BYU
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JimmerJammer
Three-Star Recruit
Not sure where you guys are getting information on Hill, but last week was BYU's media day. There are plenty of interviews out there with Hill, Bronco and the staff.
Hill suffered a tib/fib break. He was tackled awkwardly from the side and was dragged down. The defender (coincidentally, same player who injured his knee his freshman year) fell on the leg and it broke at the bottom of the knee brace he wore. Many claim if he hadn't been wearing the brace he wouldn't have broken his leg. BTW, he walked off the field with that broken leg. He had surgery immediately after. If anyone is familiar with the procedure for this, he was off his leg for 8 weeks, then walking boot and screw removal back in February. He participated in every part of spring ball except full team live drills as a precaution (notably without the knee brace he wore previously). He said then, if he had a game this Saturday he was good to go. Officially he's been cleared 100% for 6 weeks and has been one of the leaders and top performers this summer according to the S&C coach.
Now will he be the same runner? We'll see. But this injury wasn't as bad as the knee injury he suffered his freshman year and he had a hell of a sophomore year. Also, the coaches have said all off-season that they will be limiting designed run calls to try and protect him. But he's most dangerous when the play breaks down and he scrambles. Coaches want him to slide, get out of bounds and throw the ball away but Taysom has said repeatedly he's going to be himself and at the end of the day he'll do whatever it takes to win.
BYU's season depends on his health. There is little depth behind him. McCoy Hill (no relation) took first team reps until he was hurt in the spring. Christian Stewart, senior backup QB last year, came and threw for the team because they literally had nobody else. Taysom's backup this fall will be Tanner Mangum. He was Elite 11 co-MVP with Jameis Winston. He grayshirted, then went on his mission returning a few weeks ago. He's the heir apparent and projected next great BYU QB. He's already in Provo working out. But behind him are incoming freshmen QBs Beau Hoge (son of Merril) and Koy Detmer Jr. (Yes, son of Koy and nephew of Ty). They will battle it out for 3rd string with McCoy I imagine and will likely redshirt.
One other nugget I'll throw out there for the Nebraska game. I know many of you are expecting several suspensions for the game related to the Miami Beach brawl/bowl. Bronco said last week that there isn't a player that can'e work himself out of a suspension between now and the opener. So there is a chance there won't be any suspensions at all. Slim, IMHO, but still a chance. And Bronco isn't one for gamesmanship. So I generally take his word for things like this.
And since you guys like to squabble over your coaches so much, I'll offer an outsider's $0.02. I'm a Mike Riley fan. I have some ties to Corvallis and really like what he did there. That's a difficult place to win. Oregon is a behemoth in that state. Their facilities are some of the worst in the conference. And he consistently put out a decent product. That said, I think Bo was a fine coach too. In many ways, at least as far as results are concerned, you replaced Bo with a version of himself that will play nice with the admin. But maybe that's just a jaded BYU fan talking who has seen too many 8-5 seasons himself and gotten used to it.
http://taysom4.com/
Hill suffered a tib/fib break. He was tackled awkwardly from the side and was dragged down. The defender (coincidentally, same player who injured his knee his freshman year) fell on the leg and it broke at the bottom of the knee brace he wore. Many claim if he hadn't been wearing the brace he wouldn't have broken his leg. BTW, he walked off the field with that broken leg. He had surgery immediately after. If anyone is familiar with the procedure for this, he was off his leg for 8 weeks, then walking boot and screw removal back in February. He participated in every part of spring ball except full team live drills as a precaution (notably without the knee brace he wore previously). He said then, if he had a game this Saturday he was good to go. Officially he's been cleared 100% for 6 weeks and has been one of the leaders and top performers this summer according to the S&C coach.
Now will he be the same runner? We'll see. But this injury wasn't as bad as the knee injury he suffered his freshman year and he had a hell of a sophomore year. Also, the coaches have said all off-season that they will be limiting designed run calls to try and protect him. But he's most dangerous when the play breaks down and he scrambles. Coaches want him to slide, get out of bounds and throw the ball away but Taysom has said repeatedly he's going to be himself and at the end of the day he'll do whatever it takes to win.
BYU's season depends on his health. There is little depth behind him. McCoy Hill (no relation) took first team reps until he was hurt in the spring. Christian Stewart, senior backup QB last year, came and threw for the team because they literally had nobody else. Taysom's backup this fall will be Tanner Mangum. He was Elite 11 co-MVP with Jameis Winston. He grayshirted, then went on his mission returning a few weeks ago. He's the heir apparent and projected next great BYU QB. He's already in Provo working out. But behind him are incoming freshmen QBs Beau Hoge (son of Merril) and Koy Detmer Jr. (Yes, son of Koy and nephew of Ty). They will battle it out for 3rd string with McCoy I imagine and will likely redshirt.
