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JaredCowley | Friday, November 10, 2006, 7:37 am
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Darnell Dickson
DAILY HERALD
Following are the positional grades for BYU in its 55-7 win over Wyoming.
Quarterback A
John Beck tore up Wyoming’s vaunted pass defense and it didn’t really look that hard for him. Wyoming did sack him twice near the end of the first half but for the most part, he could pick and choose where he threw. He threw short, he threw deep and played like BYU senior quarterbacks have played in the past. He passed Jim McMahon for second place on BYU’s all-time career passing and career total offense list.
Running Back B
With Fui Vakapuna not at 100 percent, Curtis Brown had a tough time getting yards against Wyoming. A couple of times, he was stood up at the line of scrimmage and you don’t see that very often. He turned a short gain into a 37-yard run. He finished with 92 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. He’s 38 yards from becoming BYU’s all-time leading rusher.
Offensive Line A-
An A- because of the two sacks allowed in the second quarter. But the rest of the time, Beck had all day to throw and the running game set up Beck’s big passing day. Getting Ray Feinga back in the lineup helped. This group really sets the tone for the offense.
Wide Receiver/Tight End A-
Jonny Harline had a terrific game (six catches, 104 yards and 2 TD’s) and threw to nine different receivers. Michael Reed has been having a quiet season but sometimes — like against TCU and Thursday against Wyoming — he just looks like a star. His catch in the end zone for the first-quarter touchdown was one of the best of the year.
Defensive Line A-
Game in and game out, this group does it’s job, which is to occupy blockers and let the linebackers clean up. They are hard to move and there’s good athleticism there, too. Coming into the season, the D-line was a big question mark. Now it’s an exclamation point.
Linebacker A
Cameron Jensen has had three absolutely stunning games in a row. He rocked the Wyoming running game for two tackles-for-loss in the first half and made a Kyle-Morrell like leap into the backfield to stop the Cowboys on a fourth-down play. What a leader. Aaron Wagner is a bit overshadowed by Jensen and the two speed guys on the outside but he had seven tackles against the Cowboys.
Safety A
Gooch made a great play on the interception and nearly returned it for a touchdown. He and Dustin Gabriel have been rock-solid most of the year. Gooch said earlier this week that with the safeties, there is a great game plan this year. Last year, he said, everyone just tried to go out and make a play. This year’s way works much better.
Cornerback A-
An interception for Ben Criddle to end the half and Justin Robinson made some fine plays on a couple of deep balls. The front seven are playing so well that Criddle and Robinson don’t have to lock up somebody for 10 seconds.
Special Teams A
What’s going on? A punt return for a touchdown and a kickoff return for 84 yards? Mendenhall said there has been a lot of emphasis on special teams and on Thursday it was a big plus for the Cougars. You just knew Jacobson was going to take it to the house, didn’t you? Jared McLaughlin nailed two field goals as well.
Coaching A
Great game plan on offense. Mendenhall said the offense is very comfortable and confident going againt the 3-4 because they’ve been seeing it since spring. Duh. Beck could have thrown for 400 yards but BYU went to the run game in the second half. The way BYU’s defense had been playing, you expected them to stop Wyoming’s offense, and that was exactly what happened. |
