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As the calendar turns, it's time to reflect on what we have seen in 2011 and expect to see in 2012, from BYU Football and Basketball--and what we have seen, and should keep seeing, is a whole lot of winning.
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The football team just concluded its fifth double-digit win season in the last six years; the only other times BYU had five or more 10+ win seasons in a six-season stretch: 1979 through 1984 and 1980 through 1985.
Bronco Mendenhall joins Georgia's Mark Richt and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops as the only active FBS coaches earning five 10+ win seasons in their first seven seasons at the FBS level.
Almost certain to be ranked in the season-ending Top 25 polls, BYU will be ranked for a fifth time in six seasons. The only other instances of BYU ending the season ranked five times in a six-season stretch: 1979 through 1984, 1980 through 1985 and 1989 through 1994.
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It's one thing to have your football team humming along and consistently racking up wins; it's another to have your basketball team doing the same thing at the same time.
Dave Rose is on pace for his seventh 20-plus win season in as many years, and a sixth consecutive 25-plus win campaign. With 20 wins in 2011-12, BYU will record seven consecutive 20-plus win seasons for the first time in school history, while the consecutive string of six 25- plus wins is an ongoing school record. Prior to Rose's tenure, which began in 2005-06, BYU had won 25 or more only five times in 103 years, and only twice consecutively--in 1991-92 (25-7) and 1992-93 (25-9). Nationally, only four programs have won 25+ games in the last five seasons: BYU, Butler, Kansas and Pittsburgh.
Back-to-back 30-win seasons (30-6 in 2009-10 and 32-5 in 2010-11) place BYU fourth nationally in win percentage over that two-season span, trailing only Kansas, Duke and Ohio State.
And since we've just turned the calendar page from 2011 to 2012, it bears noting that BYU's 31 wins from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31 made 2011 the winningest 12-month period in BYU Basketball history.
Noting the leadership at the helm of the two notably successful programs, BYU (Bronco Mendenhall and Dave Rose) joins Wisconsin (Bret Bielema and Bo Ryan) as the only two D1/FBS schools whose football and basketball coaches rank in the top 10 in active career win percentage. (Note: while Urban Meyer has yet to coach a game at Ohio State, that school would join BYU and Wisconsin, with Thad Matta and Meyer both in the career top 10).
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Clearly, the current run under Mendenhall and Rose undoubtedly represents the most prosperous football/basketball stretch in BYU history--yet, as notable as the achievements is the way in which this success has been achieved.
BYU and its athletic programs operate under a set of institutional guidelines and that limits the size of the recruiting pool. BYU's independent status in football and WCC membership in basketball (and the MWC membership that preceded the current alignment) also places BYU outside of college athletics' "Power Six" conferences and their attendant revenue advantages.
By the same token, it is also true that BYU's LDS Church affiliation gives the school a natural "in" with many recruits who favor the institution as their college destination, and BYU's recent exposure via ESPN league/institutional contracts and BYUtv has boosted BYU's public profile. Yet, BYU is still perceived to be at an disadvantage, nationally, purely from a standpoint of being able to recruit against team's from BCS conferences.
I know that BYU's leaders, AD Tom Holmoe, Mendenhall and Rose believe the school's standards and limitations can be used as a benefit in recruiting, but it is safe to say that most others on the outside looking in view them as a restriction. That being the case, BYU's accomplishments could be perceived as doing the very most with what some would consider the smallest recruiting base possible.
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It is true that it still takes talented athletes to win games; BYU is not doing this with smoke and mirrors. But whether it's Jimmer Fredette or Cody Hoffman; Noah Hartsock or Riley Nelson; Bryan Kariya or Brock Zylstra, the Cougars almost invariably end up featuring players who were not the biggest names with the most national publicity coming out of high school.
Fredette was a prolific scorer but barely got a sniff from the big-league schools in his area. He went on to become BYU's all-time leading scorer, national Player of the Year and top 10 NBA draft pick.
Hoffman put up numbers for a small northern California high school, and was practically ignored by every major university. After being recommended by one of Mendenhall's former college roommates at Oregon State, Hoffman came to BYU, and following a redshirt season, produced two tremendous years; he and Austin Collie are the only two BYU pass-catchers with as many as six 100- yard seasons through their sophomore campaigns, and Hoffman has already scored 18 touchdowns in only two years.
Hartsock was well-regarded as one of the best players in Oklahoma coming out of high school, but the list of big schools targeting him was small, and after an LDS mission, his first three seasons were solid, but never spectacular. Now, as a senior, he has been the Cougars' most consistent player and a viable Player of the Year candidate in the WCC.
Nelson was a high school record-setter in Logan, but after transferring from Utah State to BYU after his mission, he appeared to be destined for backup status following a 2010 injury and the emergence of QB Jake Heaps. We all know how that turned out, and it may be instructive that a player who actually was deemed to be the best high school quarterback in the country did not pan out at BYU.
Kariya was a high school valedictorian who walked on and almost had to leave BYU until a much-needed scholarship salvaged his Cougar career; in 2009, he stepped in for Harvey Unga and was the spark for the Cougars' win over national powerhouse Oklahoma. In 2011, he led BYU in rushing touchdowns.
