Deseret News | BYU football: Renewed Unga likes hype-free spring drills

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BYU football: Renewed Unga likes hype-free spring drills

UNDERDOG | 10:19 p.m. March 30, 2009

The Cougars will rock this fall.

UNDEFEATED is clearly possible.

UNGA will show he is an ALL AMERICAN against OKLAHOMA.

QUEST FOR PERFECTION II!

Hall | 10:21 p.m. March 30, 2009

You could always run buddy. Problem was that you fumbled about 8 out of 10 times you did. Fix that and a whole new dimension is added to the offense. Way to telegraph your new desire to run to every offense that we face this year. Kinda like you do with your passes!!!! :(

Keep the arrogance a little lower this year. A little less Bocce ball and a little more film should benefit you.

Unga- You just stay healthy and keep doing your thing. Can't wait to see you in action again.

Re: Hall | 11:37 p.m. March 30, 2009

Try 2 out of 10. Hall did fumble a couple of times running, and that's what everyone remembers. But Hall can actually run better than Beck did for the most part. People also forget that Hall also got a rushing TD against Utah in the 2008 game. Hall can run the problem is obviously taking care of the football. If he's going to run he needs to tuck and run it. I think he's kept it out to make it look like he still might throw it and to keep the defense guessing, but it has simply backfired a couple of time. The risk is obviously that the ball isn't tucked away and secure.

Comments continue below

2008 | 12:07 a.m. March 31, 2009

Last season didn't surprise me at all. In fact I was impressed with a 10 and 3 season. I just new it would happen. People threw so much weight on the fact that the offense returned 10 of 11 starters from a previous 11-2 season, that they didn't even think about the defense only returning 3. They also played all the toughest teams in the conference on the road. A good percentage of the team were also underclassmen. Younger players, even talented younger players are still fundamentally flawed at times and don't have the skills that a lot of the older players have. Even though there is no hype this year I honestly think that this could be the Y's year to shine, and possibly go undefeated. I said POSSIBLY I didn't say probably. I will be bold enough to suggest to that this year is more of a possibility than last year was. Oklahoma is hands down the biggest obstacle, but a W isn't impossible. From there the home-road schedule really couldn't be more favorable, the defense returns 8 starters from last year, and the offense will be the same.

Harvey Unga | 12:30 a.m. March 31, 2009

Unga is phenomenal, he will no question be the best back in the conference next year. Junior year and two starting years of 1100+ yards rushing. The only guys better than he was in 2008 were Rodney Ferguson, Gartrell Johnson, and Devin Moore, but those guys will be gone. People say he dropped off in ability but he is really unique. He's a 4.6 running back weighing 240 pounds, it's tough to get much faster at that size! He can run with incredible power and relative speed, something that is really quite rare. Beanie Wells of Ohio St. was the only back similar that I could see. He's a junior and already 7th all time rushing at BYU. Curtis Brown just broke the all time record two years ago and already Unga is on pace to break it again. Assuming that he stays for his senior season, (anything could happen). He won't just break the record, he'll shatter it! Perhaps he could possibly break Luke Staley's single season record? I don't know. Either way Unga will undoubtedly go down in the books as one of the legendary running backs at BYU.

Woody | 5:25 a.m. March 31, 2009

I have always been a cougar fan and have seen a good and bad situation but I'm sorry for fading a little this year. why and who planted Hall it QB and then shut the door on the rest. My goodness, the kid was hailed as the next QB standout and blessed to be a savior but good gravy, the best thing would be to send Doman on vacation from sept to april and get someone who can play a game with fire and guts, like Gaskin. We had a QB in high school who was the brother of the coach and he played every down his jr. $ sr. year and the kid couldn't cut the mustard but he knew he would be playing each game, every week. You can tell me Hall is the prince of the QBs, but we had better get the QBs & RBs some playing time or we may be seeing, in the future, a whole lot of talent leave the nest. We have very good talent now and some on missions, and some coming up and we need to let these kids know we really want them and show by playing them.

re: UNDERDOG | 7:21 a.m. March 31, 2009

Nice try ewe troll... go find a ewe blog to scribble on

Re: Woody | 7:30 a.m. March 31, 2009

Gaskins? Really? The kid so good that Bronco was giving Austin Collie reps at backup QB? That's who you want as QB?

Cougar 4 | 8:07 a.m. March 31, 2009

Unga is a animal. I can't wait to see him run this year. The Cougars are lining up another fun year. Lock and Load!

