Reflections on Visit to Corvallis and Oregon State

I had a wonderful visit in Corvallis last weekend... it was a great day for a football game--nice stadium, crisp fall weather, and a beautiful drive through northern California (Around the Trinity Alps, under the shadow of Mt Shasta, over the many rivers of Southern Oregon, and through its hamlet-like mill-dotted valleys).

I won't really comment much on the game itself as it has been well-covered elsewhere, but in no particular order, here are a few other observations and miscellaneous thoughts:

• The OSU fans were friendly, but rather indifferent. I don't have many data points, and others may have had other experiences, but I didn't sense the hospitality and gracious welcome that I felt in Oxford from Mississippi fans, or in Dallas from Oklahoma fans, for example.  Those around me (before, during, and after the game) didn't actually say much of anything.
• The stadium was nice, but rather small.  On TV they made it look like a massive, NFL-like structure... And it was--on one side.  One side of the stadium had been renovated with an upper deck and dozens of new luxury suites--the fruits of BCS money and major conference TV revenue, not on field success or fan base.  The other sideline most closely resembled a Texas high school stadium and the end zones were along the lines of Utah high school stadiums.
• I was able to sit next to two of Cody Hoffman's neighbors (a couple, perhaps in their late 50's).  They said that he used to come over and jump on the trampoline in their backyard growning up.  They had driven up from Crescent City spontaneously to see him and then to take in the Oregon game later that evening.  I am sure that this was the first BYU game they had ever attended, but yet they still both had put on whatever blue they could scrounge up on their closets, and we enjoyed high-fiving over Cody's many acrobatic catches and impressive plays.
• I estimate that were about 4K BYU fans there.  We filled half of the larger endzone shoulder to shoulder (much of the OSU sections were only sporadically filled), and an edge of the smaller sideline about 10-15 seats wide all the way to the top.   Then there were a number of other Cougar fans sporadically spaced in the sea of orange and black.  It was probably 25-35% fewer than were at the Ole Miss game.
• It seemed that we were losing players left and right--and knees primarily.  There were not many replays available, and I know that the injury reports are all out now (and if you are reading this, then I imagine you have read them too, just like I have), but I had to wonder if there was something about the field that was causing so many guys to go down that way.
• Helmets... If I had a nickel...  I think we lost a helmet on just about every play.  That has been going on for a couple of years now ever since 2009 when we "upgraded" to the "improved" helmets now in use (Remember how Dennis Pitta used to lose his helmet on nearly every play?).  However, this year it has seemed worse than usual.  And, watching a game live showed even more than is caught on camera.  I have been saying this all season, that someone is going to get hurt this way... and sure enough it finally happened.  It wasn't serious, but the next one might be.  Other teams' helmets don't come off at even a fraction of the rate that ours do, so either A) the helmets are not well designed to stay on and we should switch to a different helmet style, or B) our equipment managers are not sizing/fitting them properly and need to reassess their practices... This should be done now.  Given the history and awareness of the problem, there are most likely legal/liability reasons to do so, if the safety of the players is not enough.

Best Finishes in BYU Football History

With the season’s final game being played on Thursday and the rankings coming out shortly thereafter, it makes sense to take a look at how BYU has fared in the polls at previous seasons' ends and how this season stacks up against the all-time best.

BYU has finished the season ranked 16 times, this will be the 17th. If the Cougs finish #12 or better as expected, it will be the best finish since 1996 and the fourth best finish of all time. Here is how the 10 best finishes stack up:

Best 10 Finishes in BYU Football History (thru 2008)

Order   Year            Final AP
1         1984 (13-0)     #1
2         1996 (14-1)     #5
3         1983 (11-1)     #7
4         1980 (12-1)     #12
5         1979 (11-1)     #13
(t)        1981 (11-2)    #13
7         2007 (11-2)     #14
8         1985 (11-3)     #16
(t)        2006 (11-2)    #16
10        1994 (10-3)    #18

