Football Response

This post originated as a comment to a blog written by my main-man Justin Betts.

I'll begin by agreeing with you on a couple things. BYU football is the greatest. I also found it poetic justice that a PAC-10 official made the excessive celebration call, and our special teams unit should be getting more props for blowing through Washington's line and blocking that kick.

Yes, the defense has not played particularly well to this point, but this was just the second game of the season. We have a young and inexperienced defense, especially in the secondary. I think they will continue to improve as the season progresses, and thankfully, UCLA didn't show itself to be an offensive powerhouse against the overrated Tennessee. The defense did come up with a huge stop after Unga fumbled on the goal line, and that allowed us to put together an impressive drive to go ahead for good.

That being said, I don't share the same intensity of concern regarding our defense, and that is because of our offense. True, it would be nice to not get into high-scoring shootouts, but if games do go down like that, I'm not sure I'd want any other offensive unit than the one we've got. Having seen every down of BYU football this year (as well as the past three seasons), I feel pretty good proclaiming that our current offense will overwhelm any defense we come against. We have too many weapons.

The only way our offense falters is if we fail to execute and turn the ball over. The Northern Iowa game was an aberation, and I doubt we'll see another game like it in terms of protecting the ball. Hall's interception against Washington was an under thrown pass, but the defender also made a good play on it.

Regarding Unga's fumble on the goal line, I believe it was a combination of factors. First, the defender hit Unga perfectly to force the ball out. Second, Unga said after the game that he was very tired at that point, and it's pretty obvious why. The guy was a beast. Of the 23 times he rushed the ball, not once was he stopped for a loss. He averaged nearly 6 yards a carry, and he definitely earned those yards. He was running over linebackers and defensive backs all day, requiring multiple tacklers to finally bring him down. Harvey had all but two of our carries, and was in the game a long time. I give Unga the benefit of a doubt because he has proved himself to be a dependable running back who fumbles very, very rarely, usually only when someone gets a helmet on the ball.

The numbers don't lie. Hall has one of the best QB ratings. Pitta is the nation's leading receiver. Unga is 24th in rushing yards. Also, keep in mind that Collie hasn't been anywhere near as sharp as he should - likely due to sitting out Fall camp with that stress fracture - but he is due for a huge game.

UCLA will probably be the toughest defense we will face all year, and it should be a good indication of just how good our offense and our playcalling are this year. I don't think, however, that we will face a very good offense until the Utah game, and that gives our defense plenty of time to figure things out and get its act together the way Bronco's defenses always seem to do.

We're 2-0 and that's all that really matters right now. I think the UCLA game will be a battle, but I don't see us losing at home anytime soon. We'll continue our winning ways against the PAC-10 this Saturday.