Week 6 - #19 BYU vs USU
Utah State is doing well in their first year in the Mountain West, trailing only league leader Wyoming in the standings. But I'm rated a B- or better in each of the three phases of the game, while USU is straight Cs. So why do I feel like this could be my version of the 2014 USU vs BYU game? Do Cs really get degrees? (aka rivalry wins?)
My fear is in vain -- BYU wins 41-36. The score is made to look close only after USU scores 16 points in garbage time. This Cougar team is rolling. We've swept the in-state rivalry games and have a chance to add Boise to the list of conquered rivals next week. Culver is on a whale of a hot streak, going 17/32 for 290 yards and 4 TDs against 1 interception. Reid and Young share the ball in the backfield, combining for 24 carries, 172 yards, and 1 score. Unfortunately we stay at #19 in the polls.
More unfortunately, we continue to have problems on the defensive line. Cody Williams, our highest rated DT is back from injury, but Tom Chapman, a 75-rated RE who has started all season is out for 3 weeks with a broken toe. We were counting on him against Georgia Tech's option attack. He's second on the team in sacks and third in tackles for loss.
To recruiting. Despite my performances locally, David Bell, the 65 rated LB who had Utah 1st, USU 2nd, and BYU 3rd, signs with Utah. I hope to torch him in years to come.
By the way, I haven't had a single soul sign with me through six weeks. Last year I had three or four pledges at this point. The worry is with me. On the bright side my conference prestige has increased mid-season to an A-. I guess this must be tied to my ranking in the polls?
Week 7 - #19 BYU vs Boise State
Boise hasn't lived up to the preseason hype this year, but in terms of team rankings we're pretty closely aligned. It's a national broadcast, an 8:00 PM kickoff, on a perfect October evening. I feel like this week and next week against Georgia Tech will define our season. Here we go.
The first half is a debacle. The offense can't get anything going and we enter the locker room down 20 to 7. I'm literally scratching my head - it's a nervous tic and we tried almost everything in the first half. Is there such a thing as throwing the kitchen sink at a team too early in the game?
But like a throwback to the 2015 BYU-Boise showdown, our running game starts to wear out Boise in the second half. We manage to score once in the third to make it a 20-14 game heading into the fourth. Boise knocks in a field goal to go up 9 and then Steve Reid grinds out a score. We're within three but need stops. Can our injured defensive line make a stand? Yes! Can Chris Culver complete a pass? No! Does it matter? Not really! A touchdown in the final minutes of the game gives BYU a 28 to 23 victory!
Is this the first comeback win of my career? I'm not sure. I do know this was an ugly win if ever there were one. We manage only 268 total yards and go 5 for 15 on third downs. CC So-bad-thia is at his worst, going 5 for 21(!!!) for 57 yards. Reid and Young carry us from the RB position, combining for 30 carries, 190 yards, and 2 TDs. It feels like we cheated our way as we move up to 16th in the polls.
The big news is I've made two enormous leaps in recruiting. Prized DT Corey Ostrander, who would be my highest rated defensive lineman today at a 79 rating, has dumped Boise State and now has BYU and ASU as his top two schools.
Also I've moved up to first on FB Matt Glover's list. He's the 3rd best fullback nationally. Has he finally started to notice that we've been running the ball as well as anyone in the country since I was named coach? He could be a four year bulldozer for me.
Week 8 - #16 BYU vs Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech is a respectable 4-2 but one of their losses is to the Bronco Mendenhall Virginia squad we beat earlier in the season.11. Bronco always fared well against the option. I worry my squad might overlook them because of this fact. But they're also the defending National Champion and they beat us last year. Based on that we should be plenty motivated.
As an aside, we're creeping high enough into the rankings that I'm beginning to do some poll watching. The two teams ahead of me in the polls (Washington and early season opponent Texas) each have games against ranked opponents this week, meaning a BYU win over GT combined with losses from either of these teams moves me into the top-15 in the country. I know I shouldn't get ahead of myself but I can't help it. With dreams of glory I hit the simulate button ...
Dang it! We lose 27-14, which is technically a 1 point improvement after last year's 27-13 loss. We allow 267 yards and 4 TDs on the ground. And Culver ... well, let's just say the fans have stopped calling him CC So-bad-thia and now are referring to his soul crushing performances as "getting Culverized." He goes 10 for 25, gaining 110 yards and throwing 1 pick, 0 TDs.
Losing to a lower ranked team knocks my job security from 60% to 59%. What does that mean? The least safe coach in the country has a 31% job security rating. So I guess nationally I'm middle of the pack in terms of likelihood to get fired.
It's not all bad news. Over in recruiting I have my first two commits: kicker Oliver Stegall who is rated nicely at a 79, and CB Ashton Chambers who is a not-so-excellent 68-rated cornerback.
Meanwhile DT Ostrander has dropped me to third, with both Arizona and Arizona State preferred over me. Ostrander was in stadium for the Georgia Tech game and I guess he wasn't that impressed by our defense giving up nearly 300 yards rushing?
Matt Glover the FB has also dropped me behind Oklahoma. The Sooners?? Do they even hand the ball off? Glover rated his visit to the Georgia Tech game as a C. Yikes. No love for the creamery? I give him an hour long call to iron things out. I find out his most important attribute in a school is campus lifestyle. I'm doomed. Time to find a backup FB option. Antwain Underwood is the 31st rated FB in the country, a 1-star rated at a 61 overall. He's the only other FB that has interest in me. I sigh and give him a jingle.
Week #9 - #21 BYU at Nevada
Woohoo, I'm still ranked! Nevada has had a weird 4-4 season. Wins against underperforming Boise and UCLA, losses to the hoi polloi of the Mountain West. An average Culver performance should get us out of Reno with a win.
