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BYU football: Big block for Cougars

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Desert Cougar | 6:06 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Good win. The Huskies played with intensity trying to save themselves, their coach and their season . . . and BYU still beat them on their home turf. Next week will be a big test. If BYU takes UCLA, then they're legit regardless of what all the jealous Ute fans who haunt this blog say.

NevadaCoug | 6:07 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

I did not see the celebration penalty. However, let's take a look at a few points:

1. The rulebook clearly states that throwing the ball in the air is excessive celebration.
2. The NCAA has asked the referees to crack down on celebration this season.
3. The game should be called the same way in the 4th quarter as it would be in the 1st quarter. A referee should not "hide the flag" just because it there are only 2 seconds left on the clock.

In my opinion, if Locker threw the ball into the air, he should have been flagged for it. The kicker should still have made the kick. Instead, he was too slow to the ball, kicked it low, and it got blocked (as described in the AP report on the game). Cougars win. End of story. A win is a win is a win is a win.

Hmmm... | 6:11 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Unga, Pitta, and Hall were awesome. Too bad Hall threw the interception before halftime. Austin Collie still looks a little rusty. But at least he has a cool helmet faceguard. Jake Locker looked good and if he had good receivers -- and could throw accurately to those receivers -- he would be a Heisman candidate for the next three years.

Comments continue below

The rule... | 6:11 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

2. After a score or any other play, the player in possession immediately must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot.
This prohibits:
(a) Kicking, throwing, spinning or carrying (including off of the field) the ball any distance that requires an official to retrieve it.
(b) Spiking the ball to the ground [Exception: A forward pass to conserve time (Rule 7-3-2-d)].
(c) Throwing the ball high into the air.
(d) Any other unsportsmanlike act or actions that delay the game

HOLDING | 6:13 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

HOLDING, HOLDING, HOLDING, HOLDING. The Refs blew tons of calls tonight. UW was only in the game because the refs didn't make any calls all night. HOLDING, HOLDING, HOLDING, all blasted night. For the love...

Phenom | 6:18 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Bad refs | 4:42 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008
"I am sick and tired of BYU winning the close games. You didn't deserve the win and should have lost by 21 points - to the worst team in the PAC 10!

Refs favor BYU again and really hosed Washington." How exactly did the refs favor BYU? They missed sooo many holding calls. Also, there were questionable late hit calls, and a lack of PI calls against UW
re ripped off- you cant just make stuff up. how does kicking the ball lower help you kick it farther?
what was up with collie? where was colby claweson? The Pac-10 refs are all HATERS! Same with the Fox announcers. Phenom out

Aggies | 6:18 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

If nobody is going to say it, I will.

Oregon thumps Washington and USU. However USU performs better than Washington by scoring 24 points opposed to 10 for UW.
BYU struggles against the same Washington team. In my illogical thinking, it may be USU who breaks the Y's quest for perfection. Now isn't that Karma. LOL

Just A Thought... | 6:19 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

If Washington had made the PAT, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. I mean, it wouldn't matter if they got called for unsportsmanlike conduct had they made the PAT...so now that they didn't make the PAT, why is it such a big deal? GET OVER IT. BYU WON. IT'S OVER.

The Rule... | 6:22 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

...is what it is. It is silly to suggest a rule shouldn't have been enforced due to circumstances in the game (reminds me of playing Monopoly with my young nieces and nephews). We can argue over which rules are good and which are bad, but when the whistle blows, each team has the same rules to abide (and hopefully they are equally applied).

BYU squeeked out a win. At a couple points it looked like they were trying to give the game away. But there were a lot of great plays, 400 some yards of offense, 28 points and just a little luck. No one was robbed; the game was much more than one call. It just tilted BYU's way this time around.

CougarFanInAZ | 6:32 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

What a bunch of faithless whiners. BYU will always be a team with smaller, slower players...but they play smart and as a TEAM. I'm glad they don't read the newspapers during the season.

All of you Ute fans...Locker is just as good as Tebow. He's a gamebreaker and his stats show it. He accounted for nearly 270 of the 330 yards Washington got.

Our offense is unstoppable and quite frankly nobody will stop them all year.

