Viewpoint: Cougs Just Can’t Close Yet

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    By Joseph Simmons

    Many people have heard the stories from someone recounting their success fishing at the lake. Sure they caught a few decent fish, but if only you could have seen the one that got away. It was at least a couple feet long, felt like it weighed 25 pounds. And while one can”t help but enjoy the story, ultimately both parties realize that it”s nothing more than that: a good story.

    So it is that the Cougars gave fans plenty to talk about Saturday afternoon in Boston at Alumni stadium. The offense must have put up about 550 yards, the defense got plenty of turnovers, but darn it, the line broke before they could reel ”er in.

    The proverbial line broke in several ways; all of them frustrating. The Cougars showed flashes of brilliance, as they have many times before, but as they have done many times before as well, crumbled in the end.

    To explain why this happens over and over again is difficult. There are many things to point to. The officiating was terrible and awfully one-sided. All the same, there were many false starts and interference penalties by BYU that were correctly called. The game was on the road; the crowd could have been a factor. The team was starting the game earlier than usual. To sum up, there are things that could be blamed. These points, however, just don”t provide a solid answer.

    So to propose another hypothesis, there is evidence to suggest that at this point the Cougars just don”t have the ability to finish games and convert when it really counts. The defense provided ample opportunity for the offense not just to win the game, but turn it into a laugher.

    The Eagles fumbled on their first play from scrimmage, and gave the Cougars the ball on the 34-yard line. The offense, however, couldn”t put a field goal on the board after two penalties. The next series was three-and-out, and BYU started again.

    Coach Mendenhall, who knows the team better than anyone else, knows that they can do better. To him, it is a question of identity.

    “The part that we still need to work on when it comes to identity is the precise execution regardless of circumstance,” Mendenhall said.

    The question that now must be addressed, is how to fix it. The answer has seemed to elude BYU coaches for several years now.

    John Beck, the veteran quarterback and leader of the team, has to set the example. Beck had several crucial incomplete passes, including two in the end zone when BYU had a first-and-goal on the B.C. seven-yard line. Beck has stood several times on the cusp of greatness, to permanently etch his name into the list of great Y quarterbacks, but has not been able to pull off the victory. BYU will not be able to blow out every team and he has to be able to will the team to victory in close games. There”s not much time left or huge games to go with it for that matter, but if he can do it, BYU will win the Mountain West Conference.

    The offensive line cannot continue to have false starts and holding calls. If you take away the false start and ridiculous illegal formation call in the first quarter, BYU likely would”ve gone up 14-0. It is a question of execution, and they must execute perfectly if they hope to beat TCU or anyone else for that matter.

    This team has all the talent to be extremely successful, but no matter how big the fish is, it doesn”t matter unless you can get it in the boat and eat it for dinner. The team needs to win.

    This season is not over, even though losing a game like this is disheartening. Other than momentum and confidence, this Boston College game meant little. There is still a whole fall full of conference games, and a championship to be won. Utah State needs to be taken care of and they need to receive the undivided attention of the Cougars. After the Aggies, it”ll be time to focus on the next fish to fry.

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