Good stuff.

I hope we see JJ returning punts next year, I really think he could excel at that, he and Collie would make a nice combo returning kicks as well.

I hope Fui drops 15 or 20 lbs before next year, if he does that, he and Unga will be quite a challenge for other teams to have to deal with.

Has anyone heard if Bright will be able to recover fully before next season? I heard he suffered a compound fracture in the bowl game.

I'm already stoked for next season!

McGregor wrote:

Here are a few things I think you will see this upcoming year.

1) Anae. First of all, I think a lot of the complaints about Anae are unwarranted. Uniformly there are football answers to all complaints I see, but I will save that discussion for another thread. But in 2008, you will see a more "open" BYU. Robert has been here long enough that he can comfortably run some plays within his system and style that we maybe haven't seen before. I know I've seen some plays in practice that have never made it to the game field.

2) Collie. I'm a Collie homer, I admit. But think about what he accomplished this year coming off a mission and on a sprained ankle. Expect this guy to shave a tenth, or more, from his 40 time, expect him to polish off his already EXCELLENT route-running, and expect him to lean up a bit more. With all of this, and an entire off season building that connection with Max . . . Wow! I have it on pretty good authority that Collie expects that this coming year to be "Heismann-esque" (not that he will win it, but that at the end of the year, he will be able to fill a similarly-looking highlight reel).

3) Max Hall. I expect Max to increase the velocity of his throws a little, and I expect to see him work all summer at moving through his progressions. I also expect that he's going to work on his foot speed.

4) Jan Jorgensen. Favorite defender. Does anyone else need reminding that he's only a sophomore??? He will work on his technique, build a little more muscle mass, but work on his burst.

While I'm at it, I think Denney will be the other DE. Add his development in, and I think we will have an amazing DL, almost regardless of who we plug into the DT. Also look for Steve Fendry to make some noise.

5) Harvey The Unga. So no one is going to mistake Harvey as a track star, but it would not be a stretch to accuse his freshman play as "junior." I think he's two years ahead of the curve. I expect that next year he will block better and catch better. I do think he'll try to get a little faster, too. I think his main concern, though, should be learning the offense and blocking. That's the main thing we miss without Curtis Brown. If Harvey learns this, I expect better protection for Max, and more swing passes to Harvey.

6) The secondary. I love the guys we have this year. BUT. Expect to see much, much more speed in the secondary. I'm repdicting G Pittman as the next Morgan. Howard has already proven that he's quite capable--I have no worries about him. I think the CB position will be every bit as strong as it was this year, but a LOT quicker. Just think--If Coach Hill can compensate for lack of athleticism with our current DB's by teaching them the fundamentals, think what that teaching could mean to someone with more athletic ability. Crazy.

I don't expect to see Tafuna, and I'm not sure Fowler will keep his job. I think before the season started there were freshman that were competing for the starting job. I just think Bronco wanted to keep these guys in the wings if he could.

7) JJ DiLuigi. He hasn't touched the turf yet, but I'm excited. We could write pages of why we didn't see the slot this year, but suffice it to say, JJ will bump out the competition. He will be cross trained at slot and RB, but will add a deminsion to this offense that will open things up again.

8) No loss on the OL. Sete was great, but Sorenson will be NO drop off.

9) LBers. We know Doman can play. So can Hooks and so can Bauman. I expect that Van Sweden and Nelson will also get some serious looks. Brian Kehl will be missed, but I think the collective speed at the LB position will be enhanced, with no toughness or mass lossed.

10) Special teams. I've talked about this elsewhere, but I think Sorenson beats out Payne. I think some of it will depend on Sorenson's mission plans, which I understand are not solid (but I've heard otherwise from reliable sources--interestingly, I heard BOTH from reliable sources). As someone mentioned on another thread, I think Sorenson's field goal ability and the field position with added depth on kickoffs will earn us at least 3 points a game, if not more. I think it's safe to say he will get us an extra field goal, and give us field position for an extra touchdown per game.

Also, Austin Collie will be returning kicks. I expect that Bryce may not be returning punts, nor back with Austin returning kicks. G Pittman was looking like he may get that call. Also, if we land Chambers, he may have a shot.

And finally, I think deep-snapping duties go to either Denney or Fendry, likely Fendry.

11) Remember, for what it's worth, Tonga and Vakapuna will both be back.

12) Bronco. I think what is also EXTREMELY important to remember is that Bronco will be a senior. His 6-6 campaign was his freshman effort. He was still learning, and baking a cake without all the ingredients.

2006 was his sophomore year. Both he and the team finally had identity. That helped make a great class of seniors that much better. But he still had a lot to learn.

In 2007, his junior year, he faced a monumental challange: take an infant offense and make them compete. It didn't help that his secondary had a hard time staying healthy (or waking up). But he did it. He was able to make the results of the previous year, even if he didn't produce as much results. But he learned a lot.

2008 is Bronco's senior year. He knows how he wants to do things. He knows what makes HIS recruits tick. He knows his staff. He knows strengths and weaknesses. And most importantly, his players believe his word as gospel.



If you've made it all the way to this line, then dock me some karma points.

Please add your own.

JL McGregor
Cleveland OH

Dang! I can't dock you Karma points. That was one of the best Posts I've ever read! And I agree with everything you said. Other then Kehl leaving I am really excited about the defense! I hope their will be a lot more blitzing next year with better cover corners. And faster Safeties! I'm so excited about Dilugi the dude is going to be awesome! Collie! Enough said. I hope Mike Reed with it being his senior year will be able to get the ball and have that breakout year that we've been waiting for.
Another person that everyone needs to watch out for is Luke Ashworth! As long as he can do what Collie did. By getting back into football shape. I'm so excited for next year! Go Cougars!

