Let get things started on this board with everyone's predictions for Saturday's game verses the Rebels...
I believe BYU brings the better defense and offense into this game. Look for the Cougars to stack the box against Brunetti and the Ole Miss offense and force him to beat the Cougars with his arm. If the Rebels bring in Stoudt, expect Bronco to mix things up and bring a lot of pressure and confusing wrinkles.
Offensively, BYU began to hit its stride over the last few games of the season. With Jake Heaps and virtually all of his teammates back on that side of the ball, this should be one of the better offenses BYU has fielded. Match that up with an Ole Miss defense that has a lot of question marks and inexperience and you have a recipe for a good number of points to be scored by BYU.
Prediction: BYU 38 Ole Miss 13
Posted on 9/1 9:03 AM | IP: Logged
I don't think BYU can hold the REBELs to 13 points, we may be young, but offensive line is seasoned and running backs are strong. I do believe that we can't just run the ball, Brunetti or Stout are going to have to throw the ball to get some play action. I think BYU is the favorite, but look for the game to be closer than 25 pts...
Posted on 9/1 9:23 AM | IP: Logged
Stinger,
The game will certainly be closer than 25 points if the Rebels get that ground game of theirs going. But the Cougars have been very, very good against the run since Mendenhall took over the defense in midstream last year. The only team to sniff 100 yards on the ground last year against Bronco was TCU. The Frogs managed 108 yards against a really banged up BYU defense.
This BYU group on D is much more talented than the cobbled-together bunch he had to work with last year. The linebackers are the strength of the defense, with three of the four (Kaveinga, Van Noy and Pendleton) possessing definite NFL-caliber talent. Also keep an eye out for Ezekiel Ansah, a 6-6, 270 back up outside linebacker from Ghana, Africa. He is very, very green, not having ever played the game prior to last season, but he is an absolute freak of nature that has caused BYU's O-line significant trouble in camp.
This post was edited on 9/1 10:08 AM by Brett Richins
This post was edited on 9/1 11:21 AM by Brett Richins
Posted on 9/1 10:01 AM | IP: Logged
I'm going to say the rebels win in the fourth quarter when the battle is won in the trenches. OM 27 BYU 24
Posted on 9/1 12:52 PM | IP: Logged
I think it'll be close. If the cougars have conditioned enough (which is the only way to combat the heat and humidity) I think we take it. We also take it if we can have a stellar run D. I don't think the Rebel passing game will be good enough to overcome a sub 100 yard running day for the rebs. We held one team last year to negative yards through the first half.
Posted on 9/1 2:50 PM | IP: Logged
Tough call here for my Cougs. I think that Ole Miss will bring SEC caliber athletes to the field and that has this fan concerned. They also boast a proven back and mammoth o-line. BYU is breaking in a lot of new coaches and some new offensive schemes, will they be hitting on all cylinders right out of the gate? Plus BYU has all those older players and we all know how you get more athletic the older you get. Still, I bleed blue and think we hit a 60 yard fg with time expiring to win: BYU 17 Ole Miss 16
Posted on 9/1 4:21 PM | IP: Logged
Originally posted by jaredmente: Tough call here for my Cougs. I think that Ole Miss will bring SEC caliber athletes to the field and that has this fan concerned. They also boast a proven back and mammoth o-line. BYU is breaking in a lot of new coaches and some new offensive schemes, will they be hitting on all cylinders right out of the gate? Plus BYU has all those older players and we all know how you get more athletic the older you get. Still, I bleed blue and think we hit a 60 yard fg with time expiring to win: BYU 17 Ole Miss 16
I think there will be much more scoring in the game than you predicted; unfortunately for me, I am afraid BYU will do most of it. Ole Miss is not a very good SEC team this year (predicted to finish last in the SEC West), and even though we will be more accustomed to the heat, BYU should win this game. I'm not pulling for you, but as the saying goes "facts is facts"! You win by 13 - 17 points. BTW, Jimmer doesn't play football too, does he?
This post was edited on 9/1 8:21 PM by jsarebel70
Posted on 9/1 8:09 PM | IP: Logged
I would love to see a blowout, but I can't get past the fact that Ole Miss is still an SEC team which means most of their players live and die football and have for their entire life.
BYU 31 Ole miss 24
Wish I could be there
Posted on 9/2 12:23 PM | IP: Logged
Originally posted by BYUalways#1: I would love to see a blowout, but I can't get past the fact that Ole Miss is still an SEC team which means most of their players live and die football and have for their entire life.
BYU 31 Ole miss 24
Wish I could be there
Did you see that mighty SEC team absolutely destroy Western Kentucky last night? Yes, the SEC is a very good conference, but that doesn't mean that all of the programs in that conference are All World. Just because UNLV plays in the Mountain West doesn't mean they have the caliber of players, or the level of program that TCU has.
Another thing most people don't realize is that head-to-head over the past 10 years, the PAC-10 actually has a winning record (12-10) against the SEC. If BYU were playing one of the bottom teams in the PAC-10/12 from last season, and that that team had lost a significant number of contributors from a defense that surrendered 35 points a game; and that it was fielding a QB and receiving corp that had very little game experience, most BYU fans would be feeling pretty confident.
Now, if you really analyze this game and take out all the emotion and boil it down, two things emerge. 1)Ole Miss' strength on offense plays into BYU's strength on defense. 2)BYU's strength on offense will go up against Ole Miss's weakness on defense.
Also consider that BYU had very few questions marks and a great deal of experience when fall camp opened. For Ole Miss though, there were a myriad of questions and significant inexperience. Do you remember the first five games for BYU last year when the Cougars had inexperience at QB and freshman playing at key positions? That is the situation for the Rebels this year.
Ole Miss no doubt has some fast athletes, but if you have fast, inexperienced players, they can often find themselves going in the wrong direction - fast. BYU has more experience and a better overall group of "football players" than Mississippi does right now. And I for one will take a football player over an athlete any day of the week.
For all of the reasons listed above, I have come to the conclusion that BYU should be the solid favorite in this game. For those that have followed DSB in the past, you know that I work hard to view things with an impartial eye when evaluating outcomes and match ups in such situations. To that point, some may remember that prior to the 2010 season I predicted BYU would win 7 games.
Posted on 9/2 4:23 PM | IP: Logged
I predict BYU wins it late 14-13. I also predict highly touted freshman Nicolas Brasswell for Ole Miss will drop a ball thrown right in his hands in the end zone sometime during the game. It was a good game and I think ya'll have a really good football team. I'd also like to add that I was really impressed with what I read about the integrity for lack of a better word of your players. That's a rare trait in todays world. Your fans were great and we enjoyed hosting BYU. good luck with the rest of the year. The better you do, the easier our loss. Haa!
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