Welcome to the first game of the BYU Fantasy Draft Tournament! It's the battle for the #8 seed! On the docket we have ...
Team Newt starring
RB Fahu Tahi DL Eathyn Manumaleuna
RB Vai Sikahema LB Butch Pau'u
WR Todd Watkins LB David Nixon
WR Mitch Mathews DB Michael Davis
WR JD Falslev DB Nate Soelberg
TE Dennis Pitta
versus ...
Team Metcalf featuring
QB Taysom Hill DL Corbin Kaufuis
RB Ty'son Williams DL Khyiris Tonga
RB Algernon Brown LB Harvey Langi
WR Cody Hoffman LB Sione Takitaki
WR McKay Jacobsen DB Dirty Dan Sorensen
WR O'Neill Chambers DB Kai Nacua
TE Chad Lewis
RB Ty'son Williams DL Khyiris Tonga
RB Algernon Brown LB Harvey Langi
WR Cody Hoffman LB Sione Takitaki
WR McKay Jacobsen DB Dirty Dan Sorensen
WR O'Neill Chambers DB Kai Nacua
TE Chad Lewis
Date: 8/3/2020
Location: Granger High School
Odds: Team Newt -2.5
Over/Under: 58
First Half Recap
Team Newt comes into the game as slight favorites but Team Metcalf draws first blood. Taysom starts the game by running casually past the Newt defense, picking up three consecutive first downs on scrambles. On the fourth play of the game Taysom freezes Nixon and Pau'u with an exaggerated zone read to Ty'son before pulling the ball back and racing for freedom. Just like he'd done against Texas -- bam! -- Taysom is gone! Or maybe not! Playing on his home field the speedster Soelberg emerges on the screen and makes a tackle on Taysom at the 10 yard line ... except the tackle is easily rebuffed by Taysom. Soelberg is stiff armed into the turf and Taysom is into the end zone giving Metcalf an early 7-0 lead.
On the first play of offense for Team Newt, Vai Sikahema is knocked out of the game by Tonga on a screen pass gone bad. After Fahu Tahi is stopped on 2nd down at the line of scrimmage by -- you guessed it -- Tonga, Team Newt shifts the offensive gameplan to unleash Watkins deep. Detmer played his entire career without a weapon like Watkins, so he doesn't require much convincing from the coaches to try out his new toy. Unfortunately this plays directly into the strength of Metcalf's defense, for deep down the field is the land that Nacua and Sorensen roam.
In the first half Detmer attempts 6 passes of over 25 yards to Watkins. None are completed, and one is intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Kai Nacua. On the bright side for Team Newt, Michael Davis and Nate Soelberg are much too quick for either Hoffman or Jacobsen to get any breathing room, which allows Nixon and Pau'u to focus on Taysom's running. It's a stalemate in the second quarter and the teams enter half time with no further scoring action, with Metcalf leading 14 to 0.
Oh by the way, here's a question for you. Before today, how many times was Ty Detmer shut out in a first half? Once, in his first start as a sophomore in 1989. The next game you could say he ... uh ... bounced back: 537 passing yards and 4 TDs. Hmmm ... I wonder if this means anything for the second half?
Second Half Recap
Team Newt receives the second half kickoff and it becomes immediately clear that Detmer's stubborn focus on the deep ball in the first half was a set up to stretch out Metcalf's defense. With Sorensen and Nacua backpedaling on every down to neutralize the best deep threat in BYU history, Harvey Langi and Sione Takitaki are left to contend with Dennis Pitta in the midrange. Normal linebackers never really stood a chance against Pitta, so you can imagine how linebackers who spent chunks of their careers moonlighting as running backs and defensive lineman fared. You may also recall that Ty Detmer and his tight end Chris Smith connected for 2,246 yards and 7 TDs in '89 and '90.
So all things considered no one was really surprised when Detmer went 14 for 14 for 193 yards and 3 TDs on passes to Dennis Pitta in the second half. He wasn't much worse when spreading the ball to the other guys either, only missing twice on throws to JD, Mitch, and Fahu. All told it results in 28 straight points for Team Newt led by 346 yards and 4 TD passes from Ty.
