First off, what an incredible game! The future battles between Kyle Whittingham and Kalani Sitake are going to be the most epic games of the Holy War. I fully expected the Utes to pull away at the end of the game, but turnovers were crazy. Credit BYU's defense for forcing turnovers at the most critical points on the field and in the game. There's just a few key points I'd like to put an opinion on and write about.
Turnovers
The game started in the same way that last year's Las Vegas Bowl started with a pick six (interception returned for a touchdown) for Utah. I thought that was going to be the start of a very long game for the Cougar faithful.
Utah's offense seemed to be able to move the ball extremely well on some drives, but BYU's defense kept making the right play at the right time to keep Utah from scoring. Utah had six turnovers. Two of which were after significant drives that were halted by interceptions within the five yard line.
BYU also committed three turnovers of their own that were costly, especially the first one. BYU's offense didn't look as good as Utah's, but did have some shining moments. The two touchdown drives were incredibly efficient and great athletic ability by Taysom Hill. Hill, not known for great passing, made some great passes in the game, especially on the last drive.
Targeting/Officiating
I've seen a lot of my friends on Facebook complaining about the targeting penalties called on BYU's Kai Nacua and Austin McChesney. I expressed my opinion on Twitter in the process of the game. I said Nacua's wasn't much of a targeting call, but McChesney's was. McChesney led with the crown of the helmet and hit Troy McCormick in the head. That's targeting as far as I knew at the time, but let's delve into the rule book. Here is the targeting rule from http://www.afca.com/article/article.php?id=2342
"RULES
Targeting and Initiating Contact With the Crown of the Helmet (Rule 9-1-3)
No player shall target and initiate contact against an opponent with the crown (top) of his helmet. When in question, it is a foul.
Targeting and Initiating Contact to Head or Neck Area of a Defenseless Player (Rule 9-1-4)
No player shall target and initiate contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, fist, elbow or shoulder. When in question, it is a foul. (Rule 2-27-14)" (emphasis added).
After having read that definition, Nacua's was even targeting. Sorry BYU fans. That's the official rule. I may not fully agree with it, but the goal is to keep every player on the field safe, especially defenseless ones.
I thought the refs had a few missed calls on both sides, but were actually pretty good outside of the endless amount of replays.
Utah's 11-minute drive
The straw the broke the horse's back for BYU was the 19-play, 78-yard, 11-minute drive. 11:21 to be exact. That's a long drive! Utah received that ball at the 14:08 mark in the fourth quarter. The field goal was kicked at the 2:47 mark. I've never seen a drive like that in my life. The Utes were able to just keep the ball on the ground and the clock kept ticking.
Freshman running back Zack Moss was the key for Utah's drive. He rushed for 41 yards on that drive alone. I've been excited to finally see this guy play, and he proved why I was excited on this drive. He was a force to bring down, but he just kept going.
Here's my take on the field goal decision: I thought Moss could have gotten the first down. I also thought a QB sneak would have resulted in a first down. A touchdown on that drive would have really been the game winner. There wouldn't have been enough time for BYU to get back into the game. I also understand the field goal. Kicking a field goal puts Utah up by seven points and now BYU must score to tie. With the way Utah's defense played, I didn't think BYU would even get close.
2-point Conversion
BYU scored with 18 seconds left and Sitake decided to go for the win by going for the 2-point conversion. Was it the right choice? In retrospect, Cougar fans would say no. At the time though, I believe it was Sitake's only choice. He just had watched his defense spend 11 minutes on the field without many breaks and without stopping Utah. To kick the point after would have meant he would have to send his extremely tired defense back on the field without two key players due to targeting penalties.
Drawing up a QB draw was Sitake's biggest mistake. The beautiful thing about Taysom Hill is that he is smart enough to make the right play. He may not have the strongest arm, but he was only three yards out. Give him a play where he rolls out and has the option to run, don't force the run on him.
Overall, it was a fun, mostly clean game. I was happy to see that neither team was blatantly trying to hurt each other. That's where the game can be fun. It was stressful as a fan, but I am no longer 100% against playing the game because it's going to be more friendly with Sitake and Whittingham (who are great friends) at the helms of each team.
For the first time in a long time, possibly ever, I am looking forward to the Holy War next year.
Utah's 11-minute drive
The straw the broke the horse's back for BYU was the 19-play, 78-yard, 11-minute drive. 11:21 to be exact. That's a long drive! Utah received that ball at the 14:08 mark in the fourth quarter. The field goal was kicked at the 2:47 mark. I've never seen a drive like that in my life. The Utes were able to just keep the ball on the ground and the clock kept ticking.
Freshman running back Zack Moss was the key for Utah's drive. He rushed for 41 yards on that drive alone. I've been excited to finally see this guy play, and he proved why I was excited on this drive. He was a force to bring down, but he just kept going.
Here's my take on the field goal decision: I thought Moss could have gotten the first down. I also thought a QB sneak would have resulted in a first down. A touchdown on that drive would have really been the game winner. There wouldn't have been enough time for BYU to get back into the game. I also understand the field goal. Kicking a field goal puts Utah up by seven points and now BYU must score to tie. With the way Utah's defense played, I didn't think BYU would even get close.
2-point Conversion
BYU scored with 18 seconds left and Sitake decided to go for the win by going for the 2-point conversion. Was it the right choice? In retrospect, Cougar fans would say no. At the time though, I believe it was Sitake's only choice. He just had watched his defense spend 11 minutes on the field without many breaks and without stopping Utah. To kick the point after would have meant he would have to send his extremely tired defense back on the field without two key players due to targeting penalties.
Drawing up a QB draw was Sitake's biggest mistake. The beautiful thing about Taysom Hill is that he is smart enough to make the right play. He may not have the strongest arm, but he was only three yards out. Give him a play where he rolls out and has the option to run, don't force the run on him.
Overall, it was a fun, mostly clean game. I was happy to see that neither team was blatantly trying to hurt each other. That's where the game can be fun. It was stressful as a fan, but I am no longer 100% against playing the game because it's going to be more friendly with Sitake and Whittingham (who are great friends) at the helms of each team.
For the first time in a long time, possibly ever, I am looking forward to the Holy War next year.
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