-- Covering Week 10 through the offseason
I'm continuing to write about Climps Hansen's quest to lead BYU ... to something great. Either a NCAA title, a promotion to the P12, or 30 straight wins over Utah. For a more thorough explanation of what this is, click here. Credit to Ricky O'Donnell for the idea. Remember all games are simulated.
Week 10 BYE
After back-to-back top-ten matchups the troops could use a week off, no doubt about it. I am gifted no such reprieve. I grab my phone and begin pitching.
The #4 WR in the nation, Dusty Green, commits to Ohio State. Phew. I didn't need to deal with that guy on the Utes for the next couple years.
The #10 WR in the nation, Arkansas’ own John Anderson, is softly leaning towards Oregon over BYU. I'm giving him an hour long call to remind him how much he loves coaching stability (my strongest attribute). Unfortunately he also loves athletic facilities, where Oregon rates an A+ and I rate a C. Too bad the new locker room doesn't exist in this fictional universe. I try to sway him in a couple categories and am rebuffed. The end is nigh I fear.
Besides John Anderson, there's a 6'6" guard who also hails from Arkansas who has me #1 on his board. What's up with the Arkansas pipeline? The missionaries been doing some work out there?
Meanwhile long time target 4-star LB Dominique Brown drops me into second behind ... Arkansas. Apparently they're upset about me poaching guys from their state?
In surprise news UCLA backed off of tackle Victor Royal! At 67 he's not a superstar, but this is my only tackle prospect in the class and I want him. I'm back to being first on his list. High school kids -- so mercurial.
Week 11 home to Idaho
Nothing much to report here. In a 45-7 win over the Vandals backup RB Washington rushes for 140 yards. Reid goes over 100 again (102 yards). The offensive coaching staff thought about force-feeding Reid to try and get him back to the number one rushing spot -- he's now at 4th nationally after the bye week -- but we've ridden him so much this season that I opt to give him a break.
We do lose QB Josh Britton for the next two weeks to an abdominal strain but frankly I'm not sure replacing him with a freshman will make that much of a difference. How about this: the three games that proved most detrimental injury wise this season were Weber State, Utah State, and Idaho. Not exactly a who's who of wrecking balls.
In the recruiting scene, John Anderson, the 4-star WR out of Arkansas commits to Oregon. The highest rated guy left on my board is Todd Thompson, an athlete out of Antioch, California. At 6'0" 178 pounds, I love him as a potential WR. I'm fending off Ohio State and Boise in the final weeks of the season for his services.
Kevin Gaither, a CB rated 67 commits to Nevada over me. That does not feel great. What does the Pack have that I don't have eh? Oh yeah, a college night life. I needed two CBs in this class. I have zero.
Chris Malone, my last resort at Punter, is in for a visit. I give him tickets to the home finale against Army.
Finally I decide to scout a white, lanky receiver I'd been ignoring all season named Lawrence Pittman. He ends us being a gem, but that still only boosts him to a 69 overall. Nevertheless I'm gonna devote some time to his cause. It's barrel scraping time.
After back-to-back top-ten matchups the troops could use a week off, no doubt about it. I am gifted no such reprieve. I grab my phone and begin pitching.
The #4 WR in the nation, Dusty Green, commits to Ohio State. Phew. I didn't need to deal with that guy on the Utes for the next couple years.
The #10 WR in the nation, Arkansas’ own John Anderson, is softly leaning towards Oregon over BYU. I'm giving him an hour long call to remind him how much he loves coaching stability (my strongest attribute). Unfortunately he also loves athletic facilities, where Oregon rates an A+ and I rate a C. Too bad the new locker room doesn't exist in this fictional universe. I try to sway him in a couple categories and am rebuffed. The end is nigh I fear.
Besides John Anderson, there's a 6'6" guard who also hails from Arkansas who has me #1 on his board. What's up with the Arkansas pipeline? The missionaries been doing some work out there?
Meanwhile long time target 4-star LB Dominique Brown drops me into second behind ... Arkansas. Apparently they're upset about me poaching guys from their state?
In surprise news UCLA backed off of tackle Victor Royal! At 67 he's not a superstar, but this is my only tackle prospect in the class and I want him. I'm back to being first on his list. High school kids -- so mercurial.
Week 11 home to Idaho
Nothing much to report here. In a 45-7 win over the Vandals backup RB Washington rushes for 140 yards. Reid goes over 100 again (102 yards). The offensive coaching staff thought about force-feeding Reid to try and get him back to the number one rushing spot -- he's now at 4th nationally after the bye week -- but we've ridden him so much this season that I opt to give him a break.
We do lose QB Josh Britton for the next two weeks to an abdominal strain but frankly I'm not sure replacing him with a freshman will make that much of a difference. How about this: the three games that proved most detrimental injury wise this season were Weber State, Utah State, and Idaho. Not exactly a who's who of wrecking balls.
