Rise up - BYU Cougars (TCY)

[BYU 14]

Got the urge to fire this up again, so found my CD and off we go.

Coaching BYU of course and will use the following house rules
1-Can not recruit anybody with a test score under 1000

2-Must recruit top 5 top players from Utah that meet rule 1 and must call or visit them every week until they commit to me or someone else.

3-To simulate the honor code, any player that gets in trouble is kicked off the team immediately

To my chagrin, my random academic rating is 22, which will make recruiting real interesting early on with house rule 1 in play.

I played the 2004 season to build a foundation and I have a challenge. I started 0-5 thanks to a brutal schedule that included Notre Dame, USC and Stanford (all ranked) before rallying to finish 4-7.

The unfortunate thing was the season ending debacle against rival Utah, a 51-0 loss that had fans calling for my head. Recruiting was not much better, as the poor academic reputation and my house rules led to only 3 top 1000 players, none of whom will contribute as Freshmen.

It's going to be a long road back if I last. The SOL 8 is in Rhode Island (The Colonial Conference)

[BYU 14]

	Quarterbacks
	Bucky Wynn - SR *	48/52
	KC Brennan - JR	45/68
	Aaron Zatechka - SR	56/56
	Jimmie Kragen - SR	49/49
	AJ Simmons - SR	44/44
	Ellis Peckham - FR	4/29
	Running Backs
	Phillip Galloway - SR	51/66
	Roy Jung - FR	32/71
	Tito Snyder - SR	36/51
	Kenneth Ogden - FR	21/45
	Amos Fletcher - SO	23/32
	Receivers
	Korey Mulder - SR *	37/46
	Seth Burton - SR	41/41
	Amos Howe - SR	42/42
	Stanley Perkins - JR	26/26
	Robert Whiting - SO	21/32
	Arnie Carbonne - FR	13/43
	Morris Franklin - SO	9/25

* = Returning starter

I have a little bit to work with here as Bucky Wynn took the starting job from Aaron Zatechka in week 3 and threw for 2,488 yards, 16 TD and 11 Int, completing 58.8% of his passes. KC Brennan is probably the better choice due to his upside, but I will give Wynn the first shot. Zatechka is relegated to mop up duty after an abysmal 2004 that saw him throw 6 picks, with no TD's and only complete 43.9% of his passes in 2 starts and garbage time in 3 other games.

We lost our leading rusher (Dominic Webb 491 yards) and receiver (Reggie Fisher 56-763) but have some experience back here. Galloway was tabbed to start before being hurt and averaged 4.6 YPC, 122 yards in limited time. Korey "X-Files" Mulder had 38 grabs for 658 yards and 4 TD, while Seth Burton chipped in 21 catches.

Nothing great here and I need to desperately find a triggerman in waiting to guide my Run and Shoot offense after Brennan graduates next year.

[BYU 14]

	Centers
	Casey Kolodziej - JR	21/61
	Mark Gurthrie - SR *	42/42
	Richard Cote - FR	8/48
	Nate McCreary - FR	16/31
	Guards
	Albert Gaylor - JR *	36/68
	Lewis Nagel - SR *	37/43
	Marcus Cote - SO	18/60
	Sam Vanderjagt - SO	18/41
	Desmond Kraemer - FR	17/29
	Patrick Foley - FR	6/28
	Tackles
	Vince Poterala - SR *	40/40
	Shannon Reynolds - SR	28/53
	Travis Petrie - JR *	27/39
	Sammie Kelsey - JR	25/38
	Reuben Brinkley - FR	12/34
	Specials
	Donovan Shepard - SR *	51/64
	Louie McElroy - SO *	27/35

*=Returning Starter

The good news is, all five starters return along the line. The bad news is they were horseshit as we had the 119th ranked rushing attack in the nation. So bad in fact that 2 of the 5 did not retain their jobs after spring ball. Nothing in the pipeline here either as my recruits were just roster bodies. This is a huge area of need!

[BYU 14]

	Defensive Ends
	Ricardo Emmons - SR *	24/41
	Jackie Elliott - SO *	30/56
	Ross Ruth - FR	29/59
	Brenden Tanner - FR	19/44
	Riddick Alices - SO	14/30
	Adam Fernandes - JR	1/1
	Defensive Tackles
	BJ Fields - JR	33/53
	Tyrell Poteet - SO	18/52
	Will Dragon - FR	13/52
	Inside Linebackers
	Carl Gerhardt - SR *	26/35
	OJ O'Neill - JR *	30/47
	Claude Thompson - JR	14/33
	Earl McCutcheon - SO	13/27
	Eugene Arceo - FR	10/29
	Dixon Bennett - FR	9/42
	Outside Linebackers
	Claude Holliday - JR	34/52
	Carl Dibble - SO	8/50
	Alvin Huntley - SO	8/35
	Peter Buckner - FR	7/34
	Floyd Grady - FR	2/29

*=Returning starter

Four starters back along the front 7, but this is mostly a blue collar, no name crew, that was particularly weak against the running game, giving up huge chunks of yardage week after week. Elliott up front and new starter BJ Fields at ILB will need to spark our attacking 3-4 defense to greater heights.

