 0 1.000 79 28 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 55 16 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
Utah 1 0 0 1.000 17 14 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Colorado State 1 1 0 .500 56 36 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
UNLV 1 1 0 .500 35 38 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
San Diego State 1 1 0 .500 44 68 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
Wyoming 1 2 0 .333 47 87 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
New Mexico 0 2 0 .000 24 79 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 3

Next weeks Schedule
Minnesota at Utah (TV5)
Wyoming at Penn St
Hawaii at Air Force (TV3)
Central Michigan at Colorado St
Yale at New Mexico
Columbia at San Diego St

Our second bye week in a row which could be really good heading into the Air force game or really bad, depending on if you cherish rest or fear rust. You have to give Wyoming credit, the Pokes have a solid OOC schedule and if nothing else it will get them exposure. Utah also has a big game against a Big-10 foe and the Gophers bring a 1-1 mark into the game (beat Baylor, lost to Nebraska) New Mexico and SDSU are just pathetic, their AD’s put together the most pathetic non-league schedules year in and year out.

BYU Alumni in the NFL $ = Starter (Experience)

$Mack Linquist P Dallas (2) – The Cowboys get their first win over Green Bay and Mack punts 3 times for 39.0 avg.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver (2) – Denver can’t remain on the winning track as they are upended by Jacksonville 26-17. Jamison has a real good game in the loss with 6 tackles, 2 assists and 1 sack. One of his better efforts as a Pro.

Jerome Noisy CB Denver ® – Jerome plays very little in the loss to Jacksonville and records no stats.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (3) – The Lions are involved in a wild affair against Tampa, finally falling 41-37. Flynn gets his most significant PT of the season and goes 1 for 3 in KRB, 0 sacks allowed.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit (2) – Newsome barely sees the field in the Tampa loss, though I am sure it was a great game to watch. Detroit is now 0-3.

Korey Webb LT Jacksonville ® – Back to the bench for Webb in the Jags 26-17 win over the Broncos and he records no stats. Jacksonville is now 2-1.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (3) – Another sub-par effort for Stoddard as the Chiefs (2-1) suffer their first loss of the season in a 34-33 heartbreaker to Buffalo. Stoddard scores a TD, put is held to 33 yards on 13 carries, but he does grab 2 more catches for 4 yards and another 2 TDs. His rushing output is down, but he now has 6 total TDs on the season.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami (2) – Practice squad

Jackie Trippi DE Miami ® – The Dolphins move to 2-1 with a 27-14 victory over the Raiders and Trippi gets 1 tackle and a QB hurry off the bench.

$Andy Schroder FL New England (2)- Still slowed by Bursitis, Schroder hauls in 3 balls for 28 yards, but the Patriots suffer their first loss of the season 20-19 to Cleveland.

$Paul Post QB New England ®- Post gets his first NFL start in place of the injured Donovan McNabb and despite the loss plays well for the 2-1 Patriots, going 21 of 29 (72.4%) for 243 yards, 1 TD and 1 Int. Not a bad debut at all for a career College backup.

$Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (3) – Santana Moss is hurt again and Fletcher steps in to start, but only records 1 reception for 10 yards as the Jets are throttled by Baltimore 27-13.

Pete Winslett OLB NY Jets ® – Does not play in the loss to the Ravens.

$Kirk Suarez RT NY Jets ® – Kirk continues to hold onto the starting job, but gets no KRP opportunities in the loss. The good news is he does not allow any sacks either though.

Geoff Joseph TE Seattle (3) – Seattle moves to 1-1-1 with a 13-10 win over the Redskins. They have an anemic offense, averaging 11 points a game and Geoff gets only a few plays in short yardage sets, recording no stats.

Andrew Reynolds ILB Seattle ® – Does not play in the win over the Skins.

Calvin Shaw RB Tampa Bay (4) – Calvin gets 3 carries for 14 yards in the 41-37 shootout win over Detroit as the Bucs climb to 2-1. It looks like Calvin is slowly heading for the exits in his 4th NFL season.

Paul Post claims his second straight game ball in the Patriots loss to Cleveland. He certainly did all that was expected of him and just couldn’t finish in the end. He will at least keep New England in games while McNabb is out, something that didn’t happen when he got hurt last year.

[BYU 14]

2012 Week 4

BYE
Record Overall 2-0 Mountain West 0-0
Rank: 11th

Injuries
Wayne Harrison DE – Questionable – Hyper-extended Knee – 2 weeks
Jesse Gomez OLB – Probable – Pulled Groin – 1 week

Gomez will go against Air force as this is just too important to sit him, whether it risks further injury or not. Harrison will be back on the rotation as well.

Recruiting
Conrad Alston CB Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 277, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Clifton Green DT Kaysville, UT – Overall 323, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Vernon Cash DE Idaho Falls, ID – Overall 24, Position 9 – Visit week 3
Ronald Shelton ILB Magna, UT – Overall 299, Position 16 – Visit week 3
Ted Steber WR Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 348, Position 25 – Visit week 3
Russell Blackburn WR Delta, CO – Overall 23, Position 1 – Visit week 4
Tracy Murphy S Yuma, AZ – Overall 33, Position 2 – Visit week 4
Louie Winslett S Yelm, WA – Overall 217, Position 9 – Visit week 4

Three top flight visits this week including the #1 WR and #2 safety, as well as another member of the Winslett clan. Blackburn is promising as we are the first school he chooses to visit and he would continue our tradition of top flight Wide-outs and would likely see significant time as a true freshman. Either Murphy or Winslett would be a great addition, but getting both would be ideal as we have the spots in the secondary. Eight visits heading into commit week, hopefully means we will wrap 2 or 3 these guys up.