Other Ranked Finishes
11        1977 (9-2)      #20
12        1989 (10-3)    #22
(t)        1990 (10-3)     #22
14        1991 (8-3-2)   #23
15        2001 (12-2)     #25
(t)        2008 (10-3)     #25

Going into the bowl game against #16 Oregon State, the Cougars were ranked #15 in the AP, which by itself would rank as the eighth best finish of all-time. But with the big win over a ranked opponent, the statement made by several of the other MWC teams (TCU aside), and the losses by teams just above them (Miami #14, LSU #13, Georgia Tech #9, Oregon #7) that should drop several spots, BYU should move up 3-4 spots. Look for them to finish find themselves #11 or #12 when the polls come out. Anything more would be a nice surprise, anything less would be a slight.

A Rebuttal of Vegas Bowl Excuses

I have nothing but nice things to say about Oregon State—the university, the athletic department, the players and the fans. But, this is not the place where I am going to say them. Rather, this is a rebuttal to all of the OSU and PAC-10 apologists out there making excuses for why OSU lost the Vegas Bowl to BYU. I understand that many of the people making these excuses are not exclusively or even primarily the OSU fans themselves, so I address this to the apologists collectively.

These are the primary excuses that I have heard from TV talking heads, sports writers, bloggers, and just plain old fans leaving comments wherever they can:

1. The wind determined the outcome of the game. Are you kidding? The wind was clearly a factor in the game that both teams had to deal with, but…

A) Each team played 2 quarters into the wind. BYU won the coin toss and elected to receive, so OSU selected which end of the field they wanted—if the quarters that they had to drive into the wind (2nd and 3rd) were to their disadvantage in any way, it was also their choice. However, in exact contrast the disadvantage would seem to be going into the wind in the first (getting a quick start) and fourth quarters (in case of needing a field goal or late score).

B) In addition, a team with a strong running game (a la Oregon State) would seemingly have the advantage in 40mph winds, as the ESPN announcers opined early in the contest.

C) And, as far as kicking goes (per ESPN’s continuous replay of the 6 yard OSU punts), BYU punted 3 times into the wind and kicked off 4 times into the wind, while OSU only punted 2 times into the wind and never kicked off into the wind—the result is that OSU had great field position off of each of those kicks, seemingly winning the straight-up field position battle (turnovers not included).

On the surface, wind would seem to be a neutral factor, but if the apologists want to push the issue, then it appears that if anything, the wind factor was, if not neutral, then an advantage to the Beavers.

2. OSU was not motivated to play.  Granted, there is disappointment in losing to your rival in the last game of the season. But this excuse deserves another multi-shot take down.

A) The coaches and players themselves have discredited this by saying both before and after the game that they were ready for this and there would not be a motivational letdown.

B) OSU started out strong and on fire getting big stops on both of BYU’s first two possessions and scoring a quick touchdown on offense. Motivation was clearly not a factor in the first 10 minutes of the game. So, what, did they become unmotivated after a couple of possessions and change their minds?

C) BYU was playing in the Vegas Bowl for the fifth time in a row. The Cougars also met with disappointment this season at more than one point and were looking forward to playing in a BCS game and ended up in the same location again. The Cougars should be clearly tired of the same old song and dance and yet were able to overcome that just fine.

D) BYU was ranked in the top 15, and higher than Oregon State in every poll. Any team that claims to not be motivated to play and try to beat a top 15, higher ranked team—for the glory, perception enhancement, program advancement, bragging rights, recruiting advantages, ranking ramifications, etc. that come with beating a highly ranked team—is either trying to create a distraction, or there are deeper issues within the program.

3. BYU is older and more mature and its players were men against boys on the field and much less distracted off the field (among the temptations and vices of Vegas). This excuse is getting old.

A) The actual age advantage that BYU has on average is about 1.1 years—19.7 years old for the national average vs. 20.8 years old for BYU (see http://www.byucougs.com/2009/09/numbers-inside-missionary-advantage.html).  Yes, all other things being equal an additional year of age is an advantage. But all other things are not equal. OSU has four returned LDS missionaries in their team, yet none of them start. If it was such an advantage, why don’t they start? There are another 4-5 LDS players on their team that have not served missions for whatever reason. If it were a significant advantage, why aren’t the coaches pushing those players to leave for two years?

