From: "CougarFan.com" Subject: Pro Watch: NFL Week 9, 2003 Date: 04 Nov 2003 19:02:07 -0700

CougarFan Insider Newsletter
November 4, 2003

National Football League

Week 9

Player	Stats	Result
Spencer Nead^'02 (FB/TE) St. Louis	1 Rec, 6 Yds, 0 TD	L: San Francisco 30 St. Louis 10
Chad Lewis^'96 (TE) Philadelphia (started)	1 Rec, 14 Yds, 0 TD	W: Philadelphia 23 Atlanta 16
Itula Mili^'96 (TE) Seattle (started)	2 Rec, 21 Yds, 0 TD	W: Seattle 23 Pittsburgh 16
Rob Morris^'99 (MLB) Indianapolis (started)	3 Tackle, 0 Assist, 0 Sacks	W: Indianapolis 23 Miami 17
Reno Mahe^'02 (PR/RB) Philadelphia (started)	2 PR, 25 Yds, 12.5 Avg, 3 FC, 0 TD	W: Philadelphia 23 Atlanta 16
Travis Hall^'94 (DE) Atlanta	1 Tackle, 0 Assist, 1 Sack	L: Philadelphia 23 Atlanta 16
Ronney Jenkins^'99(KR) Oakland	2 KR, 29 Yds, 14.5 Avg, 0 TD	L: Detroit 23 Oakland 13
Played, but no stats: Doug Jolley^'01(TE) Oakland Justin Ena^'01 (LB) Philadelphia Larry Moore^'96(C) Washington (started)
Did not play: Ty Detmer^'91(QB) Detroit (coach's decision) Chris Hoke^'00(NT) Pittsburgh (coach's decision) Teag Whiting^'01(G) Arizona (injured reserve) Brett Keisel^'01(DE) Pittsburgh (injured reserve) Joe Wong^'98 (T) Oakland (practice squad) Gabe Reid^'02 (TE) Tennessee (practice squad) Ryan Denney^'01(DE) Buffalo (bye week) John Tait^'98(T) Kansas City (bye week)

* The year listed after each name indicates the player's last season in college

Upcoming Games

Week 10 (Involving BYU players)
All Times Mountain

Sunday, November 9, 2003

11:00 AM:
Indianapolis (MLB Morris) at Jacksonville
Pittsburgh (NT Hoke) at Arizona
Atlanta (DE Hall) at N.Y. Giants
Chicago at Detroit (QB Detmer)
Cleveland at Kansas City (T Tait)
Seattle (TE Mili) at Washington (C Moore)
2:15 PM:
Buffalo (DE Denney) at Dallas
N.Y. Jets at Oakland (TE Jolley, KR Jenkins) (*CBS*)
6:30 PM:
Baltimore at St. Louis (FB/TE Nead) (*ESPN*)

Monday, November 10, 2003

7:00 PM:
Philadelphia (TE Lewis, LB Ena, PR/RB Mahe) at Green Bay (*ABC*)

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: CougarFan Insider Subject: FB Pre-Game: Notre Dame - Saturday 12:30 p.m. MST Date: 14 Nov 2003 07:50:39 -0700

CougarFan Insider Newsletter
November 15, 2003

Quick Facts


Team	Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Location	South Bend, IN
Day	Saturday, 11/15/2003
Time	12:30 p.m. MST
TV	NBC
Internet Radio	http://www.ksl.com/radio/listen/listen.php http://www.byuradio.org/streaming/
Records	BYU 4-6 (3-3), Notre Dame 3-6
Last Meeting	1994: BYU 21, Notre Dame 14
Weather	Cloudy : high 48, low 40
Latest Line	Notre Date by 8.5 points

Game Overview

Overview

BYU returns to South Bend, Indiana, site of one of the program's biggest wins. In 1994, John Walsh and Jamal Willis led the Cougars to a 21-14 upset of 17th-ranked Notre Dame. A win tommorrow may not even be considered a major upset, but it would still be a win over the premiere football program in the country. While the Cougars have had their share of bad breaks this season, it's time to put everything aside and go out and play ball.