Mountain West Scoreboard
Utah 24 Minnesota 14
Penn St 20 Wyoming 14
Air Force 44 Hawaii 10
Yale 25 New Mexico 22
San Diego St 31 Columbia 16

A nice win for the hated men in red against Minnesota and an equally impressive performance by Wyoming, who may enter conference play as the most battle tested team in the conference, despite a 1-3 record. New Mexico could be in for a long season after being upset by Yale and Air Force looks in fine form heading into our big showdown next week. A quick check of their roster reveals they are healthy as well.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Air Force 3 0 0 1.000 123 38 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
Brigham Young 2 0 0 1.000 55 16 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 3
Utah 2 0 0 1.000 41 28 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
Colorado State 2 1 0 .666 78 46 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 1
San Diego State 2 1 0 .666 75 84 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Won 2
UNLV 1 1 0 .500 35 38 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
Wyoming 1 3 0 .250 61 107 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 1
New Mexico 0 3 0 .000 46 104 0 0 0 .000 0 0 Lost 4

Next weeks Schedule
Air Force at BYU (TV1)
Colorado St at San Diego St
Wyoming at UNLV
New Mexico at Utah

The only game you need to talk about this week is us and the Falcons, which could be for the MWC title, despite the fact that it occurs in week 5. Air Force is led by some familiar faces starting with sophomore QB Orlando Borrego who has benefitted from a more wide open offense to throw for 814 yards and 6 touchdowns in 3 games, with just 1 Int. Borrego is completing 63.9% of his passes and is staking his claim as the best signal caller in the MWC. He has spread things out as three Falcons (Harvey Flanagan, Robert Borkowski and Antonio James) have 13 or more receptions and each is over 200 yards receiving. The running game is not as good as last year though as the Falcons average just 2.83 per carry, 93rd in the country. On defense junior DE Oliver Mauro has been a man among boys for the Falcons with an astonishing 12.5 sacks in three games!!! Cougar LT Stanley Baxter will have his work cut out for him in this one. The Falcons enter the game ranked 7th in the nation.

BYU Alumni in the NFL $ = Starter (Experience)

$Mack Linquist P Dallas (2) – The Cowboys fall to 1-3 at the hands of Carolina 27-17 as Linquist punts 4 times for a stellar 49.2 avg.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver (2) – Bye

Jerome Noisy CB Denver ® – Bye
Melvin Flynn C Detroit (3) – Detroit gets off the 0-fer wagon with a 28-20 win over the Buccaneers to go to 1-3. Melvin gets no stats and sees the field for only a few plays.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit (2) – Donnie also sees very little PT in the win and records no stats.

Korey Webb LT Jacksonville ® – Webster spends most of the game as a spectator and records no stats as the Jags go to 3-1 with a 17-13 win over the Jets at home.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (3) – Stoddard gets a season low 6 carries in a 20-6 loss to Baltimore, but still gains 50 yards (8.3 YPC) He also hauls in 1 pass for 9 yards. Strange he would be used so little when he ran for over 8 a pop when he did get the ball. KC is now 2-2.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami (2) – Practice squad

Jackie Trippi DE Miami ® – Much improved New England upends the Dolphins 24-21 and Jackie gets 1 tackle in the loss in limited time.

$Andy Schroder FL New England (2)- Schroder is 100% and welcomes back starting QB Donovan McNabb with 4 catches for 47 yards and a touchdown in the 24-21 win over Miami.

Paul Post QB New England ®- Paul is back to the bench with McNabb’s return and does not play in the win over Miami. He performed well when pressed into duty however completing 32 of 49 (65.3%) for 321 yards with 1 TD and 1 Int for the surprising 3-1 Patriots.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (3) – Santana Moss is back and so is Fletcher….To the bench in the Jets 17-13 loss to Jacksonville. He is thrown to twice but can’t come up with either pass. The Jets are limping at 1-3.

Pete Winslett OLB NY Jets ® – Does not play in the loss to the Jags.

$Kirk Suarez RT NY Jets ® – Suarez has limited impact, going 0 for 1 in KRB, but again does not allow a sack. He has given up just 1 sack on the season in 117 pass plays.

Geoff Joseph TE Seattle (3) – Bye

Andrew Reynolds ILB Seattle ® – Bye

Calvin Shaw RB Tampa Bay (4) – Tampa Bay falls to 1-3 with a 19-9 loss to the Redskins. Calvin carries 2 times for 19 yards and gets his first catch of the season for 2 yards.

The only performance of any note this week was Andy Schroder, so he gets the game ball for being a big part of New England’s 3-1 start.

[BYU 14]

2012 Week 5

BYU 14 Air Force 7
Record Overall 3-0 Mountain West 1-0
Rank: 5th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 18-37-293 1 TD, 1 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 18-83 1 TD
Steven Lane 6-31

Receiving
Wally Jennings 6-73
Xavier Malone 4-80
Gilbert Meyer 3-48

Defense
Shaun Sweeney SS 7 tackles, 1 assist
Dave Yarborough ILB 6 tackles, 3 assists, 1 TFL
Kendall Timlin FS 5 tackles, 4 assists, 2 TFL
Benjamin Arreola ILB 3 tackles, 4 assists

Recap
It was by no means pretty, as both teams came out tight and mistakes were plentiful throughout. We had 9 penalties for 75 yards and Air Force had 10 for 84 and what was expected to be a wild shootout, turned into a violent, defensive war of attrition. Once again it is a stagnant first half and we go into the locker room at halftime tied 0-0!! On top of the penalties we could not keep the Falcons stud DE Oliver Mauro out of our backfield. He had 10 tackles, 1 assist and 3.5 sacks against us!! He is legit and now has 16 sacks already this season. In all the Falcons got to Ellard 6 times and though we didn’t sack Borrego, we did get 11 hurries against the Air Force QB and harass him into a 12 for 32 day for only 148 yards. In the third quarter we finally broke the deadlock just over 2 minutes in when Ellard found Lenny Finley down the seam for a 41 yard strike.