But Taysom doesn't go into the night quietly. Trailing 28 to 14 in the fourth quarter is nothing new for the most electrifying man in sports entertainment not named The Rock. Taysom does what Taysom does best in desperate situations: run an up tempo, quick hitting offense with short passing strikes and frequent QB rushes.
As Taysom eclipses the 100 yards rushing mark, Coach Newt wonders if he can sign Brian Suite from Utah State from the transfer portal (too soon?). Team Metcalf scores to cut the lead in half on a goal line slant from Taysom to Hoffman, as Hoffman uses his superior size to box out Michael Davis in the same manner Shaq often did to Ostertag.
Ty Detmer gains a couple first downs and leads Team Newt to the 50 yard line before coming to a fourth and 1. Coach Newt faces his first conundrum of the tournament. Fahu Tahi is begging for the chance to ice the game but Newt decides to play it safe and pin the Metcalfs deep. With a minute left Taysom takes over on his own 13 and starts the final drive with a quick out to O'Neill Chambers. O'Neill stutters and stumbles as he catches the ball -- what is he doing?
He's faking is what he's doing!
O'Neill "recovers" his balance and takes two steps back, he's looking to pass! Taysom is running wide open on the opposite side of the field as O'Neill lets the ball fly. Were it a perfect pass Taysom would have a walk in touchdown but O'Neill puts just a little too much air on the ball, giving Soelberg enough time to catch up to Taysom and bring him down after a 48 yard gain.
Taysom scrambles for 15 on the next play -- does the man ever need to catch his breath? -- and completes a pass to McKay Jacobsen which looks eerily familiar to the one John Beck completed to McKay moments before the Jonny Harline miracle against Utah. Will we be witness to another final moment score?
(Spoiler alert) No. I'm afraid not.
With 20 seconds remaining, Taysom scrambles out of the pocket and completes a pass to Brother Chambers at the 5 yard line and who else is there but a fellow named David Nixon. The instinctive linebacker slams his helmet into O'Neills hands. The ball flies loose and is recovered by Team Newt's Manumaleuna. It's Nixon's 5th forced fumble of his career, and it ices the game and sends Team Newt officially into the BYU tournament as the #8 seed to face Team Henderson. Chad Lewis is angrier at Chambers than he was at the inexplicable no pass interference call in the '96 Cotton Bowl.
Final Score:
Team Newt 28
Team Metcalf 21
Player of the Game
Ty Detmer: 26/34, 346 yards, 4 TDs, 1 interception
Other Noteworthy Performances
Taysom Hill: 17/25 passing, 164 yards; 13 rushes, 113 yards, 1 TD; 1 reception, 48 yards
First Half Recap
Team Newt comes into the game as slight favorites but Team Metcalf draws first blood. Taysom starts the game by running casually past the Newt defense, picking up three consecutive first downs on scrambles. On the fourth play of the game Taysom freezes Nixon and Pau'u with an exaggerated zone read to Ty'son before pulling the ball back and racing for freedom. Just like he'd done against Texas -- bam! -- Taysom is gone! Or maybe not! Playing on his home field the speedster Soelberg emerges on the screen and makes a tackle on Taysom at the 10 yard line ... except the tackle is easily rebuffed by Taysom. Soelberg is stiff armed into the turf and Taysom is into the end zone giving Metcalf an early 7-0 lead.
On the first play of offense for Team Newt, Vai Sikahema is knocked out of the game by Tonga on a screen pass gone bad. After Fahu Tahi is stopped on 2nd down at the line of scrimmage by -- you guessed it -- Tonga, Team Newt shifts the offensive gameplan to unleash Watkins deep. Detmer played his entire career without a weapon like Watkins, so he doesn't require much convincing from the coaches to try out his new toy. Unfortunately this plays directly into the strength of Metcalf's defense, for deep down the field is the land that Nacua and Sorensen roam.
In the first half Detmer attempts 6 passes of over 25 yards to Watkins. None are completed, and one is intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Kai Nacua. On the bright side for Team Newt, Michael Davis and Nate Soelberg are much too quick for either Hoffman or Jacobsen to get any breathing room, which allows Nixon and Pau'u to focus on Taysom's running. It's a stalemate in the second quarter and the teams enter half time with no further scoring action, with Metcalf leading 14 to 0.
