Round 12 Recap
12.1 Alani Fua (drafted by Magathisll)
KVN's understudy did a great job of filling in as the playmaking linebacker when #3 ran out of eligibility. At times, if you sat high enough in the stadium, and squinted hard enough, you could almost mistake Alani for Van Noy ... but not really. He looked like Van Noy in the same way that the NBA 2K version of Gordon Hayward resembles his real life equivalent. That is, Alani was the blurrier, uglier, glitchier, less reliable version of KVN.
Yes, those are harsh words! No, I don't have anything against Alani! I mean no offense to Alani, who was a great player in his own right. It's just that fans and media often compared Alani to Van Noy and when random players get compared to the once-in-a-generation, all-time talents, I get a little fired up. (As we learned yesterday with the Algernon Brown-Harvey Unga incident)
What I admire about Alani is how he used his time. Like the quarterbacks of old used to do, Alani spent his first couple of years studying under a squad of studs before getting his chance to shine. His first two years he scooped up the crumbs scattered about by veterans like Van Noy, Ogletree, Hadley, Kaveinga, and Pendleton. Once 2013 came along and he got the chance to play the whole season he scored a touchdown, batted away 10 passes, and grabbed 3 sacks and 2 picks. In 2014 it was more of the same success.
Aye, he was not KVN. So what? Who is?
12.2 Hans Olsen (drafted by Devon “Lasersheep” Smith)
Granted my memory isn't the best but apparently Hans was a punt returner?
I know the dude had a reputation of being a colorful character -- balancing tables on his chin, talking trash on cereal, belly sliding into the training pool, intentionally leaving pizza on his face for reasons that remain unknown, drip feeding the media quotes, running afoul of the honor code gestapo -- but making negative 45 tackles is some wild, matrix-bending stuff. What even is a negative tackle? There's only one possibility that comes to mind.
Wait a second ... Hans didn't just return punts, he didn't just make negative tackles, he also saved a drowning man from a frozen river??? Hmm.
And there goes the Last of the Grangerians. Fahu and Soelberg proudly went to Cousin Newt, while Tonga is picked by Andrew, a youngster in my ward who may not have drafted anyone who played before 2011. Come on Andrew, learn your Cougar history!
Like the team he plays for Tonga has been all over the map, at times dominating and at times being dominated. But I gotta admit the highs really stand out with Tonga. When he blows through the opposing line or FedExs a center seven yards into the backfield it looks like a mistake; like he jumped offsides and started the play before everyone else. A fantastic senior year from Tonga drastically elevates the fate of the 2020 football season.
By the way, can you believe Tonga is already a senior? It seems like yesterday that he was a freshman and I was pushing for him to embrace the ludicrous nickname, "The Auditor".
Like the team he plays for Tonga has been all over the map, at times dominating and at times being dominated. But I gotta admit the highs really stand out with Tonga. When he blows through the opposing line or FedExs a center seven yards into the backfield it looks like a mistake; like he jumped offsides and started the play before everyone else. A fantastic senior year from Tonga drastically elevates the fate of the 2020 football season.
By the way, can you believe Tonga is already a senior? It seems like yesterday that he was a freshman and I was pushing for him to embrace the ludicrous nickname, "The Auditor".
12.4 Devon Blackmon (Drafted by Brian Henderson, he who once helped me get a ticket to the 59-0 UCLA game)
He famously never scored a touchdown as a Cougar ... but actually he scored one of the most awesome touchdowns in recent memory, a one-handed catch while being manhandled by the defender, a catch reminiscent of the one-hander Harline pulled in while being spooned by Eric Weddle.
If you're a referee and see a catch like that and call it offensive pass interference, then you don't like football. You're no different than the angry elementary school teacher who won't let a kid go to the bathroom because they need to learn to wizz during recess.
Blackmon didn't turn out to be the burner he was advertised to be, but together with Kurtz and Mathews in 2015 formed the first BYU trio of wide receivers to each go over 500 yards since ... at least the year 2000 and maybe longer? It's slightly harder to find stats pre-2000 and I've already written 11 of these recaps so I stopped counting at 2000. Sue me for being lazy. The point is that was a pretty nice trio.
12.5 Brett Keisel (drafted by Odyseuss)
Three things enter the brain when I think of Keisel.
1) the nickname
2) the beardedness and
3) the taunting of Boise when he ran out the alumni flag a few years back.
We need more of our players to do that. To be cocky. To challenge the opponent. To care.
Last year our rival called us shit but he didn't even think we were worth being called shit. He called us the little kid's version of shit. And ... no one did a thing about it? No one pulled a Michael Jordan and used it as fuel? Instead we lost to Toledo?