One other nugget I'll throw out there for the Nebraska game. I know many of you are expecting several suspensions for the game related to the Miami Beach brawl/bowl. Bronco said last week that there isn't a player that can'e work himself out of a suspension between now and the opener. So there is a chance there won't be any suspensions at all. Slim, IMHO, but still a chance. And Bronco isn't one for gamesmanship. So I generally take his word for things like this.
And since you guys like to squabble over your coaches so much, I'll offer an outsider's $0.02. I'm a Mike Riley fan. I have some ties to Corvallis and really like what he did there. That's a difficult place to win. Oregon is a behemoth in that state. Their facilities are some of the worst in the conference. And he consistently put out a decent product. That said, I think Bo was a fine coach too. In many ways, at least as far as results are concerned, you replaced Bo with a version of himself that will play nice with the admin. But maybe that's just a jaded BYU fan talking who has seen too many 8-5 seasons himself and gotten used to it.
http://taysom4.com/
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Hoosker
All-Conference
I like you. Please stay.
I really hope Taysom is truly back to his old self and that he can stay that way throughout the year.
I wish we could play you guys up in Provo someday. I've been wanting to check out Utah for some time.
Dr. Strangelove
All-Conference
If Taysom HIll is as healthy as he was during that Texas game, for example, Nebraska could be in trouble.
alwayshusking
Starter
We might have more suspensions for that game than BYU
Great info- instead of speculation
Ive watched some of his film. For those who compare this guy to Taylor Martinez, I dont see it. This kid has great body control and lateral speed and sees the field really well. He creates time to throw with his movement.
Martinez was a straight line runner- faster than this guy top end and first step, but this kid is much better at what a QB needs to be successful- lateral movement. I hope he heals up and has a great season.
While those are all promising reports- if youve played before and had a serious type injury you know it all goes to can you mentally depend on that leg? The lateral movement he is so good at is tough to do with speed, lots of guys slow down to make the movements he does. Fast and lateral puts a lot of strain on the leg. Hopefully he can make that mental jump. If he doesnt play well against NU- maybe it will take him a game or 2 for him to get back to where he was.
The betting line has moved to where it looks like a tossup. The big $ guys usually have pretty good info. Maybe the kids leg is healing well and this isnt a Bo Pelini "he will be fine" moment
As to Provo/SLC/Park City area- I hope we schedule additional games, Been there many times, direct flights on Southwest. Beautiful area, great people, great hiking, rafting, skiing, biking. SLC is the cleanest big City Ive spent time in.
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HuskerExpat
Starter
The leg break isn't the part of the injury that I would expect to limit his mobility. It is my understanding that he also tore every major tendon in his knee. The recovery from that, I would expect, is substantially longer than the recovery from the leg break. From what you write it seems like he is closer to 100% than I'd expect, so maybe he'll be just fine, but I'll be surprised if he isn't at least a little limited or even just rusty.
And I'm sorry, but the suggestion that even the worst offenders of that brawl could earn his way out of a suspension is, if not gamesmanship, then something perhaps more offensive.
Memphis has already announced suspensions and without any possibility of avoiding punishment altogether with good behavior. BYU announced it wouldn't make an announcement regarding punishments. Link If that isn't "gamesmanship" I don't know what is. I certainly understand the strategy behind not announcing the suspensions, like Memphis did, and it's not to say that "gamesmanship" is bad, but that's what it is.
Red Five
Heisman Trophy Winner
Thanks for the good insight.
Maybe not being in a conference helps here. The Big Ten has stepped in before and suspended players before for various acts.
This kinda surprises me. I always thought BYU was a very strict school (Honor Code and all that). This seems like a total win at all costs move, something that a Florida St would do. Haven't guys got kicked out of school for having sex with their girlfriend?
Maybe not being in a conference helps here. The Big Ten has stepped in before and suspended players before for various acts.
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Not comparing his running to TM was comparing his passing. Very streaky passer, but was getting better when he got hurt. BYU does throw a lot of short/intermediate stuff, which he is pretty good at. The short/intermediate stuff is what Armstrong needs to improve on. That is where his completion percentage will really go up at.
Also about the injury, I know Bronco and Hill and everyone else are saying all the right things, but until he gets on the field and plays no will really know.
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huKSer
All-American
I like you, too. Please stay.
In fact, can we trade you for a couple of our posters?
cg_8
Special Teams Player
Can we hear about any weaknesses the kid has? I can only assume his long ball isn't quite a strength only due to the fact that I haven't seen it, and his long TD passes aren't very long at all.
What about the kid makes BYU fans nervous? Heck, what about BYU makes you guys nervous?
JimmerJammer
Three-Star Recruit
So the shredded ligaments thing comes from something Salt Lake Tribune BYU beat writer Jay Drew tweeted. He tweeted that Bronco Mendenhall told him that the injury was worse than expected and that every ligament was shredded. I am not sure where the miscommunication was but Hill refuted that story a month later in an article actually written by Jay Drew. Hill said that there was some ligament damage (read: sprain), but no replacement of ligaments. I am not saying he is close to 100%. I am saying he is 100% and has been for a month and a half.