It stayed that way until early in the 4th, when Jennings went off tackle on a 12 yard TD jaunt to cap a 10 play 90 yard drive. The Falcons, who were forced to punt 8 times and turned it over on downs twice more, finally put it together going 65 yards in 9 plays on their final drive of the game. They elected to kick deep and we did what we needed to do, running out the clock for a huge early season win. A special shout out for this game goes to one of the unheralded guys up front, as Guard Bucky Glover went 5 for 9 in KRB and opened the way for some key first downs. The single season sack record is 29 set by LSU DE Jake Garcia in 2010. At his current pace the Falcons Mauro will shatter that mark in 8 games, he is an incredible talent.

Injuries
Jimmy Johnstone OLB – Doubtful – Abdominal Strain – 3 Weeks
Wayne Harrison DE – Probable – Hyper-extended Knee – 1 week
Mo Mikesha DE – Probable – Broken Finger – 1 week

For such a physical game we came out in great shape and I have no complaints here. We have solid depth at some spots, but the D-line is not one of them, so as long as I can keep these guys on the field it is good.

Recruiting
Oscar Forbes RB Oxford, OH – Overall 5th, Position 1 – Visit week 5
Russell Blackburn WR Delta, CO – Overall 23, Position 1 – Visit week 4
Vernon Cash DE Idaho Falls, ID – Overall 24, Position 9 – Visit week 3
Xavier Jamison T Okanogan, WA – Overall, Position 7 – Visit week 5
Tracy Murphy S Yuma, AZ – Overall 33, Position 2 – Visit week 4
Grady Shaw ILB Granby, CO – Overall 35, Position 2 – Visit week 5
Donald Cobb RB Poway, CA – Overall 42, Position 8 – Visit week 5
Charlie Gatas QB Bakersfield, CA – Overall62, Position 5 – Visit week 5
Joel Dillon G Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 191, Position 20 – Visit week 5
Louie Winslett S Yelm, WA – Overall 217, Position 9 – Visit week 4
Conrad Alston CB Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 277, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Ronald Shelton ILB Magna, UT – Overall 299, Position 16 – Visit week 3
Clifton Green DT Kaysville, UT – Overall 323, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Ted Steber WR Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 348, Position 25 – Visit week 3
Jamie Dayne DT Kearns, UT – Overall 446, Position 31 – Visit week 5

A great crop visiting this week and Forbes is a surprise. We are going against USC (of course) for his services, but an early visit tells me we have a chance. We are also the first visit for Xavier Jamison and he would definitely fill a need at OT for us. Apart from that I am excited about Gatas, but overall this is only a so-so year for QB’s and he also has all the California schools on his jock, with visits set up to Cal, USC and UCLA. We are the frontrunner for all the Utah prospects except Shelton (Cal) and Dayne. (Colorado) We are #2 for both these guys. We lose a couple of players to other teams that did not visit us, including QB Bert Turnbull to Air Force. He is the #3 ranked QB in the country and will likely step in to torment us when Borrego is graduates.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 14 Air Force 7
Colorado St 34 San Diego St 10
Wyoming 13 UNLV 10
Utah 27 New Mexico 17

Obviously a huge win for us on national TV and it puts us in the drivers’ seat for the MWC Title. CSU is looking fairly good, while Utah and Wyoming were both involved in closer than they should have been games against the league door mats.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 3 0 0 1.000 69 23 1 0 0 1.000 14 7 Won 4
Utah 3 0 0 1.000 68 45 1 0 0 1.000 27 17 Won 3
Colorado State 3 1 0 .750 112 56 1 0 0 1.000 34 10 Won 2
Wyoming 2 3 0 .400 74 117 1 0 0 1.000 13 10 Won 1
Air Force 3 1 0 .750 130 52 0 1 0 .000 7 14 Lost 1
San Diego State 2 2 0 .500 85 118 0 1 0 .000 10 34 Lost 1
UNLV 1 2 0 .333 45 51 0 1 0 .000 10 13 Lost 2
New Mexico 0 4 0 .000 63 131 0 1 0 .000 17 27 Lost 5

Next weeks Schedule
Rutgers at BYU
Utah at West Virginia
Dartmouth at Air Force
Brown at Colorado St
New Mexico St at New Mexico
San Diego St at Yale

Both teams from the land of Coors are bringing sacrificial Lambs from the Ivy, while San Diego St may end up as one. I wish the MWC teams would quit playing Ivy League Schools, nothing good will ever come of it. Rutgers has been pesky over the years, but this season they come in 0-4 with a Defense ranked dead last against the run and a scoring Defense ranked 116th. Hopefully this means a field day for Jennings and Lane. Offensively they are young starting freshmen at RB, 2 WR spots and OG, along with a sophomore QB in Mark Clark, who can be streaky. The frosh running back Joseph Edwards averages 5.0 yards a pop, but only averages around 11 carries a game with the Scarlet Knights trailing most of the time. This should be a good game to just pound it out.