[BYU 14]

	Cornerbacks
	Raymond Jackson - SR *	27/44
	Alex Andrews - SO	23/75
	RJ Deighton - JR	31/33
	Randal Coghill - SO	6/51
	Burt Logan - FR	16/49
	Gene Rocco - SO	14/19
	Safeties
	Lamar Oglivie - SR *	37/37
	BJ Schaefer - SO	32/32
	Cory Yocum - SR *	26/26
	Eugene Brown - JR	11/29
	Darrin Flynn - FR	5/36

*=Returning starter

It says all you need to know about a defense when your leading tackler is a safety as Oglivie and his 72 tackles were last year. 3 of 4 starters back here, but again, nothing to brag about last year and Yocum loses his job to a marginally talented BJ Schaefer. We are going to give up some points. On a bright note, CB Burt Logan was my highest rated recruit, if you can call that a bright note.

[BYU 14]

One thing I hope helps this season is hiring two new coordinators. Not only were the two I let go mediocre at best, but they both had the personalities of Bobby Knight with a bad case of hemorrhoids. Recruits constantly commented that they did not like them, right before telling me they were selecting powerhouses like Tulsa and UNLV over BYU.

To remedy that I bring in Bart McGriff to run the offense and Archie Bernard to run the defense. Archie is a veteran who is terrific at play calling and congeniality, while being fair (DLine), poor (LB) and good (secondary) at position groups.

McGriff is only 29 but has 5 years experience in the run and shoot and is very good at play calling and has good congeniality. For development he is pretty good at QB, lousy at RB, terrible at WR, but terrific at o-line and kickers.

Our schedule is not as daunting this year (on purpose) with our tough games all on the second half. Hopefully this allows the team time to get some confidence and the goal this year will be to at least be bowl eligible.

	Schedule
	East Carolina
	Rice
	at Air Force #
	at Rutgers
	Wyoming #
	at San Diego St #
	Notre Dame (13)
	UNLV #
	at New Mexico #
	at Colorado St (43) #
	Utah (24) #

#=Conference game

[BYU 14]

	Week 1 - VS East Carolina 0-1
	Not the way to start a season as we get down 10-0 before Wynn hits Korey Mulder on a 4 yard slant in the 2nd quarter. Down 16-14 early in the 4th, we are driving when Wynn throws a pick 6 (61 yard return by Ethan Buckley) and the Pirates go on to bust it open, with a late 30 yeard strike from Wynn to Mulder providing little consolation. We outgain them 395-338, with Wynn throwing for 351 yards and 3 TD's overall, but the interception and streaks of inaccuracy killed us. Redshirt freshman Jung led the rushing attack with 51 yards on only 4 carries, as Galloway was stymied (10-17 yards), while Mulder had 7 catches for 139 yards.
	Final Score - East Carolina 33 BYU 20
	Recruiting
	No encouraging news at all right now

[BYU 14]

	Week 4 - VS Rice 0-2
	Before 46,100 rainsoaked fans at home, we get off to a horrible start as Rice's Chuck Emerson rips off a 49 yard scoring run barely 90 seconds in. We gather ourselves and take a 14-7 lead on a 1 yard run by Phillip Galloway and a 4 yard toss from Bucky Wynn to Robert Whiting. Rice scores twice before halftime however and carries a 21-14 lead into the 4th, before Mulder hauls in a 36 yard strike from Wynn with 1:42 left. We go to OT and trade TD's, then Rice scores on a 9 yard run from Shawn Andrews and we fail to answer as our run defense fails us, giving up 244 yards on the day. Again we outgain them 527-424, with Wynn going 36-61, 447 yds 3 TD
	Final Score - Rice 35 BYU 28 (OT)
	Recruiting
	Nothing here yet, though I am sure we are making quite the impression

[BYU 14]