Quit whining about the call. We got shafted all game long with non-calls. UofW had two penalties all game. What a joke.

orson A. Round | 6:33 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

heart attack game if you are for BYU and a disappointment if a Huskey. Pac 10 Officials are terribl;e on "good" days. Is it TRUE when [laying outside their conference they officially bring their Pac 10 officials - tell me not so!!!

Hope the Utes win this evening - am a BYU grad and cheer for the Y and utah except for the final game - but doubt BYU will be undefeated as their defense is more than suspect.

Next week will be an embarrasement if the Y doesn't get some defense worked out.

BYU COUG | 6:30 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

I will have to agree that BYU on defense is not very good at the moment. UCLA has a very good defense. On the BYU UW game I do admit that the call was not really a good one. On the other hand though UW should of made that field goal, angle or whatever the excuse is he is a field goal kicker his job is to kick field goals. You have to give the BYU offense some credit though, they played very well. The Quest is still on and we will see what happens this next game.

T Money | 6:31 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

If we play UCLA the way we played Washington today, the "quest for perfection" will only last three games. No one mentioned that Unga's fumble in the end zone KILLED us. If we score on that possession the final score is a solid 35-21 win for the Cougs. Unga was the man today and mistakes happen but that turnover was definitely costly. As for our defense, where were our Linebackers today? When Washington spead the field our defense gifted Locker ten yards up the middle every time. Either we blitz Locker and sack him or the Linebackers plug the middle like they are supposed to. I think we match up better with UCLA than we did with Washington simply because Locker is a NFL quarterback talent. However, if we continue to lose the turnover battle each game we might not even get the Vegas Bowl (let alone a BCS bowl) because we will lose quality opponents like UCLA, TCU and Utah. Our game plan should be to outscore our opponents and the only way that is going to happen is to stop losing the ball on stupid turnovers.

BP | 6:39 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

What a bunch of WHINERS...you Ute fans posing as U of Washington fans that seem to all of a sudden know everything about Washington need to remember you beat a pretty substandard Michigan team...and at that had to hold on to your britches as Mich came charging back and almost stole the game from you too.

BYU made a couple silly turnovers and missed some opportunities, but the box score says it all. BYU was dominant and deserved to win. It's good they didn't win by a big margin, cause they need to iron some more kinks out before UCLA.

To BYU fans, you are TOO worried about our defensive woes. The reality is our defense was solid most of the game, but gave up big plays at really bad times. LOCKER is a playmaker and deserves some credit. The kid is a stud, hurt hammy and all. If he could throw deep a little better he'd be a Heisman candidate. Yeah I said it...give credit where credit is due. He made some great decisions and some gutsy plays. Our defense wasn't ready for his ability to read the field and improvise.

Win is a win...I'll take it and run.

BYU_Student | 6:42 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Any team can step up and play a great game at any given time. Different teams match up differently against different opponents. For example, a Michigan team beating a Florida in a bowl last year, a Stanford beating USC. Anomalies happen in college football all the time. Any team can step up on any given day. The Washington team today was different than the one that saw Oregon last week.

The defense needs work, it's certain. But next week against UCLA we might match up better. Locker was a one man team out there. The secondary was making plays at the end of the game, but the d-line itself along with the linebackers looked slow compared to Locker's stunning agility.

This team is good enough to beat the bruins next week, and they should playing at home. Minus TCU and Utah they should be able to run the conference from there.

I hope both Utah and BYU are playing for BCS berth. The winner will be a legit contender, we can all agree and bury these pointless debates. As for this week, far from perfect, but it's 2-0.

Better than the past two years.

dingo | 6:44 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

the secondary is slow slow slow. in fact everything behind the defensive line is a national disgrace.

scoreboard tells all and you take wins anyway you can but if they play like this against UCLA then the BCS buster season is over.

what we saw: the worst team in the PAC-10 and the #1 in the MWC and they (BYU) win by 1 with some major help.

what the national media saw: a bad PAC-10 team barely looses to a top non BCS school. the bad PAC-10 team is still better.

i am happy for the win but in all reality BYU should drop in the polls.

Bill from South Dakota | 6:44 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

What a nail biter! As a BYU fan I was quite worried about playing OOC on the road. The call by the PAC-10 official is a "point of emphasis" this year for all collegiate officials. So all you nonfans quit you whining. BYU made one more play than Washington did. Throughout the entire game there were many non-calls on both sides. I believe that the officials did let the players decide the game.

