No "Magic" for BYU
by Prettyman on Nov 27, 2010 9:09 PM PST
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PrintShanked Punt – Fumble – Interception – Fumble (Montezuma's revenge) – Game Winning TD: That sequence of plays decided the outcome of the game.
Quick Thoughts:
1. Jake Heaps looked incredible at times, and great most of the game. He outplayed both Utah QB’s.
2. The "drops" came back to haunt BYU (i.e. Luke Ashworth).
3. 4th and 1…the decision to go for it instead of going up 9 – 0 haunted BYU the rest of the game. What is the down side of going up 9 – 0? That was a bad decision and it influenced the outcome of the game. Coaches have to take some major blame for that. Also, the call on that play, play action pass, was sketchy. If you are going to be that aggressive then…then why not…
4. Final series…3 minutes left to start the series and BYU runs two straight running plays, what? They finally throw on third down and get that first first down. After that Heaps was rolling, until…1st down at the 25 and BYU decides they no longer trust Heaps to get the ball a bit closer and from that point, BYU actually loses yardage. +40 yard field goals are not easy for anyone. BYU decided that a +40 yard field goal was a better option than trusting Heaps to get them a bit closer or into the endzone.
5. Brandon Bradley's knee is still down.
So this season ends up being just….blah. BYU beat one good team the entire season, but "found" themselves along the way, and in that, they are left with hope for next season. A lot of fans wanted Heaps to start the season and were willing to put up with whatever came their way to see if Heaps had what it took and to lay a foundation for the future. That’s basically what they got and they can live with that.
If there’s any bitter taste left in BYU fan's collective mouth from this past season it’s from the indefensible decision to play two QB’s, the defense not giving the offense a chance to win during the first half of the season and the ugly loss to Utah State. The good news is Bronco recognized his mistakes and turned it around.
Half-way through this season a close game against Utah would have seemed impossible and now we’re left bemoaning a game we easily could have won. We’ve definitely increased our expectations for this team…and that’s what makes this loss so painful. A victory at Utah would have been the soothing balm needed to heal a wounded season.
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I actually feel okay about the season, considering how it started.
And this loss doesn’t really change that to me, especially since there were so many positives to take going forward. Plus, we still have a bowl game left to hopefully end the season on a winning note.
I honestly feel that Utah State game may have been necessary in order to right the ship.
As for this game, yeah, that fumble not being overturned hurt. But I don’t want to be SDSU and whine about it for weeks and weeks. No point. And I honestly didn’t have a problem with going for it on 4th & 1, but I agree that a different play (say, QB sneak) would have been better.
Bummer of a game, certainly, but, for me, there are enough clear positives going forward that I’m not totally depressed.
by holly96 on Nov 27, 2010 5:24 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
Agree. Any bowl bid and Cougs are happy with how this season turned out.
Every bounce went Utah’s way. The fumble that went out of bounds, the tipped ball that got picked off, the tipped touchdown catch, the unforced fumble, the shanked punt turnover, the non-fumble fumble, and finally the blocked field goal. A few tough calls went Utah’s way, but no reason for the Cougars beat them, except for the score. Of course, that’s the only way that matters.
by Blue2th on Nov 27, 2010 6:44 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Nice post.
I’m not a shoulda woulda coulda guy either. Lots of positives to move forward with. I couldn’t have posted this 2 days ago, but I can post it now!
#4
is the most frustrating. There’s playing to win and playing not to lose. Taking the ball away from Heaps 25 yards away from paydirt was playing not to win. Plenty of time and we could have put this thing away. I’d rather lose on an interception in the endzone than a blocked or missed field goal. That’s why I don’t mind #3. Ashworth’s dropped long ball, the second half fumbles are more frustrating than not getting it going for 4th and 1. Maybe if we’re on the ten-fine, run out the clock and hit the chip shot. But a 40 yard field goal instead of a quarterback who’s driving the ball?
agree with that
Just running the ball? Call a pass play but have a running back as an outlet. Heaps was playing well enough, but to clam up like that at the end.
