I just finished watching the BYU game so let me share a few thoughts

 

• Any road win is a good win and New Mexico is a good enough team to beat you if you aren’t careful.  Therefore, this is a really good win.
• Throughout the game I felt that this team doesn’t have what makes greatness.  Too often they make the mistake that kills their momentum.  Each time they have a chance to put some distance between them and the opponent they make a mistake.
• Those can be penalties or in the first half when they got the ball on three straight drives in Lobo territory and only left with 7 points.
• I thought the offensive play calling by BYU was awful.  The I-formation run was was negating the New Mexico rush and was highly successful.  However, the Cougs insisted on getting out of that formation and running out of the gun which plays into the hands of the New Mexico 3-3-5.   Moreover, only once did they try a play action out of the I Formation and it was on a 2^nd-9.  Not much of a surprise.  If they could establish a legit play action game with the tied ends they have this offense could be great.   I’ll have more details on this coming up.
• The Cougs made a lot of winning plays.  Brian Kehl was outstanding. On the opening play of the 3^rd quarter Reed stepped in front of the New Mexico corner to prevent a pick 6 that would altered the game.
• New Mexico forced BYU to pass to the outside receivers and that was tough
• Great game plan by New Mexico eliminated the backs out of the backfield for Hall and made him uncomfortable without that security blanket throughout the game.
• Also, the Lobos eliminated the middle of the field on seam routes.
• Hall wasn’t outstanding, but he was in control the entire game.  That was a real challenge for a QB that hasn’t won a road game yet.  The scramble to clinch it was fantastic.
• David Nixon had an outstanding game
• CJ Santiago was huge in the first half controlling the field position
• Two kickoffs going out of bounds is brutal.
• New Mexico did a lot of things to lose this game. The flea flicker for an INT, passing on 4^th and 1 when the Cougs were struggling on Ferguson, numerous turnovers and no deep passing game.
• The Cougs were so cautious against the deep passing game they allowed a lot of underneath routes.  New Mexico’s QB was not very good.  He is limited to a quick 3 step passing game otherwise, it is screens and flairs.  He isn’t talented enough to go big.
• The Cougs went with a 3 man rush most of the game.  I wish with 8 players playing the pass the DB’s could play tighter, but maybe not.

 

ALBUQUERQUE - Luck or taking advantage of opportunities?

It doesn’t really matter, as long as you win. BYU’s football team can relate.

The Cougars weren’t particularly sharp Saturday night against New Mexico, and I’m being kind here, but they had enough stones to smack back each time the Lobos tried to deliver a punch. Making the big play when the football bounced their way, the Cougars won 31-24 to record their first road win this season.

Oh, sure, it was ugly, all right. But at closing time, everything is beautiful when your team scores more points than the opposition.

“We don’t really care what it looks like,” said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, with a look of relief splashed across his face in the hallway outside the team’s locker room.

“The bottom line is winning; that’s what it’s all about to win the conference championship.”

Sporting a gash below his lower lip, Max Hall exemplified Mendenhall’s statement. The gutty sophomore had the worst statistical game of his young career (18 of 40 for 251 yards), but he did just enough.

After misfiring on several deep attempts, Hall scratched the itch to go long in the third quarter. So he tossed a perfect ball to Austin Collie, who hauled it in for a 59-yard touchdown pass.

With the score tied at 21-21, Hall found Dennis Pitta in the end zone for a 14-yard touchdown pass. And then facing a third-and-10 in the final minute, Hall scrambled for the first down to effectively run out the clock.

Whatever it takes, brother.

Just ask Collie, who got hurt seemingly on every throw that went his way. A bum ankle forced him down several times.

“I kept calling him a wuss a told him to get up,” Hall joked.

Linebacker Bryan Kehl set the example for BYU’s defense. On the fourth play from scrimmage, Kehl caught a deflected ball and raced in for a 36-yard touchdown. Later, he forced Donovan Porterie to fumble on a fourth down and managed to recover it.

Against UCLA and Tulsa, the bounces went the other way.

“We were due,” Kehl said.

Yeah, it probably was luck that Chris Bolden was in position to recover New Mexico’s fumble off a punt late in the game. But it wasn’t luck that Ian Dulan fell on a fumble in the fourth quarter after several teammates knocked the ball loose from Matt Quillen.

