Bronco needs to recruit better backups.

re-Billy==Don't you think Bronco feels each one he recruits will stand up to play. We have the players to do the job, we need them to step up and do it. Bronco dosen't know whats inside the kids and how they may perform when they get here. He gives them the chance to try and strut their stuff, after their here. Give these freshmen and sophmores time to leard the system Let it come with a little more time. N I will give the 1s & 2s most playing, I'm sure and if the rest haven't improved, little by little, Bronco better take them up to the Y and roll them back down. I'm not worried because we do not know anything about N I 3rd-4th or anything else so just give these kids time and I'm sure they will come through, when needed, I HOPE. Go BLUE & WHITE

Sounds like Bronco should play only the backups against utah...just so it will be a good game.

Was told by a former BYU star player that the reason BYU can't break into the top echelon of teams is that those teams are three or four deep.

This is why you won't go to a BCS game and will lose a few MWC games.

This seems to confirm what's said about programs like BYU and Utah--their 1's are competitive with more prominent schools, but the 2's and down are not.

Bronco should never be recruiting back ups - he should always be recruiting starters.

To all those people trashing BYU's backup strength: remeber that this scrimmage showcased ONLY backup players. In game situations, there are (usually) only a couple backup players seeing action; the starters can pick up the slack until the seconds get up to speed.

When I played football my dream was to sit the bench and to be a terrific backup. I'm sure Bronco sends that message to most of his recruits. "Come to BYU and have a fulfilling backup experience. You'll get a great view of the game from the bench." Bronco should recruit better backups? Give me a break. The non-starters need to step up. Four blocked punts?? It sounds like the designated back ups may have been doing a little brooding. Hopefully they'll be embarassed and will work harder. We'll need them when the inevitable injury bug bites.

Expectations are way way too high for BYU football this year. Still, they will win a ton of games....10 or 12 after a bowl game win. BCS is unrealistic and simply silly at this point of the season. All the BCS talk fuels the power of the BCS and perpetuates a flawed and monopolous system.

JP: A illogical comment from a bone head fan

As Bronco pointed out, it's hard to tell if things didn't go so well because the offense played poorly or because the defense played well. And I agree with John @ 7:17 a.m. -- this ONLY showcased backups. How many times do you see an entire backup line playing in a game? Keep in mind that this is not typical of what really happens in a game.

they'd call it football.

Yawn.

Bronco and staff should consider what the back-ups are doing off the field? - This would lead them to understand why the back-ups are failing to perform on the field. The 1st string must be living right and I hear collie is just about done with his repentence process - so he should be available for game day. So my hunch is that these back-ups might be watching "R" rate movies, drinking a "coke" or two and maybe going to the pool looking at girls wearing bikinis. They better get it together quick!

"This seems to confirm what's said about programs like BYU and Utah--their 1's are competitive with more prominent schools, but the 2's and down are not."

What this really confirms is that the strength of BYU's team is not in the individual players, but in how the individual players play as a team. The backups obviously haven't had the time nor the experience to bond as a unit. Hence, missed blocking assignments leading to blocked punts.

The talent is there, it just needs to be developed.

They have the same amount of depth that they've had the last two years. Remember it this way, the last two seasons they were a couple blown plays from undefeated, the schedule's not any harder, and they're older and better. It's likely that they can do it. We'll keep hoping because this is the best we can hope for coming from BYU.

I told you the zoobies would not be good this year. Mark my work, the zoobies will loose again the the UTES.

Typical Bronco-speak.

As long as BYU's starters are good, I don't really care. Bronco said later that he feels this team is farther along than any other team he has coached, thus he didn't even need the 4rd scrimmage, because his team is ready!! Go Cougars, and beat Northern Iowa!

Gregg: "Bronco should never be recruiting backups - he should always be recruiting starters." LOL!

At some point every team needs to pull the starters and evaluate the 3s and 4s -- it's a main reason for having pre-season camp. With it being the final day of camp, it is viewed as a "dud", but I think we're reading WAY too much into this. There will always be the Chambers, Ungas, Collies, Pendletons, etc. that are ready to contribute immediately. But for the many of these guys, they are 3s and 4s because they are young and need growth and "real time" experience. Even top programs rarely use 3s and 4s (except in mop-up situations) until they can develop them into 1s and 2s. Let's take a deep breath and relax -- the teams gonna be OK....

