Expectations suddenly high as Cougars face Rebels
Over the past three seasons, BYU fans have entered nearly every football game with the nervous hope that the Cougars could pull off a win.
More often than not, they have been disappointed (only 11 wins in the past 31 games).
Coming into tonight's meeting with 1-4 UNLV (ESPN2, 8 p.m.), expectations are high for a victory -- not just a win, but a big win.
BYU coach Gary Crowton and his football team aren't expecting anything but a battle, even though the Cougars are coming off a big 31-21 victory on the road at Colorado State. Defensive back Micah Alba, whose interception sealed last week's win at CSU, said the team is taking nothing for granted.
"We really don't look at the record of what teams have done in the past," Alba said. "We're preparing for them just as hard as any other team. Conference play is a different beast."
A beast that can eat up an overconfident team.
"We don't look at it like we're favored," Crowton said. "We can see potential for more if we continue to work. People didn't expect us to win too many games this year.
"As we progress, the expectations will happen more and more. Our team is looking at it as one step at a time. We need to keep focused and keep trying to progress."
Why the expectations? BYU has played well in its past two games. The offense appears to be hitting its stride. UNLV, with John Robinson announcing he will retire at season's end, has struggled with injuries, a difficult preseason schedule and a shocking 31-21 loss at home to Utah State two weeks ago.
But last week's 48-13 victory over instate rival Nevada has invigorated the program.
"This is our last one; this is his (Robinson's) last one," UNLV defensive back Ruschard Dodd-Masters told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week. "Let's send him out a winner. We have six more games. We're just going to play our hearts out."
"It's a good victory," Robinson said after the Nevada win. "We're headed into conference now. We're down one but I still believe in our football team. I love playing in our conference. Provo is a big-time place to play."
Last year's game in Las Vegas was a classic. BYU overcame five turnovers and a 13-0 deficit to tie the game at 20-all with 29 seconds to play, then scored on a 9-yard Matt Berry to Toby Christensen touchdown pass in overtime. Aaron Francisco intercepted a desperation Kurt Nantkes pass on fourth down to seal the 27-20 victory.
Nantkes, a senior, will start at quarterback against BYU, but sophomore Shane Steichen has also seen playing time. This year, Steichen is 24-of-52 for 260 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Nantkes is 45-of-83 for 588 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions.
The focus of UNLV's offense will be on running back Dominique Dorsey (562 yards, 6.6 yards per carry) and receiver Earvin Johnson (32 catches, 375 yards, three touchdowns). Those two are quite a contrast to the CSU players who plagued BYU last week. Where CSU running back Uldis Jaunarajs is a physical runner, Dorsey (5-foot-7, 170 pounds) is a scatback. Where CSU's David Anderson is a burner, Johnson (6-3, 200) is physical and athletic.
BYU linebacker Cameron Jensen said the Cougars have been preparing for Dorsey's quickness all week.
"Our scout teamers, like B.J. Mathis, have been doing a good job getting us ready," Jensen said. "With Dorsey, you've got to keep your leverage and not overpursue. We have to watch for the cutback and make plays.
"You really can't see him (Dorsey) sometimes back there, when he hides behind his guards. A split second is enough to break it wide open."
Johnson caught seven passes for 108 yards and a touchdown against BYU last season.
"Colorado State had a really effective passing game," Alba said. "It's a lot about timing, which makes it really hard in man-to-man situations. UNLV's passing game isn't so much about timing, so we're hoping to get more pressure on the quarterback."
The UNLV offense scored only 51 points in its first four games before breaking out for 48 against Nevada. One reason? Turnovers. Last year, UNLV was plus-12 in turnover ratio. Through five games this season, the Rebels are minus-8. But UNLV had just one turnover against Nevada.
BYU, meanwhile, hopes to continue its trend of improving offensive numbers. The Cougars have put up 415 and 445 total yards of offense in their past two games against Boise State and Colorado State. Sophomore quarterback John Beck appears to be making steady improvement.
"John watches a lot of film, on his own and with the coaches," Crowton said. "His ability to throw deep is as good as anyone I've ever had."
UNLV's defense is led by safeties Jamaal Brimmer, a returning all-MWC performer, and Joe Miklos, named MWC defensive player of the week after the Nevada game. UNLV's defense is ranked 74th in the country (383 yards per game) and is giving up 26.2 points per game.
He feels the Payne: Crowton said he's never coached as complete a kicker as senior Matt Payne.
"I've had good field goal kickers, but not anybody as accurate from deep," Crowton said. "Matt's range from 50 yards and above is outstanding. I've had punters who could kick it higher but Matt has the ability to hit big kicks, keep it out of the end zone and he's good at directional punting. He has good athletic ability and coverage skills. He's the best I've ever had."
