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- An Offensive Offense
BREAKING: The offense is a complete and utter dumpster fire. And dumpster fire might be too kind, as a flaming dumpster could readily provide those surrounding it with warmth. No consistency in play calling, except for the Gary Crowton special, the short-side option. No explosive plays. Something has to change and it begins with offensive coordinator Brandon Doman. No, I am not calling for his job. I have no doubt that this experience will make him a better coach in the long run. Let's hope he gets a hold of what is wrong and remedies the situation. The 2012 BYU offense has far too much talent to be bogged down the way it is. Something needs to be done.
- Bronco D
Anyone who questioned before the season whether Bronco Mendenhall was an elite defensive coordinator can do no such thing now. The BYU defense is nasty, physical, and plays with an edge. In the past two games, the longest scoring drive against Bronco's D was just 39 yards. The goal line stand was one of the best moments of the Bronco Mendenhall era. Sadly, it ended in in a loss. Boise State's average starting field position in six 2nd half possessions was its own 43. The Broncos scored zero points. Le sigh. With Eathyn Manumaleuna out for the season with a torn ACL, the defensive line will need Ian Dulan healthy and Bronson Kaufusi ready for primetime. Let's just say I'm not worried about either. Fretting about anything defense related is a misplacement of energy.
- Release the Taysom
The redshirt freshman looked exactly how I expected. Thrust into action trailing by seven points in a hostile environment, Hill looked jittery on a few throws, and perhaps aborted a few pass plays too soon to rely on his feet. That being said, his third drive was a 95-yard scoring strike in which he made three big throws, one out of the endzone and one on 4th down, to keep the drive alive. And when Hill gets into the open field, you can see just how gifted he will be running the ball in the future. At this point, Riley's ceiling is Taysom's floor. Taysom Hill is BYU's future and the more snaps he takes in 2012 the better.
- About that 2 point conversion...
I did not like it then and I do not like it now. BYU's defense has been heroic all night, and an overtime period against a Boise team with no field goal kicker was a recipe for success. Not to mention that Mendenhall had no timeouts to spare. I respect the gumption to try to win the game on a two-point play, especially on the road. And I usually subscribe to th Chip Kelly/Mike Leach idea of going for nearly every 4th down or 2pt conversion play as a matter of principle. But this one just felt different.
The last 130 hours have been some of the toughest of my BYU fandom. During the Crowton years, I knew the offense had terrible players. This year is not like that. They just can't quite get out of their own way. Here's to hoping that BYU can get the offensive line cohesive and find some rhythm offensively.