Vanquish The Foe - All Posts

Bronco Mendenhall and the NFL

2013-05-15T04:49:18Z

About a year ago I wrote a post titled Bronco Mendenhall's NFL Draft Problem. BYU had just been shut out of its second straight NFL draft at the time and my post was on how disconcerting that was for the program.

This year things have changed. Ziggy Ansah was the #5 pick in the draft and he brought a ton of attention to BYU. Ziggy's stunning rise up the draft boards was terrific for the program. Less terrific was that fact that Ziggy was the only Cougar drafted in 2013. But several BYU guys were picked up on free agent contracts after the draft concluded so that is good for them and good for the program -- especially if those guys make teams.

Bronco on getting guys into The League

Here is the question: Is helping his players get into the NFL truly a priority for Bronco? In a recent interview with Jeff Call of the Deseret News, Bronco emphatically answered that question himself:

I think I'm probably as passionate, if not more passionate, as anyone in the country in wanting to help our players reach the NFL.

Welp, there you have it. Bronco is all in. That is good news for the BYU football program because elite college football teams must have NFL-level talent on them. All of the great teams in BYU's past had future NFL players liberally sprinkled throughout the roster and all of the great teams in BYU's future will too.

Preparing BYU players for the NFL draft

From where I sit it appears that BYU is making important changes to better prepare players for the NFL draft. Here are a few of the things BYU seems to be improving on:

Better training, teaching, and techniques: From what I hear, BYU has been bringing in high quality outside consultants to help BYU players improve their speed, explosiveness, and power. BYU isn't always able to recruit the most naturally fast and explosive kids so the athletes BYU gets probably need cutting edge training to compete at the highest level and eventually impress NFL scouts. Hopefully BYU will continue to aggressively hire quality consultants. There is no reason for guys to have to graduate and start prepping for the NFL draft to finally get taught state of the art training techniques.
Better nutrition: The nutritionist BYU brought in last off season got a ton of press before the season. Unfortunately, BYU wasn't all that good last year on the field. But that pedestrian on-field performance doesn't mean better nutrition wasn't a good idea. Less lard and more muscle is what you see in most NFL guys and it can only help in college too. We'll see if BYU keeps the nutrition thing going or not though.
Continued massive exposure: NFL teams might try to deny it, but exposure and buzz make a difference in who they draft. The more BYU is seen on TV and talked about on a national level, the better it will be for BYU guys in the NFL draft. Exposure won't substitute for impressive workouts but it will supplement them.
BYU Pro Day: Rumor had it that NFL scouts were very impressed with the quality and organization of BYU's Pro Day. That can't hurt.

Recruits want to get to the NFL

The best football players in high school all have NFL dreams dancing in their heads. Therefore before they choose a college they have to believe that school will help their odds of getting to the NFL. The quote from Bronco above will help. Ziggy going #5 will help. Van Noy and Hoffman (and whoever else) getting drafted next year will help. BYU players thriving in the NFL will help too.

And of course things like BYU being on ESPN regularly will help with recruiting. Most of all, winning will help.

One nice thing about a gift like Ziggy is his success can help jump start BYU back down the path of landing better recruits, winning more, landing even better recruits, winning more, getting more and more guys drafted, etc.

BYU still has work to do when it comes to preparing guys to get drafted and play in the NFL, but BYU seems to be improving. Improvement is good.

Podcast 109: Ziggy to the Lions, Bronco to Twitter

2013-05-08T03:28:59Z

Ziggy Ansah was drafted at No. 5 to the Detroit Lions in the 2013 NFL Draft (something you probably knew). So we bring on Sean Yuille, the managing editor of SB Nation's Lions site PrideOfDetroit.com. Sean tells us his reaction to drafting Ansah that high, how fans have reacted, and what he makes of 3D glasses as a fashion accessory.

Matt then joins Adam to talk about Ziggy and the draft and to speculate where Kyle Van Noy may be drafted in 2014. They also discuss Bronco Mendenhall's emergence as a Twitter superstar, and why he might be the middle-aged, white Steve Urkel. The boys also give kudos to the BYU rugby and men's volleyball teams, discuss the awesomeness of Iron Man 3, and conduct their own draft of the best BYU players in the NFL.

Listen through the media player below or download us on iTunes.

Your browser does not support the audio element.
Podcast Powered By Podbean

BYU falls to UC Irvine in first NCAA title match since 2004

2013-05-05T03:20:12Z

Scott Kevorken posted seven kills and 6.5 blocks to help the UC Irvine men's volleyball team win its second consecutive national championship with a 25-23, 25-22, 26-24 over BYU on Saturday night at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.