Payne is currently No. 1 in the country in net punting (42.88) and third in yards per punt (46.5).
On Robinson: "His players at UNLV have a great fondness for him," Crowton said. "They will be motivated. I remember watching him coach at Southern Cal (where Robinson coached for 12 years) when I was a kid, before I ever thought about coaching. I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to know the guy.
"Like LaVell when his last year came, UNLV doesn't want to muff it. There's incentive for his team to play hard."
Tickets left: BYU is reporting that there are plenty of good seats available for tonight's game. The first two games at LaVell Edwards Stadium this season were sellouts: 65,251 for Notre Dame and 63,467 for top-ranked USC.
Where's Dan? BYU sophomore tight end Dan Coats has caught only six passes for 66 yards through the first five games. Last season, Coats grabbed 30 balls for 378 yards and four touchdowns and was named to the John Mackey Award watch list this summer.
What's up?
"It's been my decision with the tight ends," Crowton said. "We've been trying to get the ball to the outside receivers and the slot guys. We've been using Dan in protection. We had eight sacks against Boise State and in the second half I made a concerted effort to protect the quarterback. The tight end wasn't going out on routes.
"Dan is outstanding in protection. (Freshman) Dennis Pitta is a good receiver. AS we continue to progress on offense, you might see the tight ends catch more balls."
Extra Points: Tonight's game is the sixth night game in a row for BYU. ... Only one member of BYU's team is from the state of Nevada -- fullback Moa Peaua is from Reno. Two BYU players (LB Richard Nehring and LB Aaron Wagner) served LDS missions in Nevada. ... UNLV has two players from Utah in DT Isaiah Tafua (Taylorsville) and TE Jesse Knight (St. George). ... BYU safety Aaron Francisco leads BYU with 50 tackles, followed by Jensen with 45. Defensive end Manaia Brown tops the Cougars with eight tackles for loss. ... Dorsey has three 100-yard games this season, including 121 against Tennessee, 189 against Utah State and 143 against Nevada. Last year, Dorsey ran 10 times for 25 yards against BYU. ... BYU leads the overall series with UNLV 9-2, including 5-0 in Las Vegas but only 3-2 in Provo. One game was played at a neutral site - in Japan in 1978.
Over the past three seasons, BYU fans have entered nearly every football game with the nervous hope that the Cougars could pull off a win.
More often than not, they have been disappointed (only 11 wins in the past 31 games).
Coming into tonight's meeting with 1-4 UNLV (ESPN2, 8 p.m.), expectations are high for a victory -- not just a win, but a big win.
BYU coach Gary Crowton and his football team aren't expecting anything but a battle, even though the Cougars are coming off a big 31-21 victory on the road at Colorado State. Defensive back Micah Alba, whose interception sealed last week's win at CSU, said the team is taking nothing for granted.
"We really don't look at the record of what teams have done in the past," Alba said. "We're preparing for them just as hard as any other team. Conference play is a different beast."
A beast that can eat up an overconfident team.
"We don't look at it like we're favored," Crowton said. "We can see potential for more if we continue to work. People didn't expect us to win too many games this year.
"As we progress, the expectations will happen more and more. Our team is looking at it as one step at a time. We need to keep focused and keep trying to progress."
Why the expectations? BYU has played well in its past two games. The offense appears to be hitting its stride. UNLV, with John Robinson announcing he will retire at season's end, has struggled with injuries, a difficult preseason schedule and a shocking 31-21 loss at home to Utah State two weeks ago.
But last week's 48-13 victory over instate rival Nevada has invigorated the program.
"This is our last one; this is his (Robinson's) last one," UNLV defensive back Ruschard Dodd-Masters told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this week. "Let's send him out a winner. We have six more games. We're just going to play our hearts out."
"It's a good victory," Robinson said after the Nevada win. "We're headed into conference now. We're down one but I still believe in our football team. I love playing in our conference. Provo is a big-time place to play."
Last year's game in Las Vegas was a classic. BYU overcame five turnovers and a 13-0 deficit to tie the game at 20-all with 29 seconds to play, then scored on a 9-yard Matt Berry to Toby Christensen touchdown pass in overtime. Aaron Francisco intercepted a desperation Kurt Nantkes pass on fourth down to seal the 27-20 victory.
Nantkes, a senior, will start at quarterback against BYU, but sophomore Shane Steichen has also seen playing time. This year, Steichen is 24-of-52 for 260 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Nantkes is 45-of-83 for 588 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions.
