BYU Offense of Future - Thunder, Lightning and "jump-ball"

Reflecting upon coaches Dupaix and Cahoon skill set, I expect to see a different look at our RB/WR committee. Last year we had a 3-pronged RB tandem (Juice Quezada, J.J. DiLuigi, and Brian Kariya) that was effective in power running but would get bogged down with a quick DL. While each brough something different to the table: DiLuigi (quickness/shiftiness on power sweeps and swing passes out of the backfield), Kariya (tough to bring down in straight-ahead short yardage situations), Juice (mold of Harvey Unga but faster), we lacked break-away speed. We now have 2 RBs (Drew Phillips and Timo Hine) that have blazing speed. I believe that Doman and Dupaix will compiment our existing power RBs with these two HB type players that have the speed to take it to the house once in the open field. We might be seeing a return to the Thunder and Lightning tandem we had back in the days of Brian McKenzie and Ronnie Jenkins.



A good number of our wide receivers (Cody Hoffman 6-4/205/4.60, Ross Apo 6-4/202/4.5, Marcus Mathews 6-5/200/4.65, Jordan Smith 6-5/200/4.60, Michael Edmunds 6-4/205/4.47, Mitch Matthews #23 6-6/202/4.65) are tall, fast, athletic, and talented. If Cahoon instills in them the ability to run precise routes, develop soft hands and make the tough catch in traffic, they will present some real problems for opposing shorter DBs in "jump ball" situations.



Because a much improved, strong-armed Heaps returns with a promise from Doman to have a much more balanced attack, and a bevy of returning starters/experienced offensive lineman, Heaps has all the weapons necessary to be the best quarterback in the nation and lead BYU to be a NC caliber-type team.

It seems to me that a strenth of this team is Kariya up the middle. Our Oline seems to be pretty good at making enough room for a strong runner like him. It doesn't work for JJ because he starts that way then tries to make cuts. That is what I found most frustrating about Anae. He would run JJ up the middle. I think that is why fast DL's were able to stop those runs. Because they sure as heck couldn't stop Kariya when he pounded through. I am so impresses with his running because he looks so much smaller than previous FB's (fui and the other) but is such a strong runner that nobody arm tackles him. I hope they use him up the middle more on first or second down to make the next downs more managable. I also think this exact running was the key to us winning vs OK. And if it worked against that front line (which I think was perhaps the most talented front line we have faced in over a decade), it should work just fine against the ones we will face this season.

imuakahuku wrote:
It seems to me that a strenth of this team is Kariya up the middle. Our Oline seems to be pretty good at making enough room for a strong runner like him. It doesn't work for JJ because he starts that way then tries to make cuts. That is what I found most frustrating about Anae. He would run JJ up the middle. I think that is why fast DL's were able to stop those runs. Because they sure as heck couldn't stop Kariya when he pounded through. I am so impresses with his running because he looks so much smaller than previous FB's (fui and the other) but is such a strong runner that nobody arm tackles him. I hope they use him up the middle more on first or second down to make the next downs more managable. I also think this exact running was the key to us winning vs OK. And if it worked against that front line (which I think was perhaps the most talented front line we have faced in over a decade), it should work just fine against the ones we will face this season.

Agreed. Except the 3 runs up the middle for lost yardage at the end of the ute game. :-(



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options are good, speed is good, but I just don't see us playing 5 running back sets.



Frankly, We've got too many RBs that all can make plays. And I'm a huge fan of Kariya and I can't see how BYU sits a guy they've basically used the "franchise tag" on, but I think Quezada, JJ, and the speed boys might push him for playing time.

You can play Kariya, Juice, and JJ just fine. JJ is a speed back, Kariya more a true fullback, and Juice is a mixed back you can use either way. Having three good backs will keep our runners fresh and will make for less wear later in the season.

imuakahuku wrote:
It seems to me that a strenth of this team is Kariya up the middle. Our Oline seems to be pretty good at making enough room for a strong runner like him. It doesn't work for JJ because he starts that way then tries to make cuts. That is what I found most frustrating about Anae. He would run JJ up the middle. I think that is why fast DL's were able to stop those runs. Because they sure as heck couldn't stop Kariya when he pounded through. I am so impresses with his running because he looks so much smaller than previous FB's (fui and the other) but is such a strong runner that nobody arm tackles him. I hope they use him up the middle more on first or second down to make the next downs more managable. I also think this exact running was the key to us winning vs OK. And if it worked against that front line (which I think was perhaps the most talented front line we have faced in over a decade), it should work just fine against the ones we will face this season.

Right, except Kariya didn't run for any yards at all against OU. His yardage came from screen passes.



I really think the only thing Kariya can do that Juice can't is block well. If he doesn't switch to fb (assuming we will be using a fullback semi-regularly) then he is shooting himself in the foot. Simply put, you can't start Kariya over Juice. Juice does a lot of things that Brian can't (faster, shiftier, better reads, better cutbacks,) and Juice will learn blocking assignments.



Brian is a north south runner. He is a decent one - at that - but he isn't a better option on running downs than Juice (provided Juice can learn all the plays and get the experience needed).

And as for the jump ball, that is good. But where the wr's need the most improvement (other than just plain running your route out every play, and making braindead-easy catches) is to track the ball better.



Too many times the ball was up in the air last year, and they would slow down when they should've kept the same speed, and the ball would have been right there in arms length. Or - heaven help me - they wouldn't run their route out and the ball would drop where they would have been.



Not saying Jake is perfect, but with the right timing being worked on, that throw is going to be there more than it isn't. So look for it, and use that height to go get it!

Kariya had 17 carries for 42 yards rushing and 4 catches for 76 yards receiving vs OU.



Hall had 6 for -8, Tonga had 6 for 3, and JJ had 1 for 4. He was pretty decent vs OU.



But I do agree that I think we'll see Kariya more at FB to get JJ and Juice on the field more.

How is rushing for 42 yards "not running for any yards at all"? He had all but 7 of our rush yards that game.

Schmoe wrote:
How is rushing for 42 yards "not running for any yards at all"? He had all but 7 of our rush yards that game.

It hasn't even been two years and memory is already fading for some. He was our secret weapon agaisnt OU.



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BigCougsFan wrote:

How is rushing for 42 yards "not running for any yards at all"? He had all but 7 of our rush yards that game.

It hasn't even been two years and memory is already fading for some. He was our secret weapon agaisnt OU.

Exactly, he murdered OU. 42 rush yards, 76 receiving yards, kept possession, kept the chains moving, and it took three guys to bring him down every time.

42 yards on 17 carries isn't murdering anyone. He had a good run for 7 or 8 yards, but other than that we didn't do anything on the ground.



And he was fabulous on screen passes. He was a big part of the reason we were in that game. But again, ON THE GROUND, AS IN RUNNING, he didn't move the ball at all almost all day. He did pick up one or 2 (crucial) first downs.



Maybe because it's been 2 years that you guys don't remember that defense won us that game, not the offense. Brian Logan and the oh-so-simple outside linebacker blitz (Clawson and JP) that OU's converted TE lineman couldn't pick up. If Clawson doesn't knock Bradford out of the game, my money is on us losing that game (though I think the way we were hitting him it was only a matter of time - JP got a shot in to Jones just after Bradford went out that would've sealed it had it been Bradford in still). We had trouble running, and only the passing game was working - when it worked. It was mostly a possesion game after the 2nd quarter.



And that is what I was bringing up, that Juice brings more to the table than Kariya - other than pure blocking, and block reads. I don't think that's even debatable.



Let's wait til he graduates to give him sainthood ;)



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The numbers you quote are deceiving because part of running up the middle is simply keeping the defense honest. You're not expected to get big gains up the middle every time. He had most of the team's rush yards and he DID control a lot of the flow on offense. He has been a workhorse for the last two years, he makes good blocks and springs other backs for big gains, and he picks up blitzes MUCH better than any of our other backs (something that JJ still doesn't do consistently, even with time, so why are we convinced that Juice will?). Why you would hate on a guy who averaged over 5 yards a touch vs OU's touted front seven is beyond me.

Show me where I hated on him....



Pointing out that someone is better at something isn't hating on someone else.



(And the ironic thing is, I'm the guy that started several "Kariya for player of game" threads dedicated to his pass blocking)



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BlueIsBetter wrote:
42 yards on 17 carries isn't murdering anyone. He had a good run for 7 or 8 yards, but other than that we didn't do anything on the ground.



And he was fabulous on screen passes. He was a big part of the reason we were in that game. But again, ON THE GROUND, AS IN RUNNING, he didn't move the ball at all almost all day. He did pick up one or 2 (crucial) first downs.



Maybe because it's been 2 years that you guys don't remember that defense won us that game, not the offense. Brian Logan and the oh-so-simple outside linebacker blitz (Clawson and JP) that OU's converted TE lineman couldn't pick up. If Clawson doesn't knock Bradford out of the game, my money is on us losing that game (though I think the way we were hitting him it was only a matter of time - JP got a shot in to Jones just after Bradford went out that would've sealed it had it been Bradford in still). We had trouble running, and only the passing game was working - when it worked. It was mostly a possesion game after the 2nd quarter.



And that is what I was bringing up, that Juice brings more to the table than Kariya - other than pure blocking, and block reads. I don't think that's even debatable.



