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BYU football preview: Cougar army

when any team has to take one of their "stars" from another position and try them out at another, as the Cougar's did with Collie, the wave or sea of others in this instance is more illusionary than real.

The reality is behind Matt Hall is nobody the Bronco really wants to see touch the ball this year. If Hall is less than 100% physically this season the quest for perfection is only the vain hope for perfection.

None of this matters.

None of this matters . . . to you. It does matter for continued success in the BYU football program which is inevitable.

nonbeliever, you miss the point. Half the country is one injury away from a very different season and our backup QBs could start at many of them.
Perhaps the prevailing thought is that if Hall goes down in a tight one, we're better off throwing a wrench in the opposing defense's preparation with an Austin Collie triple option ala Air Force than running the same plays at a diminished level.
Our depth of talent may allow us to change the face of the whole offense instead of just switching the QB.
Although I hope we don't see it until the end of the season, if at all, every team we play is going to have to prepare for it.
Perhaps this is the beginning of a new twist to Anae's offense.

Even as a BYU fan I fail to see how grooming backups could possibly not be something every team is doing. Contingency plan? Who doesn't have one of those?

Think about it - if the rational for taking Collie away from MUCH needed reps as a receiver (remember he has been sidelined all camp) is to develop some Air Force triple option stunt, we only would need to develop one of our actual QBs for that. Covey - an actual scholarshiped QB - ran the option very very well as a starter for almost 3 seasons at Timpview. He is fast and would likely be starting at Air Force this season had he not chosen to come to the Y. Collie? The guy last played QB as a 10 year old. He has the chance to be an all-american receiver. I'm guessing he hates this stunt as much as anyone. I'm afraid the QB wave at BYU happens to be on their missions right now. There is absolutely NO other logical reason to be doing this with Collie. Prep him for a couple trick plays fine but prep him as an actual backup QB is bordering on insanity.

First off, his name is MAX Hall, not Matt Hall. And if Bronco didn't want to see anybody other than Hall and Collie touch the ball at QB, why would he name Gaskins as the backup?

Just because Doman had Collie take a FEW snaps in practice doesn't mean they're gonna use him when Hall goes down. I doubt we'll see Collie take more than 2 snaps the entire season, so GET OVER IT!!!!

The previous comments make me optimistic that no one will pay attention to this one, but let's stop and think why it would be a good idea to have a WR ready to "play QB." Will he actually play QB? I doubt it. But if you want to really screw up a defense, the occasional snap-to-WR-while-he-is-in motion (think Harvin at Florida last year) or screen pass/flea flicker combo would be PHENOMENAL. I think BYU is playing mind-games with their opponents. We all saw Gaskins play very well vs. Wyoming with the 2nd team Offense last November. He'll be ready to play. I think the real deal is adding a couple of trick plays to the ol' repertoire, but I guess we'll all know within the next few months.

Who is Matt Hall? the is no one on the roster with that name..... If you ute fans are going to talk smack at least be accurate. That is all.

Better watch out Cougar opponents!

Sincerly,

THE Tulsa University

Did you not read the whole article? Here's what is said on the second page by David Nixon: "More than anything, the credit goes to our coaches. They prepare us and give each guy enough reps to be ready. The coaches spend as much time with the third-string guys as the first-string guys, coaching them up."

That does NOT happen at every university. So while, yes, other teams have backups also, they are not being developed in the manner BYU develops its backups. Likewise, the way Mendenhall addresses the backups speaks to readiness and preparation NOW, not two seasons down the road. In other words, Mendenhall has created a culture on his team that fosters preparation and makes readiness a key identity among "benchwarmers" because of this they are supposedly steps ahead of other second-stringers at other programs.

I can guarantee you, Matt Hall will NOT be ready to play for the cougars all season. In fact I guarantee you he won't take a snap all year.

As a cougar fan, I am devastated by the thought of not having Matt Hall!

I agree...after that season-ending injury during Winter Camp, it's gonna be a rough year without our star Matt Hall.

I smell another national championship.

Austin Collie would be a backup to option QB Covey, if BYU decides to run an option offense at sometime this season. Covey has the option pretty well covered, and now the coaches have their backup option QB. Very smart move.

If, for some reason, the regular BYU offense is stopped by a tough defense this season, they may switch to the option. Will it work? That depends on the team they are playing, their preparation for the game, and their expereince against the option.

Very smart move. Just one more arrow in the quiver that BYU's opponents will have to keep in mind.

I think Matt Hall is an outstanding quarterback. Maybe he doesn't need a WR for his back-up. BYU will always win. Go Matt.

Smelling another national championship? Give me a break. If BYU or Utah had to play in the SEC week in and week out, they would be comparable to the Kentucky's and Vanderbilt's of the league. They may hang with the Florida's, Georgia's, LSU's for a short time, but they do not have the depth to hang with the "big boys" week after week. Sorry for breaking the "bubble" of the real world.

Hope of Israel, Zion's Army, Children of the Promised day......

Ernest is a Ute fan, who always throws stupidity into these blogs, don't pay attention. He's just jealous.

If BYU was in the SEC or the PAC-10 for that matter, it would be easier for them to recruit on a national level. Let's face it, how many strong LDS players, ie. Ngata, Jonathan Mapu,etc. have gone to schools other than BYU because they want to see how they would do in better conferences. The rich get richer, and the poor continue to struggle along, doing the best they can do with what they have. BYU is doing pretty well considering the conference they are in.