BYU-Notre Dame Post Game

BYU fans seem to be up in arms again after the Cougars delivered another lackluster performance on the road against a good, but not great, team.  I think it boils down to a few major issues, both of which have almost always been the case at BYU, though it seemed that Van Noy, Sorensen, Hill, and Hoffman had "solved" some of those issues.

Lack of Playmakers
The first 5 minutes at Notre Dame, one could argue, ultimately cost BYU the game, as it gave them a chance to seize early momentum instead of giving it to the Irish.  It was plays MISSED by Hoffman and Van Noy that cost BYU.  Hoffman drops a ball that would have given BYU a first down and moved them deeper into Notre Dame territory.  It occurred on 2nd and 7 in Notre Dame territory and would have pushed BYU inside the Notre Dame 40-yard line with a 1st and down.  Gain a little more yardage and kick a field goal and go up 3-0?  Or, do the unthinkable, and actually take that drive and cross the goal line for a nice 7-0 lead?

Then, on 3rd and 1 for Notre Dame in the ensuing possession, Kyle Van Noy had ND's RB in the backfield for a 2-yard loss.  He misses the tackle, the guy gets a first down, and Tommy Rees launches a 61-yard TD on the next play.  If the two alleged playmakers make the two plays, BYU receives a punt with 8 or 10 minutes left in the first quarter with the lead.  BYU's next drive ended with a TD, so if that had still happened, BYU could have been up 10-0 or 14-0 with 5 minutes left in the first quarter still!

BYU consistently fails to make those plays on offense and on defense to extend drives.  Against Wisconsin, first possession, BYU forces a 3rd and 12 right out of the gate, only to give up a 13-yard pass and a first down.  The drive eventually ends in 7 points and the Badgers never looked back.  I think the inability to stomp out those drives in the first 5 minutes of the game (and last 5 minutes of the 2nd quarter, as Virginia, Utah, Houston, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame all had scoring, or long, drives to end the first half) has prevented BYU from beating Virginia and Utah and from competing against Wisconsin and Notre Dame.

Coaching in the Secondary
On 6 occasions against Notre Dame, on 2 or 3 against Utah, 3 or 4 against Wisconsin, BYU's age-old tradition of being AWFUL when the ball was in the air held true.  I know BYU was digging deep into its secondary by playing True Freshmen Dallin Leavitt and Michael Davis against Notre Dame.  I would love to blame it on them being freshmen, but the fact is they played the ball like every other BYU CB I've seen over the past 15 years.

In high school, we spent 10 minutes EVERY day in practice learning how and when to turn your  head around to play the ball.  That was 15 years ago.  In high school.  BYU defensive backs seem to NEVER have done this.  Consequently, the linebackers and safeties seem to have this down pat.  The corners missed 6 chances to get interceptions or break up passes and instead gave up 4 long completions and were called for 2 pass interference calls.  It's an enormously different game if those guys had any idea how to play the ball in the air.  Tommy Rees is an above average QB.  BYU made him look like a Heisman contender, at least in the first half.

Boils Down to Those 2
You can make a lot of other arguments for what happened at Notre Dame, but those are the things that have held consistent across all of BYU's losses: the playmakers not making the big plays when it mattered the most (i.e. when it was still a game) and the secondary getting torched by average (at best!) passing games.  Tommy Rees had his 4th best game of the season against BYU.  The top three were Temple, Purdue, and Air Force, who have combined for fewer wins than BYU has by itself (and the same amount that Utah, who won't even make a bowl game, has).  Joel Stave of Wisconsin had, according to ESPN's QB Rating, his 2nd best game of the season against BYU.  The best was against Illinois, yes, against 4-7 Illinois.  Travis Wilson's game against BYU was his 3rd best of the season, with his the only better games coming against Utah State and Weber State.

BYU has a history of not making those big plays.  BYU has a history of making average QBs look like All Americans.  That is why BYU is 7-4 instead of 10-1 or 9-2.  Blame Anae, blame Bronco, blame Jake Heaps, blame whomever you want.  The fact is that BYU is having the same problems it has always had, which really boils down to recruiting.  Would BYU fans rather have playmakers on the team (and playing DB) or would BYU fans rather have a team that really can uphold Tradition, Spirit, and Honor?  That, ultimately, is the trade-off that has to happen.  I, for one, can live with 8-4.