And it wasn’t luck when offensive lineman David Oswald pounced on Harvey Unga’s fumble late in the game with the Cougars clinging to a four-point lead.

Luck is for losers to complain about not having. Winners get on the bus and go home.

“I told [our players] that we turned the ball over way too many times to expect a win,” said New Mexico Rocky Long. “I appreciated their effort; we played hard, but BYU is [not a]  better football team than we are. Make no mistake, they deserved to win the game, but they’re no better football team than we are.”

Maybe not, but there’s only one Mountain West team with a 2-0 record, and it isn’t the Lobos. It’s those Cougars, no matter how ugly it looks.

 

Who knew?

Like everybody else, I thought BYU’s game with New Mexico would be high-scoring. No so, so far.

With both defenses dominating, BYU leads 14-6 at halftime.

Here are some observations:

-         Donavan Porterie looks awful. The redshirt sophomore quarterback has consistently missed receivers all game.

-         - Rodney Ferguson is for real. With yards tough to come by, the New Mexico tailback has bulldozed his way to 51 yards on 12 carries. In New Mexico’s eight-play touchdown drive, Ferguson ran for 31 of the 51 yards.

-         Max Hall seems rattled. I thought he’d be able to handle the 3-3-5 defense, which emphasizes blitzes from different areas, but Hall is off tonight.

-         To get the offense rolling, the Cougars need to go more to the short passing game, featuring the running backs and tight end Dennis Pitta. They also need to go with safe routes to the wideouts.

 

The day BYU left for Saturday’s showdown with New Mexico, the story broke that six freshmen were suspended for violating team rules.

The Provo 6, as they have come to be known, have created a media frenzy. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Busloads of protestors are on their way to BYU’s campus, ready to march on the injustice. Civil rights activists – Al and Jesse, you know those guys - were last seen boarding private jets.

OK, maybe not.

The Provo 6 won’t have any impact on the big game. None of them are playing this season.

The only distractions will be dressed in red, in the form of the Lobos and the fans who will comprise an anticipated sellout crowd. Make no mistake, despite what anybody from Albuquerque says, this is New Mexico’s biggest game in years.

Quarterback Donovan Porterie and receivers Marcus Smith and Travis Brown might be the toughest combination BYU faces this season. If that’s the case, the Cougars could be in trouble – knowing full well that Tulsa’s passing game destroyed BYU’s secondary.

After the Tulsa game, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall took the blame, noting that he didn’t prepare the secondary well enough. Now’s the chance to prove it.

The Lobos aren’t all pass and no run. Rodney Ferguson is one of the MWC’s best running backs, gaining 473 yards in four games. But BYU has played the run well all season.

My take is BYU’s offense will have no problem scoring in the 30s. New Mexico gave up 27 points to a crummy Arizona team.

As long as BYU’s offense has no more than one turnover, the defense should do enough to hold on.

BYU 38, UNM 21

 

Utah State at Utah

 That’s it, I’m done picking the Aggies to win. Already this season, they’ve let me down twice.

Last Saturday’s performance against San Jose State, in which they blew the lead and then failed to handle the kickoff with one minute left in the game, has left me convinced this program doesn’t know how to win.

And the joke is, USU may have fewer problems than then Utes. Last week’s abysmal performance against UNLV was impossible to explain.

If the Utes lay another egg, Kyle Whittingham and his boys are in trouble. But each time we begin the 10-count on Whittingham, his team manages to resurrect.

The Utes can’t just win this game – they’ve got to do it in impressive fashion to regain confidence. Brian Johnson needs direct the offense in a way that bodes hope for the next two months.

Here’s to a good start as Johnson makes his second start of the season at quarterback.

Utah 31, USU 10

 

 

DJ talks to New Mexico Coach Rocky Long. Listen to it here!!!

TOP 100 LIST

Business Week has released their top 100 most powerful people in sports   It is an interesting list and a more interesting discussion of what dictates power.   It has left me with some observations and questions.   I have linked to the list on my Facebook account

 

Roger Goodell is #1, the commissioner of the NFL.  There is no question that NFL is king.  It has the best TV deal, it has the most loyal fan base and it has had the fewest major issues –but let me ask you as a sports fan why – why is the NFL king?