Notre Dame is a team that feel's BYU's pain. High pre-season hopes have been replaced with aspirations of finishing the season with a non-losing record and qualifying for a bowl. After floundering to a 2-6 start, the Irish seemed to get their feet under them to some degree last week, hitting a field goal as time expired to defeat Navy and extend an NCAA record of 40 consecutive wins over one team. The Notre Dame offense put together five scoring drives of at least 58 yards and gained 24 first downs, and didn't give up a sack for the third consecutive game. One of the reasons for the team's offensive improvement is the play of true freshman Brady Quinn, who is getting the ball into the hands of playmakers. So far this season, 16 different receivers have caught balls for the the Irish.

Although the season that was hoped for by Notre Dame fans hasn't materialized, it is still a program based on pride and tradition, and Saturday's game will mark the 173rd consecutive home sellout for the Golden Domers. Like Gary Crowton, Notre Dame head coach Tyrone Willingham has endured criticism for a slumping team after racing out to an impressive start after being hired last year. However, he has been able to get his team to win close games, going 9-3 in games decided by less than eight points. A win Saturday would be the second straight home win after three losses, and would give the program its 10th win in the last 11 "Senior Nights."

Implications

BYU knows that wins over Notre Dame and Utah would go a long way toward erasing some other ugly losses. If the Cougs can get those two plus a bowl game, they'll be on an upward slope heading into next year.

Notre Dame is in the same situation as BYU. One more loss means they're just playing for pride. To date, the Irish are 2-0 vs. MWC teams (both wins over Air Force), although both Air Force and BYU have defeated Notre Dame as WAC members.

Player Notes

Players to Watch

BYU

#8, Matt Berry (QB) -- His hand has had an additional two weeks to heal, which will hopefully allow him to show the accuracy and ability that we saw at the beginning of the season. Even as he's battled back from his injury, he has been a high percentage passer who just needs a little more hand strength to be able to throw deep. If he falters, walk-on Jackson Brown may have his dreams come true as he gets a chance to line up under center.

#11, Reynaldo Brathwaite (RB) -- He's one of several key players who is back on the field after suffering the effects of the flu against Boise State. BYU needs him to mount an effective rushing attack to set up the passing game.

#44, Mike Tanner (LB) -- Second on the team in tackles, he is a team leader that needs to bring his best game to shut down a balanced offense based on good blocking schemes and punishing runners. The last few games have seen some missed tackles by the Cougars, and that will have to stop if they want a win tomorrow.

Notre Dame

#10, Brady Quinn (QB) -- This strong-armed true freshman has earned the right to play, taking over from three-year starter Carlyle Holiday. His 116 completions, 255 attempts, and 1,299 passing yards are the best by a Notre Dame freshman since 1951, passing the previous bests set by Steve Beuerlein in 1983. His 350 yards passing at Boston College were the most by an Irish quarterback since Joe Montana threw for 358 yards at USC in 1978.

#22, Julius Jones (RB) -- While he's only rushed for over 100 yards twice this season, when he gets rolling, he really rolls. Against Pittsburgh, his 262 yards were good enough to set a school record and to earn him National Player of the Week honors. Against Navy last week, he caught fire once again, netting 221 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He is the only player in the nation to have two of the NCAA's top 16 rushing performances in 2003. He joins Ryan Grant (#4) in the backfield, who last year as a sophomore became only the 7th player in Notre Dame history to rush for over 1,000 yards, but is nursing a slight foot injury.

#33, Courtney Watson (LB) -- A true team leader, he paced last year's Irish D with 90 tackles in only 10 games. He was named first-team All-American by ESPN in 2002, and was one of 11 semi-finalists for this year's Butkus Award. He is leading the team again this season with 90 tackles so far, despite having missed the Washington State game. One of the season's highlights was his 34-yard interception return for a score against Stanford.

#44, Justin Tuck (DE) -- This junior is a strong pass rusher who leads the Irish in sacks this season. He also leads the team in tackles for loss and forced fumbles, and is third in overall tackles.

Records to Watch

BYU has scored in 360 consecutive games, which is an ongoing NCAA record.

Injury Report

BYU

John Beck (QB) -- His season came to an end when he broke the index finger on his throwing hand against Boise State.

Daniel Coats (TE) -- He suffered a sprained ankle in practice last week, but is listed as probable.

