Observations from "The Holy War"

Observations from "The Holy War"

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 First of all, this rivalry is just ridiculous. How can this game get any better? It really was not a pretty game with several turnovers, not many points scored, etc. However, the fact that it came down to the last second once again qualifies it as a classic. Nothing compares to the total dejection and despair facing Cougar Fans after this year’s loss. The finality of it and the way it went down just rips you’re heart out. On the flip slide – nothing can erase the pain of what could have been for Utah this year, like their last second win. The game will lose a little steam next year since it will be played in week 3. Nonetheless, it should still be wildly entertaining.

 – The poor play call by BYU on 4th and a foot early in the 3rd quarter, not the blocked field goal, was, in my opinion, the play of the game. If you’re BYU, either kick what would have been the eventual winning field goal or run the ball up the gut and pick up the half yard. I know BYU did not run the ball real well all game. However, if you’re going make a gutsy, “let’s play to win” 4th down decision, call a play that matches the decision. Not some weak pass play.
 – The controversial “was the knee down” call was indeed a blown replay. Why these guys can’t get it right is beyond me. We are all sitting on our coaches and can clearly see. Of course karma has a way of finding you and BYU did benefit earlier this year with a similar situation against San Diego State.
 – As for the players involved – anyone watching that game could clearly see that BYU will have the edge over Utah at the quarterback position for the next several years. Wynn should find himself and be a serviceable player for the Utes for the next 2 years. Heaps on the other hand, is going to be a star. Many BYU fans still don’t like the way Bronco handled the QB situation in the beginning. That being said, I think the coaching staff, and Brandon Doman in particular, have developed Heaps well throughout the year. Look for Doman to land a gig as an offensive coordinator in the next couple years due to his success with Heaps, Hall and Beck. Or maybe Doman stays and helps further cement BYU’s legacy as Quarterback U and they go get the next 5 star recruit.
All that being said, Jake Heaps will not be the all time greatest quarterback in BYU history……. The reason is he won’t be around for his senior season. That’s right. If the guy continues to progress like he has this year, he will be a top-10 draft pick after his junior year. This is assuming he is not going on a 2 year mission after this season.
 – Of course no BYU/Utah game is complete unless fans storm the field. This year was no different. You can’t blame people for getting caught up in last second thrillers. A lot of people think fans have no reason to ever be on the field. I’m not one of them. In fact – it’s awesome when there’s a top-10 type upset and thousands of delirious fans take to the field and the goal posts. You just always worry about the safety of the players and especially those from the opposing team. From what we could see on Saturday’s broadcast, it looked like several Utah assistant coaches came to the aide of Mitch Payne and other BYU players as Utah fans stormed the field. I thought it was a nice show of sportsmanship on the part of the Utah staff. Though the rivalry is nasty and bitter amongst the fans, for the most part, the players and teams involved respect each other as opponents. It’s nice to see.
 – Final thought….

Good riddance to the most ridiculous television network ever – The Mtn. (unless you’re a Boise State fan) Was it just me that was looking for the down and distance graphic next to the score the entire game? Also, did you notice how the clock quit working at the end of the game? And how about the spaz play-by-play man going crazy every time Utah did something great. I know a lot of people like to hammer Todd Christensen on message boards and what not. However, I thought his insight as the color man was mostly right on.

No one likes to see people lose their jobs but I don’t know how they are going to hold The Mtn. together next year. If it wasn’t dead already with BYU and Utah bolting, TCU’s departure has got to be the last nail in the coffin for the conference. I know the MWC will get Boise State, Nevada and Fresno State. However, all that does is slap MWC on the games instead of WAC and take them off ESPN. It will be interesting to see what happens to the conference and the network.

Matt Nielson has been writing about the college sports landscape in Utah and the Intermountain West since 2010. When he’s not pretending to be a professional blogger, he works full time as a residential real estate agent and house flipper. Matt graduated from Brigham Young University in 2000. He and his family reside in Salt Lake City, UT.

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