An Open Letter to the Muss

Hello Muss,

I like you. We've been through a lot together.  There have been good times, there have been bad times, but mostly the times were good.  I like to think that I know how things work around here.  I've been around the block before and I just had a birthday last month.

You see, I've been in the MUSS since the 2004 season.  I skipped the first year of the MUSS, because I was easily able to sit on the 15th row of every game without having to pay the extra $25 for the special t-shirt, that would prove I was there, that I heard of you first. I've been in the MUSS every season since.  I reveled through the undefeated Fiesta Bowl season and the magical (and also undefeated) Sugar Bowl Season.  I watched you win a record number of consecutive bowl games and I was with you when we welcomed the PAC-12 into town.

So, this is my 9th year in the MUSS (Is there some sort of award for this?) and I'm feeling the pressure to set ya'll straight.  Back when we were in the lowly Mountain West Conference, when you were lucky to find our games on TV, the Utes were the up-and-coming original BCS Busters.  It was hard work moving from the mediocrity of the '80s (where they averaged 5.4 wins/year) to the enlightenment of the 90's (where they averaged 7.2 wins/year) to the awesomeness of the 00's (pronounced aughts, where they averaged 8.6 wins/year).  Now, the Utes have arrived.  They are in one of the top three conferences in the country and they have proven that they can play with the big boys.

While the MUSS is undoubtedly one of the best student sections in the country, they have a potentially fatal flaw that must be corrected before the pain and suffering becomes overwhelming. And we die. I've been critical of your habits in rushing the field in the past (see this post from the Oregon State game in 2008, I think that season we (the MUSS) took the blessed opportunity to rush the field 3 times! Granted, we had a good team.  Remember how they smashed Alabama in the mouth in the Sugar Bowl?). You see, after that post I felt bad for being so critical of the MUSS rushing the field so I softened my stance. But that was before we were officially a part of the big boys.

Now we need to set a few ground rules.  Rushing the field is ok (as long as security isn't trying to taze you or the chain-link fence that you are holding onto), but we need to save rushing the field for those special occasions.  I was embarrassed that the MUSS gave TDS (can you believe that my initials are the same as Team Down South?), the respect that is implied when we rush the field.  Yes, they were ranked (how that mistake happened is a topic for another post), and yes the ending was absolutely thrilling (made more so by the asinine mistakes made by the MUSS), but the only thing riding on this game was in-state respect.

I propose new rules, regulations and requirements regarding the rushing of the field (at least one of these must apply):

1. The team you beat must be in the top 5.

2.  The win must clinch a conference championship.

3.  The win must clinch a berth in a BCS bowl or equal.

4.  Any home win over our true rival, the mighty Colorado Buffaloes, is excluded from these requirements. 

Ute fans, let us not forget that we play with the big boys now.  Go Utes!

Utah 48, BYU 24

The only reason this game was so close was because the Utes left a lot of points out on the field. Their defense should have intercepted four more balls than they did, a couple of which would have obviously been returned for touchdowns.

This turned out to be a great game... for Utah fans. Just as we expected, when Max Hall bleeds, his blood is as red as any true Ute fan. He showed last night why the team voted him the MVP of the game (even with the $10 payoff they had to give him to throw the game). The game started out strongly in Utah's favor as they took a quick 17-3 lead. BYU smartly used their runningbacks to get to the outside and were able to rack up quite a few yards on the ground, tying the game at 17. This was the closest that they would be.

It wasn't long after this that Max Hall started imploding. Utah's defense mixed it up a bit and used a couple of defensive schemes that they have never used before and that Hall had never seen before. Their defensive ends started switching sides off and on and a couple of times they even dropped back into coverage rather than blitz the QB. Each of BYU's last five drives ended with a Max Hall turnover. The Utes turned three of these turnovers into 21 points in the fourth quarter, making a close game not look that close by the final score.

Most of Hall's interceptions came when Utah was blitzing. They didn't record a single sack all night, but when they blitzed 5, 6 or 7 Max Hall couldn't make a play. Out of Hall's 41 pass attempts, 6 ball were batted down at the line, 5 ended in interceptions and 4 hit Utah's defenders in the chest or hands but they couldn't bring them in. Johnson, on the other hand, only had 6 incompletions, over 300 yards and 0 interceotions.

In my opinion, the player of the game award goes to Paul Kruger. He had one of Max Hall's interceptions, lots of tackles and was a big part of the pressure that gave Max Hall fits. On the offensive side of the ball, Utah quarterback Brian Johnson had one of his best games ever.

