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2008 Week 6 NFL Picks LEAD PIPE LOCKS

Week 6 action

Author: tjuric007
Keywords: nfl gambling football picks locks spreads
Added: October 9, 2008

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That Rap City Question had me wonderin?

Why the hell did BET take Big Tigger off Rap City and why did they take AJ and Free off 106? i used to watch those shows all the time but now the shows aint that good cuz the hosts aint as good as the old ones so i watch like 1 a year.

NRHH- Game Day, who is your nfl team playing this week and who will win?

Everyone knows about new coach Rich Rodriguez who came over from West Virginia and will try to implement his spread offense, but this year could and should be rough for the Wolverines.  The team should still be able to compete for a top three spot in the Big 10 or worst case maybe fourth place in the league.  Players did leave the program when Rodriguez came into town through graduation, transfering for not fitting into the sytem, and leaving early for the NFL.

Offense: Well this will be interesting with the schools all time leading passer Chad Henne, all time leading rusher Mike Hart, and losing four offesnive lineman including the number one overall pick Jake Long.  The offense will be full of new characters where most are not fully suited for the spread option.  Currently there are three options at quarterback with Nick Sheridan and Stephen Threet who transfered from Georgia Tech and has a slight lead.  Neither of these quarterbacks are not extremely mobile which is needed in this offense.   The wild card in this race is true freshman coming in with Justin Feagin is the player that Rodriguez wants while in high school ushed for 1,313 yards and 25 touchdowns and passed for 1,420 yards and 19 scores.  Rodriguez has no problems playing true freshman, because while at West Virginia he played Pat White as a true freshman.  A two quarterback system could be used at times this year to be able to play to the quarterback strengths.

At running back they are trying to replace Mike Haart who was the teams all time leading rusher.  The running back postion seems to be their best or at least their deepest.   The lead back is junior Brandon Minor who ran for 385 yards last season in relief Haart.  Then there is Junior Kevin Grady who was a standout recruit but tore his ACL in 2007 and is an interesting case because of that.

The receivers also lost their top two to the NFL and are left with inexperienced but talented players.  The best wide out that is returning Greg Mathews is a proven one who will start on the outside at the X position. Mathews started five games last year and is a big receiver which the Wolverines need.  The spread needs faster shiftier guys and Michigan hassophomore Junior Hemingway who fits that and emerged himself in that spot to start at the outside Z receiver.

The offensive line will be new as well with four new starters who in the spread need to be mobile with all the pulling the lineman will do, so that will be interesting to see how that develops.

Defense: The defense will be their strong point and will need to try to carry the team early on, and return seven starters.  In saying that they have had recent trouble in defending the spread, which is what Utah will run.

The defensive line is the teams best unit with all four starters back which include Tim Jamison and Brandon Graham had 14 sacks between them a season ago, and the two have tremendous speed.  Speaking of speed the Wolverines need that at the linebacker and also they need to replace 90 tackles.  Against the spread the linebackers need to be able to cover the field horizonatlly which as in the past caused problems.

The defensive backs will be lead by spring ball star and new staring free safety, Stevie Brown, who was making plays and gives hope to a unit that was thought to be lilmited in ability.  Senior Brandon Harrison is taking over the other safety spot after getting promoted from the nickle package.  The seconday should be solid bu if they face three and four sets that is where a team could thin out the talent Michigan has.

Early Prediction: As of this past week Michigan is giving 4.5 in Vegas for this game against Utah.  This really could go either way and I do not want to sound like a Ute homer and pick them but the Utes have a real good chance and could win.  This is a pick’em game but the edge has to be at Michigan because they are at home, but look at last year they lost to App State who runs a spread that is not as good as Utah’s.

First off most of this might be some old news, but since this is just for at least my amusement I am unable to post daily updates I find out.

The big news is who is going to replace Shaun Carney at quarterback. Right now it looks to be between senior Shea Smith and junior Eric Herbort are entering a cram course to see who will be the starter August 30th, and between the two they combined for 12 total plays of division one experience, but all 12 come from Smith. Callhoun acknowledges that to be able to compete in the league strong quarterback is a must and by looking at who most likely will finish ahead of the Falcons all have returning quarterbacks in BYU, New Mexico, TCU, and Utah. Through spring camp Herbort had the sligh edge, and Calhoun has not ruled out playing a two quarterback system, which we all know is very, very difficult to be successful with.

Another replacement they are looking for is the Z-back where the 2007 offensive player of the year Chad Hall graduated. Hall will not be able to be replaced by just one but at least two and maybe three players, in regards to the tailback position that Hall managed at times the frontrunner looks to be Sophomore Kyle Lumpkin.

The injury bug did hit the Falcons in the first week of practice with tight end Travis Dekker who be out for about eight weeks because of a slight fracture in his right ankle. Dekker was the leading receiver returning from last years team and the only skill position starter back from a year ago. The tight end position has taken the biggest hit with highly regarded sophomore Steve Shafferout until the middle of next week because of a concussion, and then senior Keith Madsen, Dekker’s backup, was limited in practice Friday because of minor muscle strains.

The Cougars all ready have suffered injuries starting with starting center Tom Sorensen injuried his shoulder and was in limbo if surgery would be necessary or not, but finally decided on Thursday not to have surgery and will have injections for the next two weeks and will be reevalutated after that. Sorensen’s replacement looks to be all-conference tackle Dallas Reynolds to the position and if that is the case look for Matt Reynolds take his older brothers position at tackle.

All-Conference wide out Austin Collie is going to be out for at least two weeks with a stress fracture in his right leg, and has been active in camp but nothing with running, jumping, or contact. It is still not sure when Collie will see action. With Collie out it gives BYU a chance to see more time from other receivers such as Senior Bryce Mahuika who looks to be the front runner buy Bronco Mendenhall mentioned that Luke Ashworth and Spencer Hafoka are also candidates for playing time.

One major concern was the backup quarterback position with Brendan Gaskins after spring practice. Coach Mendenhall had this to say about Gaskins “from the first day of camp on, has done a real nice job and Kurt is pushing him. Coming out of spring practice one of my biggest concerns was backup quarterback, and I am not concerned at this point. I like the way both guys have come back.”

Still BYU should be concerned if Max Hall were to go down, and we will see if he is able to keep bouncing back up after taking huge hits.

Good news coming out of Ram camp is that starting tight end Korry Sperry who is now fully healthy after tearing his ACL against Cal in game two. He has yet to participate in contact drills but looks to be ready and add to the weapons for the new quarterback.

Speaking of quarterback the battle is coming between senior Billy Farris, fourth-year junior Grant Stucker and redshirt freshman T.J. Borcky. However if Coach Steve Fairchild had to make an immediate choice, “If we played a game tomorrow, Billy would probably be our quarterback. But I want to make sure we make the right decision.”

The Rams’ quarterbacks, with hometown, CSU history and what QBs coach Darren Wilkinson has to say about them:

• Billy Farris: Sr., 6-3, 223, Baton Rouge, La. Walked on and immediately scholarshipped. Saw spot time for three seasons. 20-39-1, 239 passing yards; 18-79 rushing. “The best thing is his maturity.”

• Grant Stucker: Jr., 6-2, 205, Parker (Ponderosa High School). Only appearance is at WR in 2007 vs. UNLV. “He can do things with his athleticism that maybe Billy can’t.”

• T.J. Borcky: Fr., 6-4, 197, Orlando, Fla.. Drew raves as scout team QB in 2007. “He has a live arm and can move around the pocket.”

• Klay Kubiak: Fr., 6-0, 199, Englewood (Regis). Redshirted. “He’s a head coach’s son and knows football.”

All was not good for the Rams with cornerback DeAngelo Wilkinson suspended indefinetly for breaking a team rule, but it was not specified what that was. Wilkinson a third year sophomore was to receive quality playing time.

The Lobos have had been lucky to have no injuries thus far during fall camp. There are a few position battles starting with the kickers between James Aho and Drew Zamora rotating on a variety of live action field goals.

Not much other news besides that head coach Rocky Long has been overly impressive with the offensive unit.

So far, Chuck Long has been very impressed with the defense so far ealy in camp. The defense will need to lead the team since the offense lost some players to the NFL draft, so the defense will need to try to lead the team early on.

One amazing thing that San Diego State did for their first three days of camps was having camp start at Camp Pendelton. The reason to have camp there was to build up team morale and take notice from the Marines on campus.

One football concern is how will the Aztecs replace quarterback Kevin O’Connell and the early leader looks to be redshirt freshman Ryan Lindley, but junior college transfer Drew Westling who came from Southwestern College after a year at Tulsa feels he still has a shot at the starting gig. This battle should go down to the week of their opening game and the decisioin will be decided then.

