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YzzazzWatching the UConn game from the sidelines was exciting enough to get me thinking about next week. Sure there was lots to improve on, but there was also a lot of improvement over last year in Hill. Texas probably thinks they are going to have to contain an awesome athlete, especially his running ability. If so, they are setting themselves up for failure. One can only hope.
If you are reading this, you already know deep in your bones that the Texas game, if won, will rank as the single most important early-season win ever acheived by the BYU program.
Bigger than beating #3 Pitt in 1985
Bigger than beating #1 Miami in 1990
Just sayin'
Now winning the Texas game seems like quite a long shot. I've been over it in my mind and I simply can't predict better than what I would call a 40% chance to win. Losing to Texas is no big deal, really. BYU is basically guaranteed a spot in the Miami Beach Bowl, which is a nice venue, a great reward for players and an excellent recruiting trip for the coaches. So it's not like this season has a big downside, and since very few people expect BYU to beat Texas in Austin, there is a lot less fanfare than there might be over the whole playoff issue.
But there it is: the playoff.
It would be very difficult to lock an undefeated BYU out of the playoff picture. Not impossible, but quite difficult especially if Texas turns out to be as good a team or better than they were last year. There are plenty of indications that Texas will be a better team, so if BYU beats them on the road it sets up a major drama later in the year.
Obviously BYU has to win out (odds are against that too), but by far the biggest single hurdle shows up this Saturday. If BYU magically makes it to the first final four of football, then this game will be remembered as the magic moment that made it all possible. The Defense looked pretty good for a first game out and having lost key personnel last year and also not having key starters travel to Hartford. I am going to assume that between this and the QB situation at Texas, that BYU's defense will be able to keep this a game. So all that's left is the cougar Offense.
Here then are four reasons why Taysom Hill's BYU offense grinds the Longhorns into Big Mac burger and wins in Austin -- IF it is even possible for them to win.
#1. He can still run... Even a die-hard Texas fan will admit Hill could put up 100 yards rushing, but in doing so that fan (along with the UT team and staff) are going to assume he will try it. They expect he will try to duplicate 259 yards against them so they are going to gun for him and try to contain. The mere fact that he poses that kind of threat will work to his advantage. His ability will keep that defense honest. If he gets 100 yards, then it means he has kept them guessing and the chances of winning go up substantially.
#2. But now he can pass too... This is something Texas won't have been banking on until last week, and even now won't know how to handle it. Hill got better as a passer over the summer. LOTS better. His high completion percentage was punctuated by some pinpoint passing as well. (Checkout the Furious Monkey highlights and notice the precision evident in touchdown pass scored just after the fumble. Thing of beauty!)
#3. And he's choosy about it... The one complaint I had watching from the sidelines last week was the number of downfield receivers I thought Hill was overlooking. It wasn't just me who noticed either. Everyone around me including myself was shouting in futility at how open the Fly route was on the play just before Hauck's leaping touchdown. If his passing looked pretty good to you, the reality is it could have been so much better. And yet I wonder. Hill wisely chose safe routes and high percentage options. The stuff that was wide open but further downfield was what he routinely checked off on. He picked his targets well. Something he will certainly need to do against a stingy Texas defense.
#4. And no one sees this guy coming! The biggest reason I think Hill has a chance to perform well against Texas has nothing to do with him personally. The biggest reason is that I think Robert Anae has matured as a play caller. The UConn game was very well called, and the setups were not predictable. They gave nothing away for the upcoming week either. Anae's calling is balanced enough and nuanced enough that he will likely be able to keep the D guessing. In that space, Hill's significant athletic ability can find space to work.
If BYU wins this game, it will be one to talk about for the ages--well, except with your Longhorn friends.
If you are reading this, you already know deep in your bones that the Texas game, if won, will rank as the single most important early-season win ever acheived by the BYU program.
Bigger than beating #3 Pitt in 1985
Bigger than beating #1 Miami in 1990
Just sayin'
Now winning the Texas game seems like quite a long shot. I've been over it in my mind and I simply can't predict better than what I would call a 40% chance to win. Losing to Texas is no big deal, really. BYU is basically guaranteed a spot in the Miami Beach Bowl, which is a nice venue, a great reward for players and an excellent recruiting trip for the coaches. So it's not like this season has a big downside, and since very few people expect BYU to beat Texas in Austin, there is a lot less fanfare than there might be over the whole playoff issue.
But there it is: the playoff.
It would be very difficult to lock an undefeated BYU out of the playoff picture. Not impossible, but quite difficult especially if Texas turns out to be as good a team or better than they were last year. There are plenty of indications that Texas will be a better team, so if BYU beats them on the road it sets up a major drama later in the year.
Obviously BYU has to win out (odds are against that too), but by far the biggest single hurdle shows up this Saturday. If BYU magically makes it to the first final four of football, then this game will be remembered as the magic moment that made it all possible. The Defense looked pretty good for a first game out and having lost key personnel last year and also not having key starters travel to Hartford. I am going to assume that between this and the QB situation at Texas, that BYU's defense will be able to keep this a game. So all that's left is the cougar Offense.
Here then are four reasons why Taysom Hill's BYU offense grinds the Longhorns into Big Mac burger and wins in Austin -- IF it is even possible for them to win.
#1. He can still run... Even a die-hard Texas fan will admit Hill could put up 100 yards rushing, but in doing so that fan (along with the UT team and staff) are going to assume he will try it. They expect he will try to duplicate 259 yards against them so they are going to gun for him and try to contain. The mere fact that he poses that kind of threat will work to his advantage. His ability will keep that defense honest. If he gets 100 yards, then it means he has kept them guessing and the chances of winning go up substantially.
#2. But now he can pass too... This is something Texas won't have been banking on until last week, and even now won't know how to handle it. Hill got better as a passer over the summer. LOTS better. His high completion percentage was punctuated by some pinpoint passing as well. (Checkout the Furious Monkey highlights and notice the precision evident in touchdown pass scored just after the fumble. Thing of beauty!)
#3. And he's choosy about it... The one complaint I had watching from the sidelines last week was the number of downfield receivers I thought Hill was overlooking. It wasn't just me who noticed either. Everyone around me including myself was shouting in futility at how open the Fly route was on the play just before Hauck's leaping touchdown. If his passing looked pretty good to you, the reality is it could have been so much better. And yet I wonder. Hill wisely chose safe routes and high percentage options. The stuff that was wide open but further downfield was what he routinely checked off on. He picked his targets well. Something he will certainly need to do against a stingy Texas defense.
#4. And no one sees this guy coming! The biggest reason I think Hill has a chance to perform well against Texas has nothing to do with him personally. The biggest reason is that I think Robert Anae has matured as a play caller. The UConn game was very well called, and the setups were not predictable. They gave nothing away for the upcoming week either. Anae's calling is balanced enough and nuanced enough that he will likely be able to keep the D guessing. In that space, Hill's significant athletic ability can find space to work.
If BYU wins this game, it will be one to talk about for the ages--well, except with your Longhorn friends.