	Week 5 - at Air Force 1-2
	This is bullshit, we can't stop the run to save our lives and fall behind 28-0 as Falcon backs shred our defense for 233 net yards, led by Kenneth Holliday with 127 yards and Alvin Hanks with 92. Bucky Wynn leads a furious, if not futile rally, throwing for 420 yards and 3 scores, with a pick, but again is not consistently accurate completing 25 of 44. As if we need anymore woes, our starting LT Vince Poterala dislocates his elbow and is out 14 weeks. Stanley Perkins grabs 9 balls for 185 yards, while Galloway runs for 50 on 13 carries. Wynn is putting up yards, but not results, so I think I am going to start KC Brennan next week.
	Final Score - Air Force 35 BYU 24 (0-3)
	Recruiting
	Wasatch HS (Utah) RB Ike Puente - Ranked 730/58 nationally, 4/1 Utah commits!
	One of my 5 instate targets, a decent commit, that also frees up a phone call

[BYU 14]

	Week 6 - at Rutgers 0-4
	So much for the KC Brennan experiment! Next years projected starter gets off on the wrong foot in his first effort of the season, completing just 11 of 33 for 105 yards and 4 interceptions, while being sacked 5 times. All in all we had a net of -15 yards rushing and accumulated 6 first downs to Rutgers 30, as the Scarlet Knights ran wild for 168 yards and threw for another 283 in a complete beatdown that made an 0-4 team look like F'n Alabama!! On the bright side, only one of our crappy players is currently sidelined by injury. It will be back to Wynn under center next week and back to the bench until 2006 for Brennan!
	Final Score - Rutgers 51 BYU 6 (0-4)
	Recruiting
	None of our recruits commited to us, or elsewhere, I am sure they were laughing too
	hard at our stellar result to dial a phone

[BYU 14]

	Week 7 - Wyoming 1-4
	It is a common theme, our inability to run and inability to stop the run as Wyoming shreds us for 271 yards on the ground and we amass an embarrassing -19, due in large part to allowing 7 sacks, one of which costs us Bucky Wynn who will miss 5 weeks with a knee injury. Wynn was 16-24 for 197 with a pick when he went down, Brennan replaced him and went 6-13 for 113, 1 TD and 2 more picks as we are offcially in the abyss now. We do have 5 receivers who haul in passes for 50 or more yards each, but our leading tackler is safety BJ Schaefer with 13 and an assist. In fact through 5 games our teo leading tacklers overall are our starting safeties!
	Final Score - Wyoming 38 BYU 12 (0-5)
	Recruiting
	Heath Barber G - Orange Grove, TX 245/18 commits to Texas Tech
	Quinn Gerber DT - Midvale, UT 302/36 commits to Utah (One of my 5 instate)
	Nick Robinson OLB - Brookings. SD 620/37 commits to Minnesota
	Shannon Martin RB - Sun Valley, CA 415/35 commits to UCLA
	Glen Tucker WR - Port Arthur, TX 624/47 commits to UTEP, really?
	Roy Akbar OT - Rockaway Beach, OR 207/30 commits to Oregon
	Lose some good ones off the board this week

[BYU 14]

	Week 8 - at San Diego State 2-4
	I elect to go with Aaron Zatechka for his ability to make plays with his feet at QB and it pay off early as we race out to a 20-7 halftime lead as Zatachka runs for 41 yards on 5 carries and goes 10-15, 125 yards with a TD and 1 pick, but he is then knocked out with a broken clavicle. Enter KC Brennan and despite being sacked 5 times he plays up to expectations going 15-23 for 204 yards, 2 TD's and no interceptions!! In addition, we find a semblance of a damn running game as Galloway goes for 87 yards on only 11 carries and our defense "holds" San Diego State to 114 yards rushing, the result is our first win of the season, caffeine free coke for all!!
	Final Score - BYU 41 San Diego State 13 (1-5)
	Recruiting
	Monty Dingle OT - Phoenix, AZ 816/71 is our second commit, he is AZ's best OT
	Wally Warren RB - Costa Mesa, CA 127/12 commits to USC, we hung around though
	Steven Fortier G - Ogden, UT 906/79 commits to Utah St, we lose to the dairy utes
	Chris Tepper G - Aliso Viejo, CA 497/44 commits to Fresno St, big loss here
	Calvin Warren G - Los Angeles, CA 655/62 commits to Stanford, bad day for guards
	Trevor Roberts OT - San Mateo, CA 881/75 commits to Air Force, we got better
	Zach Van Brocklin OT - Federal Way, WA 936/80 commits to UNLV
	We also lose DT Nicky Patton and CB's Kendal Albers and Fred Webster to others

[BYU 14]

