BYU’s move to independence is certainly now well-known and well-discussed. After five years of discontent with the Mountain West’s TV situation, the 2011 season will be highlighted with a shiny ESPN contract which has garnered the Cougars 10 games on ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU this season, which is the grand total of BYU’s ESPN appearances in the last five seasons combined. Not only does BYU have a new TV home, but it will travel a brand new road schedule. The Cougars now stand alone, and all they have left to do is win. But will they?
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| Jake Heaps has a new offense to run |
BYU will be led into independence by sophomore quarterback Jake Heaps. After leading the BYU offense to 40 points per game in the second half of the season, the poised youngster has been called upon to implement a new offense. Former BYU quarterback Brandon Doman starts his first season as offensive coordinator and will be returning the Cougars to some of their roots in a pro-style, play action passing attack.
At his disposal will be a pair of wide receivers like BYU has never had before. Wide receiver Cody Hoffman (6’4”) found his rhythm with Heaps late in his freshman season, capping last year with a 137-yard, three-touchdown bowl performance. He will be joined by freshman Ross Apo (6’3”), a former Texas commit who missed last season with a nasty broken finger. Protected by four-of-five returning linemen, including first-round NFL prospect Matt Reynolds, the sky is the limit for the BYU offense this season.
BYU’s defense should also be improved. The young group responded to head coach Bronco Mendenhall taking over as defensive coordinator mid-season. A strong front seven is further bolstered by USC transfers Uona Kaveinga (LB) and Hebron Fangupo (DE). The biggest defensive question for the Cougars is the secondary, where they enjoy a bounty of talent but a dearth of experience. While BYU has more athletes than ever, they will also be tested more than ever in marquee matchups. The defense, especially the inexperienced secondary, must step up, or the Cougars could find themselves in shootouts in every big game.
SCHEDULE & PREDICTIONS
Date/Time | TV | Opponent | Zach | Brett |
Sat. 09/03/11 2:45 p.m. MT | ESPN | at Ole Miss | W* | W |
Sat. 09/10/11 5:00 p.m. MT | ESPN2 | at Texas | L | L |
Sat. 09/17/11 7:15 p.m. MT | ESPN2 | UTAH | W* | W* |
Fri. 09/23/11 6:00 p.m. MT | ESPN | CENTRAL FLORIDA | W | W |
Fri. 09/30/11 6:00 p.m. MT | ESPN | UTAH STATE | W | W |
Sat. 10/08/11 Time TBA | ESPN TBA | SAN JOSE STATE | W | W |
Sat. 10/15/11 Time TBA | --- | at Oregon State | L | L |
Sat. 10/22/11 1:00 p.m. MT | BYUtv | IDAHO STATE | W | W |
Fri. 10/28/11 6:00 p.m. MT | ESPN | vs. TCU1 | W* | W* |
Sat. 11/12/11 Time TBA | ESPN TBA | IDAHO | W | W |
Sat. 11/19/11 Time TBA | ESPN TBA | NEW MEXICO STATE | W | W |
Sat. 12/03/11 5:30 p.m. MT | ESPN2 | at Hawaii | W | L* |
1-Cowboys Stadium || * denotes toss-up | 10-2 | 9-3 | ||
3 comments:
You predict losses to a Texas team in dissaray and an OSU team which is seriously lacking depth and suffered major graduation losses...but victories over TCU which BYU hasn't defeated in three years. For the record, I think UCF might very well be BYU's toughest opponent this year. TCU will have seven or eight games under it's belt in Dallas and should be ready for BYU, though I do think BYU wins this year. I actually agree that Oregon State is a little tougher than people might think, but very winnable. COnsider Utah is expected to defeat the Beavers and you think Utah is better than BYU? NOT!
Sorry, I want the Cougs to win but Texas is NOT in disarray and by all accounts is having a strong Fall practice and their offense is make huge strides under Harsin, the ex Boise offensive coorinator. Many are saying they will have the best front 7 in the league which is saying something. They have so many big and fast athletes you can never count out the Longhorns. With us coming out of the Ol' Miss game and having to travel to Austin, the Horns should be favorites and deservingly so. My blue goggles just are not that big...sorry.
I'm shocked y'all picked a loss against OSU. They aren't a bad team, but Utah, Texas, TCU, UCF, Ole Miss(maybe), and Hawaii are all tougher opponents.
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