Oklahoma | 9:22 a.m. March 31, 2009

A 45 point pounding could ruin BYU for the year.
They will not win that game. The trick is make it a respectable enough game so as not to shatter their confidence the way TCU did last year.

The Future? | 9:41 a.m. March 31, 2009

I don't know if he was necessarily saying that Gaskins should be the starter, but I do have my own concerns about what happens when Max leaves. There is no one else with much experience, though the transfer from Utah State may prove to be huge.

Underdog | 9:57 a.m. March 31, 2009

RE: Oklahoma

I guess you could be right. Oklahoma should be ranked the #1 team in America next fall in my opinion. They return just about their whole offense. Hopefully BYU can hang in there. This game is early in the season, however. Even if the Cougars take a drubbing I think they'll be ok. Avoiding injury will be the key. Key players like Hall, Unga and others will have to stay healthy for the Cougars to be successful. RE: Woody Gaskens to start?? Is he your cousin?

Re: The Future | 10:14 a.m. March 31, 2009

When Max leaves, and this sounds brash, but things could very well improve. Max Hall was a 2 star quarterback when he was recruited, and both Jason Munns and James Lark are more highly recruited than Max Hall was. Also, it's anything but a lock, but if we land 5 star QB Jake Heaps, that will be absolutely huge. So the future at QB is a lot higher than you may think.

Re: The Future | 10:18 a.m. March 31, 2009

James Lark is likely to be the next starting QB.

BYU 09 | 10:29 a.m. March 31, 2009

I think that BYU should have a great shot at winning the conference. They have a lot of guys back and they play TCU and Utah @ home. They WILL NOT BEAT OKLAHOMA!!!! If that game were in Provo, it would still be a small miracle if BYU beat Oklahoma. There was a small miracle in '90.

Coach Bronco Mendenhall said that Unga is "probably the most healthy he's been," adding that Unga's play this spring reminds him of the way Unga looked going into his freshman year "when he had what I consider an excellent year. The way he's running and carrying his weight now is more similar to that than it was a year ago."

Unga got fat. He still had plenty of muscle, but he was fat. That was Vakapunas problem, he was fat. Unga could play at the next level if he keeps the fat off.

Re:Hall | 10:41 a.m. March 31, 2009

I can't stand Max Hall. I wish that Bronco and Doman would put the starting job up for chance this year and make Max actually work hard and beat out the other competitors. Max is full of arrogance, and he really could use a lesson in humility. Unfortunately his coaches and his teammates let him slide the blame for all of the mistakes he made in the Utah game, that game was lost because of Max's arrogance, still...no humility. Good grief...I was in the stands and could tell what he was going to do each play. No wonder the Utah players on the field had no problem picking up on his plans as well. It scares me that Max thinks he can run the ball...past experience tell me that he needs to stay in the pocket. He had way too many fumbles last year. Maybe Coach Doman can teach him a few things about how to be a great scrambling QB. I still remember LaVell's last football game against Utah. I wish we could get more QB's at BYU to play the way Brandon did on that day!

TheWizzofRed&White | 10:54 a.m. March 31, 2009

Re: Re:UNDERDOG...HEE HEE HO HO....Eweeeee better go look for your mommy out there in the pasture as I think the Underdog Man got ya!

Re: BYU 09 | 11:11 a.m. March 31, 2009

I wouldn't call 31-6 a small miracle. That's a drubbing, flat out ownage performance. This year's team is probably a little different. I'm getting tired of the doubters. Are the odds in BYU's favor against Oklahoma? Certainly not. But don't rule out the possibility of an upset. Upsets were the theme of NCAA football in 2007. Honestly if Stanford can beat USC and Appalachian State can beat Michigan, then BYU has a chance against Oklahoma. I'm not saying a win is probable. I'm simply saying a win is possible, and that's what every TRUE fan should hope for. Even if we don't win, if BYU plays tough and doesn't back down, and doesn't get intimidated, and plays their fastest and hits hard, and keeps the game respectable and gives 100% effort, that to me is just as important as winning. If they roll over and die without a fight that's what I'll be disappointed in.

Realistic BYU FAN | 11:24 a.m. March 31, 2009

I don't think BYU will have much of a problem replacing Max after this year, I think Riley Nelson should be a good replacement but who knows. as far as beating Oklahoma I can't see it, Maybe Bronco should call Kyle and inquire about how to get a team up for a really big game.

