Please don't get me wrong - I absolutely love the 4-0, with the whole season in front of us, and I love that these coaches and players have forced BYU back into the college football conversation by their preparation, grit, and talent. Being in the conversation, and actually seeing a highlight or two on ESPN (whooda thunk it?) is part of what makes BYU Football fun and exciting, not to mention rubbing it in just a little to our friends who are Ute, ACC, or other BIG 5 fans. Now for the BUT - but we have tried to lose the last two games by keeping the wraps on our Offense, and the possibly Defense as well. We have won, but just by the shear will, determination, talent, and athleticism of guys like JW and TH. This game may have been a far different outcome if the TO's were 2-0 in their favor instead of ours, without the Hine play, and without the many bailout plays by Arellano.

The fact is, the short pass and crossing routes were open ALL NIGHT, and BYU had success almost every timie they went to them. Then, they'd inexplicably abondon the short pass, and go back to some poorly executed running plays on 1st and 2nd down. Poor running plays were often what caused many of our red zone points to end up as 3's, and not 7's. Why keep bashing your teeth against the strength of their D in the front seven, when they've shown they can stuff you pretty regularly, and haven't shown they can defend the short quick passes at all. They (UVA) may have worn down some by the second half, and some of those plays started to work, but only because of the will and athleticism of TH and JW. But, if those guys keep doing that, they're going to get injured.

The short pass was also there agaiinst UH, but under-utilized. Instead, we tend to either run, or attempt the nearly impossible pipe-dream sideline go route, fade, or mid-range bomb, where TH has to be almost perfect and thread the needle, and the reciever has to do the same for any hope at the big play. As we learned from UVA, possessions are a FINITE thing, and we are wasting far too many on run/stuff, run/stuff, and then forced into 3rd and long, and too many failed hope bombs.

If we used the short pass more, TH and the WR/TE/RB could develop more flow and timing, and then gradually work deeper as they get their timing down, as the FLOW AND TIMING IS UNIQUELY DIFFERENT with each new D we play based on their personnel and scheme. The reality is that TH is NOT YET a seasoned enough passer to go back and forth from run, run, run, to "long bomb,'" but he has shown that he can throw the short routes quite well. Also, he is almost better when he is throwing on the run, than sitting in the pocket, wondering what that noise is on his blind side. His passes may sometimes be a little off, but that is less exaggerated on the short passes, and our receivers are good at adjusting to the ball when needed. Regardless, the short passes keep working - just look at the % completion on short routes less than 15 yards this season - they're good. I know because I keep pleading for them to go back to it, and everytime they do, I find myself cheering because there is a completion, and a 1st down or short 2nd down. Sometimes, but rarely am I disappointed because of a non-completion on short routes, although I don't have real #'s on that. Also, although the O line is much better this year, there are still some issues. Issues that would be minimized if they were not always called on to either run block like rabid animals, or hold the dogs off of TH for so long on the long routes. The short game would also ease the pressure here, in this weak link (O-line) that is admittedly gradually getting stronger. I think it's a no brainer.

We so need to let the receivers get more YAC. On those 7-10-15 yard routes, just one missed tackle can mean a TD for our receivers, since they're at the next level, past the mouth of the D - we're just not using the tools we have well enough, and I agree with some bloggers on this - it's simply not as fun to watch when more people are not involved who could be. We are 4-0, but I think this Offense can be more than good. They have the ability to be scary-crazy-bestinthecountry good! You want to see big plays? Forget the long bomb down the sideline that almost always seems to get broken up by the bobble, the safety, the sideline, the slip, or the boys in stripes. Just see what D. Blackmon and J. Leslie did the last 2 games when they made one or two guys miss in the midfield. That's where the money's at. Then, once the D has to adjust to the short game, that's when we come back to gash and demoralize them with the run game of TH and JW, and then the long bomb with better timing under it, and a disheartened D. This stubborn marriage to pounding the run to set up the pass or to "wear down" the opponent is noble in a rugby kind of way, but this is not rugby. It is not working to our strengths, and is just keeping wraps on this offense, rather than letting it exlode like it is capable of. I will say it here, I believe that when the coaches start concentrating more on the short game to set up the run and the play action, that this offense will soar. That's exactly what the Ducks do, and their O has been pretty potent the last few years.

And one more thing I've been pleading for all year. They need to have a lot more DESIGNED ROLL OUTS FOR TH. When he is out on the flat and can see the field, and choose to either run or pass while moving, he completely handcuffs the other team, and has almost always been deadly. Why can't the coaches see this. Think about it, how many times can you remember when TH gets free out on the flat that a bad play ensues - almost never, but I can remember lots of magic when he gets out there on the flat, both with running and passing plays. To always keep him in the pocket when it's collapsing too much (from DL and LB's pinning their ears down and licking chops at our vanilla play calling) completely negates TH's athleticism, and takes it out of play, especially if that's all we do, except on broken plays when TH scrambles to the outside and works some magic.

Although we are a great running team, and I'm not advocating abandoning that at all, could we please, please, please get more players involved and energized on O, by playing to our strengths, and doing more of the short game, at least until someone actually stops it, which no one has yet done very well thus far, and also by letting TH roll out and get loose on the flat more often to work his magic. Teams don't respect and fear TH nearly as much when he is boxed in the pocket, than when he is out of it, or projecting out of it to his tall / short field receivers.

And just a short note to the D. The effort and physicality are awesome, apart from a few missed tackles, but yo, ball in the air, third and long!!! I would also consider a change in the "bend-but-don't-break" approach to a "break them before the bend us" approach, since they BENT us for about 520 yards and 103 plays on our home turf. I believe we have the personel to do that this year.
"And that's all I have to say about that." - Forrest Gump