Now, Utah gets a second chance to play in a BCS bowl game, but us Utah fans shouldn't be satisfied with that. Once again, the Utes will be left out of the battle for the national championship game - even though that have yet to lose. With a playoff, Utah would at least have a chance to play for a national championship - if they continue to win. The BCS is, and always will be, a joke. (I'm not saying that I think the Utes are a championship caliber team, just that I think that until a team loses, it shouldn't be out of the title hunt. This includes you Boise State and Ball State!).

Go Utes!

Rivalry Week

Just a few thoughts on tomorrow's big game.

Most of the experts are picking Utah (Just look at all the bowl predictions - a large majority have the Utes in a BCS bowl). They seem to be the easy choice. This makes me a little nervous. I think that BYU relishes and finds motivation from the fact that they are the underdog. I would almost prefer Utah being the underdog, but I don't think it really matters either way.

Utah and BYU always match up pretty evenly. This year will be no different. Here's my opinion on how the teams match up:

Quarterbacks - BYU:
I don't think that I would switch Johnson for Hall, but I admire Hall's consistency and accuracy. He has played solidly almost every game. Both quarterbacks have the ability to lead a game-winning drive at the end of a game. Johnson probably does this best.

Runningbacks - Utah:
Utah effectively uses two backs that would start on almost every team in the conference. Utah's yards per carry average is almost 1/2 yard. Another difference maker here is that Utah's 3rd and 4th string backs have the speed to get to the outside. They are often used on end-arounds and when the Utes want to get the ball outside the tackles.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends - BYU:
This is BYU's strongest position. Utah will give up a big pass play here and there, but they have pretty solid coverage overall. I don't see Collie destroying the Utes (because he will mainly be defended by Utah's speediest player). Pitta, if he's healthy, could probably walk all over Utah though. They just don't have anybody that can match up with him size-wise. The Utes will give up a couple of big plays to these guys, but hold them in check otherwise.

Offensive Line - Even:
Before the TCU game (for both teams) I would have given this one to BYU hands down. But, BYU gave up a bunch of sacks to TCU and Utah's line played its best game of the season against TCU. Jerry Hughes (one of the best defensive linemen in the country) was held in check all game by the Utes. The more time either Johnson or Hall has to make a play, the more the defense is going to pay for it.

Defensive Line - Utah:
This is one position where Utah really shines. You don't become a top-10 team against the run without a strong defensive line. For the first-half of the year, Paul Kruger led the nation in tackles for loss (and Koa Misi wasn't far behind). Jorgenson is good - but he would be playing behind either one of these guys.

Linebackers - Even:
I think it's hard to compare the linebacking ranks between the two teams because they both play different defensive schemes. The linebackers are more involved for BYU with their 3-4 scheme while they play a big part of Utah's run defense in Utah's 4-3 scheme.

Cornerbacks/Safeties - Utah:
Utah wins this one in a landslide. If they're smart, Johnson will try and test the corners early. Sean Smith has as many interceptions as the whole Cougar secondary. Every team that BYU has played from TCU on has tried to exploit BYU's secondary because they rarely match up with speed and athleticism. If Utah gets the long ball going it could be a long night for the Cougars (but don't worry, Johnson stinks at throwing the long ball).

Special Teams - Utah:
Utah leads the nation in touchbacks (and I realize that BYU is 3rd). Neither team has been very consistent on punt returns, but the real key here is All-American punter/kicker Louie Sakoda. Utah has the best kicking duo in the country.

Coaches - Even:
You won't convince me otherwise on this one. Bronco's an awesome coach with 3 more wins than Kyle. Kyle, has a better record against BCS schools while Bronco has conference championships. Both coaches are the top 2 first-job hires from 2005. This year, Kyle Whittingham wins coach-of-the-year.

I'm excited for the game. On paper the Utes win, but I only give them 3:2 odds of winning. I expect that the difference in the game will be Utah's speed on defense. TCU exploited BYU and almost every team since that game has been able to keep it close. If this wasn't a rivalry game these things would matter. As it is, I expect the game to be decided by less than 1 score - and possibly by whichever team has the ball as time expires.

Which Conference is in the BCS?

Mountain West vs. Pac-10
TCU Horned Frogs 31 - Stanford Cardinal 14
New Mexico Lobos 36 - Arizona Wildcats 28
BYU Cougars 59 - #26? UCLA Bruins 0
UNLV Rebels 23 - #15 Arizona State Sun Devils 20 (OT)

So, 1 team from the Mountain West lost today (San Diego State) and 6 teams from the Pac-10 lost today (Cal, Washington and the 4 teams mentioned above). Tell me again, what conference is in the BCS?