Concast-hater | 11:29 a.m. March 31, 2009

Unga was used too much which resulted in injuries. He was still man enough to play but other teams need to be expecting a run or a pass at 3rd and 3. Good luck Unga, stay thin, and continue to play hard.

Re:Woody and Re: Re: Hall | 11:51 a.m. March 31, 2009

You can't stand Hall? Is it his personality? Who do you suppose can step in and take his place this year?

One problem with Hall is that since he took over we don't throw the flare route with our RB's. With Beck and Brown that was one of our best plays because it got 5 yds per, but also keeps the defense honest. It helps keep the OLB from plugging up zones and throwing lanes.

My other problem with him is that he is in love with his arm. He doesn't go through his reads it is either going to be thrown to first or second option no one else. He needs to learn to check down.

About Doman and his UTAH game(lavell's last),did you forget about the rest of the season, he didn't play that well all season long. I think there are to many on this board today who are still mad that Hall was The UTES MVP last year (did you UTES thank him for that)in that game. Guess what? He is a good QB. He'll be fine!

Next year Munns and Nielson will fight for it.

Re: Re: Hall | 12:11 p.m. March 31, 2009

I do somewhat agree with you. It did make me mad that Max Hall didn't take the blame for the loss, because the loss was clearly his fault. True the defense was hanging on for dear life, but they were starting to make adjustments and force 3 and outs. Then Hall threw 5 interceptions. I suppose I would blame some of the loss on Anae for calling pass plays when we were moving the ball on the ground. They were probably scared to run the ball because of running the clock down. But to be honest that was our best chance. Their defense was spread, and if we had run the ball until they started to defend it, then that would have opened up the pass. So poor management and Hall throwing interceptions, and the fact that Utah was good, lost the game.

Still, do give Hall some credit, even if you don't like him. He's done a lot for BYU and he actually has shown that he can't run. His two weaknesses were Beck's stregnths, taking care of the ball and making quick decisions. If Hall can do that he'll be fine, really.

Utah - BYU Fan | 12:25 p.m. March 31, 2009

I enjoy both Utah and BYU football, but prefer the Utes when going head to head. This last season as I listened to player comments after games I noticed a recurring lack of concern among BYU players. It seemed that Utah players were never pleased with their efforts in close games, while BYU players were always content that they got the job done. I think that had BYU been more disturbed by the close wins, they may have played better later against TCU, Utah, and Arizona.

What is in the water down there? | 12:39 p.m. March 31, 2009

"We're planning an early summer (wedding). End of May, beginning of June," Unga said. "We're still trying to pick a date there and figure things out."

How about you finish school and get a job?

re: re: Woody et al, 11:51 | 1:09 p.m. March 31, 2009

"About Doman and his UTAH game(lavell's last),did you forget about the rest of the season, he didn't play that well all season long."

Uh... actually it sounds like YOU must have fogot a few things. Doman was not the starter that year and only played in the last 2 games of the season because our other QB got injured.

re:Re: Hall at 10:41 | 1:20 p.m. March 31, 2009

"I wish that Bronco and Doman would put the starting job up for chance this year..." - Did you mean "put the starting job up for grabs this year"? I'm not familiar with the saying to "put something up for chance". Are you from Canada?

"Max is full of arrogance, and he really could use a lesson in humility." - Umm...I think he got plenty of humility in a few games last year. You're mistaking confidence for arrogance.

"Unfortunately his coaches and his teammates let him slide the blame for all of the mistakes he made in the Utah game, that game was lost because of Max's arrogance." - Wrong again Buckwheat. That game was lost because Coach Anae decided to not run the ball, which was working great for us.

re:Re: Hall at 10:41am | 1:25 p.m. March 31, 2009

(continued)

"It scares me that Max thinks he can run the ball...past experience tell me that he needs to stay in the pocket. He had way too many fumbles last year." - Oh, brother. Most of his fumbles occured when he stayed IN the pocket too long.

"I still remember LaVell's last football game against Utah. I wish we could get more QB's at BYU to play the way Brandon did on that day!" - Yeah and it sure was a good thing that Pittman ran back to catch Doman's underthrown deep pass to keep that drive alive for one more TD. Do you also remember that little point? Hello? HeeeeellOOOOooooo?