Lee | 6:44 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

THE call was NOT a "judgement call". BYU haters, please read the rules. Jake, the snake, through the ball in the air. It had to be called. Case closed! Also, on the final drive the officials, let HOLDING calls go at least five times. Watch the Video! Those were judgment calls. Washington did not deserve to win.

A win but... | 6:48 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Offense should have had two more TDs. Interception and fumble negated points on the board. This game should not have been that close.

Defense let them stay in the game. D is not looking too good yet. Hope they step up next week.

mexican BYU fan | 6:48 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Rules are rules. Locker threw the ball up and behind him and that is a penalty. Washington needed to make a regular not so hard "field goal" to EARN the over time. Honestly, how many field goals from that distance are blocked? It's pretty rare I might add. BYU came through and executed. They did what they needed to do to win. They BLOCKED the kick, did anybody see that other than myself? BYU EARNED the win. Stop complaining. Gracias.

Mark | 6:48 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

I'm hearing all these comments about how bad BYU's defense is. They were playing on the road, in a very loud and tough place to play against one of the best athletes in the country, Jake Locker. He runs circles around every team in the Pac-10 and if he only had good players around him UW would be top 25. That was a good win for BYU and their offense looked amazing with Hall, Pitta, and Unga. Defenses always seem to struggle on the road.

Smart fan... | 7:07 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

One smart fan made the point that this discussion would not exist had Washington made the kick, pushed the game into OT and had another chance. However, Washington lost the game and had to place the blame somewhere. What are the odds that the kicker is the only player on the team blaming himself for not making the kick?

Even if it was a bad call, there was a kick to be made. Washington should be blaming their kicker.

Y does it matter? | 7:07 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

I think in a few weeks, the argument about the "call" will be over. But BYU will be remembered as the team that finally beat Washington on the road.

Remember this also:

Good teams will find a way to win - just as BYU did on the block PAT. If Washington was decent, their line would have block their guts out to prevent a surge and a blocked kick by Jorgensen. But they didn't and Cougars won... So, blown call or make-up call, UW had a chance to tie the game and they didn't do it. The Cougars will move forward as will the Huskies. Let's hope the fans will too.

P.S. - Please be a classy fan and comment about the game, not tear any teams apart!

byu'96 | 7:13 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

The sad thing about this for BYU is that this wasn't the kind of win that will convince anyone that BYU is ready for big time--and the call at the end will color that judgment of BYU even though its not BYU's fault.

WXBBFAN | 7:14 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

HOW MANY CLAIMING WASHINGTON GOT CHEATED ACTUALLY WATCHED THE GAME?
I DID AND WASHINGTON CANNOT SAY THEY GOT HOSED BY THE REFS
THAT CELECRATION WAS A MAKE UP CALL FOR ALL THE MISSED HOLDING CASLLS THAT KEPT WASHINGTTON EVEN IN THE GAME
GP COUGS!
GO UTES! two utah wins is better than only one until the BIG game.

don't it just frost you byu haters how lucky the cougs have been? maybe last second wins are a bit more than pure luck--like the time expired touchdown HALL threw to beat utes last year!!

many lucky NFL and most college quarterbacks don't have the arm strength to make that pass.

True Blue BYU Football Fan | 7:16 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

I am a diehard BYU fan, but must agree with our friends from UofW that they were robbed on the celebration call. This game should have gone to overtime, with the best team winning. That call was just terrible, and cast a unnecessary shadow on an otherwise outstanding football game.

Courageous Effort-Harris Ok | 7:19 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Too bad Harris went down the way he did. Had he stayed in the game it would have been an easy win for UW. BYU passed all over us, Harris would have changed that but good game regardless. UW needed this and couldn't get it which is unfortunate because BYU is probably one of the weaker teams that will roll through. Good win for BYU as they have consistently underperformed outside of their weak conference. Hopefully Harris gets back up-go UW!

Kicker Coach | 7:20 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

The difference between 20 and 35 yards for a place kicker in high school and college is really nothing. The angle for distance is not even a factor until 40+ yards, even then the kick should be away within 1 to 1.15 seconds. If the Husky line had done it's job the game would have been decided in OT. For those whining about the celebration call, if what the quarterback did was wrong in the first of the game then it is still wrong at the end of the game. That is why rules need to be enforced the same all the time, we push the rules until we get told we cannot do it. Too bad it was at the end of the game.

