The boss asked me to look into a crystal ball and predict what will happen with Utah, BYU and Utah State football in 2012. My immediate response: What ? am I Madame Zelda?
Actually, I knew a Madame Zelda ? actually, it was Donna ? once, a trippy old lady who lived down the street from my family when I was a kid. She was some kind of mystical, soothsaying, palm-reading, star-gazing, fortune-telling clairvoyant who was bankrolled by a wealthy husband who pretty much ignored everything she said.
It was believed that Donna got more than half her predictions right, and I was never completely clear on where the Mendoza Line of Legitimacy was for psychic-spiritualist types who foretold the future. I did know that she gave out two full-sized Snickers/Three Musketeer bars at Halloween and had to respect the woman for that. If memory serves, she got the Kennedy assassination right, but missed on the start date for the outbreak of World War III, which she had pegged for the spring of 1975.
As I think about it now, batting better than .500 sounds pretty darn good.
In August, I predicted that BYU would go 9-3 in the 2011 regular season, that Utah would finish at 8-4 (nobody could have seen that Colorado loss coming), and that Utah State would qualify for a bowl game.
Not bad.
I also predicted that Jake Heaps would have a monster year ? and maybe he did, depending on how you define the word monstrous. I?ve a feeling we?re not in Kansas anymore. ? errrr, never mind.
Anyway, reception for the fall of 2012 on my new iCrystal Ball 4500 Razor is coming in loud and clear. Here?s what?s on deck for the coming season ?
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What matters most ? All three of those schools are going to continue their upward climb.
Here?s the thing about Kyle Whittingham, Bronco Mendenhall and Gary Andersen, they have their programs headed in a positive direction and there?s no reason to believe that will change next season. None of those teams will be great, but they will be good enough for fans around here to feel OK about what?s going on.
The Utes got their baptism into the Pac-12 and figured out, the hard way, what the ground rules are.
Rule No. 1 ?They can?t take weeks off.
The early losses to USC, Washington, Arizona State and Cal set down the competitive parameters for the Utes, but did not rob them of their confidence or willingness to work.
They fought back against some of the league?s lesser teams before dropping that exploding egg at home against Colorado, a team to which they had no business losing. It cost them their chance at the title game, but it taught them that every team in the Pac-12, no matter how seemingly harmless, has enough athletes to be dangerous.
One of the trademarks of Whittingham?s teams is their no-quit attitude, and that was clearly on display in the Sun Bowl, when Jon Hays led the Utes back to victory against Georgia Tech after falling behind by two touchdowns in the second half. That kind of fight emanates from the head coach, and it?s not likely to disappear anytime soon.
Utah will battle again next year, and with more quarterback options in the tank, and John White in the backfield, and Kalani Sitake running the defense, there?s no reason to believe the Utes will suffer any letdown. Whittingham will have to select the right offensive coordinator to replace Norm Chow ? there?s no telling what might have happened to the offense through this past season?s adversity without a calm, veteran hand on the wheel ? in order to weather the storms of the near future.
Next Page ?Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/53223776-77/utah-state-byu-season.html.csp
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