Phillip Niu (TE) -- He was injured on the same day as Coats, but more seriously. He is finished for the year with a knee injury.

Notre Dame

Glenn Earl (S) -- A hard-hitting starter, he was lost for the season with a knee injury a few weeks ago.

Anthony Fasano (TE) -- A sophomore who is listed as questionable this week.

Gary Godsey (TE) -- He's also out for the season with a knee injury.

Nicholas Setta (PK, P) -- A very good kicker, he's not likely to play this week as he nurses himself back to health from an undisclosed injury. D.J. Fitzpatrick is a capable backup.

Dan Stevenson (OL) -- He's listed as questionable for this week's game.

Statistics

Team Statistics (National Ranking, Statistic)


	BYU		Notre Dame
Category	Rank	Stat	Rank	Stat
Total Offense (yds/g)	92	331.6	97	322.6
Total Defense (yds/g)	18	310.4	36	341.3
Scoring Offense (pts/g)	101	18.2	112	15.7
Scoring Defense (pts/g)	72	27.4	80	28.4
Rushing Offense (yds/g)	101	89.3	65	144.6
Rushing Defense (yds/g)	35	125.9	42	134.0
Passing Offense (yds/g)	48	228.9	94	178.0
Passing Defense (yds/g)	16	184.5	43	207.3
Passing Defense (efficiency)	43	117.0	91	137.4
Turnover Margin	103	-1.00	80	-.33
Punt Returns (yds/ret)	78	8.3	26	11.5
Kickoff Returns (yds/ret)	50	21.1	78	19.3
Net Punting (yds/punt)	55	36.3	98	33.5

Hypothetical Game
(If the the teams played an exactly average game)

BYU ND

Score 23 22

Total Offense (yds) 336 317

Rushing Offense (yds) 112 130

Passing Offense (yds) 218 181

Turnovers 3 2

Fan Picks from the Football Challenge

49% of you picked BYU to win this week.
The average score was BYU 20, Notre Dame 23.

National Rankings

AP Coaches BCS Result

BYU - - - -

Georgia Tech - - - W: 24-13

USC 2 2 2 L: 18-35

New Mexico - - - W: 10-7

Stanford - - - L: 14-18

Air Force - 34 - L: 10-24

San Diego St. - - - W: 44-36

Colorado St. - - - L: 13-58

Wyoming - - - L: 10-13

UNLV - - - W: 27-20 OT

Boise State 24 23 - L: 12-50

Notre Dame - - - Sat., Nov 15

Utah 31 30 - Sat., Nov 22

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "CougarFan.com" Subject: FB Pre-Game: Utah - Sat. 1:00 p.m. MST Date: 21 Nov 2003 10:15:40 -0700

CougarFan Insider Newsletter
November 21, 2003

Quick Facts

Team	Utah Utes
Location	Provo, UT
Day	Saturday, 11/22/2003
Time	1:00 MST
TV	ESPN+ , KJZZ 14 in SLC
Internet Radio	http://www.ksl.com/radio/listen/listen.php http://www.byuradio.org/streaming/
Records	BYU 4-7 (3-3), Utah 8-2 (5-1)
Last Meeting	2002: Utah 13, BYU 6
Weather	Snow showers: high 31, low 17
Latest Line	Utah by 8 points

Game Overview

Overview

BYU has suffered through the worst season in 30+ years and now tries to salvage in-state pride aginst thier bitter rivals from the north. The key to the BYU offense is to avoid turnovers. The offense has turned the ball over an astounding 36 times this year -- 2nd worst in the nation.

The BYU defense is #18 in the nation in yards allowed, but is #76 in points allowed. This is due to the offense giving up scores off turnovers and short fields to defend. The defense needs to put Utah at the same disadvantage by frustrating QB Smith and forcing turnovers. The only way BYU wins this game is if they win the turnover battle.

Utah is a program that has rallied to the the leadership of their new coach and his new offense. Boasting the highest scoring average in the conference, the offense is powered by the conference's most efficient passer (Smith), leading receiver (Warren) and 2nd leading rusher (Warfield).

The Utah defense, expected to be tops in the conference, is currently 5th in the MWC in yards allowed and points allowed.

