I am writting my opinion on next season. One because i am board and two because I love BYU football. Next year WILL be special and I'll tell you why from top to bottom.
1. BYu won the MWC. I know some here and some reading may not view this as some good sign but last year the MWC was probably better then it has been in years if not in its entire history. We had a lot of wins vs BCS programs as a conference we had a great bowl record (best in Division1 football) and we won it with a very young and inexperienced offesnive team. this coming season the MWC is looking strong again but we return an offense that will be similiar to 2006. A year experience under their belt and they'll be ready to put up bigger numbers then last year.
2. We won the Vegas Bowl. BYU has a terrible bowl record but we have proven some consistency over the past few years in bowls under Bronco. i know we had a somewhat less then stellar showing in the Vegas Bowl but that is why it is a reason we will be big next year. I shall explain. The team went into that game feeling like they deserved better and that they should get an easy win off a depleted UCLA team. Basically they came in like Oregon did in 2006, the difference is we still won and Oregon got destroyed. this squad learned a valuable lesson that day. they learned that they can't take ANYONE for granted or else they can lose. I expect them to take every game serious even when they are winning big because they now know they are not unbeatable. Basically there won't be any trap games because they'll be ready for the traps.
3. the team. I shall break it down.
Offense:
QB-We are loaded and ready. Gaskin is getting better from what reports I have heard and Hall will be the man next season. He toned down at the end and made better reads with his WR and stopped suqeazing the ball so many times for INT's. Bascally he matured. He now knows the offense a lot better with a year under his belt and he has been throwing the ball around with his WR a llot and likely has been doing it since football ended. Nothing gets a QB better then practice with his WR. They learn to read each other and they learn their timing which is valubale. Expect to see a more mature and not injured Hall with a quicker release, better reads, and even more important better at reading defenses.
RB-Fui should be 100% hopefuly and watch for him to have a break year. Tonga will be Tonga and get those valubale short yardage plays and make great catches. Unga will be even beter. Experience, confidence, and desire. this will be the true fearsome 3 in the backfiedl we expected to see last season. all three will contrubute and we will be very very hard to stop on the run.
WR-Loaded, Collie will be very huge this year. Hall and collie have that it factor. They will know each other so well and it will show on the field during games. Reed will be more of a factor since I hear he has started going to the throw arounds with Hall and now Hall will be used to him as well. as for the others they will make their presence known but these are the two to watch for. Expect collie to have a even bigger year and make some national noise.
TE-Loaded, Pitta will be the man. My opinion is he is faster and a better blocker then Harline and just as good of a catcher. He knows the system with a year under his belt of real playing time and he will be huge. He may never put up Harline types of numbers because he has Collie and Reed at WR. George will be a factor as well. The TE will be dominant like always. Expect Pitta to be big on many plays and expect to hear his name thrown around for the best TE in the country. George will also be big at times.
O-line-Depth and talent, This O-line will be better then last year and last years was the best in the conferecne and in my opinion one of the best in the country. They had their struggles espcially on the outside at times but hey a new O-line caoch with different blocking patterns they should have taken in my opinion a larger step backward last season but instenad went forward. Vegas we were manhandled only because they stacked the box and due to Hall's injuerd arm BYU kept with the run when we should have aired it out. notice how little we heard from davis after half time adjustments. He gave us problems but we adjusted and he became just another player. Expect this squad to be very good in both the run and the pass. They now have one year of learning their new coaches method and system and they will be better from the start, and boy dowe have depth.
Defense:
LB's-Loaded, We lose a lot and their are questions, but how can anyone think we step down at this position? We gain overall speed and athleticism at this position. size may take a down fall but it is hard to gauge since the hieghts and wieghts posted are usuallu not correct. Expect more speed more hustle due to that speed and more big plays. Expect a step forward.
Secondary-This is the biggest ?. But what we can expect is is an increase in speed and in my opinion a large increase in speed and and good step forward in athleticism. Yes we lose a lotof experince but we gain faster more athletic players at each of those positions. People these will not be walk-ons starting next year, with the excpetion of maybe Rich (though he could have easily been a scholly player). With Hill at the helm coaching these kids watchout. We all saw what he did in 1 year with a scrub walk-on secondary after 2005, i can't wait to see what he'll do with these faster more athletic scholly players. expect a step up and likely a big step up.
D-line-They will be feared and they will dominate. I can't even count how many times I was watching a game and saw just 3 men rush the QB and they were still getting to the QB and putting pressure and making sacks on him. More depth then last year and more experince, it will be a beautiful thing to watch. Expect to see a step up.
Thanks for the info about Reed going to practice with Hall. I hope that's true. I think Reed has a lot of talent and lots of drive to be good. If he can get in a rhythm with Hall, he and Collie are going to be dangerous on opposite sides of the field. Remember when Reed blocked that Ute to the ground last year on the pass to Allen student side of the field? That needs to be on BYU's best hits.