Why Pitta Was Passed Over

By now you know that Aaron Hernandez of Florida was awarded the Mackey Award for the country's best tight end.  Dennis Pitta has publically said the right things, that he doesn't really care and that it was an honor just to be considered.  But, he likely feels somewhat disappointed, as fans surely do.

Here is a bit from the press release:

"The Nassau County Sports Commission has announced Aaron Hernandez of Florida as the 2009 John Mackey Award recipient. The Southeastern conference junior recorded 59 receptions for 739 yards and four touchdowns while leading Florida to the 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl. Hernandez becomes the second junior to ever receive the John Mackey Award.

Hernandez was named first team All SEC in 2009. He also tied the single game Florida record for receptions by a tight end with eight in the 2009 SEC Championship game. Hernandez, who is well known for his blocking ability and receiving prowess has totaled 102 receptions, 1,271 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his three year career with Florida."

In contrast to that, Pitta had 57 rec, 784 yards, 7 TDs  (in one less game than Hernandez) and 216 catches, 2,856 yards, and 20 TDs in his career (more than double Hernandez).

I like most, expected Pitta to be named the winner.  His nearly unanimous selection as an All-American first teamer confirms this.  However, it is interesting to note a few circumstances that likley contributed to him being overlooked...

NFL Bias--In scouring the John Mackey award website throughout the season in preparation for other articles, I couldn't help but notice that there was a heavy emphasis on NFL performance and success of previous winners.  This makes some sense, as they hope to gain prestige and donations from former winners.  My initial reaction was that this would be a disadvantage to Pitta, and although I thought he would be able to overcome it, in the end I think it hurt him.  Not that I don't think that Pitta can or will succeed in the NFL, he just doesn't look like an NFL first round draft pick to the rest of the country, and more importantly to the voters (see below). 

Florida Love--With Tim Tebow appearing an unlikey repeat Heisman winner, this was an opportunity for voters to recognize the Gator program in another way.

SEC Love--No SEC tight end has received the award previously, so this was a chance for the award to link itself to the bright stage lights of the SEC. 

Voter Slant--The Heisman Trophy is careful to have a representative national vote.  This award has 12 voters--seven of which are slanted toward the SEC or Florida.  The other five are based either in the midwest or northeast.  Not a single tie west of the Mississippi.  Even if they tried to be unbiased, they likely saw few if any BYU football games after Oklahoma.

Bruce Feldman — ESPN (SEC contract)
Marc C. Connolly — ESPN (SEC contract)
Lee Corso — ESPN College GameDay (SEC contract)
Tom Dienhart — Yahoo! Sports/Rivals.com (midwest)
Keith Jackson — Former NFL tight end (3 years with Miami Dolphins)
Jerry Mackey — Committee Chairman (based in NY)
Sean McDonough — ABC Sports (northeast, BCS broadcaster, indirect contract with SEC)
Phil Steele — Phil Steele’s College Football Preview (based in midwest, put Pitta on 3rd team AA)
Tim Stratton — Inaugural John Mackey Award Recipient (played at Purdue)
Spencer Tillman — CBS Sports (SEC contract)
Dick Weiss — NY Daily News (primarily covers men's baksetball, based in NY)
Kellen Winslow — NFL Hall of Fame tight end (University of Miami, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

I don't know how these awards are regulated or certified, but it seems that if college football wants to recognize them as legit, or at least as what they claim to be (for the best players at respective positions in the country), then the selection committe or voting members should reflect a more national perspective.

Pitta a Finalist

I am sitting here at the SLC International where the RSL fans are creating quite the energy.  But, just wanted to post that Pitta was named a finalist for the Mackey Award with Dorin Dickinson (Sr. Pitt) and Aaron Hernandez (Jr, Florida) earlier this morning.

What We Learned in the Air Force Game

Saturday was perhaps the most solid performance of the season for the Cougs. They played an inspired game against a quality opponent in an Air Force team that had taken two ranked teams into overtime and lost to another by only three points. They boasted the number one pass defense in the country. None of that mattered as BYU dominated from the opening drive. Last week I wrote:

“Hall and his fellow seniors know they only have two games left and will make the most of this one, having fun, playing relaxed, and showing a good first half… BYU 34, Air Force 24.”