Something tells me Kiesel would've cared. Maybe it's because I can't imagine a person taking any bullshit if they grew up in a town called Greybullshit, Wyoming. Hold up, er, that's Greybull, Wyoming, my bad. But still! In 2000 he had 5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble ... and he didn't start a single game. Somewhere along the line Kiesel must have looked at the roster and those ahead of him and said:
"Ok coaches, so you think Denney and Hoke and Olsen and Gali deserve to start over me? I'll show you."
Three things enter the brain when I think of Keisel.
1) the nickname
2) the beardedness and
3) the taunting of Boise when he ran out the alumni flag a few years back.
We need more of our players to do that. To be cocky. To challenge the opponent. To care.
Last year our rival called us shit but he didn't even think we were worth being called shit. He called us the little kid's version of shit. And ... no one did a thing about it? No one pulled a Michael Jordan and used it as fuel? Instead we lost to Toledo?
So ain't nobody taking the "BYU is Poo-Poo" comment serious or offensive or disrespectful or personal? Just water under the bridge huh? There's a saying "Nice guys finish last"— Tim McTyer 🏁 (@timmctyer) September 3, 2019
Accept the Challenge Fellas !! #AttitudeGap #GoBYU
Something tells me Kiesel would've cared. Maybe it's because I can't imagine a person taking any bullshit if they grew up in a town called Greybullshit, Wyoming. Hold up, er, that's Greybull, Wyoming, my bad. But still! In 2000 he had 5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble ... and he didn't start a single game. Somewhere along the line Kiesel must have looked at the roster and those ahead of him and said:
"Ok coaches, so you think Denney and Hoke and Olsen and Gali deserve to start over me? I'll show you."
I do not think Kiesel would take well to being called poo-poo.
12.6 Byron Frisch (drafted by me)
Byron Frisch stormed out of the gates as a strong freshman for BYU in 1996.
Bryon Russell became a starter for the Utah Jazz in 1996.
Was the simultaneous arrival of both a Byron and a Bryon into Utah sports culture the reason so many fans botched Bryon Russell's name? After all these years have we finally solved the mystery of where the Byron Russell mistake came from? If it weren't for Byron Frisch would Bryon Russell have always been Bryon Russell, instead of sometimes being Byron Russell?
And if Bryon Russell was always known as Bryon Russell, would he have respected the Jazz fans 5% more? And if he respected the Jazz fans 5% more, would he have given 5% more effort towards practice, conditioning, and film study? And if Bryon Russell is 5% better, does he keep his balance when defending Michael Jordan's last shot? Does he rise up and swat Jordan's shot into the first row where it's caught by a delirious Larry Miller?
Does Karl Malone score 45 points as a wink to Jordan's failed baseball career while leading the Jazz to a Game 7 NBA Finals victory? Does Michael Jordan come back the next year seeking payback, and without Scottie Pippen finish 6th in the East with a 43 and 39 record before being swept away in the first round? Does this kill the Michael worshippers and eventually allow LeBron to take his rightful place as the greatest baller of all-time?
Does a Jazz team with the monkey off their back dominate the West so thoroughly for the next 5 years that Tim Duncan retires at age 24 because he's embarrassed of being trampled by a 39-year old Mailman? Without Tim Duncan does Popovich finally get exposed as a world-class jerk? With Jordan Pippen-less do the Jazz become the first team to win four consecutive NBA titles since the '60s Celtics? With a renewed confidence grown from having cheered for a winner my entire childhood, do I muster the balls to tweet Jennifer Anniston a marriage proposal after her separation from Brad?
Yes, yes, one thousand times yes.
Byron Frisch -- the butterfly effect upon which an entire world turned. Who knew.
12.7 Lenny Gomes (drafted by Tax Commissioner Danny)
Ahoy mateys! Ute slapper off the port bowwwwww!
Lenny wasn't a Ute slapper in the traditional sense. He didn't run over the Utes like they were neighborhood strays, a la Harvey Unga. He didn't score 5 touchdowns against them in just two games like Lakei Heimuli did. He wasn't Ty Detmer, meaning he didn't get sent to the bench for mercy rule reasons after putting up 49 points in a single half. But his quote was a Ute slapper, no doubt about it.
"They’ll be pumping my gas. They’re low-class losers."
I like the quote but I've always been confused by it. Did prisons allow inmates to do work release at gas stations back then?
Ahoy mateys! Ute slapper off the port bowwwwww!