Where's the justice?

Good Day for Ballin'

Tonight was a good night for basketball teams from Utah. First off, the Utes came away with (arguably) the best win from the Jim Boylen era, taking down the UNLV Rebels. The Rebels were the #1 team in the conference (holding the tiebreaker over BYU) and had beaten the Utes 5 straight times. Utah has struggled against teams that they should have beaten (most recently Wyoming at home) and has shown much of the same inconsistencies that plagued them last year. They have shown a huge improvement in their defense though - leading the league in many defensive stats. They are giving up almost 20 points less than last year and holding teams to 12% worse shooting (and an amazing 18% worse from beyond the arc).

This win was not only a statement win for the Utes but a welcomed win from Cougar fans as well. BYU (having beaten TCU this evening as well) now has sole possession of the top spot in the conference. That obviously won't last as the Utes have to play in Happy Valley on the 20th. But, nonetheless, you're welcome.

Now onto the Jazz. The Jazz played the Denver Nuggets tonight in a dirty division game. Both teams were called for numerous fouls and a couple of players fouled out on the Jazz, while Carmelo Anthony fouled out on the Nuggets. I had to turn away from the game for a bit because I was getting so worked up over it. Boozer had a horrible night, but Deron Williams and Kyle Korver more than picked up the slack. The game was played in Denver, decided in overtime and ended up being their 10th straight win (the last time that they won 10 straight games was almost 9 years ago!). Like I said, a good night for Utah basketball teams.

Browsing my thoughts...

Here's a few things that I've come across the last couple of days:

1. Alison's brother Spencer sent me this link of the breakdown of the final regular season football coach's poll. I've found it fascinating to look out how the votes are distributed (alphabetically, of course, but more so geographically). Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia's coach is obviously a genius. He voted Utah 20th (remember how they have 4 losses?). Take note of where BYU's votes came from as well. Most of their highest votes came from the west (you think these guys get the mtn?). Take note as well of the two coaches that didn't put BYU in the top 25. Indiana's coach and Washington's coach (Ty Willingham). As Spencer asked, do you think BYU will remember this when they play Washington next year? (Not to dive too deeply into the crap we call the BCS, I think everyone should check out these articles linked from the Millar's blog.)

2. I took my Nuclear Engineering Final Exam today. I had the option of taking it today or Monday. I don't think that I will be any smarter come Monday. On that same note, do you realize that you can buy uranium ore on amazon.com? Take note of the section "Customers Who Bought Items Like This Also Bought" and be sure to read the customer reviews. They are very clever. **Update** I forgot to mention that the fuel for the nuclear reactor here at the U arrives via FedEx. Think about that for a minute...

3. Are you looking for somewhere legal to download your music on the cheap? Look no further than grooveshark.com. They are having a sale during the 8 nights of Hanukkah and on Christmas Day. During those days all songs (DRM free or I wouldn't be recommending it) sell for a measly $.29. Do you realize that you can get 17 songs for under $5.00 at this price? I'm not sure if you still need an invitation to join or not. If you do just let me know. I've got tons. Alison and I dropped $9.86 on 34 songs the last time that they had a sale like this. Highly recommended!

4. 363 days of the year I'm an Aggie fan (USU Aggie that is). Tonight was one of the night's that I wasn't a fan. Utah played them at the Huntsman Center and totally destroyed them. They started the game 11-0 and I don't think that the Aggies ever got closer than 9 points. Nevill was getting pushed around in the paint (which is good for him - what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?) and the officials were very, VERY inconsistent in their calls (on both sides of the ball) but it was a great game if you're a Ute fan.

5. My sister Cheryce sent me the following clip. This guy is one creepy singer (On another note [pun intended :)], I saw this similar video on dooce.com):

Utes Lose By 7

I usually wait a few days after Utah loses before posting about the game. This allows me to clear my head and get rid of my anger before spouting off and embarrassing myself. This time, I'm going to allow my anger to flow freely...

Neither team played spectacularly. Utah was down 3-0 going into halftime. Utah had major problems stopping Harvey Unga. They always seems to struggle with backs like him. He also dropped a couple balls in the second half that should have been easy catches. In short, Utah was extremely lucky to not be down by 3 touchdowns early in the game. Brian Johnson struggled against the other teams defense. He had a hard time reading the defense and making plays. When he finally began making plays with his legs, the Utes were able to convert on a few key third downs.

The worst part about games like this (including last years game in this generalization) is that you (i.e. Ute fans) think that they've got the game in the bag. This incredible thrill followed a couple minutes later by the realization that your defense choked and the game is actually lost has got to be dangerous on your heart.