Oh by the way, here's a question for you. Before today, how many times was Ty Detmer shut out in a first half? Once, in his first start as a sophomore in 1989. The next game you could say he ... uh ... bounced back: 537 passing yards and 4 TDs. Hmmm ... I wonder if this means anything for the second half?
Second Half Recap
Team Newt receives the second half kickoff and it becomes immediately clear that Detmer's stubborn focus on the deep ball in the first half was a set up to stretch out Metcalf's defense. With Sorensen and Nacua backpedaling on every down to neutralize the best deep threat in BYU history, Harvey Langi and Sione Takitaki are left to contend with Dennis Pitta in the midrange. Normal linebackers never really stood a chance against Pitta, so you can imagine how linebackers who spent chunks of their careers moonlighting as running backs and defensive lineman fared. You may also recall that Ty Detmer and his tight end Chris Smith connected for 2,246 yards and 7 TDs in '89 and '90.
So all things considered no one was really surprised when Detmer went 14 for 14 for 193 yards and 3 TDs on passes to Dennis Pitta in the second half. He wasn't much worse when spreading the ball to the other guys either, only missing twice on throws to JD, Mitch, and Fahu. All told it results in 28 straight points for Team Newt led by 346 yards and 4 TD passes from Ty.
But Taysom doesn't go into the night quietly. Trailing 28 to 14 in the fourth quarter is nothing new for the most electrifying man in sports entertainment not named The Rock. Taysom does what Taysom does best in desperate situations: run an up tempo, quick hitting offense with short passing strikes and frequent QB rushes.
As Taysom eclipses the 100 yards rushing mark, Coach Newt wonders if he can sign Brian Suite from Utah State from the transfer portal (too soon?). Team Metcalf scores to cut the lead in half on a goal line slant from Taysom to Hoffman, as Hoffman uses his superior size to box out Michael Davis in the same manner Shaq often did to Ostertag.
Ty Detmer gains a couple first downs and leads Team Newt to the 50 yard line before coming to a fourth and 1. Coach Newt faces his first conundrum of the tournament. Fahu Tahi is begging for the chance to ice the game but Newt decides to play it safe and pin the Metcalfs deep. With a minute left Taysom takes over on his own 13 and starts the final drive with a quick out to O'Neill Chambers. O'Neill stutters and stumbles as he catches the ball -- what is he doing?
He's faking is what he's doing!
O'Neill "recovers" his balance and takes two steps back, he's looking to pass! Taysom is running wide open on the opposite side of the field as O'Neill lets the ball fly. Were it a perfect pass Taysom would have a walk in touchdown but O'Neill puts just a little too much air on the ball, giving Soelberg enough time to catch up to Taysom and bring him down after a 48 yard gain.
Taysom scrambles for 15 on the next play -- does the man ever need to catch his breath? -- and completes a pass to McKay Jacobsen which looks eerily familiar to the one John Beck completed to McKay moments before the Jonny Harline miracle against Utah. Will we be witness to another final moment score?
(Spoiler alert) No. I'm afraid not.
With 20 seconds remaining, Taysom scrambles out of the pocket and completes a pass to Brother Chambers at the 5 yard line and who else is there but a fellow named David Nixon. The instinctive linebacker slams his helmet into O'Neills hands. The ball flies loose and is recovered by Team Newt's Manumaleuna. It's Nixon's 5th forced fumble of his career, and it ices the game and sends Team Newt officially into the BYU tournament as the #8 seed to face Team Henderson. Chad Lewis is angrier at Chambers than he was at the inexplicable no pass interference call in the '96 Cotton Bowl.
Final Score:
Team Newt 28
Team Metcalf 21
Player of the Game
Ty Detmer: 26/34, 346 yards, 4 TDs, 1 interception
Other Noteworthy Performances
Taysom Hill: 17/25 passing, 164 yards; 13 rushes, 113 yards, 1 TD; 1 reception, 48 yards
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