In the recruiting scene, John Anderson, the 4-star WR out of Arkansas commits to Oregon. The highest rated guy left on my board is Todd Thompson, an athlete out of Antioch, California. At 6'0" 178 pounds, I love him as a potential WR. I'm fending off Ohio State and Boise in the final weeks of the season for his services.
Kevin Gaither, a CB rated 67 commits to Nevada over me. That does not feel great. What does the Pack have that I don't have eh? Oh yeah, a college night life. I needed two CBs in this class. I have zero.
Chris Malone, my last resort at Punter, is in for a visit. I give him tickets to the home finale against Army.
Finally I decide to scout a white, lanky receiver I'd been ignoring all season named Lawrence Pittman. He ends us being a gem, but that still only boosts him to a 69 overall. Nevertheless I'm gonna devote some time to his cause. It's barrel scraping time.
Week 12 home to Army
According to Winsipedia, BYU and Army have never squared off before. Army is 8-2 so this will be our last premier matchup of the season, an unexpected big game. Army rates out at a C in most categories, while BYU rates a B+. We're also the home team, so I like our chances. The one area of concern? Army is 2nd in the nation in rushing, and after stuffing Wazzu in the opener we've been hit and miss in run defense. We have 10 guys visiting this week, so I hope we put on a good show.
We do! BYU wins 37-13. It's maybe our best win of the season? The freshman Chris Culver throws 290 yards and 3 TDs in his first start. Where'd that come from? Reid rushes for his customary 164 yards, bringing him back to the second spot nationally behind his nemesis Byrd from Air Force. Reid is only a couple hundred yards behind Luke Staley now for the best rushing season in BYU history, with feeble New Mexico State up next.
In recruiting three fellows pledge after the game: Guard Marcus Smith out of Arkansas, OLB Thomas Harvey out of Crystal City Texas, and JUCO Athlete Gene Keller out of Beaverton Oregon.
Tall, white, WR Lawrence Pittman apparently was waiting for me to flirt all season. After one week of interest I vault over Boise and Utah to become his preferred school. He profiles like Mitch Mathews 2.0.
Cornerback desperation has led me to the home of Chris Moss. Randy's brother he is not. He starts off rated a 56 and instantly drops to a 55 the first moment I scout him. Beggars can't be choosers I guess. I want him because he fills a need and he's from Idaho, and I need two more signees from Potato Land to open a pipeline there (which boosts my future recruiting efforts in the state).
Out of curiosity and spite I scout an OL named Dominique Riley because he has the Utes first on his list. He's rated a 61 before I scout him. He's rated a 70(!!) after I watch his film. How do the Utes always find these diamonds in the rough? Is it too late in the year for me to get on his radar? I give him 60 minutes of promises, pitches, and scholarship offers. Let's see what happens.
Week 13 at New Mexico State
Witness the downside of independence. While other teams across the country are playing rivalry games, we've got an exhibition contest at NMSU. We win 31 to 17 to finish the regular season 8-4. I'm gonna admit I was holding my breath to see if Reid would topple Staley's single season rushing mark. He doesn't. I'm oddly relieved. Freshman Culver has another decent game, 17/32 for 243 yards and 1 interception. He adds 8 runs for 17 yards. By winning 8 games my coaching prestige improves from a D- to a D. It's progress!
In recruiting the final drama is waiting to see if I can hang onto 4-star athlete Todd Thompson. I've led from start to finish but he still hasn't signed and Ohio State is nipping at my heels.
Looks like I wasn't too late on Dominique Riley, the offensive lineman the Utes discovered. He wants a visit, and the best I can do is offer him a tour during week 14, aka the week the cool teams play for P5 championships.
It's bowl season now and with 8 wins we are invited to the ...
Hunger Kraft Bowl vs UCLA
Ah just what we needed, a chance at a power-5 team that has been average all season, 6-6 to be exact. Across the board we're rated better than the Bruins in every category except for pass defense. I hadn't been paying attention but not surprisingly we have the 8th best rushing offense in the country. Surprisingly we have the 12th best turnover margin nationally as well. Not bad considering Utah picked us off three times in a game that feels like it was played a million years ago.
The big question in Provo is who will start the bowl game now that senior QB Britton is back healthy. The old adage suggests nobody should lose their spot due to injury. I don't believe in that crap. Britton at one point was averaging 62 passing yards per game. I was not impressed. Freshman Chris Culver will get the nod in San Francisco.
How does the game turn out?