BYU Alumni in the NFL $ = Starter (Experience)

$Mack Linquist P Dallas (2) – The Cowboys get buried by Tampa Bay 35-14 and now sit at 1-4. Mack punts 4 times for a 37.5 average. In four games he has put an impressive 11 punts inside the 20.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver (2) – The Broncos pull even at 2-2 with a 31-20 win over Cleveland. Roderick adds 3 tackles and 3 assists to the cause.

Jerome Noisy CB Denver ® – Noisy plays very little in the win, recording no stats.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (3) – Flynn sees little action in the Lions first win of the season as they beat St Louis 28-20, no stats.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit (2) – Donnie does not play against the Rams.

Korey Webb LT Jacksonville ® – Break up the Jags, who move to 4-1 with a 13-12 squeaker over Miami. Webb gets a scant few plays and has no stats.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (3) – Bye

Darrin Shields MLB Miami (2) – Practice squad

Jackie Trippi DE Miami ® – Trippi rides the pine for the most part in the Dolphins heartbreaking 13-12 loss to Jacksonville. Miami is 2-3.

$Andy Schroder FL New England (2)- Schroder gets blanked by Tennessee as the Pats fall 33-27 to drop to 3-2. He is targeted four times, but can not manage a catch.

Paul Post QB New England ®- Clipboard duty in the loss.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (3) – Leland gets no receptions in a 38-24 loss to Houston as the Jets are struggling at 1-4. Not that Joe Namath would care.

Pete Winslett OLB NY Jets ® – Does not play in the loss to Houston.

$Kirk Suarez RT NY Jets ® – Again Kirk starts, but he is definitely a weak link as the Jets do not run his way much at all in the loss to the Oilers. At least he does not allow a sack again.

Geoff Joseph TE Seattle (3) – The Seahawks stomp Minnesota 34-15 and Joseph snags his first catch of the season, a 1 yard TD pass from Riddick Tejeda.

Andrew Reynolds ILB Seattle ® – Does not play in the win over the Vikings.

Calvin Shaw RB Tampa Bay (4) – A big 35-14 win over the Cowboys to pull Tampa to 3-2, but Calvin is horrid gaining 8 yards on 7 carries.

I really hate to hand a game ball out at all this week, but I reluctantly have to go with Roderick Jamison, if a 3 tackle, 3 assist performance can even be considered game ball worthy?

[BYU 14]

2012 Week 6

BYU 52 Rutgers 10
Record Overall 4-0 Mountain West 1-0
Rank: 5th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 25-40-367 3 TD, 2 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 28-138 3 TD
Steven Lane 9-113 1 TD

Receiving
Lenny Finley 8-186
Wally Jennings 6-71
Gilbert Meyer 3-27 1 TD

Defense
Reuben Ballard DT 4 tackles
Kendall Malano CB 3 tackles, 2 assists
Shaun Sweeney SS 3 tackles, 1 assist
Kurt Mason CB 2 tackles, 1 assist, 1 Int

Recap
At long last we have the offensive explosion I have been waiting for erupting for 663 total yards against the Scarlet Knights, in a game that featured five scoring drives of over 70 yards. As suspected we exploited their horrid run defense, with two backs going for over 100 yards and Ellard chipping in 45 of his own. We also avoided any sacks for the first time all season. Conversely, our Defense put the clamps on Rutgers, holding them to 9 net yards on the ground and 219 for the game as Rutgers QB Mark Clark was held to 14-45 passing by dominant secondary play and a relentless rush. The lone bright spot for Rutgers was sophomore receiver Lamar Breaux who hauled in 7 balls for 117 yards. We were able to empty the bench and got lots of players’ reps, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Our first “complete” outing of the year.

Injuries
Jimmy Johnstone OLB – Questionable – Abdominal Strain – 2 Weeks

No injuries at all and we have everyone totally healthy outside of Johnstone. A great spot to be in heading into the meat of the MWC schedule.

Recruiting
Oscar Forbes RB Oxford, OH – Overall 5th, Position 1 – Visit week 5
Russell Blackburn WR Delta, CO – Overall 23, Position 1 – Visit week 4
Vernon Cash DE Idaho Falls, ID – Overall 24, Position 9 – Visit week 3
Xavier Jamison T Okanogan, WA – Overall, Position 7 – Visit week 5
Tracy Murphy S Yuma, AZ – Overall 33, Position 2 – Visit week 4
Grady Shaw ILB Granby, CO – Overall 35, Position 2 – Visit week 5
Donald Cobb RB Poway, CA – Overall 42, Position 8 – Visit week 5
Charlie Gatas QB Bakersfield, CA – Overall 62, Position 5 – Commit to USC week 6
Jimmy Cassidy T St Louis, MO – Overall 112, Position 15 – Visit week 6
Jared Alderman C Shelby, North Carolina – Overall 162, Position 5 – Visit week 6
Joel Dillon G Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 191, Position 20 – Visit week 5
Louie Winslett S Yelm, WA – Overall 217, Position 9 – Visit week 4
Conrad Alston CB Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 277, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Ronald Shelton ILB Magna, UT – Overall 299, Position 16 – Visit week 3
Juan Cobb CB West Jordan, UT – Overall 312, Position 28 – Visit week 6
Clifton Green DT Kaysville, UT – Overall 323, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Ted Steber WR Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 348, Position 25 – Visit week 3
Jamie Dayne DT Kearns, UT – Overall 446, Position 31 – Visit week 5

Three new visits, but we lost our top QB to, who else, the fucking Trojans!!! We are down to just a single QB on the board and will not get the quality I had hoped for at this post. Jimmy Cassidy is the most promising of the new visits and at a position we have a big need at. I am really hoping we get some commits this next week, I don’t like being stretched late into the season with low numbers. Of the guys that have paid us a visit we are now #1 with seven of them.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 52 Rutgers 10
West Virginia 28 Utah 14
Air Force 62 Dartmouth 10
Colorado St 38 Brown 22
New Mexico St 45 New Mexico 13
San Diego St 21 Yale 20

Air Force was obviously a little upset this week and Dartmouth paid the price. New Mexico officially takes over the conference Dog title, dropping to 0-5 after a pasting at the hands of their in state rival. CSU seems to be playing well, but I question the sturdiness of their defense.