The focus of UNLV's offense will be on running back Dominique Dorsey (562 yards, 6.6 yards per carry) and receiver Earvin Johnson (32 catches, 375 yards, three touchdowns). Those two are quite a contrast to the CSU players who plagued BYU last week. Where CSU running back Uldis Jaunarajs is a physical runner, Dorsey (5-foot-7, 170 pounds) is a scatback. Where CSU's David Anderson is a burner, Johnson (6-3, 200) is physical and athletic.
BYU linebacker Cameron Jensen said the Cougars have been preparing for Dorsey's quickness all week.
"Our scout teamers, like B.J. Mathis, have been doing a good job getting us ready," Jensen said. "With Dorsey, you've got to keep your leverage and not overpursue. We have to watch for the cutback and make plays.
"You really can't see him (Dorsey) sometimes back there, when he hides behind his guards. A split second is enough to break it wide open."
Johnson caught seven passes for 108 yards and a touchdown against BYU last season.
"Colorado State had a really effective passing game," Alba said. "It's a lot about timing, which makes it really hard in man-to-man situations. UNLV's passing game isn't so much about timing, so we're hoping to get more pressure on the quarterback."
The UNLV offense scored only 51 points in its first four games before breaking out for 48 against Nevada. One reason? Turnovers. Last year, UNLV was plus-12 in turnover ratio. Through five games this season, the Rebels are minus-8. But UNLV had just one turnover against Nevada.
BYU, meanwhile, hopes to continue its trend of improving offensive numbers. The Cougars have put up 415 and 445 total yards of offense in their past two games against Boise State and Colorado State. Sophomore quarterback John Beck appears to be making steady improvement.
"John watches a lot of film, on his own and with the coaches," Crowton said. "His ability to throw deep is as good as anyone I've ever had."
UNLV's defense is led by safeties Jamaal Brimmer, a returning all-MWC performer, and Joe Miklos, named MWC defensive player of the week after the Nevada game. UNLV's defense is ranked 74th in the country (383 yards per game) and is giving up 26.2 points per game.
He feels the Payne: Crowton said he's never coached as complete a kicker as senior Matt Payne.
"I've had good field goal kickers, but not anybody as accurate from deep," Crowton said. "Matt's range from 50 yards and above is outstanding. I've had punters who could kick it higher but Matt has the ability to hit big kicks, keep it out of the end zone and he's good at directional punting. He has good athletic ability and coverage skills. He's the best I've ever had."
Payne is currently No. 1 in the country in net punting (42.88) and third in yards per punt (46.5).
On Robinson: "His players at UNLV have a great fondness for him," Crowton said. "They will be motivated. I remember watching him coach at Southern Cal (where Robinson coached for 12 years) when I was a kid, before I ever thought about coaching. I'm thankful for the opportunity to get to know the guy.
"Like LaVell when his last year came, UNLV doesn't want to muff it. There's incentive for his team to play hard."
Tickets left: BYU is reporting that there are plenty of good seats available for tonight's game. The first two games at LaVell Edwards Stadium this season were sellouts: 65,251 for Notre Dame and 63,467 for top-ranked USC.
Where's Dan? BYU sophomore tight end Dan Coats has caught only six passes for 66 yards through the first five games. Last season, Coats grabbed 30 balls for 378 yards and four touchdowns and was named to the John Mackey Award watch list this summer.
What's up?
"It's been my decision with the tight ends," Crowton said. "We've been trying to get the ball to the outside receivers and the slot guys. We've been using Dan in protection. We had eight sacks against Boise State and in the second half I made a concerted effort to protect the quarterback. The tight end wasn't going out on routes.
"Dan is outstanding in protection. (Freshman) Dennis Pitta is a good receiver. AS we continue to progress on offense, you might see the tight ends catch more balls."
Extra Points: Tonight's game is the sixth night game in a row for BYU. ... Only one member of BYU's team is from the state of Nevada -- fullback Moa Peaua is from Reno. Two BYU players (LB Richard Nehring and LB Aaron Wagner) served LDS missions in Nevada. ... UNLV has two players from Utah in DT Isaiah Tafua (Taylorsville) and TE Jesse Knight (St. George). ... BYU safety Aaron Francisco leads BYU with 50 tackles, followed by Jensen with 45. Defensive end Manaia Brown tops the Cougars with eight tackles for loss. ... Dorsey has three 100-yard games this season, including 121 against Tennessee, 189 against Utah State and 143 against Nevada. Last year, Dorsey ran 10 times for 25 yards against BYU. ... BYU leads the overall series with UNLV 9-2, including 5-0 in Las Vegas but only 3-2 in Provo. One game was played at a neutral site - in Japan in 1978.