Running back Aaron Brown who was dinged up last year and missed four games, reported to camp healthy which is what the Horned Frogs need to be able to compete for the conference title.

The offensive line only lost one player from the team, but competition is heating up for playing time across the whole line. junior Nic Richmond and sophomore Marcus Cannon have been rotating with the first team at right tackle and also sophomore Josh Vernon has been playing with the first team at left guard instead of senior Preston Phillips. This should mean that the offensive line should be very strong to help the running game and protect the quarterback.

Mike Sanford is probably in his last year as head coach, unless he can come across at least 5 wins, so the intensity will be there at camp. The big news about camp is the naming of a starting quarterback for the Rebels and it will be Omar Clayton and have full reigns at that position. Last year Clayton played sparringly but beat out Travis Dixon who started in nine games last and will now move to compete for a safety spot on the team. With a quarterback in place the offense should be able to be more cohesive during fall camp.

The only injury so far for the Rebels has been with defensive back Quinton Pointer who dislocated elbow, but the good thing is that surgery is not required and he will be out two to four weeks.

Coming into fall camp is to see who is healthy from injuries that hurt last years campaign. That all starts with quarterback Brian Johnson who so far has been hurt by injuries, but so far this camp has shown signs of being able to throw the deep ball. Then there is Matt Asiata who was to be the starter until he broke his leg on the fourth play, and the Utes were to have Darrell Mack redshirting, but now the Utes have the both healthy and their best one-two punch since Quinton Ganther and Marty Johnson back in 2004. So far in camp Asiata has been making the bigger plays, but coach Kyle Wittingham says both will split and will see time on the field at the same time. Then there is Brent Casteel who is a multi threat to catch the ball and run the ball as well. Last year he went down early in the season and was out for the year, and so far looks real good in camp so far.

One disappointing factor for Utes is that junior college wide receiver Aiona Key is a late arrival to camp, because he is waiting on grades to be published from his other school. Key is to be an instant impact at wide out, but with him missing camp he could have a tough time getting caught up and be lower on the depth chart until he graps everything. The best thing for the Utes is that they have no major injuries this year, yet.

The Cowboys had nearly everyone at camp except one veteran who was not available to practice on Monday was senior defensive tackle Anthony Wilson who is awaiting an academic eligibility ruling from the NCAA. It is hoped that ruling will come later this week, so he can get on the field.

There is not too much news to report from Laramie, just practices so far and no injuries as of yet.

17-10 that was the score when TCU stunned then number seven Oklahoma in Norman, so do not expect head coach Bob Stoops to underestimate the Horned Frogs. Oklahoma all ready has had some turmoil this season by removing star recruit Josh Jarboe off of the team for posting a you tube video of him rapping about gun use and this happened after Jarobe was sentenced in May to two years’ probation and 80 hours of community service for carrying a gun on the grounds of his high school in Decatur, Ga. That is a tough loss for Oklahoma but they have enough depth to not affect the team this year. The Sooners are looking to make it to the BCS title game in Miami this year and the less distractions the better.

Offense: The offense returns eight starters, and they will be lead by Sophomore Sam Bradford who was a question mark last year as a redshirt Freshman who had an amazing season. If Bradford can build upon last years 3,121 passing yards and 36 touchdowns the Sooners have a very good chance to make it to their 4th BCS title game under Stoops. The only concern with quarterback play is the depth, going to back to last years game against Texas Tech Bradford suffered a concession and left the game and backup Joey Halzle who was unable to lead the team to victory in the three point loss. Bradford is the key for this high scoring offense if they want to win the Big XII and more.

DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown are expected to share the spot this fall and will attmept to replace 1,000 yard rusher Patrick Allen. Both are capable of replacing Allen, well because Oklahoma nearly always has someone able to replace a player after they leave. With two backs who are essentially equal in talent, as far as everyone knows, the Sooner running game could be stronger with two great backs. The third back in the system will be Mossis Madu who most likely will get only 3-6 carries a game barring injury.

Malcolm Kelly did leave early for the NFL, but Senior Juaquin Iglesias was the player who led the Sooners in receiving last fall with 68 catches for 907 yards, doubling his output from his first two seasons and turning into Bradford’s go-to guy. Expect for a lot of Bradford to Iglesias touchdown passes this upcoming season. Other wide outs to look out for are Ryan Broyles has the skills to turn a short catch into a big gain, and emerged out of the pack in the spring in the slot in three-wide sets.

Other possibilities to get time are Junior Adron Tennell senior Quentin Chaney and junior Brandon Caleb are other possibilities at wide receiver, but all three have suffered from either injuries or little production when getting playing time.

Defense: The defensive line was looking to be a liablity coming into this year with Senior John Williams and junior Auston English who did not participate in spring practice as they recovered from injuries. If these two can come back into full strength then the defensive line could be the best part of their defense.

The linebackers took the biggest hit with graduation and early declarations for the NFL draft. The best thing the coaches say is “they have a terrific attitude, they have a great approach and are a selfless group of guys.

Other wise code for not good, well at least by Oklahoma standards, and this is an area teams could take advantage of if they do it right.

In the secondary the Sooners have talent it just depends on who plays where. It all depends on Lendy Holmes who is always making plays near the ball, so once his spot is determined the rest of the secondary should fall into place. The corners will be green with both starters from last year gone, so look for Sophomore Dominque Franks and junior Brian Jackson to get their first starting roles. These two have the speed to make up for their inexperience in getting to the ball.

Early Prediction: Coach Stoops will not allow his team to take TCU lightly, and will remind them of the lost they suffered in 2005. TCU is good, but not this good this time expect the Horned Frogs to hang around for a half similar to how they played Texas last year, but ultimately falling by 14 or more points.

This cross town rival has been in favor of TCU the past few years, but the addition of former Hawai’i head coach, June Jones, now in town this could be an exciting team.  Last year the Mustangs only won one game, but there is a buzz going around the Dallas area with Jones bringing his high octane offense to the school.  Jones came to SMU looking for a challenge and to a school that would support the team, in Hawaii he had only a $50,000 recruiting budget and in SMU located in a state loaded with talent and a recruiting budget ten times of that at $500,000 and not to mentione a two million dollar a year salary.  The Mustangs have had only one winning season since they were given the death penalty in 1987.

Offense:  Expect June Jones to bring the run-n-shoot offense that was wildly successful in Hawai’i to Southern Methodist.   The only experienced quarterback on the team is Justin Willis but Willis was suspended during spring ball and did not get a chance to have any live reps with coaching supervision to learn the offense.  “As of now the competition is wide open,” according to Jones and during spring practice redshirt freshman Logan Turner took the extra reps and came out of spring as the first-team quarterback.  Look for these two to compete for the starting job during fall camp, a darkhorse candidate could be freshmen Bo Levi Mitchell who had committed to Jones at Hawaii but he most likely will be the third quarterback.

Running game what running game!  June Jones rarely runs the ball but when he did in Hawai’i he they averaged 5.7 yards per carry.  The running game in his system is used for more of catching short passes and then the occasion run.  The top backs this year will be DeMyron Martin and  Chris Butler who had the best spring picking up the offense.

Wide receivers need to be plentiful for the run and shoot to be effective.  Jones likes to go six deep which is something SMU does not have yet, well at least in terms of talent.  The only proven receiver is junior Emmanuel Sanders who caught 74 passes for 889 yards in 2007.  The most talented receiver is sophomore Aldrick Robinson who Jones loved during the spring workouts, but playing time will go to anyone who can pick up the offense and make the plays.  A question to ponder this fall is if Jones will force the offense to always have four and five wide sets, or will he tone it down at times with using more two and three wide out sets with multiple backs.

Defense: They do return seven starters on defense, but with the new staff that really does not matter all that much or guarantee anything to those players.  The defense was terrible last year by giving up 40 points per game and was one of the worst in all of division one.  The defensive line that was hurt by injuries last year could end up being the strength of this defensive unit and they do return all four starters. 

Linebackers return just one starter with Senior Will Bonilla and gives the Mustangs a solid presence and leadership from the strong side.  The most impressive linebacker in the spring was clearly sophomore Justin Smart who did play in six games as a freshman who looks to break out this upcoming year.

Junior Bryan McCann and sophomore Derrius Bell are the two returning defensive backs and while they are returning players with significant time they were average at best.  However McCann has impressed coaches the past few months and some believe he has a chance to make it to the NFL.  If McCann can reach that potential then he could lock down the opposing teams top wide out. 

Early Prediction: While June Jones should be able to out scheme coaches and get a few more wins, but SMU does not have the talent to be TCU.  The Horned Frogs will win fairly easily.

