Keys to beating USU

From a defensive perspective - Pendleton and Ogletree have stated during their media interviews:



1. Stop the run

2. Fill the gaps

3. Put pressure on / contain QB Keeton (Ogletree actually stated that they had knocked down or put out of the game every starting QB).

4. Be assignment sound

5. Watch out for trick plays



If we contain their running game - we win this game - assuming Heaps has. Good passing dH and spreads the ball around to a variety of receivers.



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+9. Spot on all points.

Other Keys



O-line needs to play much, much better. There was an article that came out this past week that said that M. Reynolds was the 3rd most overrated draft prospect. I think the author was being generous with that. The sad thing is, he's still our best Lineman by a mile. Heaps hasn't been sacked a lot this year. He has been pressured a lot though.



Heaps needs to make the easy throws.



Defense needs to contain Turbin and force Keeton to beat them long. They also need to keep him in the pocket and not let him break contain.

byucougar1 wrote:
From a defensive perspective - Pendleton and Ogletree have stated during their media interviews:



1. Stop the run

2. Fill the gaps

3. Put pressure on / contain QB Keeton (Ogletree actually stated that they had knocked down or put out of the game every starting QB).

4. Be assignment sound

5. Watch out for trick plays



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These are the "Defensive Keys to the Game." It's not the defense we should worry about they have played 3 & 1/2 great games. The real "Key to the Game" is scoring enough points. The BYU D will hold USU in the teens, but the offense needs to get in the freaking endzone, multiple times.

This. ^^^^.

I think the O must--

1. establish and keep the run game going. duh

2. No fumbles. I can handle a few picks, its just the reality of risks and rewards of passing. Tom Brady threw 4 picks--but he also threw 4 TD's, so,.....

3. We have to score points. This Aggie team can light it up--and they will come ready.

4. Win the Special teams battle.

The Aggies have faced 3 horrible defenses. They are getting credit for lighting up Auburn but Auburn has been lit up by everyone this year so their defense sucks. Weber state phhssst. CSU....sucks. USU has not seen a defense like ours yet, I am not worried about thier offense. The question in this game is BYU's offense, they are the unit that will either win or give this game away. If BYU's offense plays like it did against CFU(no turnovers), we will win, if it gives up the ball 100 times like it did against utah, we will once again want to bench heaps come saturday morning.

frdbtr wrote:
If BYU's offense plays like it did against CFU(no turnovers), we will win, if it gives up the ball 100 times like it did against utah, we will once again want to bench heaps come saturday morning.

And we would be right in so wanting if the latter half proves true.



I think we'll see a relative offensive breakout this week. Heaps and BYU remember last year. They remember how they were treated up in Logan. They really want to win. THIS game has been circled on the calendar.



I think BYU wins big.

Sorry folks - it will all come down to Pizza, Boats, and Oats. Doman will still be inexperienced. The OL will still be the same as we have had for two years and that played last time USU killed us. The TEs, WRs, and RBs will be the same as we had last year. The defense will be better than the one that let USU kill us last year - which is good, because they will have to win the game for us, perhaps with - but don't count on it - a little help from special teams. The D will win the game for us unless Pizza is still worrying too much about future rising dough and doesn't worry enough about eating his oats, manning up, and playing with courage, passion, and abandon, instead of fear while that rising tide lifts all the leaky boats. Otherwise you will see a tired and demoralized D get run over in Q4 by a RB that is better than any we had running all over us last year and this year and Sep 17. You will see what a True Freshman QB with fire in his belly can do unless Heaps moves the chains and keeps our D fresh.



This team is out of synch and the leaky boats don't know when or where to expect the passes that might come early, late, high, low, behind, or on target. This makes them tense up, try to do too much, and make mistakes. Rhythm, and consistency will relax the team and if the ball is where it is supposed to be when it is supposed to be with a reasonable amount of touch, they will catch it almost every time. And the D will be fresh, and that potent USU offense will be slowed.



The thing about oats, tides, and boats is that a rising tide will even lift driftwood and leaky boats. Not to perfection. Won't make NFL players out of them. But it will get them to their potential. BYU teams are usually deficient at RB, WR, and DB compared to any good opponent. Solid to great QB play with consistent execution has almost always had to overcome that.



