BYU / Syracuse

[BobbyBlueChip]

Starting corners are hurt, but Y coaches like unit's depth
By Jeff Call
Deseret News sports writer

PROVO ? While BYU has been making preparations for the 2002 season ? which opens in one week ? cornerback Jernaro Gilford has been on the sidelines, resting his injured right knee.

Cougar coach Gary Crowton and cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell are optimistic that the 2001 All-Mountain West Conference first-team selection will be in the lineup when Syracuse comes to town. But Crowton says that the 6-foot-2 junior needs to start practicing soon if he's going to play. "Hopefully, he'll be able to practice by Monday," Crowton said.
Gilford underwent arthroscopic knee surgery during the off-season, and it's been difficult for him to recover fully.
Meanwhile, BYU's other starting cornerback, Brandon Heaney, has also been out of action since injuring his shoulder. He, too, is expected to play against Syracuse.
With a healthy Gilford and Heaney, the Cougars are in good shape in the defensive secondary. Without them, the situation becomes somewhat tenuous. Chad Barney, a junior college transfer, and senior Mike Sumko have been seeing the most time at corner in the absence of Gilford and Heaney. Ideally, BYU would like to move Barney to safety to play alongside sophomore Aaron Francisco.
Mitchell says that in his eight seasons at BYU, he has never had so much depth at cornerback as he has now. James Allen, Kip Nielsen, Micah Alba and O'Neil Howell will be expected to contribute this season when needed. "It will be exciting," Mitchell said, "if I can keep them all healthy."
Meanwhile, Crowton plans to put the "special" back into special teams at BYU. Breakdowns, such as the ones on kick and punt coverage that occurred in the regular-season finale against Hawaii and in the bowl game against Louisville, convinced Crowton to make some big changes.
Crowton not only named Paul Tidwell the new special teams coordinator, he also decided that every starter will be involved with at least one phase of special teams, but no more than two. (The quarterbacks, of course, are exempt.)
"I like that philosophy," Tidwell said. "It makes us stronger as a team. When you think about how many big plays come from special teams, you have to have great players out there."
Sophomore Matt Payne returns to handle placekicking chores. Payne connected on 73-of-76 PATs, hit 4-of-6 field goals from 40-49 yards and booted a 50-yarder against UNLV last season.
Payne and transfer Tyson Dunham are expected to do the punting. Walk-on Jared McLaughlin could also fit into the mix.
"Matt wants to kick and punt," Tidwell said. "He's been working at it a lot. We'll decide on a starter the week of the game. Matt has a strong leg. He can really boom 'em. Tyson is more of a finesse punter who has good hang time and placement."
Reno Mahe, David Christensen, Aaron Francisco and Chad Barney are among those who could return kicks for the Cougars.



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[BobbyBlueChip]

Sunday, August 25, 2002

Gilford may sit out opener Thursday
By Jeff Call
Deseret News sports writer

PROVO ? BYU cornerback Jernaro Gilford is questionable for Thursday's season-opener against Syracuse, coach Gary Crowton said Saturday.
Gilford, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last spring, has yet to practice with the Cougars since fall drills began on Aug. 8. The 6-foot-2 junior failed a trainer's test on his leg on Friday and was walking with a noticeable limp Saturday.
"I don't think Jernaro will play in the first game," Crowton said. "Let's put it this way: He's questionable. He still could make it."
Gilford's leg will be tested again Monday. He won't be allowed to practice or play until he passes the test.
"We will be more aggressive in the way we treat the leg," said BYU trainer George Curtis. "I'm optimistic we'll have better results Monday."
If Gilford can't go against Syracuse, junior Chad Barney or senior Mike Sumko would play in his place, Crowton said.
Curtis described Gilford's ailment as an impaired joint surface.
"When his knee contracts, the kneecap slides, and it causes him pain," Curtis said.
Gilford underwent arthroscopic surgery following the 2001 season. He reaggravated his knee in the spring and had another surgery in March, according to Curtis.
"Jernaro went home for the summer and lost a month of conditioning," Curtis said. "He has been working with (strength and conditioning coach Jay Omer) the last few weeks, with good results. It's a catch-22. He's got to get in shape in order to play, but while he's trying to get in shape, he aggravates the joint. He has joint inflammation."
Meanwhile, running back Reynaldo Brathwaite, a junior college transfer who missed part of last season due to a knee injury, passed a trainer's test on his leg and has been cleared to practice.

 

[BobbyBlueChip]

BYU's going bowling
By Jeff Call
Deseret News sports writer

Conference: Mountain West

BYU's Jernaro Gilford (4) tries to go over the top of Tulane's Terrell Harris (22) to intercept the ball.

Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News
2001 record: 12-2 ? Conference finish: 7-0

OFFENSIVE STAR ? Reno Mahe. BYU will make sure the football gets into the hands of its speedy senior wide receiver as often as possible in 2002.
A year ago, Mahe was part of a three-pronged offensive attack (along with quarterback Brandon Doman and running back Luke Staley) that led the nation in total offense and scoring. Mahe is the X-factor in coach Gary Crowton's wide-open scheme. He caught 91 passes for 1,211 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed 15 times for 180 yards and completed a 17-yard pass.
Perhaps most impressively, though, was the fact Mahe played in all 13 regular-season games. Two weeks before the season-opener, he suffered a broken bone in his foot yet ended up catching 12 passes for 96 yards against Tulane. Later, he underwent an appendectomy just six days before the Utah game. Against long odds, he played and helped the Cougars defeat the Utes.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER ON THE SPOT ? Bret Engemann. After redshirting last season to rehabilitate an injured shoulder, the junior quarterback is poised to direct Crowton's pass-happy offense.
Unlike Doman, his predecessor, Engemann has a strong arm and can stretch opposing teams' defenses. It helps that he'll have a bevy of receivers to throw to. Unlike Doman, Engemann is not a scrambler nor is he known for improvising with his feetHowever, he has become quicker and more mobile than he was when he started four games in 2000. During fall camp, Engemann has even shown that he can run the option from time to time.


DEFENSIVE ANCHOR ? Paul Walkenhorst. BYU coaches moved the 6-foot-5, 250-pound junior from outside linebacker to middle linebacker in the spring, and he's excited for the change.
Walkenhorst has the most experience of any player on the Cougar D, having started eight games as a freshman and every game as a sophomore. This year, Walkenhorst steps into the role of a leader, and he calls the defensive signals.
All eyes will be on the defense, which features a new, sleeker look in 2002 after being ranked No. 102 in total defense last season.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER ON THE SPOT ? Jernaro Gilford. The junior cornerback has missed almost all of fall camp due to a sore knee. Can he get healthy and avoid injuries this season? The All-MWC first-team star will be counted on to anchor the Cougars' defensive secondary and shut down the left side of the field.
Last season,Gilford intercepted a team-high six passes, including one late in the fourth quarter that sealed BYU's victory over Utah and its outright MWC championship.

SPECIAL TEAM STAR ? Matt Payne. The sophomore placekicker had a quiet yet impressive debut in 2001. The 6-foot-4, 238-pounder tied an NCAA record for most PAT attempts in a single-season (he made 73 of 76). He hit 4-of-6 field goals from 40-49 yards and booted a 50-yarder against UNLV.
Payne also proved to be a clutch performer. He nailed a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give the Cougars a 41-38 victory over Mississippi State. Payne could also do a lot of punting for BYU this season.

SCHEDULING QUIRK ? The Cougars play their first two games at LaVell Edwards Stadium, against non-conference foes Syracuse and Hawaii. They don't return home until Oct. 19, six weeks later.
In all, BYU will travel outside the state of Utah just four times in 2002, and it has only one long trip, on Sept. 21 at Georgia Tech. The remaining road games are close to home ? Nevada, Utah State, Air Force, Colorado State and Utah.

KEY STRETCH ? If BYU has any hopes at all of putting another scare into the Bowl Championship Series folks, it has to win its high-profile games against BCS opponents. The Cougars will get their shot early on, with contests against Syracuse and Georgia Tech the first month of the season.
Besides the season-finale at Utah, BYU's biggest challenge on its MWC schedule could come in mid-October. That's when the Cougars visit Air Force, host UNLV and travel to Colorado State over a 12-day period.

BEST-CASE SCENARIO ? If Crowton can mold this season's offense into a scoring machine like it was a year ago, if the defense proves to be dramatically improved from a year ago and if the Cougars can stay healthy, it could be another memorable season in Provo. Every game on BYU's schedule is winnable.

THEN AGAIN . . . If what has happened in fall camp (season-ending injuries to two starters, offensive tackle Ben Archibald and defensive tackle C.J. Ah You) is a sign of things to come, the Cougars' depth will be tested and they could become vulnerable.

MUST-WIN TO KEEP ALUMNI HAPPY ? This is a no-brainer. It's Utah, of course. This season, BYU invades Rice-Eccles Stadium, where the Cougars have had great success in recent years. BYU has won three in a row against the Utes in Salt Lake City. The last time Utah beat BYU at home was 1994.