Implications

BYU is out of bowl contention and conference title contention, but this week all the marbles are on the table. If BYU can beat a strong Utah team, fans would have something to grasp onto at the water coolers in Utah. Denying Utah a chance at their first outright conference title since 1957 would be a small consolation in an otherwise dismal year. In addition, with a win, BYU would finish a suprising 3rd in a very balanced Mountain West conference -- beating the media's prediction at the beginning of the year by 1 spot.

Utah is looking for their first outright conference championship in 46 years. They clinched a title tie this week and a win over BYU or a loss by New Mexico (vs. Wyoming) would seal the outright championship.

Player Notes

Players to Watch

BYU

#11, Rey Braithwaite (RB) -- BYU's only consistent offensive threat needs a breakout game to fuel the offense.

#38, Matt Payne (P/K) -- With snowy, cold conditions, the game may come down to field position. His punt placement and field goal range could be a big factor.

Utah

#5, Brandon Warfield (RB) -- The Utes' top running back returns for this game after sitting out 3 games with a knee injury. He is 19th in the nation with 104 rushing yards per game.

#11, Alex Smith (QB) -- He has excelled after winning the starting spot early in the season. His pass efficiency rating of 162 gives him a #7 rank nationally and tops in the conference.

#82, Paris Warren (WR) -- A talented wideout leading the conference in receptions per game also gets the ball often on inside handoffs or reverses.

Records to Watch

BYU has scored in 361 consecutive games, which is an ongoing NCAA record.

Injury Report

BYU

Lawrence Cowan (LB) -- still out with is injured elbow.
John Beck (QB) -- out with broken hand
Phillip Niu (TE) -- out with hurt knee
David Christensen (WR) -- out with hurt shoulder
Vincent Xanthos (OL) -- out with hurt shoulder
Brandon Heaney (DB) -- out with hurt shoulder

Utah

Brandon Warfield (RB) -- expected to play this Saturday after knee injury
Morgan Scalley (DB) -- questionable with hurt knee
Marty Johnson (RB) -- suspended from team
Jesse Boone (OL) -- out with hurt ankle
Mike Liti (RB) -- out with hurt (collarbone
Jason Kaufusi (DL) -- out with hurt shoulder
Zach Tune (LB) -- suspended from team
Larry Miles (WR) -- quit the team

Statistics

Team Statistics (National Ranking, Statistic)

	BYU		Utah
Category	Rank	Stat	Rank	Stat
Total Offense (yds/g)	96	329.0	38	404.6
Total Defense (yds/g)	18	314.9	55	369.1
Scoring Offense (pts/g)	104	17.8	25	32.4
Scoring Defense (pts/g)	76	27.9	47	22.9
Rushing Offense (yds/g)	111	98.2	42	171.5
Rushing Defense (yds/g)	40	133.0	54	149.0
Passing Offense (yds/g)	46	230.8	45	233.1
Passing Defense (yds/g)	16	181.9	63	220.1
Passing Defense (efficiency)	33	114.0	56	121.3
Turnover Margin	108	-1.18	22	+0.70
Punt Returns (yds/ret)	84	8.0	73	8.4
Kickoff Returns (yds/ret)	59	20.6	1	28.0
Net Punting (yds/punt)	55	36.1	17	38.9

Hypothetical Game
(If the the teams played an exactly average game)

BYU Utah

Score 20 30

Total Offense (yds) 349 360

Rushing Offense (yds) 124 152

Passing Offense (yds) 225 208

Turnovers 3 1

Fan Picks from the Football Challenge

79% of you picked BYU to win this week.
The average score was BYU 27, Utah 21.

National Rankings

AP Coaches BCS Result

BYU - - - -

Georgia Tech - - - W: 24-13

USC 2 2 3 L: 18-35

New Mexico - - - W: 10-7

Stanford - - - L: 14-18

Air Force - - - L: 10-24

San Diego St. - - - W: 44-36

Colorado St. - - - L: 13-58

Wyoming - - - L: 10-13

UNLV - - - W: 27-20

Boise State 20 20 23 L: 12-50

Notre Dame - - - L: 14-33

Utah 29 26 24 Sat., Nov 22

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