Let's Talk About The Game

Cause I think it's going to be a really good one.



BYU needs to keep it close early. The OL is going to have to be amazing. The receivers are going to have to get off man press coverage. Anae is going to have to scheme to give his receivers a chance to get off man press (motion, formation, etc.).



If BYU can put Utah in obvious passing situations, I think Bronco is going to be very creative with blitzes. Run stop is going to be key.



This is the one game ever for Bronco where it's not just the next game at BYU...

I see this game going much like the UCLA game went. I beleive that BYU will need to score in every quarter to win this game, and that their run defense will be key to whether they win this game or not.

stuckinbig10country wrote:
The receivers are going to have to get off man press coverage. Anae is going to have to scheme to give his receivers a chance to get off man press (motion, formation, etc.).

I believe this is my worst fear. All someone has to do is watch the Michigan game tape and have DB's that understand how to effectively apply press coverage. BYU's opponents in subsequent games knew this same info, but basically lacked the horses in the corral to pull it off like Michigan did.



The honest truth is that I haven't followed that team up north enough to know if they have sufficient equine studs to pull it off.



In addition, as usual, if we can't run the ball, we're going to be hurting. I don't know that Squally Canada is going to be that much help, but I have hope.

Hopefully with neutral refs, we get some of those flags on the press defense that we didn't get during the Michigan game. They can't rely on refs, though. Gotta fight through the man press.

EM_Puma wrote:

The receivers are going to have to get off man press coverage. Anae is going to have to scheme to give his receivers a chance to get off man press (motion, formation, etc.).

I believe this is my worst fear. All someone has to do is watch the Michigan game tape and have DB's that understand how to effectively apply press coverage. BYU's opponents in subsequent games new this same info, but basically lacked the horses in the corral to pull it off like Michigan did.



The honest truth is that I haven't followed that team up north enough to know if they have sufficient equine studs to pull it off.



In addition, as usual, if we can't run the ball, we're going to be hurting. I don't know that Squally Canada is going to be that much help, but I have hope.

I think the bigger issue in that game is it was Tanner's 3rd game as a starter, he'd never seen that much man defense before, and the playbook was still relatively small for him. Anae couldn't call plays they hadn't practiced during the week like he could have with Taysom. That's the major disadvantage of being a freshman. BYU destroyed Rosen the week before because of the same thing.

Keys to winning:



1. DO NOT turn over the ball! Utes are very depleted on offense and will need points coming from defense and special teams. Turnovers have been THE key to Ute victories in the Bronco/Kyle era and this year will be no different.



2. Related to the above is Mangum being smart with the ball and NOT forcing it against Utah's very efficient defense.



3. Related to the above is our O-line giving Mangum adequate protection and time to make sound decisions. And our running backs need to do their part to take pressure off him.



4. We must have a plan to deal with Utah's press man coverage.



5. Booker is out. We need to stop the run and force Wilson to pass. Do not let Utah dictate the pace of the game and eat up clock by long, sustained drives.



7. DON'T come out like we have the last 4 years - mentally weak, flat, and scared. Play loose but focused. Don't take ourselves out of the game by stupid mistakes.



8. Remember the Vegas Bowl is our home away from home. And it will be mostly BYU fans there. Remember the motivation is on our side to not lose a 5th game in a row and send Bronco off with his 100th and last win over our rival.



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KingCoug wrote:
Keys to winning:



1. DO NOT turn over the ball! Utes are very depleted on offense and will need points coming from defense and special teams. Turnovers have been THE key to Ute victories in the Bronco/Kyle era and this year will be no different.



2. Related to the above is Mangum being smart with the ball and NOT forcing it against Utah's very efficient defense.



3. Related to the above is our O-line giving Mangum adequate protection and time to make sound decisions. And our running backs need to do their part to take pressure off him.



4. We must have a plan to deal with Utah's press man coverage.



5. Booker is out. We need to stop the run and force Wilson to pass. Do not let Utah dictate the pace of the game and eat up clock by long, sustained drives.



7. DON'T come out like we have the last 4 years - mentally weak, flat, and scared. Play loose but focused. Don't take ourselves out of the game by stupid mistakes.



8. Remember the Vegas Bowl is our home away from home. And it will be mostly BYU fans there. Remember the motivation is on our side to not lose a 5th game in a row and send Bronco off with his 100th and last win over our rival.



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This is the key. If you look back at the history of the rivalry under Bronco, the games we have not turned over the ball, we have won, the games where we have turned over the ball, we have lost.

I think we will need to hit big plays. The best way to beat tight coverage is to burn them deep. However, one won't do it. We need 3-4 big pass completions to loosen them up. Even then, Kyle may stick with what got them there.



