Where does the UCLA game rank?

What a difference a week makes. After a 28-27 win at Washington, BYU got nothing but bad publicity after blocking a late extra point to beat the Huskies. Now? Well, a 59-0 thrashing of UCLA does wonders for one's resume.
Just how good was the UCLA win? Well, it's not only drawing big talk from ESPN and other national outlets, but fans are still buzzing days later.
This win has to rank up there with the most enjoyable, most impressive victories in BYU history. Yes, UCLA may prove to be terrible and could certainly finishing below .500. But for now, this win is tasting mighty sweet.
In my lifetime, only a handful of other BYU wins compare to Saturday's show of dominance. The 1990 win over No. 1 Miami is right up there. The 1997 Cotton Bowl win over Kansas State was sweet, as were the last two years against the Utes. The dramatic opening win over Texas A&M in 1996 stuck with me, as did BYU's 2001 miracle at Rice-Eccles.
All were great for different reasons. Some for the magnitude of the win, others for the late dramatics. As for UCLA, the overwhelming nature of the victory made this one a sight to behold.
In more than 20 years of watching BYU, I've never seen a first half to match this one.
Hopefully, that won't be true in a few weeks.
Dominating wins over Wyoming, Utah State and New Mexico are up next. Then we get a treat when the Cougars visit TCU on Thursday, Oct. 16. Maybe that contest will make my "most memorable" list.
Only time will tell. But until Saturday, it's time to soak up BYU's leaving the Bruins in ruins as Jeff Call put it in Deseret News.
Good times. Good times.

Hard to top this day for BYU, MWC

Simply put, it was the greatest -- and most enjoyable -- half of football I've ever seen. Offense, defense, special teams: Everything went virtually perfect for BYU in a 59-0 rout of UCLA.
And the Cougars weren't the only Mountain West team to come away victorious against a Pac-10 foe on Saturday.
Incredibly, the MWC went 4-0 in its matchup with the Pac-10, including UNLV rallying from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to take a 23-20 overtime win over No. 13 Arizona State.
TCU shredded Stanford 31-14 and should crack the Top 25 before the month is up. Even New Mexico, which has looked terrible this season, managed to beat a solid Arizona team 36-28.
Four-and-oh against the Pac-10 is sweet. Of course, nothing tops 59-0. From the three UCLA fumbles in the second quarter to the blocked field goal to Max Hall's record-tying seven touchdown passes, it was a day that left Cougar fans with hoarse voices and wide smiles.
Next true test: TCU in October. By then, BYU should be 6-0 with a Top 10 ranking.
Should be fun.

Scoring on the Bruins

While "Lockergate" continues to eat up local and national headlines, BYU's game against UCLA is just four days away.
What looked like a probable Cougar win during fall camp and the first half of the Bruins' opener against Tennessee, has become possibly the toughest test BYU will face in 2008.
The biggest challenge Saturday? Scoring points. BYU's offense is averaging nearly 35 points per game thus far, but don't expect the Cougars to reach that tally this week.
Far too many fan predictions have BYU reaching the 30s. Don't count on it.
Scoring more than three 3 TDs against a tough UCLA defense that is very familiar with our offense will be a tall order. With athletic corners, the Bruins can man up BYU's receivers and stack the box to take away the running game.
That means there will be more pressure on BYU's defense to make the stops it struggled to make against Washington. Fortunately, Kevin Craft is no Jake Locker and UCLA's more conventional approach (i.e, less QB creativity) will be easier to stop.
I see this game in the 20s, with one the loser probably not escaping the teens on the scoreboard.
UCLA has the better defense. BYU has the better offense. UCLA has outstanding coaching. BYU has an outstanding system in place. Both have special teams standouts.
The factor that slides the edge to BYU is the fact the game is at LaVell Edwards Stadium. But this'll be another heart-stopper.
Prediction: BYU 23, UCLA 17

We just witnessed the value of home-field advantage

Closer than it should have been. That's the best way to sum up BYU's 28-27 at Washington on Saturday. Yards, first downs, time of possession. All were dominated by the Cougars for much of the game. Still, it came down to the final play.
Why? Two reasons: Turnovers and Pac-1o officials. BYU's interception before the half cost the Cougars a likely 21-14 lead at intermission. And Harvey Unga's fumble at the goal line would have put BYU in control and on its way to a probable double-digit win.
The Pac-10 officials missed one holding call after another, missed an intentional grounding on the Huskies' final drive and the review officials missed overturning a bobbled catch on the sideline that kept the final drive alive. On and on.
The funniest part of the day? FSN announcers Barry Tompkins and Petros Papadakis going nuts about how the officials cost UW the win. My wife actually laughed out loud at that. The officials played a key role in giving UW a chance to tie that game. In fact, if they call the final drive right, UW never gets to the 3-yard line to set up Jake Locker's TD.
Crazy day, indeed. But the fact BYU overcame its road woes while losing the turnover battle and getting the raw end of a few game and officiating breaks, is something significant.
Two-and-oh. UCLA's next. While the narrow nature of the win won't aid BYU's cause in the polls, a convincing win next week puts the Y right where it needs to be.

