My Trip to Oxford, Mississippi

*A thought: Ole Miss fans really haven't embraced the Rebel Bear mascot just yet.

Like many of the members of Cougar Nation, I decided to head down south to Oxford, Mississippi, for the opening game of the 2011 BYU football season. To say I wasn't disappointed would be like saying ice cream isn't horrible or trick-or-treating isn't boring or my two-year-old daughter isn't calm when she doesn't get her way.

The trip was a lot of fun for many reason, but what stood out early on was the tailgating scene on campus at The Grove.

These pictures really don't do it justice. Sure, it looks like a lot of people (and it is), but it is only a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of people there. Acres of tent and people and BBQ made the gathering an eyesore in of itself. Lots of awesome, hospitable people with a handful of knucklehead's sprinkled in (like any fan base has).

Coming from someone who really hates walking around at fairs and the rest of that ilk, I couldn't get enough of walking through all of this and getting a good view of the culture surrounding The Grove.
Here's when the Ole Miss buses pulled up for the players to do the "Walk of Champions." Pretty cool sight.

BYU huddles up at the close of warm-ups. I kept waiting for them to do the Haka, but me and my posse ended up disappointed that all we saw were football exercises and such. Oh well.
BYU runs onto the field led by former Cougar and current Baltimore Raven Dennis Pitta. I hear Austin Collie was also at the game, but I didn't see him. Then again, I heard it after I got home, so I didn't really know to look for him.
Mike Hague and Jordan Johnson await the unleashing of the "unstoppable" SEC Speed. Were they wondering what they got themselves into?
Jake Heaps and the rest of the BYU offense take the field before the first offensive play of BYU's independence.
Scoreboard! Here is a picture of the rebuttal to any Ole Miss fan trash talk after the game (surprisingly, there was more after the game than before). I didn't really take too many pictures during the game, as I wanted to be able to enjoy myself.

Here are some more pictures after the game. Jake Heaps and Kyle Van Noy took their turns talking to BYUTV's Robbie Bullough.


Overall, a lot of fun was had by all. I remember being down 13-0 and thinking, "If we lose this game, I probably won't say a word to anyone in the car during the entire 10-hour car ride home. In a matter of 15 minutes or so, that attitude change. I'm so happy I was able to be there to witness BYU's first game as an independent.

My Thoughts on Media Day

If you're anything like me, beside being 5'11 and named "Scott," you watched pretty much every aspect of the 2011 BYU Football Media Day. Here are a few things I took away from the day's events:

1. The Players Are Excited
Listening to the players, especially Corby Eason, talk about the upcoming season is incredibly exciting. I can't help but be excited by Eason's frequent use of the phrase "I can't wait!" in interviews. Certainly the players aren't going to say "I guess so" or "Meh" when asked if they're excited about the 2011 season, but they seem to know what they have on the team, and they're excited by it.

2. The Coach Is Excited
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall isn't going to be confused with The Pointer Sisters, but luckily he won't be confused with Saved By The Bell's Jessie Spano. BYU fans will likely agree that Bronco just looks like a new guy lately. He talks about how independence has reinvigorated him, and I think it shows. The stresses, disappointments, and coming-together of the 2010 team was a huge bonding moment for him and the players, and I think his excitement for 2011 will rub off on everyone associated with the program.

3. The ESPN Deal Is Even Better Than We Thought
I'm not sure how many of us thought we were going to be able to watch 10 of BYU's games on the ESPN family of networks during the 2011 season, but that's what we're looking at. It'll be 11 when the team becomes bowl eligible, which I am hoping is after the 6th game (ohpleaseohpleaseohplease!). This added exposure is going to be huge. For a guy like me, who lives 1,500+ miles away from Provo, ESPN is making it A LOT easier to follow BYU football.

4. Jake Heaps on Utah State
Like pretty much anyone else reading this blog, I was enraged by the Utah State game. It wasn't just the defense playing uninspired football. It wasn't just the lack of communication/success between the QB and WRs. It wasn't just my sister betraying our family and sitting in the USU student section while wearing a USU t-shirt (she also stormed the field - SHAME!). It's all of those things. I knew I was looking forward to the 2011 game, but I wasn't sure if the players shared that same feeling.

At Media Day, when asked about the 2011 schedule, Jake Heaps said, among other things, "We want that one back" about the USU game. In most seasons, that game isn't even mentioned (Idaho State, San Jose State, New Mexico State weren't mentioned), but the fact that it was and Heaps said that about it tells me everything I need to know about the players' mentality against Utah State. Yes, BYU will absolutely destroy Utah State this year, but not just because of USU's inherent inferiority. It is because the players know that game is when they hit rock bottom in 2010. That's a game they want back, because it was the worst one they played last season. That'll stick in their minds until rectified...and it will be rectified.