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by Jeremy Mauss on Nov 28, 2010 7:45 AM PST up reply actions
#2
Going into next year you wont see that.
That 4th and 1 call was the right decision, the ball hit Hoffman in the hand and he dropped it.
Fix #2 and BYU wins this game.
Be happy about the future BYU fans it looks real BRIGHT, and Im talking about Heaps!!!!!!!
It wasnt just this game
But the whole season. The WR’s, yeah there young but man they have ruined momentum in games by dropping catchable balls.
by EcERyda69 on Nov 28, 2010 10:12 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
Loss didn't hurt overall too much
I agree, the season was still good 2nd half wise. The more I think about it the more I realized the loss didn’t really kill BYU and probably didn’t really effect our bowl outcome anyway seeing BYU is probably going to New Mexico. It was just great to see BYU outplay Utah and barely lose a game that many saw as a sure loss and a possible blowout just a few weeks ago. Heaps really showed up and gave us all something to look forward to going into independence.
Bradley was down as well. The best part was how dumbfounded the MTN announcers were when that call did not get overturned. I agree though no need to cry about it like SDSU.
I hate Robert Horry
Well now we know how they felt in 06, 07 and 09
we are finally on the other side of a close one. We were outplayed in the 4th quarter when it counted. We let some bad turnovers happen and some even worse coaching happen. I would love to see Anae go on a mission this off-season and Doman get a chance to hold the reins to the offense next year. Good job Utes you finally got the bounces your way for once – nice thing is we get another chance at them in less than a year with a seasoned Jake.
it has been a while
since we lost a close one. I don’t hold this one on the coaches too much. Heaps throws an INT on that last drive and the coaches still look bad. No one would really be saying, at least we lost it in the endzone (at least, that’s not what I was saying when Mike Reed couldn’t make the grab a few years ago). We kick a field goal to make it 9-0, then the Utes end up making it 9-7 if they score early in the 2nd half and we’d have wished we went for the 7 pts. So it’s tough because you never know the answers until the game is over. I don’t mind a gutsy call here and there. So many difficult choices to make.
Bottom line – whatever play is called, whatever choice is made, the players have to execute. Like you posted, this time the Utes made that “one more play.”
Somehow I’m also glad we play them in September so it doesn’t have to go the whole year!
Will Anae keep his job??
Serious question, he did turn around the offense after the bye. I think he will be back, but not 100% sure on that.
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Anae
I don’t see him keeping his job. Anyone who has played the game or knows the ins-and-outs, could see Anae’s weaknesses on full display in that Utah game. If you go for it on 4th and inches (Bronco said he made the call to go for it but Anae called the play), you either run out of the I, quarterback sneak, or play action for a shot at the end zone. You don’t throw a little 5 yard pass just off of the linebackers against a packed D playing the run. That’s moronic. Yes, he should have caught it, but the play made no sense. Anae’s Red Zone failures in this game were mind boggling, but his wetting his own pants when Jake drove us all the way down the field made me crazy. WE SETTLED FOR A 42 YARD FIELD GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What was that? It was the most gutless close to a big game I’ve ever witnessed. It was weak and spineless. Anae is probably an amazing man, and probably an amazing coach in many, many respects, but he fails repeatedly in important play-calling situations for the Cougars. It’s reached a point, that in my mind, the play-calling needs to go to someone else even if he needs replacing.
I really thought all season Jake Heaps would have that breakthrough game but he didn’t have it – not completely. Unknown to all of us was the fact that he just needed to feed on some crap defenses that past 6 weeks and get confidence in himself. This game was the true coming out of Jake Heaps against a quality Top 25 team and a defense with decent speed. Heaps was cool, calm, and collected. His scrambling kept BYU in this game and led to big time throws. Then for Anae to tell Heaps to shut it down at the end and settle for that lame 42 yard field goal was beyond comprehension. Even Coach Reynolds questioned the call on 4th and inches. I’d say he’s questioning the end of the game as well.