CRYSTAL BALL SAYS ? The Cougars will contend for another conference championship, and the title could very well depend on the outcome of the BYU-Utah game Nov. 23. The Cougars will go to a bowl game in 2002? the only question is, will they be spending the postseason in Memphis, Las Vegas, San Francisco or Seattle?

 

[BobbyBlueChip]

View of Orange varies
The pundits can't come to a consensus on how successful SU football will be in 2002.

August 25, 2002

By Dave Rahme
Staff writer

The national experts have agreed to disagree on the state of Syracuse University football, as the 2002 season opener approaches.

Here is a sampling of where some national publications have ranked SU in the preseason:

No. 59, The Sporting News

No. 49, Sports Illustrated

No. 19, Street & Smith's

The official response from Orange headquarters?

"I didn't realize anybody had us 19," head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. "I thought they all had us the other way. I was hoping they all had us the other way."

It's easy to see why. The 2001 Orangemen used lack of respect - their streak of 14 consecutive winning seasons and Pasqualoni's job were in jeopardy, according to many national publications - as their rallying cry and rode it to a 10-3 record and a No.14 ranking in the final polls.

Pasqualoni would love to play that card again, and it looks as if he will get the chance. Syracuse will be unranked in both major polls when it opens the season Thursday at Brigham Young. Publications such as The Sporting News and SI believe the Orangemen will finish behind Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Pittsburgh in the eight-team Big East.

Pasqualoni said he understands why. SU will take the field Thursday with nine new starters on offense. Gone from 2001 are four of five starters on the offensive line, 1,000-yard rusher James Mungro and veteran fullback and team leader Kyle Johnson. On defense, star end Dwight Freeney and four-year defensive backs Quentin Harris and Willie Ford are gone.

"We lost a lot of guys," Pasqualoni said. "I'm sure it's a simple matter of them saying, 'There's no way you can lose

Freeney and Mungro and Johnson and the offensive line and then come back and have the kind of year you'd like.' I'm sure that's what it is."

Maybe the experts also looked at the final 2001 NCAA team leaders and saw that the Orangemen didn't finish in the top 25 in any key category except turnover ratio, where they were No.7 at plus-15. They were an anemic No.93 in total offense (329.4 yards per game) last season out of 115 Division I-A teams, and a mediocre No.46 in total defense (359.2 yards allowed per game).

Those statistics give no hint of a 10-3 season, yet SU was able to accomplish it by creating 30 turnovers on defense, committing only 15 on offense and finding a way to produce a big play when the game hung in the balance.

With so many of the players who created those turnovers gone, the experts believe a repeat performance is unlikely.

"We don't deny we lost a lot of good players," Pasqualoni said. "Yet, I think the team is confident that we have guys on the roster who are going to go in there and do a good job. That's the confidence they have within the program."

There are reasons for confidence. For the first time since Donovan McNabb graduated to the NFL following the 1998 season, SU is settled at quarterback. Junior R.J. Anderson came into his own as the starter last season, and Troy Nunes is a capable backup.

Center Nick Romeo is a three-year starter. There is depth and talent at wide receiver, where David Tyree, Johnnie Morant and Jamel Riddle are not returning starters technically but played as much as the starters did a year ago.

There is size, strength and experience on the defensive line, where 300-pounders Josh Thomas, Christian Ferrara and Louis Gachelin return.

The linebackers, led by two-time All-Big East first-team player Clifton Smith, are as good as any unit SU has ever fielded. Strong safety Keeon Walker is a preseason first-team all-league player.

The kicking game is settled, as Collin Barber came on midway through the season and made five of six field-goal tries and Mike Shafer is rock-solid on kickoffs and punts.

Those assets are countered by several causes for concern. The key components of the rushing game - the offensive line, tight ends, fullbacks and tailbacks - needed to be overhauled in the off-season.

The line will feature first-time sophomore starters Adam Terry at left tackle and Matt Tarullo at right guard. Junior right tackle Kevin Sampson and senior left guard Eric Kaloyanides each has one career start, although Sampson played in a regular rotation last season with Giovanni DeLoatch.

Trying to replace tailback Mungro's 2,869 career rushing yards will be a trio of players - sophomore Walter Reyes, senior Barry Baker and true freshman Damien Rhodes. They have 169 career yards combined.

Converted fullbacks Lenny Cusumano and Joe Donnelly will step in at tight end, and senior Chris Davis will start at fullback. Like Sampson, Davis is technically not a returning starter but played a lot over the last two seasons, starting six games in 2000.

