Deseret News | Are Cougars lucky, good or both?

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Dick Harmon: Are Cougars lucky, good or both?

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Anonymous | 1:06 a.m. July 8, 2008

We escaped some close ones that's for sure. But this year I don't think the games will be close enough for us to have to be lucky. ESPN has us 13th! Everyone has more experience. Our schedule is a little easier this year. We have a practice game against N. Iowa. Everything is aligned for BYU to be the busters of the BCS. I'm trying to be as modest as possible but it's hard to when you know BYU FOOTBALL RULES!

Luck? | 3:31 a.m. July 8, 2008

Coach Anae has never fully acknowledged how close he came to losing vs. UCLA last December when he chose to run the ball deep in his territory with less than a minute in the first half, rather than just run out the clock. BYU fumbled and gave up a TD needlessly - while everyone with half a brain watching the game was pleading for BYU to take a knee.

Anae is no offensive genius and although he has some decent players returning, will not capitalize fully on their skill. He's also extremely arrogant as a person. I hope he can learn from his mistakes or that BYU will find someone who can really bring this offense to another level.

Lucky Ducks | 3:49 a.m. July 8, 2008

That is a dumb question, is byu lucky? OF COURSE THAY ARE LUCKY. But not this year. I think byu will be good. But not good enough to beat the UTES.

Comments continue below

Jimmy | 6:25 a.m. July 8, 2008

I almost wasted my time reading this article but then I looked at the writer and just posted this comment. Harmon, please go away.

Realist | 6:27 a.m. July 8, 2008

The Cougars were no more lucky than Utah was in still being in the game and holding onto a lead. In both cases the underdog team was leading, so to say that BYU subsequently winning was luck is hard to say any more than Utah was therefore lucky to be even in the game at that point. I dont' take anything from Utah's effort, it was valiant, my point is only that maybe the Cougars were "lucky", but by that same definition then, so were the Utes.

Anonymous Jones | 6:40 a.m. July 8, 2008

I prefer to think that Whittingham is one play away from 0 - 3 against the Bronco.

Donald | 6:49 a.m. July 8, 2008

Good and lucky. But against Utah, mostly lucky.

Jimmy | 7:20 a.m. July 8, 2008

Neither.
It's righteousness.

Esther | 7:28 a.m. July 8, 2008

Woulda Coulda Shoulda....

Doesn't matter!

Gretzky | 7:28 a.m. July 8, 2008

don't count Northern Iowa out Anonymous. they are a perennial div1-AA powerhouse and look what Appy State did to Michigan at the big house last year. BYU can not afford to lose this game and still be blessed with a top 10 finish like Michigan had handed to them on a silver platter last year. the Cougs will have to win all their games to maintain respect while Florida will continue to lose two or three games and still be invited to the national championship closed door BCS determination meeting near the end of the season. and NO, the SEC is NOT the best football conference in the nation. they just have more money thanks to the wicked, crooked system they created to tell everyone they are the best via their bought and paid for media outlets, ESPN/ABC and FOX.

remember this | 7:29 a.m. July 8, 2008

byu 0 and 3 to start. no luck in scheduling the first three games.

Delivering in the Clutch | 7:38 a.m. July 8, 2008

Danny Ainge, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Larry Bird, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Joe Montana, John Elway...

We've seen every one of them deliver in the clutch, WINNING games they should have lost.

The true test of a champion is NOT in winning blowout games, it is in delivering in the clutch when ONE play can spell the difference between winning and losing.

The 2-minute drill. Saving par with a 25-foot put. The sprint to the finish. Nailing a pull-up jumper with no time left on the clock.

30-point blowouts are for sissies.

True greatness is defined by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Great teams and great players find ways of winning games they should have lost.

As Vince Lombardi taught his players, luck doesn't favor the lucky; it favors the prepared team.

Who cares? | 7:47 a.m. July 8, 2008

You can count on a yewt team to find a way to lose three or four games a year. They always underachieve and they always choke in the closing seconds against BYU. Bronco is so superior to Whittingham as a coach that it isn't fair to compare the two. I shutter to think that the boneheads who run the BYU athletic department almost hired Whittingham. Thank goodness Whittingham listened to that small still voice and went to yewt land.

Chuck Farley | 7:49 a.m. July 8, 2008

Good or Lucky? How about a more obvious possiblilty - the utes are just bad.