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 4 0 0 1.000 121 33 1 0 0 1.000 14 7 Won 5
Colorado State 4 1 0 .800 150 78 1 0 0 1.000 34 10 Won 3
Utah 3 1 0 .750 92 73 1 0 0 1.000 27 17 Lost 1
Wyoming 2 3 0 .400 74 117 1 0 0 1.000 13 10 Won 1
Air Force 4 1 0 .800 192 62 0 1 0 .000 7 14 Won 1
San Diego State 3 2 0 .600 106 138 0 1 0 .000 10 34 Won 1
UNLV 1 2 0 .333 45 51 0 1 0 .000 10 13 Lost 2
New Mexico 0 5 0 .000 76 176 0 1 0 .000 17 27 Lost 6

Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Wyoming (TV4)
Air Force at New Mexico
UNLV at Colorado St
Utah at San Diego St

I don’t think Wyoming has the team they had last year, but with the game in Laramie anything can happen. AJ Cosell is back at QB for the Pokes and the sophomore has fallen off a bit from last year, with only 605 yards passing, 4 TD and 4 Int coming in. He also has been bottled up as a scrambler with only 8 net yards rushing. Senior Terrell Brennan has stepped in as the feature back and has 468 yards rushing through 5 games, though he will enter our game suffering the after effects of a concussion. Part of Cosells issues could be the fact that the leading returning receiver (Bruce Bergman) only had 26 receptions last year and fact that only one starter returns from last years line, with the Pokes best lineman, C Wally Boltwood out on academic suspension. The Lobos are in for an ass whipping and UNLV is better, but should still get walloped by CSU. I see the Utah/SDSU game as a tossup.

BYU Alumni in the NFL $ = Starter (Experience)

$Mack Linquist P Dallas (2) – Dallas gets stymied by Washington 20-17 and Linquist is called on to punt a season high 8 times for a 47.8 average. Dallas now sits at 1-5.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver (2) – The Broncos are on a mini roll and go to 3-2 with a 28-3 shocker over the Steelers. Jamison has 5 tackles, 1 assist and 1 sack in the win.

Jerome Noisy CB Denver ® – Noisy plays some in the win over Pitt, garnering 1 tackle and allowing 1 catch.

Melvin Flynn C Detroit (3) – Detroit gets back on the losing track falling to 1-4 with a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the Packers. Flynn goes 0 for 2 in KRB off the bench.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit (2) – Newsome gets his most significant PT of the season in the loss to Green Bay, recording 2 tackles and 1 assist.

Korey Webb LT Jacksonville ® – Jacksonville is now 5-1 with a 30-6 shellacking of Indy as Webb gets in for a few plays and goes 0 for 1 in KRB.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (3) – Stoddard comes off the bye with his best game of the season with 20 carries for 92 yards, but the Chiefs fall to Cincinnati at now sit at 2-3 after their third straight defeat.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami (2) – Practice squad

Jackie Trippi DE Miami ® – Jackie gets some quality reps, recording 1 tackle, his first NFL sack and 2 hurries as the Dolphins pull to 3-3 with a 23-0 whitewashing of Tennessee.

$Andy Schroder FL New England (2)- Bye

Paul Post QB New England ®- Bye

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (3) – Bye

Pete Winslett OLB NY Jets ® – Bye

$Kirk Suarez RT NY Jets ® – Bye

Geoff Joseph TE Seattle (3) – Joseph sees little time on the Seahawks 17-9 loss to San Francisco. The Seahawks drop to 2-2-1 with the loss.

Andrew Reynolds ILB Seattle ® – Does not play in the loss to Frisco.

Calvin Shaw RB Tampa Bay (4) – It just gets worse for Calvin, 2 carries for 1 yard as Tampa beats Atlanta to go to 4-2.

Jamison had a strong game, but the game ball this week finally finds its way back to D-Stod.

[BYU 14]

2012 Week 7

BYU 56 Wyoming 7
Record Overall 5-0 Mountain West 2-0
Rank: 3rd

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 17-22-263 2 TD, 1 Int
Donnie Davison 3-4-68 1 TD

Rushing
Wally Jennings 21-101 3 TD
Steven Lane 11-68 1 TD

Receiving
Xavier Malone 7-101 2 TD
Lenny Finley 5-104 1 TD
Gilbert Meyer 3-31
Martin Autry 3-77

Defense
Kendall Timlin FS 6 tackles, 1 Int, 1 PD
Dave Yarborough ILB 6 tackles
Kendall Malano CB 4 tackles, 1 PD
Shaun Sweeney SS 3 tackles, 1 assist, 1 Int