	Week 9 - #13 Notre Dame 6-1 (+30)
	We lead 7-0 on 7 yard pass from Brennan to Mulder and 10-7, but then the wheels come off and Notre Dame covers the 30 point spread and then some, a whole lotta some. They pile up 630 yard of offense, including 286 on the ground against our cheese cloth run defense while their QB Brandon Lindley throws for 340 yards and 5 TD's over the top. KC Brennan in only sacked 3 times, but is a very average 14-27, 214 throwing the ball with 2 TD's and 2 picks. Phillip Galloway does manage 98 yards rushing, but 69 of that comes on one run and we can also take some hollow solace in the fact that a LB (Huntley) led our team in tackles and not a safety.
	Final Score - Notre Dame 66 BYU 17 (1-6)
	Recruiting
	We lose QB's Derrick Heath and Doug Cavazos to Baylor and ASU respectively
	RB Jorge McKnight 321/24 commits to Texas
	WR Lamar Boisvert 774/58 commits to Minnesota
	C Casey Huntley 653/31 a cousin of our LB, spurns us for San Jose State
	G Juan Dodge 852/52 commits to Southern Miss, we can't even land mid level guys
	G Adam Damron 952/85 joins the FU train and commits to Kentucky
	And it only gets better as we lose LB Darren Burton to North Texas, but wait
	The ultimate insult comes when LB Andre Colon 85/51 commits to fucking Pawtucket!
	Oh yeah, we lose S Steve Thacker 849/49 to Bowling Green, stellar!

And just for some added sunshine, on the injury front starting OLB Claude Holliday blows is Achilles and is done for the season, he may be back at some point next year. QB Bucky Wynn is upgraded to doubtful, but I am still sticking with Brennan at QB. I am turning my beloved program into a dumpster fire because none of the good athletes that qualify want to come to BYU because our academics suck and it will take a few years to repair that damage!

[MacroGuru]

And you know I am reading this

[Izulde]

Someone doing as terribly as me, yay!

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

And you know I am reading this

Just imagine the beating I would be taking on Cougarboard right now!!

Originally Posted by Izulde

Someone doing as terribly as me, yay!

I know what it is like to follow UNLV now, LOL

[BYU 14]

	Week 10 - UNLV (+10) 2-4
	We trail 3-0 and 10-7 after a Brennan pick 6, but then go all Notre Dame on the Rebels outscoring them 31-7 the rest of the way racking up 492 in total offense while holding them to 266 yards (only 111 this week on the ground). Phillip Galloway has a career day running 21 times for 143 yards and a score, while Jung (12-77) chips in as well. Brenna settles down after the early interception to go 24-34, 259 and throws for 3 TD's against the single pick. He is now 70-130, 985 yds, 8 TD, 9 Int for the season, though I think I am going to hand the starting job back to Bucky Wynn for the final 3 games, we will see. With NM, then CSU and Utah up next staring at 3-8
	Final Score - BYU 38 UNLV 17 (2-6)
	Recruiting
	Here we go again, I feel like a door to door magazine salesman trying to recruit
	OT Irving Cheshier 935/79 picks Iowa over the Cougars
	DE Conrad Barnette 184/17, one of my Utah 5 commits to Utah, FML!!
	DT Gene Coffey 895/81 commits to UTEP, yes the Miners kick my ass here too
	OLB Rickey Tanner 943/60 commits to Cranston, my second loss to a SOL 8 school!
	S Henry Terrell 917/65 Utah St and Nicky Robbins 690/36 Mizzou are gone too

[BYU 14]

	Week 11 - at New Mexico (+12) 3-5
	Phillip Galloway's career at BYU comes to an end in the 1st quarter due to the knee injury, as we race to quick 14-0 lead behind two TD's from Korey Mulder (1 receiving, 1 rushing). From their we struggle leading just 14-11 late in the game before BJ Schaefer seals it with a 53 yard interception return with just 1:39 left to play and we have two in a row!! Roy Jung stepped in for Galloway and the RS freshman showed us a glimpse of things to come, running for 66 yards on 15 carries and catching 9 passes for 114. Brennan had the quietest 300 yard day you will ever see, going 24-33, 320 yds and the singe TD to Mulder. RS frosh DE Ross Ruth had 10 tackles
	Final Score - BYU 21 New Mexico 11 (3-6)
	Recruiting
	QB Quentin Thompson 892/67 commits to Woonsocket, the F'n SOL 8 owns me!!
	G Richie Farlow 919/82 would rather go to the football hell that is Kansas then BYU
	DT Bernard Briggs 239/26 commits to UCLA, at least I understand this one
	LB Randall Riley 976/50 finally gives me good news and will be a Cougar next year!!
	S Cole Hanson UR/71 commits to Memphis, hoping to pick a fight in a future bowl