Zylstra is a former walk-on who emerged from anonymity to lead BYU in scoring during the team's summer tour of Greece. He has started every game this season, and has games of 23 and 26 points on his resume in 2011-12. He won't always be the focal point of the opponent's scouting report, but he's a team captain as a junior, and you don't start for Dave Rose by accident.
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What BYU appears to specialize in, more than stars, is winners.
Look at the players who led BYU's football team in converting third downs this season: Bryan Kariya (former walk-on), Hoffman (small school, non-LDS former redshirt), Nelson (former backup/2011 punt-team gunner), and J.D. Falslev (began the season as a walk-on). They were the only four players with 10 or more third-down conversions this season, and what are third downs but a chance for the toughest players to make the most important yards.
Who did BYU's basketball team turn to in 2011? The formerly-chubby kid from upstate New York who refused to be pigeon-holed and made everyone stand up and take notice. Fredette's backcourt partner was a defensive specialist whose calling card was playing through pain. No one was touting Jackson Emery out of high school, but he ended up as BYU's all-time steals leader and the most important player not named Jimmer this past year.
I could go on, and name player after player whose prep portfolios rarely portend their playing careers as Cougars. But whether it's third-down conversions or steals, scramble yards on a 4th-and-9 (as was the case with Nelson at the Armed Forces Bowl) or 52 points a March night in Las Vegas (as was the case with Jimmer at the MWC Tournament), BYU fans were in 2011 treated to memorable performances from players and teams who showed that when it comes to winning, you can never really know which guy will become "the man." But, if the last few years of unprecedented success have showed us anything, it's that in the search for those players, you had better look beyond the ratings and recruiting services. You had better look for that player to whom winning means more anything else.
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Looking ahead, the BYU Basketball team (12-4, 1-1 WCC) is in mid-season, ranked highly in the national stat metrics (18th Pomeroy, 34th Sagarin) and high enough in RPI (64th) to be in the mix for a spot on Selection Sunday. Having opened WCC play with a loss at St. Mary's, BYU (like league contenders the Gaels and Gonzaga Bulldogs) can not afford slip-ups to non-contending teams on the road, and must hope to win all of its home games.
A top three finish in the WCC is the minimum expectation, while a top-two finish would guarantee a bye through to the conference tourney semifinals. Such a seeding, combined with a berth in the league tourney final versus the no. 1 seed may be enough to secure a six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the Cougars. Of course, I am writing this on the second day of January; a lot of basketball remains to be played.
Parenthetically, the easiest way to nail down a Dance bid is to win the league tournament, and as it will take place on a neutral court in Las Vegas at a time when BYU should be deep and healthy, there's no reason BYU shouldn't be considered as capable as any of the other "big three" of winning the tourney at the Orleans Arena.
The 2012-13 season will feature the return of Tyler Haws from his LDS mission and the maturation of Davies, Zylstra, Carlino, Harrison, Austin, Sharp, Winder and Cusick. Ian Harward will come off of his redshirt season, giving BYU even more size up front. It is hoped that Chris Collinsworth will full recovery from multiple knee surgeries and be able to contribute, this season and next.
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The football team will soon enough be taking part in winter workouts and spring ball, and then in the summer, a season will start with a senior quarterback at the helm. BYU's history when starting senior QBs is an impressive one:
In the last 36 years, all but one BYU senior QB who was the team's clear-cut starter for the entire season led the Cougars to a conference championship.
The list is as follows, with the team's season record and in parentheses. The QB's individual passing stats for the season are also included:
Gary Sheide, 1974 (7-4-1, 1st WAC); 60%, 2174 yds, 23 td/19 int
Marc Wilson, 1979 (11-1, 1st WAC); 59%, 3720 yds, 29 td/15 int
Jim McMahon, 1981 (11-2, 1st WAC); 64%, 3555 yds, 30 td/7 int
Steve Young, 1983 (11-1, 1st WAC); 71%, 3902 yds, 33 td/10 int
Robbie Bosco, 1985 (11-3, 1st WAC); 66%, 4273 yds, 30 td/24 int
Ty Detmer, 1991 (8-3-2, 1st WAC); 64%, 4031 yds, 35 td/12 int
Steve Sarkisian, 1996 (14-1, 1st WAC); 69%, 4027 yds, 33 td/12 int
Kevin Feterik, 1999 (8-4, t-1st MWC); 61%, 3554 yds, 25 td/15 int
Brandon Doman, 2001 (12-2, 1st MWC); 64%, 3542 yds, 33 td/8 int
John Beck, 2006 (11-2, 1st MWC); 69%, 3885 yds, 32 td/8 int
Max Hall, 2009 (11-2, 2nd MWC); 67%, 3,560 yds, 33 td/14 int
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Note: Steve Lindsley was a senior starter in 1986 (8-5, 2nd WAC), but he was replaced in the third-to-last game of the season and did not start the final two games.
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Since 1974, that's 11 senior BYU quarterbacks, and ten conference championships, with an average of 10.5 team wins in those senior seasons.
Individually, those ten senior quarterbacks have completed 65% of their passes for an average of 3657 yds, 30.5 tds and 13.1 ints.
Obviously, the conference title measuring stick is no longer applicable, but the win and passing totals are impressive, and while Riley Nelson is not a prototypical passer, his passing and rushing numbers should combine to produce an equally prolific season--assuming he can stay healthy.
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