My changed view of this season

Last year was awful. This year I went into things cautiously optimistic. But the team has been very inconsistent. The one game I made the trip into the stadium for this season was the awful Cal game and was furious along with most in the stands around me. But this past Saturday I sat and watched the lackluster NIU game with a little different outlook.



I'm convinced this team is in full rebuilding mode. I took the 2 deep chart for the NIU game and counted up how many from each class were represented somewhere on it (both sides of the ball). Not surprisingly Seniors are the most represented with 19. However, if I challenge you to come up with what Senior is a "star" on this team could you do it? On offense choices appear to be Canada (had moments, but injuries), Mangum (lost the job to a freshman), Hadley (utility guy, not star). Collie? Hoyt? El-Bakri? Nwigwe? Jumping to defense there is Takitaki and Corbin Kaufusi if those guys are putting up "star" numbers for anyone. Then Taliauli? Pau'u? Riggs Powell? Pulsipher? Shelton? Jacobson? My point is there isn't a clear "star" player from the senior class. That is a big problem.



Let's go to the class with the next most number of 2-deep representatives: FRESHMAN 18 of them appear in the chart! Offensive contributors include Wilson, Katoa, Southam, Romney, Milne, Empey, Saleapaga, Christensen, Holker. On defense most contributors are DBs in Herron, Moore, Mandell, and Ellis. A team relying so heavily on the contribution of freshmen is going to struggle. The other classes have 14 (Juniors) and 11 (Sophomores).



I guess where I'm going is this Freshman class is gaining a bunch of experience and learn on the job. The senior class in particular lacks clear leadership and performance like is typically expected. I'm hoping that we have some clear YOUNG leaders emerge and take their development time and build on it for next year. And I hope that future recruiting classes are sufficient that we don't have such gaps in leadership and contribution like we have with certain classes this season.



I'm resigned to not beat Boise State or Utah (which pains me for sure) but hope for wins in the other two games to become bowl eligible.



Going forward I hope the team figures out how to better defend their home field. Apathy in the stands I think comes from losing more games at home in the past 2 seasons (7) than they had lost since going independent the previous 6 seasons combined (6).

I have a hard time being very sympathetic of a coach who has had 3 recruiting classes yet is relying on non-mission true freshmen.

That perspective isn't really helping, because our underclassmen aren't projecting to be much better going forward.



2013 recruiting class rank = #66

2014 recruiting class rank = #64

2015 recruiting class rank = #65

2016 recruiting class rank = #49 (Bronco-->Kalani transition class)

2017 recruiting class rank = #66

2018 recruiting class rank = #83-ish



https://media.giphy.com/media/XuLXZa0PJNiV2/giphy.gif" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">



Other than the "excitement" bump of the class he shared with Bronco, Kalani's recruiting is in a nose-dive.



I see the playing of freshmen over seniors at this point as a panic move by a coach who is fumbling for an answer to get wins. I don't see Zach Wilson as an improvement over Tanner Mangum--I think it's proving to be a lateral move at best, but when Kalani is desperate for a win, out goes the senior and in goes the frosh. I see the youth as evidence of ineptitude from the coaches, not a foundation-building project.

UMass is no cakewalk. In their stadium and they beat us last year. 5-7 is a very real possibility. Worst will be going into Rice-Eccles at 5-6 with a chance to get bowl eligible, and getting beaten by 50.

cougarapologist wrote:

UMass is no cakewalk. In their stadium and they beat us last year. 5-7 is a very real possibility. Worst will be going into Rice-Eccles at 5-6 with a chance to get bowl eligible, and getting beaten by 50.

"Worst" would actually be beating Utah to become Bowl eligible and getting stuck with a few more years of this train wreck of a coaching staff.

I don't know man......show me one senior who clearly outperformed his contemporaries but isn't getting a chance because Sitake wants to play the freshmen. At some point, you start to play guys who have a higher ceiling because you see what the seniors are and they aren't going to improve--and only benefit you for 4 more games. If you can't beat out the freshmen, you shouldn't be playing.



Mangum is a grown man who has fought the battles and lost too many of them incurring too many battle scars along the way. Zach Wilson is the youngest player to ever start at BYU. I think there are some players in that freshman/sophomore group who are gaining valuable experience. In the meantime, if Sitake ends up losing his job, so be it.

I refuse to give excuses to a guy who is putting a bad product on the field when his predecessor who consistently won was not given the same excuse when the team lost games.

Any team of seniors that lack standout players are the coachs' fault. They should have, but did not, develop those players into performers and leaders.

Sammich wrote:

Any team of seniors that lack standout players are the coachs' fault. They should have, but did not, develop those players into performers and leaders.

Sitake inherited these seniors from Bronco.