 

Some other observations

• Tiger Woods is #2 on the list and he is the only athlete in the top 10, the next closest active athlete is Peyton Manning at #13; David Beckham is #17 and LeBron at #19.  What really jumps out at me is that Tiger is the only athlete more powerful than his commissioner, Tim Finchem the PGA Commissoner is at 34.  Which means Tiger is the PGA tour and as Tiger wants Tiger does
• David Beckham is an interesting case – he is at #17 where will he be after a year or two in the US. 
• Comcast is rising up the list as a player,  what was supposed to be Fox to threaten ESPN looks as though it may be Comcast as their Chairman comes in at #24.  ESPN/ABC/Disney leader George Bodenheimer is #4
• Barry Bonds is the highest ranking baseball player at #39 – do you really believe that Bonds still has any power and is that where baseball stands that it has no other power brocker.  That is a bad sign for the game of baseball.
• They rank Marc Cuban at #50 and I think it is too low – this is one guy with enough guts to challenge and change things that gives him power
• The highest ranking hockey player is Sidney Crosby at #61
• In the future the biggest jump is going to be internet related.  They rank Bo Bowman who is advanced media for MLB at #52 and John Walsh head of ESPN internet at #66.  They have the key to the future

 

Those are my thoughts.   What would the Utah list look like?   Create the Utah Top 10 Power people in Sports.

Dave Fox responded to his recent legal issues during A-Game.  Listen to his comments here.  Also check out this story in Deseret Morning News for the most accurate information concerning Dave Fox and this situation.

Yesterday the Locke Offensive Stat debuted on www.thefansports.com.   Here is the explanation of the stat.

The premise behind the stat is as follows. 

            A player should be rewarded for two things.  The ability to score efficiently is the first one.  This is calculated by points per scoring opportunity.  (Scoring opportunity is a field goal attempt or a trip to the free throw line.)  Then a player is rewarded for his ability to create his own scoring opportunity.  It doesn’t do a team a great deal of good if you are efficient, but can’t get a shot off.   At the same time, you should be penalized if you take a ton of shots and are inefficient.

            The final step was to determine a level of evaluation.   For this a replacement level was created.  Replacement level is a popular new age baseball statistic.  It is designed to evaluate a player on what they contribute instead of a player who would be called up from AAA.  In the case of the NBA it is a player up from the D-League or an end of the bench offensive player. 

            On average 15 players played for a team last year.  The replacement level was set at 10 players per roster or 300 player’s league wide.  This is somewhat arbitrary.

         Put that all together and you have the Locke Offensive Rating System.

Understanding the Ratings in the Locke

The Top 30 players rate as 25 or higher

The League Average Rating is a 10.

If a player is rated below 0 he is below replacement level

 

Today we look at the Utah Jazz both of the last two seasons

 

2006-07 Utah Jazz – Locke Offensive Stat

Player	06-07	05-06
Boozer	28.9	24.2
Okur	20.9	15.7
Harpring	16.6	11.4
Milsap	15.1
Giricek	15.0	-5.1
Brewer	14.0
Kirilenko	9.5	13.0
Williams	9.1	-.1
Fischer	2.2
J. Collins	-.9	7.1
Araujo	-7.3
Brown	-14.4
Miles	-21.4	-11.9

 

 

Observations: 

1)      Deron Williams regular season was a huge jump from his rookie season, but he didn’t have an overwhelmingly efficient offensive season.   The issue is that in the regular season of possessions that ended in his hand he only went to the free throw line 9% of the time.  In contrast, Gilbert Arenas went 15% of the possessions that ended in his hand.   Tomorrow I will show the playoff numbers.

 

2)      Gordan Giricek had a surprisingly good season.   He shot 46% from the field and 42% of from the three.   That will give you a strong Locke rating.   25% of the possessions that ended in his hands were 3 pt shots that is a huge jump from the year before when he was a 12%.   His offensive numbers in 06-07 are much better than 05-06.

 

3)      How did AK come out decently?  First, if you turn it over this stat doesn’t penalize you and AK turned it over 21% of the possessions that ended in his hand last year.  The key for AK is he goes to the line.  He gets fouled and that is most efficient play in the game.  He went to the line 16% of the possessions that ended in his hand.  This is a 3% drop from the previous year. 

 

4)      Derek Fischer’s regular season offense should not be hard to replace.  It might be a real blessing that the Jazz got out from under his contract. 