New Mexico State is coming off of two straight four win seasons and have not had a winning season since 2002. The Aggies have had success on the offensive side of the ball with QB Chase Holbrook and their offense, but wins are hard to come by for this team. New Mexico State finished 107th nationally in scoring defense, yielding a staggering 36.2 points per game. The pass defense came in at 105th and 114th in pass efficiency. The WAC does have teams that put up good passing numbers just look at Hawai’i, Boise State, and Fresno State do each year but that defense must improve to try to get to a winning season. They do return 15 starters with seven returning on defense which should help the Aggies improve upon that defense. Below is a photo taken from a website promoting QB Chase Holbrook for Heisman just wishful thinking for Aggie fans.

Offense: The high powered offense led by Holbrook who is considered a highly touted NFL prospect can not do it all. Holbrook had very good numbers last year despite missing two games and ended up with 3,866 yards, 26 touchdowns, but also threw 18 picks as well.  Holbrook has a high risk high reward with his style of play that either pays off huge with big plays or the ill advised pass that leads to an interception.  If he can limit those mistakes New Mexico should be much improved from last year.

With all of the passing that goes on New Mexico State gets the ball to many receivers and the Ags have three returning starters back.  The receiving corp is lead by Chris Williams who despite missing the last five games with an injured shoulder still accumulated 56 catches, 772 yards, and 11 touchdowns.  Williams also is an excellent kick returning with play making abilities and was chosen a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award which is for the best receiver in college despite missing those five games.  A.J. Harris and Wes Newman are the other two returning starters and Harris in just three years has the school record for receptions at 191 and Newman as a redshirt Sophomore last year he caught 44 passes and three scores.  The passing game is their strength, but a running game is very important to have some balance.

Tonny Glynn is their top returning runner who had 456 yards and a team-high four rushing touchdowns not that great.  The rest of the running will come from junior college transfers and three freshman vying for crries.  No specific person needs to step up but there needs to be consistency in the running game even if it is with two or three backs.  The Ags just need a counter their pass game to keep teams honest.

Defense: Well this needs a lot of work and even with seven returning and multiple junior college transfers coming in but with the defense they run, the 3-5-3, it is tough to pick up.  Being ranked lower then 100 in all major categories and being -1.15 in turnover margin never gave the team those extra possessions.  If the defense can move up to the 70’s in ranking then they have a decent shot of wining more games through the offense outscoring.

Early Prediction:

This is a rivalry game, but New Mexico is so much better then New Mexico State, so look for the Lobos to win by at least 10.

Here it is Rivals.com has BYU at a gaudy 12 ranking, and I can guarantee right now that none of the coaches in the USA TODAY poll will have the gal to put BYU this high in their preseason rankings.

Coach: Bronco Mendenhall (28-10 in three seasons) | Staff In 2007: 11-2 overall, 8-0 in MWC (first in league) | Highlights Returning starters: Offense—8. Defense—3. Special teams—2 | Depth Chart Key losses: Offense—C Sete Aulai, RB Joe Semanoff. Defense—CB Kayle Buchanan, CB Ben Criddle, FS Quinn Gooch, SS Corby Hodgkiss, LB Bryan Kehl, NT Eathyn Manumaleuna, LB Kelly Poppinga, LB Markell Staffieri. Final 2007 Rivals.com ranking: 13th | Complete Final 2007 Rankings

2008 Breakdown: Offense | Defense | Special teams | Coaching | Schedule | Depth Chart

OFFENSE

THE SCHEME: The pro-style system that utilizes three receivers, a tight end and a running back has been extremely productive in Provo. The Cougars have been among the nation’s top 25 in total offense in each of their three seasons under coach Bronco Mendenhall.

Max Hall threw for 3,848 yards and 26 TDs last season.

STAR POWER: Junior quarterback Max Hall earned All-Mountain West recognition after throwing for 3,848 yards and 26 touchdowns – against 12 interceptions – in his first season as a starter. He threw at least two touchdown passes in nine games. He has good bloodlines, too: He’s the nephew of former Arizona State and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White.

IMPACT NEWCOMER: Redshirt freshman running back J.J. Di Luigi, a former all-state player in California who sat out last season with a foot injury, isn’t that big (5 feet 9, 196 pounds). However, he has good speed and quickness. He also should be a good receiver out of the backfield. Even with Harvey Unga in the starting lineup, the Cougars figure to find ways to get the ball to Di Luigi, too.

IT’S HIS TIME: The only new starter in the line is junior center Tom Sorensen, and he’s not without credentials. A transfer from Vanderbilt, he was named to the SEC’s all-freshman team in 2003. After serving a two-year Mormon mission, he redshirted in 2006, then saw action in seven games as the No. 2 center last season.

STRONGEST AREA: Despite all the gaudy statistics BYU’s quarterbacks, receivers and running backs have posted, the line remains the dominant area on the offense. Tackle Dallas Reynolds and guard Ray Feinga are All-America candidates and head a list of four returning starters, all with at least 26 games of starting experience. Sorensen is the only projected line starter who isn’t a senior.

BIGGEST PROBLEM: An offense that averaged more than 30 points and counts an all-conference quarterback among nine returning starters won’t have many problems. Still, the Cougars need to reduce their turnovers. They lost 13 interceptions and 13 fumbles a year ago. BYU committed seven turnovers in its two losses.

OVERVIEW: Sometimes, you’d swear LaVell Edwards still is on the sideline in Provo. The Cougars, who featured explosive offenses under their former coach, played as if it was the good old days in ‘07. They averaged nearly 300 yards per game to rank 14th nationally in pass offense, and exceeded 30 points seven times. And the scary part is they figure to be better this season because they did that with a Sophomore quarterback and a freshman running back. With Hall and Unga a year more experienced, the Cougars should be even more explosive - especially with a proven, experienced line returning. As for the guys on the other end of Hall’s passes, three returning receivers had at least 41 catches last season. Tight end Dennis Pitta led the way even though he wasn’t a full-time starter.

0

BYU did not allow a 100-yard game to an opposing rusher last season. The Cougars were the only team in the nation to turn that trick.

GRADE: A

DEFENSE

THE SCHEME: Operating out of a 3-4 set, BYU has allowed fewer than 19 points per game in each of the past two seasons. Although eight starters are gone from last season, Mendenhall is confident the system will continue to be effective. “There will be new names and new faces this year, but the results will be similar to the past three years,” Mendenhall said in the spring.

STAR POWER: Junior defensive end Jan Jorgensen is a relentless pass rusher. Last season, he led the MWC and ranked fifth nationally with 14 sacks, including at least one in each of the final seven games. He notched two in the Cougars’ Las Vegas Bowl victory over UCLA. He also led the MWC with 20 tackles for loss, which was 12th nationally.

IMPACT NEWCOMER: Redshirt freshman G Pittman will challenge for a starting job at cornerback, where both starters were lost. At the least, he figures to see considerable action in nickel packages.

IT’S HIS TIME: Junior linebacker Matt Bauman started four games as a freshman before taking a two-year Mormon mission. He returned last season and was named MVP of the special teams. Now, he’ll get a chance to show he can excel in the starting lineup.

Bronco Mendenhall is confident his defense will be as stout as ever.

STRONGEST AREA: With Jorgensen and end Ian Dulan - who started 12 games last season - coming back, the Cougars figure to be good up front. But BYU does have to find a new starter at nose tackle. Sophomore Rick Wolfley and senior Mosese Foketi will try to fill the void there.

BIGGEST PROBLEM: All-MWC selections Bryan Kehl and Kelly Poppinga were among three lost starting linebackers. None of the potential replacements had more than 38 stops in ‘07. Junior Terrence Hooks, a contender for a starting job, injured a knee in the spring and isn’t expected to be available until midseason. The one returning starter is David Nixon, who has moved from weakside linebacker to one of the inside spots. One new starter likely will be Vic So’oto, who started four games at tight end last season. So’oto was a star linebacker in high school in San Diego. The secondary is a concern, too, because all four starters are gone. At least the four new projected starters are all upperclassmen.

OVERVIEW: It’s not uncommon for successful offensive players to be labeled products of a system. So why can’t the same thing work on defense? Mendenhall has his system in place and feels that will help offset the loss of eight starters. We’ll see. The Cougars were among the best in the nation against the run last season. They weren’t bad against the pass, either. Overall, the Cougars ranked 10th in total defense. If they can remain among the top 25 or so despite having three new starters at linebacker and a rebuilt secondary, then maybe it is the system. Plus, what should be a prolific offense will take some of the pressure off the defense.