Let's wait til he graduates to give him sainthood ;)



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Actually OU played better with Jones in THAN Bradford.



Our D won that game, but Kariya was a huge factor. I could be wrong or missed it, but didn't he have more yards than an other Cougar that game(I know you're talking about rushing, but I'm talking about the total package)?

BigCougsFan wrote:

42 yards on 17 carries isn't murdering anyone. He had a good run for 7 or 8 yards, but other than that we didn't do anything on the ground.



And he was fabulous on screen passes. He was a big part of the reason we were in that game. But again, ON THE GROUND, AS IN RUNNING, he didn't move the ball at all almost all day. He did pick up one or 2 (crucial) first downs.



Maybe because it's been 2 years that you guys don't remember that defense won us that game, not the offense. Brian Logan and the oh-so-simple outside linebacker blitz (Clawson and JP) that OU's converted TE lineman couldn't pick up. If Clawson doesn't knock Bradford out of the game, my money is on us losing that game (though I think the way we were hitting him it was only a matter of time - JP got a shot in to Jones just after Bradford went out that would've sealed it had it been Bradford in still). We had trouble running, and only the passing game was working - when it worked. It was mostly a possesion game after the 2nd quarter.



And that is what I was bringing up, that Juice brings more to the table than Kariya - other than pure blocking, and block reads. I don't think that's even debatable.



Let's wait til he graduates to give him sainthood ;)



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Actually OU played better with Jones in THAN Bradford.

What? No... OU was rolling at the end of the second quarter right before we knocked him out of the game. Anytime we went to a "prevent" defense, Sam picked us apart. And that is what we did almost the entire 2nd half.



That was more of a measure of:

OU's tackles settling down + Landry Jones being more mobile, so he could run and get the heck out of dodge + the bend and break defense rearing it's ugly head.

And yes, I am talking about STRICTLY running in the OU game. He was lights out picking up the blitz and taking screen passes deep.



- YOU GUYS are the ones that brought that up as an incredible performance and I agree. But averaging 2.4 yards a carry for almost 20 attempts does not make an incredible performance running. Other than a few plays on the ground, we weren't getting it done.



- Do we have any evidence that Juice is a better runner than Kariya? Yes. Ample. And as far as the "heart" argument, I've never seen Juice go down on on the first hit. He makes guys miss, and normally bounces of 2 or 3 would be tacklers. PLAIN AND SIMPLE he is a better runner than Kariya!



- As far as the screen passes you are all raving about, do we have any reason to believe that Drew Phillips or Adam Timo Hines would be able to do more with a screen pass? Yes, we do. But time will tell.



(and JJ can't block as well, not because he can't read them, or hasn't learned - but because he is 5-8 and like 160 pounds.)



And I am the one saying that Kariya has NFL caliber as a fb. Believe me, it's not like I don't like the guy! There are other talented options, too.



(I don't understand why a simple observation is looked upon like a scathing denunciation by most of you. You do this all the time with Bronco stuff, too. You can't say that Bronco eats his eggs weird without someone jumping all over you claiming that you aren't a byu fan. Jeez.)



Again, show me where I hated on him... I am one of the biggest Kariya fans on the board.

"We weren't getting it done."

-BlueIsBetter



Bingo. The team wasn't getting it done on the ground, and Kariya still managed to gain positive yards and move the sticks. Anywho, its great to have three good backs, all with a distinct skill set that can be used in different situations. They should be used as needed and rotated through. As far as I'm concerned, we have three starting backs, they just won't all be on the field at the same time.

"We weren't getting it done" is a simple statement (of fact). Not a denunciation, and certainly not "hating" on someone that I have MORE THAN AMPLE past praise to back me up. Is that the best you got?



42 yards on almost 20 carries is not getting it done. Fortunately he found other ways to contribute, and did just that. Made a few huge plays. Just like he did this season.



Stating things as they are realistically does not make a slight to someone.



Remind me to walk on eggshells around you if we ever meet in person.

BlueIsBetter wrote:
"We weren't getting it done" is a simple statement of fact. Is that the best you got?



42 yards on almost 20 carries is not getting it done. Fortunately he found other ways to contribute, and did just that. Made a few huge plays. Just like he did this season.



Stating things as they are realistically does not make a slight to someone.



Remind me to walk on eggshells around you if we ever meet in person.

Oh brother, walk on eggshells, c'mon man :~( . You're the only one who looks at things "realistically," right? Maybe you should open up those eyes of yours and realize just how many points of view there are in situations like this. Realistically, he's a workhorse and gets it done.



Don't walk on eggshells around me, but don't assert that your opinions are the absolute truth, either. I'm more than happy to agree to disagree with you without lobbing personal crap at one another.