B) Due to the same religious and cultural influences that cause Cougar players to leave on missions, the BYU football team did not practice on Sunday, in what is usually a key two-day-prior to the game practice. Did anyone ever make that out as an excuse for the Cougs? No.

C) Many of the players are married. You could argue that BYU players were actually more distracted having wife and (in some cases) kids along on the road trip and staying in the team hotel for the first time of the year.

D) Any “distractions” that the OSU players may have felt (this argument coming from fans/apologists, not from the players or coaches themselves), could have been mitigated by personal discipline and team rules. All of the same “distractions” would have existed for the BYU players as well.

4. OSU played their worst game of the year. Maybe they did. I haven’t seen many of their other games this season. But in any case, you have to believe that the team on the other side of the line of scrimmage had something to do with that. Especially when you see that BYU was able to contain the running game (hard to just have a “bad game” with the PAC 10's best running back), run down Beavers from behind (nothing to do with a bad game), and break up pass after pass (OSU receivers would have made those catches if the defense weren’t there).

5. BYU played “dirty”. I can only think of two plays that would lead to this conclusion (maybe there are others?). One was when Harvey Unga slapped the helmet of the defender who continued to engage him after crossing the goal line and scoring a touchdown. I agree that he should not have done this and wish that he hadn’t, but it wasn’t much of a slap and I probably would hesitate to call it dirty. In any case, I challenge anyone to claim that this changed the outcome of the game. The second was when Scott Johnson hit the OSU receiver on the BYU sideline breaking up a pass. It appeared that Johnson “launched” himself and hit the receiver in a “helmet to helmet” infraction. Upon watching the replay at home (I was in attendance at the game), it appears that Johnson missed the helmet and hit the shoulder of the receiver in a great defensive play (albeit jarring hit). In this case Johnson was flagged—15 yards automatic first down—an even better outcome than had the receiver caught the ball. Dirty or not, how does that hurt the Beavers?

A) BYU was physical. Maybe more physical than the Beavers are used to. This is football. Deal with it. UCLA said the same thing when the Cougars beat them up in Pasadena.

B) To their credit, Oregon State was also very physical. Max Hall said afterward that he has not been so beat up since that same UCLA game in 2007. There were a couple of late hits on Max Hall, which I would argue are not just physical but do border on dirty when done intentionally (throwing the QB to the ground several seconds after the whistle?). There was also the apparent “helmet to helmet” decleating after a pass that nearly knocked him out of the game. I did not hear BYU fans calling OSU players dirty or making excuses.

6. Refs handed the game to BYU. There were lots of calls going both ways (11 on OSU, 9 on BYU). On my way out of the stadium, I heard the BYU fans commenting/questioning/complaining quite a bit about the officiating. So, I was actually surprised to find the OSU/Pac 10 fans complaining about the officiating on fan boards and article commentaries. Whatever gripes the OSU fans have (of which I am not aware), there are equal gripes on the other side. From a BYU fan perspective, there would be the curious time elapse at the end of the first half, the aforementioned helmet-to-helmet on Scott Johnson, the also mentioned no-call hit on Max Hall, the Unga fumble that was apparently caused by the ground… etc. The fact that both teams were unhappy, means that there was equal if not great officiating. My personal take is that the refs made the calls as they saw them and did a reasonable job. And, in an apologists world, even if there were a couple of calls that they think should have gone the other way, that doesn’t make up for a 30 point deficit going into the 4th quarter.

7. MWC teams can get up for PAC 10 games like it was the Super Bowl, because they don’t have to get ready week in and week out for big games. This one almost makes me laugh. Of BYU’s 13 games this season, 5 were effectively played against teams that were ranked—Oklahoma, TCU, Utah, Oregon State, and FSU (just outside the polls at #26). There was the Utah State game, where USU gets up for BYU as a rivalry game. Air Force (7-5) was still playing for a conference title and offered the #1 pass defense in the country. In conference, BYU played Wyoming in Laramie, New Mexico in Albuquerque, and San Diego State in California. While not striking fear into the hearts of opponents, all of those teams get up for BYU as much as any game on their schedule (as BYU is essentially considered a rival by all of them) and play among their best games of the year. If anything, BYU knows better than Oregon State what it means to have to prepare for games week in and week out. How many teams in the PAC 10 see Oregon State as their rival?