What a setback. UCLA pastes 31 on us in the first half and cruises to a 38-24 win. Culver gets pulled after going 3 for 8 in the first half for 22 yards. Britton isn't much better, going 9 for 19 with 2 picks in half number two. Reid rushes for 99 yards. Is this the first game all season he was held under 100? UCLA meanwhile rushes for 300 yards with ease (averaging 8 yards per carry!) and takes the ball away from us 6 times. My coaching prestige drops back down to a D-. I walk off the field humiliated. The same fumbling problem that sent Bronco Mendenhall packing just cost me my first bowl game.
Season Recap
We finish the 2012 season 8-5 and all told it feels like a disappointment. We went 2-1 in rivalry games (beating USU and Boise, losing to Utah), 0-2 in top-25 matchups, 1-5 in P5 matchups, and 4-5 in what my coaches and I call "big games" (wins vs USU, Boise, Oregon State, and Army; losses vs Utah, Wazzu, UCLA, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame).
We finish the 2012 season 8-5 and all told it feels like a disappointment. We went 2-1 in rivalry games (beating USU and Boise, losing to Utah), 0-2 in top-25 matchups, 1-5 in P5 matchups, and 4-5 in what my coaches and I call "big games" (wins vs USU, Boise, Oregon State, and Army; losses vs Utah, Wazzu, UCLA, Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame).
Our best wins of the season are over 8-5 MWC champ Boise and 8-5 Army. We needed a win over UCLA or Wazzu to hit what I think our minimum benchmark should have been for the season. Of course, we also lost our senior QB midway through the season and lost our two best players prior to the Utah game. Here's how our opponents finish the year:
#1 Georgia Tech 14-0, won the National Championship!
#4 Notre Dame 12-1
#19 Utah 10-3
Boise 8-5 (MWC champ)
#4 Notre Dame 12-1
#19 Utah 10-3
Boise 8-5 (MWC champ)
Army 8-5
Utah State 7-6 (WAC champ)
UCLA 7-6
Hawaii 7-6
Washington State 5-7
Washington State 5-7
Oregon State 4-8
Suddenly I don't feel so bad about hanging close with Georgia Tech back in week 9. We lost 27-13, which is a better showing than USC put up in the BCS title game.
Suddenly I don't feel so bad about hanging close with Georgia Tech back in week 9. We lost 27-13, which is a better showing than USC put up in the BCS title game.
In terms of accolades Steve Reid finishes just 5 yards short of Staley's 2001 rushing record and -- eyes bulge -- 18(!!) TDs short of Staley's 2001 TD record (LOL - aint nobody touching that ever). Reid finishes 4th nationally in rushing and could be poised for some sort of senior year if he doesn't declare early for the draft.
As we turn to the offseason we know we're losing some critical senior pieces. The right side of our offensive line graduates and takes their pair of 87 ratings with them. My secondary is absolutely depleted: 3 CBs, 2 FSs, and one SS all graduate. Four of those six players were starters and all six were contributors. QBs Riley Nelson and Josh Britton are out of eligibility. And then a surprise loss!
As for my contractual goals, I met one, which was to win 6 games or more. I also failed one, which was to fill all recruiting needs prior to the offseason (curse you cornerbacks). I strike out on my publicly stated goals, failing to finish the season in the top-25, and leaving empty seats in LES throughout the year. There is work to do.
As we turn to the offseason we know we're losing some critical senior pieces. The right side of our offensive line graduates and takes their pair of 87 ratings with them. My secondary is absolutely depleted: 3 CBs, 2 FSs, and one SS all graduate. Four of those six players were starters and all six were contributors. QBs Riley Nelson and Josh Britton are out of eligibility. And then a surprise loss!
Lonnie Washington (aka Cody Hoffman) is my highest rated WR. It turns out he's following in the footsteps of Austin Collie and declaring for the draft as a junior! He's projected to go in the 6th round and that's where he's ultimately drafted by the Bengals (bad break my friend). I was not expecting any early departures, but WR is one of my deepest positions so I guess things could be worse.
There are no transfer requests this winter, but with a stacked RB and WR room it won't surprise me if I have some discontent in the ranks next year.
We wrap up recruiting by snagging our last remaining targets, including the exciting athlete prospect Todd Thompson. Tiger Woods fist pump! I have extra minutes remaining on my cell so I throw a hail mary to top ranked tackle Nick Lustrom out of Nebraska. We chat, but he ultimately signs with Auburn. For my last trick I manage to sign a weak prospect out of Portland, thereby sneaking a pipeline into Oregon. I also add Washington, lose Idaho and maintain my pipelines in Utah, California, and Texas.
BYU ends up with the 17th ranked recruiting class, comprised of six 4-star recruits, sixteen 3-stars, and three 2-stars. That seems ... impossible? Was this a fluke of having some amazing talent come out of the state of Utah? Or do I need to increase the recruiting difficulty? I think the latter.
And with that I bid adieu. Our next installment will take us into the 2013 season.
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