Watching the football game yesterday I found that I was more tense than any game all season. My stomach was turning and as the first half played out I was becoming more angry than I can remember watching a sporting event. We seemed to be in the same pattern. Play good defense on first and second down and then give up the first down on either a slant pass or the QB getting outside. Because I am in St. George my wife was sitting there beside me and she could not understand why I was allowing myself to get so worked up. (She understands sports and officiated basketball earlier in her life) I realized that this game meant more to BYU fans than we were willing to admit. If we lost to USU for a second straight year we would hear about it from Aggie fans and Ute fans and that would become intolerable. It got to a point where I even posted that I was done with Bronco.

Then the magical last three minutes of the first half and we took the lead in a game that we were being outplayed. In the second half Bronco made some important adjustments in the defense. He tightened up the coverage and more importantly started coming after Keaton. I have to believe that BYU forced Keaton to throw away about a dozen passes because he was under pressure.

After the game I thought about next season and what should happen if Hill were to come back to BYU and play. I think he should be named the starter and Mangum would have to outplay him in Spring and Fall ball. At the college level having a mobile QB is a huge asset. I also think Mangum would benefit in his development. I have watched him very closely and he is a good QB but right now he had developed a couple of habits that opposing coaches are figuring out. He likes to roll to his right and does so at the first sign of pressure. I would be blitzing him on that side because he is far less accurate moving to his left. He is also not going through his progressions and finding secondary receivers. Some of the balls he threw yesterday were just put up there and I give credit to the receivers for going up and getting them. Henderson and Blackmon both made catches that I still cannot believe they made. The ball was thrown into double and triple coverage and they went and to it. You have to give credit to Mathews for the catch on the sideline and the TD catch.

The basketball game last night was much less tense for me because even if we lost it was not to a team where there fans would be letting us know about it. (my anger about the basketball game was my ROKU box here in St. George was gagging and I will be calling the Internet provider on Monday about speed - I watched the game on the regular BYUTV on the satellite) BYU fell behind early in the game, came back to tie it and fell back double digits again. This was mostly because Belmont was shooting lights out from the arc. Some of the shots were with defensive pressure or from way behind the arc but most were because they moved the ball until they got the open look. They were shooting over 50% from the arc and as BYU fans we know that cannot continue because we have seen it in our team. They ended up shooting 35% from the arc and that doomed their offense because they are built around hitting the three ball. Rose and the team never panicked and you have to give some players real credit.

Collinsworth only took a couple of outside shots and then concentrated on what he does best, get to the rim. Emery was the spark in the first half and this kid is going to be an important cog in BYU basketball for the next four years. Fischer got untracked and finally drained some shots. I think Rose will continue to keep him on a leash. When he is hitting the shot he will get minutes, when not he will move to another guard.

One of the benefits of being in St. George this week is that I have DISH here instead of DirecTV and so I have the PAC12 channels and will be able to see the Utah game. I am going to the Weber State game next Saturday in Salt Lake. I have to admit that I would love to see BYU sweep the next three games. It would also, in my opinion, go a long way towards an invite to the tournament.