[BYU 14]

	Week 12 - at #25 Colorado St (+18) 7-2
	This one goes south in a hurry as Bucky Wynn throws a pick 6 under 2 minutes in and the rout is on. Wynn will go on to throw 6 interceptions before I mercifully pull him for Brennan, ending up 13-35 for 218 yards and earning a ticket back to the bench for the Utah game. Our line allows 8 sacks on the day, which gives us a net rushing performance of -47 yards, fucking outstanding guys!! Colorado State takes advantage of our cornucopia of turnovers and only needs to pile up 436 yards of offense to nearly hang 50 on us, but we do "hold" them to only 4.3 yards a carry. I can't wait for Utah, only because this season will be over!
	Final Score - Colorado State 48 BYU 6 (3-7)
	Recruiting
	QB Dixon Fredrickson 300/24 commits to BYU!! Our prize of the class!
	DE Leon Marsh 884/81 also decides he will be a Cougar next year
	OLB Randall McNeil 987/63 makes it three in a row and commits to us
	CB Rob Belt 433/30 picks California over us, 3 of 4 calls have good news so screw him

[BYU 14]

	Week 13 - #6 Utah St (+26) 9-0
	This one turns into the Gus Milner show as Utah's tailback goes off for 196 yards on 31 carries and scores 3 touchdowns. Neil Tomczak throws for two more TDs and 227 yards going 16-22 and we were never in the game. We do average a respectable 4.3 yards per play and Roy Jung averages a very tidy 8.2 per carry, gaining 58 yards on 7 attempts, but with Brennan only completing 18 or 38 for 214 yards and 3 more picks, the redshirt freshman RB is never a factor as we are chasing the entire game. The end result is just as bad as last years beatdown as we fail to score against our rivals for the second season in a row. Hopefully I have a job next year.
	Final Score - Utah 47 BYU 0 (3-8)
	Recruiting
	G Randal McWilliams UR/UR commits to BYU and we get Delawares best guard
	DT Philip Hill UR/UR is only Utah's 4 best DT, not much but we had a need
	DT Dou Caminiti UR/95 spurns the Cougs and will play for Michigan next year
	CB Jonathan Vining UR/76 was one I thought we had, but he goes to Central Michigan
	S Aaron Bashir UR/UR is the best safety in Wyoming, woohoo, and he is ours

[BYU 14]

We wrap up recruiting with 7 more commits and they are all just guys to add depth, fill roster spots and get good grades so we can start improving our academic reputation. Kind of hard to recruit to high academic standards when the school has shitty reps in all majors.

	Recruiting
	WR Jackie Dean UR/UR is Utah's number 1 ranked receiver and will be a Cougar
	S Murray Kennedy UR/UR is the #1 safety in Utah and he also joins the fold
	RB Ronald Waller UR/UR is the 8th best RB in Florida and he gives us a commit
	TE Ricardo Wilburn UR/85 commits as I pursue TE's late as we are scrapping the R&S
	WR Stan Galloway UR/UR commits to give us receiver depth, his is Montana's best
	P Leon Marsh UR/64 commits as I look for some special teams depth
	K Oscar Brock UR/62 commits from Hawaii and will be our kicker of the future
	Our class is complete, 6 top 100 players this year, double last years haul

[BYU 14]

	Mountain West
	Utah Utes			12-0	7-0
	Wyoming Cowboys			6-6	6-1
	Colorado St Rams			8-4	5-2
	BYU Cougars			3-8	3-4
	New Mexico Lobos			3-8	2-5
	San Diego St Aztecs			4-7	2-5
	Air Force Falcons			4-7	2-5
	UNLV Rebels			4-7	1-6
	Schedule
	East Carolina			20-33
	Rice			28-35
	at Air Force #			24-35
	at Rutgers			6-51
	Wyoming #			12-38
	at San Diego St #			41-13
	Notre Dame (13)			17-66
	UNLV #			38-17
	at New Mexico #			21-11
	at Colorado St (43) #			6-48
	Utah (24) #			0-47
	Team Leaders
	Bucky Wynn QB			115-211, 1633 yds 9 TD, 9 Int
	KC Brennan QB			114-203, 1448 yds 9 TD, 12 Int
	RB Phillip Galloway			81-479 yds, 5.91 YPC 3 TD
	RB Joy Jung			73-400 yds, 5.47 YPC 2 TD
	WR Stanley Perkins			52-769, 14.7 YPC 3 TD
	WR Korey Mulder			42-692, 16.4 YPC 7 TD
	S Lamar Oglivie			65 tck, 28 asst, 2 Int, 7 PD
	DE Ross Ruth			55 tck, 20 asst, 5 sacks, 12 TFL

A 4th place finish in the MWC is just not acceptable and we need to move towards becoming a contender. I am two years into a 5 year plan and we have work to do as we really did not beat anyone we should have and probably lost to a couple of team we should have beat.

