Wow Cruiser, anything around 50 seconds is impressive. Under is blazing. That is college time. Did you get that time in college?

As far as the running backs go it's too early to tell. Vakupuna's time of 4.5 is not slow, it is very fast, especially for someone above 225 lbs. He does have to come back from the injury though. JJ could be the difference. I am very optimistic about him. The potential is here for the best running back play since Staley. We won't know about any of them however, until the season starts.

I don't think the running game will replace the passing game. It is BYU. I do think that the two together will spell a lot of trouble for opposing defenses if they both develop.

QB23

Thing is Tonga hasn't proven he can be effective recieving the ball. That doenst mean he can't but he hasn't had the chance...I can see him being very servicable as a ball carrier but not matching curtis's abiltiy to catch the ball and get incredible yards after the catch. That's bottom line...Curtis got YAC. He didn't always get big YAH, yards after handoff, but he got big YAC.

I've got to disagree with this statement. Tonga has solid hands and I think he moves well with the ball. My favorite play of his came at UNM in 2005 in the 4th quarter comeback.

Several times LAST YEAR, I heard Bronco say (or read in the paper) that Tonga was/is the "most complete running back" on the team-with regard to blocking and carrying and receiving the football.

cruiser

We did have some good running backs last year---in some respects one of the best ever in Curtis Brown. It will be hard for this year's backs to match last year's package, but I'm not prepared to say they won't do it. Fui is a very special running back who has yet to play a full season. If he stays healthy over 13 games, he may become a regular on ESPN's Plays of the Day (something Brown rarely did). Manase also will be a year older and stronger. I wouldn't be surprised to see him catching a few more passes out of the backfield. Also, we don't know what kind of magic DiLuigi will come in with. And don't forget that most of our offensive line is back and even stronger this year. Time will tell, and I would say that odds are in your favor, but I'm not willing to echo your statement just yet.

Question: More than once last year, it was noted that CB's short receiving (in the backfiled to 5 yards out) was essentially part of the running game. Keeps the 'backers honest, even though those yards show up as receiving, not running. With the bruisers we expect at RB, does BYU do more north-south between the tackles to set up the pass or does Anae keep things similar to last year?

I think CB's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield will be a definite plus as he looks to an NFL Camp.

HoosierCougar

cruiser

We did have some good running backs last year---in some respects one of the best ever in Curtis Brown. It will be hard for this year's backs to match last year's package, but I'm not prepared to say they won't do it. Fui is a very special running back who has yet to play a full season. If he stays healthy over 13 games, he may become a regular on ESPN's Plays of the Day (something Brown rarely did). Manase also will be a year older and stronger. I wouldn't be surprised to see him catching a few more passes out of the backfield. Also, we don't know what kind of magic DiLuigi will come in with. And don't forget that most of our offensive line is back and even stronger this year. Time will tell, and I would say that odds are in your favor, but I'm not willing to echo your statement just yet.

Question: More than once last year, it was noted that CB's short receiving (in the backfiled to 5 yards out) was essentially part of the running game. Keeps the 'backers honest, even though those yards show up as receiving, not running. With the bruisers we expect at RB, does BYU do more north-south between the tackles to set up the pass or does Anae keep things similar to last year?

Although it's still too early to make a good prediction, I'd say we won't be a whole lot more effective in the north-south game this year. Right now, it's sure not going anywhere, but then, we're missing Fui, Tonga, Semanoff, and Reynolds. Maybe some of the guys on the board have heard or seen something else, but right now I'd say we're actually going to try to spread the field a little more with roll-outs and bootlegs. That may in turn open up a few things inside, but not a lot.

These predictions are nothing more than a barely educated guess. Let's wait until the big boys come back before we start deciding what they're good at. I do know this, however; our running game will be challenged in the first two games. Both AZ and UCLA will have strong defenses this year. If we can run against them, we'll be able to run against anybody.

nuk13

Wow Cruiser, anything around 50 seconds is impressive. Under is blazing. That is college time. Did you get that time in college?

Yeah, at BYU. I ran it at about 9:00 in the morning in a light rain at the Drake Relays. After working out in cold and snow in Provo, the Iowa rain almost felt warm. I must admit that one of the reasons I moved to California after graduation was because I was so tired of freezing my tail off in Utah. One year the conference championships were held at the U., in the first week of May. It snowed four inches the day before. Wearing a little nylon loin cloth and flimsy tank top while "warming up" for my races nearly ended any hope I had of fathering children. One of the truly great feats in the history of track and field is Ralph Mann's world record in the 440 hurdles. This is a race that can only be practiced outdoors (because of the hurdles on the wide turns), and Ralph, a junior at BYU, who had arrived on a baseball scholarship, braved the elements almost all winter then went out that summer and simply ran faster than any human ever had in that event. Maybe his shorts were fur-lined. (Remember, BYU athletes typically wear the shortest, flimsiest shorts on the planet. Stil do, I believe.) Maybe it was a warm winter. I don't know. But it still stands as an amazing, virtually impossible accomplishment. What I ran may seem fast; what he ran was fast.

[color=blue]
1- Curtis Brown's greatest addition to the team last year was his recieving skills, IMO.

2- That will also be the hardest aspect of our offense to replace this year.

3- I think our RBs are up to the task. I don't doubt Tonga at all.

4- DON'T FORGET ABOUT UNGA! He is almost every bit as good as Tonga, who has just about everything Fui has to offer. [/color:8ee2be9160]