So why did Oregon State lose then? Take your pick…
• They were outcoached
• They were outplayed
• BYU was more physical
• BYU was faster
• BYU had better QB play
• BYU had the better defense
• BYU was better able to handle adversity (turnovers, etc)
• BYU had better mental fortitude to drive into the wind
• BYU’s receivers and tight ends were able to get open almost at will
• BYU’s linebackers had a bigger impact
• BYU had the better secondary
• BYU’s power running game trumped OSU’s
• The Cougars had a better game plan
• The top 15 Cougars were clearly the better team

Additional Thoughts from the Vegas Bowl

A few additional thoughts on the game with Oregon State in the Vegas Bowl:

• Manase Tonga actually looked quicker than ever picking up a couple of big gains and outrunning would-be tacklers on a couple of plays for perhaps the first time of the season.

• BYU defense also looked fast (just as it did against Oklahoma). The Cougs were actually running down OSU’s speedsters from behind on a number of plays.

• Scott Johnson’s big hit in the fourth quarter on the BYU sideline brought out a yellow salute from the refs. It was an incredible play, but also a hard one for the officials not to flag, given how it looked to them. From Sam Boyd, I was both happy with the play and accepting of the penalty as it seemed legitimate. After watching the replay, however, it is apparent that there was no “helmet to helmet” contact and Johnson made contact with the receiver’s shoulder. Despite this, however, I do not fault the referees as they could not have seen this without the added benefit of camera angles available only to television viewers.

• Unga’s fumble at the end of the game seemed to be caused by the ground. Fans in the stands were sure that it was going to be overturned and the ball returned to the Cougars. The television replays however, show a much muddier picture as it would have been hard to tell either way. Without undisputed video evidence, the referees upheld the call on the field.

• At the end of the first half, with the wind at their backs, McKay Jacobsen seemingly got out of bounds with 2-3 seconds remaining, yet the clock ticked off and the half was over and there would be no field goal attempt. The only plausible explanation is that he was marked down for forward progress (but did the whistle blow?). However, unfortunately for OSU, it ended up being rather irrelevant to the outcome.

• The wind was impressive and made this one of the colder games that I have ever attended, despite temperatures only in the 30’s. The stadium lights were swaying back and forth 5-6 feet. Escaped post-game confetti was swirling in the North end zone.

• The field size flag roll-out prior to the game was able to feature 40-50 foot high wind blown billows, creating one of the more stunning flag displays I have ever witnessed. Those responsible to hold it at the edges were being whipped and dragged like rodeo cowboys.

• Much was made of OSU's two 6 yard punts on Sports Center.  What the TV and the 30 second spot didn't point out is that both of those punts (and the second in particular) were shanked hard to the right.  The cameras in profile view made it look like the wind blew the ball back, but visible from my seats at the north end of the east stands was that the ball came on a beeline directly toward me and likely would not have been more than 10-15 yards had the wind not been blowing.  Perhaps the wind was a factor in causing the punter to adjust his usual routine and shank the kick?  Maybe.

• In watching the game again, I noticed a great display of senior leadership from Dennis Pitta, that I imagine most viewers (live and TV) missed. On BYU’s first touchdown drive, near the goal line, one of BYU’s offensive linemen was jawing and pushing with an OSU player after the play. Pitta rushed in, grabbed the BYU player , got up in his grill (no doubt yelling at him for risking a penalty in such a critical situation) and then pushed him away. The player didn’t do it again, and BYU avoided a penalty that might have changed the outcome of the game.

