BYU Cougars: Three keys to the catfight with Northern Iowa Panthers

By Todd Erickson  |   Friday, August 29, 2008  |  Comments( 2 )

BYU Cougars
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Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah, will be a pressure cooker on Saturday afternoon as one of the most eagerly anticipated college football seasons at BYU gets under way with the Cougars entertaining the Division 1-AA powerhouse Northern Iowa Panthers.

Make no bones about it -- all of the pressure is on the 15th-/16th-ranked Cougars. The Panthers are pressure-free as the visiting team, lower-division underdog, while BYU is considered the best bet this year among non-BCS programs to qualify for a BCS bowl game in January 2009.

On the heels of back-to-back 11-2 seasons, two straight MWC championships, consecutive Las Vegas Bowl victories over Pac-10 foes, and the highest preseason ranking since 1984, BYU players and fans have been looking forward to the kickoff of the 2008 season since last December.

During the offseason, BYU fan boards were filled with complaints about having to play a Division 1-AA team, after Nevada of the Western Athletic Conference canceled its scheduled visit to Provo.

However, as a longtime elite program in the 1-AA division, Northern Iowa hardly represents a patsy game for the Cougars. Last year, the Panthers were ranked No. 1 for the final six weeks of the regular season, but lost a heartbreaker to Delaware at home in the divisional quarterfinals to finish 12-1.

NIU returns 13 starters, including its two top playmakers, preseason first-team All-America running back Corey Lewis (1,513 yards rushing, 16 TDs and 642 more yards on 54 receptions) and senior wide receiver Johnny Gray (70 receptions, 910 yards, five TDs, plus 129 yards an four scores on 14 carries, and another score off a punt return).

Three keys to winning the catfight

Control both sides of the line of scrimmage. Northern Iowa returns only one starter on its offensive line, while BYU brings back just four starters on defense. But the Cougars’ defensive strength is their front line. Jan Jorgensen, Russell Tialavea and Ian Dulan have a deep and capable supporting cast that includes Brett Denny, Bernard Afutiti and Mosese Foketi. Regardless of who is on the field at any given time, the Cougar D-line must constantly pressure Panther QB Pat Grace and plug the vertical gaps RB Corey Lewis will be trying to penetrate.

The Panther offense relies on getting Lewis and Gray as many open-field touches as possible. If the D-line can limit those touches and bottle up Grace and Lewis in the backfield, it will give the Cougars’ youthful back eight enough time to fill the running lanes and lock down Johnny Gray on his routes.

Veteran offensive line coach Mark Weber says this year’s interior line has the potential to be the best unit he has ever guided. If these guys can live up to such lofty expectations, Max Hall will have plenty of time to find Austin Collie, Michael Reed and Dennis Pitta and pick apart the Panther defense through the air. That will, in turn, create a field day for Harvey Unga and the running corps.

Northern Iowa’s only hope to limit the Cougar attack is by getting immense pressure on Hall for all four quarters. It’s really difficult to imagine that happening in this game.

Rapid assault with a shock-and-awe campaign. The Cougars need to put the game away as quickly as possibly. Easier said than done, because the Panthers are a well-coached, patient squad. But if you look at what happened to what was at the time fifth-ranked Michigan last year against Appalachian State (you knew this comparison was bound to pop up), the Wolverines raced off to a quick 14-7 lead in the first quarter and then got complacent in their Big House.

Before Michigan knew it, the team was down 28-17 at the half and had to play catchup the rest of the contest. The longer you allow an underdog to hang with you, the more confidence they gain, and the more problems they begin to create in foiling your game plan. Ultimately, Appalachian State prevailed 34-32 in the biggest shocker of the decade, and the Wolverines never recovered from the shame of that upset.

Ideally, BYU needs to rack up an insurmountable lead at least midway through the third quarter, so starters can be rested and the reserve troops can gain much-needed game-time experience.

Respect your opponent. One of the Cougars’ biggest obstacles they will face this week and for much of the season is overconfidence. Every team on their schedule, including Northern Iowa, is capable of defeating BYU should the Cougars regard them too lightly.

If Bronco Mendenhall and his staff can succeed in keeping the troops focused on executing their individual assignments, and keep each game at hand in perspective, this could be a very magical season for the program and Cougar fans everywhere.
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About Todd Erickson

Todd Erickson is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and pens the RealFootball365 Top 25 college football power rankings and "Fourth and inches..." weekly columns from August thru January. He is currently working on the second edition of Road to the Rose Bowl...
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