Gymcoug318 wrote:

Dang! I can't dock you Karma points. That was one of the best Posts I've ever read! And I agree with everything you said. Other then Kehl leaving I am really excited about the defense! I hope their will be a lot more blitzing next year with better cover corners. And faster Safeties! I'm so excited about Dilugi the dude is going to be awesome! Collie! Enough said. I hope Mike Reed with it being his senior year will be able to get the ball and have that breakout year that we've been waiting for.
Another person that everyone needs to watch out for is Luke Ashworth! As long as he can do what Collie did. By getting back into football shape. I'm so excited for next year! Go Cougars! :lol:

To keep it going,

1) Bronco's defense. Central to Bronco's defense is the ability to Zone Blitz. I think as he defense fills out you will see more blitzing. Also, Bronco is a disciple of speed.

2) Mike Reed. I think he's maxed out on speed. Unfortunately, I think athletic CB's can cover him in man. His best attributes are his size, which lets him get the jump balls, and he's a heck of a blocker. I would like to see him have a better year next year.

3) Luke Ashworth. I've heard former players mention his name as a future contributor. That's certainly likely. But I'm not sure he makes it onto the field too much in 2008. I'm not sure. I just think we'll have a deeper WR corps, and I'm not sure he's in it. As I see it:

Starters:
Mike Reed
Austin Collie

2nd String:
Jordan Smith
?

Those vying for that other spot will be Luke Ashworth, Spencer Hafoka (who is already back and working hard to get into shape, and joins the team in January), Daniel Tervort (although I doubt it), Bryce Mahuika, and possibly a true freshman. And I've heard from at least one person that should Chambers come to BYU, he's probably good enough to crack the two-deep his first year.

McGregor wrote:

1) I don't know if Tia will be 100% by fall. His injury was significant. But I think Foketi, among others, or perhaps a new recruit like Mauga, will fill in just fine.

2) Yes, Nixon will come back. I hope he works on his technique. I'm concerned that against quick and strong TE's and OT's he does not break free fast enough.

3) The thing that will save us next year are two great corners. We need to be able to stack the box with little worry. This will prove true against Washington's Jake Locker. We need to contain him. That's hard to do, but not nearly as hard when you have corners that can both play man coverage.

Thanks for the reply.

We have alot of JC talent coming in this season. Most of it is on defense and were JC AA or all conference. I really think since Bronco has been here for 7 seasons, the defense is totally in reload mode.

The most important game next season will be the Washington game. Locker is Tebow West, but not as accurate. If Locker could throw a better ball this year, Washington would have gone bowling and beaten Hawai'i. BYU beats Washington if Locker is off on his accuracy and BYU is prepared for his scrambling. Since many of his runs were by design, I really think Bronco will have the team prepared. If Hill has the secondary ready, I really don't see how Locker can beat BYU. If BYU does win, then I think going into Utah, TCU, and Air Force will be same as usual.

Now that UCLA has a new HC not named Walker, we will be facing him either at Washington, which wants him badly, or he stays at UCLA. I think he leaves for Washington since he can step in for Willingham as HC if Willingham doesn't get it done. SO if UCLA has a new DC, then I think BYU beats UCLA more certainly than if Walker remains.

McGregor wrote:

I think Urban's circumstances were much different than Bronco's. In his last to moves he walked into excellent recruiting classes. Bronco has had to build from the ground up.

I disagree with the many Cougar fans that feel a NC is out of reach. to the contrary, it's imaginable for the 2009 season.

2008 is too soon. Our best hope is to bust the BCS. A win in a 2008 BCS bowl would give us the publicity, and preseason ranking, we need to contend for a NC should we go undefeated the next year (2009). The key would be the communication to the voting media that the playmakers on the 2008 BCS-crashing team were juniors (or younger). I think this would set us up nicely. It would also help for the USC's of the world to lose, too.

I didn't mean to overlook that Urban walked into situations with excellent talent, but good that you point that out. I think the 2004 Utah team was one of the 3 best teams in the country. Yet, I also think that the MWC was at perhaps its lowest point in a long time as the other teams were just plain awful, which made Utah look that much better.

My point is that Bronco and Urban are exceptional coaches that were able to turn around their programs very quickly. I am with you. I think BYU can compete for an NC. The formula is there, get to and win a BCS bowl then play a challenging schedule and go undefeated again. Many have heard me say this before, but a BCS title game is not the only road to a NC championship. I think if BYU plays the best football in the country, even with their schedule and are the only undefeated team left, the AP voters would love to stick it to the BCS and vote a team like BYU the NC. I'll take a split title any day.

McGregor wrote:

Many have heard me say this before, but a BCS title game is not the only road to a NC championship. I think if BYU plays the best football in the country, even with their schedule and are the only undefeated team left, the AP voters would love to stick it to the BCS and vote a team like BYU the NC. I'll take a split title any day.

Interesting thought, one I hadn't entertained. Currently, AP and the other polls that are voted on have us at 19. Only the BCS, which factors in computer rankings, has us ranked 17. It seems that the computer gives us more respect than coaches and writers. I believe this is at least partially a result of our limited television coverage. Will this change next year? Is it possible that coaches and writers will give us more respect even without being able to watch many of our conference games?

However, I like your thinking. If we can beat Washington and UCLA on national TV, then keep winning, I believe the road to #1 is potentially available outside the BCS. But it will mean winning consistently and convincingly--a tall order.