PROVO -- BYU head football coach Gary Crowton and associate head coach Lance Reynolds both sat down with the local media Monday to discuss last week's win over Wyoming, as well as Saturday's match-up at Air Force.
Opening Comments by Lance Reynolds, Sr.:
"We're very pleased with the outcome of the game. We thought we played well enough to win. Obviously, the positive parts were the running game, offensively. Defensively, the turnovers that we got were good and they've been playing more consistently. We're pleased with the win. Wyoming came into the game and we weren't sure how good they were. They were winning and playing good football. They seem to be one of those teams that takes advantages of opportunities and things kind of go their way. We were very impressed with them and we were very happy that we could turn the tide and win the game."
Q: Could you comment on Moa Peaua and his effectiveness in the running game?
LR: "Very physical wouldn't describe Moa. He came to us as a highly touted linebacker but he gained some weight and was ineffective at dropping the weight. So we moved him to the power fullback position and it's been a good role for him. We used him a little in the beginning but we're waiting until we can make him more a part of the plan. He was a tenacious blocker and he made some big hits to open the hole."
Q; Could you comment on some of the factors that influence the running game and why it has been able to progress?
LR: "When we started, the offensive line was really young, and I know everyone is tired of hearing that, but there was really only one guy who had started for us all year and that was Jake (Kuresa). (Eddie) Keele had a few starts but other than that no one really had any experience. So I think what's happened is that they're good players and athletic so as they gain experience they get better."
"Also, Daniel Coats has some experience and he's playing very well. He's really exerting his physical abilities on the defense. Dennis Pitta, our second tight end is starting to get a better feel and is playing better and better. Curtis (Brown) and Fahu (Tahi) and all the guys are starting to gain confidence in the running game and feel good about what they're doing."
Q: A lot of coaches say they take what the defense gives them, but when something like this happens, do you try to dictate a little with the physical offensive line?
LR: We would like to be at about a 50/50 run/pass mix and with our receivers it enables us to put defenses in a little bit of a bind. Do you want to take away the run or do you want to give some help stopping the wide receivers. The receivers had a few weeks where they were catching balls all over the place. Now people are trying to scheme up to get help to those guys. So while they're doing that they'll have to scheme up ways to get help to the run. To do both is very difficult."
Q: It appears that more players were getting playing time on defense. Could you comment?
LR: "There were several young players who played a lot more because they had a high effort output during the week. According to coach Mendenhall's philosophy, if they perform that way during the week, then he's going to play them. That's always a week to week judgment by him and his staff."
Q: What will not having Brandon Heaney mean to the team the last four weeks?
LR: "Whenever you lose a good player for whatever reason it hurts. He's been a very effective part of our defense, a good player for us. Just like in any job, there's not a substitution for experience. The lack and loss of experience that we had in him hurts us. We're hoping some guys will step up and fill that void."
Is he out for the year then?
LR: "He broke his arm in several places. They glued him back together so to speak. It will depend on if we go to a bowl game whether or not he'll be back."
Q: Are you as a coaching staff pleased with where you are in the Mountain West Conference Standings?
LR: "It seems like the level of play is pretty much the same. Obviously everyone knows that Utah is playing well and they're the team that everybody has to take a shot at. After them we feel like we're as good as anyone and probably the other teams feel the same way. It's going to depend on how well we play. I think we're playing well enough if we can avoid the mistakes, mentally and physically. Along with fumbles and turnovers we need to avoid the game killing mistakes like we made against UNLV. If you play like that, you can move the ball well but still lose if you make the major mistakes."
Q: You've played Air Force a number of times, what's the key to going into Colorado Springs and coming out with a win?
LR: "One, offensively you need to be patient and willing to take what they give you. They're a zone team and they sometimes give you certain things. You need to be willing to settle for those things and not force it. Two, they do a great job of hustling around the ball so you need to hustle as much as they do and execute as well as they do. If you do that and try to become on equal ground with them on those two things and rely on physical talent after that stage, then we feel like we would have a chance to win the game."
Gary Crowton
Q: Is it a big advantage for Air Force to have a week off before playing you?
GC: "It's a huge advantage. They're healthier and they have two weeks to study. They can readjust their plan."
Q: Utah came out today ranked seventh in the BCS. Everyone else in the conference is ranked close together, how do you feel based on the rest of the conference?
GC: "Utah's playing great football right now and they represent our conference very well on a national level. I voted for them up there. We just need to take it one game at a time. We're 2-1, so is Air Force. It's going to be a battle."
Q: Is it nice to have a day game for a change?
GC: "I'm not sure how to react. It's been a long time since we've had a day game. I think it's nice to have a day game because when you travel you get home earlier. It's nice to play at 1 p.m. and hopefully it'll be a nice day."
Q: Could you comment on the play of John Beck? His accuracy seems to be a bit off. Are there any reasons for that?
GC: "I think it's a team effort. I think it'll get back up there. Quarterbacks go through cycles and he has a really good work ethic. I think he'll bounce back and hopefully he'll play very well against Air Force."
Q: How much of that is defenses showing him different coverages and adjusting to him?
GC: "Every team plays a little different. This was the first time John had gone against Wyoming. Last year he played a few plays but Matt Berry was the quarterback. I thought he did some good things. What I really liked was that he was accurate when I needed him in the fourth quarter going two for two getting us two touchdowns. That's what the quarterback has to do, when you need him to make plays to win games he needs to make them. On third and nine he hit (Jason) Kukahiko and then hit Austin Collie for a 15-yard gain in the fourth quarter so I was impressed with those plays."
Q: Could you talk about the strides of the offensive line?
GC: "It's not just the offensive line it's the whole team making a commitment to the running game. We've been working on it hard in practice. I felt like the receivers, tight ends, and fullback blocked very well. The line does a very good job recognizing different fronts and when we needed them they were there. It's going to give us confidence. It was healthy for our team to run that way and it takes pressure off the passing game at times and puts more pressure on their defense. I'm very encouraged by our progress but we need to make more. Somebody will come up with a different plan to stop our run now, not just the pass."
Q: Did you see a gradual improvement in Curtis Brown or did he all of a sudden start taking off?
GC: "Curtis Brown missed last year with an injury and he missed spring ball with an injury. He came back in fall and made some progress. But what's really happened with Curtis is his confidence level has been really good. We've always known that he had talent. I feel like the confidence level in him has increased as well as the confidence of our linemen and the rest of the supporting cast around the running game."
"One of the reasons John Beck's accuracy is down is that they're throwing a lot of different coverages to try and take away the outside ball which opened up the run game. Now we have a complementary part of our game that should help us do a lot of different things offensively."
Q: What's the effect of not having a guy like Brandon Heaney?
GC: "We're going to miss Brandon Heaney but he'll be with us as a leader. He showed a lot of strength. With the injury that he had, his pain threshold is unbelievable. He broke his forearm and he told the trainer without screaming and yelling that his arm just snapped in two. He's a tough kid and we're going to rely on his leadership because he can't do anything physically for six weeks. He's been an inspiration to the whole team and the coaching staff."
Q: Could you share some thoughts on Air Force?
GC: "We've done well against them at home, but had one really bad game there in 2002. I think we're a better football team than that 2002 team when we played them on the road. They've got a good football team and Fisher DeBerry does an outstanding job and I have a lot of respect for him as a coach and the things he's done there. We've just got to play hard and hustle. They're going to be hustling. They're an aggressive football team. I think we're becoming a very aggressive team also. This is a very important conference game to say the least."