Much of the talk after the game centered on two late calls made against the Utes by the officials. While these hurt, the game-winning play was converting on 4th and 18 inside your own 15-yard line on a 49 yard pass play. Why Utah's defense let Austin Collie past them at such a crucial time will never be answered. That should simply never happen.

I will not blame the officials for this loss (I blame the aforementioned play) but I think that "questionable", "iffy" or "game-changing" calls should be made with great care at the end of the game. I thought the officiating wasn't too bad until the last minute. Here's a closer look at the calls in question (you've got to look closely to see my written commentary):


I don't think that Utah would have won even if the officials hadn't made the calls shown above (or lack thereof). However, how can the Utes ever win when the officials are even allowing the other team to run the infamous, yet exclusive, 3-point conversion play?

The Utes were dominated in this game and certainly didn't deserve the win. The fact that they were as close as they were speaks volumes. As Austin Collie said after the game, when you're doing what's right, "The Lord steps in and makes good things happen". I'm not sure how I feel about the Lord meddling in football games, but I'll leave that for another post.

Poinsettia Bowl here we come!

Talking Smack

I'm usually not much of a smack-talker (I can hear the yeah-rights coming from every corner), but today I came across a humorous blog post that all of you BYU fans will probably enjoy. I actually thought that the post was quite clever and everything that I planned on posting here on my blog, I ended up posting in the comments. Without further ado, I present Welcome To My Soapbox's take on Talking Smack (Be sure and read my rebuttal comment, that's where the good information is found...). I love commenting on random blogs. When I grow up I want to be creepy.

At least we know where Ada's heart lies:

Fall Football

Although there are still around 41 days until Utah kicks off their football season in Corvallis, Oregon in The Sporting News two weeks ago, there was an interesting article about the Hawaii football team and schedule. The very best part of the article is a little note in the bottom right-hand corner about the odds that they give Boise State, Southern Miss, TCU, BYU and Utah for busting the BCS (500 to 1? What a joke!). I scanned the article and have made it available for your reading pleasure here (even BYU fans will appreciate this one).

BYU 33, Utah 31

And what a game it was. Yesterday's game was certainly the most exciting game that I have ever been to (The "funnest game" still remains the 2004 Fiesta Bowl where utah beat Pitt 35-7). The game came down to the last play like few ever do.

Before each home game the MUSS is fed by Red Robin. This game was no exception. To get your food though, you must show your ticket. I couldn't find my ticket so I showed an old one. Then waiting in line for my food I was searching frantically for my ticket but it was gone. I called Alison and had her look around the house and outside around the apartment but it wasn't there either. I knew that I had had it in my pocket so I figured that it must have fallen out. I was planning on just going home to watch the game (darn it) when my neighbor/friend (who sits next to me) called and asked what seat I sat in. He had found my ticket while he was walking down to the game 20-30 minutes after I had. Talk about lucky. I had hoped that this luck would pan out on the field.

BYU started the game on a roar scoring a touchdown easily on their first two drives. It looked like this game was going to be a major blowout for BYU. Utah struggled moving the ball until they were forced to punt near midfield and Utah faked it and Louie Sakoda ran 18 yards for a first down. This swung the momentum Utah's way and they scored the next 24 points and gave Utah a 10 point lead.

BYU fought back, of course, and they traded touchdowns with Utah scoring their last with 79 seconds left to play. This was still too much time for BYU as they were able to march down the field and score with 3 seconds left in the game. here is the final play:


Video: Utah vs. BYU 2006

I was sitting in the MUSS (Mighty Utah Student Section) and we were going crazy when it was looking like Utah was going to win. Utah outgained and outplayed BYU and BYU was lucky to be in the position where a touchdown could win it at the end. Almost all of the stats were in Utah's favor, but BYU was just that much better.

I got to watch most of the second quarter from the field because I was a part of a Chevron gas-giveaway challenge. We stood on about the 20 yard line and cheered on colored race cars as they raced around a track on the big screen. I was the white car (of course the red car won), but it was fun to be down on the field for the big game.

Normally I have been placing the winning team's logo at the top of the post, but I have chosen not to defame my blog with the TDS logo ;). I can't wait until next year!


Free Countdown Clocks at WishAFriend.com

Oh my Gosh! What a loser!

I saw this picture on the internet the other day. I think that once I graduate Alison and I will move nearby this school so that our kids can go to a school that is obviously more progressive than most others.

I can't wait for football season. Only 20 days until I will be at the Rose Bowl watching the Utes season opener. Hooray!