GRADE: B-MINUS

SPECIAL TEAMS

BYU’s kickers are sound, though unspectacular. Punter C.J. Santiago averaged 39.7 yards per attempt last season, although he did kill 21 inside the opponents’ 20. Meanwhile, kicker Mitch Payne hit nine of his 10 field-goal attempts inside 40 yards. But he was just 1-for-4 from beyond 40. Austin Collie averaged a more-than-respectable 25.8 yards per kickoff return, but Bryce Mahuika was barely adequate as a punt returner. The coverage teams were excellent, ranking eighth nationally in kickoff coverage and 18th in punt coverage.

GRADE: B+

COACHING

In just three seasons as coach, Mendenhall has led BYU back to national prominence. The once-powerful Cougars had struggled through three consecutive losing seasons before Mendenhall’s arrival, and now have a streak of three consecutive bowl appearances. Under Mendenhall, BYU has won 22 of its past 26 games overall and is 16-0 in league play the past two seasons. A successful defensive coordinator before being promoted, Mendenhall stills calls the defense. Offensive coordinator Robert Anae oversees a unit that has ranked among the nation’s top 25 in each of the past three seasons.

GRADE: B

DATE	OPPONENT
Aug. 30	Northern Iowa
Sept. 6	at Washington
Sept. 13	UCLA
Sept. 20	Wyoming
Oct. 3	at Utah State
Oct. 11	New Mexico
Oct. 16	at TCU
Oct. 25	UNLV
Nov. 1	at Colorado State
Nov. 8	San Diego State
Nov. 15	at Air Force
Nov. 22	at Utah

SCHEDULE

How far the Cougars go will depend largely on their road prowess. BYU plays only four teams that had winning records in 2007, but the Cougars will be the visitor in three of those games. If the Cougars escape unscathed on road trips to TCU, Air Force and Utah – a combined 26-13 a year ago – a third consecutive unbeaten season in the Mountain West Conference could be at hand. The quick turnaround between the Oct. 11 home game against New Mexico and the Oct. 16 game at TCU could prove problematic. The Cougars also face important non-conference games against Pac-10 members Washington (on the road) and UCLA (at home) in September. Victories over the Huskies and Bruins would make a BCS appearance a legitimate possibility.

OUTLOOK

Identifying the team in a non-”Big Six” conference capable of reaching a BCS bowl has become as much a part of college football’s preseason projections as predicting the national champion and the Heisman Trophy recipient. Utah, Boise State and Hawaii have made it in recent seasons, and BYU could be next. History shows pulling off that feat requires going unbeaten with at least one win over a “Big Six” school. The Cougars certainly have a chance. Early games against Washington and UCLA, which they beat in the Las Vegas Bowl last season, potentially provide the required non-conference victories. Also, BYU has a 16-game winning streak against Mountain West opponents. The Cougars return nine offensive starters from an 11-2 team, so an unbeaten season isn’t out of the question.

Here is interviews from the football media day in Las Vegas.  These are interviews from two seperate radio stations in Salt Lake.

1320 KFAN

Bronco Mendenhall

Max Hall

Jan Jorgensen

Kyle Whittingham

Brian Johnson and Louie Sakoda

TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson

New Mexico Coach Rocky Long

Air Force Head Coach Troy Calhoun

Wyoming Head Coach Joe Glen

1280 The Zone

Joe Glenn Wyoming Head Coach

Max Hall BYU QB

Mike Sanford UNLV Head Coach

Bronco Mendenhall BYU Head Coach

Podium Video Interviews in Las Vegas (Need Internet Explorer to View)

Air Force

BYU

Colorado State

New Mexico

San Diego State

TCU

UNLV

Utah

Wyoming

The Lobos take on their second non conference opponent from a BCS conference in the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona has yet to take the next leap to excellence with Mik e Stoops as head coach, and in his previous four years the Wildcats have a record of 17-29 and his best record was 6-6. This has to be the make or break year for Stoops to see if he can turn Arizona into at least a bowl team in Tucson. This would be the the last non conference game, and the toughest for Arizona, prior to this game the play two home games agaisnt Toledo and Idaho before making the trip to New Mexico. The Wildcats should be 2-0 and have their team rolling with confidence.

Offense: The star on the offense is Willie Tuitama who is a Senior and has

lived up to most of the promise, but the wins have yet to come his way. Last year Tuitama had 3,683 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, and 12 picks. Also, Tuitama is on the Davey O’Brien watch list. If Arizona finishes in the upper tier of the conference standings, look for Tuitama to challenge for Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year honors, and also if he stays injury free which last year was his first.

The Wildcats are returning ten offensive starters, so their offense should improve and be able to score points on most teams in the Pac-10. To do that the running game must improve, becasue last season Arizona rushed for 961 yards per game. That total not only ranked last in the Pac-10 by more than 400 yards, six different individual players rushed for more yards, including a quarterback, Washington’s Jake Locker

Sophomore Nic Grigsby should be the main back, last year he had 704 yards and two scores and also caught 35 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. The running game is key to make this spread option work effectively. If they can improve this at any rate then Arizona should be able to get to a bowl game this year.

Their receiving corp should be one of the best in the country and that should make their passing game even more potent then last year.  They return four wide receivers that caught at least 20 passes last season, including All-Pac-10 candidate Mike Thomas. The senior hauled in 83 passes for 1,038 yards and 11 scores in 2007, so the Lobos better be aware of the passing game.

Obviously this is their strength, but unless the running game gets some teeth the Wildcats will be average at best.

Defense: The defense which was suppose to be the star of the team, but between 2006 and 2007 the defense went south in a hurry and gave up 26.8 per game, but some how only gave up 20 to USC.  The defense only brings back three starters, but two of those are safties, Cam Nelson and Nate Ness, which should be the best of the defense.

The front seven was terrible last year, even though there were three players drafted in the NFL.  The whole front will be a work in progress, and Stoops who is considered a great defensive mind should be able to get this unit in shape.  The defensive ends do have experience with players who played significant time with Johnathan Turner and sophomore Ricky Elmore who both played in all twelve games.   The New Mexico offense will be the toughest Arizona sees in the young season, and could cause trouble for Arizona.

Early Prediction: I hate to be a homer for the league, but the facts are proof with New Mexico having their strength in running back Rodney Ferguson going against the weakness of Arizona in their front seven.  Last year New Mexico won 29-27 on the road, and also consider that New Mexico will be playing their third straight home game and against tough competition by playing TCU and Texas A&M.   Look for New Mexico to pull this out at home in a similar game like last year.

The newest install for the Rivals.com preview has Utah at #28 for the preseason.

OFFENSE

THE SCHEME: Utah has continued to run the spread option after the departure of Urban Meyer. Last season drifted closer to a pro-style offense because of a shoulder injury to senior quarterback Brian Johnson. With Johnson healthy, he will be more of a factor in the running game.

Brent Casteel

IMPACT NEWCOMER: Junior college transfer Aiona Key could provide Utah with the deep threat it was lacking last season. Key started his career at Boise State before catching 80 passes for 1,112 yards at Mt. San Antonio College in California. At 6 feet 4 and 209 pounds, he has good size, too.

IT’S HIS TIME: Johnson isn’t the only veteran offensive player returning from injury. Senior wide receiver Brent Casteel had a combined 1,026 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns (plus 470 rushing yards) in 2005 and ‘06, but followed Johnson onto the injury list last season. Casteel missed all but two games after an ACL tear. He and Johnson will look to team up for productive senior seasons.

STRONGEST AREA: The running back situation looked bleak last season when junior college transfer Matt Asiata was lost for the year to a broken leg after only four carries. Darrell Mack expected to redshirt but instead was forced into emergency duty. All he did was run for 1,204 yards, the third-best total in school history. This season, Mack and a healthy Asiata will be available.

BIGGEST PROBLEM: The Utes return three starters on the line, including All-Mountain West left tackle Zane Beadles. However, depth may be an issue. Senior guard Corey Seiuli is the only experienced backup. Right guard Robert Conley has all-league potential and is a mauler in the middle. Utah is also looking for a new center, with sophomore Zane Taylor expected to beat out junior Tyler Williams.

OVERVIEW: The last time Johnson was healthy for a full season, Utah led the Mountain West in total offense. Seniors are projected to start at quarterback, running back and wide receiver - to go with veteran first-stringers on the line. If Johnson, Casteel and a tailback are healthy, the Utes can go toe-to-toe with BYU in the league on offense.

7

Utah has won seven consecutive bowl games. Only Boston College has a longer active bowl win streak (eight).

GRADE: B+.

DEFENSE

THE SCHEME: Utah plays a 4-3 defense and likes its defensive backs in man coverage. The Utes started in a 4-2-5 set in five games.