Another perfect prediction?

After nailing the BYU-UNI outcome last week, I venture for another perfect score prediction as the Cougars travel to Washington to face the reeling Washington Huskies. Seattle Times writer Jerry Brewer had a great column on the current state of UW football. My favorite section:

In one peculiar moment Monday, (Jake) Locker said he thought the team may have been "overconfident" entering the Oregon game. He thought it might've contributed to the flat performance and said, "We have to understand we can't just show up and beat anybody."
Prodigies say the darnedest things. If a few good weeks of practice made the Huskies overconfident, then America's youth really do have a problem with entitlement.
The only thing more humorous than Locker's words was the vote of confidence Willingham gave to punter Jared Ballman, who struggled against Oregon: "I think he can do some exciting punting."

Hopefully BYU's defense allows Ballman the chance to do plenty of "exciting punting" on Saturday. My guess? Locker will get his yards against a young BYU defense. But he won't be able to consistently move the chains enough to generate long scoring drives.

BYU will give up between 17-30 points in this one. The key will be the Cougar offense finding a rhythm against a Pac-1o team, even one as bad as UW. If Harvey and Fui get going, BYU will have too many weapons and will outpoint the Huskies. If not, we're in for a barnburner.

Beat the Huskies, and things get really interesting with a ranked -- and suddenly more scary -- UCLA team coming to town Sept. 13. A 3-0 BYU will surely be flirting with the Top 10. But to be 3-0, you have to be 2-0 first. And Saturday's game is no gimmee, considering the venue and BYU's recent nonconference road struggles.

My call: BYU 31, Washington 24. The game kicks at 1 p.m. MT on FSN. Enjoy.

5 Reasons BYU wins/loses at UW

This is the big one. Actually, it's the first of four "Big Ones" on BYU's 2008 football schedule. On the Quest for Perfection, the biggest obstacles to an unbeaten record and BCS bid are Washington, UCLA, TCU and Utah. The first of those four takes place this Saturday in Seattle, a place the Cougars are 0-3 all time.
Below are five reasons BYU will lose to the Huskies and five reasons the Cougars move to 2-0.

5 Reasons BYU loses at Washington

1. History: Not only is BYU winless in its previous trips to Washington (including the lone loss in a 14-1 season in 1996), but the Cougars have lost NINE straight nonconference road games. History is not on the Y's side this week.

2. Jake Locker. Mobile quarterbacks can give a defense headaches, especially a defense as green as BYU's. The Cougars made a couple key assignments miscues against Northern Iowa. If that happens again, UW could put up some points Saturday.

3. Overconfidence. It's apparent, and it's been admitted by coaches and players, that BYU was overconfident entering the UNI game. Another "cruise-control" effort or even a few plays of going through the motions could bring a premature end to an unbeaten run.

4. Turnovers. Five fumbles (four lost) against the I-AA Panthers is a bad sign. Against a more talented Husky team, it could be fatal. BYU needs a healthy Harvey Unga all game to avoid having backups in the game too often. Against UNI, J.J. Diluigi and Wayne Latu coughed up the ball to kill promising drives into UNI territory.

5. Pac-10 officials: If the game is remotely close, BYU could be in trouble as Washington will get the bulk of the breaks and the calls. One or two plays/calls could spell the difference if this road opener is tight in the fourth quarter.

5 reasons BYU wins at Washington

1. They're due. The Cougars finally appear to have the experience and the coaching to overcome their early-season road woes. A stellar performance in Seattle puts those demons to bed once and for all.

2. Max Hall. Hall was crisp and sharp in the opener, outside of a couple errant throws to Austin Collie. Going 34 of 41 for nearly 500 yards in an opener is a sign of incredible things to come for the junior, who could pick apart UW's secondary all afternoon.

3. Weapons. UW's defense struggled to stop Oregon's high-powered offense. While BYU lacks the team speed of the Ducks, the Cougars actually have more weapons and more experience offensively than Oregon. A questionable Husky defense will have nightmares matching up with Unga, Collie, Pitta and Fui Vakapuna, who adds one more weapon after sitting out the opener.

4. Lessons learned. Bronco Mendenhall said he was grateful for the miscues against UNI. He's hoping a humble BYU team comes to practice ready to listen and learn this week. If it happens, BYU will be prepared and play with an edge on Saturday.

5. UW issues. Washington looked confused and unprepared against Oregon, outside of some decent play in the second quarter. With problems on offense and defense, a coach on the hot seat in Tyrone Willingham and a restless fan base, the Huskies just aren't in a position to beat BYU right now. A few early miscues could bring out the boo birds and aid the Cougar cause.