12-31-2011, 10:46 PM | #1 |
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Armed Force's Bowl report, BYU vs. Tulsa
So now in BYU's third game this year in the great state of Texas, I finally attended. The game was held in SMU's Gerald Ford Stadium, which is very small and intimate.
First, the non-football stuff. It's probably obvious to anyone who watched on TV that the stadium was not full. Not even close to full. There were more Tulsa fans on the east side, but appeared to be a lot more BYU fans on the west side. My brother-in-law thought it was 2:1 in BYU's favor. I would say it was likely at least 3:2 BYU. Not a terrible showing for BYU given that Tulsa is actually not far away in Oklahoma. The weather was great. Temp was probably at 70, but felt hotter in the direct sun. Not very much electricity in the crowd. I happened to be sitting right behind some avid BYU fans who started chants on the West side. By the second half, I was even joining in. It was because of these folks that I ended up being on TV, I found when reviewing the recorded broadcast. Yes, me in HD glory, on your TV set. Now to the football game. Best BYU player on the field, it seemed to me was Kyle Van Noy. I knew he was special the first time I saw him play. He only continues to confirm that. Hoffman had a monster game, and that was impressive. But something else stood out even more to me: just how terrible Riley Nelson is. This was the first time for me to see him play in person, and my goodness, he is TERRIBLE. For an "athlete", he sure isn't all that athletic. His arm is a wet noodle. His accuracy is non-existent. He can only make one read (if he is lucky), and then it is tuck and run. He felt like the least dangerous player on the field, who could only make one throw--the slant. Sometimes short, sometimes deeper. It's very unsatisfying to a BYU fan, and not have a team able to throw the ball effectively. To have a quarterback who feels like a liability, rather than the star of the team. If BYU's 2012 future is Riley Nelson, I fear for that future. I appreciate his moxy, his desire to win, but we need to face the facts--he SUCKS. And if we had a good quarterback, we would be light years ahead of where we are now. I realize the running backs are bad, and the offensive line was overrated, and that we have no effective speed receiver. But still, this is a quarterback who just doesn't see the field, and can't make the throws. I've seen it in person. It's too bad that Heaps was not appreciably better. This wasn't a high bar to cross: "better than Nelson." Doman left me scratching my head most of the game. We are running the ball effectively, and he is putting the ball in Nelson's hands to throw? Trick plays that lose yards? This felt like a poorly coached team. Coaches who don't know how to put their players into position to win. Better coaching would have resulted in an easy victory, when comparing talent levels. But what do I know. Maybe Bronco and Doman really are gods incarnate. Fumbled punt return was huge and really gave BYU fans a huge relief, in a game that felt like it was certain to be a loss. I was not happy in the moment re: punting from the 33, but it turned out okay. I guess that shows how little confidence the coaches have in Nelson throwing. Final touchdown was exciting, and BYU fans were jumping in the stands. Tulsa fans were classy from what I could tell. No complaints there. Armed Forces bowl recognized wounded veterans and had a military induction ceremony at halftime. It was a modest affair, but classy, in terms of the bowl production. This was the first bowl I had ever attended, so I don't have anything to compare it with. I had a fun time at the bowl and was glad I went. Regarding the team, there is the feeling of inconsequentiality and a subpar product. But so it is. |
01-03-2012, 12:50 PM | #2 |
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Which quarter were you on TV?
Reynolds has a sick video he can send to NFL scouts now.
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01-03-2012, 05:58 PM | #3 |
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I have this picture in my mind of Chinocoug desperately searching for me on his recorded copy of the game.
Let me just say that I am the stunningly handsome one with ironic detachment. |
01-03-2012, 07:56 PM | #4 |
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OK, I don't want people to think I'm gay so I'll drop it.
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01-03-2012, 09:53 PM | #5 |
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in the old days of CG, I might have even posted a screen shot. These are the new days, not the old days.
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01-05-2012, 01:23 PM | #6 |
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actually, there's a greater need to post that material now that there's almost nothing else here.
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01-05-2012, 06:06 PM | #7 |
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your logic is curious.
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01-09-2012, 06:37 PM | #8 |
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That reverse to Apo was the worst play call of the game, and maybe season.
If I remember right, we had a little momentum going and at that point the offense wasn't having much trouble moving the ball. We call a reverse that loses 11 yards and everything started going down from there. Until the fumbled punt that is. |
01-09-2012, 06:57 PM | #9 | |
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Quote:
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