Utah finishes the year ranked #2 in the nation beating Texas 33-30 in the Sugar Bowl and ending up only trailing national champion Miami, who hammered Ohio State 49-24 in the Rose Bowl. Colorado State lost to Michigan 56-21 in the Holiday Bowl, while Wyoming was hammered by Notre Dame 35110 in the Independence Bowl.

Final Top 10
1-Miami 11-1
2-Utah 12-0
3-Oklahoma 10-2
4-Ohio State 11-1
5-LSU 12-1
6-Tennessee 11-2
7-Wisconsin 10-2
8-Florida 10-2
9-Texas 11-2
10-Michigan 9-3

Three each in the top 10 from the Big 10 and SEC, others of note:
13-Notre Dame 10-2
15-Oregon 9-3
23-UTEP 10-2 (Go Miners Jeebs)

Our final grade is 26 and now we move to the off-season, with much to do. At least I had no honor code issues

[BYU 14]

The off season contains the usual number of complaints about free time, start winning and we will talk. Sophomore walk-on TE Rufus Singleton is suspended for grades, so I release him. Bart McGriff and Bernard Archie both retire from their coordinator spots. Archie I see as he was older, but McGriff is still only 30! Forget that I was going to fire him anyway, that is still a surprise.

Speaking of coaches, Jimmy Brien of LSU is named 2005 coach of the year. I leave ticket prices alone, don’t have the balls to asked for more money for our current product.

While I am looking for staff, I decide to clean house and fire syndicate coordinator Irving Tang and hire AJ Gunn who is pretty good at academics and good at donations. For our OC I hire 33 yr old Bucky Upshaw, decent at play calling, injury avoidance and congeniality and a consistent developer of talent, QB=fair, RB=good, WR=Excellent, OL=pretty good, Kickers=pretty good. For DC I need to kind of settle on 31 yr old Aaron Mastin, fair in play calling but pretty good congeniality and rehab. Developing players he is decent with DL and good with the secondary, but lousy at LB, which is where we need help. Probably moving to a 4-3 for this reason.

For scheduling I have a return date @ East Carolina set, so I schedule a home and home with Woonsocket from the Colonial League. They are not the best bet for revenge against the SOL 8 for stealing recruits as they are two time league champs and were 8-4 last year. They have some talent on offense including returning 1000 yard rusher Dean Browning, but the defense is shaky on paper, so I may have a good shot. Finally we move to a single back west coast style offense and 4-3 defense. Academically we improve a bit but still ranked 113, despite a national best 3.19 GPA.

Next up, meet the 2006 Cougars

[BYU 14]

Quarterbacks
KC Brennan - JR	44/68
Dixon Fredrickson - FR	18/55
Ellis Peckham - SO	14/29
Running Backs
Roy Jung - SO	32/70
Ike Puente - FR	41/66
Kenneth Ogden - FR	29/46
Amos Fletcher - JR	29/33
Ronald Walker - FR	19/48
Tight Ends
Hugh Humes - JR	35/41
Quinn Mayes - JR	23/23
Ricardo Wilburn - FR	16/53
Brady Prior - SO	3/3
Receivers
Stanley Perkins - SR *	29/29
Robert Whiting - JR *	27/32
Arnie Carbonne - FR	19/43
Stan Galloway - FR	13/32
Jackie Dean - FR	16/54
Morris Franklin - JR	13/25
Centers
Casey Kolodziej - SR *	34/61
Richard Cote - FR	17/48
Nate McCreary - FR	11/31
Guards
Albert Gaylor - SR *	50/68
Marcus Cote - JR	26/60
Sam Vanderjagt - JR	21/41
Patrick Foley - FR	19/28
Desmond Kramer - SO	19/29
Randall McWilliams - FR	4/22
Tackles
Travis Petrie - Sr *	34/39
Sammie Kelsey - SR	26/38
Monty Dingle - FR	9/74
Reuben Brinkley - FR	7/34
Leslie Boese - SO	3/3
Specials
P Courtney Woodson - SR	41/51
K Louie McElroy - SO *	40/40

Only 5 starters back on the offense, which is not really bad, but then again the reason some of these guys did not start last year is they were not good enough. KC Brenna is the unquestioned starter at QB and will be backed up by true freshman Dixon Fredrickson, our top rated recruit last year who we can't redshirt due to depth issues.

At RB Roy Jung was the anointed starter, but got a surprise push from incoming Freshman Ike Puente, who may turn out to be the best recruit of the 2005 class when all is said and done. He performed well enough to be anointed our short yardage back and will get plenty of touches behind Jung, who he may even displace as the season goes on. At receiver we return our top receiver in terms of receptions in Stanley Perkins, but it is slim pickings after that. We have some youngsters with potential, but they are far from ready right now. We need to seriously upgrade here during recruiting.

Up Front we are solid for guard to guard and will likely run between tackles as a result, but are weak at the tackle spots, which is another reason to become more run-centric this season as Brennan was sack an average of 5 times per start and if anything we may even be worse in these spots. Monty Dingle will be a beast down the road, but has a lot of developing to do!

[BYU 14]

Defensive Ends
Ross Ruth - SO *	41/60
Jackie Elliott - JR *	24/57
Brenden Tanner - SO	23/45
Leon Marsh - FR	15/59
Riddick Alicea - SO	22/31
Adam Fernandes - SR	1/1
Defensive Tackles
BJ Fields - SR *	41/53
Will Dragon - SO	21/52
Tyrell Poteet - JR	17/52
Phillip Hill - FR	12/32
Inside Linebackers
OJ O'Neill - SR *	33/47
Dixon Bennett - FR	20/42
Claude Thompson - SR	14/33
Randall Riley - FR	17/52
Eugene Arceo - SO	14/29
Earl McCutcheon - JR	14/27
Outside Linebackers
Claude Holliday - SR *	29/43
Carl Dibble - JR *	20/50
Alvin Huntley - JR	17/35
Grady Floyd - SO	12/29
Harvey McNeil - FR	11/63
Peter Buckner - SO	4/34
Cornerbacks
Alex Andrews - JR *	42/75
RJ Deighton - SR	40/40
Burt Logan - FR	26/49
Randall Coghill - JR	7/51
Gene Rocco - JR	16/19
Safeties
BJ Schaefer - JR *	34/34
Darrin Flynn - FR	14/36
Eugene Brown - JR	14/29
Aaron Bashir - FR	7/28
Kennedy Murray - FR	7/42

Ross Ruth was not tabbed as more than a part time player last season, but he grabbed the starting job midway through and was the most consistent player among our front 7 due to a non-stop motor that saw him place second on the team in tackles. Elliott is adequate on the opposite side and Fields and Dragon should both be capable in the middle.

Linebacker is where I am worried as the lack of talent here is as much a reason we went to a 4-3 as the decent talent we have up front. OJ O'Neill would not start at Mike on a lot of teams, but he is the best we have and if he goes down we are in big trouble. So much so that I may pull Riley's red shirt if that happens. On the outside it is even worse as Holliday and Dibble (who didn't even have a schollie at this time last year) are barely passable as starters and after that there is a cliff. I am determined to keep McNeil's red shirt intact as he has to start next season and we need to score a big time recruit here as well.

I am actually happy at corner, where Ales Andrews worked hard and was a +19 in skill from last year. He will line up against the opponents top guy every week and Deighton will be fine on the other side. True freshman Burt Logan will get plenty of reps on Deighton's side so he is ready to step in next season. Safety is a complete mess and we are going to have to play a lot of zone to cover up the weakness' back here. I am really going to miss Lamar Oglivie from this position!

[BYU 14]

	Schedule
	at East Carolina
	Woonsocket
	New Mexico #
	at Rutgers
	Colorado St #
	at UNLV #
	San Diego State #
	#13 Notre Dame
	at #11 Utah #
	Air Force #
	at Wyoming #

With a little luck we could actually be 4-0 heading into the Colorado State game, though with Rutgers and ECU on the road 2-2 is just as likely and Woonsocket is not a push over. By the time we get the meat grinder that is weeks 10 and 11 against Notre Dame and Utes I am hoping we are bowl eligible. The sad truth is though, we may be fighting for that 6th win on the road against a Wyoming team that dismantled us at home last season and returns a senior QB and their leading rusher, but did lose their 2 starting guards to academic suspensions.

