BYU announcer: Cougars will need strong D to upset Notre Dame
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Correspondent
Each and every week during the Irish football season, IndySportsLegends.com interviews Notre Dame’s upcoming opponent’s radio play-by-play announcer.
This week, IndySportsLegends.com spoke with Greg Wrubell, the Voice of the Cougars.
Following is what Wrubell had to say about BYU, who has a 4-3 record this season following a 42-24 home loss to No. 10 Oregon State last Saturday, and its game against the Irish Saturday afternoon in Notre Dame Stadium.
IndySportsLegends.com: Has it been somewhat of a rollercoaster type season for the Cougars?
Wrubell: They got off to a 2-0 start, but the trouble began to appear in the second game when they played an FCS team at home in Weber State. That was the game in which quarterback Riley Nelson was hit in the back a couple of times and ended up giving him what he called, ˜small fractures’ in his back.
They got through those games at 2-0, but they played the second half of that second game without Nelson, who was hurt.
They played him hurt the next two games. They played him at Utah while he was injured and they played him at Boise State when he was even worse off. They lost both those games. These were very close games (24-21 against Utah and 7-6 against Boise State). The reverse speculation is how would BYU have done with a healthy quarterback in those games and you can only wonder, ˜What if,’ at this point.
They clearly chose to go with a guy who was not effective and those two losses really put a damper on what would be the remainder of the season because when you are an independent like BYU is and you’re not tied to a BCS bowl affiliation like Notre Dame is, it’s kind of BCS bowl game or bust in a lot of ways. The minute you lose that first game it kind of takes you out of the running.
Those two losses put them at 2-2 and now you’re just trying to get to bowl eligible, get your ranking and the kind of things BYU has been used to playing for in recent years.
They fashioned a couple of wins and kind of got back on track, but last week took one on the chin at home against Oregon State. That was a game that was 21-21 in the fourth quarter, BYU playing toe-to-toe with a top-10 team. But as has been kind of the case recently when BYU plays the better teams in the bigger games turnover troubles become a big issue. They were again last week. They were minus three in the margin and kind of faded late.
Now you’re sitting at 4-3 and taking on one of the best teams in the country.
BYU has never played back-to-back games against top-10 teams and now that’s staring them in the face on Saturday.
IndySportsLegends.com: So is Nelson on the shelf now?
Wrubell: No, he’s back and playing. They sat him for two games after the Boise State game and Taysom Hill played. Taysom Hill got knocked out for the season because of miscommunication. They were supposed to go to Victory Formation as they could’ve taken three knees against Utah State. Instead they ran a quarterback draw and he got his knee blown out on that play so he’s gone for the season.
He’s a bigger, stronger, faster version of Riley Nelson. He’s a mobile guy, but a tremendous athlete. They lose him and now Nelson is back in the game. They started him last week against Oregon State. He played OK until the fourth quarter. The record is going to show one touchdown and three picks and some really unwise decisions when more care was needed.
Nelson is the guy and James Lark remains the backup.
IndySportsLegends.com: Is Nelson close to 100 percent?
Wrubell: Well, they’ve taken him off the trainer’s report and injury list so they believe the two games he got off allowed his back to heal to the point where he could be more effective and last week he was.
They began the game in which he ran for 16 yards and he took hits. He really doesn’t shy away from contact. He’s a really unique guy. He’s a great leader. He does the very best he can with his abilities, yet he’s not physically imposing. He’s tougher than nails and is a team captain. He doesn’t know anyway to play other than full speed ahead and take hits so it’s a very risk heavy style of play.
He probably isn’t going to be 100 percent the rest of the season, but he’s good enough to play and for Coach (Bronco) Mendenhall and offensive coordinator Brandon Doman that’s good enough right now.
IndySportsLegends.com: When you think BYU, you think aerial attack and a wide-open offense. What kind of offense will Notre Dame fans see from this Cougar team?
Wrubell: It’s an offense that Brandon Doman and Coach Mendenhall kind of refashioned in the last couple of years.
BYU has historically been a pro style, pocket passer based concept.
With them going with Riley Nelson, they chose to move the pocket and make quarterback mobility an active part of the game plan. That part is different for BYU.
In Bronco Mendenhall’s first five seasons, five very successful seasons, he relied on that pocket passer. He had two year of John Beck, who had been an NFL guy until just recently, and than three years of Max Hall, who is serving as a student assistant right now on the BYU staff.
So five straight years of a pro style, pocket passer and no quarterback injuries to speak of. John Beck and Max Hall took every meaningful snap for five years. The quarterback was protected. It was the air raid style of passing attack, which is quick release, quick throws. The quarterback didn’t have time to get hit.
The last couple of years they’ve chosen to make quarterback hits part of the package and some would say they’re playing the price for it.
IndySportsLegends.com: What kind of a running back is freshman Jamaal Williams is and does he get the bulk of the carries?