STAR POWER: Junior free safety Robert Johnson could be the best member of a talented secondary. After transferring from Los Angeles Southwest College, Johnson had 44 tackles and three interceptions despite playing most of the season with a sore shoulder. He has great size at 6-3 and 190.

IMPACT NEWCOMER: Freshman nose tackle David Kruger joins brother Paul on the line. The elder Kruger, a defensive end, was named to the league’s all-freshman team last season. David will try to do the same at tackle, a thin position for the Utes. David Kruger was a four-star prospect out of Orem (Utah) Timpanogos High.

Joe Dale made a game-saving interception and was named MVP of the Poinsettia Bowl win over Navy.

IT’S HIS TIME: Junior defensive tackle Kenape Eliapo has been in the regular rotation for the past two seasons but has only three career starts to show for it. With end Koa Misi returning to his natural position after playing tackle last season, Utah needs an interior lineman to step up this season.

STRONGEST AREA: Because of Utah’s extensive use of the nickel package, there are four returning starters in the secondary for a team that led the nation in pass-efficiency defense. Opposing quarterbacks completed 50.5 percent of their passes, with 17 interceptions and nine touchdowns. Junior cornerback Sean Smith led the team with four interceptions – and may not start. The new strong safety is Joe Dale, who was the Poinsettia Bowl defensive MVP with 12 tackles and an interception. The Utes hope the strong secondary can make up for some shortcomings in the front seven.

BIGGEST PROBLEM: There’s a reason Utah is looking toward true freshman Kruger and career backup Eliapo to emerge – the Utes are weak at defensive tackle. Only Eliapo (three starts) and Greg Newman (two) have starting experience at the position. The numbers are low, but Utah has a good history of developing tackles.

OVERVIEW: Along with shutting down the pass, Utah excelled at stopping opponents behind the line of scrimmage. Paul Kruger (8.5 tackles for loss) and Misi (eight TFL) return, as does junior OLB Stevenson Sylvester (10 TFL). But Sylvester is the only returning starter at linebacker. Still, Utah has the speed on defense necessary to contend for a Mountain West title. If the Utes can stop the run, they could contend for another BCS berth.

GRADE: B.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Louie Sakoda was the Rivals.com All-America kicker last season and should be the best combo punter/kicker in the country. He has averaged 42.1 yards per punt and made 83.3 percent of his field-goal attempts in his three-year career. He was 10 of 13 on attempts of at least 40 yards last season. The Utes need to replace Derrek Richards, who led the conference in punt returns. Sophomore wide receiver Jereme Brooks could take over both return spots.

GRADE: B+.

COACHING

Kyle Whittingham hasn’t approached the heights of Urban Meyer’s short stint in Salt Lake City, but he has kept Utah in bowl games. Utah’s win total has increased by one in each of Whittingham’s three  seasons as coach. That trend could continue into 2008. Gary Andersen oversees a defense that has improved each of the past three seasons. Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig, a former coordinator at Oregon and Fresno State, has had his fate tied to injuries at quarterback. But road losses to inferior opponents (a 27-0 loss at 2-10 UNLV last season, for example) have been troubling.

GRADE: B+.

DATE	OPPONENT
Aug. 30	at Michigan
Sept. 6	UNLV
Sept. 13	at Utah State
Sept. 20	at Air Force
Sept. 27	Weber State
Oct. 2	Oregon State
Oct. 11	at Wyoming
Oct. 18	Colorado State
Nov. 1	at New Mexico
Nov. 6	TCU
Nov. 15	at San Diego State
Nov. 22	BYU

SCHEDULE

Utah has enough marquee names on the schedule to make a run at a BCS game. Lucky for the Utes, too, those games could work in their favor. Utah opens on the road at Michigan in Rich Rodriguez’s first game. Utah also catches a rebuilding Oregon State team at home. In conference play, Utah gets the other two contenders, BYU and TCU, at home. But three of the first four games are on the road.

OUTLOOK

If BYU is the “it” team outside of the major conferences, Utah is the “if” team. If Brian Johnson can stay healthy, if the defense can stage a repeat of 2007, if Utah can defeat Michigan, Oregon State and navigate through the conference schedule … well, let’s just say the finale against archrival BYU could be huge. Utah needs a lot to go its way in 2008, but a return to a BCS game is possible and a bowl bid of some kind looks to be a sure thing.

It was supposed to be the Year of TCU, a season in which the Horned Frogs returned to the glory years of Sammy Baugh and Davey O’Brien and competed for the national championship. By all accounts, they were the best of the non-BCS teams and a win at Texas in early September and watch out, TCU was going to run the table.

Yes, we’re exaggerating a little. No one really expected the Frogs to win the national title. Blue Ribbon had them 19th in the preseason rankings, but there was legitimate talk of TCU being a stronger team top to bottom than Boise State was in 2006. And who knows, maybe it was that first day of fall camp.

It just never happened for the Frogs, who had entered 2007 having won at least 10 games in four of five seasons. They were more competitive than the 34-13 final at Texas indicated, but they lost in overtime to Air Force the following week before later succumbing to Wyoming, Utah and BYU.

The season more or less fell apart for TCU — if an eight-win season with a bowl victory can really be classified as a season falling apart — in mid-August during fall camp. In less than a week, preseason All-America defensive end Tommy Blake left the team for personal reasons — it was later revealed that he was suffering from depression — and All-Mountain West nose tackle James Vess was suspended for the season per a violation of school policy. Blake eventually returned, but he wasn’t himself the entire season and finished with just four sacks in eight games.

TCU also ranked seventh in the nation with 37 missed games by preseason projected starters.

“We had a lot of distractions last year,” head coach Gary Patterson said. “We probably have more team chemistry right now than we’ve had the past two seasons. We went 8-5 one year, 11-2 the other. We’re not as flashy a team this year, as far as big names, but it’s the kind of team I’d like to have, anyway.”

For Patterson, few coaches have a more impressive mark than his 62-25 record in seven seasons at TCU. That’s the best in program history after 87 games, even better than Dutch Meyer, who won a pair of national titles in 1935 and 1938.

At some point, it’s hard to imagine a BCS program making him an offer he can’t refuse. He has reportedly already turned down offers from Kansas State and Minnesota, so it’s not like he’s on the first cattle train out of Fort Worth, although it’s worth noting he did interview for the recent openings at Nebraska and Arkansas. So he’s obviously interested if the situation is to his liking. However, at least for this season Patterson remains at TCU, where he’ll quickly get to what kind of team he has on his hands. The Frogs open at New Mexico before home games against Stephen F. Austin and Stanford.

“It wouldn’t be my pick, but one thing I like is if I’m going to start the season with a conference game, I want it to be a good game, because I know our kids will get ready for it and they were excited about seeing that we’re going to play a team the level of New Mexico,” Patterson said. “Anytime we’ve started with a high-level game, they’ve worked so hard in the summer time to get ready for those kinds of games.”

And without question the most anticipated game on the schedule is at Oklahoma on Sept. 27. Most may recall the Frogs’ last visit to Norman, in which TCU dominated the Soon-ers as 25-point underdogs in a 17-10 win in 2005. It’s worth noting that Oklahoma is taking both the week before and after the TCU contest off. When told this, Patterson laughed.

“I guess we made a point last time up there; I take it as a sign of respect,” Patterson said.

While everyone assumes that sophomore Andy Dalton (6-3, 210) is set to start the opener at New Mexico, that’s not actually the case. Well, maybe it is, Patterson isn’t exactly forthcoming with sharing team information with reporters, but whatever it’s worth, here was his reply in mid June to the quarterback competition between junior Marcus Jackson (6-1, 216) and Dalton.

“I don’t look at it as having a starter and a backup, we have a 1A and a 1B; both had good springs and this team has a good sophomore quarterback and a good junior quarterback,” Patterson said. “They both fought through a lot of things last season.”

This could become an explosive situation, and the fact that Patterson isn’t saying Dalton, or even Jackson, is his guy could lead to each looking over their shoulder after a bad pass. It also leads to confusion in the huddle and teammates taking sides.

However, it’s hard to second-guess a coach with a .713 career winning percentage. Dalton took the majority of the first-team snaps this spring, and he posted one of the great freshmen passing seasons in program history. His 222 completions and 371 attempts (59.8 completion percentage) were each school marks for a freshman, while his 2,459 yards were second. He also tallied two 300-yard games.

Dalton finished the year strong, too, throwing just one legitimate interception over his final 96 pass attempts and averaging 52.5 rushing yards over his final four games. And four of his five rushing touchdowns came over that same stretch.