• While always good for viewership to play on ESPN, the commentary was seemingly uninspired.  Not a complaint, but rather an observation.  The Sports Leader sent an A team to Vegas--Mark May, Rece Davis, Lou Holtz--to cover one of the the best games before New Year's.  I am sure that there are a number of opinions on this one, but I felt like they were a bit short on new material (didn't do their homework?), and missed some key observations.  In the second half, with BYU dominating, it seemed that they spent most of their time talking about why and how OSU players were better than they were showing, defending them in the face of a poor performance.  All of this is professional, and I would hope that they would do the same for any team on the losing end of a bowl game; however, it seemed that they could have been more forthcoming in their credit of BYU's role in OSU's disappointing performance.  Not that it wasn't mentioned, but seemed a side note.

What We Learned in the Las Vegas Bowl Against Oregon State

What a game the Cougars put together. They came out with the A game that was seen against Oklahoma, Tulane, and Wyoming earlier this year—an A game that would keep the Cougars in contention with any team in the country. There are a number of interesting things to note coming out of the game. First we will recap what we were watching for (original outlook from last week in italics) then list a few other items of note in a follow up post.

What to Watch For on the Field:
• Max at his best. When Max is having fun and relaxed he is at his best and nearly unstoppable. When he feels pressure and weight of expectations, he tends to play tight, force things, and generally play at a lower level. Watch for him to come out playing loose as he got the monkey off his back by beating Utah and solidified his place as a successful Cougar QB. The rest now is bonus.

Max played a nearly flawless game. He was loose and it showed. He took some of the hardest hits of the season and stepped up to the line for the next play. There was one decleating hit on him in particular that would have taken most other QBs out of the game. He said after the game that he was more beat up after this game than any other game since his first—at UCLAin 2007. What a way to go out.

• Watch for the BYU seniors to have big games. There are several seniors (Hall, Unga, Pitta, Andrew George and Jan Jorgensen) on the team with aspirations to make an NFL squad next year. This will be the first time they have appeared on ESPN (a true national audience) since the Tulane game and it is their chance to impress. [Unga is only a junior].

All of these seniors, and Manase Tonga, had great games and likely improved their national standing. Hall was already discussed above. Unga (71 yds rushing, 15 yds receiving, TD) repeatedly carried defenders with him and several times picked up an extra 4-5 yards after the first hit. Tonga was particularly impressive (5 carries for 42 yards, 2 catches for 19 yards, 2 TDs) in what was easily his best game of the season, as he was effective not only as a lead blocker but with the ball as well. George (4 catches, 46 yds) and Pitta (5 catches, 45 yds, TD) consistently made clutch catches, impressing not only fans but also the ESPN talking heads. Jorgensen had a complete game, anchoring an effective defensive front, getting a key third down bat-down, and even had a 6 yard carry at the end of the game. Watch for all of these players to work hard going into this spring’s NFL draft. I believe that Pitta, Tonga, and Unga have the best shot at being drafted, with Hall, George, and Jorgensen likely getting a shot through free agency.

• Stop the run and limit the pass. The BYU defense has been decent at stopping the run this season. They will have their hands full with Jaquizz Rogers—a speedy, shifty, short but powerful back. There is a chance that they are able contain him. But, can they contain the run and limit the pass at the same time? This season, when focusing on the run, they Cougs have tended to give up on the pass completely. BYU will need big games from its ends and blitzing linebackers to keep Canfield on the run (an accurate passer, but slow of foot).

The BYU defensive game plan was nearly perfect. Not completely unexpectedly, the Cougars were able to contain the running game, holding OSU to 88 yards, but more impressively, they held the passing game in check as well—not through pressure as much as solid down-field coverage. I don’t recall a game where more BYU defenders were able to break up or knock down a pass.

• Will OSU get pressure on Hall? OSU’s defense is not known for its front line, and has been inconsistent with the pass rush. BYU’s offensive line should be able to keep them at bay. If they don’t, it will mean trouble for the Cougs.

The O line was able to give Hall just enough time. He was hit at the end of several plays, but never lost his rhythm.