I fully expect the Ute back to rush for over 100 yards. The have the offensive line to do it. I don't think there is a huge difference between backs, it's just that Whit runs the same back every single down. Fortunately, Williams is likely to fumble at least once. If he gets his 100 but has a couple of turnovers, and we keep the QB contained and limited to ~30 yards, they will not score points.



A big problem for us is their special teams. I think it would be good strategy to have a fake punt in the plan - but with actual blocking unlike Fresno St. Getting cheap yards while their main defense is not on the field, not giving them a chance for a return TD, and giving the O a new set of downs are all good reasons to run the risk. We have to be aggressive.



One area where we should not be aggressive is trash talking and extra-curricular activities. Point and dive - let the Utes commit the penalties. If the refs are encouraged to call it close to keep the game under control it works to our advantage to turn it into a soccer game. It also means they can't jam our receivers like they would like if PI and defensive holding are called. Get in some acting, and force the reffs to throw the flags.



Finally, if "Fauonuku the Felon" pulls out his gun, "Dominique the Dagger" pulls out his knife, or "kemoeatu the Kicker" puts on his cleats, hope there is lots of law enforcement.

frdbtr wrote:

Keys to winning:



1. DO NOT turn over the ball! Utes are very depleted on offense and will need points coming from defense and special teams. Turnovers have been THE key to Ute victories in the Bronco/Kyle era and this year will be no different.

This is the key. If you look back at the history of the rivalry under Bronco, the games we have not turned over the ball, we have won, the games where we have turned over the ball, we have lost.

From my Utah preview:

http://www.loyalstrongandtrue.com/2015/12/football/spiffs-spots-utah-preview/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This Week’s Bold Prediction: BYU has turned the ball over 14 times in the last four games against the Utes and 20 times in the last six matchups. This time it is BYU that will protect the football. BYU will finish plus-three (+3) in the turnover battle. In fact, BYU will seal the victory with an interception.

Defensively, I would almost sell out against the run. Rush 4, spy Williams with one guy and Wilson with another. On pass plays, that leaves us playing Cover 1 (with the Wilson spy dropping into Robber coverage - I like Nacua for that), or possibly Cover 3 with the spies dropping into the short inside zones. The more you make them throw, the better things are going to go for us.



I would also hope we play tight coverage underneath, so Wilson has to go through his reads to wait for something to open up downfield. Three things can happen then: Bronson tallies another sack, Wilson makes a bad read or throws a bad ball for an incompletion/interception, or we give up a big play. My money's on the first two.

We have to takle. Besides turnovers, the other thing I have noticed in the rivalry games is that they tackle very well and don't allow YAC, and we haven't tackled particularly well. If we don't turnover the ball too much, and if we make solid tackles instead of shoulder lunges, I think we win this game.

Cougarfan87 wrote:
We have to takle. Besides turnovers, the other thing I have noticed in the rivalry games is that they tackle very well and don't allow YAC, and we haven't tackled particularly well. If we don't turnover the ball too much, and if we make solid tackles instead of shoulder lunges, I think we win this game.

In other words basic fundamentals that shouldn't even be an issue for a well coached team.



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How many excuses will we hear if BYU wins this? Booker is out, who is like 70% of their offense. Utah fans talk a ton of trash right now, but we all know that if they lose, they will chalk it up to them not having booker and it wasn't a big deal anyway.



As if we didn't lose a top QB threat or our Top RB all season...

bamf3000 wrote:
How many excuses will we hear if BYU wins this? Booker is out, who is like 70% of their offense. Utah fans talk a ton of trash right now, but we all know that if they lose, they will chalk it up to them not having booker and it wasn't a big deal anyway.



As if we didn't lose a top QB threat or our Top RB all season...

None of those excuses would hold any water. Not only did we lose Taysom and Jamal, as you said, the way they talk the high and mighty PAC 12 Utes should be able to whoop us with their 3rd stringers.



If we win what they will say, and it will be hard to argue against, is that it's 1 out of the last 5. Basically what we heard after the 2006 win.



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Seems most locally and nationally are predicting a Ute win. Even when they list a lot of advantages BYU has in this match up, they still find it very hard to justify thinking Bronco will beat Kyle considering their history.



PLEASE LET US PROVE THEM WRONG!



JUST 1 MORE WIN BRONCO!



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1 more win + I hope its a blow out. Is that too much to ask? haha

bamf3000 wrote:
1 more win + I hope its a blow out. Is that too much to ask? haha

Actually, it is. We just don't see those anymore from BYU when BYU plays the utes.