His best performance of the season arguably came in the Texas Bowl win over Houston when he completed 21-of-30 passes for 249 yards in a 20-13 win. He also rushed for a touchdown. For the season, Dalton played in all 13 games and threw 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His passer efficiency rating was 118.48. And not including sacks, he rushed for 411 yards. This spring, he looked more comfortable in the pocket as well as throwing the ball downfield. There’s only one reason he isn’t the clear-cut, absolute No. 1 — turnovers.

As for Jackson, he played eight games and completed 35-of-69 passes for 368 yards, three touchdowns and just one interception. Extremely mobile and active in the pocket, Jack-son rushed for 265 yards minus sacks and two scores. He also led the Frogs on touchdown drives in three of the team’s final five games while completing 71.4 percent of his 21 pass attempts over the team’s final three games.

If healthy, and that’s a major if, TCU might not have enough footballs for its backfield. That combination of star power and depth starts with senior Aaron Brown (6-1, 196). The 2007 preseason Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year battled ankle and knee injuries the majority of the season and never really got going. He still rushed for 490 yards and two scores in nine contests, but most were expecting numbers three times those entering the year.

Brown is perhaps the most talented back at TCU since LaDainian Tomlinson. He has breakaway speed and the power to break upper body tackles. As a sophomore in 2006, he earned second-team All-MWC honors behind 801 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also an adept receiver, with 34 receptions for 455 yards and four touchdowns.

Look for Brown to line up all over the field, especially with the team returning its top seven rushers from a season ago. Sure, he’s the No. 1 guy, but more than 10-12 carries per game is highly unlikely. The primary goal will be keeping him healthy while at the same time utilizing his speed, and that probably means splitting him out 10-12 plays a game at wide receiver.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re going with a running back-by-committee approach — two, three, maybe even four backs will get a chance,” Patterson said.

While he missed spring drills recovering from a knee injury suffered in the Texas Bowl, junior Joseph Turner (6-1, 226) was in the midst of a running program in early June and was expected at 100 percent for August camp. He was the team’s leading rusher last season with 597 yards at 5.2 per carry and the team’s leading scorer among non-kickers with six touchdowns.

The problem was he wasn’t always healthy, either. He played in only 10-of-13 games and ran at less than 100 percent the majority of the year. His teammates voted him offensive most valuable player, and with good reason — TCU was 6-2 in games he was healthy from start to finish. The Frogs were also 5-0 when he rushed for at least 56 yards. His best game came at San Diego State and included 226 yards and four scores.

“He’s our big back — strong, tough to bring down on the initial hit,” Patterson said of Turner. “We expect him at 100 percent early summer.”

Senior Justin Watts (5-10, 195) was impressive off the bench in the Texas Bowl, rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. He rushed for 204 yards on the year.

Also in the mix are redshirt freshmen Jai Cavness (5-8, 175), who projects more as a third-down back, and Jercell Fort (5-11, 175), a converted cornerback.

At fullback is junior Chris Smith (6-1, 231) and redshirt freshman Luke Shivers (6-0, 205). “Smith is the big back we need; he was impressive carrying the football this spring and he’s going to see carries this season without question,” Patterson said.

While the Frogs lost two starting wideouts, including their leading receiver in Ervin Dickerson, they should be just fine on this front, especially if senior Shae Reagan (6-4, 261) comes anywhere in the zip code of reaching his potential.

Make no mistake, this kid will at the very least have the opportunity to play on Sundays, and if he stays healthy this fall, he could land on many NFL teams’ first-day draft board. Yes, he’s that good.

A converted quarterback, Reagan runs a sub-4.60 40-yard dash and seems to make something happen every time he touches the ball. In two seasons, he has 25 catches for 493 yards, nearly 20 yards per, and three touchdowns. After missing two games and parts of several others with an assortment of injuries, Reagan caught a career-high three balls in the Texas Bowl. He hauled in a touchdown pass from Dalton in the spring game, marking the first time since 2004 that the first team offense scored on the starting defense.

When asked if he wanted to utilize Reagan more in the offense this season Patterson said, “It’s not us. If he stays healthy he’ll get more than enough balls.”

Behind Regan at tight end is sophomore Evan Frosch (6-4, 235), who started three games last season and caught five balls for 35 yards.

At wideout, the lone returning starter is senior Donald Massey (5-11, 172), the team’s second-leading receiver last season with 29 catches for 364 yards. For his career, Massey has 76 receptions. However, he’s not even a lock to start and actually, after the spring he was listed No. 2 on the depth chart at the “Y.”

The projected starters in a four-wideout formation are senior Walter Bryant (6-4, 206), sophomore Jimmy Young (6-1, 200) at the “X,” sophomore Bart Johnson (6-1, 190) at the “H” and sophomore Jeremy Kerley (5-10, 185) at the “Y.”

Bryant finished last season strong, highlighted by seven catches in the regular-season finale at San Diego State, and was the team’s offseason MVP in terms of workouts and taking on a leadership role. He finished last year with 27 grabs for 337 yards and a touchdown.

Last season Young showed big-play potential and the ability to create separation with 23 caches for 325 yards and a score, while two of Johnson’s six grabs went for touchdowns. Kerley hauled in five of his nine receptions in the team’s final two games.

“Wide receiver is a position where we need a go-to guy,” Patterson said.

Also in the mix are sophomores Clint Renfro (6-0, 160), son of the former TCU and Dallas Cowboys great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mel Renfro, Curtis Clay (6-0, 180) and junior-college transfer Marques Parker (5-11, 179).

Four starters at back on the line. and while the unit wasn’t bad last season, Patterson expects a lot more this time around.

“The offensive line has a chance to be a lot better,” Patterson said. “We’ve grown up a lot there.”

The anchor of the line without question is three-year starter Blake Schlueter (6-3, 272). The senior was a first-team All-Mountain West selection a season ago and is on the short-list of candidates to win the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center.

Both tackles are juniors, and each started all 13 games last season — Marshall Newhouse (6-3, 317), who led the team in knockdown blocks and overall blocking grade, and Nic Richmond (6-8, 298).

Senior Giles Montgomery (6-5, 295) returns at one guard spot, while the other starting job is expected to fall to senior Preston Phillips (6-6, 293).

Perhaps the main objective with the incoming recruiting class was adding depth to the offensive line. The four signees include Trevius Jones (6-3, 293) of Robert E. Lee High School in Tyler, Texas; Blaize Foltz (6-4, 295) of Rose Hill High School in Rose Hill, Kansas; James Fry (6-3, 269) of La Vernia High School in Spring Branch, Texas; and junior-college transfer Zach Roth (6-5, 298) of Garden City (Kansas) Community College.

“With Zach Roth, we felt like we needed an older offensive lineman,” Patterson said. “He was a first-team junior college All-American. James Fry probably has one of the best first steps for an offensive lineman. He is very smart and can call fronts. Blaize Foltz is a big offensive lineman who can move his feet. He and Fry can create some competition on our offensive line.”

The graduation of three-time All-MWC kicker Chris Manfredini means that it’s time for a new kicker, and Patterson believes he has that replacement in freshman Ross Evans (5-8, 173) of Burnet (Texas) High School.

“I am really excited about Ross Evans,” Patterson said. “He can kick it in the end zone and made 15-of-16 field goals inside 49 yards. He has kicked two 53-yarders. He was also All-Texas both his junior and senior years. He is phenomenal, and his kickoffs will make us a lot better on defense.

“I am real excited about getting him here and seeing what he can do. It can change your whole complexion on offense. He will be a weapon. I see him kicking a lot of long field goals for us.” Patterson was hopeful that a walk on would step up this spring to offer some competition, but it didn’t happen.

It’s unclear if Evans will kick off, although it would be reasonable to expect him to. The kickoffs were handled last season by junior Drew Combs (6-3, 225).

This defense has a chance to be special, and during the Patterson tenure at TCU, special means statistically ranking among the nation’s elite.

Last season the Frogs placed among the top 15 nationally in scoring defense (18.7), run defense (103.5), pass defense efficiency (107.8 rating), sacks (41) and total defense (323.6 yards). And while officially only six starters return, this defense should be stronger in every area from a year ago outside of pass rush; returning players combined for just 21.5 sacks in 2007, with eight of those coming from a safety.

Both the starting ends are gone in Tommy Blake and Chase Ortiz, but their production can be replaced in part by the return of senior James Vess (6-3, 282) from a season-long suspension for a violation of university policy. As for what the violation was, perhaps no program in the country is more tight-lipped about such information as TCU.

Whatever the reason for his departure a year ago, Vess is a big-time nose tackle that should vie for all-conference honors. As a sophomore in 2006, he tallied four sacks in the final seven games and twice in that span was chosen TCU Defensive Player of the Week.

“I expect big things from the defense this season,” Patterson said. “As much as we’ll miss Blake and Chase, having James Vess back is huge. I think his loss last season affected the defense more than anything else that happened.”