If Jake cannot lead this team to a win at home over USU and their leaky boats, it will be time to turn over the reins. If he struggles in the first half, time for him to sit and reflect on how badly he wants to play instead of how to rush throws to avoid hits. It would actually help him if he actually has the heart to be a great QB.



Hopefully we get up by 21 early and start developing our back-up QBs. If we don't end up with enough garbage time this season to ensure we enter 2012 with Heaps, Nelson, and Lark ready to go and Munns even getting a few reps - fire the coaches. Even Bronco.



The Lowgies are coming after pizza early and Oren to test his oats and mettle to see if they get mistakes and excuses or get burned. We will see how Jake handles that. And with the way our D plays in the first half, we should see if the Lowgies have a back-up QB that can play. If they do and we don't - embarrassing isn't it? INEXCUSEABLE!



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Bib, no mention of the the Tug Boats, aka, tubolardo, overrated boats, called our Oline??

Though I agree with many parts. MattR better find some meanness/toughness himself--his NFL stock is dropping

This would be a horrible loss for the Cougars. BUt I think youre right, it will be closer than people think. Anderson has the Ags smellin blood and they have nothing to lose and will play loose and aggressive. Coug O may be pressing and tight and have the droppsies and over-throwsies, as you suggest.

dmcougar wrote:
Bib, no mention of the the Tug Boats, aka, tubolardo, overrated boats, called our Oline??

Though I agree with many parts. MattR better find some meanness/toughness himself--his NFL stock is dropping

This would be a horrible loss for the Cougars. BUt I think youre right, it will be closer than people think. Anderson has the Ags smellin blood and they have nothing to lose and will play loose and aggressive. Coug O may be pressing and tight and have the droppsies and over-throwsies, as you suggest.

I mentioned the doughboys. Same as last year and YTD - disappointing. They will be about the same Friday. But if Jake finds and hits the hot receiver when the Lowgies come after him, the Lowgies will quit coming and focus on pass coverage which will ease the pass protection burden and run blocking burdens. Then the doughboys will look better even if they aren't actually better.



We also have the same tug boats or lack thereof as we have had, so same issue there as IL for the FBs.



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I am worried about our passing game being able to take it to the next level. I was at the Ole Miss and UT games, and we really moved the chains - beautiful variety of passes to different receivers across the field. Problem is we couldn't translate moving the chains into TDs within the blue or red zone (I.e. Complete and finish drives). What we all saw was inability to adjust to defensive schemes and continue focusing on what works. Utah game isn't work rehashing but UCF game - passing wise - showed me Heaps - had regressed from first two games. Question is which Jake is going to show up against USU and what adjustments have been made. USU has a great coach in Anderson and we know that he senses Jake hurries and rushed passes under pressure and locks in on receivers. We can expect to see lots of blitzes and tons of pressure to rattle him. What I hope happens is that we consider a hurry up offense (no huddle) where we have several plays selected in advance and don't give the D time to set up. We were very difficult to stop in Miss and UT when we did this, we just couldn't sustain it. Interestingly enough, this is the style of the game now in the NFL and is why we are seeing so many QBs with big passing games. Brady, Rogers and Brees are sucessful examples of this - but are also very, very intelligent. Would like to see this implemented in our game, just don't know if we have the mental and physical capacity to execute it.



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I think byucougar1 makes a good point. Against Ole Miss and Texas, BYU was moving the ball on drives.



Against Utah and UCF, I don't feel like BYU moved the ball well at all.



Remember a few weeks ago when we were talking about the high school coach who kicked it on sides every kick and had 11 man blitzes? If I were USU I would do the 11 man blitzes. I would keep all my defenders in really tight, as BYU has been rushing things, I don't think there is a need to defend long passes. Keep everything in really and bring extra guys to get pressure and BYU's offense is dead.

I'm not worried about our defense either. I'm pretty sure we're going to keep their RBs and pass yards in check, and we'll manage Keeton enough. I really think that if we lose the ball less than two times, Heaps has 250 yards and 2 TDs, and our RBs get 150+ yards and a TD, we win.