Deseret News | Much has changed since BYU played UCLA

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Much has changed since BYU played UCLA

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Unga's the man | 7:04 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Unga's worst rushing game of the season and he was still at a 5.5 yard average. I expect he'll get the ball more this time around, which will definitely help the running game.

Gretzky | 7:06 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Cougars 45 Bruins 10

KT Tibbitts | 7:10 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

GO COUGARS!

Comments continue below

L. Deaux - Sports Forum West | 7:16 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

The mark of these two teams is unchanged from a year and a few months ago. BYU started slow, but after current backs and receivers settled into a certain level of comfort with one another, the Cougars have improved to 15th nationally. The defense is ranked in the top 10. UCLA is no slouch defensively either (#34), but like other Bruin teams, has been terribly inconsistent, mostly due to injuries. The Bruins will be healthier, but not as strong as the team BYU lost too in September when they liomited UCLA to a little over 200 yards total offense. The TCU loss was in part due to the disappointment of dropping the previous week's game to the Bruins. Therefore, the UCLA loss is probably the main reason BYU was not in the hunt for a BCS bid. BYU will remember that. They say there is no revenge in football, but I believe BYU will have it's way with the Bruins in Las Vegas and break their 7 game losing streak to a team that has been lucky more often than better in most of those wins. I grew up a Bruin fan...but BYU should win handily.

Stenar | 8:20 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

BYU will lose again.

@Deaux | 8:34 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Hey dude, no BYU loss to TCU...the loss was Tulsa.

Coach Lamb has clearly stated what the Cougars are to expect from Coach Walkers team down in LV.

DO NOT EXPECT A BLOW OUT BY THE COUGARS!!! UCLA has the linebackers to slow UNGA to less than a 100 yds, the Safeties to cover Pita, and the corners to run with Collie. If the Cougars come out cold in the first half and let UCLA stay in the game, it will be a long second half. None of the Cat and Mouse stuff, the cougars have to push'em around and march down the field with big yardage plays and manage the clock.

Wrong | 8:41 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

This will be the easiest win of the season for BYU. UCLA has absolutely no motivation, is not healthy, and was not that good to begin with. Anything less than a 30 point win will be a surprise.

UCLA Defense | 8:47 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Coach Walkers UCLA defense won the game last September by making big plays at the right time: Pick six, sacks and fumbles.

BYU by 18 | 9:11 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

This will be a tough game for the cougars but when BYU played them the first game they were not near as confident or physical as they are now. I see BYU ultimately roughing up the bruins by 18.

@Wrong | 9:35 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

I Hope you are correct. But, in order to score 30 pts. the cougar offense has to go through the UCLA defense. It comes down to the cougar running game and getting it on track in the first qtr. Obviously, if the run is successful, it opens up the short passing game.

Granted, the UCLA offense has under performed all season.

Remember | 9:55 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

BYU plays in the Wac, UCLA plays in the Pac. UCLA wins by 14.

A Plea... | 10:08 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

All I want for Christmas is for Coach Anae to... RUN THE BALL...and not be so enamored or addicted to the pass.

BYU should be able to pound the ball against this team, they way they did against SDSU and the way they should have done against our little brothers up north.

They need to be patient and pound it against UCLA and then win the game in the 3rd and 4th quarter.

Re: Remember | 10:15 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

The cougars play in the mtn, the bruins get killed in the pac the cougars win.

Correction | 10:16 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

UCLA plays in the WAC, BYU plays in the MWC. BYU wins by 17.

Happy in the SEC | 10:20 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

BYU's post-season games are very predictable. 1) Feel sorry for us (BYU)because we did not get into a good bowl even though "we" defeated a host of mediocre teams. 2) Complain that BYU is never taken serious at the national level. 3) Have a pathetic showing in your bowl game and once again lose. Finally, start the whining and inferiority complex all over again in August.

Schedule | 10:28 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

UCLA's is tougher period. BYU will win cause UCLA doesn't care. They have no coach, they have already defeated BYU, they don't want to be in the Vegas Bowl, what's their motivation. BYU by default.

Remember?? | 10:30 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

I understand your ignorant because your a Pac 10 fan, that comes with the territory, but you don't have to be ignorant and stupid. It's the Mountain West Conference!