They did exactly that, playing with more emotion and fire than in any game since Oklahoma. BYU’s seniors, recognizing the fleeting nature of their remaining opportunities to play the game, made it a point this week to focus on emotion (for the first time in the Bronco Mendenhall era?) and wanted to play fired up. It showed, as they looked almost unstoppable at times. It also showed that “execution” combined with emotion is a potent combination. Here’s to hoping they can duplicate that recipe two more times this season (and against TCU in the next).

What we learned…

• Will BYU’s offensive line be able to open up running lanes on the smaller Falcon D line? Yes, but…. In a rare change-up, the offense came out on the opening drive passing all the way down the field and continued to primarily pass on the second as well. The running game was almost an afterthought. When they did go to the run, it was effective, but the run game was much more limited than in previous years against AFA.

• Will Unga be able to go? Unga played and looked good. He primarily took his reps in the first half and then was “managed,” as Bronco put it, appropriately in the second half. He had a number of pounding tackle breaking runs and even several rare open field bursts into the secondary, but it was on a 4 yard push into the pile that he passed Curtis Brown to become the all-time rushing leader.

• Can the Cougar front 7 continue to contain the run? Yes. Convincingly. It wasn’t until late in the game, when the outcome was no longer in question that AFA was able to string together a drive or two on the ground.

• How much will the team miss Terrance Hooks in the middle? The team seemed to miss Hooks more from a camaraderie standpoint than from a contribution standpoint. Several players were sporting “47” in Sharpie art on the bicep. Doman and Hunter both played well filling in, with Doman doing more of what he has already done this season and Hunter getting more opportunities for the first time.

• Will Dennis Pitta get the big game that he needs to solidify his status as Mackey finalist? Definitely. I predicted that he would need 7 catches, 85+ yards, and a TD, to guarantee a finalist spot. He surpassed that across the board with 9 catches for 111 yards and 2 TDs in what was easily his best performance of the season so far. The finalists were announced this morning and they are Pitta, Hernandez and Dickinson.

• What impact will the weather have? Surprisingly little. Despite the wind, forecasted snow, and low temperatures, the weather didn’t seem to have much impact on the game.

• Can the team come out of this game without any significant health losses going into the rivalry game with Utah? Mission accomplished. There were a few guys that had to be attended to during the course of the game, but nothing serious enough to carry over into next week (at least as far as the team is talking about).

• Will the records finally fall? Many did. Hall is now second to Ty Detmer in just about every quarterback category and leads him in number of wins. Unga leads in rushing and can still get scoring and all-purpose yards before the season ends. Pitta closed in on Collie’s reception mark (needs 2 more to tie) and third in receiving yards (where he will likely finish).

In the books…
o 1 victory for Hall to break a tie with Ty Detmer for all time wins
o 20 yards for Harvey Unga to become the all time leading rusher in program history (67 rushing)
o 203 yards needed by Max Hall to become second all time in total offense (371 total)
o 359 yards needed by Hall to become second all time in passing yards (377 passing)

Almost achieved…
o 105 yards for Unga to move into third in all-purpose yards (only 79)
o 11 catches for Pitta to tie Collie for all time most receptions (9)
o 165 yards needed by Pitta to pass Margin Hooks as the third leading receiver all time (111)

What to Watch for Against Air Force

At 7-4, Air Force will become only the third team BYU has faced this season that currently has a winning record (TCU at 10-0 and Oklahoma at 6-4 are the others; Wyoming and Florida State are 5-5). This very well may be the second or third most difficult game of the year. The Academy held TCU to 20 points and only lost by 3 (20-17). They took Utah to overtime before losing (23-16). They also went into overtime with a good Navy team (8-3) before giving up another close one. The Cadets mean business and they are desperate to break through into the top tier of the MWC. They will come not only with talent, but with motivation. Despite having Air Force’s number for the last several years, it is going to take everything the Cougars have to pull this one out. Saturday will be a good one.

