I promise to diversify as BYU Football Video Rewind continues, but this was a game I really needed and wanted to watch. Again, 2006 was the only season in which I didn't see a single BYU game due to being on a mission. I've heard a lot about this game at Boston College, but never seen a single second.
Again, feel free to open two windows for ease in viewing the video and reading my hopefully worthwhile notes.
BYU (1-1) @ #23 Boston College (2-0)
September 16, 2006
PREGAME
Sounds like Sean McDonough is on the call. Love that guy. Sean says this is a rematch from last year. The 2005 season opener was the last game I attended before going on a mission. Boston College won 20-3 if I remember correctly. BYU moved the ball well between the 20s but couldn't score.
Matty Ice is leading the Golden Eagles on an apparent hurt ankle. Was it 2007 or 2008 that he almost got BC to the national title game? So strange to think about now, because BC is TERRIBLE. That's what you get for firing a good coach just because he talked with a pro team about a coaching job.
All I've seen of this BYU team is the Utah and Oregon games, so I'm interested to see how they play early in the season when things were still coming together.
1ST QUARTER
14:34 - Quick pass out to Michael Reed. I love that guy. Solid, reliable, good route runner. The offense would always be better with one guy like Reed on the team every year.
14:07 - Nice timing route from John Beck to Matt Allen, and my goodness BYU is at BC's 35 in less than a minute. Looking really good.
13:35 - Goodness, does Fui Vakapuna look small, for his standards at least.
13:17 - Completion to Manase Tonga, and a contingent of BYU fans cheers for the first down. I love it. I expect BYU to get back to Chestnut Hill soon, so our New Englander fans can get another chance to see the Cougars.
12:30 - Wow, great block in the gap by Curtis Brown to spring Tonga for a big run. Cougars knocking on the door, BC looks helpless right now.
10:49 - What a statement by BYU. A decided march to open the game, with tons of run game on display. Couldn't ask for a better start. Even Dr. Bob is pleased!
BYU 7 BC 0
10:20 - ARE YOU SERIOUS. BC turns it over on its very first play, and the Cougars have a 35-yard field. Replay looks like the ball was out. Wow. Not even five minutes in and BYU is in "put your foot down" territory.
And then Vakapuna gets a false start. Brutal.
10:01 - Wow, that's the biggest fumble-recovery whiff of all time! Game not shaping up very well for Boston College. My goodness.
I always love how Beck delivered the football. Fantastic catch by Bryce Mahuika, but BYU shooting itself still with a bad formation. BC is trying as hard as they can to let BYU put a rout on them, and the Cougs won't take it.
8:40 - Beck misses Zac Collie on what would have been a touchdown. Floated it out their too strong. McLaughlin misses the 49-yarder, and BYU misses a HUGE opportunity. That's the kind of crap BYU did against Ole Miss and Texas in 2011.
7:46 - BC looks horrible on offense. And on defense, really, BYU was stopping itself.
Robert Francois with one of the head boards. Ever notice how nobody wears extended head boards or neck rolls anymore?
6:06 - Matt Allen looking like an All-American so far in this game.
Frank Spaziani in trouble! He'll coach BC in the bowl game this year after Tom O'Brien takes a job in-conference at NC State, wait for two years while Jagodzinski nearly takes BC to the national title game, then take over from there.
4:50 - Beck gets tripped by Tonga after having all day to throw. Bad stuff, someone had to have been open.
4:00 - Great coaching by Mendenhall, as McDonough explains the special teams captains being in control of each special teams unit.
3:43 - BYU giving up a big pass over the top - you don't say! After a dominating quarter, one play is about to wipe it all out.
Ben Criddle getting some love for being a walk-on. Also for being the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl Pep Rally Dance Champion. Hang that on a plaque.
2:12 - At first look, that pass interference looked like a terrible call, but Robinson did have the receiver's left arm pinned. BC scores on the next play, and the quarter that could have been now is now ... SHANKOPOTOMOUS! BYU holds on to the lead ... still a major letdown, though.
BYU 7 BC 6
1:55 - A great design on the kick return is spoiled because BYU wasn't careful enough to hand the ball sideways or backwards. I thought the refs were going to call something bogus like "deception" (think the 2008 Utah game), but that was also a correct call.
0:43 - Man, if there is one thing I miss about the Robert Anae offense, it's that. I loved the running-back routes Anae had. Curtis Brown went out for one of those option-read routes, he saw nobody was underneath at all, so he kept dragging across the middle.
2ND QUARTER
13:59 - Aren't cheerleader shots the best? No, not like that. Seriously, they always look extremely bored, especially when they are made to sit in the stands. Hey, you're getting free school for this. Look happy!