Every Pac 10 fan out there will do one of two things when the game is over, it will be UCLA lost because they didn't want to be there, they won't take into account that if UCLA loses they'll end with a losing record. If UCLA wins then it's look how powerful our conference is, we didn't care and still beat the MWC's best. The bottom line is that UCLA will play one of their better games all season, because they don't want to end the season with a losing record, and they'll be healthy. Plus they have a coach that the players are trying to get hired in Walker, they'll play tough for him. This will be the UCLA team that started the year 4-1. Oh and by the way that loss came from the MWC.

BYU wins this game because they're a better team, UCLA won't have the advantage of having Pac 10 officials to help. BYU by 20+.

RE: Happy in SEC | 10:48 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Comments by BYU haters are very predictable:

1. Not know what your talking about. 2. Make that known to everyone that you don't know what you are talking about.

BYU has only complained the last 2 years about their opponent. For the most part, over the last 30 years we have been very happy with who we have played. In most cases we have been the underdog. Oh, and in the 2 years years we have complained we are 1-0 with this game pending.

RE: Happy in SEC | 11:23 a.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Now all yuo have to do is win a few. BYU the worst bowl record in college football.

@Happy... | 12:01 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

OK happy, you can take off your mask now, and show us the realy ute that you are!!!SEC folks have a bit more class than you pretend to reveal!

manaen | 12:22 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Would BYU be interested in a very good defensive coach who's already coached in Provo -- could we get Walker back on the Cougar's staff?

Nyron | 12:41 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

I am still amazed at the number of errors in these comments. i.e. WAC vs MWC, CONFUSING WHICH TEAM PLAYED BYU. GET THE FACTS, DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

Texas Cougar | 12:54 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

'Happy in the SEC'- Aaawwww. That's kind of you to come down and associate with the riff raff...Why is an SEC fan condescending to this discussion board? I guess you have time because Tennessee, Alabama, and Auburn are not embarrassing themselves outside of the conference this week (they'll do it again soon enough).

Why do people keep forgetting that BYU KILLED a Dennis Dixon led Oregon team last year in their bowl game? That team was very similar to the one that would have played for a national championship if Dixon's knee had held out.

At this time of the year, it would be great for BYU and Utah fans alike to do some mutual well-wishing, knowing that winning the bowls will help both BYU and Utah gain momentum for next year, so the Holy War will mean something on the national level. However, having grown up in Utah, I know that's asking way too much from both sides.

Much Has Changed | 1:12 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Same Result. The Bruins will show some pride and their (far superior) athletes will finally show what they are made of and win again.

Re Re Happy in SEC | 1:56 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

at 10:48 am.

You must be very young. Besides claiming BYU (I assume you mean fans) deserved a better bowl opponent the past two years, they certainly wanted something more in 2001 (they though they were BCS worthy).

Additionally, fans were less than excited about Marshall and Tulane in 1998 and 1999. in 1996, they wanted to be part of the bowl coalition (but they did win the Cotton Bowl that year). Fans weren't happy about Kansas in 1992 and certainly weren't happy about aTm in 1990.

Saying they've complained twice in history is a little understatement.

Happy in the SEC | 2:05 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

In response to the comment above. BYU does not have the worst bowl record in history. It is the 5th worse record. They have won only 32% of their bowl games. Incidentally, Utah has the best bowl record (with at least 10 appearances) winning 75% of their bowl games. Also, we can't forget that BYU whined about playing Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl and threatened to sue if they did not get a BCS invite in 2001 and had to settle for the Liberty Bowl which they lost to Louisville. Their last ten bowl appearances leave them with a 3-7-1 record--ouch!! (I guess that fits with their overall bowl wins of 32%).

BORING!!!!! | 2:16 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

this has to be the least intriguing bowl game EVER!!!
This matchup is so lame, I'd rather watch Fresno State and Georgia Tech Play in the Humanitarian Bowl!!!

re wrong | 2:17 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

easier than E. Washington?

RE Happy in the SEC | 2:19 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Please explain how BYU has a 3-7-1 record in their last 10 bowl appearances.

BlueBoy | 2:40 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

BYU has a bad bowl record in its last eleven tries (3-7-1) because it's had a bad team most of those years due to coaching transitions. However, the trend that'll make the difference this year and onward is WHY we won last year: super coaching.

