Predict areas where BYU will improve this week.
 

I predict our punting average will improve.

For some reason, I believe Collie, Vakapuna and Tonga have better weeks.

I sure hope it's the field goal kicking that improves this week.

After having slept on it a couple of times, I'm much less concerned about the kicking game than I was immediately after the game. I don't think we saw anything that can't be attributed to first game jitters. The botched hold, and the fact that the punter (santiago?) seemed to settle down and punt fairly well after the first couple of bad ones.

At least we don't have the long-snapper adventure we had at the beginning of last year.

Well one would certainly hope Tonga would have a better week seeing as he didn't play last Saturday.

We played like a top 25 team Saturday. I can't imagine us playing that much better. I'd expect to see areas where we regress rather than improve. We may have a little tougher time opening up holes for the run or protecting the pass. A better QB might be able to pass better on us.

I usually go way out on a limb.

It is my opinion based on UCLA's defeat of USC last season that UCLA has a better defense, and BYU will struggle a bit. However, the most improvement a team usually sees is between first and second game. And BYU has plenty to improve upon. The receivers need better hands and O Line can do better but may not as UCLA's Dline and linebackers may be better.

Overall I see BYU losing but something nags at making me believe I might be wrong.

Our receivers should have a better game than last week. Reid and Collie were the only receivers to have any signicant receptions, both with 41 yards. Allen only had one catch for a yard and Mahuika didn't have any. Hall was able to use his RB's and TE's for some nice yardage, but we need to stretch it out more against UCLA.

On the missed PAT, it was more on the hold than the kicker, IMO. The hold wasn't clean, the kicker was a bit out of rhythm, and the extra second allowed the line to get in and block it. I think the fact that this PAT was blocked factored into the missed FG later on as well.

Kicking is as much mental as it is physical. If you want a good kicker, you'll find a guy who can kick almost mechanically, and not think about anything. When you have to think + kick, that's when you have problems. Because of the missed PAT, I think Payne thought too much on the FG and pulled it instead of just going out there and kicking.

If you watched after Unga scored the last TD, the kicking team was out on the field with the exception of one player... #2, Aussie's boy Bryce. One of the coaches screamed at him as he was coming off the field to get back in there to hold.

I do hope that they can get that exchange down quick, because I could see something like that costing us a game down the line. I think once Payne gets a bit of confidence, he'll be fine as a kicker (part of the reason why I'd hoped Bronco kicked a FG up 13-0 instead of going for it).

Matt Allen tried to catch one with his shoulder pads. He had a couple drops in the Vegas bowl and lets his first pass of the year bounce of his shoulder. Dude, you don't have a D1 schollie because of your blazing speed. You've been taught since pee wee league to catch the ball with your hands. Get it right. I know he has an injury issue on his hand. If it's a problem, sit him down.