On the other side of the ball,Freeney and Harris combined to cause 11 fumbles last season, recover five and intercept four passes. Those numbers must be replaced.

A committee of four - sophomore Julian Pollard and redshirt freshmen Tommy Harris, Ryan LaCasse and James Wyche - may try to fill Freeney's shoes, and sophomore O'Neil Scott will inherit Harris' free-safety spot.

Street & Smith's apparently believes Syracuse has the personnel and talent to conquer those concerns. The Sporting News and SI do not, and that seems to suit the Orangemen fine, as they prepare to open their season at BYU.

"I mean, there is so much skepticism about our team right now," Terry said. "Personally, I don't like people telling me I'm not good and stuff like that. Outside forces tend to motivate me internally. I'm that kind of person."

Sounds as if the "no respect" card has already been played.


? 2002 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.

 

[Box and one]

Bobbybluechip,
Been capping this game for over a week now.Will post it tonite or early tomr am.
Cuse on offense could be hurting.Even with all the injuries of BYU and new Qb,etc the Cuse has even bigger problems.
Thanks for those articles.

 

[BobbyBlueChip]

Looking forward to the writeup, Box. When I first saw the line, my first thought was the Orangemen just because it appears to be offense vs. defense and I hate Crowton. But Freeney in the backfield on EVERY SINGLE PLAY made this team last year and it should be a different story without him. Also would like to hear your take on the Mean Green if you have time. Love 'em this week and all I need is one small reason to go against Texas

 

[BobbyBlueChip]

Syracuse leery of Y. ambush

Trip to Provo is the farthest coach has traveled for opener
By Jeff Call
Deseret News sports writer

PROVO ? When the Syracuse football team arrives in Provo, it will mark the longest distance the Orangemen have traveled for a regular-season game during coach Paul Pasqualoni's 12 years at the helm.
Partly because of this rare trip to the West, Pasqualoni is wary about his team's 2002 season-opener Thursday (5:30 p.m., ESPN) against BYU at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
"It's an awfully tough opener," Pasqualoni said. "We are playing a very good football team. To complicate the issue, we have to travel across the country through two time zones. We have very little idea of what we're getting into here."
The high altitude and unfamiliar surroundings are among his concerns. And maybe he remembers that Miami (which is now, like Syracuse, a member of the Big East Conference) came to Provo ranked No. 1 to begin the 1990 season and left with a season-opening defeat.
Pasqualoni points out that his team has only 11 seniors and the Orangemen return two starters on offense and six on defense from a year ago. "We're very inexperienced and very young," he said.
Pasqualoni also emphasizes how difficult it is to prepare for the wide-open offensive attack Cougar coach Gary Crowton will throw at Syracuse. He is aware, too, that BYU has changed its defensive scheme from last season. "We kind of don't know what to expect," Pasqualoni said. "We'll have to get out there and make up the game plan as we go."
Not that he is going to find much sympathy for his plight in Provo. Syracuse blasted BYU in the first meeting between the two teams in 2000, when the Orangemen earned an easy 42-14 victory at the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse is looking to avoid the same early season fate that it suffered last year. In 2001, the Orangemen opened with a pair of defeats, albeit to teams that were ranked in the top 10 at the time, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. "We want to get off to a great start," said quarterback R.J. Anderson. "We don't want to start slow and have to work our way out of an 0-2 start again. We want to go out, start fast and get this thing rolling."
Following those first two losses, Syracuse responded in superb fashion. Anderson became the starter and the Orangemen reeled off eight straight wins before suffering a 59-0 beating at the hands of eventual national champion Miami. The Orange finished the season with back-to-back victories over Boston College (39-28) and Kansas State (26-3) in the Insight.com Bowl en route to a 10-3 campaign.
Anderson, a junior, runs Syracuse's dangerous option attack. "He's not flashy, but he's efficient. He does what needs to be done," Crowton said. "He's a blue-collar. He has fast receivers who are big and can catch the ball in a crowd."
On offense, the Orangemen return Anderson and center Nick Romeo, a three-year starter. However, several of last year's backups saw significant action in 2001, including wide receivers David Tyree (6-foot-1) and Johnnie Morant (6-4). They could be a factor Thursday, especially if BYU's tallest and most experienced cornerback, Jernaro Gilford, can't play.
At running back, Syracuse lost star James Mungro to graduation and projected starter Diamond Ferri to a yearlong suspension, but it has sophomore Walter Reyes, senior Barry Baker and true freshman Damien Rhodes. "They always have good running backs," Crowton said.
The defense is led by middle linebacker Clifton Smith, a 6-3, 251-pound senior who is a Butkus Award candidate. A two-time All-Big East first-team selection, Smith suffered a shoulder injury in the season opener last year against Georgia Tech but started in every game and led the Orangemen in tackles in 2001. "He persevered," Pasqualoni said. "That gives you an idea of his toughness and how much he means to the team."

