Greetings from Cougar Nation!
Can football season just get underway already? While we may be routing for different colors on Friday, I think it’s safe to assume we’re collectively united in our chants for FOOTBALL.
Let me take a minute to give you a few names to look for tomorrow night:
We’re a little thin in the secondary due to suspensions for this game, but the guys on the depth chart got most of the first team reps through fall camp and looked good. Fortunately this was one of our deepest units this year.
We’re also missing our star running back this game. His backup is a speed guy (Adam Hine) who was a top ten special teams returner from a year ago. One name to look for is Paul Lasike RB (#33)– Rugby player converted to football before last season. He had a solid first year. In his offseason he was busy doing this en route to a rugby natty.
The linebackers have some stars Alani Fua OLB (#5), Is a freakishly athletic and speedy guy who has the hands to pull down a quick pass to the flat and take it to the house.
His ability to evade a cut block and chase down a QB is a thing of beauty. The other OLB is a 6’8 guy converted from DE this year. The jury’s still out on his ability to play OLB, but make no mistake, his length and athleticism make him really hard to evade.
Taysom Hill QB (#4) – One of the most athletic on the team. I’m sure you’ve heard plenty about him. Here’s a look at his career stats so far. http://cougarstats.com/players.php?year=&id=7850 The one that stands out is 3k passing, 1.6K rushing last year. I’m hoping he can improve on the 14/19 Int/TD from last year. He’s a junior now.
The OL will be fielding 3 underclassmen. Two of which will be true freshmen. They took the starting roles from two returning guys. We’ll see how they handle their first game. Much of BYU nation feels the season’s success will hinge on this unit. I’m interested in watching the matchup against the UCONN DL and LB’s.
At wideout we’re cautiously optimistic, but have been hit with some injuries. This unit looks nothing like last year, as we lost our all-time receiver to graduation, but brought in several very able replacements. Jordon Leslie is a proven transfer from UTEP and impressed this fall. I expect him to replace the yards from our graduated guys and then some. Mitch Mathews and he will compete for #1 in yards this year. The unit as a whole boasts serious height and extremely good hands. I expect you’ll also see a shifty freshman Trey Dye get some time in the slot. The real question on BYU fans minds is whether Taysom Hill will be able to get the ball to them as he’s been erratic in the past.
Overall, the first game presents a great deal of uncertainty. I know as a die hard, I’m cautiously optimistic, and wait anxiously anticipating what sort of product we will really see on the field.
Feel free to peruse Cougarboard.com. You’ll find a good mixture of confidence, cockiness, and rain clouds to whet your appetite. For the most part we’re just like you. We love our team, and we can’t get enough football talk this time of year. Oh, and don’t worry about RaggedyAndee. He’s over there too, doing his best to pass the time before his next feeding.
One other quick link you can use to get more coverage of the game. BYUtv (also streamed live on Byutv.org for free) will have a “Countdown to Kickoff” and “post game” shows 1 hour prior to and immediately following the broadcast. Opposing fans have been relatively pleased with the objective take on these shows.
We’re looking forward to a great game.
Here’s to a great game and a successful injury-free season for both teams!
Can football season just get underway already? While we may be routing for different colors on Friday, I think it’s safe to assume we’re collectively united in our chants for FOOTBALL.
Let me take a minute to give you a few names to look for tomorrow night:
We’re a little thin in the secondary due to suspensions for this game, but the guys on the depth chart got most of the first team reps through fall camp and looked good. Fortunately this was one of our deepest units this year.
We’re also missing our star running back this game. His backup is a speed guy (Adam Hine) who was a top ten special teams returner from a year ago. One name to look for is Paul Lasike RB (#33)– Rugby player converted to football before last season. He had a solid first year. In his offseason he was busy doing this en route to a rugby natty.
The linebackers have some stars Alani Fua OLB (#5), Is a freakishly athletic and speedy guy who has the hands to pull down a quick pass to the flat and take it to the house.
His ability to evade a cut block and chase down a QB is a thing of beauty. The other OLB is a 6’8 guy converted from DE this year. The jury’s still out on his ability to play OLB, but make no mistake, his length and athleticism make him really hard to evade.
Taysom Hill QB (#4) – One of the most athletic on the team. I’m sure you’ve heard plenty about him. Here’s a look at his career stats so far. http://cougarstats.com/players.php?year=&id=7850 The one that stands out is 3k passing, 1.6K rushing last year. I’m hoping he can improve on the 14/19 Int/TD from last year. He’s a junior now.
The OL will be fielding 3 underclassmen. Two of which will be true freshmen. They took the starting roles from two returning guys. We’ll see how they handle their first game. Much of BYU nation feels the season’s success will hinge on this unit. I’m interested in watching the matchup against the UCONN DL and LB’s.
At wideout we’re cautiously optimistic, but have been hit with some injuries. This unit looks nothing like last year, as we lost our all-time receiver to graduation, but brought in several very able replacements. Jordon Leslie is a proven transfer from UTEP and impressed this fall. I expect him to replace the yards from our graduated guys and then some. Mitch Mathews and he will compete for #1 in yards this year. The unit as a whole boasts serious height and extremely good hands. I expect you’ll also see a shifty freshman Trey Dye get some time in the slot. The real question on BYU fans minds is whether Taysom Hill will be able to get the ball to them as he’s been erratic in the past.
Overall, the first game presents a great deal of uncertainty. I know as a die hard, I’m cautiously optimistic, and wait anxiously anticipating what sort of product we will really see on the field.
Feel free to peruse Cougarboard.com. You’ll find a good mixture of confidence, cockiness, and rain clouds to whet your appetite. For the most part we’re just like you. We love our team, and we can’t get enough football talk this time of year. Oh, and don’t worry about RaggedyAndee. He’s over there too, doing his best to pass the time before his next feeding.
One other quick link you can use to get more coverage of the game. BYUtv (also streamed live on Byutv.org for free) will have a “Countdown to Kickoff” and “post game” shows 1 hour prior to and immediately following the broadcast. Opposing fans have been relatively pleased with the objective take on these shows.
We’re looking forward to a great game.
Here’s to a great game and a successful injury-free season for both teams!
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