 

5)      Carlos Boozer is a stud.  He ranked #15 overall in the NBA and #3 at the power forward behind Dirk and Dwight Howard.

6)      Paul Milsap’s 15 for a rookie is great and totally changed what this team did off the bench. In the previous year they were substituting players below the replacement level.

 

Any thoughts on this or questions?   Put them in the comments.

One of the biggest guests that joins locked on sports every week is nameless.  It's the Major League scout who's identity is protected, but his insight is revealed.  Listen in early on what the scout has to say about your team and their standing in the playoff race.

 

TUNE IN THURSDAY AT 4:00 FOR THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW !!!

David Locke recaps all of the big stories of the day during the opening smash everyday and you can listen in on it exclusively right here!!!!!!

I had a chance to talk to Ute Cornerback Sean Smith after practice on Wednesday.  He talk about the feeling in the locker room, the gameday difference, and what the Utes need to do to win this weekend against Utah State.  Click below to hear the interview.

SEAN SMITH INTERVIEW!

A lot of talk has centered around the continued comments that this Ute team is a good practice team Monday through Friday, but nobody seems to explain why the execution isn't there come gameday.  I talked to a player after practice today that seemed to have an opinion.  The player told me that the atmosphere seems to change in the gameday lockerroom for some of the players.  He told me that some guys seem overconfident while others look scared and overcompensate.

Injury report....defensive linemen Koa Misi (dislocated finger) and Gabe Long (MCL)  both practiced today and look like barring setback will be ready to play.  Linebacker Stevenson Sylvester (broken hand) will start at middle linebacker in place of Joe Gianonni (ankle) who will be out. 

Brian Johnson looked the best he has since separating his shoulder today.  Throwing and completing multiple deep throws, with touch and velocity on them.  Good sign.

DJ and PK talk with Morgan Scalley talks about the Utes as they prepare for Utah St. Listen to it here!!!

DJ PK talk to BYU's Ben Criddle about the BYU D and New Mexico. Listen to it here!!!

DJ and PK talk to Utah St Coach Brent Guy before the game. Listen to it here!!!

PK talks to Coach Doman about the developement of Max Hall. Listen to it here!!!

The Locked on Sports Loyalists, those that have joined our Facebook and MySpace pages, have spoken on the all time BYU Quarterbacks.

            The consensus of the Locked on Sports Loyalists is that the all time BYU Quarterback Ranking is as follows.

           

1. Ty Detmer
2. Jim McMahon
3. Steve Young
4. Robbie Bosco
5. Steve Sarkisian
6. John Beck
7. Marc Wilson
8. Gifford Nielson
9. Brandon Doman
10. Gary Shiedi

The question is where will Max Hall finish?   What is your best guess? 

Understanding, he has only played 4 games in his career, but the praise has been flowing.  LaVell Edwards was on 1320, K-Fan' Locked on Sports yesterday and had remarkable comments.   First, he compares his progress to Jim and Ty.  Then he talks about his moxie.   Plus listen to what Air Force Head Coach Troy Calhoun and New Mexico Head Coach Rocky Long said about Max Hall during the 4 o'clock Locke-Down Hour on Tuesday when we talked to all 9 Mountain West Coaches. 

Tune in today at 3 for Locked on Sports or put your comments in comment section.

If you haven't done so already please join the Locked on Sports Loyalist by being a part of our Facebook or MySpace accounts. 

Listen to the passion of David Locke as he breaks down the biggest issues of the day right here!!!!

Over the past few NBA seasons I have worked to create a statistic to evaluate offensive players.  The traditional stats are antiquated and inaccurate. 

My complaints about traditional stats run from if a player is playing on a higher paced team he will get more opportunities so his points per game will be up to if a player is using a ton of possessions (shots or free throws) he will score points, but it could be detrimental to his team (read: Chris Webber and Alan Iverson).

The other statistic that is worthless is FG%.  If a player shots a lot of three point attempts his shooting percentage may be low, but the more important number is his pts per shot.   A 40% shooter from three is getting his team 1.2 points per shot and it takes a 60% from inside the arch to do the same.

Finally, going to the free throw line is the key to winning basketball.  It is the most efficient way to score.  It also helps your defense and it hurts the other team. 

My original work took a variation of ESPN’s John Hollinger (before he was ESPN) to create something called Stud and Dud%.  This simply evaluated a player’s offensive efficiency.