Fido wrote:

Any team of seniors that lack standout players are the coachs' fault. They should have, but did not, develop those players into performers and leaders.

Sitake inherited these seniors from Bronco.

He's had 3 years to develop those players.

Fido wrote:

Any team of seniors that lack standout players are the coachs' fault. They should have, but did not, develop those players into performers and leaders.

Sitake inherited these seniors from Bronco.

Bronco, with the same players, wouldn't have lost to USU 2x in a row and certainly wouldn't have been beaten by Umass and NIU at home. Let's get that straight.

Fido wrote:

Any team of seniors that lack standout players are the coachs' fault. They should have, but did not, develop those players into performers and leaders.

Sitake inherited these seniors from Bronco.

And Bronco would have probably won 8-10 games with this years schedule with the SR's on this team playing minutes. The cupboard was not bare when Sitake got here, he doesn't know how to utilize the talent he has. He is a bad coach and needs to be fired.

frdbtr wrote:

Sammich wrote:

Any team of seniors that lack standout players are the coachs' fault. They should have, but did not, develop those players into performers and leaders.

Sitake inherited these seniors from Bronco.

And Bronco would have probably won 8-10 games with this years schedule with the SR's on this team playing minutes. The cupboard was not bare when Sitake got here, he doesn't know how to utilize the talent he has. He is a bad coach and needs to be fired.

Yes, Sitake needs to go.



As for Bronco, we can only speculate based on what we know about him.



6 wins would have likely come against Arizona, McNeese St, Northern Illinois, Hawaii, UMass, New Mexico State.



I don't think he would have won 10 games since he would have likely lost to Wisconsin, Washington, and Utah.



So that leaves the toss-ups as Cal, Utah State, and Boise State. Even assuming he wins two of those, that's 8 wins at best.

Bronco would have beaten Cal, no question. Sitake almost did.



Bronco would have beaten USU too. He would have lasses against WA, Wisconsin, and Utah, and we would have been angry with him because we were spoiled.

Gunk wrote:

Bronco would have beaten Cal, no question. Sitake almost did.



Bronco would have beaten USU too. He would have lasses against WA, Wisconsin, and Utah, and we would have been angry with him because we were spoiled.

I'm not so sure that Bronco wouldn't have beaten Wisconsin either since they have turned out to not be what we thought they were.

frdbtr wrote:

Bronco would have beaten Cal, no question. Sitake almost did.



Bronco would have beaten USU too. He would have lasses against WA, Wisconsin, and Utah, and we would have been angry with him because we were spoiled.

I'm not so sure that Bronco wouldn't have beaten Wisconsin either since they have turned out to not be what we thought they were.

Bronco was nothing if not consistent in usually beating the teams he was "supposed to beat" and usually losing to the teams he was "supposed to lose" to. He would have lost to Wisconsin but beat Utah State.

hawkwing wrote:

Sammich wrote:

Any team of seniors that lack standout players are the coachs' fault. They should have, but did not, develop those players into performers and leaders.

Sitake inherited these seniors from Bronco.

He's had 3 years to develop those players.

You can't polish a turd. Look at Shelton's recent comments to see what kind of players we are having to deal with. According to him it is your fault (the fans) that the team is so bad. :sulk:

Fido wrote:

Fido wrote:

Any team of seniors that lack standout players are the coachs' fault. They should have, but did not, develop those players into performers and leaders.

Sitake inherited these seniors from Bronco.

He's had 3 years to develop those players.

You can't polish a turd. Look at Shelton's recent comments to see what kind of players we are having to deal with. According to him it is your fault (the fans) that the team is so bad. :sulk:

Shelton is grasping at straws because the team is losing and the players have no faith in the coaches to put together a game plan to win so he is asking the fans to help. If we still had competent coaches here, he wouldn't be saying crap like that.

If what's being said about Shelton is correct, then it sounds like this team has bigger issues than just fielding a competent football team. The coaching staff is completely inept, and some of the players sound like spoiled primadonnas.

KingCoug wrote:

Gunk wrote:

Bronco would have beaten Cal, no question. Sitake almost did.



Bronco would have beaten USU too. He would have lasses against WA, Wisconsin, and Utah, and we would have been angry with him because we were spoiled.

I'm not so sure that Bronco wouldn't have beaten Wisconsin either since they have turned out to not be what we thought they were.

Bronco was nothing if not consistent in usually beating the teams he was "supposed to beat" and usually losing to the teams he was "supposed to lose" to. He would have lost to Wisconsin but beat Utah State.

Bronco would have the team prepared for a fight in every game this season. Wisconsin was the only game where Kalani had them prepared for a fight and we shocked the world. IMO, a Bronco led team would have won that game too because Wisconsin is now out of the top 25. They are not as good as they were projected to be.