Lenny wasn't a Ute slapper in the traditional sense. He didn't run over the Utes like they were neighborhood strays, a la Harvey Unga. He didn't score 5 touchdowns against them in just two games like Lakei Heimuli did. He wasn't Ty Detmer, meaning he didn't get sent to the bench for mercy rule reasons after putting up 49 points in a single half. But his quote was a Ute slapper, no doubt about it.
"They’ll be pumping my gas. They’re low-class losers."
I like the quote but I've always been confused by it. Did prisons allow inmates to do work release at gas stations back then?
12.8 Eathyn Manumaleuna (drafted by Cousin Newt)
Here's your weekly reminder that BYU careers can last forever. Eathyn famously blocked a field goal against UCLA to win the Las Vegas bowl in 2007. He less famously recorded one tackle against Washington in a bowl game that took place in ... what for it ... 2013.
His first season coincided with Max Hall's first season at the quarterback helm. By the time Eathyn's last season came around Max Hall had been gone for three years, BYU had lived through the entire Jake Heaps-Riley Nelson saga, and been through one Taysom Hill season-ending injury and subsequent comeback.
But forgetting about the passage of time for a moment, Eathyn had a nice career. It's a shame we remember him mostly for getting injured, a blessing in disguise that promoted Ziggy to stardom. It's also a shame that the best game of his career came against Virginia in 2013, a game which I think everyone involved with BYU would prefer to have removed from their memories for the rest of eternity.
Here's your weekly reminder that BYU careers can last forever. Eathyn famously blocked a field goal against UCLA to win the Las Vegas bowl in 2007. He less famously recorded one tackle against Washington in a bowl game that took place in ... what for it ... 2013.
His first season coincided with Max Hall's first season at the quarterback helm. By the time Eathyn's last season came around Max Hall had been gone for three years, BYU had lived through the entire Jake Heaps-Riley Nelson saga, and been through one Taysom Hill season-ending injury and subsequent comeback.
But forgetting about the passage of time for a moment, Eathyn had a nice career. It's a shame we remember him mostly for getting injured, a blessing in disguise that promoted Ziggy to stardom. It's also a shame that the best game of his career came against Virginia in 2013, a game which I think everyone involved with BYU would prefer to have removed from their memories for the rest of eternity.
12.9 John Beck (drafted by BRoyalBlueCoug)
WTF??? Where did this come from? BRoyalBlueCoug is back in the draft after skipping the last 8 rounds?
I actually felt it was my duty to manually change this pick, as I assumed that Odysseus, the last team standing without a QB, was planning to pick Beck. Surprise! It turns out Odysseus had his eye on Marc Wilson so if it doesn't hurt anyone I guess we can let BRoyal keep John.
You know The Price is Right game where the Swiss Mountain Climber keeps going higher and higher up the mountain? That's John Beck. It required payment in the form of four years of waiting and every heart breaking loss imaginable but Beck finally, in his last two games, buried all his demons and made it to the top.
We know the story. His first series came against Georgia Tech -- the Dan Coats game! -- and went from bad to worse to hilarious.
Play 1: John Beck sacked
Play 2: John Beck fumble (BYU recovers)
Play 3: John Beck interception
Then a couple games later we have the first start of Beck's career. Trailing Stanford by four with three minutes left, he leads the team all the way down the field and comes up just short in the redzone. After that the football gods got together and said, "Hey what do you guys think if we bottle up this close-but-not-close-enough pain and inject it straight into Beck's heart for the next three years? Would that be fun?"
And so it came to pass.
Boise in '04. Game-winning field goal at the buzzer is missed.
UNLV in '04. Fumble away game-winning drive in the redzone with 2 minutes left.
New Mexico in '04. Matt Payne misses 3 FGs and BYU fumbles on the game-tying drive with 42 seconds left.
TCU in '05. Lose in double overtime.
Utah in '05. Lose in overtime.
Cal in '05. Throw interception on game-tying drive with 90 seconds left.
Arizona in '06. Lose on a bevy of questionable calls and a 48-yard FG with 1 second left.
Boston College in '06. Lose in overtime.
Even when Beck wasn't the starter, BYU still failed in brutal fashion, losing to Utah and New Mexico by three points a piece in 2003.
When Beck FINALLY dialed in for the second half of the '06 season it was like the night Kobe went for 81. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him. You want to pass interfere Jonny Harline? Go ahead, I'll just adjust the throw two degrees and put it where only Harline can catch it anyway.
When he beat Utah, redeeming not only the loss on the final play against Utah the year before, but also the loss on the final play in his very first start against Stanford, it felt like no BYU player had ever deserved success more.