Joe W. | 7:55 a.m. July 8, 2008

Utah is a good team - and that's great. BYU has all of the makings of a great team - and that's good, too!

Anyone who TRULY cares about this state, and yes, religion ~ wants them BOTH to do well (at least until the annual rivalry game).

The others ~ who simply spew hate ~ prove that they aren't truly interested in the state OR religion - and that by perpetuating false negatives about either team is simply an act of their own ignorance and unhappiness.

The very best to both teams!

93 cougar | 7:53 a.m. July 8, 2008

You can call it luck but a team has to be good enough to be in a position for the "luck" to happen.

Alma the Wiser | 8:02 a.m. July 8, 2008

Of course byU was lucky last year.

UCLA's kicker pooched the kick making for a lower ball flight making it possible to be blocked, the byU player did NOT make a great play. On 99 out of 100 FG attempts, his hand would not have been high enough to block the kick.

Against Utah, byU was lucky that the Ute DB made a mistake in coverage. It wasn't anything Collie did to get open, byU just took advantage of a mistake that most of the time would not have happened.

Bottom line, byU doesn't win either of those games if it isn't for the luck.

Doyle | 8:18 a.m. July 8, 2008

It will come around. The Cougs can't get lucky against the Utes forever.

And that bowl game, please. A 25 yard field goal blocked? And you call that skill? If anything it was a UCLA mistake - but more likely just luck.

Justin | 8:24 a.m. July 8, 2008

Joe, you can't be serious. Apparently I don't care about my religion because I don't want BYU to win. Well, it is too bad that my fate in the afterlife is going to be determined by my liking for BYU football.

I don't know why BYU fans just can't get it into their heads that this kind of attitude is why so many people don't like their school.

By the way, Joe, your first two sentences are pretty passive aggressive and your post comes off as very hypocritical and holier-than thou, at least to me.

Concast-hater | 8:25 a.m. July 8, 2008

Of course luck was a part of winning, but a lousy team would not have been able to pull off the wins.

Wiser? | 8:25 a.m. July 8, 2008

Luck has nothing to do with it when you've been doing what you do consistently over two seasons!

Football games are typically won on just a couple of plays that determine the final outcome. Alma the Wiser states that BYU is lucky because UCLA and the Utes made mistakes on key plays. Mmmm...in my mind, that's the definition of inferior teams. They make mistakes leading to turning points in the game. So, either BYU was the better team or UCLA and Utah were the inferior teams. Either way you look at it, it's all the same. BYU won and that is all that matters until the next time they play.

Maybe if UCLA and Utah train a little harder, and prepare a little better, they won't make mistakes on key plays like...BYU.

Poor poor utah | 8:31 a.m. July 8, 2008

Really Utah was only one or two plays away from even making these last two years a game. U was lucky that Unga dropped two wide open passes on consecutive wide open wheel routes or else there would have been no need for fourth and 18. The utes are trying desperately to pretend the last two years depended on two plays. Wishful thinking. BYU wasn't lucky to win, Utah was lucky to even be close.

Real Bottom Line | 8:33 a.m. July 8, 2008

To: Alma the NOT so wise

"Bottom line, byU doesn't win either of those games if it isn't for the luck."

Utah got lucky when Unga's dropped pass for a certain touchdown gave Utah an opportunity to take their ONLY lead in the game, for 56 seconds. Otherwise, Utah never would have led the entire game.

BYU dominated the stats:

First downs
BYU 21
Utah 14

Passing yards
BYU 269
Utah 129

Rushing yards
BYU 155
Utah 115

Total yards
BYU 424
Utah 244

Real Bottom Line:

BYU WON both games on clutch plays that Utah was powerless to stop.

Re: Alma the Idiot | 8:34 a.m. July 8, 2008

You really need a life breaking down every so called BYU "lucky" play like you do. I guess it was lucky that the year before too when Harline was open. I guess it was lucky that 11 players couldn't find a way to stop Beck and Harline. Let's not confuse BYU's luck with the Utes ability to CHOKE for the past two years. The only thing lucky about BYU's past two seasons is getting to play the Utes at the end of the year. I'd rather be lucky any day than be chokers.

akk | 8:35 a.m. July 8, 2008

Rah...Rah...Rah... BYU's #1 Cheerleader!!!!!!!!!!!! Go team Go

no reality check here | 8:35 a.m. July 8, 2008

Champions just find a way to win...