NOTES: Gilford practiced for the first time this fall on Monday. Crowton said if Gilford's knee experiences swelling Tuesday, he probably won't play this week . . . Cougar freshman cornerback Travonne Jackson, who has battled homesickness, went home to Southern California last Thursday. Crowton said he hopes Jackson will return to the team soon . . . . Syracuse's longest regular- season road trip was in 1989, when the Orangemen beat Louisville in Tokyo, Japan . . . . Their longest trip within the continental United States was a 1977 season-opening loss at Oregon State . . . . Syracuse has won four consecutive road season-openers (at Temple, East Carolina, North Carolina and Toledo).



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[BobbyBlueChip]

Cougar lines thinned by injury
Senior offensive tackle and redshirt freshman defensive end are out for the year.

August 27, 2002

By Dave Rahme
Staff writer

The Brigham Young University football team was hurt by graduation nearly as much as Syracuse following the 2001 season.

In preseason camp, it got hurt some more.

Senior right offensive tackle Ben Archibald, who had started 24 consecutive games for the Cougars, suffered a season-ending compound fracture of his left leg midway through camp and will be lost for the season. The Outland and Lombardi trophy candidate was one of only two offensive line starters scheduled to return this season.

Redshirt freshman defensive end C.J. Ah You, whose 2000 season ended courtesy of a torn right knee ligament in the third game, tore the same ligament in the other knee early in camp and is out for the year.

Junior cornerback Jernaro Gilford, the team's best 1-on-1 cover man, has not practiced all preseason due to a right knee injury. He is still listed as a starter on the depth chart released by the school, but his status is uncertain. He failed a physical on Friday and cannot play until he passes it.

"You really feel bad for those two young men," BYU head coach Gary Crowton said. "C.J. had our best sack of the season in the second game, then had his season ended. This time, he wasn't even in full pads. He was just making a cut, and the other knee gave.

"Ben's injury was more traumatic. You have a three-year starter, a team captain, and the injury happened in front of the whole team. There was a big pileup, the weight came down on his leg ... the bone was sticking out. It was very traumatic."

The injury was unsettling enough for Crowton to end practice on the spot for the day.

"They'll get great medical attention, and hopefully they will be able to resume their careers," Crowton said.

Meanwhile, starting quarterback Brett Engemann, who wore No. 13 two seasons ago when he started against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome and suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, has decided to ditch the number this season and wear No. 5.

Maybe he saw the spate of bad luck and decided not to test fate.

Points easy to come by for Crowton's Cougars

SU coach Paul Pasqualoni was marveling about the many different ways BYU can get the ball into the end zone.

"You put the film in and watch them, and there's a tackle scoring on a touchdown pass," Pasqualoni said. "I'm telling you, look at the film."

Pasqualoni is right and wrong. In the second quarter of BYU's season-ending 28-10 loss to Louisville, left tackle Dustin Rykert set up to pass block while quarterback Brandon Doman rolled to his right. Doman then turned and flung the ball to Rykert on a tackle eligible play, and Rykert rumbled 20 yards for a TD that tied the game at 7.

Since Rykert was behind Doman when he received the pass, it was technically ruled a lateral, and it went into the scorebook as a 10-yard run. It was BYU's only touchdown of the game and allowed the Cougars to extend their NCAA record for games played without being shut out. The last time the Cougars were blanked was Sept. 27, 1975 vs. Arizona State, 337 games ago.

BYU averaged 47 points a game last season, led the nation in scoring and yards per game (543) and set an NCAA record by gaining 7,057 yards.

Twenty different players caught at least one pass, including Doman, but Rykert officially was not one of them. He may get another shot this season, as he will be back at left tackle Thursday when the Cougars face the Orangemen in the season opener.

No matter how many BYU wins, BCS won't call

The Mountain West Conference, of which BYU is a member, does not get an automatic Bowl Championship Series bid. The Cougars flirted with embarrassing the BCS last year when they won their first 12 games and were told that under the BCS formula they would not get a shot at the national title even if they went 13-0.

"It wasn't a good situation," Crowton said. "All of a sudden the national media started paying attention, and the season took on a Cinderella feel. Then we found out we weren't going, and we still had a tough game on the road against a very good Hawaii team."

Distracted and disappointed, BYU was blown out 72-45 by the Rainbows.


? 2002 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.