What to watch for…

• Will BYU’s offensive line be able to open up running lanes on the smaller Falcon D line? The first two series should be an indicator of how this game will go. The running game from BYU will be essential to winning this game. The size could become more of a factor as the game wears on and Air Force’s lighter line begins to tire.

• Will Unga be able to go? And, if not, will Kariya and DiLuigi be up to the task of filling in for him. Last week, without Unga in the game, the running game suffered. That won’t cut it this week.

• Can the Cougar front 7 continue to contain the run? For most of the season, the specialty of the defense has been limiting opponents running games. That will be key this week, as Air Force is fourth in the country in rushing offense (and 118th in passing).

• How much will the team miss Terrance Hooks in the middle? Will Shawn Doman be able to hold it down solo? Will Shane Hunter be able to spell him sufficiently to be effective? Defending the wishbone option will require all players to know their assignments, and a lack of experience could cost the Cougars.

• Will Dennis Pitta get the big game that he needs to solidify his status as Mackey finalist? He has historically had a big game against the Falcons, but opponents are much more aware of him this season. With 7 catches, 85+ yards, and a TD, Pitta would likely be in.

• What impact will the weather have? Friday night has a 20% chance of rain. On Saturday there is a 30% chance of snow. Highs are forecast to be 44 degrees. The team has been doing some practicing outdoors this week, ostensibly in preparation for Saturday’s conditions. A wet field might favor a passing game, but a cold precipitation would swing in favor of a running game. In any case, should rain/snow arrive before or during the game, expect the field to be sloppy.

• Can the team come out of this game without any significant health losses going into the rivalry game with Utah? Last year, Air Force’s chop blocks and low hits took a toll on Dennis Pitta specifically, as he was only a limping shell of himself in the Utah game (and played anyway) and was worse than a non-factor as he probably hurt the team by playing.

• Will more records fall? Last week, Hall moved into second in touchdowns, Pitta second in receptions.  By the numbers this week…

o 1 victory for Hall to break a tie with Ty Detmer for all time wins
o 11 catches for Pitta to tie Austin Collie for all time most receptions
o 20 yards for Harvey Unga to become the all time leading rusher in program history
o 105 yards for Unga to move into third in all-purpose yards
o 165 yards needed by Pitta to pass Margin Hooks as the third leading receiver all time (Collie, Drage)
o 203 yards needed by Max Hall to become second all time in total offense
o 359 yards needed by Hall to become second all time in passing yards

How do I see this playing out? BYU got a wake-up call last week against New Mexico and will put in some extra effort this week in preparation and game planning. The Falcons will have the Cougars attention and there will not be any problem with losing focus. Hall and his fellow seniors know they only have two games left and will make the most of this one, having fun, playing relaxed, and showing a good first half. The defense will play well enough to give the Cougars a small lead at half-time. The second half will likely have AFA gaining some momentum out of the gate to make it look like a game, only to begin to tire going into the 4th quarter and BYU pulling out a two score win. BYU 34, Air Force 24.

Leave your own predictions in the comments below...

Dennis Pitta Remains Mackey Award Front Runner

With week 11 in the books, the Nassau County Sports Commission, released its list of 8 semi-finalists for the Mackey Award given to the nation’s top tight end. Despite stringing together a number of quiet games over the past couple of weeks, Dennis Pitta is still very much in the mix, and must be considered at least a favorite to be included in the list of three finalists to be released on Monday, Nov 23. A big game against Air Force (9 catches, 113 yards last year) could be what puts him over the top.

As we have been following this race on this site, it is worth mentioning that of the eight semi-finalists, three had appeared in my front runner list, two as contenders, and three as darkhorses (see www.byucougs.com/2009/10/pittas-march-toward-mackey-award.html).