Utah got the ball back with plenty of time last year for their own miracle. Couldn't do it. Got shut down. Two years ago, coaches call a TWO MAN RUSH against John Beck? U fans keep pretending you're only two plays away. That delusional thinking will keep you in third place in the league.

Ernest T. Bass | 8:39 a.m. July 8, 2008

BYu is both lucky and good.
Utah in 03 was good but very lucky as well, much like byu of the past two years.
Utah in 04 didn't need luck, they were so much better than anyone else they played that luck was never a factor.
Luck usually runs out sooner rather than later.

Two plays | 8:39 a.m. July 8, 2008

"BYU is only two lucky plays away from having a six game losing streak against the Cougars." Close football games come down to one or two key plays. BYU makes the plays and the Utes don't. It's kind of like executing an onsides kick in a crucial situation. The Utes can do it, but only when they are up 40 points.

Very Lucky | 8:40 a.m. July 8, 2008

byu has always been lucky in football. The chances of making a 4th and 18 play are slim, and byu was lucky to pull it off. With UCLA, byu was lucky to block the fg of a guy who is usually consistent. It's all Luck!!!!!

Surge | 8:43 a.m. July 8, 2008

The huge surge by the BYU defensive line wasn't luck.

No Debate | 8:46 a.m. July 8, 2008

BYU has been playing a game that is going to catch up with them this year. It goes something like this:

Luck, luck, luck, luck, luck . . . LOSE!

The coogars will lose more games this year than they have both of the last two years combined.

UNLV is lucky too | 8:47 a.m. July 8, 2008

UNLV was lucky last year too. Remember when Frank Summers kept running over Ute players like they were in Jr. High. Then the Ute players would get up and Summers would run over them again. He was lucky every time he did that.

It's been luck | 8:50 a.m. July 8, 2008

Byu was lucky against UCLA, by blocking a point blank fg and lucky against the utes on a 4th and 18. So its been all luck.

Sean | 8:56 a.m. July 8, 2008

BYU isn't more or less lucky than any other team. Luck evens out over time. The article forgets to mention that if a couple of "lucky" plays go in BYU's favor against Arizona St. and Boston College a couple years ago, they're undefeated and playing in a BCS game. BYU's skill and talent is what puts them in a position to win every Saturday.

Whoa Nellie | 9:00 a.m. July 8, 2008

Oh my gosh, Joe W. what the heck are you talking about? I guess I must not truly care about Utah or religion because I really don't want to see the archrival of my favorite team do well in any sport.

A true fan of one team can despise all rival teams and still be happy and religious. By pretending to be supportive of every team in Utah, and I suppose every religion in the state, is about as genuine as a bull that gives milk. Real fans don't have divided loyalties; preferences maybe but not divided loyalties.

L-U-C-K-Y | 9:03 a.m. July 8, 2008

BYU barely beat a UCLA team that had their backup QB's in, and their backup head coach and a team that didn't want to be there. And BYU won on a last second blocked field goal. That has luck written all over it. It was everything to gain for BYU in that bowl. Just like the oregon game the year before,

BYU's weakest link | 9:04 a.m. July 8, 2008

Their slow DB'! their BIG but slow RB's. Their one playmaking receiver. Just wait BYU gomer when BYU plays a good PAC 10 team and get's beat. THen this post will be full of excuses and tears. It's pretty much the same cycle every year.

Re: Justin | 9:06 a.m. July 8, 2008

Wow,

How did you get all that from what Joe said? He didn't even say if he was a BYU fan or Utah fan. I think what he was saying is that fans from both sides should be more civil to each other. That's where the religion comes in. 99% of BYU fans don't have the "holier than thou" attitude you describe so you can stop hating BYU based on that argument. I'm a U of U grad. but a BYU season ticket holder. I go to Ute games when BYU doesn't have a home game. I see both sides of the rivalry every week during football season. The "holier than thou" argument is something Ute fans have fabricated. If you go to six BYU home games during the season the only time the Utes will come up is when BYU is playing Utah. Otherwise, Utah is just another MWC team to BYU fans. However, at every Ute game you will hear Ute fans bashing BYU and their religion regardless of who the Utes are playing. I've been to an average of 5 BYU games and 3 Ute games for 10 years and this is the way it is.

