This picture sums up
BYU's 2017 football season.
4-9
Really???
4 wins & 9 losses
The last time we lost 9 games, was in 1955, before I was born!
And just like the year I was born, there were only 48 states
in the United States!
We have been totally spoiled being a BYU fan!!!
The entire first decade of my teaching career, the '80s,
the last day of school before Christmas Break started,
was spent watching BYU playing in a bowl game.
All BYU games were broadcast on
Channel 5, KSL.
We were usually playing in the
Holiday Bowl!
Sometimes, it was a different bowl game, but we were always playing in one.
One year, 1984, we even won the National Championship!!!
WOW! Check out my cool book!!!
Oh, look!
It's the father of one of my former students!
Maddy Johnson's dad, Lee.
He was the barefoot kicker!
I have taught 3 students whose dad's have played in the NFL.
Not just played . . .but between all three, they have won 5 Super Bowl Rings!!!
(Matt Mendenhall, Washington Redskins, and Todd Christensen,
Oakland/LA Raiders were the other two.)
We have never had a losing season in my lifetime, until this season!
By the time the last home BYU football game was played,
the stadium looked like this:
And, all of those empty seats were students seats!!!
This was when they were honoring the seniors and their families.
The mountains are still gorgeous.
I love taking my great nieces and nephews to the games!
All of their parents went several years with me!
This is my 6th grader, Camry.
When I bought my season tickets 25 years ago in 1993,
Camry's dad went to every game with me!
He was 13.
Earlier in the season, 3 sections of students raised their big flags.
There were only enough students to raise 1 flag, and this was at halftime.
Referees missed many calls.
Doesn't this look like pass interference???
I got a kick out of them advertising the next home game . . .
287 days from now!
This is a new tradition.
The seniors hold hands and walk the length of the field
towards the underclassmen.
Here is my take on the season:
1. Coaching
I love the coaches, especially Kalani Sitake, Ty Detmer, and Reno Mahe.
(Reno's 4 year old girl died this time last year in a freak accident)
All head coaches at BYU must have a current temple recommend.
So, the numbers are small to begin with.
(The former girls track and girls tennis coaches are my neighbors)
I think there is a lot of inexperience, as far as coaching college goes.
Maybe Ty Detmer can just be the quarterback coach, and hire
a new offensive coordinator.
2. Being Independent
When Utah went to the PAC 12, in my opinion, BYU panicked.
BYU chose to leave the Mountain West Conference
and go the independent route in football.
We have a big contract with ESPN, but many games
have a starting time at 8:15 p.m.
College football should be played on a Saturday afternoon!
3. Losing out on the best LDS athletes
Over the years, we have been spoiled by being able to
recruit the best LDS athletes.
Some are being lured to Utah, but many are
choosing to go to other schools outside of Utah.
Colleges will now work with the players who
leave to go on LDS missions.
4. No football at BYU Idaho
Some of our best players went to Ricks Junior College
in Rexburg, Idaho before coming to BYU.
There is no longer football there.
5. The Honor Code
BYU has an "Honor Code" that students are to abide by.
Whether you are LDS or not, each student has to have
an ecclesiastical interview and endorsement from their religious leader.
They go over the Honor Code, and discuss it.
Many football players agree to the Honor Code,
and then break it!
They might have to be suspended from playing.
It really hasn't been all that harsh.
Too many players have gotten in trouble,
and the disciplinary action hasn't been too bad for them.
Most players get their college education paid for,
because they are talented in football.
It would be different if they had to pay for
their education like most of the students do!
I say bye bye to the scholarship on the second offense
of breaking the honor code.
(After all, they tell their bishop, priest, etc. every
single year that they will abide by the Honor Code)
6. Taysom Hill & Jamaal Warner went
to the NFL
Good for them! They both had it rough!
Taysom had injuries, and Jamaal even left
school for a year to get his life together.
7. Injuries
This has been a rough one!!!
We have gone through SIX quarterbacks this season!!! SIX!!!
And poor Tanner Mangum went down 2 separate times
with different injuries.
While watching the game tonight against Hawaii,
the broadcasters said there were 37 players out at
various times this season with injuries!!!
Is it training and conditioning???
The last 2 or 3 seasons, top Jazz players
have been injured.
Their mentality is:
"NEXT MAN UP!"
Be ready when players go down!
8. CATCH THE BALL
I have never seen so many dropped passes!!!
That's just not BYU football!
Spend the off season playing catch!
9. Scheduling
Because we are Independent, we have to find
opponents to play.
Teams do not want to play us during the regular season,
(end of September, October, November)
so, the beginning of the season is top heavy:
LSU, Utah, Wisconsin.
It's almost like we have dug ourselves
a hole before the season really gets underway!
We have had HUGE wins!!!
Miami, Oklahoma, UCLA, Notre Dame, Houston,
Texas, Washington State, Pittsburg, Texas A & M,
Washington, Penn State, Arizona State,
Virginia, Boise State, Oregon, Boston College,
Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas State, Michigan,
to name a few.
I don't know what will happen with the
program in the upcoming years.
Football is the cash cow of the university.
But, on September 8, 2018, I will be in
Portal GG,
Section 22
Row 7
Seat 23
Rooting for my Cougars against Cal
(I have almost forgotten the words to the
"Rise & Shout" song
that we sing after every score!!!)