Anonymous | 7:31 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

So BYU wins a game because the Washington QB cracks a smile after a score, most rediculas thing I have ever seen in football.

Eric | 7:37 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Bottom line is that if BYU were in the PAC-10 it would be no higher than 6th in the conference. These past 2 games against UCLA and Washington have proved that. BYU is a great Mountain West team but does not deserve to be in the BCS. I predict losses to TCU and Utah this year for Cougs.

Can Utah State please move a level down in football or drop it completely? It's got to be awfully hard to give up 66 points with the shortened time clock rules.

Speaking of new alignments, how about the following for a new Intermountain West conference?

Wyoming
Utah State
Idaho
Colorado State
Weber State
Idaho State
Montana
Montana State

These schools would enjoy playing like teams, and stronger teams like BYU and Utah could finally be rid of them. Oh by the way, maximum average attendance to be a part of this new league is <20,000 per game. And talk about a time saver - there would not be a need for any TV network to pick up this league.

required call | 7:35 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

The refs are REQUIRED to call an un-sportsman like conduct penalty if a player throws the ball after a play in such manner. They didn't have a choice. It's in the rules. It maybe easier to ignore a holding call, but this one was obvious- they had no choice.

TOPHERO | 7:38 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Disappointing for Washington? Absolutely. Also unfortunate for Cougars since that's all we'll hear about all year long. I would rather win on a different note. However, BYU players cannot control things out of their hands. Well done Jan blocking the kick that did happen and not the theoretical one. As far as I can tell, UW is 0-1 in the Pac 10. Let's see where they end up. Of course our wins mean different things when the rest of the season pans out--that's the nature of the BCS. How good is BYU? We don't really know yet. Still, being the small fish in a big pond is what BCS busting is all about!

BYU!!!!!! | 7:43 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

YAAAAHHHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Eat it up!

VICTORY! | 7:45 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

A great game. Max Hall for President of the United States. What a calm, competitive surgeon out there.

Harry Husky | 7:49 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

BYU 28 UW 27. Game over.

Give the defense a break! | 7:54 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

A message to all the BYU fair-weather fans grinding on the defense: Give them a break! Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the defense block a game-tying PAT with two seconds remaining to preserve the win? Washington's QB was a wrecking ball! He would have been tough on any defense today. It was no secret that the defense had some rebuilding to do this year, but it seems a lot of the spoiled Cougar fans expected perfection in game 2. Gave the defense some time to catch up to their experienced and loaded offense. And try to remember, BYU's "pathetic" football team holds the country's longest winning streak. When was the last time BYU won at Husky Stadium? That would be NEVER!

Shawn | 7:53 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

I went back on the DVR to check out the last drive for Washington. There were 3 blatant holding or blocks in the back that should have been called, one of which stopped BYU's man from sacking Locker clear back at the 50. Any of those get called and Washington has 15 more yards to go.

Idaho Cougar Fan | 7:57 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

As a cougar fan, I must say that UW was kind of robbed by the celebration call. That said all these people that are saying BYU got lucky, watch the game and count how many times UW got away with holding (3 or 4 times). Secondly, it is only the second game of the season and maybe UW ends up winning five or six games in the Pac-10. We don't know how "bad" or "good" UW really is. If they give OU a game next week, people will start saying how good a win this was for BYU. Everybody needs to take a deep breath and relax and let the season unfold until we say good or bad win for BYU. Last I saw Utes and Rebels are tied at 14 at halftime. Don't lose again to UNLV, Utah!

Eric P | 7:58 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

As a BYU fan, I prefer watching a thriller over just another win. I too agree that the ref robbed us all of the satisfaction of an unadulterated win. I have no doubt that BYU would have pulled off the OT win. BYU clearly played better. But, let's work on that secondary. And let's get rid of this ridiculous celebration ruling.

Prediction | 8:00 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Breaking our non-con losing streak is going to spur the defense. Our offense has a quarterback with tremendous courage and it will spread to the whole team. Next week I believe we will surprise a lot of people with a very big win over UCLA.

The Call | 8:07 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Below are a few paragraphs from an article about the game from Yahoo Sports:

But as soon as the ball left Lockerï¿½s hands and went into the air, officials hands were tied, according to a statement from referee Larry Farina.