Hawk | 9:08 a.m. July 8, 2008

BYU won, the ewe lost. The record book has no asterisk. The u was lucky to be in the games in the first place.

RE: reality check here | 9:13 a.m. July 8, 2008

that's the problem with you guys, your not champions. Well your MWC champions but that's not something you really boast about or wear on your sleeve. Your delusional that you guys every single yer your talking BCS BCS. And every year your schedule gets soft and you guys blow a couple games against average teams and were supposed to believe your same old story. Write your champions post when they can get to a BCS bowl.

BYU is lucky... | 9:13 a.m. July 8, 2008

Lucky that they get to play the choking Utes at the end of every season.

Thorne | 9:14 a.m. July 8, 2008

I love how yewt apologists always see a BYU victory as a series of officiating blunders and opponent flubs. Conveniently forgotten in explaining away victory are any and all errors made the other direction. There are 60 minutes in a game, not 60 seconds. No one play determines victory any more than all the others. Maybe someone needs to tell that to Kyle Whittingham. His team needs to be there 60 minutes every game. And that includes 4th and 18.

It's always easier to ascribe the failures of our favorite teams to circumstances beyond their control. However, should we choose to do so, it stands to reason that we must also concede that victory is often won also by circumstances beyond that team's control. And so it is that we diminish a team's success whenever we diminish it's failure. You can't have it both ways, yewts.

Riviera 122 | 9:16 a.m. July 8, 2008

Good teams put themselves into a position to win. Great teams find that something extra to pull out the win. The team has to be ready when the 'lucky' opportunity presents itself.

I too question Anae's decision-making ability in the clutch, and the team's ability to close out a game or a half. Last year in 13 games (26 halves), they allowed over 60 points in 11 TDs/FGs in the last few minutes of the half, largely due to the offense's inability to close out the half and run out the clock. I hope this has caught the attention of the coaches as well and they're able to address it this year.

Utah is lucky too | 9:18 a.m. July 8, 2008

That onside kick against Wyoming was lucky. Every team that is down by 40 points is expecting an onside kick so for the Utes to execute it in that situation is extremely lucky.

RE: It's Been Luck | 9:18 a.m. July 8, 2008

I love that logic: BYU was lucky because BYU was lucky. Hm. I'm cool because I'm cool. You're a dork because you're a dork. The Utes are fatty losers because they're fatty losers. Whittingham's a crybaby because Whittingham's a crybaby. I love this game!

Lucky? | 9:19 a.m. July 8, 2008

What a silly thing to ask.

Doyle | 9:19 a.m. July 8, 2008

The Ute fans want to justify their losses from '06 and '07 just like the Zoobs wants to justify their losses from '03, '04, and '05.

It will come around.

When the Utes were winning the Zoobs thought they were lucky - now that the Zoobs are winning the Utes think they are lucky.

Truth is - whichever team wins in a given year is the better team.

We will see what happens this year.

RE: Thorne | 9:22 a.m. July 8, 2008

Hey you sound like BYU's coach! You know for a people that are supposed to be a humble people I find nothing but the opposite when it comes to BYU FOOTBALL. WHich is probably your life in the fall. The truth is you haven't done anything so what's the smack talk about? THis is why BYU and Utah fans who post are idiots! They all claim it was luck or whatever, it's a rival game your talking about. No other fans from rival schools in the country think this way. It's a rival game and that's it.

Ute fans | 9:25 a.m. July 8, 2008

There was a story about the Utes yesterday and it got 20 comments all day long. This story has 45 comments by 9:00 a.m. and half of the comments are by Ute fans. Proof once again about Ute fan's sick obsession with BYU. Inferiority complex at its finest.

Wayback Machine | 9:23 a.m. July 8, 2008

I'll take good and lucky over good and unlucky, ANYDAY!

To my Ute friends, enjoy!:

1998: "Kaneshanko" A well-placed ESPN mic picks up Utah kicker Ryan Kaneshiro's botched 28-yard field goal that clanks off the upright with no time remaining.

2000: LaVell's Last Miracle Trailing 27-26 with under two minutes to play, BYU goes the length of the field and scores with 11 seconds left to send legendary coach LaVell Edwards out victorious against their bitter rival.

2001: The Staley Stomp Once again finding themselves down to the Utes, BYU pulls out another miracle on a 30-yard option toss to Luke Staley down the sideline with under a minute to play.

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