BYU vs Utah State Preview
I failed to write a summary for BYU’s loss to Boston College. My prediction was somewhat close although I was not expecting double overtime. I was disappointed in the play of BYU. They looked really pretty good the first half. Everything seemed to be flowing as expected. There was nothing spectacular, but definitely consistent.
The second half was a little different. It seemed as if BYU lost their drive. They didn’t seem to have the killer instinct necessary to close out BC. Too many opportunities were squandered. They consistently drove the ball down the field, but once again failed to get the touchdown and had to settle for the field goal.
I can’t pin-point the problem, but it really seemed to come down to an issue of focus. The team just seemed distracted. This years team needs a leader who can get them focused and determined. Looking back at 2001, their were three, maybe four, guys that had that focus and determination. Brandon Doman, Luke Staley, Reno Mahe and the wide receiver, whom I can’t remember (Martin?), all had the passion to get the win.
I feel like Coach Mendenhall doesn’t have the same “fire” as a head coach as he had as a defensive coordinator. I wonder if that’s just because he feels he has a different role and needs to be more austere like Lavelle Edwards ? I’d personally like to see his fire again. I think it played well with the defense and could do well for the entire team.
Next Game vs Utah State:
I predicted a large blowout prior to knowing that John Beck would be out with an ankle injury. Although I don’t know that they really loose a lot of talent with Jason Beck, they loose a lot of experience and they loose the “comfort” of having your usual quarterback. I recall a game in my high school career where our starting quarterback (an All-State Athlete — basketball and football and three year starter) was out with a broken finger. Our backup had never played in a varsity game and we were a little nervous. But it was one of our best games of the year. We soundly defeated Union High School 20-0.
So the hope is that the offense won’t suffer all that much with John Beck out, but I’m sure there will be some miscues and timing issues.
BYU: 45, USU: 14