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YzzazzI hope Sitake will live up to expectations. I think it will be tough. I'm going to miss having Bronco the mission president around. I do hope Sitake will maintain the fireside tradition. Seems like a good thing in general. All that said, I see two things I am wildly happy about in the naming of the new BYU coach: NFL orientation, and an inside track to Kyle Whittingham. These two things will virtually guarantee that we never see a 21-0 hole (not to mention 35-0) dug at the beginning of the rivalry game ever again.
1. The mere fact that Virginia can basically afford to double Bronco's salary is deep evidence that ignoring players who make NFL play their first priority (which Bronco did at BYU) is a mistake. It is a mistake Sitake will not repeat. In the world that was the Las Vegas Bowl, that means a slight upgrade on the OL, with the chance that Mangum doesn't have to throw the ball inside his own 30. BYU teams will be able to trust the run. That alone could have changed the LV Bowl start.
2. Kalani understands Utah's defense. When he watched the LV Bowl, he saw what most of us missed. He saw what was really going on. It wasn't simply a Freshman QB making rivalry game mistakes. It wasn't simply Utah getting lucky on a PI-no call. It was the Defensive line getting a free pass at Tanner--the repeated tips, the hurries, the fumbles. D-line penetration was probably the #1 contributor to those circumstances. Kalani knows HOW and WHY those were taking place, and he would not assume that putting in a brand new ball carrier is the way to solve that.
I am VERY excited for the Utah game next year. To me it is pretty obvious that BYU will get the upper hand in that contest based on the Sitake hire. Perhaps that is an overly simplistic expectation, but I don't think so. Nothing in Sitake's style and resume suggests that he takes a conservative approach to anything. My guess is that his offensive plans will align with helping players make it to the NFL, which means that he doesn't have to hope for players to come in an outperform by learning HIS system, something different from anywhere they know about. I think he'll have an effective solution for the running game.
The success of that aspect will help BYU be capable of grabbing 3 yards when they want to, and will in turn take pressure off Tanner Mangum so that he can develop into the awesome player we all see within him. I think BYU players proved they can stay with Utah--but Coach Sitake will show them how they can greatly surpass Utah.
As much as I loved Bronco as coach, it is clearly time for the change and Kalani Sitake is the right change to make!
1. The mere fact that Virginia can basically afford to double Bronco's salary is deep evidence that ignoring players who make NFL play their first priority (which Bronco did at BYU) is a mistake. It is a mistake Sitake will not repeat. In the world that was the Las Vegas Bowl, that means a slight upgrade on the OL, with the chance that Mangum doesn't have to throw the ball inside his own 30. BYU teams will be able to trust the run. That alone could have changed the LV Bowl start.
2. Kalani understands Utah's defense. When he watched the LV Bowl, he saw what most of us missed. He saw what was really going on. It wasn't simply a Freshman QB making rivalry game mistakes. It wasn't simply Utah getting lucky on a PI-no call. It was the Defensive line getting a free pass at Tanner--the repeated tips, the hurries, the fumbles. D-line penetration was probably the #1 contributor to those circumstances. Kalani knows HOW and WHY those were taking place, and he would not assume that putting in a brand new ball carrier is the way to solve that.
I am VERY excited for the Utah game next year. To me it is pretty obvious that BYU will get the upper hand in that contest based on the Sitake hire. Perhaps that is an overly simplistic expectation, but I don't think so. Nothing in Sitake's style and resume suggests that he takes a conservative approach to anything. My guess is that his offensive plans will align with helping players make it to the NFL, which means that he doesn't have to hope for players to come in an outperform by learning HIS system, something different from anywhere they know about. I think he'll have an effective solution for the running game.
The success of that aspect will help BYU be capable of grabbing 3 yards when they want to, and will in turn take pressure off Tanner Mangum so that he can develop into the awesome player we all see within him. I think BYU players proved they can stay with Utah--but Coach Sitake will show them how they can greatly surpass Utah.
As much as I loved Bronco as coach, it is clearly time for the change and Kalani Sitake is the right change to make!