Connor Hughes, Kevin Tillie and Zack La Cavera each supplied 11 kills and Chris Austin distributed 43 assists for the Anteaters, who posted 16 team blocks with only one block error. UC Irvine only posted two solo blocks and relied on 30 block assists as it dominated the net with the double- and triple-blockers.

After falling behind 0-2, the Cougars jumped to a 3-1 lead in the decisive set on a standout performance by All-American Taylor Sander, who finished with a match-high 20 kills. Catching a break after an Irvine service error, Josue Rivera put down one of his eight kills to bring up set point at 24-21.

Then, the Anteaters reasserted themselves at the net. Three straight blocks, including a set-point block by Kevorken, gave Irvine its second national championship in as many years.

BYU, playing in its first NCAA tournament since winning its third national title in 2004, struggled to capitalize on any rhythm early. After the Cougars tied the first set at 18-18, Hughes went to work, and the tournament's most outstanding player put down a thrashing kill to bring up set point ahead of the 25-23 win. UC Irvine hit .448 as a team in the first set, compared to .370 for BYU, which committed six hitting errors.

The Cougars seemed to shrug off the loss by blitzing the Anteaters with an 8-1 run to take an 11-4 lead on Russ Lavaja's pounding kill straight at Tillie. But Irvine responded with a 5-0 run of its own before Kevorken's ace tied the match at 12-12. Kevorken had five kills and five blocks on .500 hitting in the first two sets alone.

Irvine became the first team to win back-to-back titles in straight sets since UCLA in 1982-83. The Anteaters downed USC, 3-0 in last year's NCAA tournament.

Lavaja finished with eight kills and three blocks for BYU, and teammate Ben Patch had seven kills. Ryan Boyce dished out 34 assists for the Cougars.

CougarBoarder goes on date with Apostle's daughter?

2013-05-03T14:30:08Z

I do not frequent CougarBoard. I do not have a problem with the site. I have heard horror stories, yet some of my favorite Cougar fans post on that site. Like any message board, I am sure it has its good and bad.

An acquaintance sent me the following screenshot. Enter dmitch44

I am fluent in both Troll and Zoob, and I cannot for the life of me authenticate which one of these dialects best describes this post. It is so over-the-top that my first thought was this has to be some kind of joke. But there are bits and pieces of evidence that point to this being a piece of pure Zion Curtain persona never to be duplicated. Let's break this down.

To begin, what apostle even has kids of dating age? Bednar? Cook? Christoffersen? I refuse go to TMZ but I am willing to cross Packer off the list.

"Play the spiritual card?": I would assume this refers to the recently renewed temple recommend of a newly-returned Elder. But the sheer immaturity of the phrase makes me think my man dmitch has just ordained a Priest. I see where his strategy lies: This is an Apostle's daughter -- she will not accept me as anything but a teenage version of Jeffrey R. Holland. The fact that he needs to "play" the spiritual card reveals that if dmitch were to ever actually meet and shake hands with said Apostle Dad, his soul would disclose this truth and dmitch's dreams of marrying into a Celestial certainty would be shattered. This may very well be a Zoob.

"Go to the temple grounds and talk about eternal marriage and goals." You cannot have a better perspective than this. The timing, however, leaves room to be desired. This cannot be real. The stories of BYU dude informing BYU coed that the Spirit had confirmed their future marriage are simply a myth, right? Right? Then, I remember the few times I walked through the campus of Brigham Young University for non-football purposes and it dons on me that this might actually be a serious post from a kid named Alma J. Christensen from Spanish Fork, Utah. This might be a Zoob.

"Play the I'm fun and different card": If dmitch is real, he believes the dating tactics outlined above are normal. This has to be a Troll.

"Make finger foods, write her a song, paint her a picture, and tango or two step through downtown."

This has to be a Troll.

"I thought of playing the cougar card and getting take out and watching all the highlights of the Cougars rippin the Utes." See, this is where he reels me back in! The innate innocence, ridiculousness, and social awkwardness of this phrase must make him a real person. It would take a truly talented novelist to come up with such a perfect phrase. It encapsulates the very essence of the Provo bubble. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. This is a Zoob.

"Thoughts? Or any other ideas?" If I ever had a date with an Apostle's daughter, I'd show up to the door with these moves.

One of the great trolls of all-time or a Zoob for the ages? You decide.

BYU, UC Irvine advance after semifinal sweeps

2013-05-03T05:13:36Z

Taylor Sander scored nine of his match-high 17 kills, including the go-ahead point, in the third set to help the top-ranked BYU men's volleyball team sweep Penn State, 25-21, 25-16, 25-22 and advance to the Cougars' first national championship match since 2004.

Sander, who added seven digs, led BYU back from a 6-1 deficit in the final set with a blistering kill that gave the Cougars a 22-21 lead.

