Taysom Hill
It's really a shame to lose Hill for the year on a play that didn't need to be called. I'm not going to question THAT play call. Bronco clearly made a mistake not catching the fact that they weren't in victory formation until it was too late. What I will question is the fact that, after losing Nelson to injury at some point during three consecutive seasons, Doman called 60 plays in Friday night's game that could have resulted in Hill getting hit. Yes, 60 plays that put Taysom Hill in the crosshairs. It was that 60th play that turned out to be the one that cost BYU. It was a fluke. It wasn't the toll of a long game of many hits. It just happened. But when the OC calls 80% of the plays as passes, QB designed runs, or option running plays, opening a QB up to 60 potential hits, it just magnifies the chance of there being that ONE hit which does him in. Shame FOR Hill; shame ON Doman.
What makes mobile QBs great is not the designed running plays for them. It's how they use their mobility to improve their PASSING. Doman doesn't operate under that mindset: he believes it's all about calling 4-5 QB draws each quarter to get them in space (only the frequency with which he calls the draw automatically reduces the "space" they get to play in). If he doesn't change that approach, BYU fans will find out how good James Lark is. Soon.
Missionary Age Change
Plenty has been made of this over the weekend. I'll be honest, my second thought after hearing the age announcement was the positive impact it will have on BYU's football program. For a few of you that I talked to, it was your first thought. My wife says we're a bunch of losers. Clearly, I think this is a good thing for the program. Bronco rarely plays freshmen anyway, so it gives them a chance to not have to waste a season before their mission with a redshirt or minimal playing time. They can use the redshirt immediately following their mission and have 4 good seasons after that. I could talk more about this, but I'd rather open up the comments section and hear your thoughts.
My second thought is, at least initially, it will reduce the number of married players on the team. One, they will be a year younger when they return from their missions. Two, the pool of ladies with "sweet spirits" and similarly sweet looks/bodies will be smaller, at least among the population from age 19-20.5. Also, with a huge influx of young women serving missions, I think it opens up the recruiting base for BYU. Much like Tennessee sending cheerleaders out to high school football games to recruit...ok, a little different. But it couldn't hurt to have some of the ladies that used to get married at 20 b/c they were everyone's first choice out in the field serving and spreading the good news of BYU football, I mean, the gospel...
BYU in the Polls
I'm a little surprised BYU didn't garner a single vote in either of the polls at 4-2. Their losses at Utah and Boise State were well-documented. BYU is 4 points and two plays away from 6-0. Granted, Utah's lack of success hasn't helped BYU's cause since then. The schedule, in spite of Utah's unexpected struggles, is shaping up to be tougher than I thought it would be. Oregon State is looking very solid (though I believe they're a little over-rated right now for what they have actually accomplished thus far this season) and could potentially give Oregon a run for their money in the Pac 12. It's entirely within the realm of possibilities that Notre Dame makes a BCS game. San Jose State and Utah State look more than capable of finishing 1-2 in the WAC (or at least 2-3 behind a good Louisiana Tech team). Boise State probably will win the MWC.
Georgia Tech is struggling more than most people, including myself, thought. Hawaii, Idaho, and New Mexico State are having the types of bad seasons most expected. Washington State has been semi-competitive, but still awful, in most cases. All in all, though, it will be a good enough schedule for a 9-3 BYU team to be in the running for the 20th spot in the BCS rankings. Of course, that implies BYU wins either against Oregon State or at Notre Dame. The schedule isn't good enough (nor would I consider BYU good enough) to be ranked at all at 8-4...
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