2008 BYU Cougars
July 18, 2008
We are fast approaching another NCAA football season, and Jason Lowry is ready to bring you his 2008 BYU Cougars football predictions. The Cougars won their 2nd straight Mountain West title after another perfect 8-0 record in conference play. The were also able to put together an 11-2 overall record including a 17-16 win over UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. This year things might start to take a slight turn as head coach Bronco Mendenhall only has 12 returning starters coming back this season. To get a good idea at where this team will be inexperienced, lets take a quick look at what the Cougars will be sending to the field on both sides of the ball this season.
Offense:
There really isn’t much of a problem on this side of the ball with 9 starters coming back for another season. This includes a very solid quarterback in junior Max Hall who threw for over 3,800 yards and 26 touchdowns last season. The team also brings back stud sophomore running back Harvey Unga who rushed for over 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman. The team brings back 3 starters at the receiver and tight end positions, including very solid players in junior receiver Austin Collie and junior tight end Dennis Pitta. The offensive line brings back 4 starters and will only need to replace the center position. As it looks now junior Tom Sorensen will be the guy the Cougars turn to. The guy to watch in this group is senior left tackle Dallas Reynolds who is not only one of the best in the Mountain West, but one of the best tackles in the country.
Defense:
Here is where things get a little interesting for the Cougars as they only bring back 3 starters on this side of the ball, meaning so many new faces will have to learn to play together in such a short period of time. The defensive line should be solid as it brings back 2 starters here in junior defensive ends Ian Dulan and Jan Jorgensen. Jorgenson was a beast last year recording a team high 14 sacks. The last starter coming back on this side of the ball comes at linebacker in senior David Dixon who will need to lead junior linebackers Coleby Clawson, Shawn Doman, and Vic So’oto. Where this team will struggle the most is in the secondary, as 4 new faces will be in the starting lineup this season. The team does plan on using two redshirt freshman in corner G Pittman and strong safety Jordan Pendleton. It looks like senior Kellen Folwer will step in at free safety, while junior Scott Johnson takes over at the other corner spot.
Prediction: 2nd in the Mountain West
While its hard to pick a team to finish this high with so few players coming back on one side of the ball, the offense should be able to carry this team for the most part. Plus the defense has plenty of older players stepping in so it might not be as bad a transition as it looks. We think the Cougars take a step back this year, but still have enough talent to win at least 9 games this season.
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