Recap
For the second week in a row we are unstoppable and Ellard is done early in the third quarter after a near flawless outing. His only mistake was throwing a pick in the end zone on our opening drive of the game. We are really starting to gel on that side of the ball and racked up another big day running with 190 yards, as well as 370 yards passing. As great as these numbers are, what our defense did is astounding!! Wyomings only score came on an 86 yard kickoff return by Bruce Bergman as we held their offense to 90 total yards!! Cowboy QB AJ Cosell had the kind of game only a three day kegger can erase. He was 2-17 for 18 yards, 2 interceptions and was sacked 4 times before being pulled for the more mobile Mel Guerrero, a redshirt freshman who ended up as Wyomings leading rusher with 23 yards, but faired only slightly better than Cosell passing, ending 2-7 for 26 yards. Freshman sensation Dave Yarborough is living up to the hype so far, as he leads our team with 27 tackles, 10 assists, 7 TFL, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed. He could be our best ever if he continues to develop. We also get up to #3 in the nation, but it is way too early to celebrate anything.

Injuries
Kennedy Mathis QB – Out – Knee surgery – Up to 9 weeks
Jimmy Johnstone OLB – Probable – Abdominal Strain – 1 Week

You have to feel for Mathis, the redshirt freshman who is the heir apparent to Ellard, throws a 39 yard TD on his first collegiate pass attempt, is picked off on his second and in the process injures his ACL. All our starters are still completely healthy as we close in on the halfway mark.

Recruiting
Oscar Forbes RB Oxford, OH – Overall 5th, Position 1 – Visit week 5
Stephen Vanderjagt OLB Standish, MI – Overall 12, Position 1 – Visit week 7
Russell Blackburn WR Delta, CO – Overall 23, Position 1 – Visit week 4
Vernon Cash DE Idaho Falls, ID – Overall 24, Position 9 – Commits to Boise St week 7
Xavier Jamison T Okanogan, WA – Overall 27, Position 7 – Visit week 5
Ted Olivo WR Newburgh, NY – Overall 30, Position 2 – Visit week 7
Tracy Murphy S Yuma, AZ – Overall 33, Position 2 – Visit week 4
Grady Shaw ILB Granby, CO – Overall 35, Position 2 – Commits to Notre Dame week 7
Donald Cobb RB Poway, CA – Overall 42, Position 8 – Visit week 5
Greg Miller QB Cranston, RI – Overall 43, Position 1 – Visit week 7
Ernest Jefferson QB Arden Hills, MN – Overall 61, Position 5 – Visit week 7
Charlie Gatas QB Bakersfield, CA – Overall 62, Position 5 – Commits to USC week 6
Jimmy Cassidy T St Louis, MO – Overall 112, Position 15 – Visit week 6
Tony Dawson OLB Ashland, KY – Overall 160, Position 10 – Visit week 7
Jared Alderman C Shelby, North Carolina – Overall 162, Position 5 – Visit week 6
Dana Beyer QB Mount Pleasant, IA – Overall 180, Position 14 – Visit week 7
Joel Dillon G Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 191, Position 20 – Visit week 5
Louie Winslett S Yelm, WA – Overall 217, Position 9 – Visit week 4
Conrad Alston CB Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 277, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Ronald Shelton ILB Magna, UT – Overall 299, Position 16 – Visit week 3
Juan Cobb CB West Jordan, UT – Overall 312, Position 28 – Visit week 6
Clifton Green DT Kaysville, UT – Overall 323, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Ted Steber WR Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 348, Position 25 – Visit week 3
Jamie Dayne DT Kearns, UT – Overall 446, Position 31 – Commits to BYU week 7

We lose two solid recruits who had given us a visit and pick up our first commit, a decent enough DT that will help us. I expected to lose Shaw, but thought we had a great chance at Cash and I am surprised he picked Boise, even if he is a local kid. Vanderjagt is a welcome visitor, the number 1 OLB in the country makes BYU his final stop. Amazingly he did not visit Michigan and we will compete with Louisville, Tennessee, Miami and South Florida for his services. There may be something to this New York pipeline as Olivo is another great prospect that will give us a look. We are the best fit for him academically (his #1 emphasis) but Michigan and Ohio St are two of the other teams in the mix. At QB Miller is a long shot, but I think we have a real chance at Jefferson.

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 56 Wyoming 7
Air Force 48 New Mexico 14
Colorado St 34 UNLV 0
San Diego St 15 Utah 14

Tough loss for our buddies up north as the Aztecs gamble and hit a 2 point conversion to win it. Their offense is looking shaky and you can bet I will look to run it up against them if I can. Air Force continues to roll, while CSU looks to be the deal as they rout the Rebels!

Mountain West Standings

School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 5 0 0 1.000 177 40 2 0 0 1.000 70 14 Won 6
Colorado State 5 1 0 .833 184 78 2 0 0 1.000 68 10 Won 4
Air Force 5 1 0 .833 240 76 1 1 0 .500 55 28 Won 2
San Diego State 4 2 0 .666 121 152 1 1 0 .500 25 48 Won 2
Utah 3 2 0 .600 106 88 1 1 0 .500 41 32 Lost 2
Wyoming 2 4 0 .333 81 173 1 1 0 .500 20 66 Lost 1
UNLV 1 3 0 .250 45 85 0 2 0 .000 10 47 Lost 3
New Mexico 0 6 0 .000 90 224 0 2 0 .000 31 75 Lost 7

Next weeks Schedule
San Diego St at BYU (TV4)
Colorado St at Air Force (TV3)
North Texas at UNLV
Wyoming at Utah