Over the past year, with the assistance of Supersonics.com brainiac Kevin Pelton a new variation has been created.

The premise behind the stat is as follows. 

            A player should be rewarded for two things.  The ability to score efficiently is the first one.  This is calculated by points per scoring opportunity.  (Scoring opportunity is a field goal attempt or a trip to the free throw line.)  Then a player is rewarded for his ability to create his own scoring opportunity.  It doesn’t do a team a great deal of good if you are efficient, but can’t get a shot off.   At the same time, you should be penalized if you take a ton of shots and are inefficient.

            The final step was to determine a level of evaluation.   For this a replacement level was created.  Replacement level is a popular new age baseball statistic.  It is designed to evaluate a player on what they contribute instead of a player who would be called up from AAA.  In the case of the NBA it is a player up from the D-League or an end of the bench offensive player. 

            On average 15 players played for a team last year.  The replacement level was set at 10 players per roster or 300 player’s league wide.  This is somewhat arbitrary.

            Put that all together and you have the Locke Offensive Rating System.

 

Understanding the Ratings in the Locke

The Top 30 players rate as 25 or higher

The League Average Rating is a 10.

If a player is rated below 0 he is below replacement level

 

Top 10 Players in the NBA

1.   Amare Stoudamire         42.7

2. Yao Ming                            39.6

3. Steve Nash                        39.6

4. Dirk Nowitzki                     37.8

5. Manu Ginobili                    34.5

6. Kobe Bryant                       34.1

7. Kevin Martin                       34.1

8. Dwyane Wade                   33.1

9. Michael Redd                    32.7

10. Brent Barry                       31.1

 

Bottom 10 Players in the NBA (must have played 800 mins)

10. Yakhouba Diawara           -8.5

9. Sebastian Telfair                 -8.8

8. Channing Frye                      -8.9

7. Antoine Walker                     -9.5     

6. Jamal Tinsley                       -10.0

5. Beno Udrich                         -10.3   

4. Clifford Robinson               -10.4

3. Willie Green                         -13.5

2. Adam Morrison                    -13.9

1. Speedy Claxton                   -25.4

 

 

Locke Stat Schedule

Thursday:  The Jazz Players Regular Season

 Friday:  The Jazz Players Playoffs

Monday:  The Point Guards

Tuesday:  The Shooting Guards

Wednesday:  The Small Forwards

Thursday:  The Power Forwards

Friday:  The Centers

 

Put your comments in the comment section.  I will be live in Boise with the Jazz so be sure to keep checking for updates.

In practice on Tuesday, Brian Johnson looked as if he is progressing on fulfilling his promise of being at least 90% come Saturday when he is slated to start against the Aggies.  Johnson made more downfield throws today than I have seen him make since injuring his shoulder.  He did start out a little rusty today, but he got stronger as practice went on.  I talked to him after the practice and you can hear that interview by clicking below.

BRIAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW.

Injury updates;

Gabe Long who is listed as questionable for Saturday's game participated in all of the drills and ran with the first team today, and looked good.

Joe Gianonni is out for Saturday's game.  Coach Whittingham said that his ankle has regressed.

Koa Misi and Corey Seiuli are probable, Stevenson Sylvester will play with a broken hand.

After practice Coach Whittingham and some players were asked about quotes from a Las Vegas Review Journal article (read it here) where Rebel running back Frank Summers and Coach Mike Samford said the Utes looked scared to tackle Summers.  Coach Whitt responded as you would expect a coach to, but it sure did seem to fire up some of the defensive players.

TCU Head Coach just announced that pre-season All-American candidate Tommy Blake will be on medical leave for the next two weeks and will not play. 

Utah will be without  Joe Jiannoni. He will not play this week for Utah due to an ankle sprain.  Let me re-phrase that he will not start, who knows if he suits up if they might need him.  Joe

Be sure to tune in at 4 pm for the Locke-Down hour and hear all 9 Mountain West Coaches. 

Listen to the opening smash preview that kicks off every intense show that airs 3-6 right here!!!

The very first show I did coming back home to 1320, K-Fan I talked about how Max Hall has “it.”  He certainly does.  I want to take one play and talk about it. 