We'll be fine. It's good to see the backups getting some attention. Bronco got a better look at what he's got to work with and will get things taken care of.

Question: does running smack to the national media (Chambers), getting in fights with the defensive coordinator and skipping practice in order to see a film like the "Dark Knight" constitute "living right on and off the field?" Could this scrimmage be an early indication that the magic simply won't be there this season because the team has failed to live up to the "principles and standards of The Program"? Do I sense an 8-4 or 7-5 record on the horizon?

...right now our 3rd & 4th stringers are good enough to beat Utah but may run into problems against a better opponent like N. Iowa?

Not another Covey!

Low expectations of BYU 2008 from Utah fans is, well, expectated.

For any True Blue BYU fans who are complaining that expectations are "too high," that BCS talk is "unrealistic," the train is leaving the station.

Please don't expect to jump on the band wagon at the next stop, because the "little engine that could" won't be stopping.

"Mark my work" "the zoobies will loose again the the utes"

While the Utes MIGHT beat us Cougars this year, at least we can speak proper english.

to Ted:
Again? Where have you been the last two years? Mark my word dead head Ted, the word is "lose" not loose, which is what the screws in your head are. Spoken like a true Ute.

"Could this scrimmage be an early indication that the magic simply won't be there this season...?"

No. This practice is just to give our little brothers up north a false sense of security.

A magical season is in store for BYU football 2008.

1.) When should BCS talk begin? After they have played the game? You are saying it is inappropriate for a team which has been only a few plays away from being undefeated for TWO YEARS straight, to believe they can get a little improvement? It seems like a very real possibility. Where is the definite loss? A 4-9 Washington team which lost most of their starters? All the other teams they beat last year with a bunch of Sophomores starting!

2.) Bronco mumbo jumbo? I might suggest you attempt to broaden your understanding of the English language. Remove the words "dude" and "gnarly" from your vocabulary and insert "determination" and "invested". The problem exists between your computer and your seat.

BYU is gonna be fine this year and even better in 09, so lets relax, only a week and a half until Northern Iowa. So let's crack open a fridge pack of caffine free coke and get ready for the season to start!

Dear Yewt fans, If I were you, I would be focusing more on my team than on BYU's. I have a feeling you know more about the the Cougars than you do your Yewts.

And by the way lets get over the "living right on and off the field" we all know that you are just jealous that Austin Collie is in Provo and not SLC. It's okay

WEAR BLUE TO THE GAMES!!!

Who is this guy and why is he not in a treatment program somewhere? If all Utah fans are this way, we need more psychologists. And take Ted with you.

People always complain that BYU has no depth...nobody to turn to if a starter gets injured. Pray tell, where would one get said depth? FROM TRAINING THE 2'S AND 3'S. Some of you are so short-sighted. If you want BYU to have more depth...news flash: YOU'RE GONNA NEED TO MAKE SURE YOUR SECONDARY CAN PLAY WELL. So getting all up in arms about how the 2's and 3's didn't play well in the scrimmage is just wasted breath. They're gonna need to practice time and again to get the type of depth they want.

I'm glad Bronco has enough sense to use his 2's and 3's a lot in fall camp. I think it would be a great disservice to our Cougar secondary if he had only let the starters play the majority of the last few weeks.

Well said. I agree that many Ute fans follow BYU football more closely because we're a better team and we're more fun to watch. It's gonna be fun to see BYU beat Utah on their own turf...again. HARLINE IS STILL OPEN!!!!!

"Bronco" and "Dud" go hand in hand.
He could think about changing his name to Bob Loblaw, since that's about all we hear from him.
A Napper of Goats once said byu has the worst depth of any D-1 team and I've got to say that I agree.

Dear Ted,
Since today is garbage day take your Barbie doll and go play outside on the curb.

Dear Scared,
The answer to all of your questions is no.

