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YzzazzI post on the optimist thread. Long ago I started the church of the undefeated season. No one should confuse this post with any unnecessary criticism of BYU's football team or its program. BYU is 4-0 and soon to be 5-0, surely. The question about the win is merely one of degree, not eventuality. I know that and so do you.
What could go wrong?
From the book, "Murphy's Law, the 26th anniversary edition," comes this little gem:
Chisholm's first law:
When things are going well, something will go wrong.
Second Corollary:
Anytime things appear to be going better, you have overlooked something.
Well what could go wrong in the game against the Aggies? I can think of three things.
1. Chuckie Keeton doesn't show up
So it turns out this Darell Garettson is a decent QB. His game against Arkansas State (stop laughing!) was 268 yards and two touchdowns and a tie game. The problem for BYU fan is that you can't really dismiss the fact that he did this in his first full length away game. He's still got some work to do, but a kid like this can improve quite a bit between game one and game two. Meanwhile BYU is trying to game play for either he or Keeton--which is the first good call by Wells, the coach of the aggies, to keep BYU guessing right up to the last minute. Of course Keeton won't play, but USU will hope the uncertainty gives them some help. Heaven knows they'll need all they can get, but it might not take that much help. Darell gets all the practice snaps and is now in charge of the offense. He may move the chains against a bend-but-don't-break Nick Howell defense. But if that's the only thing the cougars think to worry about, they'd be wrong.
2. JoJo Natson has a break out game.
So this cat is averaging 8.6 yards per catch on 20 receptions, and 9.3 yards on 17 kick returns. He's only 5'7'' so you think he's no threat. He may go unnoticed in the game plan. But with stats like those he won't go unnoticed in the game's outcome if the cougs are not paying attention. If this guy breaks one loose on special teams and gets behind a napping cougar secondary, it could put USU in the game to stay. Here's a stat lost in the dust of last week's disappointing OT loss for the Aggies: the team forced FOUR turnovers. Throw in a turnover margin of + 2 and BYU will begin to know how the Utes felt last week late in their unloseable game.
Now those two things are long shot, to be sure, but maybe not as long as you think. Here is something that is not a long shot...
3. Coach Weber scouts our O-line for the Ag defense.
We are only two years removed from when Weber coached at BYU. He knows the team from the inside out and he will help USU be ready in ways that BYU won't expect. The Aggie defense could find themselves with inexplicably successful penetration, getting to Hill multiple times and attacking the cougs in ways no one else has been able to. The pass defense always looks great when the sack count rises. A flat-on-his-back Hill is a flat out recipe for a win in Provo, so you have to think----
S T O P !
S T O P T H E M A D N E S S ! !
I give up!! I cannot hold back the laughter as I write this! I will go crazy if I type one more word of pro-aggie argument in this post! No matter how hard I try, for me, losing to Utah State is LITERALLY ... unthinkable!
BYU + 30
What could go wrong?
From the book, "Murphy's Law, the 26th anniversary edition," comes this little gem:
Chisholm's first law:
When things are going well, something will go wrong.
Second Corollary:
Anytime things appear to be going better, you have overlooked something.
Well what could go wrong in the game against the Aggies? I can think of three things.
1. Chuckie Keeton doesn't show up
So it turns out this Darell Garettson is a decent QB. His game against Arkansas State (stop laughing!) was 268 yards and two touchdowns and a tie game. The problem for BYU fan is that you can't really dismiss the fact that he did this in his first full length away game. He's still got some work to do, but a kid like this can improve quite a bit between game one and game two. Meanwhile BYU is trying to game play for either he or Keeton--which is the first good call by Wells, the coach of the aggies, to keep BYU guessing right up to the last minute. Of course Keeton won't play, but USU will hope the uncertainty gives them some help. Heaven knows they'll need all they can get, but it might not take that much help. Darell gets all the practice snaps and is now in charge of the offense. He may move the chains against a bend-but-don't-break Nick Howell defense. But if that's the only thing the cougars think to worry about, they'd be wrong.
2. JoJo Natson has a break out game.
So this cat is averaging 8.6 yards per catch on 20 receptions, and 9.3 yards on 17 kick returns. He's only 5'7'' so you think he's no threat. He may go unnoticed in the game plan. But with stats like those he won't go unnoticed in the game's outcome if the cougs are not paying attention. If this guy breaks one loose on special teams and gets behind a napping cougar secondary, it could put USU in the game to stay. Here's a stat lost in the dust of last week's disappointing OT loss for the Aggies: the team forced FOUR turnovers. Throw in a turnover margin of + 2 and BYU will begin to know how the Utes felt last week late in their unloseable game.
Now those two things are long shot, to be sure, but maybe not as long as you think. Here is something that is not a long shot...
3. Coach Weber scouts our O-line for the Ag defense.
We are only two years removed from when Weber coached at BYU. He knows the team from the inside out and he will help USU be ready in ways that BYU won't expect. The Aggie defense could find themselves with inexplicably successful penetration, getting to Hill multiple times and attacking the cougs in ways no one else has been able to. The pass defense always looks great when the sack count rises. A flat-on-his-back Hill is a flat out recipe for a win in Provo, so you have to think----
S T O P !
S T O P T H E M A D N E S S ! !
I give up!! I cannot hold back the laughter as I write this! I will go crazy if I type one more word of pro-aggie argument in this post! No matter how hard I try, for me, losing to Utah State is LITERALLY ... unthinkable!
BYU + 30