            It was 4^th down and 8 on the Falcons 28 on the first drive of the second half.   This was the drive that eliminated all question in this game.  It was very impressive of the Cougs to come out of the half and just deliver the nail in the coffin.

            All week long on the 1320, K-Fan we had been talking about how Max needed to be a bit more careful, be willing to throw it away or run rather than the turnover.  Max talked about it with PK on our 1320, K-Fan insider reports and on the morning show here on 1320, K-Fan with PK and DJ.

            So here it is Hall drops back and he is under pressure, he steps up in the pocket and look like he is ready to make a run for it, however, remarkably while he is being pushed up in the pocket he keeps his eyes up and just before he commits to the run he notices Unga on the left sideline in single coverage.   Hall stops and floats the most gorgeous ball down the sideline in perfect position for Unga to run underneath it and straight into the end zone for 6.

            You can’t teach it.  On Sunday Night Football, Madden and Michaels were talking about Tony Romo and how he instinctually makes plays and it was the exact play Hall made.  Hall just does it. 

            This guy has played 4 games, but his natural manner about him is greatness.  So many things about that play were special.   The pocket awareness, the ability to see the field while being pressured, the ability to stop and have touch on the ball for Unga and to place the perfect ball down the sideline.

            Hall has it all.   His teammates love to play for him, which is obvious.  He pats opponents on the head after a play, he is having fun, and he is gunslinger.  Most importantly, he is improving every game.

            The numbers tell part of the story.  Hall is on pace to pass for over 4,500 yards on the season and rank among the top-five single-season performances in BYU football history.

            But the real story is from watching him, and Hall has “it”.

The Utes handling of Brian Johnson Saturday night in Vegas makes no sense and calls into serious question the decision making of the Ute Football staff.

            How can they possibly explain that Johnson was able to start the 2^nd half, but not start the game?

            After the game Whittingham said, “just trying to find a way to get something going.”

            This is where the logic falls apart.

            If Johnson is ready he is your starting QB and he should start.  No discussion is necessary.  The only other explanation is that someone decided Grady was the Quarterback.  That couldn't have happened so if Johnson was ready then he starts. 

            If Johnson wasn’t ready to start and therefore it can be deduced that he was not ready to play then he shouldn’t have entered the game.  To put him in the game if he truly wasn’t healthy enough to start is not only a bad decision for the player, but a terrible sign of desperation.    Moreover, it says something about how caught up by emotion the coaching staff is when they alter a decision in the middle of a game.  Those decisions have to be made before the heat of the moment and they have to be solid.

            The most likely scenario is the most disturbing. The coaching staff thought they could sneak through a road game at UNLV without using  their #1 QB.  Opps.  This has huge ramifications.  First and most importantly, if that is what took place I promise the team knew it and that sends a real message to the players about how much to respect their opponent.  They certainly played with a lack of emotion.   Did the coaching staff send an indirect message that we can handle UNLV no problem so that is why we aren't starting Brian.  

             The other scenario is no better.   The team knew Brian wasn't ready and they went to him anyway. 

              I don’t want to make too big a deal about one decision, but the Utes lost their season last night and it seems one decision about the most important position on the field was symbolic of many of the problems confronting this team this year.

 The injuries are still a major issue, but the mishandling of high profile decisions puts into question the decision making of this group. 

We will Smash about it at 3:00 on Monday, in the mean time put your comments in the comment section.  If you haven’t done it yet, join me at my Facebook and MySpace accounts.  

OUCH!!!!

That one hurts.  After a win that could have been a turning point of the seaon, the Utes regress to what I consider to be the low point thus far of the season, and maybe of the past 4 seasons.  Yes, this is the low point thus far. 

With the Oregon State game, there was the excuse of injuries of your top 2 offensive players.  With the Air Force Academy you lost another top player in Brent Casteel, and Tommy Grady was still running an offense that didn't fit his ability.  Then came UCLA, and all is right in the universe.  Hope is alive.  Then comes the UNLV game.   And now the Utes are leaving Las Vegas, about the same way Nick Cage did.

Kyle Whittingham has said that when Brian Johson is ready, he will be our starter, many, many times in the past two weeks, but  a different message was sent tonight.  Did Brian Johnson's shoulder improve that much in the first half of that game on the bench that it was justified to put him in to start the second half.  Was Mr. Miyagi in the locker room rubbing his hands together healing Johnson shoulder.  I was asked in the post game show, "What was the thought process in putting Johnson in?", truth is, I don't know.