My prediction:
Best case 7-4 and a minor bowl
Worst case 4-7 and possibly be looking for a new job
Swing Games (Air Force, Wyoming and East Carolina)

[BYU 14]

	2006 Week 2 - At East Carolina (+1)
	This again comes down to poor QB play at a key time. We are trailing 14-10 and driving late when Brennan, who was 23-39, 214 yds and a score, throws a pick 6 to hand ECU the game. Our defense actually played fairly well, recording 6 QB sacks, but Brennan was also sacked 6 times. True freshman Ike Puente actually outplays Roy Jung gaining 51 yards on 15 carries, to Jungs 25 yards on 6. Stanley Perkins hauls in 8 passes for 121 yards and MLB OJ O'Neill leads the Defense with 8 tackles and an interception. Not a bad performance, we just choked at key moments throughout and our first important swing game is a loss!
	Final Score - East Carolina 21 BYU 10 (0-1)
	Recruiting
	No news to report, offers are going out, but early feedback is poor

[BYU 14]

	2006 Week 3 - Woonsocket (-6)
	I can't remember when we were last a favorite, but my mood to reminisce is dampened and we fall behind 14-0 in the 1st quarter before KC Brennan comes alive and leads us to touchdowns on 4 of our next 6 drives as we open up a 38-14 lead before Woonsocket scores again, then ice it in the 4th on a 14 yard scamper by Ike Puente. On the day Brennan is 19-27, 284 yards and 4 tds, with only 1 pick. Despite the fact that Jung starts, Puente is getting the lions share of the carries and totes it 20 times for 127 yards and a score. Ruth has a good day from his DE spot with 7 tackles, 4 assists and half a sack. We outgain Woonsocket 476-373
	Final Score - BYU 45 Woonsocket 22 (1-1)
	Recruiting
	Still no stirring here

[BYU 14]

	2006 Week 5 - New Mexico 0-2 (-4)
	Second week in a row as favorites and how do we handle our clippings? Go out and trail New Fucking Mexico 20-0 at the half as our running game nets 18 yards, with Brennan getting sacked 4 times. Per usual, we allow a tidy 162 rushing to the 0-2 Lobos, who come in with losses to Utep and a 76-0 pasting at the hands of #3 Ohio State last week. Stellar!!! Brennan contributed a couple of picks to the effort and was under 50% completing just 25 or 51 passes for 339 yards, with our only score coming on a 45 strike to RS freshman Arnie Carbonne, who tallies 8 catches for 170 yards. True freshman Leon Marsh records 2 sacks in limited duty.
	Final Score - New Mexico 37 BYU 10 (1-2)
	Recruiting
	Thankfully this was not on TV, still nothing to report

[BYU 14]

	2006 Week 6 - at Rutgers 1-2 (+3)
	This week we come out blazing and race to 17-0 haltime leade behind a 22 yard strike from KC Breenan to Morris Franklin and a 36 yard interception return from BJ Schaefer. Down 23-3 early in the 4th, the Scarlet Knights og on a tear and to get to 23-17 behind two TD passes from Albert Fellows, but KC Brennan delivers the dagger connecting for a second TD to Arnie Carbonne from 21 yards out and a late Rutgers TD does nothing but make it look close. Another horrid game rushing with -6 yards net thanks to 6 sacks, but Brennan was 22-37 for 311 yards and did not throw a pick, with Carbonne contributing another 100 yard receiving effort (6-102)
	Final Score - BYU 31 Rutgers 24 (2-2)
	Recruiting
	DT Lance Paniagua - UR/89 picks Utah State over us
	DT Gerald Sessions - 607/38 will take is game to Minnesota

[BYU 14]

	2006 Week 7 - Colorado St 2-3 (+12)
	We are 12 point dogs, but CSU is starting a true freshman at QB in Backbreaker Croteau, a dual threat signal caller with maybe the coolest name ever and our defense abuses him. Croteau is held to 9 for 25 for 98 yards and 12 carries for 23 as Ross Ruth tallies 5 tackles, 3 assists and 2 sacks. Offensively KC Brennan is 23-37 for 302 yards, 3 TD's and 2 picks. Puente adds 79 yards rushing and we go up 20-0 at the half and are never threatened, coasting to a 30-0 win. Make no mistake, despite CSU's 2-3 record coming in, this is a signature win and we do it with a suffocating defense to boot. We are over .500 for the first time in my tenure!
	Final Score - BYU 30 Colorado St 0 (3-2)
	Recruiting
	QB RJ Martin - 544/49 will attend CSU despite the ass kicking we put on them
	G Hardy McLean - 791/60 Will accept an offer to play at Mizzou
	LB Cornelius Cobb - 614/30 Spurns us to go with Fresno State, ugh we are 3-2!!