Nine days to go folks. To paraphrase Joe Glenn, Provo River let 'er buck!

We all know that the BYU, Utah, BSU and Fresno State's of the world simply do not bring in too many all-american recruits. They generally bring in solid all-state caliber players that are eventually developed into very good, and sometimes even NFL caliber, players. That is what makes it all the sweeter and more impressive when they/we occassionally knock off the BCS teams with all-americans 3-4 deep. There are some nice mid-major v BCS matchups this season.

Given that, what else do you want Mendenhall to say about a 3-interception, 4-block performance? No team will look as sharp - especially in fall camp - when they throw all the backups out there against each other. Many are kids a few months out of hs or fresh off missions. Mendenhall knows that but he still has to call it out in order to keep these kids sharp and working to improve. Mendenhall has stepped up his "calling out" like he should with a team that is striving for the next level. He has even called out established starters like Fui and Dulan. Welcome to the quest for individual perfection men!

Nice. Any other "Arrested Development" humor you would like to recycle for us? Him?

Yea the subs are bad, but hey Utah would like them to start in place of their number ones.

We saw the caliber of the yewtes backups last year against Oregon State and UNLV. Sorry, the UNLV game was the yewtes first team. What was your point again?

that Ernie Bass has come out of his coffin for another brainless comment. It reminds us that the utes have some very weak fans. If Mendenhall is a dud, what does that make kyle, an over paid grounds keeper?

Thank you for pushing the envelope and seizing the window of opportunity with your comment.

MJT

Mr. Bass - Where is your head? Bronco is such a dud and that's why virtually all the national sports guru's have him at the top of the list for a 'major' program hire.

Truth is, BYU had a good season last year with a very young team. The offense will be better and the defense will be good.... and the 2nd's will be better as well. We have a very talented 2nd team O line... and when have we ever had the backup talent at WR that we currently have?

We may go undefeated and we may not, but were going to be very good and very competative... Should be a good show, can't wait.

there was a lot of talk about Hall not being that great of a quarterback before last season started? Interesting how hindsight is 20/20, isn't it. To tell you the truth, the blue and white game last year (the first one Hall played in) wasn't that great of a showing, either. I know because I was there. Yet BYU really stepped it up last season and pulled off some remarkable wins. There's no doubt they'll do the same this year.

His only purpose in life, it seems, is to make nonsensical posts, and then sit back and chuckle while other bloggers tie themselves into pretzels trying to rebutt his lunacy.

Just ignore him like the bratty little brother that you can't touch because he'll run and tattle to mommy.

I read all of these posts and I read 1 that mentioned the U and it was some 17 posts in. Yet I have read several anti-U posts here. We need to ask ourselves why we are so ready to jump on someone with anger all the time. All a someone has to do is post the words U of U and 20 people line up to jump in with hate and insults. If BYU has such a great program, why are we so affraid of questions about it and why do we assume that anyone who doesnt love BYU must be from the U? Are we showing our true feelings and true colors here, or is this just fun and sports?

Ernest T. Bass has no life...sad

how insightful...wow you are so inspired...what would we do without you?

The Bass is the great white guppy...gutless

<<Off the Field
I'm a BYU fan, but your comments made me laugh. See, not all of us take offense at some good-natured ribbing.

I don't for a second believe that God really cares who wins. If he did, then BYU, SMU, TCU, Boston College or one of the other religious schools would dominate sports and thereby you could ascertain, without a doubt, which religion was the truest.

I'm always offended when I see a boxer, for example, give credit to God/Jesus for his win. Yeah, I'm sure Jesus, the God of Love, is very happy with a sport in which the ultimate success is to cause a brain trauma (KO).

As a SF Giants fan, one of my favorite "paybacks" was when Brett Butler, a very outspoken born-again Christian, left SF as a FA, claiming the Giants had too many satanic influences on the team. Well, 2 years later the Giants weren't much better, but Brett and the Dodgers finished with the worst record in baseball. Hmmm...

Moral of the story: be very careful when mixing God and sports. Pray to do your best, pray to overcome obstacles or injuries. But don't claim angels are really in the (out)field.