Granted the offense was going no where in the first half, but that is what halftime adjustments are for.  And when your halftime adjustment is putting in a quarterback who is not healthy enough to play, that screams desperation.  There is not doubt that Brian Johnson was not ready.  He shouldn't have even been in pad, just to avoid the knee jerk reaction that the coaching staff had at the half.  One play told me how far away from being ready to play, Brian Johnson was and a lot of people missed it.  It was when the shotgun snap went over his head.  Johnson raised his right hand in an attempt to grab the ball, but stopped short.  Why?  His shoulder, and the pain therein, would not allow his arm to go any higher.  I've seen Johnson snatch snapps worse than that out of the air on numerous occasions, why not tonight, he couldn't.  Then when chasing the ball down, Johnson hesitated prior to diving on the ball to cover it.  Why?  He didn't want to dive on the shoulder, then have large men diving on top of him.  Result.  UNLV covers the ball.   That was an example of just one play.  There were many throws that were short, late or just off because Johnson wasn't able to put his normal velocity into his throws.   In fact, I don't remember him throwing a ball deeper than 7 yards to a receiver.

Are Kyle Whittingham and Andy Ludwig so desprate that they are willing to chance the future of Brian Johnson and this team in the hope that his presence will lift them to a win agianst UNLV.  Apparently.

This does not bode well for Ute fans.  What ever confidence Tommy Grady had following the UCLA game is now gone.  Brian Johnson being back at 100% has now been set back.  And you set the tone for freshman Corbin Louks by abbandoning his portion of the game plan after he had the fumble.  So who will quarterback this team next week against USU?  (Still waiting for and answer here.)

I'm not sure where this Ute team will finish this season.  But I do know that some changes need to be made in the decision making process of this team.  There were little to no halftime adjustments made (unless you count starting Brian Johnson).  The decisions to go for it on 4th down and 5, and 4th and 7 in the first half giving the Rebels the ball with decent field possition (the first time resulting in a UNLV touchdown), where headscratching.  Then to leave points off the board in the second half deciding to go for it on the 1 yard line or on a 4th and 1 are mindboggling.  Did you know the Utes are 1 for 4 on 4th and 1's this season?  It is up to Kyle Whittingham to evaluate his coaching staff and it's decision and make the adjustment necassary to help revive the season.  If not, it might be Chris Hill evaluating the coaching staff at the end of the season.

Game Notes;

Utes only have three plays on the Rebel side of the field in the first half.

Another big back dominates the Ute defense (Summers 190 yards, Bernard 174 yards).

The Utes were 1 for 5 on 4th down conversions (3 of them were 4th and 1)

The Utes are shutout for the first time since the season opener in 1993 against ASU in Tempe when they were beat 38 - 0.  (In that time the Utes have shut out 7 opponents; USU, Southern Miss, BYU, Wyoming twice, Louisiana Monroe and Idaho State.)

Stevenson Sylvester may have been a lone bright spot returning to compete in his home town.  Sylvester had 14 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble.

 

 

Talking casually with an acquaintance after a midweek practice, BYU defensive end Jan Jorgensen shook his head in shame.

“I’ve never been so embarrassed in a football game,” he said, the sting of BYU’s humiliating defeat to Tulsa painfully reflected in his body language.

There was only one way to wash away the bitterness. Consider Jorgensen a new man.

As poorly as BYU’s defense played last week, it was that good against Air Force. The Cougars, spearheaded by a stifling defensive effort and an efficient offense, crushed the previously unbeaten Falcons 31-6  on a rainy Saturday before 64,502 drenched customers at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

“This is what we needed,” Jorgensen said.

Snapping a two-game losing streak, BYU played the type of game that could restore the team’s swagger. In every aspect – including, get this, the kicking game – the Cougars dominated.

Although far too early to go crazy, it’s clear that BYU will have a major say in which team wins the Mountain West championship. And if Saturday’s performance isn’t a fluke, the banner won’t be straying from Provo.

All you needed to see in this game occurred in the first four minutes. Quinn Gooch, who looked at the back of Tulsa’s receivers last week, intercepted Shaun Carney’s pass on the game’s third play from scrimmage. Max Hall followed by directing a 43-yard drive that ended