Unlike many BYU losses, though, I don’t have that post-loss bummed out feeling. They played their hearts out and eventually lost to a series of bizarre mistakes and bad play calling.
What?
You’re contradicting yourself. Is Anae too conservative and spineless or is he moronic. On 4 and 1 you call for a run or QB sneak. Yet Anae gets gutzy, calls a play action pass, and an open receiver drops the ball. You call Anae moronic for being too aggressive. But then when he plays conservative and “wets his pants” for a field goal you call him spineless and want him to be more aggressive. So do you want a spineless OC or a moronic one. Either way I don’t think you would be happy. In fact if Anae had QB sneaked and failed you could be arguing him for being spineless and if he had tried to get the zone on the last drive instead of holding onto a field goal you’d be also be arguing him as moronic.
Critiquing ones play calling should be limited to how predictable it is. If the OC is predictable then that spells trouble. Maybe you could have a case with Anae on that. But then I am sure you don’t follow any other OC as closely as you do BYU so you don’t know if all OC start to get predictable as you watch them closely over the years. I live in OH and Ohio state fans has the same complaint out here. Arguing whether a call was the right call or not is pointless. Had he QB sneaked it you could say “quit being so predictable”…if he hands it off you could say “the play took to long to develop you should do a QB sneak”….we sweep it to the outside and you could say “run North to South-BYU doesn’t have the speed to get to the outside”….we run a play action and it is “stick to the basics.”
All in all it is easy to argue how dumb a call is when it doesn’t work.
Everything is 20/20 hind site
I have to agree with BYU7 here. I for one wanted the field goal early and liked the run calls to set up the FG at the end. Now I look smart on one account and dumb on the oher, only because we know the outcome of both calls.
Let’s face it, sometimes as an OC you’re only as “brilliant” as your players execution. Hoffman dropped a ball that was in his chest for the 1st down.
Low snap, low kick, blocked FG to lose the game? Wrong call? Or just bad execution by the players?
I hated the broadcaster (Christens
by Blue2th on Nov 28, 2010 10:02 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I hated the broadcaster (Christianson sp?) complaining after the play failed.
Show some guts and make your point before the play or keep your mouth shut.
I thought it was a very tough decision and was ok going for it, but I hated the play call.
by Blue2th on Nov 28, 2010 10:06 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
The playcalling
My complaints are these…
1. The type of play Anae called for the 4th and 1 doesn’t make sense to me. With the D in tight, you stay conservative and play to BYU’s run strengths – up the middle out of the I most likely there, or if you want to get gutsy, go over the top for the endzone with a tight end breaking out or something along those lines. The route called for in that play was foolish in my mind. Yes, Hoffman shouldn’t have dropped it, but my memory of the play was it was crowded and defended. A bizarre call.
2. The plays called from about the 35 in all game left me (and those watching with me) scratching our heads on more than one occasion. This was highlighted in the last drive. You have a quarterback who is completely tearing apart a secondary. True that secondary is going to tighten things up inside the red zone, but Heaps was accurate and his scrambling was exceptional which created open receivers as d-backs get frozen. To shut that down and actually move backwards, eat the clock, and settle for a 42 yard field goal makes absolutely no sense. That isn’t 20/20 hindsight. That’s just plain football brains. On the road, rocking stadium, offense has momentum, and we settled for that field goal in the most bizarre of circumstances.
I thought the BYU players did everything asked of them. A few whacky plays (the “strip” fumble, the punt off the leg, and the last Utah catch in the endzone off the deflection with great defense) were just out of anyone’s control. However, there were key moments in this game where the play calling didn’t match the exceptional play and execution of the players. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with calling a coach out for that.
as a fan i generally don't call out coaches
So that’s just where I stand. They could probably punt on 1st down and I wouldn’t be mad at them. My paradigm is that they don’t really criticize my professional decisions, so why should I criticize theirs?
But, I understand fans who call out the coaches and don’t condemn you for doing so. For some, it is part of being a fan!
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