• McKay Jacobsen has declared himself 100% for the first time perhaps all season. Watch for him to have a breakout game. The receiving corps has not had a significant impact this season, and the focus of the defense will likely be on the tight ends, leaving McKay open to make a difference.

Apparently, OSU didn’t get the memo about covering the BYU tight ends, and both Pitta and George had big games. Jacobsen was relatively quiet (2 catches, 27 yards). As far as him contributing, the large lead mitigated the number of passing downs, and thus his performance. I imagine that there is no one complaining there.

• BYU’s secondary. James Rogers, is the leading receiver for OSU and will be several steps faster than any of BYU’s DB’s. If the front seven is unable to force Canfield to throw off balance or hurried, no doubt the Beavers will be gunning for the long ball, just as Utah did. The only difference is that Sean Canfield is much more accurate and seasoned than Jordan Wynn and where Wynn consistently overthrew his open receivers downfield, Canfield will hit them. Bradley, Logan, Rich, and Johnson will need to be up to the challenge.

Challenge resoundingly met. If I had a game ball to give away, I would give it to the secondary. They played their best game of the year. Perhaps I overestimated Canfield’s accuracy, but in any case, BYU’s last line of defense was incredible bringing big hits, breakups, and sure tackles. Good news for Cougar fans is that 3 of these 4 will be back again next season (Johnson is a senior).

• Limit turnovers. OSU is known for holding on to the ball. BYU has been spotty, but improved over the course of the season. It will be important for BYU to limit the turnovers. A minus one might be overcomeable, but should they have a minus 2 or more it will be difficult to win.

The reverse of this was also applicable for OSU as they ended up with the minus one in turnovers and were never able to fully overcome that deficit. Despite 5 turnovers overall, 3 for OSU (two fumbles and a pick) and 2 for BYU (two fumbles), while the game was still in question OSU had two critical turnovers, while both of BYU’s (Unga fumble near the red zone and Tonga on an onside kick) came after the game had already been decided and essentially only kept the score from becoming ridiculous.

I think the BYU offense will be successful with both the run and the pass. Max will play as relaxed as he has in several games executing the passing game flawlessly. This will open the door for Unga to have a good game as well. The BYU defense will have its hands full in both the running and passing game. It might very well come down to possessions and turnovers. I predict a high scoring affair with BYU winning in the end. BYU 38 OSU 31.

I saw BYU having success on offense, but I didn’t see BYU’s defense having the success they did to limit OSU.  It could have easily been worse than the 44-20 final score.

What to Watch for Against Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl

With three weeks since the last game, the storylines of this game have been covered multiple times each by the local Oregon, Utah, and Vegas media. The national media have picked up on the highlights. The commentating crew (an A team from ESPN) will likely mention each of these again as well during the course of the game. But here is a brief summary of the storylines:

Game Storyline Recap

• Bronco vs. his alma mater. When BYU last played Oregon State, in 1986, Bronco was a linebacker for OSU as they defeated BYU in Provo 10-7.
• Cousin connection. Havey Unga has two Unga cousins (twins Kevin and Devin) that play for the Beavers—both are linebackers and primarily see the field on special teams.
• LDS connection.  There are 8 LDS players on the Beavers squad according to DL Sioeli Nau.  Four of them are RMs (the two Unga brothers, Nau, and linebacker Walker Vave).
• Shawn Doman, BYU linebacker, is from Oregon and was first recruited by Oregon State and coach Mike Riley.
• The story of two good senior quarterbacks—Max Hall and Sean Canfield
• Mental Preparation. OSU’s will need to be able to get up for the game after missing out on a Rose Bowl bid and PAC-10 championship by 4 points against their rival Oregon in the last game of the season.
• Ranked teams. First time the Vegas Bowl has paired two ranked teams, #14 BYU (14th BCS, 15th AP, 14th USA Today) and #18 Oregon State (18th BCS, 16th AP, 20th USA Today). BYU is the highest ranked team ever to appear in the game.
• The point spread. OSU is a 2.5 point favorite, despite being lower ranked.
• Mountain West vs. the PAC 10. BYU is 2-2 in the Vegas Bowl vs. the Pac 10. They are 5-3 in the last three seasons. The Cougs went 2-1 last season (beating UCLA and Washington, losing to Arizona). They were 2-1 in 2007 (beating UCLA and Arizona, and losing at UCLA). They were 1-1 in 2006 losing to Arizona and beating Oregon). With TCU and Boise paired together in a cowardly move by the BCS, this game will be the highest profile matchup of AQ BCS vs. non-AQ BCS. The eyes of America will be watching.
• Hall’s last game as a Cougar, going out as winningest quarterback in BYU history.  Also looking to put his Utah post game comments behind him.
• Dennis Pitta, a consensus All-American, was snubbed by the Mackey Award—how will he respond?  He needs just two catches to pass Louisville's Ibn Green (1996-99) for most career receptions by a tight end in NCAA history.
• The Rodgers brothers, James (Jr) and Jacquizz (So), at 5 foot 7 and 5 foot 6, this talented brother duo lead in receiving and rushing, respectively, for OSU. One of the storylines has been the influence of their father, who is currently in a prison near Houston Texas.  They have been able to overcome tremendous odds to succeed as they have and should be acknowledged for their triumph both on and off the field. 