Here is how they stack up:

name, yr, school (record)        G   rec   yds  TD  rec/g   yds/r  yds/g
Dennis Pitta, Sr, BYU (8-2)       10    45   624    5    4.50    13.9    62.4
Cody Slate, Sr, Marshall (5-5)   10    50   607    4    5.00    12.1    60.7
Aaron Hernandez, Jr, Fl (10-0)  10    46   571    2    4.60   12.4     57.1
Dorin Dickerson, Sr, Pitt (9-1)   10    43   496   10   4.30    11.5    49.6
Ed Dickson, Sr, Oregon (8-2)    10    37   488    5   3.70    13.2     48.8
Anthony McCoy, Sr, USC (7-3)   8     17   382   1    2.13    22.5     47.8
Kyle Rudolph, So, ND (6-4)        9     33   364   3    3.67    11.0     40.4
Tony Moeaki, Sr, Iowa (9-2)      7     26   302   4    3.71    11.6     43.1

This is a great group of tight ends and it will be difficult for the commission to narrow this field down to just three. All of them except Aaron Hernandez have been named Mackey Tight End of the Week at least once, with Pitta (3—2009, 2008x2), Slate (3—2009x2, 2007), and Moeaki (2—2009, 2007) with multiple recognitions. I am going to go ahead and take a crack at narrowing this down (prior to this weekend’s pivotal games)…

First we will eliminate the last three on this list. McCoy only has 17 catches (though a high 22.5 yds/catch average) and USC has suffered a few embarrassing losses of late. Rudolph is only a sophomore and is a notch below the other five in stats; Notre Dame is also in a funk. Moeaki has only played in 7 games so far, and Iowa’s season has also lost a bit of its early luster, which would have helped his cause.

We will call the first five, then, the front runners and can make a case for each of them.
Dennis Pitta leads in yards and yards/game. He is tied for second in TDs and right at the top (third) in receptions. He has been named TE of the week 3 times and voters will remember his clutch 4th down catch against Oklahoma.

Cody Slate has also been named TEOW 3 times, including twice this season. He leads in catches and is right in the mix in yards and TDs. His liability is his team’s 5-5 record in CUSA.

Aaron Hernandez is right near the top in just about every category and is a key player on the number one team in the country. With only two touchdowns this season and also being a junior, it is somewhat easier to find reasons to leave him off the list of final three.

Dorin Dickerson immediately stands out for his 10 touchdowns. His yards and receptions are also comparable. However, he racked up 4 of those TDs against Yougstown St and Buffalo. With Pitt enjoying a breakout year, he has been the beneficiary of some additional media love.

Ed Dickson has quietly been a big part of Oregon’s comeback this season. His yards and touchdowns have been on par with this group, although his number of receptions lags just a bit.

Narrowing the field of five-I think that Hernandez will be the first one left off the list of five for the reasons mentioned above. Of the remaining four, it will depend somewhat on this weekend’s performance. Pitta has less to prove and with at least an average game, will likely be in; a big game could solidify his finalist status. For Slate (due to 5-5 record) and Dickson (late bloomer), I believe that it will come down to their game this weekend vs. SMU and Arizona, respectively. Dickerson has a bye, but could slip in should neither of the other two impress. But should they both have big games, either Pitta or Dickerson could find themselves without a chair when the music stops on Monday.

Prediction:
Dennis Pitta (big game against Air Force, make-up for not including him as a finalist last year)
Cody Slate (high NFL potential, big game over SMU)
Ed Dickson (will have a chance to impress vs AZ, while Dickinson has bye. Also, was initially listed as a front runner in this column, so he gets the nod)

On the other hand, a few minutes on the website of the award and it is obvious that they are big on NFL potential and validation, and at the end of the day, that may be the unspoken, but final, criteria. In that scenario, where stats don’t matter, how will Pitta Stack up? Feel free to share your thoughts…

Pitta Solidifies Frontrunner Status--Week 5 Update

Dennis Pitta (5 catches, 83 yards, 2 TD) was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week for week 5, collecting the honor for the third time (after being named twice last year). He is the sixth player to have received the weekly award at least three times (last year’s winner Chase Coffman of Missouri also had won the weekly award three times). Last week I gave an update on the race for the Mackey Award and profiled five players that I consider the frontrunners, five contenders, and five dark horses (you can read that article at http://www.byucougs.com/2009/10/pittas-march-toward-mackey-award.html). Here is an update on the five frontrunners after week 5:


Player, Class, School           G    Rec   Yds  TD   rec/g   yds/rec  yds/g
Dennis Pitta, Sr, BYU          5     26     339   3    5.20     13.0      67.8
Ed Dickson, Sr, Oregon       5    22     309   4    4.40     14.0       61.8
Cody Slate, Sr, Marshall      5     26     289   2    5.20     11.1      57.8
Garrett Graham, Sr, Wisc   5     23     268   4    4.60     11.7      53.6
Jamie McCoy, Sr, TA&M      4     18     209   0    4.50     11.6      52.3

McCoy seems to be slipping behind the top four who are all very close at this point, and Pitta strengthened his frontrunner status this week as he is now leading in receptions (tied with Marshall’s Slate), total yards, and yards per game (although he trails Erik Highsmith of North Carolina who averages 72.5 yards/game).

An offical mid-season watch list will be released by the Nassau County Sports Commission on Monday, Oct 19.

Pitta's March toward the Mackey Award

Prior to the season, several Cougars were named to national award watch lists. A quick start to the season focused that lens on Max Hall in particular, who came in a consensus third, fourth, or fifth in Heisman forecasts by national pundits through the second week of the season. However now that we are entering week 5, it seems that Dennis Pitta has the only legitimate shot at a national award this year, but with his two primary competitors out for the season (Arizona’s Rob Gronkowski and Oklahoma’s Jermaine Gresham) he may very well be the frontrunner for the John Mackey Award given to the “best collegiate tight end” each year by the Nassau County Sports Commission. It is still very early, but here is how the competition breaks out so far, and the players to keep your eye on:

Frontrunners
These are upperclassmen playing on winning teams that were nominated to the preseason watch list and are in the top 10 in receiving yards per game.

Player, Class, School              G   Rec   Yds  TD   rec/g  yds/rec  yds/g
Dennis Pitta, Sr, BYU             4    21    256    1     5.25   12.2       64.0
Jamie McCoy, Sr, Tx A&M      3    13    169    0     4.33   13.0      56.3
Ed Dickson, Sr, Oregon          4    15    206    3     3.75   13.7      51.5
Cody Slate, Sr, Marshall         4    17    201    2     4.25   11.8      50.3
Garrett Graham, Sr, Wis        4    16    200    4     4.00    12.5     50.0

Dennis Pitta leads the nation in tight end receptions, while Garrett Graham leads in touchdowns by a tight end. Dennis Pitta and Cody Slate were were consensus top 5 tight ends in preseason fantasy football rankings (along with Gresham, Gronkowski, and Arkansas’ DJ Williams), with Garret Graham usually showing up in the top 10. Cody Slate and Ed Dickson were named 2009 Mackey Player of the Week for week 1 and week 4 respectively. Dennis Pitta was twice named Mackey Player of the Week in 2008.

Contenders
These are nominees on the preseason watch list that are either playing on teams with losing records or are underclassmen, as well as un-nominated players that are in the top 10 in yards per game or receptions.

Player, Class, School          G    Rec Yds  TD rec/g   yds/rec  yds/g
Erik Highsmith, Fr, N Car   3    16   279   2    5.33   17.4      93.0
Jason Harmon, Sr, Fl Atl     3    16   197   0    5.33   12.3      65.7
Riar Geer, Sr, Colorado      4    21   232   1    5.25   11.0      58.0
Kyle Rudolph, So, ND          4    17   214   2    4.25   12.6      53.5
Aaron Hernandez, Jr, Fla    4    15   198   2    3.75   13.2      49.5

Erik Highsmith is only a freshman and is the backup to the injured Zack Pianalto (Jr, North Carolina, who was named the Mackey Player of the Week in week two) and leads the nation in receiving yards by a tight end, yards/reception, and yards per game, all while only playing in three games. Jason Harmon was not nominated in the preseason but is second in the country in yards per game. Riar Greer is tied with Dennis Pitta for most receptions, but plays on team with a losing record. Kyle Rudolph was nominated preseason, and named Mackey Player of the Week in week three, but is only a sophomore. Aaron Henandez was also nominated preseason, but is just outside the top 10 in receiving yard per game at number 11.

