RB Preview Part VII

[scott715]

Both of them are unknows. I hear good things but until they make the field we don't know. We can only hope they pan out.

[Cougarbib]

Got to disagree, Bib. Staley's knee let him down, so we never got to see what he would have done in the NFL. But when he was healthy, Luke was everything that Marshall Faulk was. In college play, he was probably even more of a phenomenon than Faulk, being stronger, but just as fast. What a freak of nature he was. I think he would have given Faulk a run for it in the NFL. Ronny Jenkins was a great back as a freshman. Not so much when he came back after his first suspension, when he weighed more. He was good, but not great by then, due to a loss of speed.

Staley was not projected to go high in the draft even before the injury. The knock was inside power running. But anytime he could pop to the outside - magical. Truly magical. Maybe one of our historians can find NFL draft projections made before that fateful game. There was an * by Luke Staley inspite of BYU being 12-0 and Staley having a monster year.

Look for Staley on Heisman balloting and compare to Marshall Faulk. Not quite the same.

I personally think Staley was the best BYU RB ever and perhaps he could have found a niche in the NFL - ala Todd Christensen.

[Cougarbib]

Will JD Falslev be a bright spot again in 2012? It is so easy to dismiss guys like Falslev and Nelon - small, unathletic, .......
Both play like they have something to prove.

[BOID]

Bib, I agree, mostly. Luke was magical when he bounced or swept outside. He also made beautiful jukes and transitions in open field running, and he would float on a sweep and choose just the right moment to shift gears, actually accelerating through his cut down-field behind his block. I don't know if I'll live long enough to see another like him at BYU.

Two things though:

1- Luke was not afforded Heisman cred to equal his strong performance in his junior year of eligibility. Reasons for this include the way that he lost most of his sophomore season to his knee injury and surgery. they weren't going to consider him like Faulk after Luke logged just one healthy season, no matter how good that season was. I was referring to how well Staley showed up in game play relative to Faulk in just that junior season (his last at BYU) not respecting what his Heisman projections were. Also, is Heisman cred always credible? BYU does not get Heisman cred until some Cougar phenomenon like Jim McMahon or Steve Young gets ripped off. Then BYU is due, provided the Cougs have yet another phenomenon ready for the guilt-greased skids, before that guilt wears off. I don't mean to diminish Ty Detmer's much deserved achievement; he had to be a real phenomenon in order to take advantage of that window.

2-- IIRC, it seems that Luke was seen in slo= mo replay on many occasions leaning forward, churning his legs, shedding tackles and powering through heavy contact for five yards to fall over the goal line in plays sending him up the middle. I know he sometimes seemed too easy to stop before he got his weight forward. But in circumstances where he knew he just needed five yards or less, he leaned into it and churned and rolled while I cheered and hollered.

[BOID]

Will JD Falslev be a bright spot again in 2012? It is so easy to dismiss guys like Falslev and Nelon - small, unathletic, .......
Both play like they have something to prove.

Oh, yeah, I like Falslev a lot. He reminds me somewhat of that little receiver from Idaho Falls in 2006. I can't quite access his name from my temporal lobes right now. I think that experience and attitude mean more than pure talent does, at least until the talent grows up some. So Falslev should be very valuable in stealth formations, even though there will also be Cody and Ross. Now, if Ross's injury is not 100% resolved, then Falslev could be invaluable. I would venture to predict that opponents' defenses will be scheming for Cody; again, step up Falslev.

[redneckjedi]

Will JD Falslev be a bright spot again in 2012? It is so easy to dismiss guys like Falslev and Nelon - small, unathletic, .......
Both play like they have something to prove.

Oh, yeah, I like Falslev a lot. He reminds me somewhat of that little receiver from Idaho Falls in 2006. I can't quite access his name from my temporal lobes right now. I think that experience and attitude mean more than pure talent does, at least until the talent grows up some. So Falslev should be very valuable in stealth formations, even though there will also be Cody and Ross. Now, if Ross's injury is not 100% resolved, then Falslev could be invaluable. I would venture to predict that opponents' defenses will be scheming for Cody; again, step up Falslev.

That would be Nate Meikle, and I have a soft spot in my heart for him as well. Absolutely fearless in punt returns, too.

[Mars]

I like Falslev a lot. He reminds me somewhat of that little receiver from Idaho Falls in 2006. I can't quite access his name from my temporal lobes right now.

That would be Nate Meikle, and I have a soft spot in my heart for him as well. Absolutely fearless in punt returns, too.

Great guy as well.

[scott715]

http://www.bluecougarfootball.com/2012/ ... backs.html

2. 100-yard Rushing Game. Despite coming close a couple of times, no Cougar ball carrier reached 100-yards rushing in a game last year. It was the first time since 1995.

3. 1,000-yard Rusher. For the second consecutive season, BYU did not have a 1,000 yard rusher. From 2005-09, a BYU running back reached 1,000 yards. If no Cougar gets 1,000 this year, it will match BYU’s longest streak without a 1,000 yard rusher in the last 20 years.