In the absence of Vess, sophomore Kelly Griffin (6-1, 280) started all 13 games and in the process became the first freshman to start during the Patterson era. This season he’ll play behind Vess but should still see plenty of action. Senior Cody Moore (6-2, 303) is back at tackle, where he started 13 games in 2007 and contributed 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.

At end are junior Jerry Hughes (6-2, 248), who had 29 tackles last season, and senior Matt Panfil (6-2, 232), who tallied 37 tackles while making six starts.

Redshirt freshman Braylon Broughton (6-6, 250) could push Hughes out of the starting lineup after a strong spring.

“Keep an eye on Braylon, he ran a 4.55 at almost 260 pounds this spring,” Patterson said.

No player on either side of the football this spring received anywhere near the praise of junior Daryl Washington (6-3, 228). This guy can do it all, from blocking three punts last season to being able to cover more ground than a circus tent. NFL scouts already have him on the radar, and Patterson called him the team’s best pass coverage defender. Not the best pass coverage defender among the linebackers. The best on the team. Patterson has also compared his raw athletic ability to Tomlinson.

He’s so great that, come the season-opener at New Mexico, Washington will be on the sidelines for the TCU’s first defensive play.

That’s right, that’s how loaded the linebackers are this season, and in Patterson’s 4-2-5 format, there’s only room for two starters.

“This is the best collection of linebackers I’ve ever had here,” Patterson said. “And we’ve had some good ones in the past.”

Two Mountain West offensive coordinators said this spring that senior middle linebacker Jason Phillips (6-1, 234) was simply the best defensive player in the conference. A veteran of 38 career starts entering this season, Phillips is a three-time All-MWC selection who led TCU with 87 tackles last year. He’s on the watch list for every major award, including the Lombardi and Butkus honors, and some are predicting an All-American campaign. His other vitals in 2007 included 10.5 stops for loss, six pass breakups, two sacks and an interception that he returned 34 yards.

The other projected starter is senior Robert Henson (6-1, 228), who finished last year with 66 tackles while becoming the first TCU linebacker to return an interception for a touchdown since 1995, that via a 58-yard effort against SMU. He has 199 career tackles.

Not that there’s a ton of playing time available at linebacker barring injury but others pushing for snaps include junior Chris Goodson (6-0, 210) and redshirt freshmen Tank Carder (6-2, 215) and Kris Gardner (6-1, 220).

The cornerback positions appear locked and loaded with juniors Rafael Priest (5-10, 163) and Nick Sanders (5-10, 174) each returning after having started all 26 games the last two seasons. Priest was a Mountain West honorable mention selection behind a team-high 13 passed defended, including 10 pass break-ups and three interceptions, while Sanders had 39 tackles and a pick in 2007.

“We’re as fast as ever at cornerback,” Patterson said. “Sanders lost weight for the spring — he was heavy last fall — and he looked good. And I think some of our newcomers are going to factor in here.”

Specifically, Patterson is talking about JUCO Jason Teague (6-2, 190) of Tyler (Texas) Community College.

“He originally signed with LSU and he can fly; he might be our fastest player this season,” Patterson said.

Also in the mix are sophomore Alex Ibiloye (6-0, 170) and redshirt freshman Greg McCoy (5-10, 172).

Look for Teague to push Sanders at the second corner and McCoy to snag the dime package snaps.

At safety, senior Stephen Hodge (6-0, 212) returns at strong. He recorded an incredible seven sacks in the team’s final seven games, an unheard of amount for a safety, or any position not on the outside of the front. He was a second-team All-MWC selection behind 57 tackles, 10.5 for loss, eight sacks and seven pass breakups. All that and he started only the final five games. The projected starters at the team’s other two starting safeties positions are senior Steven Coleman (6-3, 204) — who started eight games last season and tied for the team lead with three picks — at free, and sophomore Tejay Johnson at weak safety.

Redshirt freshmen Sir Demarco Bledsoe (6-2, 175) and Tekerrein Cuba (6-4, 197) should also vie for playing time.

After an impressive spring, redshirt freshman Anson Kelton (6-4, 260) struggled at the spring game but Patterson is confident in his abilities.

“He has a big-time leg and handles the ball well,” Patterson said.

After the spring game Patterson told reporters, “He’ll have to react better than he did today.” Kelton has some impressive shoes to fill in the form of All-MWC punter Derek Wash, who averaged 42.5 yards per boot last season.

Patterson doesn’t waver in his assessment of junior long snapper Clint Gresham (6-3, 225).

“He’s the best snapper in the nation,” Patterson said.

A transfer from Oklahoma, Gresham originally was a walk on before Patterson awarded him with a scholarship after last season.

Punt returner is yet another special teams position that needs replacing, as Brian Bonner graduated after a season in which he tallied 535 punt return yards. Only Heisman Trophy winner Davey O’Brien had more in a single-season with 549 in 1937. And yes, O’Brien was a quarterback.

Look for Kerley, the projected starting wideout, to return punts, while kick return duty will be shared by a trio of receivers in Massey, Young and Christian. Brown was the primary kick returner when healthy last season, but he’s probably out of the mix because the team wants to take every precaution possible to keep him on the field at 100 percent. And no play in football carries a greater injury risk than kick returns.

The Frogs blocked four punts last season and have six in their last 17 games. Washington had three of those blocked punts in 2007.

At the conclusion of his interview with Blue Ribbon in early June, Patterson had just one request.

“Please pick us last; we always play better when no one expects anything from us.”

Sorry coach, this is a heck of a football team, one that is capable of winning the Mountain West Conference. The defense is so loaded it’s hard to imagine any team outside of Oklahoma really moving up and down the field against it, and even the Sooners will have their hands full, as they did in 2005.

The reason TCU isn’t favored to win the conference by every preseason publication is simply the situation under center. Even if Patterson just said, “Look, this is my guy, for better or worse,” at least then the team would know who its leader is. The huddle can become a confusing place when two quarterbacks are looking over their shoulder after a bad pass.

Also, this isn’t a team that’s going to win 40-10 on the majority of nights. For a running game/defense-anchored team to win 10-11 games, at least two or three are going to come down to a play or two on special teams, a crucial punt pinning the opponent at the 2-yard line, a 48-yard field goal into the wind, or on the flip side, a botched long snap, a 12-yard punt at midfield.

And while it may come together beautifully, the special teams are at best unproven at the collegiate level and at worst, Patterson’s worst nightmare.

Despite its flaws, there are too many strengths on this team for it not to make the MWC race interesting.

First off, New Mexico has stepped up their non conference schedule starting with Texas A&M.  The Aggies are still trying to find their winning ways since R.C. Slocum was forced out years back, and since his departure the Aggies have not won a conference title and he never had a losing season in his 13 years at the school.   Since then the Aggies are on their third coach after Dennis Franchione and now former Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike Sherman is now leading the Aggies.  Last year the Aggies went 7-6 last year, and ended the season with a win over Penn State in the Alamo Bowl.  Texas A&M will have a warmup game prior to taking on the Lobos, by playing Arakansas State.  Also, a side note the the Texas Aggies are 1-4 in road games last season which could effect this team.

Offense: The offense starts with dual threat QB Stephen McGee who had over 3,200 yards in passing and rushing,  McGee also was the teams leading rusher with 899 yards.  McGee has the escability and speed to keep defenses off balanced with his running ability and with his throwing ability.  The other running backs in this offense who New Mexico needs to keep an eye on are Jorvorskie Lane who was a touchdown machine with 16 touchdowns and just under 800 yards, also toss in another back in Mike Goodson who ran for 711 yards in offense.  The rushing attack is the strong point for this Texas A&M team.

In the passing game  McGee needs to have more patience in the pocket and look for his receivers to open up, and not just take off with the first sign of trouble.  The other wide out who needs to step it up should be Earvin Taylor who had only 266 yards, but is the teams leading returning receiver.  Another wide out who should challenge to be the best wide out is Pierre Brown who has yet to live up to his potential, so far.  If the passing game can improve then the Aggies will have a very balanced offense that should be in the top half of the Big XII.

Defense: Formerly the ”Wreckin’ Crew” the defense had that name stripped recently, and really has not been in that category since R.C. Slocum left as the teams head coach.  Last year the defense was inconsistent where they showed up in some games where the dominance seemed to return, and there were games like the Missouri and Oklahoma game where the Ags gave up over 40 points in each of those games.  The defense needs more consistency to be able to defeat good teams in the Big XII and also against New Mexico.  The defense just needs to limit the big plays, and have their linebackers to be the dominent position on the team.  The linebackers were the core strength of the defense in the 90’s where the opposing offense would have their plays avoid that area of the field, or take them out of position.