Holy smokes, Nevada gives us 41 to 24 spanking. Goodbye top-25 ranking. These last two games have been a huge turning point in the season. We could have been 7-1 and ranked in the top-15 as we headed into away games at two of the top-5 teams in the country (#5 Wisconsin and #2 Notre Dame). Instead we're 5-3, unranked, and facing a crisis of confidence. Oh and just for fun we lose WR Bobby Butler, aka our best receiver at an 87 rating. He's out three weeks with a hamstring so he'll miss both our national showdowns. Also John Bain, our starter at left guard breaks a finger and will miss the Wisconsin game as well. Cool cool cool.
Culver found a new way to hurt us this week. He throws for 300 yards (good!) but gets intercepted twice and fumbles once (bad!), all in unfavorable positions (very bad!).
Recruiting is quiet outside of a commitment from the Jesse "the Gem" Cohen. You might remember him as the guy that was revealed to be 12 spots better than he was initially rated.
Week 10 - BYU at #5 Wisconsin
Well, at least the final score didn't look too bad. We trailed 31 to 9 in the fourth quarter before mustering a few garbage points to complete a 38-24 loss. We're now 5-4 on the season. My job security drops another couple of points to 56%.
I'm back in first for DT Corey Ostrander. Wow this guy changes his mind a lot. The Arizona schools aren't even in the top 3 anymore, having been replaced by Oregon and Louisville.
Matt Glover signs with Oklahoma. Have fun watching their spread attack from the sidelines.Week 11 - BYU vs Akron
I like the fast food place Zips. They serve amazing fries and shakes in Garden City proper. I also like the Akron Zips. They should serve up a breezy game to help us find our footing before challenging Notre Dame. Ah who are we kidding. We need to find our footing before challenging Houston.
Akron ends up giving us all we can handle, but we prevail 24-17 after scoring the go ahead TD with 61 seconds left in the 4th quarter. It honestly feels like a loss. Akron outgains us by 5 yards. We didn't take the lead until 17 seconds were left in the third quarter. We probably would have lost by double digits if we don't pick off four Akron throws. Two came from corner Cole Henry (yeah the same dude who had two picks against Texas), one from true freshman safety Jack Hodge (wearing my second favorite number I might add, #33) and one from outside LB Brad Robinson.
Culver is at long last pulled. I think the fans would have charged the sidelines had I left him in. Backup Terrence Black goes 4 for 8 but more importantly scores the two 4th quarter TDs that give us the win. My eyes are officially opened to how much work this roster needs. Thank goodness Houston is only 5-5.
Every week now I pour 30% of my recruiting budget into Ostrander, Eric Gates (a 76-rated athlete), and Gary Lucas (a 75-rated TE). These are the stars on the board I have to sign to elevate this class.
Steve Johnson, this year's winner of the "sounds like a BYU name", is a 68-rated safety sign who becomes our 5th commit of the year.
Week 12 - BYU at Houston
Here's another one of those games that isn't huge but is huge, you know what I mean? The difference between 6-5 or 7-4 just seems seismic. I decide to stick with Freshman Terrence Black as the starter at QB. Houston's best win of the season came over 4-6 SMU. They have a number of ugly losses. I should win this thing.
Instead we get stomped, 41-20. We struck first with a field goal. Then they scored 38 of the next 45 points. Huh. Terrence Black sucks enough to give Culver his job back. Another loss to a poor G5 team cannot be good for job security (it isn't, I'm down to a 53% rating, which while seemingly middle-of-the-pack is technically 5th worst in all of college football. Thankfully I have some wiggle room as I'm only in the second year of my contract)
My defense is sucking so bad that I decide to pull a Kyle Whittingham trick. I have two TEs interested in me that I don't need. They're rated decently at 70 and 68, but if I sign them I think I can switch them to defensive line, and I could use any help there I can get. Sorry to lie to you fellows.
Week 13 - BYU at #1 Notre Dame
Quite the season finale eh? Not only that but this is our third matchup against a top-10 team this year. No mercy. The Notre Dame QB who set the world on fire as a freshman last year is injured, but his replacement followed in his footsteps by winning national player of the week against Troy with a 366 yard passing, 104 yard rushing, 6 TD performance. A loss puts us at 6-6, as average as a team can be.
So let it be written. We lose 48-24.
One degree of solace comes in the form of a commitment. The cornerback out of Roswell (aka "Area 51") signs with me.
A recruit named Josh Young from North Ogden rates his on-campus visit a F. He calls campus lifestyle his highest priority. Somehow he still has me ranked first on his board (probably because he sucks). Either way I'm guessing if he signs we will lose him to honor code violation.
While waiting for our bowl game a couple of weeks later Ostrander signs! He will instantly be our most impactful defensive lineman. No redshirt for you my friend.
As for the post season, we're invited to ...
The Poinsettia Bowl vs Colorado State
San Diego? Not bad as far as bowl locations go. An old Mountain West foe? Not bad as far as opponents go. Our performance in a 38-20 win? EXCELLENT!
We end the year on a high note, beating a 8-win CSU team that I expected to squeak by at best. How do we barely snuff the Zips yet post a double digit win over the Rams? Steve Reid didn't have a senior season to match his spectacular junior year effort, but he gives us a solid 121 yards and a TD in his final game as a Cougar. Cole Henry grabs another pick and finishes tied for the 4th most interception in the country. The Culver Coaster (the latest fan nickname) has a nice game too: 18/36, 266 yards, 3 TDs, 1 pick.
Some additional good news comes from my contract: winning a bowl game was big in my clause and it boosts my job security up to 66. I'll breathe easier this Christmas.
Til next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment