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The Roar #2: Eye-gouging, Ice Bowl, and Haws a.k.a. "JAWS"

By Josh Cann
USA TODAY Sports

1. It's JAWS time:

Tyler Haws a.k.a "JAWS" with his killer, shark-like instincts had 2 points at half time. Haws sharked his way to 23 points in the 2nd half, had 19 of BYU's last 21 points to get a close win against Texas 86-82 to get BYU to 5-1. He almost single-handedly got BYU the win down the stretch. It was quite a beautiful sight to behold. BYU will take on #12 Wichita State in the championship game of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic, which gives the Cougars another chance for a resume-building win. Will BYU be a NCAA tournament team this year?

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2. Ice Bowl:

BYU's offense froze last Saturday, losing to Notre Dame in what was the coldest game on record EVER in South Bend. The Holier War wasn't a heated battle, it was cold, ice cold. Jamaal Williams got shut down with 18 carries for 43 yards. Taysom Hill completed 58 percent of his passes, but only for 168 yards. He ran 24 times for 168 yards which put him over the 1,000 yard rushing mark on the season. That puts him as only the 23rd QB in NCAA history to throw for 2,000+ yards and run for 1,000+ yards in the same season. BYU's offensive and defensive lines got owned and out-manned. BYU fell to 7-4 on the season. How can BYU improve their O-line and D-line play for the future?

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3. Eye-gouging:

"Don't shoot your eye out, don't shoot your eye out." is the repeated phrase from the Christmas classic "The Christmas Story." In this case, Mika got his eye poked out against ranked Iowa State in the Marriott Center last week. He left the game, went to the hospital, was cleared to play, but with goggles. To me it seemed the defender wasn't even going for the ball. His left hand was wrapped around his neck, his right hand in a claw-like gouging motion. Scary stuff. Some say if Mika stayed in, BYU would've won considering Nate Austin got scored on in three straight Iowa State possessions. Guess we'll never know. So much for that resume boosting win. Do you think the eye-gouging was cheap? Or was it a classic accident of a guy going for the ball?

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4. Everything is bigger in... Provo?

Teams from Texas have struggled against BYU this year. BYU beat Texas 40-21 and Houston 47-46 in football, and now Texas in college basketball 86-82. This is a very impressive feat. For the BYU to Big 12 enthusiasts, this can only help. Coach Robert Anae has ties to Texas from his time at Texas Tech, also Coach Guy Holliday has ties in Texas as he coached at UTEP. Will these wins over teams from Texas and those coaching ties help BYU land big-time Texas recruits?

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Your Turn:

We'd like to hear you chime in on the questions in the topic points above. Also, just how big of a win was BYU's win over Texas? We value each and every one of your opinions and viewpoints, all we ask is to keep it civil, and enjoy!

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