As for the gamesmanship, I don't see it in that article you link. BYU established a policy, announced at media day last year by AD Tom Holmoe, that BYU would no longer comment about student athletes and issues related to the Honor Code. If any of you recall, when Jimmer was leading BYU, Brandon Davies was disciplined for an honor code violation and not allowed to participate in the NCAA tournament. That was met with national attention and many complained about the way it was handled feeling that Davies was unneccessarily shamed. As a result the new policy states that the school will not comment at all on such matters. Ironically, many of the same people (mostly local media) who complained about the shaming, are now complaining that BYU isn't being forthright. It's a lose-lose situation really. But BYU has decided that any punishements stemming from the Miami Beach Bowl brawl fall under that policy and will not comment on who will be suspended, for how long they will be suspended and why they're suspended. The comment from Bronco I shared earlier came from him directly in one of the numerous media day interviews last week. For what it's worth, when these kind of things happen, Bronco typically gives the players impossibly high requirements for the players to meet to be able to play if they're facing potential suspension. This is why I said, it's a slim chance that nobody is suspended for the game. An incident last summer resulted in a number of suspensions for the opener against UConn. Bronco made a similar comment then that there were ways for the players to work themselves out of missing the game, but those conditions were obviously not met by the players who didn't see the field.
Student athletes are disciplined all the time for violations of the honor code. BYU doesn't have a win at all costs attitude, even though selfishly I wish BYU would trade compliance offices and police departments with Florida State. If that were the case 4 starters including running back Jamaal Williams and both corners wouldn't have been suspended for the opener last year. Or Spencer Hadley getting suspended for 4 games as a senior the week of our rivalry game with Utah. Or Brandon Davies missing the NCAA tournament cost what many BYU fans feel was a Final Four team.
There is no benefit here of not being in a conference. Through an agreement with the CFO, the Big 12 handles all officiating reviews for BYU. Two seasons ago they suspended a BYU player for targeting after review. Last season, All-American center Tejan Koroma was ejected for what officials deemed a punch (that did not hit anyone) in the 2nd half against Houston. It was reviewed by the Big 12 and the penalty rescinded.
Taysom has weaknesses for sure. He's the best running back on the team, but his passing needs improvement. As others have noted he's pretty good in the short and intermediate game. He has some trouble though with the deep ball. He has an arm and often puts too much on the ball than necessary. His biggest weakness is that he doesn't have much touch. If he could learn to put some air under the ball on some of his deep throws he'd connect on more. Against UConn last year he had a perfect touch pass on a rollout to the left lofting over the coverage to receiver streaking down the sideline. It made me think he turned a corner. He did show improvement, but we only got a third of the season in before he was hurt so it's difficult to tell if the improvements in his passing game are legitimate.
I also think that he needs to trust his receivers more. He needs to buy time in the backfield with his feet while keeping his eyes downfield. He needs to consistently go through his progressions. Too often he sees 5 yards he can take, so he tucks and runs. And many of those turn into 10, 15, 25 yard runs so it is difficult to fault him. But it puts him at risk of getting hurt and with two season ending injuries already it makes me wish he'd not put himself in harm's way if it can be avoided.
The defense makes BYU nervous. BYU has a good front 7. Bronson Kaufusi has moved back to the DL after a disastrous experiment at OLB last year. But more than anything it's good to have Bronco back as DC. Whenever he's been DC he's had a top 20 defense. The two times he reliquished control to someone else have resulted in disasters. He took back the reins after last season's porous defense. So I expect it to be better. However, the secondary is thin and lacks talent. It's never been a strong suit for BYU as we typically struggle to recruit good defensive backs. Bronco can usually mask those deficiencies through scheme and getting pressure in the backfield. He'll have his defensive chops tested this year, because the secondary could be as bad, if not worse than last year's which was abysmal.
cfullm1
Walk-on
I was shocked a bit by Bo's firing at first, but it did make sense. He couldn't recruit to save his life, and he couldn't win those big games. And as a Nebraska fan, sure 10 wins a season is nice as it's better than losing, but I've been a fan long enough to not just accept 10 wins. I want a championship, I want a top 5 ranked team competing for a possible championship. I want to win the BIG game. The jury will be out all year on Riley and from what I can tell, I think he has done a great job at recruiting already. The next couple seasons I think we will start to see what he's really capable of in the talent that he's bringing into the team. BYU isn't the toughest team out there, but I think it's a great test and a good win against them will put to ease some of the anxiety I have with what Riley does with this team. I like his openness, I like his style. We are going from a hard nose, to a guy that knows you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. I would love to know the opinion of the players and what they think of him. Anyone have any player insight on how they feel towards Riley and the new coaching staff?
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