BYU football hype

A poster over at Cougarboard.com shared some information he got from an unnamed member of BYU's administration. Take it for what it's worth, but I found it interesting and exciting.

- Team has the best depth that Bronco has ever had. This is the first year under Bronco that we have actually maxed out our full scholarship allotment (85). In '05 and '06 we were way "under-manned" due to so many academic and HC dismissals. Broco believes this is his first year when we are actually 2-deep at every position.

- Defensive players Bronco is "gushing over" this spring: D. Sorenson (calls him the heir apparent to Andrew Rich), Hague, Hadley, Kaveinga.

- Said Phillips' role is still uncertain. Needs to become more well-rounded if he is to have a significant role as a RB...needs to improve receiver skills to play in the slot. Is definitely an athlete and will be a play-maker - but he needs some seasoning yet.

- Said Bronco/Doman still have a lot of belief in Riley Nelson. Heaps is the clear starter and is better suited to stretch the field and run the offense, but Riley's ability cannot be ignored. There will not be a "split" QB situation, but Riley will very possibly see the field and use his legs to make plays in some capacity.

- Said this year's OL is setting up to be perhaps the best BYU has ever had. All of the starters are veteran players...2-3 with NFL potential. Backups are all legit and there isn't a huge gap between many of the 1's and 2's.

- Said Bronco had a wake-up moment last year when he re-involved himself in coaching instead vs administrating. Said it even surprised him how the players responded. It became evident to him that the offense needed the same type of influence.

- Doman's offense is built around the talents of this team - OL and QB. Said it makes sense to go back under center and "ride the hogs" to victory. Said the offense is built around a strong running game, mixed with a vertical passing attack. Described Anae's offense as ball control - "tick, tick, tick, tick, tick". Described Doman's offense as a down-hill running, big play passing blend - "tick, tick, boom" (his words). Said Doman was frustrated at times with the lack of big play play-calling, and he wants to get back to that. The associated risk is a lot more 3 and outs (something Anae rarely did), but coaches think the D is good enough to hold their ground and give our O more opportunities. In his opinion, Doman's greatest fault is perhaps his impatience...he loves the vertical throws, as does Heaps. It will be a challenge to remain as successful on 3rd down conversion as we have become accustomed to, but we will see a lot more big plays and hopefully more points.

- Said under Doman, the offense is trying to establish the same mentality that the defense has had the past few years - cohesion, unity, work-ethic, attacking mentality. This has been lacking in the past. Defensive players in the past have worked a lot harder than offensive players. The "Band of Brothers" was a mentality of the D moreso than the O.

- Said the existing staff needed the personnel change probably more than the players did. Said he hasn't been around a coaching staff so focused and friendly to each other. "Maybe they're still in the honeymoon, but I've NEVER seen this kind of synergy at BYU in the past."

- Said Quezada is one of Bronco's favorite players on the team. Bronco called him the poster-child of what he is looking for in a non-LDS player. Has an incredible work-ethic and is just very humble and focused.

- Said Bronco has reached a level with the HC Office to where they almost let him handle everything internally. This is because Bronco has proven to take infractions very seriously and he often addresses problenms before it hits their radar. Said Bronco and the HC are on the exact same page, and they see eye to eye on the handling of infractions. Said Bronco has only had one instance in his tenure where he felt the HC was amiss and he let them know it. (He wouldn't tell me what the incident was - I am guessing balloon-gate).

I love that the team is finally full... that there's enough talent for an honest-to-goodness 2-deep, where the fans won't have to cringe in fear when the starter takes a rest. The OL talk is also encouraging... football is won in the trenches, after all... but we've heard this kind of talk before and then watched overweight and out-of-shape big boys fail to protect the quarterback or open up holes for the running backs.

Anyway, good stuff. Only a bajillion more days until BYU @ Ole Miss! Let the countdown begin!