12.10 Colby Bockwoldt (drafted by Jay Drew)
This is going to sound like the most blue goggled, insane, Cougarboard fanboy thing I've said since I thought Jake Heaps was on track for Detmer levels of success, but it feels like the NFL has given up on BYU players over the last 15 years.
To wit: in 2004 Colby Bockwoldt got drafted. From 2006 and on, guys like Jonny Harline, Taysom Hill, Tejon Koroma, Harvey Unga, and Matt Reynolds didn't.
Did I miss something with Bockwoldt's career? I remember liking his game, and his name, but I don't remember anything memorable about his BYU days that would merit a draft day selection. Or did the BYU brand just carry more weight in the few years immediately following the LaVell run? Were NFL teams more willing to take chances on Cougs back then?
WTF??? Where did this come from? BRoyalBlueCoug is back in the draft after skipping the last 8 rounds?
I actually felt it was my duty to manually change this pick, as I assumed that Odysseus, the last team standing without a QB, was planning to pick Beck. Surprise! It turns out Odysseus had his eye on Marc Wilson so if it doesn't hurt anyone I guess we can let BRoyal keep John.
You know The Price is Right game where the Swiss Mountain Climber keeps going higher and higher up the mountain? That's John Beck. It required payment in the form of four years of waiting and every heart breaking loss imaginable but Beck finally, in his last two games, buried all his demons and made it to the top.
We know the story. His first series came against Georgia Tech -- the Dan Coats game! -- and went from bad to worse to hilarious.
Play 1: John Beck sacked
Play 2: John Beck fumble (BYU recovers)
Play 3: John Beck interception
Then a couple games later we have the first start of Beck's career. Trailing Stanford by four with three minutes left, he leads the team all the way down the field and comes up just short in the redzone. After that the football gods got together and said, "Hey what do you guys think if we bottle up this close-but-not-close-enough pain and inject it straight into Beck's heart for the next three years? Would that be fun?"
And so it came to pass.
Boise in '04. Game-winning field goal at the buzzer is missed.
UNLV in '04. Fumble away game-winning drive in the redzone with 2 minutes left.
New Mexico in '04. Matt Payne misses 3 FGs and BYU fumbles on the game-tying drive with 42 seconds left.
TCU in '05. Lose in double overtime.
Utah in '05. Lose in overtime.
Cal in '05. Throw interception on game-tying drive with 90 seconds left.
Arizona in '06. Lose on a bevy of questionable calls and a 48-yard FG with 1 second left.
Boston College in '06. Lose in overtime.
Even when Beck wasn't the starter, BYU still failed in brutal fashion, losing to Utah and New Mexico by three points a piece in 2003.
When Beck FINALLY dialed in for the second half of the '06 season it was like the night Kobe went for 81. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him. You want to pass interfere Jonny Harline? Go ahead, I'll just adjust the throw two degrees and put it where only Harline can catch it anyway.
When he beat Utah, redeeming not only the loss on the final play against Utah the year before, but also the loss on the final play in his very first start against Stanford, it felt like no BYU player had ever deserved success more.
12.10 Colby Bockwoldt (drafted by Jay Drew)
This is going to sound like the most blue goggled, insane, Cougarboard fanboy thing I've said since I thought Jake Heaps was on track for Detmer levels of success, but it feels like the NFL has given up on BYU players over the last 15 years.
To wit: in 2004 Colby Bockwoldt got drafted. From 2006 and on, guys like Jonny Harline, Taysom Hill, Tejon Koroma, Harvey Unga, and Matt Reynolds didn't.
Did I miss something with Bockwoldt's career? I remember liking his game, and his name, but I don't remember anything memorable about his BYU days that would merit a draft day selection. Or did the BYU brand just carry more weight in the few years immediately following the LaVell run? Were NFL teams more willing to take chances on Cougs back then?
Parting Thoughts from Round 12
Thought #1
Who else besides John Beck deserved to climb to the top of the mountain after years of pain and suffering? Taysom Hill of course. It sucks it didn't happen at BYU, but succeeding in the NFL is a nice $20 million consolation prize.
Thought #1
Who else besides John Beck deserved to climb to the top of the mountain after years of pain and suffering? Taysom Hill of course. It sucks it didn't happen at BYU, but succeeding in the NFL is a nice $20 million consolation prize.
Thought #2
I didn't give Byron Frisch a shoutout for his stats up above and he deserves one: 204 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 22 quarterback hurries, 5 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries. I'm gonna pat myself on the back for drafting numbers like that in the 12th round.
Plus shoutout to Byron for one of the game winning plays in the dramatic BYU Washington showdown of 1999. (Fast forward to the 29:28 mark)
Round by Round Recap
No comments:
Post a Comment