12:22 - Ugh. Worst words as a BYU fan when the Cougars are on defense. "Got behind his man / Got behind the defense." And a "block that kick" chant is audible. Man, our fans get after it on the road.
11:49 - Curtis Brown wasn't the best runner. But he rarely went down on first contact, and that's why he was (briefly) BYU's all-time leading rusher. Great opportunity here.
11:30 - Mike Hague gets the ball. This season seems so long ago, so it's weird to see players like him, Ian Dulan, Russell Tialavea, etc. who will be playing in 2012.
11:20 - Fantastic play by the BC defensive back. BYU gets a first down inside BC's 30 and has to settle for a field goal. McLaughlin squeezes one through.
BYU 10 BC 6
9:25 - BYU's defense looks great so far. BC's offense is uninspired, and BYU has some good effort. Just one bad play so far, and it cost them 6.
It's interesting to me to see the evolution of football helmets. These helmets look extremely different/simple compared to what players are wearing now. Also don't see anybody on BYU wearing the Revolution helmets like Todd Watkins used to wear. That was a quick fad.
7:15 - Obligatory "count the married Mormons on BYU" and "let's talk about missions." DRINK.
6:35 - Cougars still not taking full advantage of opportunities, but a great kick there. 50 yards ain't easy.
BYU 13 BC 6
Mitt Romney referenced as a Mormon and the governor of Massachusetts. Probably the last we'll hear of him.
6:00 - Kelly Poppinga with a great tackle. BC has about 109 yards of total offense, and about 80 of them were on one play.
4:28 - All-time-name teamer Quinn Gooch with a tackle. Eagles look like they have some answers for BYU on this drive.
3:51 - Man, that was an embarrassing display of tackling. Wagner, Criddle, Gooch, Jorgensen all whiff.
3:28 - Criddle! That is BRUTAL! Ryan floated it up like it was meant for you!
And BC scores on the next play. Of course. The narrative of this game is already apparent: missed opportunities. Oh man, BC's kicker shanks the PAT again.
BYU 13 BC 12
1:50 - Seeing Tonga and Vakapuna run again makes me yearn for another bruiser. Hopefully Iona Pritchard will be just that in 2012 for the Cougars.
0:53 - Beck just misses the window to complete it to Collie. Complete it and BYU gets at least 3 points out of it to end the half. Ooh, replay shows it was in Collie's hands. Gotta grab that!
Quinn Gooch returns the favor after Matt Ryan makes a bad decision.
HALFTIME
BYU 13 BOSTON COLLEGE 12
3RD QUARTER
14:47 - Huge return for BC. If they can drive here and take a lead, that would be tough mentally on BYU, who has really dominated so far.
14:00 - Ankle braces or ankle weights? Matt Ryan keeps you guessing. BC whiffs on a TD pass and has to punt. The "missed opportunities" thing now going both ways.
12:36 - This isn't even live and I'm getting an ulcer. Terrible snap. Would bet money BC goes and scores a touchdown on this possession.
11:04 - Weird to see that hit from Gooch draw no flag. He does hit with the shoulder and doesn't hit the receiver's head, but that's a 100% guaranteed flag in 2011 for hitting a defenseless player.
BC really has players named Callendar and Challenger?
8:12 - BYU fought (and got the help of a BC penalty), but bad turnovers like that almost always turn into touchdowns. Matty Ice with a sneak.
BC going for two, I think (as it almost always is) it's too early to go for two. But when your kicker can't make PAT's, now is a good exception. BC converts.
BC 20 BYU 13
7:48 - That's the second drive BYU has started with a penalty. Not the best way to operate.
6:02 - Possibly the worst way to answer going behind for the first time. False start, sack ... not good.
Danger zone here, Cougs will definitely want to avoid giving up points here.
3:56 - Excellent close-out from Criddle and Markell Staffieri on the sideline. I know BYU has to score another touchdown, have a feeling about this drive here.
2:02 - An easy dumpoff pass to Nate Meikle is followed by a well-called draw to Tonga. BYU is marching quickly.
Cougs end the quarter with a first down and inside BC's 10.
4TH QUARTER
14:56 - There it is again, passing to the backs. Anae loved passing to the fullback at the goalline. Easy, easy play. All tied up.
BYU 20 BC 20
Sean McDonough says "regardless of outcome, you can tell this is a BYU team on its way up." And hey, add McDonough to the group that understands what missions are. "They aren't at the health club."
13:43 - Ryan misses what was likely a touchdown pass up the seam. BYU dodges a bullet.