Counting (and beginning with) last year's win, expect the Cougars to win at least 8 of their next 11 bowl games, with at least half of them being BCS bowls. THEY'RE BAAAAAACK!

Re BlueBoy | 2:50 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Let's look at BYU's last 11 bowl games to see if your criteria fits.

1990 - BYU won the WAC and had a Heisman trophy winner.

1991 - BYU won the WAC and had a senior 4 year starting qb that won the Heisman the prior year.

1992 - BYU shared the WAC title

1993 - BYU shared the WAC title

1994 - BYU was a top 20 team

1996 - BYU was a top 5 team

1998 - BYU won it's 8 team WAC division

1999 - BYU shared a MWC title

2001 - BYU went undefeated in the MWC

2005 - Coaching transistion/not a very good team

2006 - BYU went undefeated in the MWC

How in the world can you say BYU had a bad team most of these 11 years. There were only coaching transitions in 2001 and 2005. I don't follow your logic.

Bad Bowlers | 2:54 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Tradionally the Y has been terrible in bowls. They are something like 8-16 (I know thats not exact but its closer than not). I expect Bronco to fix that too. LE didn't leave a good legacy in that department.

Lets go Cougars and MWC get some wins and get some respect!!!

SoCalTrueBlue | 2:54 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

UCLA has gifted athletes, many of whom will be motivated to avoid a losing record for the year. They are better than their record. They played tough against USC, which may be the best team in the nation, notwithstanding the BCS polls. Still, BYU has more to prove in this grudge match. I see this as a hard fought game, but the Cougars will prevail, 27-20.

Gene, Re: Happy | 2:56 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

If you really are an SEC fan, why won't SEC teams go out and play top caliber non-conference opponents away from home? We all know you are a ute.
As for me, I rooting for all of the conference teams to win their respective bowls. Hopefully New Mexico won't let the rest of the conference down this year. We need to go 5-0 this time around. Last year 3-1 was pretty good. When BYU beats UCLA handily, it will once again send the message that our conference champ is a lot better than most give us credit for.
I do expect UCLA to come out ready to play. The fact is, we had a pick six taken away from us in that game, as well as a couple of missed personal fouls that should have been called against UCLA. And then of course there is the So'oto fumble that wasn't which lead to a field goal for UCLA. And I don't care what others think, Max Hall didn't fumble the ball late. If you go slow motion frame by frame, the ball doesn't come loose until after his arm was moving forward. What can you expect from the PAC-10!

Re: Blue Boy | 3:05 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Thats new...BYU supporters making excuses and justification!!! "coaching transition?????" What??? Are you serious???
NO ONE LIKES EXCUSES! Even listening to byu players and media justifying their loss earlier this year to UCLA is dumb. Learn how to take credit for the good (win vs. U of U) learn how to be accountable (yes, one of Broncos favorite terms) for the bad. ie crummy loss to a bad UCLA team and a lousy bowl record.
With regards to reference about future bowl success and BCS, your being a little bit ignorant.

So Cal Cougar | 3:11 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

The Cougs need to win big in Vegas. You dont get respect in sports by writing about it or by hoping a computer carves you out a spot in the big game. You get it by blowing out he teams you are suppose to beat and then doing just enough to win the tough ones the critics planned you would loose.

I think BYU is on the right track. Go Cougs!

Bowl record | 3:24 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

It's funny how the utes like to think they are something special because they have a great bowl record. Hey ute fans, how many conference championships have you won? How many top 25 rankings at seasons end have you had? Simply put, the difference between BYU now and BYU then is, BYU is the most physical team when they step on the field. The last time they weren't was in Bronco's first year against BC. In the last 2 years they have outgained each and every opponent except Tulsa.
All I care about is BYU's bowl record since Bronco took over. They are 1-1 with Bronco. Trying to add in all the rest is like ute fans trying to act like their program is still the same program that went to the Fiesta Bowl. Different coaches do different things and should only be judged on their own W-Ls, not those of a previous coach.
Yes, BYU complained in 1996, but so did the national media. 2001 we complained about being excluded by a biased system, until we lost.
We should have sued years ago. Maybe then we wouldn't still be dealing with this joke of a system!!