ï¿½After scoring the touchdown, the player threw the ball into the air and we are required, by rule, to assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty,ï¿½ Farina said in a statement given to Washington officials. ï¿½It is a celebration rule that we are required to call. It was not a judgment call.ï¿½

Following the rule certainly didnï¿½t make it easier for the Huskies to accept.

ï¿½Itï¿½s one that they almost have to call,ï¿½ coach Tyrone Willingham said. ï¿½It really should be a no-call, but itï¿½s one they have to call when they see it.ï¿½

Madden | 8:05 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

BYU didn't look great, but I'd prefer a string of ugly wins to blowouts followed by losses. They better step up next week.

PAC10 debate...if BYU (or Utah) were in the PAC10 they would do just fine. So many top notch recruits do NOT come here because they don't want to play in the MWC. If BYU/Utah went to a big-money conference their recruiting classes would improve dramatically and they would likely have top 10 finishes every 4-5 years.

Rick | 8:09 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

2007 2 points better than a 6th place PAC 10 team.
2008 1 point better than a 10th place Pac 10 team.

This is progress??????????

Ferndale, WA | 8:15 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

I was at the game with excellent seats. Jake Locker is a great kid who came from our small town and is an excellent representative of our city. He is not LDS, but has LDS friends, including my daughter. On his way to his High School graduation, he forgot that he had promised to come sign balls for our little league team. He literally turned around and came back to sign the balls.

I have personally played in or coached over 100 football games. I think the unsportsmanlike call could have gone either way. It was probably the wrong call at that point in the game. Yes, the kick still might have been blocked at 20 yards rather than 35, but less likely.

I don't know what all of the complaining on the "holds" by UW is about. That shows a lack of football sophistication from what I saw.

BYU outgained the Huskies by 200 yards and should have won the game. But they did not dominate as a #15 team should and in my opinion, have no business in the top 20 teams in the US.

remember? | 8:21 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Arent these the same zoobies that were ripping on the U for only winning by 2? What an ugly, close, lucky win for you guys. Bywho better get some D, or it wont be as much fun when Utah whips you in Nov. A 1 point win against an unranked Washington? Way to make the MWC look good zoobies!
Thanks for nothing

SoCal | 8:19 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

What some of these people fail to realize is that late flag didn't change the game.....Washington still had to block in order for the kick to have a chance and they didn't perform. It was Washington's fault the way!!

Anti-PC Infidel | 8:23 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Even playing very poorly on defense, dropping a bunch of passes on offense, and getting homered by the always questionable Pac-10 refs (I have spent four decades watching Pac-10 football and cheering for Pac-10 teams every week, so I have seen plenty of it. Not as bad as the Big 10 or 12, maybe, but bad). Great teams can play poorly and still win.

That being said, USC would wipe both BYU and Utah all over the field if they played right now, even with a non-P10 officiating crew. (And I'm a BYU fan.)

Go UNLV!

Extra Points | 8:28 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

Washington misses an extra point at home to tie the game and loses by one.

Michigan misses a two-point conversion to tie the game and loses at home by two.

I really don't see either BYU's or Utah's fans claiming any superiority.

Two wins on the road against stellar programs by failed extra points shows BYU and Utah are going to have to prove it on the field.

I do know who beat who the past two years, though, in both games.

Ute fans can shut-up now, win or lose tonight, they had the same score at half at home against UNLV that BYU/Washington did in Washington.

Probably time to cut the childish claims.

BYU fan | 8:26 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

BYU should have won that game and they did. But I don't think they should have won it like that. It doesn't sit well that the win came under the circumstances of the last-minute and admittedly questionable celebration call. BYU should have avoided a lot of the mistakes they made earlier in the game to avoid that situation at the end. I would rather have seen it decided in overtime, personally. Yes, a win is a win. But let's not have any more wins like that, okay team?

THE RULE . . . . | 8:28 p.m. Sept. 6, 2008

PLEASE read "the rule . . ." at 6:11. No more questions asked.

I too was yelling at my TV on the entire last drive becasue of all the blatant missed holding calls.

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26 photos

Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News

BYU's Jan Jorgensen (84) blocks the extra-point attempt of Washington's Ryan Perkins to seal the Cougars 28-27 win over the Huskies on Saturday in Seattle.

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BYU football: Big block for Cougars