Ben Patch added 12 kills, five digs and two aces for the Cougars, who advanced to face defending national champion UC Irvine in Saturday's national final at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. The final will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Ryan Boyce dished out 16 assists for BYU, but head coach Chris McGown replaced him with freshman Tyler Heapafter the Cougars trailed heavily in the final set. The newcomer from La Jolla, Calif., woke up the listless Cougars and finished the night with 18 assists.

BYU rolled through the first two sets on the strength of its play at the net, as Patch, Devin Young and Russ Lavaja led the Cougars to 11.5 blocks. Penn State, meanwhile, did not record a single block until Taylor Hammond gave the Nittany Lions a 3-1 lead in the third set.

Sander and Patch, who was named AVCA newcomer of the year, combined for 15 kills with only one error in the first two sets. Sander sparkled with a .566 hitting percentage, including a 5-of-7 effort in the first set.

Aaron Russell led Penn State with 13 kills and five digs, and brother Peter Russell added eight kills and four digs. But BYU held the Nittany Lions to a paltry .151 hitting percentage, including a .194 percentage by Aaron Russell.

Nick Goodell supplied nine kills for Penn State, which got 28 assists from Hammond.

UC Irvine 3, Loyola-Chicago 0 — Kevin Tillie tallied a match-high 14 kills and seven digs to help the Anteaters sweep upstart Loyola, 26-24, 25-18, 29-27 in the other semifinal.

Zack La Cavera added seven kills and five digs for UC Irvine, which got nine kills each from Colin Mehring and Connor Hughes. Chris Austin dished out 39 assists for the Anteaters.

Cody Caldwell had 12 kills and Joseph Smalzer added 11 for Loyola, which fought back from a 24-21 deficit in the third set with a 7-3 run to force extra time. Peter Hutz had 39 assists for the Ramblers, who were making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

The win marked the first time since 2010 that both national semifinals ended in 3-0 sweeps.

BYU's McGown named national coach of the year

2013-05-02T17:31:49Z

BYU head coach Chris McGown was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association Men's Division I-II National Coach of the Year, the organization announced Thursday.

McGown was also named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation coach of the year after leading the Cougars (25-4) to the MPSF regular season and tournament titles, and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004. BYU, which is considered the favorite to win its fourth national title in program history, takes on Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association champion Penn State on Thursday at 9 p.m. MT at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion.

The second-year head coach won his first national coach of the year award, and the first since McGown's father, Carl McGown, won the award in 2001. Carl McGown also took MPSF coach of the year honors in 1999 and 2001, and former coach Tom Peterson took league co-coach of the year honors in 2003.

BYU opposite Ben Patch was named AVCA Newcomer of the Year, and Patch, outside hitter Taylor Sander and middle blocker Russ Lavaja each earned All-America honors.

McGown has compiled a 49-11 record at the helm of BYU's revived men's volleyball program.

Chris McGown graduated from BYU in 1994 after a three-year letter-winning campaign. After graduation, he worked briefly as a manufacturing engineer with close ties at companies such as IBM, Boeing, General Electric, General Motors and the Department of Defense. He stayed close to the men's and women's volleyball programs, however, while doing play-by-play commentary for various TV broadcasts, including the former BYU Sports Network. McGown worked as a volunteer assistant coach with BYU's women's volleyball team from 2009-11 before taking over the reigns of the men's team in June 2011.

BYU volleyball's title shot begins Thursday in Los Angeles

2013-05-01T18:21:15Z

BYU's men's volleyball is built to win now, and the Cougars will get their shot at a fourth national championship starting Thursday, May 2 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. BYU joins a field of Loyola Chicago, Penn State and UC Irvine. The tournament semifinals will be streamed live on NCAA.com, and the championship match will air May 4 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Schedule: No. 2 UC Irvine vs. No. 3 Loyola Chicago, May 2 at 9 p.m. ET (NCAA.com); No. 1 Brigham Young vs. No. 4 Penn State, May 2 11 p.m. ET (NCA.com); Winners meet in a one-game final on May 4 at 9 p.m. (ESPNU).

Click to view the NCAA men's volleyball tournament bracket.

This is the Final Four, and every team is still standing for a reason. Here's why each team can win the Division I men's volleyball national championship. Also, check out MPSF coach of the year and BYU head coach Chris McGown in an Off The Block Q&A, where he talks about Penn State and returning to the tourney for the first time in nearly a decade.

No. 1 BYU (25-4)

Qualified by: Won MPSF Tournament title (No. 1 seed)

Key players: OH Taylor Sander (Jr.); OPP Ben Patch (Fr.); MB Russ Lavaja (Sr.).