Darkhorses
These are players that were nominated to the preseason watch list and are ranked in the top 25 in receiving yards per game.

Player, Class, School             G   Rec  Yds   TD   rec/g   yds/rec  yds/g
Tony Moeaki, Sr, Iowa          2    11     87     1    5.50      7.9      43.5
Anthony McCoy, Sr, USC       4     7     160     0    1.75     22.9     40.0
Weslye Saunders, Jr, S Car   4    14    156     0    3.50     11.1     39.0
Dorin Dickerson, Sr, Pitt       4    17    155     4    4.25      9.1      38.8
Jeffery Anderson, Jr, UAB     5    12    179     3    2.40    14.9      35.8

Because they already have somewhat of a spotlight on them by virtue of being named in the pre-season, with a couple of big games and/or special seasons for their respective teams, these players could move into contender status.

Records Should Fall

[Originally Posted on August 12, 2009 at www.philsteele.com/Blogs/Individual_Team_blogs/BYU_Blog.html]

Last week, I looked at the historical success of the BYU program over key periods. I noted that one of the obvious pieces missing over the last three seasons for BYU (as opposed to the previously successful periods) was individual awards and recognition. This might be the year to get back on track.


Several players have been nominated to preseason watch lists:

• Max Hall: Walter Camp Award (player of the year), Davey O’Brien Award (quarterbacks), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (senior quarterback)
• Dennis Pitta: John Mackey Award (tight ends), Fred Biletnikoff Award (receivers)
• Jan Jorgensen: Ted Hendricks Award (defensive ends)

Hall, Pitta, Jorgensen, as well as Harvey Unga are also on tap to crash the BYU career stat leader boards. By the end of the season, look for Max Hall to be second in passing yards, second in total offense, and second in TDs thrown. Pitta should be first in receptions and either first or second in receiving yards. Unga should be first in rushing yards, first or second in touchdowns, top three in all-purpose yards, and second or third in scoring. If these players can manage to avoid injury, keep up the career-setting pace, and win some big games, there just might be some post-season hardware coming to Provo at the end of the season.

Max Hall, Sr
• Passing Yards: currently ranked #7 with 7,805; needs 3,217 yards to pass John Beck for second (Ty Detmer is first with 15,031)
• Total Offense: currently ranked #6 with 7,934; needs 3,126 yards to pass John Beck for second
• TD Passes: currently ranked #6 with 61; needs 24 to pass Jim McMahon (84) for second, would need 61 to pass Ty Detmer (121) for first

Dennis Pitta, Sr
• Receiving Yards: currently ranked #8 with 2,072; needs 1,184 to pass Austin Collie(3,255) for first, needs 994 to pass Eric Drage (3,065) for second, and needs 770 to pass Margin Hooks (2,841) for third
• Receptions: currently ranked #8 with 159; needs 57 catches to pass Austin Collie (215) for first, 46 to pass Matt Bellini (204) for second, and 31 to pass Margin Hooks (189) for third

Harvey Unga, Jr
• Rushing Yards: currently ranked #8 with 2,368; needs 854 to pass Curtis Brown (3,221) for first
• All Purpose Yards: currently ranked #10 with 3,335; needs 1,662 to pass Curtis Brown (4,996) for first, needs 1,315 to pass Austin Collie (4,649) for second, and needs 1,033 to pass Jamal Willis (4,367) for third
• Scoring: currently #7 with 200 points; needs 134 to pass Owen Pochman (333) for first, needs 113 to pass Matt Payne (312) for second, needs 91 to pass Luke Staley (290) for third
• Touchdowns: currently #4 with 33 touchdowns; needs 16 to pass Luke Staley (48) for first, needs 8 to pass Jamal Willis (40) for second, needs 4 to pass Curtis Brown (36) for third