Offense |
Defense |
Depth Chart |
Further Analysis
While most might consider the program to still be reloading after
Crowton was dismissed, the expectations are always high in Provo.
The fans want the old days of BYU back when the program was winning
conference titles with some of the most prolific offenses in college
football history, and this year's team might not disappoint with
veteran quarterback John Beck, excellent running back Curtis Brown,
a fantastic offensive line, and Mackey Award candidate Jonny Harline
at tight end.
However, the defense full of question marks could give up points
just as quickly. The line has issues with experience, the
linebacking corps, while good, is nothing special, and the secondary
might be a major problem until the middle of the season. All this
means lots of shootouts, lots of scoring, and fun, fun, fun.
Head coach: Bronco Mendenhall
2nd year: 6-6
Returning Lettermen
Off. 18, Def. 20, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 23 |
Ten
Best BYU Players
1.
QB John Beck, Sr.
2. TE Jonny Harline, Sr.
3. OG Dallas Reynolds, Soph.
4. RB Curtis Brown, Sr.
5. LB Cameron Jensen, Sr.
6. OT Jake Kuresa, Sr.
7. TE Daniel Coats, Sr.
8. OT Eddie Keele, Sr.
9. OG Ray Feinga, Soph.
10. CB Justin Robinson, Sr.
|
|
2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
8-4 |
|
9/2 |
at Arizona |
| 9/9 |
Tulsa |
| 9/16 |
at Boston College |
|
9/23 |
Utah State |
|
9/28 |
at TCU |
| 10/7 |
San Diego State |
| 10/21 |
UNLV |
| 10/28 |
at Air Force |
| 11/4 |
at Colorado State |
| 11/9 |
Wyoming |
| 11/18 |
New Mexico |
| 11/25 |
at Utah |
|
|
2005
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
6-5
2005 Record: 6-6
Preview
2005 predicted wins |
| 9/3 |
Boston College L 20-3 |
| 9/10 |
Eastern Illinois
W 45-10 |
| 9/24 |
TCU
L 51-50 OT |
|
10/1 |
at San Diego St
L 31-10 |
| 10/8 |
at New Mexico W 27-24 |
|
10/15 |
Colorado State
W 24-14 |
| 10/22 |
at Notre Dame L 49-23 |
| 10/29 |
Air Force
W 62-41 |
| 11/5 |
at UNLV
W 55-14 |
| 11/12 |
at Wyoming W 35-21 |
| 11/19 |
Utah L 41-34 OT |
| 12/22 |
Las Vegas Bowl
California L 35-28 |
|
Welcome back to the days of the 45-41 shootouts. Welcome back to the
days when BYU was relevant. And welcome back to the days when BYU's
offense made opposing teams tremble. Sort of.
At one time, BYU was one of the most
innovative programs in college football. It's offenses were able to move
the ball at will with a high-octane passing attack that cranked out
yards and points on everyone. Now the Cougars are followers continuing
to employ a sort of spread formation, but it's the good, old-fashioned
BYU passing game that will get everyone humming.
Thanks to Beck, who's in the hunt to finish as BYU's number two passer
of all-time behind Ty Detmer, a 4,000-yard season is possible with at
least 30 touchdowns as long as the wide receivers come through with a
big season. Throw into the mix Brown, who should be a 1,000-yard runner,
and BYU will put up pinball numbers. If the defense can just hold serve
and make a couple of plays here and there, this could be a big
bounce-back season.
If nothing else, the Cougar fan base is excited about the direction of
its program. Mendenhall says and does all the right things, but winning
is all that matters. This year's team might struggle here and there, but
it'll show that BYU football is close to being back.
The
Schedule:
It shapes up well for Mountain West play with four
non-conference games to use as tune-ups, helped most by a light
scrimmage against Utah State, before the conference-opening showdown at TCU. If the Cougars can somehow get out of Fort Worth with a win, it's
smooth sailing with home games against San Diego State and UNLV followed
up by a road trip at Air Force. In other words, a win over TCU will
likely mean an unbeaten conference record going into November with the
road trip to Utah looming. The
non-conference slate is tougher than it looks with road trips to Arizona
and Boston College and a home date with Conference USA champion Tulsa.
Best
Offensive Player: Senior QB John Beck. Other Mountain West
quarterbacks will put up big numbers, but Beck has the experience, the
offense, and the talent to put up the best numbers in the league. If BYU
wins the league title, Beck will probably be the Mountain West player of
the year.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior LB Cameron Jensen. With 187 tackles over
the last two years, Jensen has grown into the unquestioned leader of the
defense and a legitimate All-America candidate. With the defense a big
question mark, he'll have to be a steadying force from the start.
Key player
to a successful season: Senior NT Hala Paongo. The defense needs to
be better in all phases, but making sure things are solid on the inside
will be a good starter. Cameron Jensen and Markell Staffieri will be
good inside linebackers, so the more Paongo can be an anchor up front
and let the linebackers roam free, the better.
The season
will be a success if ... the Cougars come in second in the Mountain West. This is a
relatively lofty goal considering the defense is mediocre at best and
with road trips to TCU and Utah. The offense will simply outbomb
everyone else.
Key game:
Sept. 28 at TCU. Last year's 51-50 overtime loss to the Horned Frogs
was a classic. If the Cougars can win the nationally televised Mountain
West opener in Fort Worth, they'll be in a perfect position to go on a
huge run up until the regular season ender at Utah. Lose to TCU and
there will be no margin for error the rest of the way.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Penalties: BYU 100 for 870 yards - Opponents 100 for 848 yards
- Yards per catch: Opponents 12.5 - BYU 11.2
- Time of possession: BYU 32:21 - Opponents 28:54
The Last Time BYU…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Las Vegas Bowl vs. Cal)
…missed a bowl game…2004
…pitched a shutout…1999 (UNLV)
…was shutout…2003 (Utah)
…scored 50 points…2005 (UNLV)
…went undefeated…1984
…won a conference title…2001 (Mountain West)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2005 (John Beck)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Curtis Brown)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2004 (Todd Watkins)
…had a first-round draft choice…2000 (LB Rob Morris)
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