Why they can win a national title: Taylor Sander has already broke the BYU all-time record for service aces — as a junior and outside hitter. The All-American still has a year to capture the Cougars' first national title since 2004, but this will likely be his best chance to do so with true freshman Ben Patch preparing to serve an LDS church mission and big body Russ Lavaja graduating. Patch, the MPSF newcomer of the year, and Lavaja, a second-team All-American, provide the necessary secondary options to make this BYU team deeper and more ready to handle a Sander shutdown than the previous two seasons. But make no mistake; this is still Taylor Sander's squad, and the Cougars will go as far as he takes them. History is on BYU's side; the Cougars are 7-1 in the NCAA Tournament, with their only loss coming to Lewis in the 2003 title match.

No. 4 Penn State (23-7)

Qualified by: Won EIVA Tournament title (No. 1 seed)

Key players: MH Aaron Russell (RS-So.); OH Peter Russell (Jr.); OH Nick Goodell (RS-So.)

Record vs. BYU: BYU 10-6 (1-1 neutral)

Why they can win a national title: Aaron Russell, the 2013 EIVA tournament most outstanding player, was a prodigy since his career began with the Nittany Lions. The Maryland native burst onto the scene as a freshman, when he put down 203 kills, 2.07 kills per set and a .423 hitting percentage en route to first-team all-EIVA honors. BYU fans will remember him for his nine kills and three blocks on a blistering .727 hitting percentage in a non-conference matchup on April 13, 2013. The sophomore who averages 3.57 kills per set will partner regularly with older brother Peter Russell, who averaged 2.77 kills per set during the regular season and took all-tournament honors, and fellow sophomore Nick Goodell, who averaged 3.22 kills per set.

No. 2 UC Irvine (23-7)

Qualified by: At-large bid.

Key players: OH Kevin Tillie (Sr.); LIB Michael Brinkley (So.); MB Collin Mehring (Jr.).

Record vs. BYU: BYU 41-12 (UCI 2-0 neutral)

Why they can win a national title: The defending national champion Anteaters will be the hungriest team in the Final Four, after falling to Long Beach State in the semifinals of the MPSF tournament. Still, UC Irvine earned the NCAA tourney's lone at-large bid by virtue of a superior rating in the selection committees myriad list of qualifiations, including RPI, national ranking and record against opponents under consideration for the at-large berth.

Kevin Tillie, a French national and outside hitter with France's Junior National Team, leads the team's attack with 351 kills and 3.66 kills per set. Sophomore libero Michael Brinkley, a 2012 alternate for the U.S. national team, is a defensive anchor with 271 digs and 2.51 digs per set. Junior Collin Mehring provides a big body up front, where he averages 1.89 kills and 1.28 of his team's 2.2 blocks per set.

No. 3 Loyola Chicago (22-9)

Qualified by: Won MIVA Tournament title (No. 2 seed)

Key players: Joe Smalzer; OH Thomas Jaeschke; S Peter Hutz

Record vs. BYU: BYU 4-1 (0-0 neutral)

Why they can win a national title: The Ramblers are already making history with their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, and having nothing to lose by putting up a run in the national tournament. Loyola stunned top-seeded Lewis, 23-25, 25-23, 10-25, 25-22, 15-7 in the MIVA tourney final to claim the league's autobid.

Joe Smalzer, the MIVA tournament's most outstanding player, is the go-to guy on offense for the Ramblers after he blistered Lewis for 20 kills in the tourney final. He was joined on the MIVA all-tourney team by Thomas Jaeschke and Cody Caldwell, who also took advantage of the Flyers' shaky defense.

Though BYU owns the all-time series with Loyola Chicago, the Ramblers took the last meeting between the two schools, a 3-0 sweep in 2011.

Vote for the 2013 BYU football game day shirt

2013-05-01T06:01:41Z

Sometimes making game-day t-shirts is difficult. We all cheer for a school who gave 10 good years of mocking to its rivals over a game-day shirt.

2012 saw the super-motivational "Every Day Is Gameday" t-shirt, marking the first time in five years I didn't spring for the official shirt.

This year, BYU wants your input and has rolled out four options on its Facebook page. First impression: BYU hit .750 with these offerings, but with one bad option in play, your vote is needed! Here are the shirts:

Full Speed Ahead? Yikes. Perhaps if we were rooting for the BYU Titanics or the BYU Locomotives, but even then .......

My preference lies with options B and C. Any school can have words on a shirt like design A. It looks more like a form shirt, a design with a ready-to-plug catchphrase. I like B because "Go Fast, Go Hard" became the unofficial slogan of this year's team, so "GO" incorporates that. In one word and a helmet, it kind of says "Go fast, go hard, go Cougars."

Something about the simplicity of C really speaks to me, though. No catchphrase needed.

According to the photo album description, votes will be counted until Wednesday, May 1 at 5 p.m. MT. Wherever your loyalties lie, hop into the comments and at least ensure that option D doesn't become a reality.