What to Watch For on the Field:

• Max at his best. When Max is having fun and relaxed he is at his best and nearly unstoppable. When he feels pressure and weight of expectations, he tends to play tight, force things, and generally play at a lower level. Watch for him to come out playing loose as he got the monkey off his back by beating Utah and solidified his place as a successful Cougar QB. The rest now is bonus.
• Watch for the BYU seniors to have big games. There are several seniors (Hall, Unga, Pitta, Manase Tonga, Andrew George and Jan Jorgensen) on the team with aspirations to make an NFL squad next year. This will be the first time they have appeared on ESPN (a true national audience) since the Tulane game and it is their chance to impress. [Unga is actually a junior, but is likely to declare himself eligible for the draft after the season and forego his senior year.]
• Stop the run and limit the pass. The BYU defense has been decent at stopping the run this season. They will have their hands full with Jacquizz Rodgers—a speedy, shifty, short but powerful back. There is a chance that they are able contain him. But, can they contain the run and limit the pass at the same time? This season, when focusing on the run, they Cougs have tended to give up on the pass completely. BYU will need big games from its ends and blitzing linebackers to keep Canfield on the run (an accurate passer, but slow of foot).
• Will OSU get pressure on Hall? OSU’s defense is not known for its front line, and has been inconsistent with the pass rush. BYU’s offensive line should be able to keep them at bay. If they don’t, it will mean trouble for the Cougs.
• McKay Jacobsen has declared himself 100% for the first time perhaps all season. Watch for him to have a breakout game. The receiving corps has not had a significant impact this season, and the focus of the defense will likely be on the tight ends, leaving McKay open to make a difference.
• BYU’s secondary. James Rodgers, is the leading receiver for OSU and will be several steps faster than any of BYU’s DB’s. If the front seven are unable to force Canfield to throw off balance or hurried, no doubt the Beavers will be gunning for the long ball, just as Utah did. The only difference is that Sean Canfield is much more accurate and seasoned than Jordan Wynn and where Wynn consistently overthrew his open receivers downfield, Canfield will hit them. Bradley, Logan, Rich, and Johnson will need to be up to the challenge.
• Limit turnovers. OSU is known for holding on to the ball. BYU has been spotty, but improved over the course of the season. It will be important for BYU to limit the turnovers. A minus one might be overcomeable, but should they have a minus 2 or more it will be difficult to win.

I am at the airport now on my way to Las Vegas. I’m looking forward to a good game. I think the BYU offense will be successful with both the run and the pass. I believe that Max will play as relaxed as he has in several games executing the passing game flawlessly. This will open the door for Unga to have a good game as well. The BYU defense, however, will have its hands full with both OSU's running and passing game. It might very well come down to number of possessions and turnovers. I predict a high scoring affair with BYU winning in the end. BYU 38 OSU 31.

Leave your thoughts and predictions below…