Road-Worthy

Before the Cougars left the lockerroom to hit the floor against the Creighton Bluejays last night in Omaha, Dave Rose talked about being dressed for success.

"I told them, 'take a good look at yourselves in these blue uniforms, because this is what determines how good you're going to be. If you can win in these uniforms, you've got a chance to be pretty special.'"

Playing their first true road game of the season, the Cougars donned the away jerseys and won in one of the toughest buildings in which to get a "W," gutting out a 77-65 victory over a Creighton team that had a Qwest Center record of 101-18 before Wednesday.

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On a night that fellow Provo HS products Brandon Davies and Kyle Collinsworth had career nights, no one was gutsier than Jackson Emery.

Dealing with a shin injury that prevented him from practicing on Monday and Tuesday and kept him off the floor at shootaround on gameday, Emery decided he could play through the pain.

He didn't start the first half, but he played all 20 minutes of the second half, and was an impact player, accumulating 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal, in 30 minutes played.

Emery's two biggest shots of the night were instrumental in turning back Bluejay rallies. With BYU having lost a 12-point lead and with the game tied at 48, Emery nailed a three-pointer to re-take the lead. With Creighton having cut a later ten-point deficit in half, Emery hit another triple, giving BYU a 64-56 lead; the cushion would not be fewer than six points the rest of the way.

We all knew Jackson Emery was a tough player; the "Pain Magnet" is always playing hurt. But Dave Rose told me after the game that he "would not have thought" Emery could play 30 minutes last night. The fact he was one of the best players on the floor in his limited condition says volumes about his value.

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Brandon Davies and Kyle Collinsworth were special last night. Davies scored a career-high 24 points with six rebounds (five on the offensive end), and zero turnovers. That last number is an important one for Davies, who is working hard to a) stay on the floor, and b) take care of the ball.

Davies' first half featured more foul trouble, as he played only seven minutes after picking up two quick fouls. He played all 20 minutes of the second half, and scored the final 13 BYU points of the game. On the night, he converted four three-point plays. Davies' confidence, and teammates' confidence in him, will go a long way to determining how far this Cougar team goes.

Collinsworth is such a unique player. He doesn't have a reliable mid-to-long range shot, but he makes up for his marksmanship issues by getting to the hoop and finishing. His first career double-double (12 pts, 10 rebounds) came in 31 minutes of play, as Rose shows he has faith in the freshman, just as he depended on Tyler Haws last season. At 6'6", Collinsworth is versatile enough to have guarded Creighton point guard Antoine Young, who struggled to a 5/14 shooting night.

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Jimmer Fredette went 5/15 on the night, with more turnovers (four) than assists (three), but the attention he drew from two and often three players left teammates open, and they responded (especially early).

Jimmer will have better games, but BYU is a better team after nights like last night.

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The nation's leading team in turnover percentage and turnover margin, BYU was at it again last night, giving it away only six times (Creighton had only seven TOs), while dishing out 16 assists against the Bluejays.

A top ten rebounding team, the Cougars out-boarded the Jays by ten, 43-33. BYU added six blocks and seven steals. Folks, this team does everything it takes to win games, even when shots aren't dropping.

Speaking to productive balance in the non-scoring categories, five BYU players had at least five rebounds; six BYU players had at last two assists.

Noah Hartsock had a career-high five blocked shots, including a series of game-turning swats late in the contest.

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This was a huge game for BYU's early-season resume, with the Cougars' RPI up to 19 (according to Jerry Palm) at 7-0 on the season. It's the third straight season BYU has opened the year with at least seven consecutive victories (BYU has started 10-0 in each of the last two seasons).

How big was this game? Dave Rose made his bench as short as it has ever been at this time of year. As I wrote earlier this week, the reserve firepower just isn't there right now, so barring foul trouble, Rose is going to have ride his best players more than he ever has, in tight, important games.

Only seven players played in the second half, and three players (Fredette, Emery, Davies) played all 20 minutes, while Hartsock and Collinsworth played 15 apiece. Dave Rose was not about to risk letting this one get away, and his substitution pattern showed how serious he was about getting the most out of his best guys.

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A few hundred BYU fans stayed after the game to meet the team, in an impromptu get-together organized by BYU Sr. Associate Athletic Director (and my broadcast partner last night) Brian Santiago.

I shot a little video of the gathering, and you can see it on my new YouTube channel, at [**youtube.com/gregwrubell**](http://www.youtube.com/gregwrubell).

I will post occasional video clips to the channel, so check back frequently.

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Football note: the BYU-Utah game was the Las Vegas Bowl Qualification Game, and by losing on the hill, BYU dropped to Albuquerque. The Poinsettia Bowl, Independence Bowl and Armed Forces Bowl all had their preferred teams lined up, and the New Mexico Bowl became BYU's only option.

The game will come quickly--in 18 days from now. By participating in the the first bowl game of the season, the Cougars will get some national play, but the important thing is just to get one more game, a few more practices, and a chance for offensive coaches and players in particular to eliminate the bad taste of the Utah game.

A report in El Paso has "a source close to the (New Mexico Bowl)" saying UTEP will be BYU's bowl opponent. The Miners are a mess, having lost five of six games to close the season, after opening 5-1. The Cougars and Miners are heading in exactly opposite directions, with BYU winning four of five and five of seven after opening 1-4.

UTEP has a Sagarin rating of 113, and an SOS rating of 127. If it's UTEP, BYU wins in a rout.

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