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Thoughts on Ole Miss Game

by byucougar1 · 7/19/2011

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byucougar1
Seems like word out of MS is that Nutt is going to try and exploit the run game as he returns all starters on Offense except for QB. OL is huge and the senior RB Bolden ran for 976 yards last year. Best bet is that they will try and grind it out and keep our offense off the field so we don't get many opportunities to get on the field and take advantage of their lack of D experienced players. I believe the key will be our NT play of Fuga, Fangupo, Richardson clogging up the middle, Manu and others containing the ends and our LBs cleaning up the gaps.



Is our D up for the task, what comparable team did we play last year with similar preference for run game and how do you think we stack up this year?



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Lawboy
I do not think Ole Miss has any real choice. They will play power football in 2011 and be a run first team. Which means if BYU can play down and distance wit them and put them in passing positions, the D has a great shot to succeed.



The BYU front 7 will be solid, fast on the edges, strong up he middle. If the secondary plays tough, and is good on run support, I like our chances in this one. I guarantee we stack the box and dare Ole Miss to throw on us. Will be fun to watch a BYU D play aggressively like that.
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redneckjedi
byucougar1 wrote:
Seems like word out of MS is that Nutt is going to try and exploit the run game as he returns all starters on Offense except for QB. OL is huge and the senior RB Bolden ran for 976 yards last year. Best bet is that they will try and grind it out and keep our offense off the field so we don't get many opportunities to get on the field and take advantage of their lack of D experienced players. I believe the key will be our NT play of Fuga, Fangupo, Richardson clogging up the middle, Manu and others containing the ends and our LBs cleaning up the gaps.



Is our D up for the task, what comparable team did we play last year with similar preference for run game and how do you think we stack up this year?



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All you have to do is look at the rushing stats after Bronco took over the defense. The average per game was just over 60 yards. That includes Utah and New Mexico, who weren't great, but ran 50/50 pass / rush against us, and TCU, who won the Rose Bowl. Best performances were TCU with 108 and UNM with 100, worst was UTEP with -12.



Now, consider that we lose none of our DLs but we get Fuga back. We lost Shane Hunter as a linebacker, but replace him with Uona Kaveinga, and will have a healthy Jordan Pendleton. Based on past results, I say any team that thinks they can play 3 yards and a cloud of dust with us is going to end up playing 3 downs and a punt most of the day. I feel as good about the front 7 now as I ever have.



Probably the only negative about run defense is that we lose Andrew Rich. He was great in coming up in run support and made a ton of tackles that way. If we can get whoever's at SS to step up, fly to the ball, hit hard and wrap up, an opponent racking up 100 yards rushing in a game will be extremely rare. I think the per game rushing average will be closer to 50 than it is to 100, especially since we don't play Air Force. :)
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Y4LYFE
This could really be BYUs best front 4, but BYU should be willing to really stack the box if all they can do is run.





BYUs defense get better as our DBs and Safeties rely on less help. That's key to a great D and BYUs frankly never been able to do that. So the focus is all about our line and LBs but until we can get speedy skilled DBs playing we're only as good as they are. That's why I hope we're all right in thinking Ole Miss is screwed if all they do is run.
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byucougar1
Two other keys for us:



All four of MS DBs are less than 6' and they don't match up well with 6-4 Hoffman and 6-3 Apo. I expect Heaps to try and stretch the field with these guys and followup with tough running from our 3 RBs to soften up the middle. Throw in the fact that they lost their 2 MLBs, and our TEs Holt and Mahina as well as our slot backs Jacobson, Falsev and Phillips, and we could have some serious mismatches to attack. If Reynolds can keep their DE Kantrell off balance, it will be a long day for MS defense.



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Dwight
That is interesting. I read an article in Bleacherreport that said one of our biggest strengths was the size of the D-line. However, the article expressed concern about a fast pass rush with all that size. On paper it would seem that our odds look good if they want to run it up the middle.
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snoscythe
Dwight wrote:
That is interesting. I read an article in Bleacherreport that said one of our biggest strengths was the size of the D-line. However, the article expressed concern about a fast pass rush with all that size. On paper it would seem that our odds look good if they want to run it up the middle.


In a 3-4-4 the pressure in a pass rush is going to come from the LBs and occasional DBs. You aren't really expecting your DL to be getting to the QB as much as you are with 4 DLs.
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redneckjedi
Well, if a fast pass rush is the question, I know the Ansah.... ;)
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Schmoe
redneckjedi wrote:
Well, if a fast pass rush is the question, I know the Ansah.... ;)


Oh snap, I see what you did there!
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snoscythe
Schmoe wrote:
Well, if a fast pass rush is the question, I know the Ansah.... ;)


Oh snap, I see what you did there!


I don't think he'll be sniffing the field except in mop-up duty considering our depth at OLB.
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BroncoBot
How much eligibility does Ansah have left?
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byucougar1
After Bronco took over the BYU defense last year (midseason), the Cougars went from dead last in the country against the run, to one of the best in the nation over the last eight games of the season. In fact, the Cougars gave up just 63 yards per game during this portion of the year. Had Bronco been DC over the entire season, I believe that this average would have been ranked number one in the country for 2010.



If he takes the same approach this year, Mendenhall will be determined that teams do not run against BYU, and he will force teams to beat the Y through the air. If the Cougars have success in slowing down the Ole Miss ground game, MS will be in trouble as they do not appear likely to be ready to turn to the passing game as a way to bail them out despite being very deep at WR (up to 11 players may see the field).
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redneckjedi
snoscythe wrote:
redneckjedi wrote:
Well, if a fast pass rush is the question, I know the Ansah.... ;)


Oh snap, I see what you did there!


I don't think he'll be sniffing the field except in mop-up duty considering our depth at OLB.


Probably not, but I would love to see that combination of size and speed coming untouched from the blind side, just to see what happens. I don't know, maybe send him in for a blitz one time in a crucial moment. They won't have scouted him, maybe the tackle gets lazy and Ziggy winds up on SportsCenter the next day.



Of course, I'm sure Pendleton, Frazier, and especially Van Noy can do just as much damage from OLB. And after Bronco took the reigns back, I saw blitzes from probably every position except FS and field corner. He likes creating havoc, especially if there's a weakness in the o-line or QB experience he can exploit. We owned the Oklahoma line in 2009, and I think we cause nightmares for the Ole Miss and Texas QBs.
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Mars
byucougar1 wrote:
the Cougars gave up just 63 yards per game during this portion of the year. Had Bronco been DC over the entire season, I believe that this average would have been ranked number one in the country for 2010.

I think his defense was still just 26th overall for those same games. There's room for improvement.
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