Also, mad props to Sean McDonough for requesting the style-guide wishes of the LDS Church. Refers to it in full name, not "Mormon Church." He's always been a pro. My respect for him keeps growing. Great announcer.
10:40 - Big stop from the BYU D. Here comes the kicker! BYU should call a timeout and ice him.
10:07 - Dang. Ohliger puts it in. Nice gut-check from the kicker, though.
BC 23 BYU 20
9:25 - Tonga is fired up after a big train wreck ... even Dr. Bob Anae is fired up!
Next play, Beck misses an open Mahuika. Guess you can't expect perfection.
8:44 - Okay, that makes up for it. What a pass down the sideline leading Tonga. A shot of Gary Lovely on the sideline, he's pumped up. Wonder why he never played.
7:49 - Man, Matt Allen was huge in this game. Checking the box score .... 6 catches for 108 yards. Not bad for a sub-6'0" receiver.
7:15 - By my count, BYU has run out of the I-formation once. Would be useful (and effective) with Vakapuna as the fullback, but that part of the offense has yet to come around under Anae's tenure at this point.
6:33 - McLaughlin punches one in. It's really nice to have a reliable kicker. Wonder if we can enjoy that in 2012, because 2011 was an adventure in that department.
BYU 23 BC 23
5:08 - Dana Bible drawing up a lot of play-action passes this quarter. Hopefully BYU can stay smart.
4:47 - FUMBLE! Here's BC trying to give the game to BYU again. Can the Cougars take advantage?
4:16 - Big conversion to Allen. Beck was 1 of his last 8? That's terrible. Too bad the run game isn't a big stronger.
4:06 - There's Vakapuna from the I-formation! Running is fun! A great seal on the outside from Reed, and man I miss watching Vakapuna rumble.
3:45 - BYU inside the 25 ... I know what the final score is so I'm struggling to figure out how BYU blows this.
3:35 - That doesn't help. 3rd and 1 and a run outside? Oh boy, I can't watch this field goal.
2:53 - Off the upright. Unbelievable. That painted-face BYU fan has about the same reaction I did.
BYU is at 500 yards of offense and has only 23 points. Not good enough.
1:40 - Cougars with some sound defense, and Ryan throws two almost-interceptions on this possession. I sure hope BYU doesn't march down the field again and whiff.
0:50 - Oh WOW. BC survives a HUGE scare. They look like a Crowton-coached team, keep putting it on the turf.
0:20 - Amazing awareness there from the BYU defense, and Bronco has the nose tackle drop into coverage in the flat. Incredible.
0:08 - Oh goodness. Another FG attempt. Two misses in the final 3 minutes. That makes him 3/6 today? Wishing I hadn't typed that "reliable kicker" bit earlier. Let's play some free, untimed football.
OVERTIME
BYU gets the ball first.
A solid first-down pickup from Curtis Brown. Inside the 15, and I'm dreading every snap. Something has to go wrong. Don't know what.
WOW, a 15-yard chop-block penalty. Now you're kicking from double the distance if you can't convert.
Oh dear. At least McLaughlin didn't have to miss three field goals in three-straight possessions. Would have been amazing if Vakapuna could have caught that floater.
If I'm BC, I try to score a touchdown. Don't trust your kicker.
LOL. Eagles settling for a kick. Why do coaches take the ball out of good players' hands? BYU with a big block. Cougs will prove to be good at that over the next several years.
DOUBLE OVERTIME
See? Boston College scores on the first play, yet the possession before wanted to settle for the kick on the leg of the kicker who has shanked two PATs. Coaches either enjoy being weird, are really dumb, or have really bad memories.
BC 30 BYU 23
For some reason I thought the game had reached darkness by the time the end came. Guess not.
A couple simple passes gets BYU to a third and short. Give it to a back? Nope, another quick pass (under duress) to Brown and picks up the first down.
A tipped pass intercepted by a diving linebacker? Oh goodness. Replay shows ... yeah, that's a catch. Freaking brutal.
FINAL - BC 30 BYU 23
The loss would set BYU back to 1-2 to start the season. BYU moved to 0 of its last 12 against ranked teams. Luckily, the Cougars would go 10-0 to finish the season and beat a ranked TCU team on the road.
The story was absolutely missed opportunities. BYU had a chance to go up 14-0 very early in the first quarter and couldn't do it.
STATS
Total Yards: BYU 547 BC 471
John Beck: 38-59 for 436 yards, 1 TD 2 INT
Curtis Brown rushes for a weak 49 yards on 15 carries. Tonga and Vakapuna combine for 78 yards on just 10 carries. Matt Allen leads BYU receivers with 108 yards.