Comments about ‘BYU football notebook: Healthy Jordan Pendleton adds to deep linebacking corps’

"it's like we can read each other's minds,"

Sept 17th can't come soon enough. The tandem 'beasts' will be unleashed!

Good to hear that Pendleton is healthy and ready to go. LBer is extremely deep and will definately be the strength of the D. Im excited to see this defense now that Mendenhall will be DC for the entire season.

"Sept 17th can't come soon enough. The tandem 'beasts' will be unleashed!"
They better be unleashed Sept 3rd, or do you think Ole Miss and Texas are gimmes?

No worries, sammyg. Like many Cougar fans, you're still getting used to this idea of independence. Hopefully as the season progresses you'll realize that Sept 17 isn't the pinnacle of the Cougar season.

Looking over that schedule though... maybe it is. Thank goodness basketball season starts October 26!!

Weird. Jordan Wynn just turned to me and asked if I heard footsteps coming closer. It was quiet as a tomb here at Barnes & Noble.

This defense might have the best back 8 we've ever had. The front 3 aren't anything to shake a stick at either, especially with Romney Fuga and Hebron Fangupo at nose tackle also. I hope that Alani Fua can work his way into the rotation at outside linebacker also behind Kyle Van Noy, and then we'll have a real solid rotation at all 4 linebacker spots.

Go Cougs!

It will be great to see Pendleton back in action! He is easily one of my favorite players on the Cougar defense. Good luck Jordan!

where is Zac Stout is he or has he gone on a mission

Jonas;
Great comment and very funny. Once a QB has been injured, they always hear footsteps. How well they do after they heal determines how much nerve they have. I expect Wynn to handle it pretty well. I expect BYU's defense to be very aggressive from the first game this year. They are going to be very good. I hope JP can stay healthy all season.

I have a feeling that the rivalry will not remain a yearly event, especially since it doesn't really benefit Utah that much (unless BYU can build a Notre Dame-like reputation over the next 5-10 years). My guess is that BYU and Utah will play each other 6 out of the next 10 years. However, despite playing every other year, I believe the rivalry will only get more bitter and hateful (on both sides), which is really too bad.

re: Moderate "Hopefully as the season progresses you'll realize that Sept 17 isn't the pinnacle of the Cougar season. Looking over that schedule though... maybe it is."

With games against the SEC, Big12, and TCU in Jerry Dome; I'm not thinking that Sept 17 is any type of pinnacle. Hopefully it will be a good game, but not the pinnacle of our season. Maybe you meant to type the pinnacle of U're season?

re: BP
"I have a feeling that the rivalry will not remain a yearly event. I believe the rivalry will only get more bitter and hateful (on both sides), which is really too bad."

Oh, so U think U are going to cancel this rivalry series like you cancelled your basketball series with USU? Not up for the level of competition? It would be a shame for fans in Utah if this game did not happen every year.

Personally, I think both schools will keep the annual rivalry intact.

With regard to the article, I think it will be interesting to see how Bronco uses Pendleton and Van Noy. They are both great talents competing for time at the same position.

re:BP I think the U has more reason to keep the rivalry game now than ever. Most of their recruits still need to be from Utah and some will need to be Mormon, and this is the only game where they can show they are the premere program in this state. When they fail to do that and become totally "west coast oriented", they will lose the local interest and fade just like the basketball program did. PAC-12 membership gives them a couple of years of PR, beyond that it is still the same thing they must win, and they particularly must show they "own" their own back yard. If you do not think this is true look at what happened to UCLA (recruiting in their talent rich backyard of LA), when it ceased being top dog or even competing to be in the city. Just the way it is and you can not change the U's geographic location even if that is what most University folks and the media would like.

"With games against the SEC, Big12, and TCU in Jerry Dome; I'm not thinking that Sept 17 is any type of pinnacle."

Texaskewg,

Byu's goes against the 12th ranked (last) team in the SEC. Texas is ranked 6th in the BIG12 (just ahead of Baylor). TCU is not projected to win it's non AQ conference.

These are your big games?

hedgehog - And the best team on Utah's schedule: BYU.

Granted, that's a pretty darn good team.

re: hedgehog
"Byu's goes against the 12th ranked (last) team in the SEC. Texas is ranked 6th in the BIG12 (just ahead of Baylor). TCU is not projected to win it's non AQ conference. These are your big games?"

And U are picked to finish 3rd in the So, and 7th overall in the PAC12. Do you believe all the pre-season polls?

Mark it down, Ole Miss will not finish last in the SEC, Texas will finish no lower than 3rd in the Big12, and TCU will finish either 10-2 or 11-1 depending on whether or not they beat the non-AQ team that whipped U in the Las Vegas bowl last year.

hedgehog- I wouldn't pound that drum too loudly...Utah isn't even playing the top two teams in their own conference! I think the Ute's schedule in the PAC is a great blessing for their first year and I hope they do well with it, but you can't dog on BYU's schedule for not including the top-ranked teams in four different conferences when your team doesn't even play the top teams in their own conference...

This LB corp has better talent and potential than any I have ever seen at BYU and I can remember back to 1980, when a certain coach up north was the WAC Defensive player of the year. Go Cougs, and Hedge what? Utah's schedule is not very tough and if I remember right, you were so antimate about how pre-season polls mean nothing when your utes were picked 3rd in the south division of the Pac, and you are trying to down play how good TCU is? You're kidding right? Go Cougs!

@ COUGARNATE | 1:35 p.m. July 29, 2011
Lyman, WY

You are right on. BYU's schedule with all of those WAC teams is brutal.

BTW, what does antimate mean?

Scheduling favors BYU in the second half playing lots of home games against lower ranked opponents. The Utes only have two soft games on their schedule. The rest should be dog fights. If the Cougars can beat both Texas teams then they should have a great record. Scrappy games against Utah, CF, OSU and Hawaii. Both teams have good schedules but not great ones. Utes face the overall tougher schedule. I expect the Cougars to have at least two more wins than the Utes based on opponents.

"Byu's goes against the 12th ranked (last) team in the SEC. Texas is ranked 6th in the BIG12 (just ahead of Baylor). TCU is not projected to win it's non AQ conference.

These are your big games?"

What was the utes big out-of-conference games in 2004 and 2008? The utes only credible win was against an unmotivated Alabama team. The rest were doormats.

Very astute JonnyDanger very astute

Enough with downplaying schedules, lets see the season play out.

Alabama was a very good team and was beat, plain and simple.

Both teams should be good, I think BYU starts strong and the utes take some time getting out of the gate (new OC and Offence) but will do well at the end of the year. Too bad for the utes the game is on Sep 17th this year.