5. The "Legends Roundtable" Was Awesome
Whoever came up with the idea of putting those guys (Lavell Edwards, Ty Detmer, Trevor Matich, Bryan Kehl, and the satellite appearance of Steve Young) is a genius. Even though Edwards, Detmer and Young sort of dominated the conversation, it was great because of the way they played off each other and joked around with each other. Lavell still has a fantastic sense of humor, and I hope to see stuff like this every year. Also, I wouldn't be against seeing a basketball version of this some time in the future.

6. The Fans Should Be Excited: It doesn't take an Under Armour commercial to show that you don't have a pulse if you aren't fired up for this season. Yes, the home slate kind of sucks, but that will be a short-term problem. Teams like Texas, Boise State, Notre Dame and others are definitely coming to Provo, and others are in the works. The 2011 season looks very promising for BYU, and 2012 looks even brighter.

ESPN's SEC Position Rankings

Over the last few weeks, ESPN SEC bloggers Chris Low and Edward Aschoff has been ranking the different position groups in the SEC, including BYU's first-game opponent Ole Miss. I've kept track of all of the ranking and have made a semi-crude attempt at overall rankings.

The verdict? The idea BYU fans have been either thinking to themselves, telling only close friends, or screaming from the rooftops is true: Ole Miss really is not that good of a SEC team.

As you can see by the chart below, Ole Miss comes in as the third-worst team in all of the SEC. Now remember, the third-worst team in the SEC is NOT equal to the third-worst team in the WAC, MWC, or even the Pac-12. But it is looking more and more likely that BYU has a pretty good chance at coming home from Oxford with a win.

I guess the most exciting revelation from these rankings is that the Ole Miss defense is seen as the worst in all of the conference, with the linebackers and secondary coming in at dead last. With Jake Heaps leading an offense that caught fire towards the end of 2010 and is expected to pick up where they left off, this could lead to BYU starting the season off with a bang!

I think Ole Miss is not as bad as they look with these rankings and who knows how accurate these rankings are, but I think it should be safe to say BYU should be favored in this game.

Here are some of Low and Aschoff's thoughts on Ole Miss (Click on the clip for a better view):

On the QBS:
On the RBs:
On the WRs/TEs:
On the O-Line:
On the D-Line:
On the LBs:
On the DBs:

The Great Heaps Mission Debate

This is a subject in which I am surprised such debate exists: should Jake Heaps serve a full-time mission?

It is easy to give the answer of "yes," because we have been taught all of our lives that every worthy young man should serve a mission. So, by that token, the decision is not a decision all, because it has already been made for him.

Except for a little thing called "agency."

For me, the answer was easy. I went and did what was expected of me. It was a decision I had made years and years before acting on it. But there is a different set of circumstances surrounding Heaps' mission decision compared to my circumstances, and I don't think people understand the difficulty of Heaps' decision.

Those in a third-person perspective looking at it, say, "There's no question or decision about it. Just go!"

I would wager a small fortune none of those people were ever the #1 QB prospect in high school as a senior. They were likely not given the starting job at the most visible position on the BYU football team as a freshman - a dream come true for Heaps, I'm sure. The bottom line is they have no idea the sacrifice Heaps would be making.

Heaps has worked so hard throughout his entire life to one day be a QB in the NFL. Two years is an immense sacrifice for anyone, but for a QB, that's two years away from the game. Two years off a possible NFL career.

Saying "yes" to that decision is almost definitely saying "good-bye" to the possibility of being drafted in the first round. Teams like to draft younger QBs to groom them to be their quarterback.

People know BYU as a "QB Factory," but do you remember who the first returned missionary BYU QB to start in the NFL was? John Beck, a mere three years ago. A BYU QB not going on a mission is not a new topic.

Remember former #1 QB prospect Ben Olson? He served - and I give him ultimate props for doing so - and his college career did not turn out how he would have preferred. Not that it is because he served a mission, but if you were in Jake Heaps' position, wouldn't that scare you a tad?

The answer to the question of whether to serve is non-existent, because whether or not Jake Heaps should serve a mission is not even a question - at least not for me or you. It is a private decision between Heaps and the Lord. He is the one going. He is the one that needs to be committed.

Agency is one of the most sacred possessions we have as children of our Heavenly Father, so how dare anyone try to rob him of that?

I understand the thought that Jake Heaps should be an example to the younger kids in the church. However, I am from the Charles Barkley School of Philosophy. It is not Heaps' job to be a role model. Jake Heaps wants to play football, not raise your kids.

Why criticize him for not going on a mission? Why not appreciate him for the good kid he already is? Why try to fit him into a role he may not want to fulfill? There are plenty other people on the BYU football team or other teams willing to be that guy.

For example, here is a video on Utah basketball legend Tyler Haws.

After a very successful freshman season on the BYU basketball team, he chose to serve a mission. Tyler Haws' example screams "Here! Here's a role model!" Why waste time making someone else fit into a role that is already being fulfilled by guys like Tyler Haws?