Remember | 2:05 p.m. March 31, 2009

Bigger and Faster is nice to have but protecting the ball is the number one thing to do. If going to run then tuck the ball and slide when you know when going to get hit. Open up you visual field for DB.
Unga, Congrat. on with your future. Stay healthy.

Re:Hall | 10:41 a.m. | 2:06 p.m. March 31, 2009

You probably were a John Beck hater turn John Beck Lover too.

coot20 | 2:43 p.m. March 31, 2009

re: Realistic BYU Fan; Why should Bronco call kyle? He has beat him 2 of the last three years

AZ DAVE | 3:11 p.m. March 31, 2009

Still slow and white, not bad for a non BCS team. 7M Hall is a hack

Ernest T. Bass | 3:51 p.m. March 31, 2009

We are so humble. Our humility and greatness will carry us to heights here-to-for unknown.

john | 3:53 p.m. March 31, 2009

BYU-38
OU-36

Levin | 6:34 p.m. March 31, 2009

I'm all for Hall working on his speed. He will not be a real threat there, but it would be nice for him to be able to get some yards if he has an open field.

More valuable would be managing good defensive coverage and broken plays. Too often last year he threw good passes to good receivers into better coverage. Maybe that speaks to his confidence, but I hope now he is more aware that "not even Max Hall" can make some plays happen.

Get a Clue!! | 11:17 p.m. March 31, 2009

Wow, gotta love the fair weather BYU fans. Funny how everybody loved Max before the Utah game. The guy has come in and given us all more than we expected the past 2 years. Give the guy a break and look at all he's done while here. Did we forget the UCLA record TD game? I've got news for you...BYU wasn't going to win that game against Utah no matter how Max played.

Timmy Boy | 5:53 p.m. April 1, 2009

Hall wants to be another Tim Tebow.

Montanacutter2 | 9:40 p.m. April 1, 2009

Max "Give up the Ball Hall" needs to take some lessons on protecting the ball before he runs with it.

If he starts to run with the ball he will turn it over or get hurt. His physical frame is not a Vince Young and he holds the ball out for the defender to hit it out of his hands as he did in the Utah and Arizona games.

Stay with passing the ball and let running the ball to the backs.

TrueRed | 8:19 a.m. April 2, 2009

Re: cootie20.....HO HO HEE HEE HAW HAW!!!!!!!

Because without a "hack chant" he took a group that u AND YOUR buddies ranted on and created a team who accomplished something the Yners will never do.

Your lame retort is truely "representative of the collective".

Hey, the Provo Mall has a kiosk open for selling T-shirts?

Realist | 9:21 a.m. April 2, 2009

Like Manny beiing Manny...Harvey is just being Harvey!

Shows up to practice late just in time to miss conditioning

runs half hearted

sulks and blames the line when he fails to explode through the hole

injury prone because he does pay the price in conditioning and preparation...

10 Unga's are not worth one Asiata.....and he is not in the same class as the former best RB in the MWC~

Randall | 10:35 a.m. April 2, 2009

Cosmo says...
"Tic Toc the game is locked...and nobody else can play".

Cynic | 11:02 a.m. April 2, 2009

RE: "Realist"

I don't know about Harvey's work out effort during practice, but I doubt it's as bad as you've suggested. "10 Unga's aren't worth one Asiata." Very objective Realist. The U is lucky Asiata isn't wearing Cougar blue. I doubt you'd have such a high opinion of him if that were the case. Unga was BYU's best back as a freshman and ran for over 1000 yards last year. (even with injuries) Look for opponents to go bouncing off of Harvey's shoulders and legs this year. (final touchdown of the 07 season against the U bring any pleasant memories?) Tate didn't know what hit him.

Re: Realist | 12:00 p.m. April 2, 2009

Wow, unless you're not an actual realist you must be going of pure hearsay. Unga is 20 times the back that Asiata is. He at least as powerful, faster, and has the numbers to prove it. If it looks like he's running half hearted, he's actually running his guts out, and he always looks winded after he runs. And, no, during post game he basically takes credit for his failures and successes. Also he doesn't shoot his mouth off like a lot of the Ute players and fans.

Also, Asiata tried to get into BYU but wasn't elligible academically. BYU expects a lot from it's players and still overachieves. Academic requirements for Y football are a 3.0 which is the highest in college football. So, think about that one, if you can.

Also to 11:02, it was Robert Johnson that got nailed on the game winning TD in 2007. Nothing against him though personally, he's a great guy, but he got nailed.

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