Early Prediction: This is a tough one, because New Mexico is 5-1 at home last year and Texas A&M was 1-4 on the road albiet two of those were against top 10 opponents, and the other was the high octane offense in Texas Tech.  New Mexico will have a Senior Quarterback Donovan Porterie and possibly the best back in the Mountain West in Rodney Ferguson.  Another factor to consider is that this could be a trap game for Texas A&M, because they should destroy Arkansas State and then the week after the Ags play Miami (FL) at home the following week.  This should be a tough and close game, but look for the Aggies to win by seven points.

Here we go again, bringing you all the MWC news on one site.

If nothing else, if he never wins another college football game, veteran New Mexico coach Rocky Long never again has to hear about the bowl streak. And for that, he’s both pleased and a bit annoyed it was an issue to begin with.

In the moments after New Mexico’s 23-0 defeat of Nevada in last season’s New Mexico Bowl, a win that snapped the program’s 46-year bowl win drought — that included five trips under Long — the usual jovial coach said, “It gets it off our back. We don’t have to listen to it anymore, but this program was good before we won this game. It’s you people who make it so important that we have to win to be justified. It’s you folks that write that stuff, not us.”

In classic Long form he added, “I’m glad you’re giving me a soap box, by the way.”

As for this season, the goal is somewhat changed from a year ago, that being to maintain momentum in what could be a transition season. Still, New Mexico should at least chal-lenge for yet another bowl invite. And if nothing else, it’s worth noting that the only Mountain West program to be bowl eligible in each of the last seven years is … yes, New Mexico.

“I think it’s nice that we got the bowl victory,” Long said. “I think that takes a little of the pressure off because we’ve had a pretty consistently good football program, but the knock was that we hadn’t won a bowl game even though we had been in five in the past six years,” Long said. “I thought last year’s team overachieved. I thought in the preseason, we weren’t expected to do as well as we did. I think a lot of that success had to do with the senior leadership.”

New Mexico had changed offensive coordinators three seasons running from 2005-07, making the sustained success all the more impressive. So if nothing else this season, despite only six returning starters on offense, coordinator Dave Baldwin is returning.

“That makes it easier that nothing is changing on offense,” Long said. “The guys who have been here understand the scheme, and so now they hopefully get better at techniques and become better football players because they don’t have to think as much. But we’ve also recruited junior college players that are going to have to compete for starting roles, and they still have to learn the offense.”

Overall, this is going to be a challenging season for Long, much like the back-to-back six-win seasons of 2005 and 2006.

“We’re awfully young. We’ve got some people that we had to develop into starters during spring practice,” Long said. “Four of our five [starting] offensive linemen are gone; our two big-time receivers are gone. Our kicker and our punter are gone. We have three seniors in the defensive line and four seniors at linebacker gone, so it’s going to be a fairly young team. “I think we have enough talent to be pretty good, it just depends on how fast they’ll mature into players since a lot of them didn’t play last year.”

Long and the program made a commitment two seasons ago to then freshman Donovan Porterie (6-3, 206), and while it wasn’t by choice — an injury and ineffectiveness by others led to the decision — it allowed the talented Port Arthur, Texas, native to gain the experience needed to guide the Lobos to nine victories in 2007.

And as he enters his junior campaign, Porterie is 12-4 in games that he started and finished. By the time his career in Albuquerque is complete, he may just overtake Stoney Case as the program’s all-time passing leader.

As a sophomore last season, Porterie was solid while showing flashes of potential greatness here and there. His final numbers included a 58.4 completion percentage, 3,006 yards, 15 touchdown passes and just nine interceptions. He has also shown the ability to lead New Mexico in the clutch via a pair of game-winning final possession touchdown drives.

“It’s always great to have your starting quarterback coming back,” Long said. “I thought Donovan got better as the season went along and understands the offense a whole lot better now than he did a year ago.

“The leadership role is always pressed upon the quarterback. I thought he did a nice job last year, but obviously with another year under his belt and more confidence, it’s going to help his leadership. The more confident you are in your own ability and the more confident you are that you understand the whole offensive scheme, the better leader you’re going to become.”

Porterie’s 3,006 passing yards marked the most by a New Mexico quarterback since Case in 1994. Some of those yards came on broken plays in which Porterie created space to throw from outside the pocket. He was sacked just 24 times.

And with this season’s team, especially offensively, young and inexperienced, Long is hoping Porterie expands his leadership efforts.

“I think Donovan becomes the leader because he’s the quarterback,” Long said. “I think our offense is going to be so young that maybe that role needs to be stepped up. Last year he had a lot of seniors out there with him. So even though he was the quarterback and probably exerted some leadership, I would guess that his leadership wasn’t as necessary as it is this year.”

The staff saw significant strides in Porterie this spring, especially his grasp of the offense. “Basically, just polish off things that we didn’t do so well last spring,” Porterie said of his goals this spring. “Last spring we were coming into a new offense, and it took us a lot of time to get the concepts down.

“This year we have the concepts down, and now it’s more of an execution factor for the offense. Last year, we had a real positive season, but offensively there are still some points that we want to get down pat.”

If Porterie goes down, there is absolutely no experience behind him, not so much as a single collegiate pass attempt. The backup is redshirt freshman Brad Gruner (6-2, 225) and barring an injury, the Lobos won’t carry another scholarship signal caller on the roster this season.

One would think that despite the presence of Porterie, New Mexico would run the ball even more this season than last. For one, this would take advantage of a strong running back corps and offensive line while also not putting an inordinate amount of pressure on the young wideouts. And, perhaps most importantly, the Lobos aren’t going to blow many teams out this season, so ball control is always a huge advantage in close games.

As for who is No. 1 on the depth chart at tailback, it’s anyone’s guess, and that may sound strange considering senior Robert Ferguson (6-0, 229) returns as a two-time first team All-MWC selection. He rushed for 1,234 yards in 2006 before 1,177 yards and 14 total touchdowns a season ago. However, he missed the bowl game after being declared academically ineligible, and sure enough, senior Paul Baker (5-7, 195) stepped in and earned New Mexico Bowl MVP honors behind 167 rushing yards and more than 200 yards from scrimmage.

Also in the mix are redshirt freshman James Wright (5-11, 210), the projected starter next season, and sophomore Mike Love (6-0, 221).

“We’ve got experienced running backs,” Long said. “We’ve got an all-conference tailback coming back, but we also know that there’s some depth there with Paul Baker playing so well in the bowl game.

“We’ve got a couple of young tailbacks and we’ve got a couple of what we consider really good fullbacks. We know what Rodney can do. We’ve seen what Paul can do in one game [as the featured back], but Mike Love and James Wright, those guys need a chance to prove that they can play, too.”

More than likely, as much as Long talks about a potential running back-by-committee approach, it’s hard to fathom Ferguson not seeing 20 carries a game. He may not quite be the workhorse he was last year with a school-record 292 attempts, but this guy is as tough as they come when it matters, as evidenced by his eight-of-nine conversations on fourth-down carries.

At fullback is senior Matt Quillen (6-0, 250), an exceptional lead blocker, and sophomore Josh Fussell (6-2, 235).

Marcus Smith and his 91 catches for 1,125 yards and four scores and Travis Brown and his 76 grabs for 1,031 yards and six touchdowns are gone; what remain is little experience, some promise and a ton of question marks.

“We have to develop some wide receivers, because the majority of the catches last year were by two seniors,” Long said. “We think we have talented athletes, but most of them haven’t played very much. “So some of them are going to have to step up and take up for that slack in production so that we don’t drop off there.

“I think the best thing about the receivers is that there’s enough of them that there will be great competition, and competition always makes everybody better.”

Long believes that having a three-year starter at quarterback should make for a smother transition with the inexperienced wide receiving corps.

“That definitely helps,” he said. “There’s going to be fewer times that there’s bad balls thrown or receivers not getting a chance to catch the ball. Now receivers need to be in the right place too. They have to learn to read coverages as well as the quarterbacks. Having a veteran quarterback that can tell them when they make mistakes obviously will help a lot.”

Entering fall camp, the likely starters are junior Roland Bruno (5-10, 166), who started six games last season and had five receptions for a career-high 86 yards in the New Mexico Bowl, senior Jermaine McQueen (6-2, 180), the team’s fastest wideout, and sophomore Chris Hernandez (6-3, 185).

While Bruno caught 21 balls for 186 yards last season, the other two combined for 10 catches for 66 yards.

Others auditioning for playing time come fall camp include senior Jonathan Brooks (6-1, 189), red-shirt freshman Michael Scarlett (6-2, 170), junior Daryl Jones (6-3, 207), who has four career catches, and transfer Bryant Williams