Gene, Hey ute fans, | 3:39 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Why do you spend more time talking about BYU then you do about your own team? Don't try to lecture us on how to be fans. Last I saw you had not even sold 50% of your ticket allotment to the Poinsettia Bowl. It must be difficult to convince your fans to go to San Diego in December. That 60 degree weather doesn't make it any easier I'm sure! Trying winning a conference title without Urban, or maybe just not getting shutout by UNLV before you start talking.
You guys sure do a lot of talking for a third place team in a nonBcS conference. I guess you have to grab onto what ever you can when you can't finish better than third. Enjoy San Diego with all 4,000 of your fans. Maybe someday you will learn to beat the teams you are supposed to!

Re: Gene, Hey ute fans, | 4:18 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

As a Ute fan I must say the Poinset. Bowl is nothing to write home about. However it's a heckuva lot better then the vegas bowl. I know that Navy is not that good of a team...hay but at least they beat notre dame. So enjoy your prestigious LV Bowl against the illustrious 6-6 UCLA bruins.
By the way it's easy to sell out bowl games when you have well over 100,0000+ LDS living in the henderson/lv area

Amen Gene! | 4:32 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Ute fans claim this great bowl record but the bottom line is when you win the conference title you play a better team than if you finish 2nd or third in the conference. When you play in the toilet "bowl" against mediocre teams as the U does I would hope they would have a good record. BYU may have a rough bowl record but last I saw Utah spent many Decembers watching BYU play from their living Rooms. BYU by 20

Re: Re: Blue Boy | 4:55 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

If BYU was champ or co-champ most years, where did that put Utah? #2-#4 in the "mediocre" WAC/MWC? Be proud of beating your sub-par teams. Make sure you rip on the champ. And remember, being champ/co-champ means BYU likely beat Utah. :)

Hey Mate! | 5:06 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

We have all seen 60,000 BYU fans at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, and 30,000 more in Orlando when the Cougars played Ohio State. The University of Utah is a good school, unfortunately, they play in BYU's conference!!!

TOILET BOWL!? | 5:42 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

LAS VEGAS BOWL AKA TOILET BOWL

@toilet bowl II | 5:56 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Let me tell you something, sonny
I remember the days back when the Holiday bowl and the Festia bowl were both referred to as the toilet bowl, till BYU came along and gave them some creditibility, by cracky...Why we had some fine young whipper snappers that had spunk back then, just like have today. Before you know it, the LV Bowl will be the site of a major show down in college football, just you wait and see.

ANna loves Byu | 6:34 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

happysec: you are crazy. We must win against UCLA-ask BRONCO. If we lose and start complaining then they'll give us worse teams to play and say we're bad. You just don't understand...

Nevada | 7:05 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

Ben Olsen remains the smartest player on the field and the Zoo will lose by 10

Re: @toliet bowl II and Gene | 8:30 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

BYU played in one Fiesta bowl and lost. They played in 11 Holiday Bowls and won 4 and tied 1. I will give you the benefit of the doubt on adding credibility to those bowls. I remember BYU fans complaining back in the 80s and early 90s about being religated to the Holiday Bowl. Now they long for those days. Gene, as for the SEC's non-conference schedule. Their non-conference schedule gives mid-level conference teams like the Conf USA and MWC a chance to play real football. They can afford to dumb down their non-conf schedule since they play teams like LSU, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, etc. week after week.

Jeff | 9:08 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

I'm sure I'll be accused of making excuses for BYU, but I'll point this out anyway. BYU's poor bowl record is the result of two primary factors: First, before the mid-90's, there were far fewer bowl games and BYU played higher caliber teams (generally 2nd and 3rd place teams from "BCS" conferences). Note the less than stellar records of teams who routinely play in bowls against top-25 teams. Second, BYU has traditionally had a poor record in the months of November and December. Why? No cold-weather practice facility. Now, I know there will be those who will criticize this "cold-weather excuse", but it is a big deal; anyone with any experience in college football understands this. Only time will tell, but I think that the indoor practice facility will result in a huge improvement of BYU's November/December record.

Navy Better Opponent | 10:58 p.m. Dec. 17, 2007

It is unfortunate that Utah who finished third, has the best opponent of all the MWC teams. It doesn't really matter since BYU, UTAH, and TCU should win their games. Hopefully Air Force and New Mexico can pull of wins so the MWC goes 5-0.

AK Cougar | 8:16 p.m. Dec. 18, 2007

Go all MWC teams. I hope to see all of them on the winners stand after the game.

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