Wrubell: Now he does. Michael Alisa was the workhorse back for BYU. He got his arm broken three games ago so he’s out for the season or at least until the bowl game.
What that did was turn the focus to Jamaal Williams. He’s an exciting back. He already has five rushing touchdowns. He’s 17 years old so he’s kind of a special case. He’s a very fun guy to watch.
BYU’s most potent offensive weapon right now is Jamaal Williams and he’s having to be the new workhorse for BYU.
Now in the BYU offense you don’t even see running backs get 20 carries a game. A 12- to 15-carry day is a pretty standard busy day for a back like Jamaal. The quarterback often gets as many runs as the top running back in any given game.
IndySportsLegends.com: BYU’s defense is fifth in the nation in yards allowed (260.86) and seventh in points allowed (13.57). This Cougar defense is pretty salty is it now?
Wrubell: It is and one of the interesting things about this game we’re going to see Saturday is how similar the two teams’ profiles are.
Now you could certainly make the point and a valid one that Notre Dame’s schedule tips the metrics in favor of the Irish, but both teams are relying on a very stingy defense and an offense that is kind of hit-and-miss, staggering with big games followed by kind of paltry production games.
I’m not going to say we’re going to see more punts than points on Saturday, but it’s going to be one of those games where nobody will be surprised if it ends up being 17-9, 14-10 or 20-13 late in the game. I think everybody expects a lower-scoring affair.
When Notre Dame does plays BYU, historically the Irish score a ton of points, but I’ve seen enough games and watched enough film that I just don’t know, especially with the quarterback uncertainty right now between (Tommy) Rees, (Everett) Golson and who knows if (Andrew) Hendrix is in the mix. There’s not a lot of consistency right now and a lot of go-to schematics right now for the Irish and that’s been BYU’s problem.
IndySportsLegends.com: When you’re calling the game on Saturday, will there be a key matchup you’ll be focused on?
Wrubell: I want to see how much they’re going to assign Manti Te’o to simply handle Riley Nelson, simply making him the focal point of the game plan because as Nelson goes, BYU will go.
They’ve never put (backup quarterback) James Lark in a competitive situation.
As I mentioned, Nelson is not physically imposing, is already banged up and that has to be a focal point because if BYU chooses to run Riley Nelson than Notre Dame has the guys to make BYU pay for it and Manti is primarily among them.
I think Manti’s range is unparalleled in the college game and he’s a heat seeker. If BYU tests Manti Te’o, they’re going to find out what so many have found out this season and that is if he’s on a mission to stop you, that’s what he’s going to do.
IndySportsLegends.com: If we had access to BYU’s scouting report, what do you think would be at the top of its list of concerns when looking at the Irish?
Wrubell: The way the Irish are playing ball security football and yet aggressively taking it away on the other end because it’s exactly the opposite of what BYU has been doing in the bigger games against the better teams.
Turnover margin, which was a pretty significant issue last season for the Irish, has flipped right around this year. As it has flipped around in the Irish’s favor, BYU is muddling around in the 90s right now (out of 120 FBS teams) in turnover margin.
In BYU’s three losses this season, the opposition has yet to turn the ball over a single time and BYU has turned it over multiple times.
As a matter of fact, Coach Mendenhall has coached 16 games at BYU against ranked teams in his tenure at BYU and he’s 4-12 in those 16 games. In the four wins, they’re plus-2 (in turnover margin). In the 12 losses, they’re minus-22.
More than they’ll say what worries them about Notre Dame is their own side and its cleanness of play. They have to be cleaner.
They’re penalized a lot. They turn it over a lot and they don’t get enough on the other end.
They have a very good defense as you can see statistically, but they don’t take the ball away a lot. That has to happen on Saturday if BYU is to have a chance.
IndySportsLegends.com: Short of a prediction, what kind of a game do you envision transpiring between the Irish and Cougars on Saturday?
Wrubell: Last week’s game really gives you pause. Going into the Oregon State game, BYU’s defense had allowed four touchdowns all season and they allowed five last week alone. They were smack in the face a little bit.
The coaches chose to look at it as a bad assignment and execution day for BYU. The scheme was there to defeat Oregon State defensively, but the focus and concentration was not. Bronco said he thought his guys were a little overconfident. They were ranked No. 1 in the nation in rush defense and top five in all major categories, a lot like Notre Dame is right now. That shook them up last week.
Who is this BYU team? I think we’ll have an even better idea after Saturday.
I think the Cougars are simply going to rely on keeping the numbers low, keeping the points to a point where it’s manageable again in the fourth quarter and hope to make a big play somewhere along the way. Nothing BYU has done recently in terms of offense aside from the Hawaii game and you really count much in the Hawaii game because they’re so poor – 119th in scoring defense right now aside from that little blip, BYU has not been a consistent offensive team. They’re going to have to win it on the defensive side of the ball.
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