An absolutely huge game between CSU and Air Force as the Rams will look to validate their place as a top tier team in the MWC this year, while the Falcons need to win to stay in the chase position as we were with them last year. (I will actually tune into this one) We draw the semi-surprising Aztecs, fresh off a thrilling upset over Utah. Offensively they are average overall, but do throw the ball fairly well behind senior Willie Lazer in his second year as starter, who looks to have cut down on his mistake from last year. He still gets sacked a lot (26 times in 6 games) and we will press him. The running game is sparse, with starter Herman Jacobs averaging only 3.1 per carry, with 140 yards on the year. More impressive has been sophomore Raymond Jefferson. He leads the team with 186 yards and a 6.2 per carry average off the bench. The fans are starting to clamor for him to start. They do have a solid linebacking corps, with true freshman Julio Harris and sophomores Austin Coffey and Paul Galloway all over 40 tackles. This group could become formidable as they mature.

BYU Alumni in the NFL $ = Starter (Experience)

$Mack Linquist P Dallas (2) – The Cowboys edge the Giants 16-13 to move to 2-5 and Mack punts 7 times for a 44.5 avg.

$Roderick Jamison MLB Denver (2) – The Broncos are now 4-2 after their third straight win 23-20 over Baltimore. Jamison has 4 tackles and 5 assists.

Jerome Noisy CB Denver ® – Jerome sees limited action against the Ravens and records no stats.

$Melvin Flynn C Detroit (3) – The Lions are now 1-5 as they fall to the 49ers 13-10. Flynn gets his first start of the year for the injured Richie May and goes 1 for 2 in KRB.

Ellis Baxter C Detroit (2) – Baxter gets picked up off the free agent scrap heap to backup his former line mate, but does not play in the loss to the Niners.

Donnie Newsome DE Detroit (2) – Coming off a decent effort against Green Bay, Donnie sees no action against San Francisco.

Korey Webb LT Jacksonville ® – Webb does not play as Jacksonville goes to 6-1 with a 21-16 win over Tennessee. The Jaguars are emerging as one of the teams to beat in the AFC.

$Daniel Stoddard RB Kansas City (3) – D-Stod breaks the 100 yard barrier for the first time in 2012, running for 115 yards on 23 carries as the Chiefs move to 3-3 after trouncing Oakland 30-3.

Darrin Shields MLB Miami (2) – Practice squad

Jackie Trippi DE Miami ® – The Dolphins slip back under .500 at 3-4 after a 25-14 loss to Buffalo. Trippi has 1 tackle off the bench.

$Andy Schroder FL New England (2)- Defense fails the Patriots as they return from their bye week to a 37-21 throttling at the hands of Houston. Schroder has a rather non-descript 2 catches for 22 yards.

Paul Post QB New England ®- Clipboard duty for Paul in the loss.

Leland Fletcher SE NY Jets (3) – The Jets crush Indianapolis 35-3, but Fletcher does not see the field. New York is now 2-4.

Pete Winslett OLB NY Jets ® – Winslett also rides the pine in the big win over the Colts.

$Kirk Suarez RT NY Jets ® – Kirk goes 0 for 1 in KRB and allows no sacks in the Jets victory. For the year Suarez has allowed just 1 sack in 153 passing plays.

Geoff Joseph TE Seattle (3) – Geoff does not play as the Seahawks fall to Arizona 23-20. The loss drops Seattle to 2-3-1.

Andrew Reynolds ILB Seattle ® – Sees the field only from the bench in the loss to the Cardinals.

Calvin Shaw RB Tampa Bay (4) – Every game is a step back for Calvin. In a 30-24 win over Philadelphia he carries 2 times for minus 1 yard. Over the last three games Shaw has carried the rock 11 times for 8 yards, not a good sign for his future. Tampa Bay is 5-2 after their 3rd straight win.

Game ball of the week goes to Stoddard for the second week in a row as he seems to be finding his flow now.

[BYU 14]

2012 Week 8 – VS San Diego State

Recap
A rough start, as we accumulate a paltry total of 10 yards of offense in the first quarter and trail 3-0. At this point I demand Jennings get the ball and we start to move, going up 14-6 at the half. From here we have one of our patented 2nd half explosions with 24 third quarter points, including TD passes from Ellard to Malone and Finley and a 22 yard scamper by Jennings. Andre Carlson put the D on the board taking a Willie Lazer pass back 40 yards to the house early in the 4th and the subs then came in liberally. Our Defense has been incredible this season and we currently rank #2 in the nation allowing just 7.6 PPG and also rank third in yards per pass attempt at 4.8 and 13th against the rush, giving up just 437 yards through 6 games. With the Offense coming off three straight 50+ point performances, the average margin of victory in those games has been 45.6!!! Maybe we do deserve our top 10 ranking

BYU 52 San Diego St 6
Record Overall 6-0 Mountain West 3-0
Rank: 4th

Leaders
Passing
Donny Ellard 13-24-209 4 TD, 2 Int

Rushing
Wally Jennings 19-135 1 TD
Steven Lane 9-32 1 TD

Receiving
Martin Autry 4-66 1 TD
Xavier Malone 3-49 1 TD
Lenny Finley 3-45 1 TD
Wally Jennings 2-42 1 TD

Defense
Kendall Timlin FS 7 tackles, 1 assist
Benjamin Arreola ILB 6 tackles, 3 assists
Reuben Ballard DT 4 tackles, 1 assist, 2.5 sacks
Kendall Malano CB 4 tackles, 3 assists, 1 Int

Injuries
Kennedy Mathis QB – Out – Knee surgery – Up to 8 weeks
Bo Bennett TE – Probable – Bruised Shoulder – 1 week

Still in great shape here, with only our backup QB out.

