I think we're progressing well. We're seeing the balls caught in front of the secondary and they have leverage. Now we need to work on finishing and tackling at a higher level. |
I think we're three deep at linebacker. You might see nine different guys out there. I like the idea of fresh infantry. If you're high pressure like we are it can allow you to enforce your will on the other team. We have experience and we have athleticism, and we have a blend of both. |
I thought our offense moved the ball consistently from beginning to end. They overcame adversity in critical situations and the leadership of our quarterback and the resolve of the offense was exceptional. |
I would love to add Utah State back to our schedule, ... I think the Beehive Boot is a traditional thing. It's good for the state and I think it's good for both programs. As Tom and I have talked, I would like to make sure we do everything possible to see if we can bring that to fruition. |
I'm extremely excited about this class. The first word that comes to my mind is character. |
I'm not sure you mess with principles like that. |
I'm still learning. But I'm going to continue to try and build as many relationships as I can. |
I've scheduled 20 to 25 minutes but if we stay healthy we may go 35 minutes. |
If a player knows he has a chance to play, the way he invests in practice is much different. He's invested at a higher level and I think that's great for team practice. We're not giving away playing time; they still have to meet our criteria of effort, knowing their assignment and making plays. |
If I give you my personal interpretation of it, it's both art and science. |
If we play the run effectively we have an excellent chance to win the game, ... There's a demoralizing effect when you can't stop the run. When you know your opponent is going to run and you make your best call to stop it and they still get four or five yards, it has an effect on the defense in terms of physical play and losing those one-on-one battles. |
If you look at the depth of that position, I feel very strongly that that's the deepest and most talented position on our football team. |
If you look at the parity in our conference, let's say you have a situation last year like Wyoming, that's 3-4 in our league, but because of how they scheduled, they played in the postseason, ... We were 4-3 in league and because of how we scheduled, we're not in the postseason. Ultimately, you have to beat who you play and execute at that level. But to not address scheduling in that discussion isn't a wise thing to do. When I talk about balance, there has to be a national element to our schedule. It's what is expected at BYU and it's what the standard has been here. Last year, we played three undefeated teams (Boise State, Utah, USC). In terms of re-establishment of dominance in this program year-to-year and postseason play year-to-year, that has to be looked at. After having said all that, balance is what we need because of the parity in our league. It could be realistic that it's 5-3 to win the league. Or 6-2. What about all the teams that are 4-4? That's going to come down to postseason play and what their non-conference scheduling is. Ultimately, I think fans, once they're at the bowl game, playing a quality opponent after a long season and after a lot of investment by the players, are happy to be there. |
Is there one vision, is there one focus, is there one execution standard? Absolutely, |
It is something we will need to address in the fall. |