BYU hosted TCU in what should’ve been a clash between two teams fighting for the Mountain West Title. Instead, BYU showed why they are leading the MWC while TCU looked every bit a team playing with no desire or hunger. BYU is a team loaded with underclassmen and could make a run at a BCS Bowl within the next two years. In what turned out to be a lot closer in score, 27-22, than the game itself; BYU moved to 7-2 on the year and remained undefeated in conference play (5-0). TCU, on the other hand, dropped to 5-5 on the year and 2-4 in conference play.


College: Brigham Young University Conference: Mountain West Columnist: Jay Strickroth

SCOUTING SUMMARY:

Kelly Poppinga #46 6’02” 240 Sr LB: Poppinga was quite impressive in this game showing a definite toughness against the run. Poppinga had 7 solo tackles, 10 assists and 1 interception. Although he only had 1 TFL, 10 of these stops were for 3 yds or less. A virtual unknown coming into the year, Poppinga is making a case to be drafted late in next year’s draft, and one who could serve well on special teams while learning the pro game. Poppinga appears to be worthy of playing SLB in a 4-3 Defensive scheme, showing enough quickness to make plays in zone coverage against TE’s/RB’s in the slot. GRADE: Positive

Dallas Reynolds #65 6’05” 328 Sr LT: Reynolds is the back-bone of a BYU O-Line averaging 318 lbs. Reynolds came into the season as a 3 year starter on the right side, before making a move permanently to the left side this year. Reynolds has extremely strong hands and does a wonderful job keeping opposing lineman from getting inside and gaining leverage. However, he needs to develop better footwork to transition to the next level where he’s best suited for a move back to the right side. Reynolds looks as though he could add another 10 – 15 lbs without any significant loss of speed. GRADE: Slightly Positive

Dennis Pitta #32 6’05” 230 Soph TE: Pitta enters the year as a red-shirt Sophomore although he is draft eligible after spending 2 years on a mission for the Ladder Day Saints (LDS) ministry. Pitta entered college as a WR prospect but gained a significant amount of bulk and weight during his 2 year sabbatical. During this game, Pitta caught 7 passes for 88 yards and now has 43 receptions on the year for 635 yards. Pitta displays some of the softest hands I’ve seen in a TE and seems to always catch the ball away from his body. This game showed Pitta does a great job of catching the ball in traffic and will make an excellent acquisition for any passing offense. One area Pitta needs work on is pass protection and run blocking. Pitts seemed to do a decent job while chipping blitzing backers; however, he has to increase his lower body strength in order to be a successful NFL TE. GRADE: Positive

College: Texas Christian University Conference: Mountain West Columnist: Jay Strickroth

SCOUTING SUMMARY:
Tommy Blake #97 6’03” 252 Sr DE: Blake, a pre-season favorite of many, continues to be eased back into the rotation after missing 5 games due to an undisclosed illness. Blake is an imposing figure for his size but appeared to be lumbering just a bit. Blake at times looked to have regained his noted speed rush off the edge but in traditional fashion labored against the run. Blake was far from impressive, made no attempt to incorporate any other moves to his repertoire and appeared to have quit on any play ran to the right side. I’d like to blame Blake’s struggles on conditioning but something tells me his problems have more to do psychologically than physically. GRADE: Slightly Negative

Chase Ortiz #93 6’03” 255 Sr DE: Ortiz was hyped as having been in mid-season form entering this game while leading the MWC in sacks (6) and TFL’s (11.5). Unfortunately, Ortiz all but disappeared in this game and didn’t record a single stat. Ortiz looked small against BYU’s behemoth of a line even though he’s virtually the same size as Blake. Blake entered the year as a possible mid round draft choice in some circles but if the tape shows continuous trouble against NFL size linemen then I can’t see Ortiz being productive at the next level. GRADE: Slightly Negative

Brian Bonner #6 5’11” 199 Sr S: Bonner entered this week’s match-up as a 2nd Day prospect on the rise due to his play as a senior. Bonner looked very comfortable playing in the box in support of the run and appeared to be more than capable of shedding blocks between the tackles by evident of his 7 solo tackles and 1 assist. However, Bonner looked hesitant in his reads and showed very little lateral quickness when in pursuit to the edge, while being beat by a 230 lb HB/FB tweener in Unga. Bonner made several nice reads when hanging back in coverage but he did not look as confident laying the wood on receivers as he does in the box. Bonner also returned 3 punts for 26 yards. GRADE: Neutral

OTHER NOTES:

TCU:

Jason Phillips #39 6’01” 234 Jr LB: Phillips looked very natural playing both the run & pass, and is earning respect within the conference as a player on the rise. Phillips looked very quick in and out of his reads and appeared to be a sound tackler.

Aaron Brown #23 6’01” 196 Jr HB: Brown headed into this year as the starting RB but has lost touches recently due to inconsistent play. Look for a promising senior campaign.

How does Pitta look when he's blocking inline? Does he have good technique and just lack the necessary strength at this time? Or does he need to improve technically as well?

I agree with your assessment about Pitta as a receiving TE. He's got very soft hands.

I think Pitta is fairly sound technically but w/ some added weight in the legs he'll stand a better chance of driving defenders off the line. Like a lot college atheletes, he either raises his legs to high and can get knocked off balance or he fails to raise them high enough and loses leverage. Remember, this is a former High School WR that bulked up during his mission work and has just recently changed position.

Blake's problems are psychological. That's all I can say about that...

BYU:
OLB #41 Bryan Kehl of BYU entered the year with a draftable grade, did he play?
TCU:
Did C Blake Schlueter impress you at all? How about OG Matt Lindner and did Stephen Hodge and/or David Roach play they impressed me last season?