Recruiting
Oscar Forbes RB Oxford, OH – Overall 5, Position 1 – Commits to Boise St week 8
Deion Kowal RB Kearney, MO – Overall 11, Position 2 – Visit week 8
Stephen Vanderjagt OLB Standish, MI – Overall 12, Position 1 – Commits to Tennessee week 8
Russell Blackburn WR Delta, CO – Overall 23, Position 1 – Visit week 4
Vernon Cash DE Idaho Falls, ID – Overall 24, Position 9 – Commits to Boise St week 7
Xavier Jamison T Okanogan, WA – Overall 27, Position 7 – Commits to BYU week 8
Ted Olivo WR Newburgh, NY – Overall 30, Position 2 – Visit week 7
Tracy Murphy S Yuma, AZ – Overall 33, Position 2 – Visit week 4
Grady Shaw ILB Granby, CO – Overall 35, Position 2 – Commits to Notre Dame week 7
Donald Cobb RB Poway, CA – Overall 42, Position 8 – Commits to UCLA week 8
Greg Miller QB Cranston, RI – Overall 43, Position 1 – Commits to Miami week 8
Ernest Jefferson QB Arden Hills, MN – Overall 61, Position 5 – Commits to Michigan St week 8
Charlie Gatas QB Bakersfield, CA – Overall 62, Position 5 – Commits to USC week 6
Jimmy Cassidy T St Louis, MO – Overall 112, Position 15 – Visit week 6
Korey Vernon DE Plain City, UT – Overall 133, Position 22 – Visit week 8
Tony Dawson OLB Ashland, KY – Overall 160, Position 10 – Commits to Louisville week 8
Jared Alderman C Shelby, North Carolina – Overall 162, Position 5 – Commits to BYU week 8
Dana Beyer QB Mount Pleasant, IA – Overall 180, Position 14 – Commits to Auburn week 8
Joel Dillon G Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 191, Position 20 – Visit week 5
Louie Winslett S Yelm, WA – Overall 217, Position 9 – Visit week 4
Conrad Alston CB Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 277, Position 25 – Visit week 2
Ronald Shelton ILB Magna, UT – Overall 299, Position 16 – Commits to Utah State week 8
Juan Cobb CB West Jordan, UT – Overall 312, Position 28 – Visit week 6
Clifton Green DT Kaysville, UT – Overall 323, Position 25 – Commits to Utah week 8
Jose Tucker OLB Bloomington, CA – Overall 336, Position 19 – Commits to BYU week 8
Ted Steber WR Salt Lake City, UT – Overall 348, Position 25 – Commits to Utah week 8
Jamie Dayne DT Kearns, UT – Overall 446, Position 31 – Commits to BYU week 7

A crappy week despite the fact that we land 3 recruits, including two solid linemen in Jamison and Alderman. Tucker is our third and he committed without a visit and though we really wanted Vanderjagt, we just could not compete with Tennessee. The biggest hit comes when every single QB left on our board goes somewhere else, 0 for friggin 3!!! Don’t they know we are a QB factory? I scramble and go after Rufus Thompson who is the 18th ranked signal caller in the country. Probably even more painful is the fact that we lose 3 of the best in state kids to Utah (2) and Utah State (1). I am crossing my fingers we get Kowal who came on a visit after the number one running back in the country (Oscar Forbes) went to Boise State of all places. (I will be following him with interest)

Mountain West Scoreboard
BYU 52 San Diego St 7
Air Force 56 Colorado St 21
North Texas 38 UNLV 3
Wyoming 38 Utah 35

With Air Forces rout of Colorado State we control our own destiny and with our toughest conference game left (Colorado St) at home it looks good, though we do close our season at Utah.

Mountain West Standings
<pre><font face=courier>
School W L T Pct PF PA W L T Pct PF PA Streak
Brigham Young 6 0 0 1.000 229 46 3 0 0 1.000 122 20 Won 7
Air Force 6 1 0 .857 296 97 2 1 0 .666 111 49 Won 3
Colorado State 5 2 0 .714 205 134 2 1 0 .666 89 66 Lost 1
Wyoming 3 4 0 .428 119 208 2 1 0 .666 58 101 Won 1
San Diego State 4 3 0 .571 127 204 1 2 0 .333 31 100 Lost 1
Utah 3 3 0 .500 141 126 1 2 0 .333 76 70 Lost 3
UNLV 1 4 0 .200 48 123 0 2 0 .000 10 47 Lost 4
New Mexico 0 6 0 .000 90 224 0 2 0 .000 31 75 Lost 7 </pre></font>
Next weeks Schedule
BYU at Notre Dame (No TV???)
Utah at Colorado State
New Mexico at San Diego State
Air Force at UNLV

How in the world does #2 BYU at #7 Notre Dame not get National TV coverage? This could be the game of the year (Definitely the most important game for us) and if we win we are in position to run the table. Colorado St must win at Utah, while Air Force should keep rolling against a horrid UNLV team.

Note: With so many Cougars in the NFL now and very few of them playing much I am going to start doing season end summaries for BYU alumni at the next level now instead of weekly, as it was getting redundant to type "Did not play" or had "one assist off the the bench" every week.

[Tellistto]

Nice to see you continue this after so long.

Tell

[BYU 14]

Nice to see you continue this after so long.

Tell

I get the itch every so often whenever some TCY dynasties pop up, so I had to dust it off. :)