without Mitch? When I say clutch, In am referring to his overall performance. Yes he struggled more against traditionally solid programs like Michigan, UCLA and Missouri but I think these teams realized, you shut down Mathews, you shut down BYU.
As for being called out for not being more of a leader, that is great coaching. As a coach, you do everything you can to get everything out of your players and leaders. You ask any key player on any team and I guarantee you their leadership or lack there of has been called into question at least once during the course of a season.