Jake Heaps

From the FanPosts...

So, I sat down to watch the game yesterday with one wish in mind: I hoped to see Jake Heaps play the entire game, so we could see what his rhythm and growth through 3+ quarters would be like (QBs often look different from quarter to quarter or half to half as they adjust and see things differently). My wish was granted! Here's what I saw:

1. Even though there weren't any points scored in the 2nd half, I saw Jake growing more comfortable in the pocket. True, he frequently held the ball too long which resulted in sacks and hurries, but I saw him getting accustomed to reading through his progressions and at least recognizing where the ball needed to go. I thought this was an important "LIVE" experience for him. A fast Florida State defense provided a great opportunity for him to get a feel for the flow of a play at speeds he hadn't experienced before. With a fundamentally sound guy like Jake Heaps, he will build on that in the games to come. I saw a lot of his throws behind the player, too low, or too high, and it looked like he finally found the guy he wanted, recognized it was late, and tried to throw the ball where his guy would get it or nobody - thus no interceptions, but too often nobody catching the ball. But I liked what I saw, in that, he was learning to read a fast defense, on the road, in a stadium with 68,000 active fans. Jake never looks overwhelmed.

2. When Anae gives Heaps a running game, you see the BYU offense clicking like it should - this was most evident at the end of the 1st half. My wish this week? Give Heaps all the reps in practice, and Anae can build a set of running and passing plays around Heaps' strengths and let him practice them with 100% (or close to) of the reps in a full week of practice. This will be huge. It gives the whole team a full week of game practice for a specific opponent to get used to Heaps and the set of plays being run when he is actually in the game. I think this will result in a more polished BYU offense as a whole. If this happens over the next month, I see Heaps making significant strides. I love Riley Nelson's grit, but man, I also saw him throw a ball sideways yesterday that even McKay Jacobsen couldn't figure out what to do with. (Speaking of McKay, why aren't we running him through the backfield for a couple of touches with a QB handoff to the receiver or a reverse? Let's get his wheels a couple of touches in other ways until the QBs find him downfield.) 

3. I think Nevada is the perfect opportunity to build on last week. I have watched them this year (including the Cal thrashing), and while I think Nevada is going to hang 30+ on us this week, I think Heaps can move the ball and score against their defense. And being at home, I think he'll be even more comfortable. I think Anae can craft a solid, balanced game plan built around the run and pass. Let's let Jake practice these plays all week and keep it rolling against Nevada. 

There's my two cents. By the way, shout out to Dennis Pitta! First catch in the pros! 1 yard, but that's one yard more than most of us.