To put things into perspective with coaching/records/success

There has been lots of debate going on lately over the effectiveness of our current coaches with their skill in game-planning, making in-game adjustments, preparation, motivating the team, starting/playing the right players, etc.

Some have argued that they obviously know what they're doing, since BYU has won X amount of games over X amount of years (they usually conveniently stop at 2006), while others counter that argument by saying we only got so many wins because we had great talent, and/or that we tend to only beat up on our weaker opponents.



I thought it might put things into perspective a little bit with the final scores of all of our "big" games since 2005. I know that different coaches have come and left at various different times over the years, but I chose 2005 since it was the season Bronco became our head coach - it just seemed like a good starting point. I counted "big games" as games against any BCS team, ranked team, or tough conference foe.



Boston College L 3-20

TCU L 50-51

Notre Dame L 23-49

Air Force W 62-41

Utah L 34-41

California L 28-35

Arizona L 13-16

Boston College L 23-30

TCU W 31-17

Air Force W 33-14

Utah W 33-31

Oregon W 38-8

Arizona W 20-7

UCLA L 17-27

Air Force W 31-6

TCU W 27-22

Utah W 17-10

UCLA W 17-16

Washington W 28-27

UCLA W 59-0

TCU L 7-32

Air Force W 38-24

Utah L 24-48

Arizona L 21-31

Oklahoma W 14-13

Florida State L 28-54

TCU L 7-38

Air Force W 38-21

Utah W 26-23

Oregon State W 44-20

Washington W 23-17

Air Force L 14-35



Overall record: 18-14



And we'll get a small update after this Saturday



PS - For anyone who considers Tulsa as a "big game," we went 1-1 against them during this time period



PPS - These are just facts. I'm not posting them to support either side of the debate

I am more than happy with that, especially seeing most of the red at the beginning.



There aren't many coaches that can match an above .500 record in big games, and even fewer that can do it with class and being ambassadors for a church and honor code bound school.

Yeah, I have to say, that's pretty impressive overall.



Thanks for putting the list together.

snoscythe wrote:
I am more than happy with that, especially seeing most of the red at the beginning.



There aren't many coaches that can match an above .500 record in big games, and even fewer that can do it with class and being ambassadors for a church and honor code bound school.

To split it up by season:



2005: 1-5

2006: 4-2

2007: 5-1

2008: 3-3

2009: 4-2

2010: 1-1

snoscythe wrote:
I am more than happy with that, especially seeing most of the red at the beginning.



There aren't many coaches that can match an above .500 record in big games, and even fewer that can do it with class and being ambassadors for a church and honor code bound school.

Amen and Amen.

Here are all-opposing coaches' records against Bronco: 16-50. Good teams win, bad teams don't. To have a plus .500 record in "big games" is very impressive.

Can't we still say that is impressive but point out that they might be making a mistake on the QB decision?

Italics wrote:
There has been lots of debate going on lately over the effectiveness of our current coaches with their skill in game-planning, making in-game adjustments, preparation, motivating the team, starting/playing the right players, etc.

Some have argued that they obviously know what they're doing, since BYU has won X amount of games over X amount of years (they usually conveniently stop at 2006), while others counter that argument by saying we only got so many wins because we had great talent, and/or that we tend to only beat up on our weaker opponents.



I thought it might put things into perspective a little bit with the final scores of all of our "big" games since 2005. I know that different coaches have come and left at various different times over the years, but I chose 2005 since it was the season Bronco became our head coach - it just seemed like a good starting point. I counted "big games" as games against any BCS team, ranked team, or tough conference foe.



Boston College L 3-20

TCU L 50-51

Notre Dame L 23-49

Air Force W 62-41

Utah L 34-41

California L 28-35

Arizona L 13-16

Boston College L 23-30

TCU W 31-17

Air Force W 33-14

Utah W 33-31

Oregon W 38-8

Arizona W 20-7

UCLA L 17-27

Air Force W 31-6

TCU W 27-22

Utah W 17-10

UCLA W 17-16

Washington W 28-27

UCLA W 59-0

TCU L 7-32

Air Force W 38-24

Utah L 24-48

Arizona L 21-31

Oklahoma W 14-13

Florida State L 28-54

TCU L 7-38

Air Force W 38-21

Utah W 26-23

Oregon State W 44-20

Washington W 23-17

Air Force L 14-35



Overall record: 18-14



And we'll get a small update after this Saturday



PS - For anyone who considers Tulsa as a "big game," we went 1-1 against them during this time period



PPS - These are just facts. I'm not posting them to support either side of the debate

Its is also interesting to note that earlier on we lost close games but more recently we don't just lose those games, we get blown out. I'm not sure what, if anything to make of that.

MJCOUGAR wrote:
Can't we still say that is impressive but point out that they might be making a mistake on the QB decision?

I think the mistake in the QB decision is not making a decision. I wonder if the next time BYU has a QB controversy Bronco makes a decision one way or another, instead of dragging it out. I bet we have a starter going into fall camp next time.

How many of those games featured an almost exclusive running attack and less than 100 yards passing? How many of those W's would have been L's if the defense could have collapsed down on a running QB that couldn't make all the throws? (To be fair, how many of the L's would've been W's with Riley's ability?) How many of those W's featured a passing QB that fits our personnel and system?



What if this staff starts to lose all the big games AND some or a few of the non-big ones?

To REALLY put things into perspective: five+ years ago we were getting shut out by Utah, putting up losing records, had a team with too many players embarrassing themselves, the school, and the church, and an athletic director who's first choice to coach BYU, a former BYU player no less, turned the school down....the turn around has been nothing short of amazing. How soon I forget. One bad game, even if it were because of bad coaching, does not change THAT perspective for me